Tortoise & Hare

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Crawlspace, Hacker (Franklin), Michelin Man, Chunks, Judy, Decaf, Army Surplus, Yak, Frozen, Westside, Pacer, Trajectory, C Sharp, Triple Sevens, Blitz, Sgt Meatball, Training Wheels
FNGs: 1 Training Wheels
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Wet and Soggy

WARMUP: SSH, IW, Squat, Leg Stretch, WMH

THE THANG: A perfect day at The Stronghold. The wet weather created a little adversity which provided the opportunity for us all to choose between an attitude of joy or frustration. The train created a disruption that allowed us all the chance to choose between doing the right harder thing or taking an easier shortcut.

MOLESKINE: Over the past week, we have let five men go from this current class (from 15 to 10) as we continue to weed out those that are not yet ready to take this opportunity seriously. Those five men are now back in uncomfortable, unsafe and even dangerous situations. Hopefully we will see those men come back and try again with a future class.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The Tennessee vs. Alabama showdown is less that two weeks away. Help TN defend the flag by showing up on Saturday 4/6, 6:30am at Pinkerton Park in Franklin. Check middle-tn for more details.

COT: Prayers for the men at 4:13 Strong and for those that are no longer with us.

Tortoise & Hare #1

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: bluemule, Longhorn, Hacker (Franklin), Right Said, Chunks, Decaf, Young and Restless, Big Country, Wookie, D Pole, Mix Tape, Milli Vanilli, Comeback, Army Surplus, Frozen, For the Girls, Westside, Pacer, Trajectory, C Sharp, Triple Sevens, Blitz, Sgt. Meatball
FNGs: None
COUNT: 24
CONDITIONS: Very cold 27 degrees

WARMUP: SSH, IW, Squat. WMH, stretches

THE THANG: RUN!!! 3 mile loop around the campus. Not bad for the first official run. Fastest time for the new class was 28:23, and all in at 40:18. Had a little time at the end for some Mary.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Happy 37th birthday to bluemule. Thank you for starting your day at The Stronghold!

COT: Comeback closed us out with a prayer.

First One – Done!

AO: thestronghold
Q: Right Said
PAX: Dan and Dave, moneyshot, Betty Ford, Cowboy, Shocker (Mark Holmes), Skeet, Young and Restless, Decaf, Minnie Pearl, bluemule, Red Skull, Sunshine, Bill Dance, Wookie, D Pole, Comeback, Army Surplus, Yak, Frozen, Pacer, Mix Tape, Milli Vanilli, For the Girls, Westside, Trajectory, C Sharp, Triple Seven, Blitz, Sergeant Meatball
FNGs: 9 Mix Tape, Milli Vanilli, For the Girls, Westside, Trajectory, C Sharp, Triple Seven, Blitz, Sergeant Meatball
COUNT: 30
CONDITIONS: Absolutely perfect at 57 degrees

WARMUP:
Mosey to the front parking lot for:
– SSH, LBAC, R-LBAC, Seal Claps, Good Mornings, WMH
– Partner Up – 1 F3 PAX to 1 4:13 Strong Participant (we had the perfect number to get to our 1:1 ratio!)
Mosey to the basketball court with a quick stop at the Block Pile to pick up one block per pair.

THE THANG:
Assemble along the baseline – Partner 1 works while Partner 2 moves the length of the court and back, swap and then hold plank for all in.
– Round 1: Block Curls, Suicides
– Round 2: Block Squat, Lunge
– Round 3: Overhead Block Press, Suicides
– Round 4: Block Wings, Suicides

Circle up for the Doomsday Circle (Ring of Fire) – Each man does one merkin, advancing around the circle until 500 merkins were completed. If a break was needed, complete 15 SSHs and then re-enter the circle.

Mary – Flutter Kicks, Hello Dolly, Freddy Mercuries,

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The newest class is off and running. Thanks to the PAX from greenmachine who joined us this morning. It was great to have you out!

Six more weeks with this class. Come out and join them.

Tortoise & Hare

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Chunks, Right Said, Crawlspace, Judy, Decaf, Long Horn, Woodpecker, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Lost & Found, Evel Knievel, Sunshine, Neanderthal Peach Pie, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs
FNGs: None
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Beautiful 36 degrees

WARMUP: SSH, Squats, IW, WMH, Leg Stretches

THE THANG: RUN!!! We met the train this morning so a trip around the white building was required. Not sure all made that trip because the times seemed a little fast.

2024 Course record was set by Right Said this morning – 21:00!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The 4:13 Strong men are running the Dream Streets 5K on Saturday. It is not too late to join our team and run with us. Dream Streets is a great organization and we are happy to be supporting them. You can sign up for the race at their website.

COT: Yak closed us out with a prayer this morning.

Boops

AO: thestronghold
Q: baggervance
PAX: Skeet, Minnie Pearl, toga, Dan and Dave, Mullet, leatherneck, Decaf, Red Skull, Bill Dance, Casual Friday, Dantana, Woodpecker, D Pole, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Lost & Found, Evel Knievel, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Peach Pie, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs
FNGs: None
COUNT: 28
CONDITIONS: A Perfect 43 degrees

WARMUP: Disclaimer followed by SSH, IW, HW, Squats and creative stretching

THE THANG: Partner Up followed by a long two column Indian Run around the campus and to the basketball court.

Partner 1 does a stationary exercise while Partner 2 does a shuttle run, then switch: Round 1 – Side Lunge; Round 2 – Squat; Round 3 – SSH. Mosey to nearby building and hold wall sit while receiving instructions.

Mosey to the block pile. Partner 1 does a movement with the block x 10 while Partner 2 does a movement without a block, then switch: Round 1 – Block rows with opposite leg in the air + Up Downs; Round 2 – Bulgarian Split Squat with block + Reverse Up Downs; Round 3 – Block Step Ups + Peoples Chair

Mosey to the Gravel Lot and then line up for various modes of transportation – Bear Crawl, Crawl Bear, Side Shuffles, Skips and Boops.

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
This class is two weeks away from completion of the 40 Day Challenge.

COT: We were reminded of the importance of locking arms with other men who can help encourage us and lift us up when we need it.

Tortoise & Hare

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Skeet, baggervance, Decaf, Long Horn, Woodpecker, D Pole, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Lost & Found, Evel Knievel, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs
FNGs: None
COUNT: 20
CONDITIONS: 36 degrees and sloppy

WARMUP: SSH, Slow and Low Squats, IW, OYO stretching

THE THANG: RUN!!! 3.0 miles around the 4:13 Strong campus followed by some traveling Mary since there was extra time.

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: This class will be running in the Dream Streets 5K on Saturday 2/24. Join our team and come run with us. You can register at runsignup.com/Race/TN/Nashville/westnashdc5k

COT: Prayers for focus, endurance and families.

Lessons

AO: thestronghold
Q: tampalibra
PAX: Red Skull, Ginger, Young and Restless, Grape, olanmills, Doggystyle, Decaf, Skeet, Minnie Pearl, Sunshine, Lost and Found, Goldie Locks, Yak, Prince’s Hot Chicken, D Pole, Bill Dance, Army Surplus, Tatter Tot, Woodpecker, Evil Knievel, PeachPie, Mr Krab, Neanderthal, Wookie, Iron Flush, Mittens
FNGs: None
COUNT: 27
CONDITIONS: Perfect

COT:
Let’s nail the COT first bc it was a marquee moment for YHC. This morning was a (not so) nice reminder that yeah you can feel good about yourself getting out and doing good but that doesn’t mean there are not lessons for you to learn along the way.

Here’s the short of it. One of the guys was chirping at me pretty consistently. At first I was confused and wasn’t sure who he was talking to or what nonsense he was even saying. I pushed back a little eventually and he clearly was not getting the point so I escalated a bit and I went too far. It was a calculated or intentional escalation that I felt necessary at the moment BUT I said something I did not mean to say and there is no excuse. The whole thing is on me and I own that. Period. I stopped the whole thing and publicly owned up to it, hopefully he heard my apology took it as sincere and we all move on better.

I’ve got egg on my face and to be honest it’s been wearing me out all day.

The only silver lining is hopefully everyone there saw an example of a man admitting he is wrong, owning it, and apologizing. Not something we see a lot of these days to be sure. I’m sorry I let y’all down and hope I can earn the trust and respect back.

WARMUP:
SSH x 50
Squats x 10
Fire Hydrant x 20 each side
Jack Webb – goal was to get to 10 but it was crawling so we stopped at 8. This was done together with each PAX down the line calling out the next rep number and exercise

THE THANG:
Grab a block and head to the hill

7s: Reverse burpees at the bottom, We’re Not Worthy at the top. Carry you block with you at all times.

YHC planned on a politician up the each each round, as well as a surprise speed bump, but we were already running behind.

Mosey to the basketball court

Partner-burpee-thruster-apocalypse:
P1 does 10 burpees while P2 does 10 block thrusters, switch and rinse/repeat

P1 does 9 burpees while P2 does 9 block thrusters

Goal was to get to 1 but we ran out of time and I believe only got to 5

MARY:
No Mary due to time

More Hare Than Tortoise

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Hair Band, Judy, baggervance, Young and Restless, Decaf, Right Said, Crawlspace, Skeet, Long Horn, Woodpecker, D Pole, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Lost & Found, Evel Knievel, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Peach Pie, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs
FNGs: None
COUNT: 26
CONDITIONS: 39 Degrees

WARMUP: Long warmup led by Neanderthal

THE THANG: 3 miles around the 4:13 Strong campus. A new class record was set as well as some individual PRs.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: This class will be running in the Dream Streets 5K on Feb 24. Join the 4:13 Strong team and come run with us.

Discern the signs

AO: thestronghold
Q: morning star
PAX: Chunks, Skeet, Minnie Pearl, Wolfpack, baggervance, Dan and Dave, Decaf, Shocker (Mark Holmes), Red Skull, morning star, Woodpecker, D Pole, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Frozen, Lost & Found, Evel Knievel, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Peach Pie, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs, Long Horn, Bill Dance(?), Dantana, Cat Man
FNGs: 1 Cat Man
COUNT: 29
CONDITIONS: high 20’s and lively

5:30 – disclaimer given … YHC asked men to raise their hands if they were willing to take personal responsibility for their own safety. Modify as necessary.

WARMUP: mosey to the light, circle up … motivator x5, lazy imperial walkers x10, hard style low slow squats x11

YHC taught PAX how to do fast and loose drills (active recovery) … dubbed “Mickey’s” or “Soviet Sprinter Shakes” … the idea is to shake the tension out of your limbs as if you were shaking water off after a shower.

THE THANG: partner up and stay in a circle. 11 seconds of jump squats, then 49 seconds of active recovery …. for 30 minutes. pairs take turns carrying coupons around the basketball counts, completing 5 supermans between the far two goals.

PAX were instructed to transition from jump squats to SSH if they experienced 1 of 2 signs: lots their power on the jump or had trouble singing along/talking between sets of squats.

It was long and monotonous and we passed our time by encouraging each other, signing along with “Lean on me” (which was on repeat). The challenge was to stay mentally engaged the whole time; powerful jump squats and constant movement during active recovery.

Mary: baby crawl, bear crawl, cat crawl, imperial walkers, skipping … all done while moving in a circle.

MOLESKIN: YHC shared the story of when my mom kicked my dad out of our apartment when I was 13. Talked about how that flipped my world upside down. I cried myself to sleep that night, lonely and afraid. Ultimately my parents got divorced and my adolescence was an experience of me being emotionally orphaned; there was not a place in my home for my heart to express itself or grow in maturity.

YHC shared how I used to avoid my past, the painful memories and even grew to despise my story.

However, as I’ve leaned to go back to those traumatic moments, bring them into the light, share them with others … I’ve found the capacity to offer grace, kindness and tenderness to parts of my heart that were frozen in time. As I practice this, I grow in resilience.

Just as we had 2 signs that we used to transition exercises during the workout we also have signs that our heart and body gifts us with: emotions. Each emotion I experience can be a doorway into my story. And if I discern it and go back with curiosity and kindness I have an opportunity to find healing and ultimately grow in maturity.

New approach to consider: we accelerate our capacity to do hard things not by gritting our teeth but by offering tenderness to our hearts.

So, go forth and do the hard internal work … do it with a guide (a trusted friend or mentor or counselor) and see your maturity advance!

YCH blessed the PAX and we ended with “Heart on 3”.

Was wonderful to finally make it out to the stronghold.
– m out!

Cold, Fast Run

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Right Said, Judy, bluemule, Chunks, Hacker (Franklin), baggervance, Decaf, Young and Restless, Hair Band, Crawlspace, Woodpecker, D Pole, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Frozen, Lost & Found, Evel Knievel, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Peach Pie, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs, Long Horn
FNGs: 1 Long Horn
COUNT: 29
CONDITIONS: A Cold 30 Degrees

WARMUP: SSH, IW, Squats, WMH, Stretch

THE THANG: RUN!!! 3 mile loop around the 4:13 Strong campus.

A great effort this morning which resulted in an “All In” time of 36:00 and several PRs. We were fast enough today that we had time for a little Mary at the end: Burpees 10, 9, 8, 7 plus some Flutter Kicks and Hello Dollys.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Great work this morning. The 4:13 Strong men appreciate the encouragement and support that the F3 PAX bring to The Stronghold.