Tag: The FORGE

3 redwoods stood in a parking lot on the outskirts of the City of Richmond waiting for the appointed leader, when said leader did not post as the clock struck 0530 a hot potato sprang forth from the earth and lead the gentlemen into the gloom. While it is known that the potato is not well received by some of the PAX, the 3 Forged into the darkness in search of merkins and prom dates.

Warmup activities began in front of the school led by a smurf named Snuff who then found some traffic cones to be used as props for a triple check. Run the loop of the parking lot, Squat thrusters with the cone and the one best left to the imagination…APDs with the cone. After two rounds a 4th redwood appeared around the bushes and almost abandoned us at the sight of the cone centered APDs. Realizing we were just taking safety to a new level he happily joined in the fun.

Last Call took us around to the amphitheater but not without a stop on the hill for clockwork merkins. Elevens with dips and incline merkins ensued with discussions of Taylor Swift tickets and family social activism.

Next up YHC took us around the middle school with varying travel methods and exercises on the lightpole alley, finishing with a 2 round Dora of merkins and flutters. After a generous offer of writing the backblast even if the workout did not close with me on the Q, Bone Thugs took us to a wall for some sit and slaps or something that was painful. Close it out back with the cones to emphasize the safety theme.

What a great cool morning to be in the gloom. The cold weather is coming so remember – SOP, sleeves are not always needed but take care of the digits. Tips on getting Taylor Swift tickets are welcomed by Last Call who’s family may or may not be planning to tour with her.

Announcements – See slack but here are a few

• Ruck for canned goods Friday
• HDHH – 11/22 Hardywood West Creek
• TYA’s Thanksgiving history lesson – Time?
• Forest Hill Loops – Friday after Thanksgiving
• Bone Thugs is running a half marathon (TBD)
• Return of the Frozen Triangle – Details to come

5 men of The Forge decided to chance fate and give up Q control to co-VQers Dealer and House Party. It’s a morning I’ll never forgot. 

Dealer got the crew warmed up with some off-cadence Don Quixotes, Helicopters, and Merkins. Practice makes perfect, and Dealer’s got some YouTube “How to Count on Cadence” videos to watch. 

House Party cleaned up the mess with strong sets of 10 burpees – 20 squats – 30 WW2s – RUN; then 8 burpees – 18 squats – 28 WW2s – RUN; then rinse and repeat dropping by 2 until WW2s descended to 0.

Dealer ran the men through the Gloom to the place of 5 Oak trees for Bear Crawl in the Fall. Bear Crawl to second Oak tree in line – 10 ball dippers DC – mosey back to first Oak. Bear Crawl to third Oak – 8 ball dippers DC – mosey back to first Oak tree. Repeated until we conquered all 5 Oaks. 

Moleskin – Appreciate House Party partnering on the co-VQ. Grateful for the encouragement to snap VQ morning of. Glad for the coaching throughout. 

14 of some of the finest people I know showed up ready and eager for an anniversary beatdown. So not one to disappoint, it was time to stretch and add some merkins to our count for the Merkin Challenge. 

Since we were called out by New Jersey, I didn’t know if we were supposed to be wreaking of Drakkan Noir while doing the merkins or what.  Anyways, I wagered a six pack of beer to the winner of the most merkins in 2 minutes, which turned out to be DTH.  Doozy kept time for the contest. 

Next, we went to Mount Chaplin to Bernie uphill three times.  We finished up at the top and then we bear-crawled to the road, thus ending our warm up. 

I had the PAX get into small groups for a one mile run.  The route was short, but it had three decent hills before the end. 

When we got back, we took a few seconds to catch our breath and then head to the soccer fields for the return of the Dirty 30!  Everyone does one rotation of the circuit exercises of:

30 LBCs,

30 heels to heaven,

30 World War II’s,

30 Freddie Mercury’s,

30 hydraulic planks,

followed by a brief rest period of running to the amphitheater, box jumping to the top, running down the steps, and then returning to the group.

This time I added a twist: Once everyone went through the exercises once, it became a triple check.   To celebrate the epic return of the dirty 30 and the birth of the Snuff named “Triple Dirty” , we did some more merkins and went back to the flag. DTH took us out.

Moleskin:

I don’t honestly have a good reason why I’ve never done an anniversary queue, but this year, I’m glad that I finally did one! I had been battling complacency lately, and I kept hearing in the back of my mind that I needed to remember. I needed to remember how hopeless I felt when this journey started, how I needed to be told that I would die if I did not change, that I had three great reasons to change who I used to be, that I had and have people in my corner, that the power to change was inside me all along but obstructed by my own mind. I also had to be reminded of the weight I carried not too long ago.

We started the workout at the bottom and took it to the top of Mount Chaplin to speak on perspective. The run was to give the joy and therapy of running with your brothers, like I got with TYA and Hardywood. After the run, we talked about facing the hills, to look them dead in the eye like Swirly told me to! Lastly, the Dirty 30 was bought back to remember my first Q and to remember the comment that shook me to my core and forced me to seek help. At the flag, there was one last reminder of the weight I carried but as a wise farmer from Amelia told me: “We all need to be reminded of the weight we carry. You have the blessing of knowing what it feels like to move through life without it….” Let us do what we can to give that blessing to someone else. May we all keep looking for and helping those who need their purpose restored and having that compassion that makes a difference.

I thank you all for your support, friendship and mentorship throughout these past four years. I love you all dearly, and I hope to give back to all of you as well! I am Bone Thugs, and I will see you at the crossroads.

PS — Please post any announcements or prayer requests in Slack.

9 middle aged men gathered at the Forge to greet a new day. According to the Owl here is what went down.

Mosey down to the bottom of the hill, pass the sewage area and mentally re-route the trip back

COP – DQ’s, Deadman Hangs, Helicopters, Imperial Walkers, Ukrainian Soldiers, SSH, LBC’s

Starting at the first light pole (your choice) Big Boy Sit-ups or Burpees. Start with 1 and add 1 at each light pole until the rails

Lung about a quarter of the way up, broad jump, Lung, broad jump to the top

Mosey to the ticket booth area for a triple check

Partner 1 does wall sits, partner 2 does dips while partner 3 runs to the stairs, tooth fairy up and mosey around

Mosey up the stairs and back towards the flag at the bottom of the first hill on Mt Chaplain

Elevens using the hill. At the bottom 10 Jump Squats, Bernie up the hill, 1 (2 count) Ball Dipper

Line up in the parking lot (you choose your mode of transportation) (Lung, Bear Crawl, Crawl Bear, Whatever you decide) from lot line to lot line. 1 Jump squat at the first line and increase by 1 every line until 10

BTTF Numbers / Names Chaplain took us out

NMS:

Sometimes YHC just feels old and hearing the ages of the guys in our group this morning (Most 42) reminded YHC that I’m not in my 40’s anymore. I tried to workout and run in my 30’s and 40’s but we didn’t have a group like F3 so YHC drank and smoked most of those years away. I am so grateful to have F3 at 51 to be out here pushing myself, asking others to dig deep and push themselves. Keep pushing guys, age is just a number.

Seven Forge regulars exchanged toasty fartsacks for frosty fun, as follows:

The THANG:

WARMERAMA:

• Moseyrama on the smelly hill
• Variable IC Reps to get warm

COP #1:

• Indigenous Curb Crawl

COP #2:

• Triple Check at the Amphitheater 

COP #3:

• 50’s at the Track

Mosey BTTF:

• A few small COP’s and a sprint BTTF
• A few mins of Mary

COT:

• Counterama # 7
• Namerama
• Announcerama (see Below)
• LAST CALL took the PAX out in Prayer

NMS:  The PAX enjoyed the Smell on repeat, observing the birth pains of a novel Tryhard exercise, Last Call wishing upon a shooting star, Snuff nearly forcing the Q to audible on 50’s, the naming of the Echo Chamber, and the return of the infamous BoneRubs. Twas fun, thx fellas. SYITG, DTH

Announcements:

• 5-8pm TONIGHT we’re meeting up for Happy Hour at The Veil of Forrest Hill with M’s & 2.0’s in tow. 

Prayer Requests:

• Keep HOUSE PARTY and his family in prayer as they’re taking in the grandkids this week out of a foster situation. They need our help with some last minute little kid supplies which you can bring to HDHH tonight or to Rock&Roll Sat AM. They need little girl cold-weather clothing (sizes 2T-6T welcome), a little kid table and chairs and/or booster seats, and whatever little girl toys/books/dolls/etc you can part with. Let’s help our brother out! 

6 men enjoyed some stimulating conversation that focused on bad alcoholic beverages, teenage impulsivity, and proper monkey humping techniques. We also managed to get in approximately 45 minutes of exercise. A brief summary for your viewing pleasure.

Mosey to the lower circle for Warm-Up:
SSH’s, Ukranian Soldiers, Monkey Love Makers, Imperial Walkers, Hand Release Merkins, LBC’s
AND Mario Jumps, Squatting Side Shuffles x 2, Mummy Bernie all across the circle.

Exercise One: Pole Work
1st pole – 20 hero plank jacks
2nd pole – 20 jump squats
3rd pole – 20 2 ct. American Hammers.

Repeat pattern until we reach the Brokeback Railing area.

Exercise Two: Team Double Triple Check
Runners run up the ramp and back.
Exercisers do: Balls to the Wall (rd. 1), Chicken Peckers (rd. 2), Pigskins (rd. 3).
Switch runner/exercise between rounds

Mosey to Mt. Chaplain for Exercise Two:
On the ascent: Bear Crawl up hills/grass areas, Jackrabbit Jumps on parking lots.
On the descent: Crab Walk hills/grass, flutter kicks: 25, 50, 75, 100

Exercise Three: Monkey Humper Ring of Fire
Monkey Humpers while one man runs to the school and back. Go until everyone has run.

Back to the flag for Names/Numbers/Announcements/Prayer requests

YHC took us out

Final thoughts: Appreciate the small but enthusiastic crew on this rainy morning. There was absolutely zero chance of us looking for a sheltered area. Way to push through! Some hilarious discussion of teenagers vomiting bad mixed drinks – really brought me back to the good old days.

Nine nubile gentlemen of the gloom struck their best pose on the catwalk while Snuff judged the lighting with an expert eye. Some earned a place on the centerfold, while all gave their best, but you had to be there to really bask in Glory:

The THANG:

WARMERAMA:

• Welcome & review NEW GLORY
• Moseyrama around the parking lot loop then a few Variable IC Reps to get the muscles warm top to bottom 

NEW GLORY:

• x14 stations around a loop Circuit
• You VS You, complete as many Circuit rounds as possible within 30min

RESULTS posted on Challenge Sheet for PAX to track their progress: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-L8e9W24ygnU0suaGyKxzi1PgPqY1CBd57hLrKTZI-g/edit#gid=116147269

Rosie – 4th HRM (3.5), DTH – Opener Burpees (3.1), Florence – WWII’s (3.0), Machismo – Mtn Climbers (2.13), Fiona – Ball Dippers (2.10), Singer – Chap Hill Burpees (2.9), Dealer – Chap Hill Burpees (2.9), HP – Jerkins (2.8), Snuff – IR Modified

BTTF:

• 5min of breathing/stretching

COT:

• Counterama # 9
• Namerama
• Announcerama (see Below)
• SNUFF took the PAX out in Prayer

NMS:  Solid numbers for this 3rd iteration of the Forge’s quarterly New Glory, and excellent efforts by all with Rosie breaking the record and Florence joining the 3.0 club. Also keeping an eye on Machismo accelerating closer to the 3.0 mark. Well done everyone! This won’t get easier, but keep posting and you WILL get faster. SYITG, DTH

Announcements:

• 10/20 SOJ HDHH at The Veil Brewing (BEER, CIDER, TACOS)

Prayer Requests:

• Snuff and Prince on IR, among many others

8 warriors gathered at Forge this morning to welcome a Garbage Plate south side variety show. Here’s how it played out:

Mosey to a slightly uneven grassy knoll at the bottom of the hill for a COP: 20xSSH, 10xDQ, 10xHC, 20xLBC, 10xMerkins. Move quickly and stealthily to the inclined ramp for a Native American style ascent; everyone hangs under a section of handrail, last man does 2x jerkins & moves to the front, repeated all the way up the hill. Gather at the ticket booth for

The Plate #1: partner up for 5 minutes, alternating wall sit and ascending rounds of merkins adding 2x each round until time is called

Mosey to the amphitheater for 30x dips at the bottom and top step followed by:

The Plate #2: partner up for 5 minutes, alternating plank and ascending rounds of squat jacks adding 2x each round until time is called

Light jog to the secret track entrance and onto the PROP 65 turf field for two sets of 20x PLTs followed by a triple check: copperhead squats, hip dips & the timer Bernies from the end zone to the 50 and runs back. On the way home there was just enough time for:

The Plate #3: partner up for 2 minutes, alternating crab cakes and rounds of 5x burpees until time is called.

Back to the flag for Numberama / Namerama / Announcements & Requests (prayers for DTH’s sister) and YHC took us out. Good times this morning in the gloom; thanks for the strong work and 5 min drill naming rights!

Six veteran iron smiths got the Forge blazing in the gloom, shaping and sharpening their metal for the battles ahead. 

The THANG:

WARMERAMA:

• Moseyrama around the bus loop and circle up
• Welcome & Disclaimer
• Variable IC Reps to get the muscles warm top to bottom

COP #1:

• Mosey to the Amphitheater 
• x20 Dips on the bottom step
• Box jump to the top and back down
• Repeato for x3 Sets total

COP #2:

• Mosey to the brick wall
• Hoedowns IC
• Donkey Kickoffs up to 20

COP #3:

• Mosey to the football field
• WILT – Two times around the field doing x50 reps at each corner, rotating through LBC’s, SSH’s, Flutter Kicks, and Squats

COP #4:

• Keep the field fun going with 50’s at each corner
• Kicked off with a Footrace between Dealer and Machismo where Dealer won by a hair and only because he used his 4th F afterburners
• x50 Plank Jacks
• x50 Scrunchy Frogs
• x50 Merkins
• x50 Imperial Walkers

Mosey BTTF for COT:

• Counterama # 6
• Namerama
• Announcerama (see Below)
• YHC took the PAX out in Prayer

NMS:  

For we are God’s workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus to do good works, 

which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

Announcements:

• Saturday 0730 Convergence at GridIron
• Sat F3RVA Retreat in Amelia, 4pm Cornhole tournament, see Slack for details

Prayer Requests:

• Healing for Fresh Prince

No, not DTH, but Corned Beef for the Daville Takeover on Thursday. So YHC arrived early as there may be a Broga session going on and did not want to miss it if that was happening…first to arrive and it was a peaceful 61 degree scene. The PAX starts rollling in and we settle on 8 total for this morning’s beatdown and here is what went down with the gang pictured below.

COP

So we mosey to the bottom of the street near the entrance to the football field, we saw a fox run accross the road and ran through some STINK (Last Call told us to breathe through our mouths…good call!) get to the bottom and circle up for:

20 SSH, 10 DQ, 10 Ukrainian Soldiers, 10 Helicopters, 15 Arm circles (10 small and 5 big), reverso, 11 Hillbillys (just wanted to get over 10 for the south side guys), 15 4 ct American Hammers, 20 4ct LBC’s, 10 reverse scorpions, 10 scorpions and 2 merkins.

THANG

So we line up to the 1st light pole and partner up for a Paula Abdul. P1 – Runs past the next pol to the 3rd light pole and returns to second light pole. P2 – lunges to 2nd light poles. As the runner is faster for this routine, P1 would get back to P2 and they would run together back to 2nd light pole, P1 then would start the lunge while P2 continued running to the 4th light pole returning to the 3rd light pole. We flap jacked this until we get the the access road below the AO parking lot.

Time for some 11’s – Start with 1 merkin lunge to other side of road to 10 LBC’s Bear crawl back to start curb for 2 merkins lunge to other side for 9 LBC’s and continue this until 1o merkins and 1 lbc is completed.

Mosey to stairs for a triple check and with 8 people 2 people on each team of 4 hung together for each rotation. P1 – Ran the steps twice and returned to start as the timer. P2 – Squats and P3 – Planked with feet elevated about 2 feet. Runner go to Squat, Squat to Plank and Plank to Stair, we repeat this one more time for a complete rotation and do 2 more rotations for a triple check.

Mosey to flag for 1 bermuda triangle 1 burpee corner 1, then lunge to corner 2 for 2 burpees and finally lunge to corner 3 for 3 burpees. Return to flag to stretch for 1 minute and we are done!

Numberama, Namerama, YHC took us out in Prayer.

Announcements

F3 RVA anniversary convergence is Saturday September 24, 2022 at Grid Iron, starting at 7am

Sit and Sip is later the same afternoon at Gomer Pyle’s Farm with a Corn Hole Tournament in the afternoon.

IT was an honor to lead this morning at the Forge this morning! Have a great rest of the week gentlemen. Cheers….CB!