Author: backblasts

Date: 2026-01-15
AO: Mastodon
Q: Sparrow ,
PAX: Da Vinci, DQ, Endo, Tortuga, Stock boy, Dumpster, Samsonite, Mr Roboto, Audible, Sparrow FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WOR: lots of arms

The Thang:
1. Stockboy can do a Muscleup
2. Everyone does a lot of pull-ups.
3. Merkins, squats, BBSU, Bonnie Blaire, Manrise

Several Jokes. Here’s one:
A guy walks into a bar and orders 12 shots. Before the bartender even returns with the check, the man has slammed back half of them and shows no signs of slowing down. As the guy finishes his final shot, the bartender asks, “Why are you drinking so fast?”
The guy wipes his mouth and replies, “You would be drinking fast, too, if you had what I had.” The bartender asks, “What do you have?” The guy says, “75 cents,” and runs out the door.

Moleskine: Free speech is important to all of us. I’m going to use mine to say the following:
Now is the time in your life to make sure you carefully answered life’s most important question: what determines heaven or hell?
I’ve spent a lot of time researching the clearest Bible passages about this, and I’m happy to share my results if you are curious. Or better yet, search it out yourself.

COT: prayers.

Tags: Mastodon, Da Vinci, DQ, Endo, Tortuga, Stock boy, Dumpster, Samsonite, Mr Roboto, Audible, Sparrow

Date: 2026-01-15
AO: Dark Room
Q: LeMond ,
PAX: Jolly, Beaker, Manhole, LeMond, Framed, Brainfog, Banks, Toto, Lakers FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
– Warmorama: 5 mins
– Motivators from 7
– Abe Vigoda
– Back-stepping lunges
– Imperial Walkers
– Batwings
– Cocaine Bear
– At base of Hacksaw Ridge
– 14 merkins at base, bear crawl to top
– 14 leg lefts, 14 squats, mosey down
– Repeat with 13 of each exercise, then 12, 11…
– Q cut this short because of time!
– Howling Monkey’s X 2. Monkey humpers: 10 each while others hold ankles in full squat. – At playground:
– Pax partner up
– One Pax hangs from chain of swing
– Other Pax performs 15 burpees
– Switch and repeat
– At the field, cones 10 feet apart
– Ape walk to station 1, 10 reps,, mosey back
– Ape walk to station 2, 10 reps, mosey back
– Ape walk to station 3, 10 reps, mosey back
– Ape walk to station 4, 10 reps, mosey back
– Exercises:
– Lunges: 2 is 1
– Moleskin:
– “Men exist for the sake of one another. Teach them then or bear with them.” – Marcus Aurelius – That man is my brother, that woman is my sister.

Tags: Dark Room, Jolly, Beaker, Manhole, LeMond, Framed, Brainfog, Banks, Toto, Lakers

Date: 2026-01-14
AO: Tar Pit
Q: Panhandle ,
PAX: T-bone, Oompa, Tortuga, Da Vinci, Panhandle, SAGA
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
WOR: SSHs, Good Mornings, arm circles, runners stretch

The Thang:
Went over to the spa. PAX given 8 exercises. Do 5 reps and run a lap on the hamster wheel. Then 10 reps, 15, and 20. If you finish 20, back down to 15, 10, 5. Only Tortuga got to 15, I think. Exercises were:

– Swimmer’s Press
– block-squats
– One-armed rows
– WWIII sit-ups
– lunges
– curls
– coupon swings
– uneven block merkins

Moleskine:
Persevere

COT: Treier family, jobs

Tags: Tar Pit, T-bone, Oompa, Tortuga, Da Vinci, Panhandle, SAGA

Date: 2026-01-13
AO: Mastodon
Q: Too Big To Fail (TBTF) ,
PAX: Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Mr Roboto, Jailbreak, Samsonite, Sparrow, Panhandle, Endo, LeMond, T-bone, Stock boy FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WOR:
SSH, T-Bone Burpees, CH Squats, CH Merkins/Calf stretch, Abe Vegodas

The Thang:
5 stations, run through stations 1-5 in order with a varying mode of transport in between, then work your way back from station 5 to 1. That is 1 round.

Round 1 – no coupons but not easy
– end of field – 10 burpees, side shuffle
– mid-field – 10 merkins (IC), side shuffle
– base – 10 burpees, hold squat
– Hoffa – mosey
– Top Of Hoffa – 10 burpees
*mosey down, do everything in reverse, SSH/squat for the 6
Recovery lap around baseball diamond (I forgot to do this)

Round 2 – coupons, weighted work
– end of field – 15 goblet squats, rifle carry
– mid-field – 20 overhead press, rifle carry
– base – 15 thrusters, leave coupon
– Hoffa – bear crawl up
– Top Of Hoffa – 20 ball’s to the wall (using the fence)
*mosey down, do everything in reverse, SSH/squat for the 6
Recovery lap around baseball diamond

Burnout round
3 minutes – 100 Curls target (active recovery of SSH if you need a break) 2 minutes – 100 dips target (take breaks as needed)
Man-rise sprint to the top of Hoff

6MOM – no time remaining

Moleskine:
Shared my experience of being more intentional physical/mental breaks, rest, and time for personal interest. Really the value is being intentional with your time which applies to everything you do.

COT:
LeMond father’s procedure, Mr Roboto friend’s marriage/relationship

Tags: Mastodon, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Mr Roboto, Jailbreak, Samsonite, Sparrow, Panhandle, Endo, LeMond, T-bone, Stock boy

Date: 2026-01-13
AO: Flat Earth
Q: Jack ,
PAX: Jack, Pine tar, DQ, Banks, Candyland, Fiona, Bloomer, Tortuga, Homie, Gummi Bear, Cheese, Shiplap, Jolly, Has Been FNGs:
COUNT: 14
The Thang: 7v7 Ultimate, 3 games, Bloomer won the most

WOR: 5burpees, 10 SSH

Moleskin: Even as you care for your children and forgive them, so does your father in heaven.

COT: Banks’ Family Dog passed away yesterday

Tags: Flat Earth, Jack, Pine tar, DQ, Banks, Candyland, Fiona, Bloomer, Tortuga, Homie, Gummi Bear, Cheese, Shiplap, Jolly, Has Been

Date: 2026-01-13
AO: Dark Room
Q: Flower Boy ,
PAX: Brainfog, Framed, Lakers, Beaker, Toto, Manhole, Flower Boy FNGs:
COUNT: 7
WOR:
Side straddle hops, imperial walkers, bat wings, picking daisies, piriform stretch

The Thang:
One mile scout run, followed by spitoons at the base of Hacksaw Ridge. Bear crawls (or barely crawls) up the ridge between each exercise. For the spitoons, 200 reps of… Burpees
Pickle pointers
X’s and O’s
Merkins
Squats
BBSU’s

Moleskine:
Addiction thrives in the dark. Find another man who you can trust, and share your struggles. Practice vulnerability and healthy emotional intimacy.

COT:
Job interviews, healing from internal bleeding, fertility treatments, and justice in the Twin Cities.

Tags: Dark Room, Brainfog, Framed, Lakers, Beaker, Toto, Manhole, Flower Boy

Date: 2026-01-10
AO: Mastodon
Q: Dumpster ,
PAX: Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Samsonite, Stock boy, Treebeard, Cheap Shot, Dumpster, Mr Roboto, Jailbreak FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
WOR:
(No music)
Arm Circles x3
High knees
Motivators

The Thang:

Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
Sun & Toetouches
Right arm stretch & leg
Left arm stretch & leg
Other stretches

:arrow_right:Move near the Hamptons

Eagle – ABBA
Trash can runs
Run to trash 20 SSH
Run back 20 OHPs

:arrow_right:Move to PoopHouse

The Eagle and the Hawk – John Denver
Wall sit and Kettlebell pass

:arrow_right:Move to Hoffa

Team Race to Hotel California – Eagles
Packers vs Bears (beanies)
One pax in each team puts on attire (beanie, glasses, and ankle weight) runs to top to get a stick, other pax are doing squats or lunges. Take turns running up and get all 6 sticks – the fastest to retrieve all of the sticks wins.

:arrow_right:Move to The Shop

Take it Easy – Eagles
Bench presses on verse
Calf raises on Chorus (“Take it Easy”)

Fly Like An Eagle – Seal

WWI sit-ups on top of bench
Supermans on Chorus “Fly Like An Eagle”

:arrow_right:Move to parking lot

Eagles in The Sky – Nature Chillout
Box cutters x10, Flutter kicks x10, Leg lifts x 10

Follow List
Last part (with various Eagle themed music) Perform various coupon exercises on the list (5, 10, 15, 20) run a lap then hold plank until last pax is in- then repeat.

Recover Recover

Moleskine: Loving your enemies- is a hard thing to do. What does it mean? I read the first few paragraphs of this article:
https://psyche.co/ideas/morality-aside-theres-another-good-reason-to-love-your-enemies

COT: Silence + short general prayer of thanks.

Tags: Mastodon, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Samsonite, Stock boy, Treebeard, Cheap Shot, Dumpster, Mr Roboto, Jailbreak

Date: 2026-01-10
AO: Tar Pit
Q: T-bone ,
PAX: Da Vinci, Beaker, LeMond, Panhandle, T-bone, Homie, The wet burrito, Big Mac FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
WOR: Motivators, AV’s, Runners stretch with yoga dogs

The Thang: 3x 8 minute EMOM. 1) burpees and squats, 2) KBS and OHP 3) Thrusters and Curls – plus some mosey around the AO.

Moleskine: Graveyards are filled with indispensable men – we are indispensable to a small number of people – be there for them.

COT: Iran, Venezuela, civility, travel

Tags: Tar Pit, Da Vinci, Beaker, LeMond, Panhandle, T-bone, Homie, The wet burrito, Big Mac

Date: 2026-01-10
AO: Flat Earth
Q: Gummi Bear ,
PAX: Cheese, Spielberg, Jolly, Gummi Bear, Oompa, Endo, DQ, White Noise, Tortuga, Candyland, Fiona, T.B., Banks FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
WOR:

The Thang: ultimate

Moleskine: quote mike tyson

COT: prayers for whitenoise family baby.

Tags: Flat Earth, Cheese, Spielberg, Jolly, Gummi Bear, Oompa, Endo, DQ, White Noise, Tortuga, Candyland, Fiona, T.B., Banks

Date: 2026-01-12
AO: Tar Pit
Q: Da Vinci ,
PAX: Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Big Mac, Jolly, Da Vinci, DQ, Tortuga, Treebeard, SAGA, T-bone, Manhole, Panhandle FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WOR: Follow the Leader to Weather with You
Fresh new mix of 80s and 90s music throughout beatdown

The Thang:
TICKET TO ROLL: 60 curls, 50 merkens, 40 shoulder press, 30 BBSU, 20 skull crushers, 10 thrusters).

DIE OF DEATH COUPON. Spring up Hill between rounds

1. Curls and BBSU
2. Skull crushers and Box cutters
3. Derkens and flutters
4. Shoulder press and Outlaws
5. One arm rows and American hammers
6. Goblet squats and Oblique V ups
7. Derkens and Leg lifts
8. Hodors and Freddie Mercuries 9. BLOCKESS FOR THE WHOLE SONG 10. WILD CARD (pick two) 11. Curls and BBSU 12. Skull crushers and Box cutters
13. Derkens and flutters
14. Shoulder press and Outlaws
15. One arm rows and American hammers
16. Goblet squats and Oblique V ups
17. Derkens and Leg lifts
18. Hodors and Freddie Mercuries 19. BLOCKESS FOR THE WHOLE SONG 20. WILD CARD (pick two)

Moleskine:
A man we were praying for last year has died.
Nebraska Senator (from 2015-2023) Ben Saase is dying. As he said on X: “I’m https://x.com/hashtag/NotDeadYet?src=hashtag_click (hat tip: Monty Python), and he asked for prayer “That I will be able – to borrow the old Puritan phrase – to “redeem the time.” That is, to try to serve and love our neighbors with little bits of work — or writing and speaking projects here and there. Time is the great equalizer, but not all time is equal — you can play a lot of basketball in the last 60 seconds. We’re going to give cancer a run for its money and see what can be learned in the process.”

There are no explanations, but if we were forced to give one, perhaps God is taking the best of us so that the rest of us will step up. To that end, I want to explore John Henry Newman’s https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/The_definition_of_a_gentleman_%28IA_definitionofgent00newm%29.pdf this year. The first part is:

“It is almost a definition of a gentleman to say he is one who never inflicts pain. This description is both refined and, as far as it goes, accurate. He is mainly occupied in merely removing the obstacles which hinder the free and unembarrassed action of those about him; and he concurs with their movements rather than takes the initiative himself. His benefits may be considered as parallel to what are called comforts or conveniences in arrangements of a personal nature: like an easy chair or a good fire, which do their part in dispelling cold and fatigue, though nature provides both means of rest and animal heat without them. The true gentleman in like manner carefully avoids whatever may cause a jar or a jolt in the minds of those with whom he is cast; — all clashing of opinion, or collision of feeling, all restraint, or suspicion, or gloom, or resentment; his great concern being to make every one at their ease and at home.”

COT: Prayers for Manhole’s friend Ray, for new semester.

Tags: Tar Pit, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Big Mac, Jolly, Da Vinci, DQ, Tortuga, Treebeard, SAGA, T-bone, Manhole, Panhandle