Two Pax, one runner and one very, very LIFO, joined up for the latest edition of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to Nathan, a random guy in front of the hotel who clip boarded for the Pax, the following might have happened.
YHC ran the normal route. 4.5 or so, including stopping for Fudd.
Upon returning to the VSF, YHC chatted with Omar, YHC’s pal who is the handyman at the hotel. When YHC started doing Fudd’s wife, Omar said, “Oh, you are doing push-ups. Let’s do some.” Omar suggested a contest. YHC conceded that this was not necessary. YHC invites any PAX member who can win this contest to join – you drink free for the evening. We agreed to start with sets of 20, with YHC doing HRMs. But, form counts. You know it when you see it. YHC took about 30 seconds to do 20 HRMs. Same as any other set of 20. Omar took about 2 minutes. He did Swirly merkins, holding at the bottom on each one for 5 seconds or so. YHC is playing checkers; Omar plays chess.
Numbers, names, and Omar took us out. He’ll get a name at some point. Renaissance and a few others are options.
Seven strode onto the hard courts of south Richmond for the latest presentation of Batteau, Pickleball Edition. Conditions court side remained 70 and sunny. According to the neighbors calling 911 with reports of noise violations, the following might have happened.
Quick disclaimer. But, not THAT disclaimer. The other disclaimer – the one about “watch out for the ball catcher obstructions between courts.
Mosey around the courts while waiting for the sun to arrive.
Lap 1: jog around courts. Mutually assist in avoiding obstructions.
Lap 2: parking space tracers, sideways slides, Bernie Sanders, etc. YHC completely forgets Disclaimer and destroys one of the barriers. Cue the laugh track and lessons from the chapter of Freed to Lead on Clysdale’s Physics.
Circle up. Quick Disclaimer, so quick the Pax might have missed it.
COP:
1,000,000 SSHs Dead Man Hang Fudd’s Wife Right leg high, left leg high, various legs and arms high. Wilson’s Wife Pigeon right / left
Sufficient light present for white balls. Let’s go!
Round 1:
Court 1: NTB / Orange Crush vs. Whitesnake / YHC
Court 2: Sable, Tryhard, Hitchhiker round robin.
Round 2:
Court 1: Sable / Tryhard vs. Whitesnake / NTB (YHC thinks these were the pairings)
Court 2: Hitchhiker / Orange Crush vs. YHC
Time called at 06:15, at the end of the Hitch/OC vs. YHC match, or exactly when Tryhard dropped the hammer of a slam on Whitesnake & Co. Tryhard might have been in The Kitchen, but VAR did not overrule the point.
Numbers, names, and NTB took us out.
Announcements:
ONGOING – Summer Tour
7/29-8/4 – Westhoe Takeover
8/3 – Homegrown Half. Big debate on whether to meet at Betty Weaver or Robious Landing. Local guy says Betty Weaver. Rain location: Robious Landing. 06:00, or get there by 5:55 a.m. if you aren’t sure of the location.
8/4 – 6-8am Holy Water Bootcamp. Swim with your pals. Open to all men, always free.
8/6 – Ultimate Frisbee Tournament at NoToll. Sign up. Really. No Wildcatting. Ahem, Wildcat the guy is welcome. But, pre-registration is required.
8/11 – F3 Family Float on the James. Somewhere between the confluence of the Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers and the Chesapeake Bay.
8/17 – Pickleball Tourney. Forest Hill Park. Find a partner. Sign up in advance. Or, contact Oyster and make him do the work for you.
8/18 – 6-8am Holy Water Bootcamp.
8/21 – 100th Bday Q by Upchuck. First Watch. 05:00.
8/28 – New AO at Mosely Elementary.
More cool stuff throughout the fall…
NMS: Notable moments included NTB checking the strings on his paddle, the aforementioned Tryhard slam, and multiple Orange Crush shots between the legs (for real). He’s got skills.
9 guests, one worker, and one guest join in Personhood to celebrate the latest edition of Breaking Bread. Conditions were 70 and sunny. According to the sweet older lady who YHC has seen several times over the years, the following might have been served.
Baked ham, King’s Hawaiian rolls, Dad’s Mashed Potatoes (🥔 Upchuck’s version), and green beans (UpChuck’s version).
Many thank you’s were expressed for F3, whether lasagna or this evening’s dinner. Those folks love them some F3 (as does Sharon, the new Barbara).
No numbers, no names, but a gentleman, out of nowhere, said a wonderful blessing.
If you haven’t done Breaking Bread, grab a pal, whip up a menu, scratch together a couple of dishes, and insist on being part of serving the dinner (do not let Sharon tell you to just go home). Chat with the residents, learn a bit, and push yourself (don’t hurt yourself) in a non-workout context. It’s a reward to learn how much we are given in life.
YHC thanks his M., Carrie, for her help (though YHC candidly claims credit for the green beans, potatoes, and rolls).
Ten speed demons lined up for the shotgun start of the latest edition of Sunday Funday. Conditions remained constant at 70 and sunny. According to the startled, headphone wearing solo female runner, the following might happened:
Boulevard Bridge / Nickel Bridge / 50 Cent Bridge / Fiddy Cent Bridge to Buttermilk Trail, eastbound. Some took the “lariat” before most turned at Reedy Creek. Forest Hill loop, some went clockwise, some counter-clockwise (and do not expect YHC to know which way is clockwise). It’s Sunday; no thinking is recommended or required.
Some then headed BTTVSF for 7 miles.
Some headed to the T. Pottersfield Bridge and BTTVSF for 10.
Numbers, names, and YHC took us out.
NMS: Solid crew today for the First Inaugural, 7th or 8th Annual Tuckahoe / Westhoe Takeover. Hard to know how many of these we have done. Today was workout #1. More to follow this week.
Great to see Sippy Cup burning around Forest Hill. Whoosh. YHC estimates the Sippy/UpChuck closing speed to be in excess of 40MPH. Considering that YHC did 7 miles in 90 minutes, you do the math for Sippy’s speed. Also nice to have Phonics and his daughter, Better Half, out for the morning. They too lit the trails on fire.
Johnsonville and Chum Bucket, both of whom YHC believes to have almost 10 years with F3RVA, are prepping for another Richmond Marathon. Bib numbers, as always, are predicted to be in the low-mid teens for both of them. Let’s see if they can break the Top 10 this year.
The fabulous four-some of Hitch, Bootleg, Shakedown, and YHC filled out the field. At one point, Hitch was no longer present with us, and while Helix offered to search for him, YHC asked a passing runner whether she had seen him. Memo to self – random questions asked of single females can elicit startled responses. But, we knew that. Next time, YHC will have to put his shirt back on before asking.
Announcements: Solid work yesterday all around by the PAX. YHC had 5 true men join him for The Bridge, and Oyster led us with Breaking Bread last evening. Solid weekend of 3rd F gentlemen. Well darn done.
Tuckahoe / Westhoe Takeover this week.
Homegrown Half of 10 or 20 or 26.2 this coming Saturday. Starting point is either Betty Weaver or Robious Landing. YHC isn’t sure. So, the options are the either YHC does your homework for you, or you look it up. Finally, let’s be real – the two locations are so close, if you can’t find it, you weren’t that committed. Get out there and support these guys, their Ms, neighbors, and 2.0s. LG!
Eleven men turned the Struggle into Success at the latest edition of The Bridge. Conditions remained 70 and sunny. According to the abundant wildlife at Horsepen Lake State Park, the following might have happened:
Introductions among men. Shaking of hands. Providing of names. Verbal indications of Brotherhood. Setting the state for the Beat Down to follow.
Mosey around The Bridge Ministry campus before circling up at the basketball court. Disjointed disclaimer and other substandard recitations of purpose. IYAKYAK.
COP:
50 SSHs, 4 count Dead Man Hang Downward dog (it’s The Bridge, open only to men, so Ms and their exercises did not attend today) But, just between us, the Pax did Fudd’s wife. Then, the Pax did Wilson’s wife. (YHC just reports the news. Don’t shoot the messenger). Hand release merkins – 15x WWIIs – x10 LBCs – x20 Rosalitas – x20 Hillbillies – with flair, x10 Imperial Walkers – x10
By popular acclaimation, the PAX called for, and received, F3’s finest exercise, Touch-a-Tree (or Pole). Rounds of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. PAX were encouraged to plan strategically. Bro-code. Always wait for the Six.
Exercises were merkins, monkey humpers, something else, something else, and burpees.
Mosey to the back road for a Beast. Telephone poles mark the 25%, 50%, and 75% distances with the turn around at the line in the asphalt. Again, always return for The Six.
Exercises were merkins, SSHs, squats, (break for some stretching), squats, something else, and “Colorado” Dry Docks (know your audience). Red Rocks crushed it.
House Party picked up a slight tweak of his knee which limited his running. Self-imposed burpees for the duration. Stud. (If burpees are the alternative exercise, YHC hopes to never, ever have even a minor injury).
Mosey back to the shovel flag (thank you, Hardywood!) for 60 seconds of snow angels.
Numbers, names, and, despite his allergies, Hardywood took us out.
Announcements: Tank has 5 1/2 months to go in the program. He’s trying to change his life and his relationship with his son.
NMS: First, thank you to Mr. Davis and The Bridge Ministry for hosting us today. Coffee hit the spot, as always.
Second, the actual speed bumps at The Bridge are no joke.
Third, YHC continues to be massively impressed by the men of F3RVA and F3 Amelia and their willingness to give of their time and efforts. Thank you, gentlemen, for making today special. The enthusiasm from The Bridge pax is contagious. The students at The Bridge love the chance to spend time with men who believe in them and their efforts. And, YHC suspects that we each learned from them as well.
Fourth, Clown Cars are the only way to travel. Great fun with your mates, regardless of where they live or what nanoregion label is applied. Today, we had 5 guys from all over (Lakeshead, West End, Westham, RounTrey, City Proper) in a van for an hour each way…good times, fellas. YHC got a chance to catch up with good pals and make some new ones. That’s the F3 way. We are stronger together. Let’s put more Brotherhood (and less nonsensical division) on the menu. LG!
Coming up…F3RVAs efforts with The Bridge continue to rise. 6 guys turned out today, and we already have 3 guys who have picked up the torch for August 24. Thank you in advance to State Farm, Yeehaw, and Swoop for their efforts. Way to go!
F3RVA has more in store for The Bridge. Additional information coming soon, so continue to look for more opportunities to join throughout the fall.
Starring in YHC’s new F3 advertising campaign, Yardsale enthusiastically proclaims “I’ve never sweat this much before at a kettlebell workout. Thank you!” (Yardsale, 06:02, 24 Jul 2024) And thank YOU Daville 1000% humidity – YHC couldn’t have done it without you. As it turns out, the latest craze in riding the DTH melodic metro is the best sweat in RVA:
The THANG:
WARMERAMA:
Mosey lap with TRAIL MIX around the bus loop and circle up
Welcome & Disclaimer
YARDSALE arrives …Yay!
The usual DTH top to bottom IC Reps, with a few more KB-friendly shoulder and back stretches than usual
COP #1:
Play “What is Love” (4:30)
Goblet Squats to the beat
Overhead Press for every “What is love”
Halo for every “Don’t hurt me”
RUN A LAP
COP #2:
Play “YMCA” (4:47)
Flutters to the beat
Bell Press for every “Young man”
WWII Sit&Press for every “YMCA”
RUN A LAP
COP #3:
Play “Come and Get Your Love” (3:26)
Plank Jacks to the beat
Pull Throughs for every “Hail”
Jump up for a Burpee Clap for every “Come and Get Your Love”
RUN A LAP
COP #4:
Play “Fly” (4:05)
KB Swings to the beat
Overhead Snatch for every “I just wanna fly” then Snatch with other hand for “Put your arms around me” (turns out it was x2 snatches per side for these lyrics)
RUN A LAP
COP #5:
Play “Beat It” (4:18)
Goblet Lunges to the beat (alt front / side)
Curls for every “Beat It”
RUN A LAP
Mosey BTTF:
FINAL 3 MINUTES OF MARY
KB Hammers
KB Presses
KB Skull Cushers
COT:
Counterama # 3
Namerama
Announcerama (see Below)
YHC took the PAX out in Prayer
Prayer Requests:
Bulkhead surgery
Trail Mix legal stress with divorce
NMS: Great to spend some time with Yardsale and Trail Mix today for Summer Tour ‘24. And thanks for humoring the music madness. Seems x5 songs (x5 COP’s) separated by a run makes a great bootcamp. Quite similar to the Beatdown Deck where we usually get through 5 sets of 5 cards with a run between sets. Keep posting pushing fellas! Yours AYE! ~DTH
5 appeared at the COP for the latest version of The Clinic. Temperatures were 70 and sunny. According to the four Miami Dolphins wanna-be’s waiting for their ride to training camp, the following might have happened.
Usual route. North, parking lots, across Peters, parking lots, Fudd, parking lot, La Quinta (no police), north to Broward, and return by the same route, minus the Fudd.
Number, name, and YHC took himself out.
NMS: Turns out, the other four dudes who posted were not FNGs. Go figure. They were waiting for their ride to Training Camp. YHC guesstimates 2 cornerbacks/WRs, one linebacker, and definitely one OL (a truly massive human). Two were taller, but none were stronger, than Omar.
Announcements:
F3RVA has The Bridge this Saturday. 2 HCs, so far, and 3 more guys are HCs for next month. We have a simmering-commit for September. Let’s go!
Homegrown Half is coming up quickly. Note: the branding is weird on this one because the PAX can run (or walk) 5k, 10k, or 13.1 miles. Is the “half” because 5 is half of 10, or is “half” referring to the 13.1 being half a marathon, or is the whole thing a big play on words? YHC thinks the whole thing is suggesting that the 5k is half as hard as an UpChuck takeover Q. Or, maybe the takeover Q is half as hard as the half marathon? YHC digresses – Show up at 6:00 a.m. on August 3rd at Robious Landing. Bring your Ms and 2.0s (1.0 is half of 2.0?), and ask the organizers.
August 21: 05:00 First Watch at River Road Church, Baptist (really, that’s the name). 100th anniversary Q. Come celebrate YHC’s dad turning 100. Coffeeteria to follow.
F3RVA 10th Anniversary Extravapalooza is September 20/21. If your Fall Equinox plans are not yet set, here’s a great way to celebrate the most balanced day of the year.
There’s other stuff going on…Tryhard has a whole calendar of events in his BBs. Look there for more information.
A half-dozen deep South gloom warriors rose to the challenge this morning conquering both a Goyne Hard and then also the following coal-stoking sweatfest in the engine room of the pain train:
The THANG:
WARMERAMA:
Moseyrama around the front field (chase a goose) and then circle up near the pavilion
Welcome & Disclaimer
Variable IC Reps to get the muscles warm top to bottom
COP #1:
Mosey back out to the parking lot
BROAD JUMP HERPEES x10 parking spaces
COP #2:
Mosey to the tennis courts
HARD-CORE FOUR CORNERS:
Bear crawl between corners, adding reps each corner in escalator fashion
Mosey back to the tennis courts for a WALLERAMA on the rebound wall
Hoedowns x10 IC
Dirty Hookups x10 IC ea side
Milkers x41 IC
BTTW Hip Slappers x10 IC
Donkey Kickoffs up to 20
Achilles x10 IC (peoples chairs with alternating hand to heel touch)
COP #5:
Mosey to the BBall Courts
Line up on the end line for DORACIDES
Partner up to complete:
x100 Ball-Dippers (2-ct)
x200 Mericans
x300 Oblique LBC’s (alt sides as needed)
Mosey BTTF for COT:
Counterama # 6
Namerama
Announcerama (see Below)
YHC took the PAX out in Prayer
Prayer Requests:
State Farm – M’s health
Big Rig – mom recently had shingles, and his aunt dealing with new lung cancer
Chap – safe return for his kids from a missions trip to NY City
NMS: Great work today fellas – those Achilles on the wall were brutal! Also, great work headlocking a few walkers eyeballing our badassery – ya’ll are gonna grow The Iron Bridge fast! It’s impossible to deny the dynamite energy and momentum these Bermuda Boys bring to their workouts. You’re putting the rest of RVA to shame, as evidenced in their weak-sauce commentary on Slack. Ya’ll just keep pushing the limits, and we’ll see whether anyone else can catch up before they’re lost too far back in the stagnant depths of “keep it the way it’s always been.” There’s solid road being laid down for anyone who wants to accelerate their hard. Let’s step it up fellas and encourage it! Yours AYE! ~DTH
11 ambassadors of the 3 F’s assembled at Mary Mumford for a long overdue ride on the DTH pain train, only to discover a jolly trolly ride with pleasant musical accompaniment and a simple shape to the course. Here’s where these meandering tracks carried the PAX:
The THANG:
WARMERAMA:
Mosey loop around a half block, and back to circle up in a grassy spot
Welcome & Disclaimer
Variable IC Reps to get the muscles warm top to bottom
Finish with a Plankorama Review of the F3 Mission, Credo, and 5CP’s
COP #1:
Mosey around to the grassy area adjacent the basketball court and circle up
Play “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley (3:01)
Alternate V-ups or Supermans to the beat, switching (rolling) with each “Don’t worry”
(Q turns ON Garmin GPS)
COP #2:
Mosey loop around the basketball court and then turn in to circle up on the field
Play “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest (3:02)
Single-leg SSH’s to the beat
Squat for every “Moonlight”
COP #3:
Mosey loop 3/4 the way around the football field and circle up
Play “Sittin’ On The Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding (2:47)
Flutters to the beat
WWII for every “Sittin” or “Sit”
COP #4:
Mosey down Cary and turn left on Woodlawn, then Left on S Ashlawn and circle up where it meets Commonwealth
Play “Have You Ever Seen The Rain” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (2:41)
Hand-release Merkins to the beat
Hop up for a Burpee Clap for every “I know” or “I wanna Know”
COP #5:
Mosey back out Ashlawn, Left on Woodlawn down to Kingcrest Pkwy
(Q turns OFF Garmin GPS)
Play “Brandy You’re a Fine Girl” by Looking Glass (3:07)
APD’s to the beat
Kimchi Twist for every “Brandy”
Mosey BTTF:
x100 LBC’s OYO
Merkin ROF
COT:
Counterama # 11
Namerama
Announcerama (see Below)
SHAKEDOWN took the PAX out in Prayer
NMS: Well that was fun! Great to be back at Mary after a too-long hiatus – YHC was half expecting a Bleeder takeover for Shark Week which has occurred with YHC’s prior years’ Summer tour efforts, but Handshake reassured it’s not shark week. Next only to the King of Mumble Chatter (Hardywood), the TYA/Saab duo comes in as a close second in hilarity – literally nonstop banter and TMI. Awesome to have Patches (down range from Lancaster PA) post for the second day in a row, and he brought an FNG! Upon introductions the FNG said “you can call me Sif” (abbreviation of his last name), which immediately launched TYA into the most amazing STD nicknaming imaginable. It appeared “Clem” (short for Chlamydia) was the top choice, but later with the FNG’s naming at COT it was shared his company sells acoustic ceiling tiles. So while he was nearly named NRC for “Noise Reduction Coefficient”, the nickname POROUS was chosen – welcome brother! In other news, the PAX enjoyed a lovely musical selection, chosen in particular for the high percentage of Respect PAX, and the singalong vibe was strong for all our COP’s. APD’s in the street to “Brandy you’re a fine girl” may have caused some civil unrest in the neighborhood (or a few blushing cougars peeping between window curtains). In the end, the PAX honored YHC crossing the 100-point mark in the Summer Tour with x100 LBC’s, and then also discovered their morning routine had spelled “F3” on YHC’s Garmin map (you can blame OC for the Garmin gift, but it’s such fun!). Thank you as always for permitting YHC the honor to lead. Yours AYE! ~DTH
Four ice-cold gloom warriors posted to WDog but within just a few minutes there remained but a few puddles rapidly evaporating to join the 1000% humidity. Here’s how their true state of being was transformed:
The THANG:
*The Q shoulders 60# “Sandy” and explains to the PAX she’ll be accompanying the workout today, to be shared around as needed by the PAX.
WARMERAMA:
Mosey to the Amphitheater and circle up at the bottom
Welcome & Disclaimer
Variable IC Reps broken up with movement activities up and down the steps
COP #1:
Mosey out to the Carillon Field
Lunge half way (Sandy passed around)
x100 Flutters (2-ct)
Bear Crawl to the end (Sandy got a ride on the Q’s back for this one – NOT easy)
COP #2:
Mosey down Blanton Ave a little ways
x50 Monkey Humpers
Turn into the Vita trail area
TRIPLE CHECK
P1 – Merkins
P2 – WWII’s
TIMER – run Sandy about 40 yards and back to switch
PLANKORAMA
Near perfect review of the F3 Mission, Credo, and Core Principles
COP #3:
Mosey back around to Blanton and keep heading North
At Trafford Rd stop to do 100 Calf raises off the curb
Notified by HP running out of time
BTTF through Vita Park
COT:
Counterama # 4
Namerama
Announcerama (see Below)
YHC took the PAX out in Prayer
NMS: Enjoyed giving downranger PATCHES a little tour of the AO – he was duly impressed. YHC had something in mind for today that didn’t quite pan out, but thanks to the PAX for following along the rando route and reps covered. Hefting Sandy around for the duration of a bootcamp is no joke. Highly “recommend” ya’ll try bear crawling with a 60 pound sandbag balanced on your spine, your head and neck cranked up holding one end in place – its a lot of fun, I swear. Looking forward to round two with Patches tomorrow at 45MoM. Yours AYE! ~DTH
