A Weirdly Perfect Playlist

AO: titan
Q: Vector , Natural Ice
PAX: Pep, DintyMoore, CubCadet, bluemule, Hipster, Wolfpack, Cropduster, GameStop, Squatter (F3 Muletown), Spinal Tap, Tim the Toolman, Choo Choo, West Ham (Willy Lohman)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 15
Several months ago, Natural Ice and I were asked to Co-Q a Battle of Playlists Epic Q at Titan. Yet, the two of us are not fighters; hence, we pooled our powers to craft the GREATEST PLAYLIST OF ALL TIME (or GPOAT)! The theme was unstated, leaving the PAX to wonder what was this madness. Kudos to Pep who called the theme by song #3: A Weird Al tribute with the regular songs during Half Vector and the Al parodies for Half Ice.

CONDITIONS: Humid yet perfect

WARMUP: Mosey to front of Parthenon (aka Where the Giant Head Lives), only to find an equally weird potty training set up care of Cocomelon. SSH, LBAC, Overhead Raises, Seal Claps, RLBAC, and Imperial Walkers to start the show.

THE THANG:
Half Vector:
Playlist:
– Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
– I Love Rock ‘N Roll – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
– Like a Virgin – Madonna
– Bad – Michael Jackson
– Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) – The Offspring
– Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio

DORA with partner, who runs counterclockwise around oval: 100 merkins – 200 Dips – 300 Iron Mikes – 400 squats

Half Ice
Playlist:
– Smells Like Nirvana – Weird Al
– I Love Rocky Road – Weird Al
– Like a Surgeon – Weird Al
– Fat – Weird Al
– Pretty Fly for a Rabbi – Weird Al
– Amish Paradise – Weird Al

DORA with partner, who runs clockwise around oval: 100 Amish Merkins (aka Incline Merkins) – 200 Accordion Step Ups – 300 Eat It Crunches (feet on bench) – 400 Tacky High Knees (“exaggerated form encouraged”)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Night Moves tomorrow at Titan. CSAUP in August.

COT:
Prayers for work, safe travels, visas. Much praise of the playlist was overheard among the PAX. Words like “brilliant,” “fantabulous,” and “masterpiece” were bandied about. Ultimately all agreed: A ++++ with one more + to grow on.

Independence Day Convergence + 1st F Q Handoff

AO: handsomizer
Q: Hair Band , SalPal
PAX: Young and Restless, Black Lung, Spinal Tap, Natural Ice, Puzzlah, Focker, Strutter, DintyMoore, Cowboy, Esposa, Vector, CubCadet, hambone, Betty Ford, Firefox, Chunks, Cuban Missile, Pepsi, Papa Bear
FNGs: None
COUNT: 21
CONDITIONS: Smelled like freedom.

WARMUP: Mosey around stadium, 50 SSH, 25 8-count body builders, 1 vanilla stair run, 1 stair run w/ bunny hops up stairs.

THE THANG:
In late 1776, morale in the Continental Army was at a low after losses at the Battle of White Plains in October and at Forts Washington and Lee in November. Chased by the British, General George Washington retreated across New Jersey and into Pennsylvania. His force, in threadbare uniforms and many without shoes, was reduced to a few thousand and enlistments were set to expire. After asking his enlisted men to stay for one last effort, Washington devised a daring plan to stun the British, capture supplies, and reinvigorate American morale. The objective is to ferry his army across the Delaware River on Christmas and strike the Hessian garrison at Trenton.

MOT to battle: mosey to bridge

At river crossing: in two lines on the 6, everyone does american hammers. Last person in line bear crawls across bridge and starts american hammers on other side. 2nd to last person goes, then third, etc until all across.

Battle (SalPal takes over), 2 sets:
~15-20ish yards down and back of burpee broad jumps, complete 5 atomic merkins when back. Repeat 5x

Bearcrawl down, crawlbear back. 10 sit throughs with hip taps, 5 e side. Repeat 3x.

Return home: partner up, fireman’s carry/piggyback casualties (partner) back to top of stairs ex (switching along the way for even load distribution).

Sprint from top of stairs to startex, burpees to buy out.

In total there were 905 British casualties and 5 american casualties. The Americans dominated the fight and prevailed again in Princeton a week later. In these battles, General Washington demonstrated his ingenuity and resilience as a leader, won the loyalty of his soldiers, and revived the Continental Army. We celebrate these victories as a reminder of the sacrifices and wins that ensured our freedoms today.

MOLESKINE: Mumble chatter trailed off quickly in the heat of battle. T-claps to Black Lung and his partner doing carries the whole way through.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1st F went from Hairy to Salty. Additional Leadership Changes Announced. Natural Icewill have more forthcoming in the days ahead.

(Sally is writing this): Hair Band brought great energy and impact to our region, and will keep up his Grow Schools in the months ahead. I know I have big shoes to fill. I’m looking forward to partnering with Natural Ice and the SLT to bring the heat and the hate to an AO near you. Keep an eye on 1st F for the work ahead.

COT: Grateful for our freedoms and this country. Closed with Pledge of Allegience and prayer.

It’s Too Humid for a Theme

AO: titan
Q: Firefox
PAX: Vector, Papa Bear, CubCadet, DintyMoore, Crawlspace, Salami, Choo Choo, GameStop, Cropduster, Sherlock, Spinal Tap, bluemule, Tim the Toolman, Pep, Right Said, Natural Ice, Downspout, Hacker
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
CONDITIONS: Like the worst swimming pool ever

WARMUP:
– 10 FLBAC
– 10 RLBAC
– 40 Air Presses
– 15 Moroccan Night Clubs

THE THANG: Mosey to the circle
Part 1: PAX completed the following sequence and ran a lap, held a plank until all in. Performed 3 times.
– 50 LBCs
– 40 Flutterkicks
– 30 American Hammers
– 20 Boxcutters
– 10 V-ups

After 3 rounds, 30 V-ups. Mosey to playground.

Part 2: PAX split into groups of 3. 1 PAX ran around the dance center as the timer. 1 PAX did WW1s. 1 PAX did pull-ups with a leg raise. Everyone ran 3 times. WW1s until last group finished.

Mosey to Startex.

15 WW1s and almost a 60sec Hollow Body Hold.

MOLESKINE:
– Maybe my shortest backblast ever. With my big toe on the mend, I focused on core, keeping jumping and toe-bending activities to a minimum. No burpees or bear crawls to get on CubCadet’s good side. Feedback is always welcome.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Convergence at greenmachine tomorrow for ultimate frisbee and Nantan handoff
– July 4 convergence at handsomizer

COT:
– Everyone shared a word/thought of gratitude. Special mention to Tim the Toolman who is thankful that we are able to support each other and still have reasonable and respectful discourse on topics on which we may disagree. :muscle:

Habemas Papam!

AO: titan
Q: SalPal
PAX: Pep, Spinal Tap, Sherlock, Black Lung, DintyMoore, Right Said, Tim the Toolman, Freakonomics, Papa Bear, Squash (someone get this guy on slack!)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: A little moist.

WARMUP: Two laps around the parking lot.

THE THANG: PAX did dealer’s choice routine while they went up one by one to elect an F3 Pope at the Centennial Conclave, held at the Parthenon. Cardinal Burkrall was elected Pope Bearcrawl I, and in his honor we bearcrawled the length of the Parthenon green and back.

MOLESKINE: I need to work on giving clearer directions.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Middle TN Convergence, RenFaire, Brewsday in a month.

COT: For Papa Bear’s family friend Nancy that passed unexpectedly, for the Catholic Church as a new pope is elected. For intentions unspoken.

Blueliner’s triumphant return

AO: handsomizer
Q: Salami
PAX: Blueliner, Freakonomics, bluemule, Black Lung, Spinal Tap, Natural Ice, Red Skull, Old Maid
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP:
Welcome to F3
Fitness
Fellowship
Faith
Mission statement
5 core principles
Disclaimer

Warmup:
25 SSH IC
12 forward arm circles IC
12 reverse arm circles IC
12 hillbilly walkers IC
12 Imperial walkers IC
12 Michael Phelps IC

THE THANG:
First Nations run around stadium
Pass hockey stick back and then last PAX runs to the front

Mosey to Astroturf
Break up into two teams and line up on turf – each PAX and his counterpart on the other team is a “line”
Lines will take the “ice” in turn and perform a different exercise with the hockey stick while everyone else does an exercise, until all PAX have taken the ice – this is one period

1st period
Lines: rotating stick lunges to edge of turf and back
Bench: WWIs

2nd period
Lines: stick hop x12 w right hand, x12 w left
Bench: Freddy Mercurys

3rd period
Lines: overhead stick squats x18
Bench: planks

Overtime
Lines: plank stick lifts x8/side
Bench: donkey kicks

Hockey trivia
Same teams as line drill
Answer questions – teams start in plank, I read question, whoever tags me first gets to guess first, if he gets it wrong other teams gets a chance. team w correct answer picks exercise and does 10 reps, losing team does 15. If they both get it wrong both do 15

Questions:
1. What year was the NHL founded? 1917
2. In the phrase “national hockey league,” the word “national” refers to which nation? Canada
3. What are the NHL’s “original six” teams? Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, Boston Bruins, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings
4. In hockey, if you act injured when you are actually not, you may receive a 2-min penalty for what? Embellishment
5. What is the national sport of Canada? Lacrosse
6. What is the only team in NHL history to have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes twice? Nashville Predators

Mosey back to flag

MOLESKINE: pulled in an unnamed FNG right about when we started trivia, and he left right before COT. He lives in the apartment complex next to the AO so we hope to see him again.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT:
Count o rama
Name o rama
Prayer
Pray for Blue Mule’s friend Isaac who has a brain tumor
Natural Ice, Salami looking for jobs
Blueliner is thankful to be back and also asks prayer for Cuban Missile while he is abroad

Welcome FNGs

AO: titan
Q: Chunks
PAX: preacherman, Salami, SalPal, Sherlock, Natural Ice, Young and Restless, Papa Bear, Freakonomics, Doublemint (F3 RVA), Hipster, CubCadet, Spinal Tap, Black Lung, DintyMoore, Crawlspace, Pep, Cowbell (DR), Fanny Pack (DR), OJ, Kincade, Carrot Top
FNGs: 3 OJ, Kincade, Carrot Top
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP:

42 SSH = my age!

THE THANG:

The PAX voted and Yacht Rock was the playlist choice.

Pass the speaker run towards Love Circle.

Took a hard right on 29th and headed back to the hill next to the Parthenon.

Count off 1s and 2s. Partner up. Each partner group picked an exercise for the rest of the PAX while they were the timer and ran up and down the hill. Once everyone had a turn as the timer, mosey to the lawn in front of the Parthenon.

Round 1 25% to the other side and 1 burpee and back
Round 2 25% to the other side and 2 burpees and back
Round 3 50% to the other side and 3 burpees and back
Round 4 50% to the other side and 4 burpees and back
Round 5 90% to the other side and 5 burpees and back

Mosey back to startex with a sprint to the finish.

4 Mins of mary left with some up and downs with burpees

Always an honor to lead.

3 FNGs were welcomed to the crew: Carrot Top, OJ, and Kincade

MOLESKINE: 95% of men over 35 will never sprint again. We will not be a part of that statistic.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Check Slack

COT: Prayed out!

Glorious Stares

AO: handsomizer
Q: Freakonomics
PAX: Spinal Tap, Black Lung, Grape
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
CONDITIONS: somehow colder than they should be

WARMUP: the usual, minus SSH

THE THANG: 7 rounds of exercises up the stairs: 5 Burpees at each landing, Squat on each step, merkin on each step, lunges up, 20 dips on each landing, bunny hops, and sprint.

Plus, 4 minutes of mary.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Night Moves March 13th! Invite your sad clown friends who are willing try a night workout.

COT: Remember to spend time reflecting on the good things in our life.

We Ran to Love Circles (+Burpees) AGAIN!

AO: westeros
Q: Michelin Man
PAX: Crawlspace, Young and Restless, Tim the Toolman, Spinal Tap, Natural Ice – CBO, Pep, Michelin Man, bluemule, Puzzlah
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS:

NOT cold (after a minute). Pep had some brand of gloves on.

WARMUP:

Pre 5:30am warmup to “Lean On” by Major Lazer. I love :heart: that song.

THE THANG:

The Pax learned to run :runner: to love :heart: circles :large_green_circle: today. And we did burpees. Q also called for Constant Movement (TM) meaning if we stopped, we did “resting” exercises.

Music: Throwback Bangers to the early 2000s. Debate between Natural Ice – CBO and Puzzlah over whether these songs were recorded in the ’90s or ’00s.Vector feeling really old now…

Thangs 1: We ran an Indian Run with a medicine ball :large_green_circle: in a circle :large_green_circle: around the park 3x, performing a running burpee apocalypse along the way. Sprinkled in copious Side Straddle Hops along the way to wait for various 6s, though overall the PAX kept up well. Pax loved :heart: it.

Thang 2: We then ran to the school loop and did timed runs around the circle :large_green_circle:. Each time we had to beat our time to decrease the burpee counter. First run was 32(?) seconds/5 burpees around and we made it all the way down to 21(?) seconds/1 burpee before failure to beat time. Much better showing than last week. Pep efficiently completed the circle :large_green_circle: runs. 1 pax carried the medicine ball :large_green_circle: on each trip. Pax loved :heart: it.

Thang 3: We ran to the bottom of the parking lot hill and did sprints up the hill with 5 burpees descending to 1 burpee after each sprint. 1 pax carried the medicine ball :large_green_circle: on each trip. Pax loved :heart: it.

We returned to startex to do SSH plus toss the medicine ball :large_green_circle: in a counter-clockwise fashion. Pax loved :heart: it.

Then we let our heart rates come down. Constant Movement (TM) completed. We run :runner: to love :heart: circles :large_green_circle:.

Fin.

MOLESKINE:

I honestly was in a terrible mood on Sunday, feeling very de-energized and burned out. This post really inspired my day so thank you for that PAX.

That-workout-from-Friday redux

AO: westeros
Q: CubCadet
PAX: DintyMoore, Vector, bluemule, Pep, SalPal, Spinal Tap, Michelin Man
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Brisk 32 but manageable

WARMUP: 25 SSH, WMH / GM OYO, mosey around the big field (on the pavement)

THE THANG: Yeah, I stole my own workout from Friday / Bomber. Modified it slightly to make it less confusing (based on anonymous feedback)

– Endzone: 5 SSH
– 10 yard line: 10 burpees
– 20 yard line: 20 WW1
– 30 yard line: 30 mountain climbers
– 40 yard line: 40 merkins
– 50 yard line: 50 squats
– 40 yard line: 40 ski jumpers
– 30 yard line: 30 American Hammers
– 20 yard line: 20 box jumps
– 10 yard line: 10 wide arm merkins
– Endzone: 5 SSH

Rinse / repeat in reverse order

Travel between yard lines as a group was half bear crawl / half lunge worms (lunge, lunge, inchworm forward, 2 merkins, inchworm back up)

Sprint length of the “field” – 1x

Mary – round robin, 25 reps each exercise for 8 minutes

Playlist as also a recycle: Super Bowl Halftime songs.

MOLESKINE: Things I learned today:

– DintyMoore is alive
– SalPal was 12 in 2011
– Prince was the greatest SB halftime act. Ever.
– Coffee at Dose is pretty cool (#lovingmysabbatical)

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Congrats to those who finished Leanpax. Check slack for details on Brewruck and Night Moves coming up.

COT: Prayers for:
– People and critical care / research institutions impacted by government budget cuts, and struggling with uncertainty.
– Vector and family over his Mother’s passing
– Michelin Man dealing with some back issues (and our gratitude that he came to hang with us)
– SalPal dealing with some leadership challenges / change at work
– Intentions in our hearts.

Grateful for the opportunity to lead.

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