Author: backblasts

Date: 2025-10-31
AO: ao_ground_zero
Q: Dumpster
PAX: Panhandle, T-bone, SAGA, Flower Boy, Mr. Bean, Ankles, Samsonite, Mr Roboto, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), LeMond, Stock boy, Dumpster, Endo FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
WOR:
1. Sunstretch
2. Arm circles
3. Goofballs
4. Zombies
5. Imperial walkers
6. Mountain climbers
7. Runners Stretch

*Special guest – Sheila the mannequin

The Thang:
Run/Ruck East to Wheaton field & back

Moleskine: I CAN DO HARD THINGS (book reading)

COT: Silence, “We can do hard things” and Amen.

Raffle- with various prizes at the end!

Tags: ao_ground_zero, Panhandle, T-bone, SAGA, Flower Boy, Mr. Bean, Ankles, Samsonite, Mr Roboto, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), LeMond, Stock boy, Dumpster, Endo

Date: 2025-10-30
AO: ao_mastodon
Q: DQ
PAX: Panhandle, Tortuga, Jolly, Jailbreak, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Falsetto, Mr Roboto, Homie, Da Vinci, Stock boy FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WOR:
– SSH
– Arm circles
– Abe Vigodas
– Copperhead merkins

The Thang:
SHOP Tabata (20s w / 10s rest) 5 rounds
• derkins
• table presses
• tricep dips
• upright row
• curls

COOTIES Tabata (20s w / 10s rest) 5 rounds
• Pull-up
• single arm rows (R)
• single arm rows (L)
• coupon swings
• skull crushers

DQ’s Physical Therapy
• marches
• clam shells
• canoe flappers
• bird dogs
• dead bugs
• american hammers

Moleskine:
Put your best foot forward at home. There are certain positive things we do behaviorally or relationally better outside the home, and neglect to do those same things when we’re at home with our loved ones. Put your best foot forward at home. Your family deserves your best.

COT:
– Jailbreak’s third child getting baptized
– Administrator at Wheaton going through a difficult time with his health – Mr. Roboto potential opportunity for a new job

Tags: ao_mastodon, Panhandle, Tortuga, Jolly, Jailbreak, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Falsetto, Mr Roboto, Homie, Da Vinci, Stock boy

Date: 2025-10-30
AO: ao_dark_room
Q: Manhole
PAX: Lakers, Framed, Ankles, Sparrow, Toto, Flower Boy, LeMond, Dumpster, Manhole FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
WOR: oh yeah, you betcha!

The Thang: modified Bill Murray Mile, some coupon work

Moleskine: write your M a note of gratitude

COT: IYKYK

Tags: ao_dark_room, Lakers, Framed, Ankles, Sparrow, Toto, Flower Boy, LeMond, Dumpster, Manhole

Date: 2025-10-29
AO: ao_tar_pit
Q: Tortuga
PAX: Panhandle, Stock boy, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Samsonite FNGs: None
COUNT: 5
WOR: ssh, good mornings, Abe Vigodas (slow), batwings

The Thang: Moseyed to the west side of the lake.
Triangle of trees: at tree one – one burpees, tree two – five star jumps, tree three – 10 overhead claps. Repeat with 2/10/20 then 3/15/30, 4/20/40, 5/25/50. Back down until the six finished 5/25/50.

Moseyed to the north end of the lake.
Dan Taylors to 6 squats and 24 lunges. When Stock Boy got there everyone reversed course and counted back down ending with one squat and four lunges.

Moseyed to the south side of the lake.
Inch-wormed to one merkin, then to 2, on up to ten merkins. Reverse course and descending reps to one. Once Stock Boy finished we all recovered.

Mosey to south west corner of lake.
Jack Webbs with bbsu and raise the roofs: One bbsu to four raise the roof, then 2/8, 3/12, up to 10/40.

Mosey up to the spa.
Plank cross toe taps, box cutters, protractors.

Moleskine: “Love me when I deserve it the least, because that’s when I need it the most.” This is on a framed needlepoint in my parents’ house.

COT: Praise that baby Mason is home from the NICU. Baby Kaho is in the NICU in Japan and is progressing well.

Tags: ao_tar_pit, Panhandle, Stock boy, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Samsonite

Date: 2025-10-28
AO: ao_flat_earth
Q: Cheese
PAX: Shiplap, Oompa, Jolly, Wagyu, Bucky, Jack, Banks, Dewey, BigBlue, White Noise, earnhart, treebeard, 2 FNGs: 1 2
COUNT: 15
WOR: SSH, There and Back

The Thang: Ultimate Frisbee

Moleskine: See SMAC — saturday morning article for post from Da Vinci (great read)

COT:

Tags: ao_flat_earth, Shiplap, Oompa, Jolly, Wagyu, Bucky, Jack, Banks, Dewey, BigBlue, White Noise, earnhart, treebeard, 2

Date: 2025-10-28
AO: ao_dark_room
Q: Lakers
PAX: Framed, Tortuga, Toto, Manhole, Crack, Beaker
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
WOR:
Run lap around the parking lot

1. Arm Circles
2. Chinooks – 10 IC
Arms straight out, small controlled circles forward, then backward. 1. Seal Claps
2. Overhead Claps
3. Side-Straddle Hops
4. Inchworm Walkouts
5. Shoulder Taps

The Thang:
Mosey to Hacksaw Ridge

Setup:
PAX start at the top of the hill with one sandbag and a rope attached.

How it Works:
1. One PAX throws the sandbag down the hill.
2. All PAX run down and back up the hill together.
3. When the sandbag reaches the bottom, the designated PAX uses the rope to pull it back to the top.
4. While the bag is being pulled up, the rest of the PAX alternate between American Hammers and Big Boy Sit-Ups. 5. Everyone stops once the sandbag makes it back to the top. 6. Rotate the puller and repeat until all PAX have had a turn.

Block & Roll Circuit
1. Block Curls
2. Block Overhead Press
3. Block Merkins
4. Block Deadlifts
5. Block Swings
6. Block Sit-Ups
7. Block Pass-Through Plank
8. Block Front Raise Hold

Moleskine:
Question: Where have you been pulling away from people who matter?

COT: IYKYK

Tags: ao_dark_room, Framed, Tortuga, Toto, Manhole, Crack, Beaker

Date: 2025-10-28
AO: ao_mastodon
Q: Stock boy
PAX: Sparrow, Falsetto, Panhandle, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Da Vinci, Ankles, LeMond, Samsonite FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
WOR:
Abe Vigodas, good mornings, toy soldiers, Michael Phelps

The Thang:
Traveling along the path, we targeted 10 reps of an exercise for 5 lampposts, but when the first PAX finished, he yelled ‘done’ and everyone stopped and moved to the next lamppost; the PAX who finished first had to add 5 reps (cumulative) to his next sets. Exercises were: 1. Blockees (walking curls between lampposts)
2. Nutcrackers (rifle carry between lampposts)
3. Thrusters (walking curls between lamposts)
4. Derkins (rifle carry between lampposts)

Bonus: we did goblet squats at the flag, and ran laps around the lot between sets.

We finished with some Mary.

Moleskine:
Patience with loved ones; act the way you want to feel, not the way you feel.

COT:
Jobs for PAX and 2.0s

Tags: ao_mastodon, Sparrow, Falsetto, Panhandle, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Da Vinci, Ankles, LeMond, Samsonite

Date: 2025-10-27
AO: ao_tar_pit
Q: Panhandle
PAX: Big Mac, Da Vinci, Jolly
FNGs: None
COUNT: 4
WOR: SSHs, abe vigodas, tappy-taps, arm circles

The Thang:
Five-alive with the following exercises: goblet squats, uneven block merkins, blockees, nutcrackers, and coupon swings.

Twist (to slow Big Mac down) is that at the 5s, you do 15 reps of all the exercises to that point. Sorta worked.

Moleskine: Don’t be the pharisee in Luke 8, telling God how amazing you are and how you’re not like the tax collector. But also don’t be the fellow telling God how good it is you’re not the pharisee. We all need mercy.

COT: Big Mac adjusting to M’s full-time job

Tags: ao_tar_pit, Big Mac, Da Vinci, Jolly

Date: 2025-10-24
AO: ao_ground_zero
Q: Mr. Bean
PAX: Mr Roboto, Sparrow, Stock boy, LeMond, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Toto, Ankles, Flower Boy, Dumpster, Panhandle, Da Vinci, Brainfog FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
WOR: 13 side straddle hops 8 pagodas flower picking stretch on your own

The Thang: Run / Ruck East

Moleskine: Identity is not found by being better than someone or even worse than someone. Human nature is to find meaning in being better than, smarter than, richer than, holier than, timelier than someone else based on our norm etc. Our ego is built on feeling better than. Until we can learn to judge no one ever, which is likely not in this lifetime. Grace alone sets us free, we are all dead to sin. Christ saves.
//Segue – grateful to find another LDP – I enjoyed boy scouts as a child but have not found another since.

COT: not sure what this means

Tags: ao_ground_zero, Mr Roboto, Sparrow, Stock boy, LeMond, Too Big To Fail (TBTF), Toto, Ankles, Flower Boy, Dumpster, Panhandle, Da Vinci, Brainfog

Date: 2025-10-25
AO: ao_tar_pit
Q: Da Vinci
PAX: DQ, Panhandle, The wet burrito, Homie, Portage, LeMond, Da Vinci FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
Warmorama to Rocky Horror.

The Thang:

Perfectly paired exercises to songs with occasional springs (and PAX can gong a song and skip it once)

Derkens and Freddy Mercuries
Dips and Flutters
Thumb Curls & LBCs
Overhead Press & Outlaws
Skullcrushers & Scissor Kick
Through Curls and Leg Lifts
Tight Merkens and Obliques
One arm Rows (exhaust both arms) & American Hammers
Wide Merkens & Bonnie Blairs
Side Curls & Bicycles
Dips and Flutters
Overhead Press & Outlaws

Moleskin:

All Saints is coming… Brother Lawrence (1614-1691), a former soldier and monastery cook, on the easiest of all forms of prayer, the “methodless method.”

“Ultimately we can offer God no greater evidence of our faithfulness that by frequently detaching and turning from all tings created so we can enjoy their Creator for a single moment. I don’t mean to give the impression though that you should stop working and abandon your duties. That would be impossible. Wisdom, the mother of all our spiritual strengths, will be your guide. I am saying, however, that it is a common oversight among spiritually minded people not to turn from outside engagements from time to time and worship God within ourselves and enjoy in peace some small moments of… divine presence.” (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Practice_of_the_Presence/EQ03EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)

Prayers for Portage’s mom, injured during travel, praise she’s okay. Silent sunrise.

Tags: ao_tar_pit, DQ, Panhandle, The wet burrito, Homie, Portage, LeMond, Da Vinci