Tag: F3RVA Summer Tour

  • LABOR DAY 2026 COVERGENCE: BACK TO BATTEAU

    44 HIMs from near and far converged on one of RVA’s OG AOs for this year’s Labor Day Gathering. With many PAX jumping into the gloom of an unfamiliar AO, YHC brought in some experts of the craft to show everyone what this corner of the city has to offer.

    YHC arrived at 0615 only to shortly find Pigskin and House Party looking for a way in around the locked gates. Despite YHC’s best efforts to secure the AO ahead of time (a call was placed last week to confirm), RVA Parks & Rec’s finest slept in. Fortunately, our “hero” showed up at 0645 to allow the PAX park within spittin’ distance of the shelter.

    Top of the hour hit and the PAX forged over to Stone House Field.

    COT
    Welcome to Batteau, disclaimer, warm up with ascending burpee intervals:

    • SSHs (1 burpee)
    • DQs (2 burpees)
    • Imperial Walkers (3 burpees)
    • LBCs (4 burpees)

    Some broga, then split into 4 groups for stations (written in the order PAX rotated through with YHC):

    Wojo led — Mosey to Stone House Circle for a classic, completely plain Dora:

    • 100 Merkins
    • 200 LBCs
    • 300 Monkey Humpers
    • Pace car bear crawls (or walking lunges) to the stone beacon, mosey back NASCAR-style

    Mosey to the pickleball courts.

    Faceplant led — Popsicle Stick Scramble: one minute to explain the rules, then PAX paired up (encouraged to partner with someone new or from a different home AO) for nine one-minute rounds. One partner worked the called exercise while the other ran out, dropped a burpee, grabbed a stick, and returned — then switched. After three minutes, stealing opened up: 6 burpees bought you a stick off another team. Most sticks won — top team walked away with 11!

    Mosey to the endless steps

    Machismo led (will update later) — YHC only knows the whereabouts of Machismo’s station as “the stairs gauntlet and the gazebo.” Descriptions of “AWOL” have been thrown around.

    Mosey to the playground/roaming Mudslide station

    Mudslide led — working both the hills and the courts:

    1. Triple check: hand-released merkins, jump squats, run uphill
    2. Flutter kicks, Freddie Mercuries, run up and back
    3. 10 Lieutenant Dans, 25 tricep dips, 50 mountain climbers, 100 SSHs

    A final plank hold closed it out — ran out of time before a planned 4 corners on the tennis courts.

    BTTF with Faceplant leading the six: reverse crunches, flutters, and a dead man hang until time.

    Numberama, Namerama, YHC took us out.

    Prayers lifted for Speakeasy on his battle, Hitchhiker on the loss of his father, and Pin Prick, and others unnamed. Lift them up as they lean into understanding.

    Announcements

    • 9/11 Ruck at the Alamo, 8pm — see Slack or Crabgrass for details
    • IronPAX Challenge this Month at Timberwolf….. on Wednesdays!
    • 2nd Tuesday, 2nd F: Lunch tomorrow (9/8) at Joey’s Hotdogs in Innsbrook — High Noon

    A note on convergences

    Getting 44 HIMs to circle the wagons, PAX driving in from other AOs, everybody showing up ready to suffer together on a holiday morning. That doesn’t happen by accident. Thank you to fellow Qs Faceplant, Mudslide, and Machismo for bringing the thunder, to those who brought beverages and snacks, and to every HIM who rolled out of bed for this one instead of fartsacking. This is why we convergence. Hope y’all enjoyed this taste of one of the OG F3RVA AOs.

    And a special shoutout to YHC’s M, who this morning put YHC on a timer…. forcing YHC to be F3’s version of a first out Q. YHC showed up swimming pool soaked at re+forme in the Fan to scoop up the 2.0…. no coffee welcome and several odd looks from the tomatoes in her Pilates class. Guess Somebody had to circle the wagons while they found their centers.

    Thank for letting me lead, y’all. SYITG.

  • 3 at 4

    One launched at 4 to ruck 3 with 40. Conditions continued to hold steady at 70 and sunny. According to not a darn soul out there, the following might have happened:

    Counter-clockwise loops. 3 miles. Fudd stop in there somewhere.

    Always good to see the Dolphins rookies waiting to leave for work at 5:30. Those kids work hard. Good luck to each of them.

    Number, name, and YHC took himself out.

  • Thick, Soupy, Stromboli Powered Old Glory

    12 Warriors, including 2 dedicated Summer Tourists, posted to NoToll for a good old fashioned Old Glory in the most humid of glooms. The Garmin struck 0530 and off we went past the gaggle of tomatoes gearing up for a run.

    2 laps with OG, plant the OG in the corner and set the timer to 20 minutes for the THANG (4 corners – 20 merkins, 20 jump squats, 10 burpees, 20 WWIIs), then 2 laps indigenous people style until the jailbreak for time.

    Numbers, Names, Announcements, Prayers

    The sweat was rolling. The Stromboli from the F3 Fantasy Football drafting was gurgling, and the fields were glorious. Great morning.

    Announcements:

    • 2 tour stops left – Lumberyard Saturday and Batteau for the Labor Day convergence.
    • Labor Day convergence at Batteau (Forest Hill Park) and by popular (Gridiron) demand, Wojo has moved the start time back to 0700.
    • Prayers for Speakeasy (see meal train if you can support)

    No More Gumbo For you!

  • PREBLAST: LABOR DAY 2026 CONVERGENCE

    When: Monday, 9/7 — 0700
    Where: Batteau —- Forest Hill Park, Richmond, VA
    Parking: Park in the parking lot before you get to the shelter off the New Kent Ave & 42nd St entrance. Get there a few minutes early.
    QIC: Wojo, Faceplant, Rosie, Mudslide
    The PAX: F3RVA and beyond — all AOs welcome

    PAX of F3RVA — come on out to Forest Hill Park at 0700 on Labor Day for our annual Labor Day Convergence. We’ll be bringing together men from across the region for a hard workout, good fellowship, and a strong start to the holiday.

    This one’s going to need a few hands on deck:

    Qs Booked!

    Park Opens at 6am for any Broga Partakers

    2nd F: After the workout we’ll be sticking around for coffee/breakfast. Looking for:

    • Volunteers to bring beverages (coffee, water, etc.)
    • Anyone willing to cook or bring snacks/breakfast for the group

    Reach out to me directly if you can help with any of the above.

    A little history while we’re at it: it’s been over a decade since F3RVA got its start at Gridiron back in 2014. If you’ve never been out to check out one of the OG AOs that built this region, this is a good excuse — consider making a visit on Labor Day. Worth remembering where this thing started as we keep growing.

    Bring it, Bring FNGs (always welcome), and let’s close out the summer right.

    “The only easy day was yesterday.”

    Get some.
    Wojo

  • Summer Pilgrimage

    Like a Ninja, YHC appeared from the darkness to shock the socks off F3RVA’s all-time positive vibes guru and 6 other Amelia street walkers.

    Here’s what transpired:

    Quick mosey around the square

    COP – SSHs, Arm Circles, Cherry Pickers, Merkins, Freddie Mercurys

    Mosey to Street Light #1

    Diabolical 4-Corners

    • Light 1 – 5 Mike Tysons
    • Light 2 – 5 Mike Tysons, 5 Pogo Sticks 2ct
    • Light 3 – 5 Mike Tysons, 5 Pogo Sticks 2ct, 5 WWIIs
    • Light 4 – 5 Mike Tysons, 5 Pogo Sticks 2ct, 5 WWIIs, 5 Squats
    • Repeato x10, x15

    Mosey back to Courthouse steps

    • Decline ascending Merkins up steps
    • Peoples Chair for like 7 minutes
    • Incline ascending Merkins up steps
    • Peoples Chair for like 5 minutes

    Finish with Absolution, Annihilation, something like that

    Numberama, Nameorama, COT

    MOLESKIN

    YHC had an itch to get up and head downrange for a change of scenery.  That change and a chance to see our good buddy Hardywood put an extra pep in the step this morning.  Boo Boo’s 4 corners quickly squashed that pep.  If anyone travels to St. Louis, mind your own lawn and keep an eye out for the ladies of the night.  In Cleveland take cover between the hours of 1300 and 1500.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Prayers for Lt. Dan and others in Amelia, plus Speakeasy in DaVille

  • Resilient Joy at The Hoedown

    8 summer migrants settled in at 5:30 for a Hoedown-style beatdown. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the Zing Fit regulars, the following might have happened:

    Drip, drip, drip…ok, we need to start…someone will have to catch up.

    Mosey to the Teacher Parking Lot for the COP:

    SSHs x40
    Dead Man Hang
    Walk it out…left leg high, right leg high
    The Artist Formerly Known as Fudd’s Wife, then Wilson’s Wife.
    Hand-Release Mercans x15
    Imperial Walkers x10
    On your six…flutter kicks x20
    Inverted scorpion kicks
    Recover…left leg over right and stretch…and right leg over left…and stretch.

    Let’s mosey…Bodo’s spitefully closed one of the parking lots for construction…mosey to the front lawn…WWIIs…and something else.

    Mosey to the Unclosed Third Church Parking Lot (which is really the Official F3 Weight Lifting Station and Parking Facility).

    Grab a partner and a block. 2 men, three rounds.

    Round 1:

    Partner 1: Run the loop.
    Partner 2: Bench press.

    Round 2: Run and curls.

    Round 3: Run and block thrusters.

    Keep the Same Partner:

    Someone was kind enough to leave 2 orange cones in the lot. Each team member will go from Cone 1 to Cone 2 (which is one segment) and Back (collectively a “lap”). Each person will make TWO full laps, or 4 segments. At least two of 4 segments, in any order, should be a bear crawl. Each man chooses his own adventure.

    The second partner does a block exercise of his choice. When the first partner completes his 4 segments, the second partner tells the first partner which block exercise to do.

    The two partners then switch roles. This goes on for 3 total rounds (which is often called a Triple Check, but this one only has 2 partners).

    The questions will continue until morale improves.

    At some point, the PAX did a Bro-code style run around Bodo’s Office, a symbolic protest over the closed parking lot.

    Keep the Same Partner:

    Remember the two orange cones? Ok, run the opposite direction around the parking lot from Cone 1 to Cone 2 (the “long way”). Partner 1 does this two times.

    Partner 2 does a block exercise of his choice.

    When Partner 1 has finished, the two partners switch and repeat.

    Pigskin gave us a Roman-ian 20 count…in Latin letters. Nicely done.

    Grab a Parking Space:

    3 mercans, 3 WWIIs, and 3 squats. Move the adjacent spaces until YHC calls time.

    Mosey BTTVSF.

    2 MsoM.

    Numbers, Names, and YHC took us out with a message of gratitude.

    Announcements:

    Breaking Bread for August…one spot remains. This is F3RVA’s oldest continuous volunteer effort, well over 10 years. Make dinner for about 8-12 people who are in need of help while they recover from injuries, surgeries, or illnesses. Straight up opportunity to do affirmative good and set a clear example of positive leadership (i.e., “make an impact”). Let’s go!

    The neighborhood around Hoedown took some severe weather on Friday. No deaths or injuries, thankfully, but many trees downed that heavily damaged cars and houses. YHC is very thankful that everyone came through physically fine. Property can be replaced….

    Results in the 20 Count Challenge Today:

    First Place: Pigskin
    Second Place: Seymour
    Third Place: Wojo* (*technically, Wojo only completed a 19 count, which was all that was requested)

    DQ’d: Oyster

  • Tour de Spider

    Twelve of the studliest studs to ever studding stud, put down some miles.

    Here’s where:

    • R on UR Drive
    • R on Westhampton Way
    • R on Keller
    • Continue across College on Glen Pkwy
    • R on Westham

    4s

    • R on Durwood Cr
    • R on Ridgetop
    • L on Wheeler
    • Take path to campus and continue on Campus Dr
    • R on UR Drive back to SF

    5s

    • R on Patterson
    • R on Honaker
    • Continue on Boatwright
    • L on Campus Dr
    • U-turn onto Towana
    • Continue on Roselawn
    • Path to UR Drive back to SF

    6s

    • R on Patterson
    • R on Maple
    • R on Grove
    • Take access road to Towana
    • Towana to Roselawn
    • Path to UR Drive back to SF

    Numberama, Nameorama, COT

    MOLESKIN

    After the PAX commiserated about the hills and how much they sucked, Handshake shared the news that his wife’s 11 year old cousin passed away over the weekend after a long hard cancer battle.  That really puts things into perspective.  We do hard things daily, but nothing could be as hard as saying goodbye to a child.  We pray for mercy in that family’s grief and peace as they trust in God’s plan and provision.  Let’s approach each day with gratefulness for what we have and not take a single breath for granted.

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Prayers for Speakeasy

    Summer Tour continues tomorrow at MOT

    Homegrown Half this Saturday

  • Tourists Welcome… Regret Included

    Four PAX assembled at Goyne Park for another installment of The Bermuda Triangle. The lineup consisted of one Bermuda regular, one former regular making a triumphant return, and two Summer Tour tourists, who apparently looked at today’s tour stop and thought, “How bad could it be?”

    We kicked things off with a mosey to the school entrance for the usual Warmarama, complete with a few Hoe Downs to shake the rust loose.

    From there, we took the unnecessarily long route around the school to the playground. Why take the short way when extra mileage is free? YHC realized pull-ups and dips have quietly disappeared from Bermuda workouts lately. That’s the kind of mission drift we simply can’t allow.

    At the playground:

    – Pull-up pyramid: 1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1. While your partner was hanging from the bar questioning life choices, you were knocking out squats.

    – Dip pyramid: 8-9-10-11-12-11-10-9-8. Waiting your turn meant Imperial Walkers, because standing around is highly discouraged.

    Next stop: the bus loop for a pair of Four Corners.- Round 1: 10 double-count Mountain Climbers at every corner.- Round 2: 10 Plank Jacks and 10 Jump Squats at every corner, just in case anyone’s legs were feeling optimistic.

    On the way back we made our annual (okay, weekly) pilgrimage through Chaplain’s Pole Alley, completing 40+ Polesmokers—one for every AO on this year’s Summer Tour. Consider it our official passport stamp.

    Back at the yoga mat, YHC decided everyone’s core hadn’t suffered nearly enough:- Tater’s Irish Clovers- Flutter Kicks- Hip Circles- Arnold Fondas (each leg)- V-Ups- American Hammers- Oblique LBCs- DTH’s Protractor

    The Protractor nearly sparked a revolt. Oddly enough, nobody objected to the extra core work. The real issue was the unexpected requirement to perform geometry before 6:30 a.m.

    A final mosey brought us back to the flag with no one left behind, although a few abdominal muscles may have filed missing person reports.

    Announcements:- Summer Tour is in full swing. Keep posting and collecting those AOs.- Homegrown Half Marathon / 10K Ruck is August 1.

    Thanks to Posh for returning home for a visit, and to Boberry and EF Hutton for dropping in. Bermuda may not have the biggest attendance, but we continue to provide premium suffering in a small-group setting.

  • One Toke Over The Line

    7 Lounge enthusiasts converged upon The Lounge at Twin Team this morning. 3.5 regulars and 3.5 tourists, so no takeover today, YHC checked the by-laws and Senor Frog counts for both.

    Mosey down to the parking lot by JRHS for warmerama. Counting was primarily done by YHC because leading exercises without cadence is quite difficult. Exercises included invisible jump rope, Ukranian soldiers, merkins, and Don Quixotes.

    Mosey to the track for a two pack of boberry biscuits, modified:

    Lap around the track, fast on the straigjts, slow on the turns, 10 merkins and 20 WW2s after each lap.

    Mosey back to the parking lot for touch a tree (not a post). 2, 4, and 6 trees, merkins, squats and LBCs.

    Then we found the sprinklers, and did a triple check. mosey back to the start for one burpee and a little cool down. Props to Last Call and Rosie for the coffee after.

    numbers, names, announcements (Convergence for July 4th tomorrow at 7am at Gridiron. prayers for a happy, healthy, and not overheated holiday weekend.

  • Put That In Your F**kit Bucket!

    A perfect eleven stamped their tour card at the F3RVA mecca.

    Here’s what transpired:

    Mosey to the compass in front of the Carillon

    COP

    • Don Qs
    • Helicopters
    • Ukranian Soldiers
    • Hillbillies
    • Merkins
    • Suzanne Somers (L/R)
    • Flutter Kicks
    • Mountain Climbers
    • SSHs

    Mosey to the far Circle

    Catch Me If You Can

    • P1 – Run Counterclockwise Loop
    • P2 – Bear Crawl, Lunge, Broadjump Burpees
    • Booyah Merkins x 10 at each switch
    • Repeato with Gorilla Shuffle, Leap Frogs, Traveling SSHs, Booyah WWIIs

    Mosey to the Rusty Cage

    Triple Check – Run to Fire Hydrant and Burpee x 1, Pull-ups, Jump Squats

    Mosey to the bottom of the Amphitheatre

    Alternate Incline Merkins and Dips, 1,2,3…. finishing with 18 Dips

    Mosey back to the Flag

    Mary

    • LBCs
    • APDs
    • Hello Dollys
    • 6 Inches

    Numberama, Nameorama, COT

    MOLESKIN

    Determined to ruin partner and throuple numbers, Blank Space joined us a few minutes into the COP.  Undeterred, we pushed on and were glad to have him.  Apologies for repeating a few things from Saturday for the boys at both.  Kudos to Handshake and Senor for triple-ish dipping.  Good luck to USA vs. Bosnia and Heerzzuyraiia.  Kinda ridiculous to play 1 v 2, but let’s go! 

    ANNOUNCEMENTS

    Convergence Saturday – HC to Pinto on Slack

    Summer Tour – Twin Team, GridIron Convergence

    World Cup viewing at City Stadium tonight