I Can Drive 55 with a Few Friends

AO: bomber
Q: Vector
PAX: Pep, Firefox, Papa Bear, Strutter, DintyMoore, Chunks, CubCadet, SalPal, Cream Cheese, Wet Wipes, Tim the Toolman, Sherlock
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
Today’s Q was to acknowledge YHC’s 55th birthday a few weeks back. The theme? What’s the best part about birthday parties? No, not the gift bags. The friends. So today (after a Strutter request for a Hagar classic), we celebrated friends.

CONDITIONS: Balmy

WARMUP:
Standard Vector Birthday SSH set — 55 (set to I Can’t Drive 55 – Sammy Hagar. You’re welcome, Strutter)
LBAC x 20
RLBAC x 20
Overhead Press x 20

THE THANG:
Count off and get a partner. Your homework – find out an unknown fact about your friend t reveal at COT.

Mosey to Rec Center.
Pair of friends run around the Rec Center (fun fact finding time) while the rest of PAX work on 55 reps of the following:
Freddy Mercs
Regular Pull-Ups
Iron Mikes
Excellent Form Squats
Normal Merkins
Dips
SSH

Rinse and repeat x 3.

Mosey back to flag for Mary with Hello Dollys, Flutter Kicks, and Box Cutters.

PLAYLIST:
Why Can’t We be Friends? – War
Friends in Low Places – Garth Brooks
Friends – Jody Watley with Eric B. & Rakim
With a Little Help from My Friends – Beatles
You’re My Best Friend – Queen
Thank You for Being a Friend – Andrew Gold
Just a Friend – Biz Markie
You’ve Got a Friend in Me – Randy Newman
All My Rowdy Friends are Coming Over Tonight – Hank Jr.
Best Friends – English Beat
My Best Friend’s Girl – The Cars
All the Right Friends – R.E.M.

COT:
Prayers for those affected by cuts in public health and research.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Spring Fling this Saturday April 6th — check Slack for deets (right Cream Cheese?)

A Few Select Random Facts:
Wet Wipes posing nude in print
CubCadet doing black ops security for Yo-Yo Ma’s son
DintyMoore’s old bottle collection (which he puts highlighters inside off with black light backlighting?)

Thanks HIM for pushing me into year 55!
SYITG,
Vector :microbe:

11 is a really big number when you’re holding a cinderblock

AO: titan
Q: SalPal
PAX: Pep, Goose, Black Lung, Half Lyfe, Wolfpack, Young and Restless, Tim the Toolman, CubCadet, Papa Bear, Sherlock, Crawlspace, Slim Jim, Wonderpickle
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: Acceptable

WARMUP: Mosey around the Parthenon + coupon pickup.

THE THANG: 11’s at the hill. Start with 10 squat thrusters at the bottom, 1 offset block merkin (each side 1/2) at the top. Mosey back and forth until you were at 10 on the top. Those without blocks did screamin’ eagles + bodybuilders + backwards mosey.

Returned the coupons, SSH and burpees to finish.

MOLESKINE: Hey PepGPT, come up with a meaningful insight into the nature of masculinity summarized from the conversations we had this morning during our workout.

Sure! I’d be happy to summarize some of the conversations that you had while working out this morning!

Everyone seemed to find the work challenging, and people decided to partner up to carry the load while making authentic human connections. The takeaway is that men can meaningfully accomplish more working together than alone.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Night Moves tomorrow
– Spring Fling April 6th

COT:
– Prayers for healing and perseverence in sickness.

Always an honor to lead. Stay Salty Nashville.

Respects win headcount

AO: westeros
Q: Pep
PAX: Vector, CubCadet, Tim the Toolman, Sherlock, Young and Restless
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
CONDITIONS: early spring chill

WARMUP: none

THE THANG:
– mosey to bridge
– Bear crawl across bridge and lunge walk back
– Dora at playground :
– 100 pull ups, 200 fire hydrants, 300 windshield
wipers
– Run: the drop office circle at the school

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– night moves Thursday

Prayers:
– chunks first day of new job
– Vector travel to Brazil and back

Guest appearance: SalPal , Chunks , Salami

God’s gonna cut you down

AO: titan
Q: Puzzlah
PAX: Firefox, Sherlock, Black Lung, CubCadet, DintyMoore, Tim the Toolman, Young and Restless, Pep, Papa Bear
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: springtime is peeking through

WARMUP:
SSH
Imperial walkers
Arm circles
Yoga
Merkins

THE THANG:
Mosey over to HCA garage
– Bottom (Ground Floor): 20 Merkins
– 2nd Floor: 20 Squats
– 3rd Floor: 20 Big Boy Sit-ups
– 4th Floor: 20 Burpees
Rd 1: sprint up inclines, mosey to next spot
Rd 2 (coming down): in reverse (Bernie down ramp), mosey to next spot
Rd 3: Bernie up, mosey and laps on roof for 6
Rd 4: mosey down and around.

Burpee for 6
My counts:
90 merkins total
60 burpees (plus any done at Start)

MOLESKINE:
On Johnny Cash’s 102nd birthday, we reflect on redemption.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Game night on Friday
Biscuit run on Saturday
Night Pax

COT: :black_heart:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6qf0kAUBFwuH8uMLC36atc?si=9_TvrRvVTC294TCkY8hHQw&pi=M2EKxuFhTkCOHq

Redemption Tour

AO: iiipillars
Q: Focker
PAX: t-cell, Grape, Harbaugh, gov’t mule, Haggis, Shania, Pep, Sherlock, wardas1, Swiffer, Canned Heat, Young and Restless, princessaurora, Howitzer, Big Bird
FNGs: 1 Big Bird
COUNT: 16
CONDITIONS: near tropical

WARMUP: stretches followed by mental math consisting of pull ups to failure, multiply by 5 and do squats, multiply by 2 and do crunches

THE THANG:
On track do the following:
-5 dive bomber push ups
-15 monkey humpers
-20 WW1
Run around track with straightaway sprints

-5 kick throughs
-15 jump squats
-20 dry docks
Run the opposite way
Broke this up by 2 sets of 10,20,30 DIDS

Mosey to start with one legged burpees and Mary to end it

MOLESKINE: lots of grumbling about the math. Yacht rock playlist really was enjoyed by all. Great way to set an intimate mood for the FNG

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Merlin Madness

COT: prayers for shared sorrow and shared joys!
“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark” James 3:5
^i was an idiot in my marriage yesterday with my words. Learn from my mistakes

Love is . . .

AO: bomber
Q: Vector
PAX: Pep, Firefox, DintyMoore, sooner, Sherlock, Right Said, Tim the Toolman, Puzzlah, Fish Food (DR)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
YHC was the Q-pid for today’s Valentine’s Day prep for the PAX. I even had a bow . . . seriously.

CONDITIONS: Chilly, 23 degrees with love in the air

PLAYLIST:
Theme of “Love is . . .”
Love is like Oxygen – Sweet
Love is a Battlefield – Pat Benatar
Love is an Open Door – Kristen Bell/Santino Fontana (from Frozen, not Moana sooner)
Love is the Drug – Roxy Music
Love is the Answer – Aloe Blacc
Love is a Stranger – Eurythmics
Love is in the Air – John Paul Young
Love is Blindness – Jack White
Love is the Answer – Dan Seals
Love is Dangerous – Fleetwood Mac
Love is Strange – Mickey & Sylvia
Love is a Long Road – Tom Petty

WARMUP:
Mosey in heart-shaped circles
LBAC x 20
Seal Claps x 20
Overhead Presses x 20
RLBAC x 20
WMH x 10 OHO
Good Mornin’s x 10 OHO
SSH x 20

THE THANG:
Q-pid started his work by having the PAX partner up and do several partner themed exercises:
Partner merkins x 20 (with clap between rep)
Partner WWI x 20 (with claps at top)
Partner chair squats x 30 sec x 3

Mosey to playground for some LOVES
Lunges x 100
Overhead presses x 100
V-shaped Pull-Ups x 100
Excellent form incline merkins x 100
Sexy squats x 100

[Aside: at some point sooner got caught up in the love and might have been twerking on the swing set pole . . . Q-pid supports all kinds of love, so go crazy HIM)

Mosey to flag for V-Day Mary of Alabama Prom Dates, J Los, Monkey Humpers, Jane Fondas to get those special parts trained for the day. So good, we rinsed and repeated.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– No Beer Ruck this weekend
– Game Night at Firefox abode Feb 28 at 7p
– Night Moves March 6 at 7:30pm

COT: Words of gratitude, prayers, and praises lifted up. Listened to the morning for a bit. Thankful for all of the HIM during what for me has been a very stressful time in both my personal (losing my mom) and professional (funding uncertainties, colleagues losing jobs abruptly) lives. Thankful to the PAX for pushing me each day.

SYITG, Q-pid (aka Vec)

The Final Stretch of Leanpax

AO: titan
Q: Firefox
PAX: preacherman, Crawlspace, Right Said, Tim the Toolman, Spinal Tap, Papa Bear, CubCadet, Young and Restless, Sherlock, Pep, Good Morning America, Wolfpack, Swap, Zinfandel, Toucan
FNGs: None
COUNT: 16
CONDITIONS: Hungry

WARMUP: Barely a mosey to the Parthenon entrance and 20SSHs

THE THANG:
To push us toward the finish line of leanpax, YHC prepared a playlist of songs about all the foods I miss (although, most of them I do not currently crave).

Thang 1:
PAX partnered up. One PAX stayed at the benches and did an exercise while the other ran the loop (which reminded me of a donut…), then swap. 2 rounds for each exercise
– Dips
– Bench flutters (on your six facing the bench, hover one foot above the bench, one foot below, then alternate)
– Bulgarian split squats

Thang 2:
Mosey over to the walkway closer to the playground. Staying in pairs, 1 PAX did a travel exercise, the other did a stationary exercise, run back and then swap. 2 times through per pairing of exercises.
– Murder bunnies & Imperial Hoppers (aerobic imperial walkers with a hop as your knee comes up to your elbow).
– Bear crawl & shoulder tap plank jacks
– Broad jump burpees & WW1s
– Crawl bear & Buzzsaw planks

Mosey back to Startex, 10 WW1s and a Hollow Body Hold till time.

MOLESKINE: Awesome support from the PAX picking up the 6. Those murder bunnies were brutal. Leanpax is hard, but worth it. Kudos to all the PAX participating.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Game night!

COT:
– Vector and his family
– Gratitude for Papa Bear’s family gathering for 3.0’s baptism

CCM is all around us

AO: greenmachine
Q: Focker
PAX: Works for a Guy, Good Morning America, Firefox, moneyshot, Cowboy, Betty Ford, Esposa, Grape, Canned Heat, Sherlock, Steak Knives, LB
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
CONDITIONS: hot, comparatively

WARMUP: various stretches while the PAX were educated about the start of CCM in the Jesus Movement of the 60s and 70s with even artists like Bob Dylan taking part in CCM’s early formation. Describing how CCM really encompasses lots of genres and not just soft rock/pop.

THE THANG: mosey to hill.
Every PAX takes turn running up (Bernie style) while group does various waiting exercises (squats, merkins, SSH, prom dates, heel lifts). Q took time to describe formative artist Keith Green as well as early CCM theme of adventure/excitement (as manifested by “Go West Young Man” by MWS and “Great Adventure” by SCC)
Mosey to football field
10 yard crab walk
10 Burpees
20 yard bear crawl
20 Squat jumps
30 yard lunges
30 WW1
40 yard broad jump
40 Flutter kicks
50 yard sprint
50 Merkins
Back down the ladder
Mosey back to start and dealer’s choice Mary

MOLESKINE: #mumblechatter consisted of “I haven’t heard this” Grape or “man I haven’t heard this since high school” Cowboy or just good ole silent adoration.
Genuinely thank yall for indulging me today. These are the formative songs of my youth (and current life TBH)

ANNOUNCEMENTS: leanpax

COT: prayers lifted for selflessness, Grape and his wife in time of uncertainty, and Cowboy and his best friend in his season of cancer

Dirty Dora

AO: titan
Q: Natural Ice – CBO
PAX: Sherlock, Spinal Tap, bluemule, CubCadet, Tim the Toolman, Right Said, Pep, Steak Knives (F3 Cape Fear), Natural Ice – CBO, Aquaman, Deuce and a half
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP: SSH, Merkins, Squats, LBCs, a little yoga stretching
Big long grapevine mosey

THE THANG: Dirty Dora

Pax Partnered up at the play ground for a typical Dora consisting of 100 cumulative merkins, 200 squats, and 300 LBCs. However there was a Dirt Dora Twist – before starting the cumulative exercise PAX had buy-in of 5 pull ups and 5 burpees, every round.

After completion we went for a bear crawl up the hill, because we do hard things.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Lean Pax is getting close to completion

COT: Prayers were lifted!

Someday We’ll All Enjoy Running, But Not Today

AO: westeros
Q: Hair Band
PAX: Chunks, Grape, Tim the Toolman, DintyMoore, Michelin Man, Pep, SalPal, Son of Red Skull, Red Skull, Young and Restless, bluemule, CubCadet, Sherlock, Vector
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: a bit chilly, a bit damp

WARMUP:
Good mornings
Cherry pickers
Willie mays hayes
Cowboy hip rotations (fwd & bck)
50 SSHs
High knees
Butt kicks

THE THANG:
Mosey to parking lot hill
2x 50% sprint up hill, jog down
2x 75% sprint up hill, jog down
2x 90% sprint up hill, jog down

3 Sets
20 Squat jump with knee tuck (40 drop squats as modification)
50 Iron mikes (25e)
15 merkins
Hard sprint up hill (85% effort), jog down (30-40% effort)

In cadence squats on Hair Band count

Mosey to jungle gym for as many rounds of
25 pull ups and running a lap around the drop off circle as possible

MOLESKINE:
A thought I had during the beatdown: how we, as individuals, approach a workout together is often a reflection of how we live our lives in relationship with others.

Another thing I learned today: if I see people shorting themselves in an exercise, it fires me up. I have more to say on this matter but it’s probably better I don’t.

Shoutout to DintyMoore for being a monster and raising his lactaid threshold this morning.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– AOQ Grow School coming to a saturday soon near you
– Spring CSAUP in the works
– Spring fling led by Natural Ice – CBO
– 4:13 Strong Dinner fundraiser April 24th

COT:
– health and wellness for friends & family, prayers & praises for employment

Rock on and don’t cheat yourself out of getting better,

Hair Band