Tag: SCCC

Possibly the highest turnout yet at SCCC, and the track was “closed for construction.”. Undeterred, we pivoted and found ourselves on a grass field so pristine it made Augusta look like a cow pasture. No divots were left behind—scout’s honor.

The Thang:
Improvised but effective. We kept it moving and made the most of the country club turf.

• Warm-Up Lap (to admire the landscaping)
• 6 Rounds of TABATA (20 sec on / 10 sec off)
  • Round 1: Stretching
  • Round 2: Curls & overhead press
  • Round 3: Triceps Extensions & Kettlebell Swings
  • Round 4: Lunges & squats
  • Round 5: I forgets
  • Round 6: Mary (Flutter Kicks, LBCs, American Hammers)
• Lap between each round
• 2 Victory Laps to close it out

Mumble Chatter:
The facilities at St. Christopher’s got rave reviews—manicured fields, and a general air of “we don’t belong here, but we’re not leaving.” Much discussion centered around the recent globe-trotting adventures of Mr. Water Bottle, who may or may not be scouting international AO expansions.

Hitchhiker arrived exactly when expected, which is to say, right on time. Glad to have two new-comers to SCCC join us 1-800 and Garbage Plate!!

COT:
Gratitude for the good things we have to be thankful for and to pass on some good to others.

Announcements:

• Keep an eye on the track status. If it’s still “under construction” next week, we may need to bring sand wedges.
• Mr. Water Bottle’s travel blog coming soon?

SYITG,
YHC

The bell rang and four pax emerged from The Gloom foe to kick off the week at our little no-initiation fee country club.

The Thang:

Warmup Tabata: SSH / Imperial Walkers

Hot Lap #1

Tabata #2: KB Squats

Hot Lap #2

Tabata #3: Alternating Shoulder Presses

Hot Lap #3

Tabata #4: KB Swings

Hot Lap #4

Tabata #5: Wild Card

Hot Lap #5

Tabata #6: 4 Minutes of Mary

Hot Laps #6 & 7

Spreadsheets from the Gloom:

+ Hitch says pickleball season starts with practice on 6/2. I’m reminded that Bodos and Oyster are the defending RVA Region champions.

+ I’m always in a good mood when I get home after SCCC on Mondays. I was drinking coffee when a call from one of our CEOs popped up on my cell phone. As someone in our Safety chain of command, I answered with some nervousness …

Larry was calling to tell me that he’d just gotten off the phone with his son, who had graduated from NC State last weekend. They’d spent the weekend moving him to a place in Holly Springs, NC, where his girlfriend lives and he is looking for a job. He had been invited to a Monday morning F3 workout by his girlfriend’s dad and had called to tell Larry how awesome it had been. Larry had spent the weekend worrying about his son how down he sounded as being a recent graduate entering a tough job market, but he was completely energized by being a part of F3 and starting his week off right. Larry wanted to share that with me.

That call made my day. Years ago, with the help of a good friend, I kicked a pebble down a hill. On Monday, through the efforts of many other men — most of whom I’ve never met — F3 was there for my colleague’s son on the first day of the rest of his life. How amazing is that?

It’s a reminder to me and to all of us inside the COT: Always Be Headlocking.

OBT

A strong foursome posted at SCCC this morning. We came prepared—with weights, not clubs, though some swings were involved. The conversation quickly turned spiritual. Specifically, the kind of spiritual discipline where you give up desserts for 40 days, only to replace them with mild regret when YHC ate almost an entire coffee cake Easter morning.

Hitch arrived right on time, which is to say, exactly when we expected him to. And with that, we began.

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The Thang:

6 rounds of TABATA (20 sec on / 10 sec off)
1 lap between each round, and 2 laps at the end because we apparently hate ourselves just enough.

• Round 1: Stretching
• Round 2: Curls & Squats
• Round 3: Triceps & Kettlebell Swings
• Round 4: Lunges & Overhead Presses
• Round 5: Lawn Mowers (alternating arms)
• Round 6: Mary

Followed by two laps.

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Mumble Chatter:

OBT and YHC discovered we go to the same church. We’ve never seen each other there, likely because we sit in our assigned seats. These are unofficial, yet strictly observed. Shuffling seats is frowned upon and potentially heretical.

Also, in breaking news (to YHC at least), the Pope has passed away. YHC lives under a rock and doesn’t listen to the news.

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Announcements:

📽️ “Join or Die” Film Screening
OBT is moderating a discussion after a screening of Join or Die, which is not a lighthearted rom-com in case you were looking for a date night option.
🗓️ April 28
📍 Byrd Theatre
🎟️ Info here: https://www.richmonder.org/join-us-for-a-movie-night-at-the-byrd/

🪖 CSAUP – May 2/3
Looking to ruin your weekend in the name of fitness? Great. Sign up.
See EF Hutton if you want to join a WestHoe team. He’s accepting applications..

Three pax — one of them (Faceplant) in a green jacket! — gathered to start the week right at RVA’s least exclusive country club.

The Thang:

Warmup Tabata: SSH / Imperial Walkers

Hot Lap #1

Tabata #2: KB Squats

Hot Lap #2

Tabata #3: Alternating Lawnmowers

Hot Lap #3

Tabata #4: KB Swings

Hot Lap #4

Tabata #5: Wild Card

Hot Lap #5

Tabata #6: 4 Minutes of Mary

Hot Lap #6

Spreadsheets from the Gloom:

+ A lot of talk of babysitters and hourly rates ($20+!?!?) by Hitch and Faceplant. Glad to be out of that business, myself…

+ Talk of Hitch’s 3-year stint of compulsory military service in his native South Korea — for which he apparently still collects benefits(!) — somehow led to my riffing on this crazy novel about North Korea I read about 10 years ago (apparently a Pulitzer Prize winner). While a fictional tale, it is apparently rooted in historical fact, including depicting the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea.

+ As I mentioned in my takeout, reciting the post-communion prayer at Palm Sunday services at St. James Episcopal put me in mind of F3, specifically how our gatherings in the gloom strengthen us physically and spiritually and how, after the ritual of the COT, we are sent out into the world to do the Lord’s work just as we are after communion. For those of us who believe, this most holy of weeks is a good time to be reminded of that.

+ Hitch is my favorite Korean, but as a San Francisco Giants fan my second-favorite is centerfielder Jung Hoo Lee, who had two home runs in Sunday’s win at Yankee Stadium. Listening to the Korean broadcast calls of the homers should brighten your day.

The bell rang and four brave pax ventured into the rainy, pollen-dampening Gloom to kick the work week off right at SCCC.

The Thang:

Warmup Tabata: SSH/Imperial Walkers

Hot Lap #1

Tabata #2: Alternating KB Shoulder Presses

Hot Lap #2

Tabata #3: KB Squats

Hot Lap #3

Tabata #4: KB Swings

Hot Lap #4

Tabata #5: Wild Card (YHC did a Resistance Band Side Shuffle recommended by my PT; the rest did KB bench presses

Hot Lap #5

Tabata #6: 4 Minutes of Mary

Hot Lap #6

Spreadsheets from the Gloom:

+ Hitch wants everyone to know that it’s getting to be pickleball season. Bodos wants to remind everyone that he and Oyster are the reigning champions of the entire RVA region (not just WestHoe).

+ If you’ve read the bestselling (among guys who get up early in the morning to work out in The Gloom) literary masterpiece “Freed to Lead,” you might know that the work of Robert Putnam (author of “Bowling Alone”) on the critical importance of social connectedness in healthy societies was influential in the development of F3.

On Monday, 4/28, the Doswell Operating Group is joining forces with local news startup The Richmonder to sponsor a screening of “Join or Die,” a documentary about Putnam and his work at the historic Byrd Theatre in Carytown. Afterward, I will be moderating a discussion about the film with director Rebecca Davis and Richmonder founder Michael Phillips.

We’ve set aside 25 complimentary tickets for F3 pax and their guests. To reserve a seat, just fill out this form and select “I am with an event sponsor” under the Ticket Source section.

+ Bodos is looking for a good free tabata timer app for his phone. I have this one, but I think I paid for it. ChatGPT seems to think this is the best free option. Anyone else have ideas?

At 05:30, on this “darker again” morning, YHC was in the process of trying to remember the exact format of the SCCC style Tabata so he could Q himself through a beatdown. A Hitchhiker then arrived to guide us through the program. Apparently this has happened before. It went something like this.

No disclaimer, …lets do this

Warm up lap to discuss protocol.

1st set of 8: KB swings, two handed; Lap 1
2nd set of 8: Merkins; Lap 2
3rd set of 8: KB single arm rows; Lap 3
4th set of 8: KB upright rows, Lap 4
5th set of 8: KB Goblet squats, Lap 5
6th set of Abs: WWIIs, American Hammers, Flutters, LBCs, Heels to Heaven, Scrunchy frogs; Lap 6 & 7

Time at 45:00:00 (started a few late though). Great to have your company, banter and guidance through this one, Hitch.