Concrete vs Steel

AO: thestronghold
Q: Chunks
PAX: Shocker (Mark Holmes), Dan Tanna, Young and Restless, toga, Grape, Dan and Dave, Skeet, Decaf, Red Skull, Right Said, Frozen, C#, Blitz, Sgt Meatball, Westside, Pacer, Triple 7, Yak, Wes (DR Seattle)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 20
CONDITIONS: More than Pleasant

WARMUP: No Warm Up – Played the Song “Great Day to Be Alive” as a 4 min warning and opportunity to stretch

THE THANG:

TRIVIA Concrete vs Steel

Divided the 4:13 men into their fraternities and divided the rest of the PAX

Must perform a Burpee before answering the question
Q1 – Core Principles of 4:13 Strong
13 SSH
Q2 – Mission of F3

2 Column Caboose is Loose run with YHC setting the pace

Round 2 – Bible
Q1 – Noah’s Sons Names
BOMBS – Starting at 5 and adding 5 reps each exercise
Q2 – How many years were the israelites enslaved

2 Column Caboose is Loose run with YHC setting the pace

Round 3 – Finances
Q1 – Reasons to save money
BOMBS – Starting at 10 and adding 5 reps each excercise
Q2 – Who needs a budget

2 Column Caboose is Loose run with YHC setting the pace

Round 4 – Work
Q1 – What does OSHA stand for
BOMBS – Starting at 10 and addeing 5 reps each excercise
Q2 – What are two free things you can bring to the job

2 Column Caboose is Loose run with YHC setting the pace

Stopped at stop sign and walked back to the Startex together.

Last Question for 5 points:
What are the requirements to graduate 4:13?

Group stuggled to answer this question, so we settled it with a Ring of Fire won by West Side.

Game ended in a tie for the first time.

Always honored to lead at 4:13. Thanks, Chunks

SIGNING DAY 4/26 AT 11:30 AM! Come support these men as they start the real work at their new jobs.

Triangle of Sadness

AO: thestronghold
Q: Sunshine
PAX: Chunks, Red Skull, Dan Tanna, Shocker (Mark Holmes), Decaf, Hacker (Franklin), Swingline / Jason Aeverman, bluemule, Skeet, Dan and Dave, Shoota, McFly (Franklin), Sunshine (Franklin), Woopie (Franklin), Noble Virus (Franklin), Blitz, Fozen, C Sharp, Yeti, Sgt. Meatball, Pacer, Westside, Trajectory,
FNGs: None
COUNT: 24
CONDITIONS: Cool and damp

WARMUP: SSH, Mosey, Arm Circles, Seal Claps

THE THANG: 3 station beatdown. PAX separated into 3 groups and partnered up within those groups. Group 1 grabbed coupons for their station and we all moseyed to the bball court. Each group started at a different station and rotated throughout.

Station 1
Curls
Overhead Press
Dips

Station 2
Bolt 45s

Station 3
Big Boys
American Hammers (2=1)
Leg Lifts

Perform 5 reps of each exercise, then move on to the next station. After completing all 3 stations, go up 5 reps to 10 total. Next round, 15 reps. So on until Mary.

Mary consisted of the song “Roxanne.” SSH through the song, performing a burpee every time Roxanne is said.

MOLESKINE: Sometimes we act like life gets easier the older you get, always looking to the next stage you think will be easier than the present. Like this workout, though, it often gets harder. You may find your groove or sweet spot, but then you up it by 5 reps, making it more difficult. Moments like that are when you lean on your battle buddy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT: YHC was too busy trying not to splash merlot to finish up after Moleskine.

Last Minute Switch

AO: thestronghold
Q: Red Skull
PAX: Shocker (Mark Holmes), Chunks, Dan and Dave, Minnie Pearl, Bill Dance, Decaf, Young and Restless, Yak, Frozen, Westside, Pacer, Trajectory, C#, Triple Sevens, Blitz, Sgt Meatball, Mr. Clean
FNGs: 1 Mr. Clean
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: A chilly 46 degrees

WARMUP: Mosey to the gravel lot for a Toga-inspired warm-up:
– Motivators
– Slow and Low Squats
– Imperial Walkers
– T-Ups
– Scorpion Stretch

THE THANG:
– Run to the front STEM parking lot for some EMOM work: 15 burpees, 20 squat jumps, 25 WWI’s
– Run to the NSA parking for another round of EMOM work
– Run to the Dept of Safety parking lot
– 15 burpees then Lt. Dan’s with locked arms to the next light
– 20 jump squats then bear crawl to next light
– 25 WWI’s then crawl bear to final light
– Run to the helipad – 15 burpees
– Run to the maintenance parking lot – 20 jump squats
– Run to the smoke stack – 25 WWI’s
– Run to the hill for two attempts at crawl bears up the hill
– Run to the StartEx for a little Mary

ANNOUNCEMENTS: The Stronghold is headed to Franklin to defend the flag. Join us at The Armada at 0630 for a Mid-TN / Alabama convergence.

COT: Prayers for strength, courage and wisdom

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.

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!

Get it Right

AO: thestronghold
Q: toga
PAX: Doggystyle, bluemule, Shocker (Mark Holmes), Skeet, Young and Restless, Decaf, toga, Minnie Pearl, Red Skull, D Pole, Evel Knievel, Prince’s Hot Chicken, Dantana, Woodpecker, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Frozen, Lost & Found, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Peach Pie, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs
FNGs: 15 Dantana, Woodpecker, Wookie, Goldie Locks, Army Surplus, Yak, Frozen, Lost & Found, Sunshine, Neanderthal, Peach Pie, Tatter Tot, Iron Flush, Mittens, Mr. Krabs
COUNT: 27
CONDITIONS: Snowy and 18 degrees

WARMUP: Mossy to the gravel pit for some basic “in cadence” warm up. It took multiple attempts for the group to meet the Qs expectations. Each failure was rewarded with a 5 burpee penalty.
SSH
Don Quixotes
Imperial Walkers
Hillbilly Walkers
Copperhead Squats
T-Ups
Scorpion Stretch

THE THANG:
Pair up F3 and 4:13 Strong – run to the block pile. Each pair grabs a block followed by a Rifle Carry to the basketball court.

PAX 1 performs an exercise with the block while PAX 2 travels to the end of the court, completes an exercise and then travels back for a switch:
– PAX 1, Overhead Press, PAX 2, Run + 10 Merkins x 3
– PAX 1, Reverse Table Top, PAX 2, Bear Crawl + 15 Squats x 3

Rifle Carry block back to block pile and circle up for Mary.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Great first workout in some adverse conditions. Thanks to @toga for leading and for our 10 PAX that braved the weather to welcome the new class.

Struggle bus: Grisham WOD

AO: thestronghold
Q: tampalibra
PAX: Skeet, Red Skull, Crawlspace, Right Said, Dan and Dave, Hair Band, greyalbum, Mullet, toga, Ginger, Decaf, Knuckles, Ringworm, baggervance, Thunder Duck, Hacker (Franklin), Young and Restless, Shocker (Mark Holmes), backtrack, pizzalot?, hops, re-inlist, peewee, sally the camel, peach fuzz, flipper, red shark, cool cucumber, iron lung, two more that split before the count
FNGs: None
COUNT: 31
CONDITIONS: Spicy

WARMUP:
Burpee-pocalypse 10 down to 1

THE THANG:
Burpee over block x 5
Block press x 5
R&R x 10, 15. 20, 25, 20, 15, 10, 5

The Grisham WOD was the welcome party workout for STRUGGLE 001 so YHC thought it only fitting to show the 4:13 men who opted out, and the F3 PAX who were unable to attend, what was up. The STRUGGLE 001 class endured this workout, q’d by @bigbang, after admin and before leaving the grounds. After completing this workout they still had 8hrs and 10+ miles left to go. Mad respect for these men, they absolutely crushed it then and did it again with confidence this morning.

Re-inlist was Team Lead for this portion during Struggle 001 so I thought it was only fitting he bring us home for the last 4 rounds

MARY:
I felt like the 4:13 men earned the right to choose Mary so they had the option of typical core work or the burpee-pocalypse. @IronLung loudly chose burpees for the group, which was super fitting for this class. He even took over calling out the rounds “3 BURPEES SIR, DOWN!” 😂

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Praise report for the Gunn family
– Prayers for @HairBand and his family navigating the death of a great-grandparent and the related family strife
– Praise again for the $5k from the F3 Foundation
– YHC shared that on Nov 21 we’ll be adopting a little girl we’ve been fostering for 1.5 years now
– Signing Day tomorrow!
COT:

Ready for Battle (Working Phase)

AO: thestronghold
Q: Chunks
PAX: Skeet, Knuckles, Decaf, Thunder Duck, Ringworm, Jalisco (F3SH), Shocker (Mark Holmes), Noble Virus, Pizzalot
FNGs: None
COUNT: 18
Explain the workout and divide into teams Concrete and Steel

Ask Trivia Question – F3 Mission
13 SSH
Ask Trivia Question – 4:13 Core Values: break the mold, trust the process, be brave, never give up

Mosey – Two Columns Concrete and Steel – Caboose is Loose – I’ll set the pace and speed up from time to time.

Recover and ask a Trivia Question – Everyone in Plank Position. Must do a Merkin before jumping up to answer
How long were the Israelites slaves in Egypt? – 400 years

Deconstructed Burpee
30 Merkins
35 Big Boy Situp
40 Squats

Recover and ask a Trivia Question – Everyone in Plank Position. Must do a Merkin before jumping up to answer
What city was Jesus born in? – Bethlehem

Mosey – Two Columns Concrete and Steel – Caboose is Loose – I’ll set the pace

Recover and ask a Trivia Question – Everyone in Plank Position. Must do a Merkin before jumping up to answer
What are the 4 Expenses that need to be covered first? Food, Utilities, Shelter, Transportation

Deconstructed Burpee
25 Narrow Merkins
30 Navy Seal Situps 15 each side
35 Drop Squats

Recover and ask a Trivia Question – Everyone in Plank Position. Must do a Merkin before jumping up to answer
Who needs a budget? Everyone

Mosey – Two Columns Concrete and Steel – Caboose is Loose – I’ll set the pace

Recover and ask a Trivia Question – Everyone in Plank Position. Must do a Merkin before jumping up to answer
What does OSHA stand for? Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Trivia Question – Everyone in Plank Position. Must do a Merkin before jumping up to answer
What are the two free thing you can bring to your job? Attitude and Effort

Mosey – Two Columns Concrete and Steel – Caboose is Loose halfway to start Ex

Marched in formation back to StartEx, just like we finished the Struggle

Final Trivia Question with 5 points.
What are the 4:13 Strong graduation requirements?
$1,500 Emergency Fund
Payoff Court Fees, Fines and Child Support
Get driver’s license
Purchase a CASH car and insure it
Four months continuous employment

There was some debate on who answered the question correctly without help. So we settled it the only way we know how.

4:13 MEN RING OF FIRE!!!!
Iron Lung was victorious giving Concrete the WIN for the first time.

Shared my story of what F3 and 4:13 mean to me. You had to be there.

Thanks for the honor to lead.

Strength and Honor
Chunks

How bad we need each other

AO: thestronghold
Q: greyalbum
PAX: Chunks, Michelin Man, Ball Box, Skeet, Red Skull, Decaf, Sunshine, Right Said, Dan and Dave, Shocker (Mark Holmes), Ringworm, Phelps, Red Shark, Cool Cucumber, Peach Fuzz, and many more. (I thought I was filming, but failed to press record), @ThunderDuck
FNGs: 1 @ThunderDuck
COUNT: More than listed here
CONDITIONS: Honeycrisp Apple

WARMUP:

Mosey up to the stop sign and back
SSH
Seal claps
Imperial walkers
Good mornings
Little baby arm circles
World’s greatest stretch

Mosey to grab coupons and head to basketball court

THE THANG:

PAX circled up and counted off into 1s and 2s. Each team was stationed along their respective side of the court with coupons in hand.

The event was a race against the other team to finish. Each man was to complete a set of 4 exercises and then help anyone else on their team complete reps before planking and waiting as a team when done. Each round carried increasing difficulty as well as increasing points as reward.

ROUND 1 (worth 1 point):

20 overhead press w/ coupon
20 squat w/ coupon
10 Burpees

Round 2 (worth 2 points):

20 overhead press w/ coupon
20 squat w/ coupon
15 Burpees

ROUND 3 (worth 3 points):

20 overhead press w/ coupon
20 squat w/ coupon
20 Burpees

ROUND 4 (worth 4 points):

50 Little baby crunches
50 Mountain climbers (2 is 1)
25 Burpees

ROUND 5 (worth 10 points to keep it exciting bc Team 1 was leading 9-1):

20 overhead press w/ coupon
20 squat w/ coupon
30 Burpees

Mosey to return coupons and circle up in parking lot for MARY. We won’t kiss and tell here to reveal the winner. You had to be there.

MARY:

Merkins
SSH
Diamond merkins
SSH
Imperial walkers
Prom dates
Homer & Marge
Monkey humpers
Plank and hold merkins

ANNOUNCEMENTS: See #-f3-nashville-general

COT:

4:13 HIM asked for renewed focus and determination to stay the course
Family
Health
Relationships