Tag: #SOJ

  • F3 Swag is on display @ the Alamo

    12 SOJ beasts showed up to better themselves this morning on a beautiful 70 and sunny morning. Many showing off the new F3 swag! The shirts look great!

    YHC started with a light mosey over to the warmarama – SSH, Cherry Pickers, imperial walkers, copperhead squats, merkins and flutter kicks

    THE Thang

    mosey over to the tunnel of love only to find that the tunnel was too dark for YHC plans so we quickly rerouted to the hill at the entrance to the neighborhood for some 11’s – squats and drydocks on the hill…

    mosey back to the parking lot for 4 corners – prostitute style – 10 mountain climbers, 20 heels to heaven, 30 freddie mercury, 40 LBCs

    mosey to snowman alley for some lightpole work…starting with 2 merkins and increasing by 2 at every snowman at the end of the street we turned around and starting with 1 burpee and increasing by 1 at each light pole back to the parking lot

    Finished up with some mary – werkins, diamond merkins, sumo squats, jump squats, rocketts, arm circles, burpees, Lt. dans, should taps, WWII, windshield wipers

    Time called

    Announcements- sign up for grow ruck, frozen triangle details

    Prayers for Futon’s sister in law, purple rains friend and wildcat

    Thanks for the opportunity to lead this morning!

  • Getting Hard at Morning Wood

    A dozen hardened SOJ vets gave Rockwood the Morning Wood salute, with 9 GTE HIM’s Rucking 3.6 miles, Boberry joining Big Rig completing a pre-gloom half marathon (no big deal…), and State Farm getting swolt on the pull-up bars working on his “grip strength” …if that’s not the perfect Morning Wood joke, not sure what is… Anyway, way to get after it this morning gentlemen! SYITG, DTH

    TOMORROW: 7am Ruck kicks off at the Stone House at Forrest Hill Park, coffee after

    REGISTER FOR GTE #47 !!! https://growruck.com/event/gte-47/

  • Miles of Merkins

    4 men braved the cold weather and go after it in the gloom this morning at SOT bootcamp. Here’s what went down:

    Mosey to Track

    Warm up — @ Track

    • Circle up
      • Side Straddle hop — 20x
      • Dead man hang. C, L, R 
      • Copperhead Squats — 20x
      • On your six,
        • LBCs — 20x
        • Heels to Heaven — 20x
        • Alabama Prom Date — 20x

    Thing 1 — Mile of Merkins @ Track

    • Group Run
    • 1 lap — 15 hand release merkins 
    • 2 lap — 15 hand release merkins
    • 3 lap — 15 hand release merkins
    • 4 lap — 15 hand release merkins

    Plank for the 6, mosey to base of hill by buses

    Thing 2 — DORA @ Base of Uphill

    • Runner up the hill and back 
    • 100 — WWII
    • 200 — Mountain Climbers
    • 300 — LBCs

    Mosey to Football Field

    Thing 3 — Sprint/Suicides @ Football Field 

    • 25 yards — Bernie back
    • 50 yards — Bernie back
    • 75 yards — Bernie back
    • 100 yards — Bernie back 

    Mosey back to school

    Ring of Fire: PAX Choice of Merkin

    • Hand Clap
    • Wide Grip
    • Triangle

    Plank, hold regular, left hand/right hand high, drop to lowest point possible and hold. Recover

    Thing 4 — School Doors

    • Ran length of school stopping at random doors and PAX calling various exercises, set of 5 each time 

    Mosey to Flag

    Thing 5 — Stretching

    • Closing stretches
      • L/R knee to chest 
      • L/R leg over body
      • Dead Man Hang

    COT — @ Flag

    • Numbers & Names
    • Announcements
      • Grow Rick, sign up!
      • Blue Ridge Half Marathon at the end of April. Small group of F3 committed, DM Yeehaw if you’re interested. 
    • Prayer requests
      • Prayers for Wildcat’s sons procedure and upcoming Wildcat scan. 
    • Bring it in


  • Naked knees and elbows

    It was a blistering 26 and dark, but that didn’t stop Rosie from his uncovered knees and elbows uniform. 

    With no one on the Q sheet and all route creativity left in 2023, we kicked off the MOT new year with an out and back on Coalfield. The pack broke into groups and got 4.5, 5, and Doozy distances. 

    Bullseye also ran but we have no idea where. 

    We all made it back in time to COT with SOT and we’re all better for it.

    Announcements – Sign up for GrowRuck or The Blue Ridge Half, or both. Prayers for WildThing and his family.

  • Burpees for 2024

    NoToll welcomed 33 high impact men ready to bring in 2024 the right way. One old hat and 2 newer men of F3RVA split the Q to ensure maximum pain.

    Intro and warm up with Rosie, standard fare including SSH, Jazzercize, tempo merkins, shoulders taps, and only 1 round of helicopters among others. Group sample of Old Glory. Corner 1, 20 Hand release merkins IC, Corner 2 – 20 jump squats, soggyCorner 3 – 10 burpees, and corner 4 – 20 WW2 IC.

    Yeehaw takes over with a beast of a triple check, runner across the field and back with the other 2 PAX getting in rounds of Iron Mike’s and Navy Seal burpees.

    Purple Rain took us around the fields with moving arm circles, raise the roof, Bernie, all the way back to the dry field. This is where he broke the news that Dora was the next to join the party. 100 burpees, 200 American Hangers, and 300 mountain climbers. Some planks, both sides to make sure the world is balanced.

    Back to YHC to close the fun – Lindsey on the basketball courts with SSH and Freddie Mercuries. 5 minutes of Mary to wrap up the first beatdown of 2024.

    Announcements

    GrowRuck – sign up if you haven’t already. Let’s show the visitors from other regions what F3RVA is about. Leadership training, CSAUP, fellowship, and acceleration of F3 RVA all right here in our own backyard. LFG!! Here is the link https://growruck.com/event/gte-47/

    Thanks to Oyster for coordinating Breaking Bread. His challenge for 2024, sign up for your birthday month.

    Florence will be boosting the F3 RIchmond presence on social media. Take and send him pics at AOs, 2nd F, 3rd F or other events.

    Prayers for the families dealing with the tragic car accident in Brandermill this past week.

    Thank you all for letting me and my fellow SOJ PAX lead you all on this first day of 2024. We have been given an incredible opportunity to be a part of this group. F3 means something different to everyone but I think we can all agree F3 is something that we benefit from and maybe didn’t know we needed. As we move through the next year let’s continue to give it away to others that need it.

    Everything is coming up Rosie.

  • Breaking Bread: NYE Reflection

    Spending New Year’s Eve contributing to breaking bread for individuals that need love, kindness, and support the most this holiday season was significant for me since I spent a majority of this year on the receiving end of that same kindness with a sick child. 

    2023 was a year that was nothing short of the bring you to your knees type of humility that life will serve up to you from time to time. In my case, it was when my 2 month old daughter, Liv, was diagnosed with high grade glioma brain cancer on 1/13/23. 

    Along with that diagnosis came the overwhelming support and kindness of family, friends, and strangers as we found ourselves on the receiving end of the same love, kindness, and support that was expressed this evening. At the end of the day, not having to worry about what to feed yourself (or the kids) was a relief and a huge comfort when switching between hospital and home stays.

    We lost count of the amount of meal trains and baked goods that individuals and families chose to bring to us, but what it did was instill a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude for how much impact small gestures of kindness and a warm meal can have on someone in need or enduring hardship. 

    With the year coming to a close and with it, a much healthier one year old girl, we find ourselves shifting from a place of needing support to one of giving back, paying it forward, and being the enabler of that support for others in the same way that this support was provided to us.

    I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of the F3 contributions to breaking bread this year and to close out a tough year by providing others with comfort and support in the form of a warm meal. 

  • Breaking Bread: Heist and Wildcat

    Wildcat and Heist, fitness warriors with hearts as strong as their bodies, decided to bring a unique twist to their usual workout routine. Instead of doing burpees, they lifted the spirits of those less fortunate. Armed with pizzas, cookies, and salads, they marched to a respite center, ready to spread joy.

    As they arrived, the aroma of warm pizza caught the attention of the homeless individuals. Wildcat and Heist, clad in their fitness gear, began distributing the food with genuine smiles. The contrast of indulgent cookies and healthy salads offered something for everyone.

    Antoniette, initially skeptical, soon found herself drawn to the warmth radiating from Wildcat and Heist. Their kindness and genuine concern touched her heart. She joined the communal gathering, savoring a slice of pizza and engaging in uplifting conversations.

    Laughter echoed through the respite center as the fitness warriors shared stories of triumph and resilience. The act of kindness not only nourished bodies but also nurtured a sense of community. Wildcat and Heist, with their burpee-free approach, became catalysts for a collective uplift.

    As the night unfolded, everyone felt a renewed sense of hope. Antoniette, once wary, was now part of the shared joy. The fitness warriors had not only brought physical sustenance but had also created a space where everyone felt seen and valued.

    In the end, amidst the shared moments and simple pleasures, Wildcat and Heist proved that true strength lies not just in challenging workouts like burpees but in the ability to uplift others and build a community where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can find happiness.

  • Seven Years Transformed

    18 Gloom Studs stepped onto the Frozen Tundra of Rock&Roll, some already swolt from crushing the Hardest Mile, but every warrior fixing hard eyes on the grueling DTH beatdown to come. Here’s how these hero HIM’s quenched their appetite for conquering the flesh:

    The THANG:

    WARMERAMA: 

    • Mosey to the Basketball Court and circle up
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • Brief warmup reps IC
    • Finish with x7 Burpees in honor of YHC’s first-born birthday today

    COP #1: 

    • Mosey to the large parking lot to meet up with the guys completing The Hardest Mile, and see them to the finish line

    COP #2:

    • Mosey around to the tennis courts
    • SEVEN OF DIAMONDS
    • 7 Rounds, increase reps by 7 at each 4 corners – 7/14/21/28 then back down 21/14/7 – await Six ea round 
    • x7 Burpees
    • x14 Chain Smokers
    • x21 Monkey Humpers
    • x28 SSH
    • x21 Freddie M’s (2-ct)
    • x14 LBC’s
    • x7 Ball-Dippers (2-ct)

    COP #3:

    • Mosey to the muddy hill
    • BEARWAY TO SEVEN
    • Burpees bottom, Squats top – ascending reps from 1-7
    • Bear crawl up, Crawl bear down

    COP #4:

    • Mosey back to the bball court and circle up
    • THE OREO – in honor of 2.0 Pennie Mae, who’s F3 nickname is OREO, YHC presents two painful chocolate wafers double stuffed with beatdown vanilla cream
    • x12 Opus 
    • x30 Rosalita Whips
    • x20 Elbow Slides
    • x16 Opus
    • After each set the PAX took a lap around the court

    Mosey BTTF for COT:

    • Counterama # 18
    • Namerama
    • Announcerama (see Below)
    • YHC took the PAX out in Prayer

    NMS:  Fellas! Way to GOOOOO!!! Absolutely awesome work, especially to the guys who also completed the Hardest Mile. SOJ continues to embrace each and every challenge and shows UP with solid numbers. My deepest thanks to each of you for permitting me the honor to lead, and to celebrate my firstborn’s 7th birthday. Happy Birthday Penniella Mae, AKA Oreo! YHC is sure the PAX really “appreciated” all the painful reminders. Fatherhood is one of the greatest honors of YHC’s life, as many of you can relate, and it gives us EVERY reason we need to push hard to get prepared for the expected and be prepared for the unexpected. YHC has transformed an unbelievable amount in the last seven years, and with you guys by my side, it’s only getting better! Here’s to even BETTER and stronger in 2024! Yours, DTH

    Announcements (SEE SLACK!)

    • Register for GROWRUCK!!! https://growruck.com/event/gte-47/
    • 45min RUCK tomorrow 12/31 at 7am at Huguenot Flatwater
    • CONVERGENCE on Monday 1/1, 7-8am, at NoToll, coffee after
    • 1/4/24 at 8pm, 2nd F + Final Shoe Drive Collection at STUMPY’s Axe Throwing
    • 1/6/24 6-7am RUCK at Rock&Roll before Rock&Roll (BigRig Q)

  • Satan is satisfied….till 2024

    A foggy morning came, yet 9 of us came out to see what I would have in store today. A warm up(2 laps around the lot, SSHs, Imperial Walkers, Helicopters, Don Quixotes, Nancersizes, Copperhead Squats, Merkins, LBCs, and Alabama Prom Dates to get the blood flowing.

    Round 1: first of 2 triple checks: Clean and press with the Kettlebell, WW2 run down to the curb and back

    Round 2: second triple check(swings, sumo squats, run to the curb, then bernie back up)

    Round 3: Circle of choice(person chooses exercise, they run to the curb and back while we performed their choice. I was amazed by the ones who chose burpees a little unexpected.

    Round 4: reason why it’s called Satan’s Hill. A run up the hill to a point, followed by the parts that will make up the hardest mile(lunges, bear crawls, broad jump burpees)

    Some broga to finish it off, numbers, names announcement and prayer led by YHC to close things out

    Tomorrow 6am the hardest mile at Rock and Roll (challenge yourself) followed by DTH at 7. NYD convergence will be at NOTOLL 7am I believe will be the start time. GROWRUCK registration is open and ongoing so sign up the event is 5/3-5/5(see Slack). There’s ruck training starting 12/31 at 7 see 1st fitness Slack page

    For those who think they can’t do a workout, then get some sleep cause you work nights. I do that this morning grabbed about 2 1/2 hours, came out lead once I am finished, will go back to sleep for a while. It can be done. One final thing…..I had a little Pantera going this morning, next time I will have to play some 5FDP then you will really feel like.. You’re in hell. Have a good one, see everyone this weekend at different spots

  • Start improvement with yourself.

    Two of F3 RVAs finest leaders and a small band of Pax from the Alamo and Satan’s Hill joined up for a Heist Q at Timberwolf.

    Under the cloudy yet moonlit sky, the PAX moseyed to the track, setting the stage for the 2024 Resolution Revolution. We started things off with 20 side straddle hops (don’t we always?), followed by:
    • Arm Circles
    • Michael Phelps
    • LBCs (Little Baby Crunches)
    • Alabama Prom Dates
    • World’s Best Stretch1

    1. In some circles this refers to someone’s Mom ↩︎

    Resolution Circuit: 4 laps around the track. Each lap I asked the guys to think about how you can improve yourself as an individual, a husband*, as a father and as friend to the Pax and your community over 2024.

    * Originally, I said, “think how you can make your wife better.” Quickly realized this might be a disaster if we inform an M how we can make them better. Much mumble chatter ensued.

    The PAX embraced the challenge. Each quarter mile we knocked out various exercises, including bleacher dips, incline merkins, incline diamond merkins, and incline werkins. We knocked out a minute plank and topped things off with five burpees.

    Pyramid sets: Moseyed behind the school under a street lamp for a pyramid circuit: 10 squats/15 double count mountain climbers/20 LBCs/15 mountain climbers and 10 squats. Repeated 4 more times, dropping each circuit by 1/5 of the first number. Ask a friend if you are confused.

    Teamwork: The camaraderie among the PAX reached new heights during the team challenge. Partnering up, we tackled a combined total of 50 air squats, 150 LBCs and 300 SSH. Each partner had to run 75 yards up hill and back between exercises. Nancy and Rosie finished first.

    Mosey back to the flag for about five minutes of stretching. Time.

    Announcements:

    1. Sign up for GrowRuck this May. FYI – you can get a loaner ruck to train with. See Rosie.
    2. New Year’s day convergence at No Toll. 7 a.m.
    3. The Murph is back in 2024 at Twin Team. I have committed myself to bringing back Twin Team this year.

    Closing thoughts: As I took us out in prayer and thought about how I can improve myself as an individual, husband, father, etc., I couldn’t help but think about the two guys (Rosie and Nancy) standing amongst us in the ball of man. To me, these are two real deal HIMs who have been in the gloom well over a decade combined.

    Both have made me better. Nancy encouraged me to step up last year and do my first Q and to lead by example. Rosie has pushed me to run more and helped to open my eyes to the real point of a CSAUP, which has very little to do with yourself, but your bond with the Pax.

    Guys like this make us better as individuals, which makes us better husbands, fathers and leaders. I know others probably have similar stories and there are certainly many great F3 leaders. All appreciated. Keep it coming.