Welcome Back Struggle 004

AO: thestronghold
Q: SalPal , Chunks
PAX: bluemule, Dan and Dave, Wham-O, Sanctions, Papa Bear, Chunks, greyalbum, Crawlspace, Not-a-Sport, catfish, Penny Loafers, Shocker (Mark Holmes), Barney, toga, Decaf, Bobby Hill, Ice Box, Pick Me, Pope, Road Trip, Wendy’s, Stir Fry, Ambassador (F3 Annapolis), Mutt, Stage Dive
FNGs: None
COUNT: 26
CONDITIONS: Slightly moist.

WARMUP: A lot of side-shuffle hops and burpees, as it ought to be. Thanks to Chunks for getting the ball rolling.

THE THANG: 3 Groups rotating through sprints, burpees, and planks on a 1 minute timer, with 5 seconds to rotate. T-Claps to Dan and Dave for decreasing sub-30 second splits on all his sprints.

10 burpee salute to the Strugglers as they rolled in at 0600 hours.

Close with planks/”watersplashers” for Mary.

MOLESKINE: Great chatter and attitude today, and glad to be out in support of the men doing this latest Struggle. High concentrations of HIM on the 4:13 campus today.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Struggle 005 date TBD.

COT: Lift up the men that took on the Struggle the last 16 hours.

Tortoise & Hare, Run #4

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Young and Restless, bluemule, Chunks, Right Said, Wham-O, Barney, Judy, Decaf, Wendy’s, Ice Box, Stir Fry, Road Trip, Bobby Hill, Mutt, Singlet, Touchback
FNGs: None
COUNT: 17
CONDITIONS: It is starting to get warm and humid. 66 degrees except by the barn where the temperature is noticeably cooler.

WARMUP: Road Trip was tapped to lead our warm up. While he switched up the order on us, he hit all the usual warmup exercises.

THE THANG: Partner up and RUN!! A great morning for a run. The F3 PAX were a huge source of encouragement to the 4:13 Strong men. For the first time ever, every 4:13 Strong man turned in a new Personal Best time! Thank you for all of the encouragement that you provided today.

MOLESKINE: Based on past experience, this is the hardest week of the 40 Day Challenge, not because we do anything different but because this is the week that things start to become a grind. The men have to dig deep and find some source of encouragement to keep pushing. Today, we saw 7 men who have done just that!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Struggle 004 is this week. The 4:13 Strong Clay Shoot is this Friday. Spots are still available for anyone who would like to participate. DM me and I will get. you hooked up.

COT: Everything about the COT went in reverse order this morning, but we got it all in! It was a great start to the day at The Stronghold!

Running Blockie Apocolypse

AO: thestronghold
Q: Natural Ice
PAX: Young and Restless, Red Skull, Dan and Dave, Skeet, Purple Tiger, Decaf, Hipster, Chunks, Barney, Natural Ice, Ice Box, Road Trip, Mullet, Pick Me, Singlet, Stir Fry, Boby Hill, Wendys,
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
Conditions: Humid and PERFECT

Warm-Up:
We kicked things off with the classics: side straddle hops, light stretching, and a touch of Broga. Loosened up the shoulders with arm circles, overhead claps, seal claps, and Moroccan nightclubs. Knocked out a few Merkins to wake up the chest.

The Thang:
Everyone grabbed a cinder block coupon and got the run-down: this workout would be nonstop movement. Any downtime or wait-for-the-six moments defaulted to our “resting” move—lift block to shoulder, press overhead, switch sides, lower to ground, repeat.

We launched into a Blockee Apocalypse:
– Travel with your block
– Drop for a round of Blockees (Burpee + Merkin on block + overhead press with block)
– Start at 10 reps, decrease by 1 at each stop
– Between rounds, PAX rotated through WWIs, or our “rest” move

Made our way across the AO with grit and sweat. At the final stop, back at the starting deck, we flipped the script and hit one last set of 10 Blockees to finish strong.

Mary:
– Flutter kicks (too many)
– 20 WWI sit-ups in cadence

COT:
Wrapped with gratitude and a prayer for the men of 413 to stay strong and finish well.

Moleskin:
– Blocks were heavy
– Spirits were high
– No one quit in this group
– You can catch your breath with out stoping

SYITG
Natural Ice

Tortoise & Hare, Run #3

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Chunks, Wham-O, Young and Restless, Right Said, Barney, Decaf, Judy, Salami, Wendy’s, Ice Box, Stir Fry, Road Trip, Practice?, Bobby Hill, Life Saver, Mutt, Singlet
FNGs: None
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Perfect running weather – 66 degrees

WARMUP: The usual: SSH, Squats, IWs, Stretches, WMHs

THE THANG: Partner Up and RUN!! Find someone that will push you to get better and run with them. It worked…5 PRs this morning. Our “All In” time is improving…today we were All In at 34:30 leaving time for a Burpee Apocalypse with some Squats mixed in just for fun.

MOLESKINE: Improvements are a sign of hard work. Please keep encouraging the 4:13 Strong men as they figure out what it means to fight for change in their life.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The Struggle 004 is next week. If interested one of the final spots, reach out to tampalibra.

COT: Prayers for continued wisdom, strength and endurance.

Fun & Games

AO: thestronghold
Q: Minnie Pearl
PAX: Wham-O, Purple Tiger, Right Said, Skeet, Young and Restless, bluemule, Barney, Decaf, Minnie Pearl, Mutt, Ice Box, Practice?, Stir Fry, Road Trip, Singlet, Bobby Hill, Wendy’s, Life Saver
FNGs: None
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Beautiful

WARMUP: Nope

THE THANG: Gorilla Complex
-8 curls
-8 rows
-8 presses
-8 triceps extensions
-8 merkins
-short run
Perform 8X

To elevate and reward morale, we played several games along the way.
-Rochamburpees
-Duck Jousting (bluemule would probably have won if he wasn’t robbed)
-Bear Crawl/Broad Tump Tag
-Guantanamo

MOLESKINE: Blessed is the man who delights in the Law of the Lord

Psalm 1
Psalm 16:11
Psalm 37:4
Psalm 20:4
Psalm 17:14

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT: prayers for endurance, hope, peace, communication. Also prayers for the health of family members.

Cadence & Grisham

AO: thestronghold
Q: Ponzi , Ginger
PAX: Barney, Chunks, Ponzi, Purple Tiger, Young and Restless, Ginger, Decaf, bluemule, Wham-O, Right Said, Skeet, Red Skull, Practice, Gray Album, Pick Me, Lifesaver, Snuggie, Skud, Stir Fry, Roadtrip, Singlet, Mutt, Wendy’s, Bobby Hill, Icebox
FNGs: 7 Stir Fry, Roadtrip, Singlet, Mutt, Wendy’s, Bobby Hill, Icebox
COUNT: 25
Warmup (Ponzi on Q):
Started with the disclaimer — “Modify only as necessary, but we work to the standard.”
Talked through the importance of cadence — moving together, counting together, holding each other to a standard.
• First movement: Side Straddle Hops (SSH)
• Reps halted due to lack of unity → 3 burpee penalty
• Restarted but reps weren’t to standard → 5 burpee penalty
• Restarted again — this time, no unified count → 10 burpee penalty
• Fourth time was the charm: reps were clean, crisp, unified. 20 SSH IC.

Followed by:
• Imperial Walkers x10 IC
• Hillbillies x10 IC
• Merkins x10 IC (double time)

The Thang (Ginger on Q):
Grabbed blocks and moseyed to the court.
Partnered up in rows and columns for The Grisham WOD:
• Partner 1: Block Thrusters / Partner 2: Burpees → then swap
• Reps: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25
• Everyone held plank until the six was in

Then split into two groups:
• Each group had a leader and did movements in cadence together
• Group A: 20 Thrusters / Group B: 20 Burpees → then swap
• Reps: 20, 15, 10, 5 — all in cadence with group unity

Moseyed back, returned blocks, and circled up for COT.

Announcements:
• Brentwood Cookout – 5/22
• The Struggle 004 – 6/4

Prayers for Singlets mom and Ponzi dad for health and healing. Prayers for us as men to lead like we are meant to.

Moleskin:
We welcomed 7 FNGs — fired up to have the new 4:13 class in the gloom! Strong effort all around. We struggled, we led, we learned the standard together.
Iron sharpens iron. Let’s keep showing up.

SYITG,
Ponzi & Ginger

Tortoise & Hare #1

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: SalPal, Right Said, Skeet, Barney, Decaf, Chunks, hambone, Judy, Antwaun, Tater (Skeet’s 2.0), Life Saver, Practice?, 7 4:13 Strong FNGS who will be named on Thursday
FNGs: 1 7 4:13 Strong FNGS who will be named on Thursday
COUNT: 20
CONDITIONS: Perfect – daylight, tall grass and cool temps

WARMUP: SSH, Squats, IWs, WMHs, stretches

THE THANG: Run!!! 3 miles around the campus followed by a treat of declining reps for sets of Squats, Burpees and WWIs, working from 10 – 1.

MOLESKINE: A great first effort by class 2025-03! First 4:13 Strong finisher was in at 24:01 and all in by 35:35! For the record, Tater beat Skeet for the first time, finishing with the fastest time of the day at 22:03!

COT: Prayers for family, strength, endurance and wisdom

Leadership Opportunities

AO: thestronghold
Q: tampalibra
PAX: Red Skull, Chunks, Dan and Dave, Skeet, Right Said, Barney, toga, Decaf, Young and Restless, Purple Tiger, AWD, Poker Face, Hoop Dreams, By Design, Richie Rich, Hello Kitty, Hot Wire, Fresh Start
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
CONDITIONS: Perfect conditions for a preruck. YHC, Red Skull, Right Said and 5 4:13 pax for a 45min/2.5mi+ preruck with a shared 60# sb

WARMUP: SSHx30, Squatsx10, Merkinsx10

THE THANG: Grab a block or ruck / mosey to courts

5 G2S / 5 Burpee over block
10 / 10
15 / 15
20 / 20
25 / 25
20 / 20
15 / 15
10 / 10
5 / 5

4:13 guys were asked to step up and lead each evolution. We have to be prepared and postured towards leadership. Learn from those before you, adapt, overcome, stay aware of those you’re leading, etc.

MARY:
On your 6 in a circle, F3 guys take turns calling out 10-15 reps of a mary exercise utilizing the weight/block

MOLESKINE:
Always so proud of these men finishing their first phase. Prayers and encouragement for them heading out with a weekend pass, finishing job interviews, and moving into the work phase.

Tortoise & Hare – The Final Run!

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Chunks, Decaf, Young and Restless, Barney, Hair Band, Dan Tanna, Right Said, Poker Face, Hello Kitty, By Design, All Wheel Drive, Hot Wire, Fresh Start, Hoop Dream, Richie Rich
FNGs: None
COUNT: 16
CONDITIONS: A perfect 57 degrees and a beautiful sunrise

WARMUP: Warm-up led by Hoop Dreams: SSH, Squats, IWs, Stretches

THE THANG: RUN!! We had 2 PRs today – Fresh Start with 22:09 and Richie Rich breaking 30:00 for the first time!

MOLESKINE: This class took the 3 mile run seriously and made real efforts to improve over the six weeks. What a refreshing way to approach a challenge. Thank you to my F3 brothers who consistently showed up to be a part of our Tuesday mornings.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Signing Day for this class is this Friday 4/18 at 11:30am

Tortoise & Hare, Run #5

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Crawlspace, Right Said, Hair Band, Judy, tampalibra, Young and Restless, Chunks, Barney, Poker Face, Hello Kitty, By Design, All Wheel Drive, Hot Wire, Greyhound, Fresh Start, Hoop Dreams, Richie Rich
FNGs: None
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Cold and windy….39 degrees

WARMUP: Normal pre-run warmup of SSH, Squats, IWs, stretching and some OYO WMH and Good Mornings

THE THANG: Partner Up and RUN!! All in under 35:00 leaving plenty of time for some more work.

Mosey to the school parking lot for a quick round of 3 1 min challenges. 1st min 15 burpees, 2nd min 25 jump squats, 3rd min 25 WWIs.

Mosey back to the StartEx

MOLESKINE: This class continues to push themselves. We had 1 PR today as Hot Wire got sub 30:00 for the first time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Signing Day is next Friday, 4/18 at 11:30. The Standing Strong Dinner at Rocketown is Thursday 4/24 at 6pm. Some F3 seats remain…it looks like Franklin could use a little help filling their table. If you would like to join us for the evening, click the link and select F3 Franklin as you Table Sponsor. Or, just DM me and I will find a seat for you.

secure.fundeasy.com/ministrysync/event/?e=29356