Month: March 2025

WARMUP: Workout was inspired by Q’s recent visit to the National WW2 Museum in NOLA. We mosey’d in formation around the ball field. PAX has to stay two columns abreast and within arm’s length of person in front. Allowed to ample mumble chatter and heal-stepping, but good team cohesion. Q threw out a few random bits of WW2 / fitness related information….like “in 1941, the recommended time for unit fitness was 1 hour after breakfast”

Once to parking lot, we did the standard 21st century warm-ups b/c the 1940’s once looked too much like bad dance moves and Q didn’t care to demonstrate.

THE THANG: The WW2 standard physical fitness test (I am sure there are many, but this is the one we did).

– Pull-ups to exhaustion. Had to modify based on equipment. In 1941: 20 was an Excellent Score / 9 was a Fair Score.
– Squat Jumps to exhaustion: These are not your standard F3 Squat Jumps. Starting position is squatting on right heel with fingers laced on top of head, palms down. The feet are 4 – 6″ apart with he feel of the left foot on a line with the right foot. Spring upward until both knees are straight and both feet clear the ground. Keep upper body erect. While off the ground, reverse your feet before you land. Each leg is 1. In 1941: 75 was an Excellent Score / 38 was a Fair Score.
– Push-ups to exhaustion: If it looks like a merkin and smells like a merkin. In 1941: 54 was an Excellent Score / 30 was a Fair Score.
– Sit-ups for 2 min: Legs straight at start, hand behind head, scorer holds feet / ankles. Left elbow to right knee on the up (one rep), then alternate to right elbow to left knee for rep two….. In 1941: 79 was an Excellent Score / 51 was a Fair Score.
– 300 yard shuttle run: Spring 5 segments of 60 yards each in parking lot. Distance was only approximate. In 1941: 44 seconds was an Excellent Score / 50 seconds was a Fair Score.

Then we moved to the “Mass Athletics and Group Games” portion of the session. Field Manual 21-20 (c 1941) lists many, but we chose a couple reps of “Follow the Leader” through the playground / obstacle course and then “In and Out” which was sort of a last-man-up run with a rolling basketball, pax in a stationary line, and some zigging and some zagging.

Fit in 30 reps of flutter kicks before time.

MOLESKINE: We all know some history of WW2 whether from school, books, movies, friends or family. It’s nearly impossible to comprehend the entire world being solely focused on one thing for 5+ years. There are some elements of its origins and residue that impact the daily news 80 years later. I’d like to think that if F3 existed back then, its members would have made us very proud (and probably given us a real beat-down).

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 4:13 strong kicks off new class next week. Please consider supporting. For details and other events, see slack.

COT: Pole Dancer friend’s baby getting out of N-ICU. Toothless mother-in-law health. Chunks new job / travels. Firefox challenges as a leader / mentor at work. And the intentions in our heart.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead.