12 Days of Christmas

AO: the-knoll
Q: AAA
PAX: Pebbles, Timber, The Banker, morning stār, Stubs, Sparrow, G-string, Bumblebee, Smoltz, Moochi
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: a little chilly

WARMUP: -5 motivators
-Baby arm circles 8 forward 7 back
-imperial walkers
-slow squats
-slow push ups
-mosey down to bottom of hill
-5 squats : backwards up hill and jog back
-5 lunges: shuffle sideways up and down hill
-5 squats: run up hill

THE THANG: 12 days of Christmas theme workout. Each day of Christmas you do that number of reps of an exercise.
Day 1- 1 inch worm
day 2- 2 burpees
Day 3 – 3 LT Dans
Day 4- 4 side lunges (2 is 1)
Day 5- 5 hand release mercans
Day 6- 6 squat jumps
Day 7 – 7 Carolina dry docks
Day 8 – 8 mountain climbers (2 is 1)
Day 9 – 9 dips
Day 10- 10 leg lifts
Day 11- 11 dercans
Day 12- 12 step ups (2 is 1)

Once we completed the 12 days of Christmas, we did a pull up ladder with partner starting at 6 reps and working down.

We finished by one partner holding a plank while the other partner ran down to street and back. We alternated for 5 minutes. Finished the last couple of minutes with stretching.

MOLESKINE: Holiday Season can be stressful and a tough time for some, especially those who have lost loved ones or feel stress of travel, gifts, etc. Challenge this year is to first remember what you are celebrating, and then remember to till all those close to you that you love them and appreciate them.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: lean PAX starts in January, workout on the 26th is the gift exchange so bring any item or (leftover gift you don’t want) to do a gift exchange.

COT:

Friday the 13th

AO: pain-train
Q: G-string
PAX: Timber, Wolfpack, FLO, Half Lyfe, Cheeks, Pebbles
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS:
Crisp and still

WARMUP:
– SSH
– BACs
– Back-BACs
– Slow squats
– Slow merkins
– Willie-Mays-Hayes

THE THANG:
Mosey to grab some coupons
Partner up for a little Dora
THANG 1:
– 150 Floor to ceilings
– 200 One-Arm coupon merkins
– 250 Coupon goblet squats
other partner is running a lap around the playground
THANG 2:
– 50 Pull-ups
– 100 Lunges
other partner is doing bear crawls around the small jungle gym

King and Country Drummer Boy challenge

MOLESKINE:
Happy Friday the 13th! In my family, Friday the 13th is a holiday. My Great-great-grandfather Wynn (who my son is named after) instituted this holiday in the 1930s, and the tradition is that every Friday the 13th he would take off work and pull his daughter, my Grani, out of school and take her to see a movie and get ice cream. It was one way he showed her that their relationship was more important than work or school. She passed away this September at 96 years old and still said her dad was the best man she had ever known.

This tradition has been passed down every generation since, and I will continue it with my children. I share all of this because traditions are important only inasmuch as they connect us through time. Love, family, and community are all remembered and celebrated through carrying on these traditions. As the holidays approach and are celebrated, take a moment to appreciate not only your family’s traditions but why you do them and where they come from. Then communicate all of that to your children. Then maybe one day in 90+ years, your great-great grandchildren will still know your name and treasure what was important to you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Franklin 10th anniversary on January 4th.

COT:
– Prayers were offered up.

Thanks for letting me lead you fine gentlemen! G-String out

Short Card, Knoll Ed.

AO: the-knoll
Q: Malibu
PAX: Pebbles, AAA, Waffle, Timber, Stubs, Sparrow, Sooie, morning stār, Malibu, Bumblebee
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: 27*, frosty, and motivated.

WARMUP: Mosey to stop sign, BAC+BBAC, slow squats, imperial walkers, something else I can’t remember rn, and stretching on own.

THE THANG: modified version of a workout from an earlier life: the Marine Corps Recon Short Card. The Knoll’s edition of this is: tabata (120s work, 60s rest) of each:
Squats
Mericans
Burpees
Crunches (dealers choice of WWI, WWII, baby crunches, or other)
Mountain climbers
Flutter kicks
Burpees again
Daisy pickers
Back extensions
American Hammers

MOLESKINE: sometimes life stretches you and diminishes your ability to create new things. A lesson from Marine Corps days in these situations: sometimes the value of habits isn’t in something new but in going through something that works. Grateful for this community to do the work in the dark, cold, and yet wonderful mornings together.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: lean pax coming up in January.

COT: Closing prayers for family and brothers, in the words of a great friend (Peace at Last, JH Newman).

Coffeeteria ftw, thanks to Pebbles for bringing the brew!

Freed to Lead

AO: the-knoll
Q: Pebbles , The Banker, AAA
PAX: morning stār, Timber, Half Lyfe, Wolfpack, Stubs, Bumble Bee
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: Cold and windy

WARMUP:
Half mile run with various dynamic movements (not stretching)

THE THANG:
Randomly selected 3 PAX to lead 10min of the workout. Surprise!

Banker – monkey humpers, partner carry, wall sit
AAA – AMRAP merkins, squat jumps, pull ups, big boys
Bumble bee – game of infection

MOLESKINE:
T-Claps to The Banker, AAA, and Bumble for stepping up to lead with no notice. It’s tough to lead with no prep, but as men we need to be ready to step in and step up.

I was up all night with a sick two year old and was not in good mental shape to lead the workout.

Shared that I was grateful for the time I spent comforting my 2.0. Time goes by fast and she won’t need me for long.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT: Prayers

Partner Murph

AO: the-knoll
Q: Pebbles
PAX: Sooie, Stubs, Timber, The Banker, Papa Bear, Étouffée, Siri
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Cold, frosty, 20deg

WARMUP:
Side Straddle Hops
Half mile mosey
Slow Merkins
Slow Squats

THE THANG:

Murph with a partner. 100 pull ups, 200 merkins, 300 squats total as a team. 1 partner ran 200meters while the other was working.

11s on the hill – Carolina Dry Docks & Iron Mikes

MOLESKINE:
I used to think a virtuous man impressed others with feats of strength on the battlefield. I’m realizing now that the real battle starts in the mind. It’s the struggle to get up with the alarm, choosing to do the right thing, push when things fee hard. These small acts of will are what make a man virtuous and strong.

Inspired by all of you who choose to wake up early and do something hard.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
LeanPax starting soon.

COT: Prayers offered

Joy center

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: Parka-Eh, Timber, Pebbles, morning stār, Bumble bee (2.0), Pele (2.0), Smoltz (2.0), Mona Lisa (2.0)
FNGs: 1 Mona Lisa (2.0)
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: chilly

WARMUP: SSH, arm circles, mosey.

THE THANG:
5 burpees and run up hill. Pair up at top of hill.

Each pair completes a hill run and then walk backwards together while practicing appreciation using GAMES:
– gratitude for something in the present
– anticipation for something in the future
– memory from past that brings you joy
– experience: somethong you can do to bring a smile to someone’s face
– singing (Timber Lee us in Lean on me)

COT:
– the joy center of our brain is the only part of our brain that can keep growing our whole life
– Cold plunge face off … props to all the PAX that embraced the suck. Parka-Eh reigns as this years champ!

Thankspaining

AO: pain-train
Q: Wolfpack
PAX: Timber, Siri, Cheeks
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
CONDITIONS: Chilly but not too bad

WARMUP: Stretches and SSH

THE THANG:

Played in traffic
– 20 minute run down 70 (on the sidewalk)
– 5 merkins for every oncoming car that drives by
– 5 squats for every oncoming truck or bigger that drives by
– 5 burpees for a padiddle
– 5 second speed pick up everytime a vehicle going same direction passes

Ring of Fires
– Squat ROF to 10
– Lap around PainTrain with hill sprint
– Merkin ROF to 10
– Lap around PainTrain with hill sprint
– Burpee ROF to 5
– Lap around PainTrain with hill sprint
– BB Sit-ups ROF to 10

MOLESKINE: Apparently nobody drives trucks at 5:30am in Bellevue. Need to remember to pay the random Padiddle car doing laps $5.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Keep eye on slack for F2 events

COT: just replaced my living room floor. Came with some frustrations along the way but so worth it in the end. Reminder to PAX to push through minor setbacks and focus on the bigger wins ahead.

The freedom of forgiveness

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: Timber, AAA, Sparrow, Half Lyfe, El Capitan, Étouffée, Papa Bear, Pebbles, morning stār, Pitmaster, Bumble bee (2.0), Shmoltz (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
CONDITIONS: chilly and windy

WARMUP: moved all the joints and some SSH

THE THANG: each packed picked up a coupon or two; this was their burden for the pilgrimage ahead.

We spent most of the time in the gloom walking in essential silence reflecting on parts of our lives that were painful.

We paused for body builder burpees, bird dogs and dead bugs with some step ups thrown in there.

YHC then invited each PAX to practice forgiveness through a simple yet practical process.

MOLESKINE: it was a pleasure sharing this sacred space with you all.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– leanpax is coming
– cold plunge battle happening at the-knoll on thursday; bring a down. Your clothes wont’ get wet unless it rains.

COT: YHC shared how forgiving myself for the consequences of my choices around toothcare in childhood has liberated me from regret, fear and anxiety.

May we all grow in the courageous skill of forgiveness,
-m*

Keep it Simple

AO: the-knoll
Q: Wolfpack
PAX: Hair Band, El Capitan, Timber, Sooie, The Banker, FLO, Parka-Eh, Pitmaster, Pebbles, Papa Bear, Malibu, Half Lyfe, morning stār, Link, Bumblebee, Schmoltz, Goliath, Ace, Monkey, Dr.Kitty, Taz
FNGs: None
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Little wet, but temp was right

WARMUP: Jog around the Knoll while the 2.0’s call out various movements to get those joints loose.

THE THANG:
Tabata: 30 seconds on 10 seconds rest. 4 exercises in a round. 4 rounds total:
– Merkins
– Mountain Climbers
– Squats
– High Knees

VCR
Split up into pairs. One PAX is the VHS and the other has the remote. If remote runs backwards, the VHS goes in slow motion. If remote runs forwards, the VHS goes fast. If the remote pauses, the VHS holds it’s current position in the exercise.

4 rounds of Squats
4 rounds of Merkins

5 minutes of Yoga then 10 minutes of Mary

MOLESKINE: Little bit of mumble chatter. Lots of 2.0’s today, which always makes it fun!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: morning stār on Q next week with so get ready for some cold cold ice plunges.

COT: In NoNoiseNovember I have reflected on some of the key writings I find important. I’ve found that these are broken out into three categories that really feed off of each other. So a reminder to PAX to make sure you have a FOUNDATION to build your ACTIONS off of so that you can push into the unknown and GROW. For me, I use the Tao Te Ching for my Foundation, The Four Agreements for Action and Emerson’s Self Reliance for Growth. Find what works for you and take the time to read and reflect

Burnout

AO: pain-train
Q: Timber
PAX: G-string, Half Lyfe, Pitmaster, Siri, Stubs, Timber
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
CONDITIONS: 50 degrees

WARMUP: SSH, slow burpees, runner’s lunge stretch (covered core principles, mission, credo)

THE THANG: Run 2.1 loop with a burnout exercise every 5 minutes. Exercises: inverted rows (AMRAP until you have to pause), squat jumps/iron mikes (AMRAP in 1 minute), merkins (AMRAP until you have to pause), lunges for ~100 yards, burpees (AMRAP for 30 sec) right into continuous broad jumps (for 30 seconds)

MOLESKINE: I enjoyed the fellowship on the run; burpees into broad jumps for 1 minute burns; Pitmaster executed a flawless lift of G-string’s gigantic stone (still in the back of his truck from Thursday’s the-knoll beatdown) before departure

ANNOUNCEMENTS: no-noise-november still ongoing

COT: Arnold Schwarzenegger one said that the most important rep in a workout was the last one. Push until you don’t think you can get another rep, and then get one more. May we continue pushing ourselves (sometimes modifying down, sometimes up) to keep getting better.

Thanks for the push this morning!
-Timber