Tag: Beaker

Backblast: Revised SuperDora 03/23/2021 5:30AM @ AO MASTODON

by backblasts

One month ago YHC attempted to create something Super, but as has been observed lately, this PAX never does anything half-assed. In this case it was not only too complicated, but also an insane quantity of reps that even the valiant baker’s dozen HIMs could not complete. Now, with the warmer weather, a new version of the SuperDora has emerged, and the PAX of F3-Wheaton were ready to meet the challenge: Banks, Beaker, Big Mac, Cookies (Q), Da Vinci, Hotbox, Jolly, Katniss, Panhandle, Saga, Shiplap, T-bone, Tortuga, Whittler

WOR: Daisy pickers and some leg stretching, Arm circles and some arm stretching.

THANG: SuperDora, revised version

Instead of pairs, the entire PAX was challenged to complete exercise reps including both cardio exercises and PT. Carry your coupon with you everywhere you go, and don’t linger at any one station too long. Exercise completion tracked by moving tokens from one bucket to another at 4 stations:

Station 1 – Hoffa: 50 tokens

1 Redrum up and down Hoffa per token

Station 2 – Cooties: 100 tokens

5 Pull ups or 10 Inverted rows or 10 Kettlebell swings or 10 Derkins per token

Station 3 – SHOP: 150 tokens

10 Curls or 10 Chest press or 10 Overhead press or 10 Tricep Extensions or 20 One arm rows or 5 Picnic table press per token

Station 4 – lamppost: 200 ‘tokens’

10 BBSUs or 10 Outlaws or 10 American Hammers or 5 Hodors per token

The PAX split up and got to work. It turns out that the Cooties and SHOP were very popular and all reps were finished before 6am, but there were plenty of Mary and Redrums still on the board to keep the PAX going to the end. With one Redrum token remaining and less than a minute left a beautiful Manrise rounded things out and the Q deemed the SuperDora complete!

3.20.21 — The Vanilla* Spartan

by f3captcrunch

In the early dawn 12 PAX (Banks, Jolly, Panhandle, DaVinci, HotBox, Katniss, Beaker, Bloomer, Saga, Gummi Bear, Tortuga, Capn Crunch(QIC)) found themselves at a frost covered TAR PIT where YHC was eager to start the clock. After a quick warm-up of usual exercises, and some mumbled comments about leg-work. They shouldered the available sandbags and ruck (120/65/65/30, respectively) and did a recon mosey of the south football field, ultimately deciding to make due with the IronPAX field despite its tarp cover.

Having attempted a full Spartan at the Mastodon without success on multiple occasions, the Q had his eye set on the full 30 rounds today, with ample time available if they didn’t mess around. He had full faith in the PAX.

Warm-o-Rama:

  • Motivators x 7
  • Mountain Man Poopers IC x 10
  • Abe Vigodas IC x 10
  • Sandbag recon mosey

The Spartan:

Having attempted something like a Spartan a few times, always with heavy modification, this would be the first time the F3-Wheaton crowd had done it vanilla (i.e., flat ground, 100 yards, no coupons), and the routine was new to many of the PAX. Thankfully it was incredibly easy to explain. But that didn’t stop the Q from failing to fill in all the details, opting instead to start the PAX off with just the first third having been verbalized.

Rounds 1-10: The Time Hack

  • Run 100 yards, 10 Merkins, mosey back, EMOM — This was vanilla enough. However, our mosey was timed, and an aggressive benchmark of EMOM Spartans was thrown down by the Q, while still waiting for the return of the 6 before starting each round. We were close, but averaged about 1min 12 seconds overall, for a 12 minute finish time on this third. The Q decided a quicker pace was needed to ensure victory.

Rounds 11-20: The Millennial Mosey

  • Run 100 yards, 10 Merkins, 30 LBCs(Millennial style) — To shorten the cycle time without killing the 6, we dropped the mosey, and instead “rested” for the length of time it took for the first PAX to reach 30 LBCs. At that point all PAX jumped to the line for the next run.

Rounds 21-30: No Bag Left Behind

  • Run 100 yards, 10 Merkins, mosey back (+sandbags) —With the time gained by the Millennial cheat on the middle third, we had 20 minutes left in the Q to finish the final 10 rounds. We could afford an actual mosey. The group was fairly close together on pace, so the Q explained that the sandbags were there in case someone was too far ahead of the group and needed more resistance in their workout. The PAX took this as an invitation and for most of the remaining rounds all bags were shouldered for the first half of the run (dropping them at the 50 yard and finishing the sprint).

Finishing with a few minutes left on the clock, they rounded out with some Mary, and appreciated just how much hip-flexors are involved in our favorite “ab” exercises.

3MoM:

  • Ol’ Ironsides: (Boat/Canoe + American Hammer IC x 10) x 2
  • Oblique LBCs — Right IC x 10, Left IC x 10
  • LBCs IC x 10

MOLESKIN: Break your tasks into small chunks and keep chipping away. Achieve what you set out to do.

COR/NOR/COT: Prayers for Jazz Hands’ friends Bryan and Lauren — Wisdom for Hot Box and M as they seek to navigate family conversations — For Tortuga’s M and Saga’s M — for all the brothers, that they would lean into life / work / family as well as they do their workouts, and that we would both have and give support in those spheres.

Glad to hang with the TAR PIT boys after a long time away, seeing faces old and new and appreciating just how much is going on across F3 Wheaton in a given week. Not captured on film, but seared in my memory of this morning: The glory of Gummi Bear’s tireless flying across a field of frosted grass yards ahead of the pack. DaVinci’s dogged grip on his bag for the full 100 yards plus the merkins and the return. Bloomer cleaning 120 pounds just like everyone imagines themselves doing in the moment before their first attempt.

The TAR PIT HIMs and their weight
Post-Spartan Mood

Monday 3/15/2021 Ruck club – First Q after DST change – Sparrow

by backblasts

It takes a special kind of PAX to attend the first workout after daylight savings ends.
Most PAX will be in bed enjoying a well-earned rest —with my blessing!

But there will be a few, just one or two, who know that F3 improves the rest of their day, every day. They know that daylight savings isn’t getting easier tomorrow, and they want to start getting better today. They know that friendships formed in the gloom are priceless, and they want to be there when it happens. That’s the PAX I want to ruck with.
I’m not looking for numbers this Monday. I’m looking for a few good men.

Backblast:

We warmed up with an emphasis on avoiding injury.

Sparrow suggested “What are you good at?” as a topic of discussion while we rucked/ran.

The Ruckers circled the park, passing around a sandbag as desired. We finished by climbing hoffa hill about 5 times while continuing to hand off the sandbag.

Ruckers: Babe, TBTF, Noodles, Saga, Sparrow, Cookies.
Runners: Shiplap, Tortuga, Jolly, Banks, Crack, Beaker.

Saga shared a Moleskin about being present in the moment.

We then did COT without a camera, as a way to be present in the moment.

Coffeeteria with a beautiful red-sky background. It was dreamlike. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning. 7 hours later, with snow and sleet pelting my office window I’m thinking “That escalated quickly.”

Although we might have been short an hour of sleep, today has felt like waking up after a really satisfying dream.

Poison Pill

by backblasts

Backblast, 3/6/21, 5:30am AO Tarpit

Poison Pill

Tortuga – QIC

Eleven PAX posted on this beautiful nearly spring morning. After a quick WOR of daisy pickers, Michael Phelps, 4 count motivators (Hotbox style – run in place rather than jump), and 10 slow merkins IC, we split into teams. Needing teams of three and falling just short of a handy multiple of said three, I asked for two volunteers to be a team of two. Shiplap and Banks took up the challenge.

Thang one: Poison Pill

Each team had chalk, a gallon of water, and two coupons. Only the six staircases starting on the southeast corner of Glenbard West and moving west to the southwest corner were used. Teams were required to carry their supplies up an unoccupied staircase. At the top, if there was no exercise listed in chalk, they wrote one, descended the same staircase, and went to a different staircase. If there were any exercises listed, the team had to complete 100 reps of all listed exercises. Upon completion, the team added a new exercise to the list. Repeat.

If there were three exercises listed when a team arrived at the top of a staircase, they complete the 300 total reps, erase all the chalk with their water, score one point, and go to a new staircase. Teams earned a five point bonus for completing all six staircases, regardless of the number of reps needed.

Exactly one coupon exercise per set of three listed exercises was required. No team may do the same staircase twice in a row. They must complete a different staircase before returning. Only one team at a time was allowed on each staircase.

Shiplap and Banks were given a slight head start and a reduced number of reps (75. They asked for 66.) Team DaVinci, Hotbox, and Tortuga wrote burpees at the top of their first staircase then climbed the staircase vacated by Jolly, Cookies, and Katniss. They left us blockees. Sweet as. This trend continued throughout the beatdown. There were very few soft reps. Our team had one round of lbcs, but that was it for easy. Hodors, blockees (again), burpees (2x), lunges(2x), curls, Peter Parkers, BBSUs, were completed by our team.

Time was called at 6:25, and all PAX returned to the parking lot for some Mary.

Team Banks and Shiplap tied with Team DaVinci, Hotbox, and Tortuga with seven points. Squat off to determine champ went to Hotbox.

Mary: Flutter kicks, 4 count, IC, 50.

NOR: Panhandle, Shiplap, Banks, Cookies, Saga, Jolly, Hotbox, Beaker, DaVinci, Katniss, Tortuga (Q). Guest appearances from Crack and Crash at the end with some biking down the stairs by @Crash who, thankfully, did NOT live up to his name this morning.

COT: Praise for a beautiful morning, a God who loves us, friends to push us, and a good workout. “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James chapter one (somewhere in there).

Backblast 2/24/2021 (Billy Madison Workout)

by backblasts

Challenge: Complete k-12 in 45 minutes.

15 PAX showed up for class, in attendance:

Warmorama

Motivators (x7); good mornings; arm circles

Run up the wheel with coupons.

Each grade consists of an exercise and a question aimed at students of that grade level. Graduation from each grade to the next requires running down and back up the wheel.

Kindergarten: Little Baby Crunches (50) (How many PAX are in attendance?)

1st Grade: Hodors (20) (Laura has 7 cupcakes. Jeremy eats 2. How many does Laura have left? 5; What does Jeremy have? A black eye.)

2nd Grade: skull crushers (25) (Which is not a state of matter? Solid, Color, Liquid, Gas)

3rd Grade: Star Jumps (30) What is the name for someone who studies dinosaurs? (Paleontologist)

4th Grade: Blockbees (11) 44 divided by 4

5th Grade: Bonnie Blairs (27) 5 and 2/5 into an improper fraction.

6th Grade: Wall climbers (6) Give number and symbol for Carbon (6, C)

7th Grade: Coupon swings (20) Obnoxious is to pleasant as radiant is to: (dull, bright, loud, quiet, soft)

8th Grade: Coupon curls (70) 4x-10=18, what is x? (7)

9th Grade: Big Boy Situps (90) What’s the formula for area of a circle? (pi)r^2

10th Grade: Merkins (100) What gas is needed for photosynthesis (Carbon Dioxide)

11th Grade: Air Squats (110) What is the belief that the US has the right to occupy all of America? (Manifest Destiny)

12th Grade: Flutter Kicks (120) SAT Vocab: What is an antonym for enervating (feeling energized, like after an F3 workout or after finishing all of school in 45 minutes)

Graduation Ceremony: Your coupon is your diploma, hold it high (rifle carry) and walk back to the parking lot.

Moleskin: Unlike Billy, you’re likely not a drunk who may fail to inherit his father’s business, but like Billy, working towards a clear objective in a community is pretty helpful. Thanks to F3 for helping me do better during COVID along several dimensions.

CoT; Prayer: Energy, focus, perseverance, Bloomer’s son, Jazz Hand’s friend

Dueling Doomsday Clocks

by backblasts

Backblast, Tuesday, 2/9/21, 5:30 AM, AO Mastodon

It was definitely a Shackleton today. As I arrived at 5:21, the parking lots had not yet been plowed, but a plow was hard at work. By 5:26, I was able to pull into a plowed spot by the tennis courts. The plow was still clearing the rest of the lot as other PAX pulled in. The driver commented, “I thought you were a gang or something.”

WOR: motivators, tappy taps, goof balls, jog to cooties.

Thang one:

Two stations, teams of three. Station One: pull ups and jump squats. Station Two: Bulgarian Split Squats and SSH. The team member at each station stayed in motion doing the first exercise switching exercises as needed. Third team member ran around the obelisk circle to station one. Members rotated through the stations. (Continued this until QIC finished his 50 strict pull ups.)

PAX were encouraged to recite James while at stations. I think we got through verse eight a few times.

Thang two: Dueling Doomsday Clocks, part one

Moseyed back to the tennis court lot. Two groups for Dueling Doomsday Clocks. Each group formed a circle. At the start signal, each PAX got into the plank position. One PAX did one merkin and returned to the plank, then the PAX on his right did one merkin and returned to the plank, after all PAX in the clock did one merkin, the starting PAX did two merkins, etc. Once a PAX was unable to hold the plank or complete the merkins, he was out of the clock and began doing squats. As soon as one group was down to two remaining PAX, the round ended. One group got up to 10 merkins.

Thang three: Dueling Doomsday Clocks, part two

Moseyed to the pool lot. Repeated clocks with new groups and flipped the script. Clocks started in the squat position. First PAX did one squat, then returned to the squat hold with arms above the head. Eliminated PAX planked. (I was the first out on my team.) We had to call it a tie as time ran out.

NOR: Saga, Banks, Davinci, Whittler, Shiplap, Sparrow, Katniss, Beaker, Big Mac, Jolly, Cookies, Crack, and Tortuga (Q)

COT: Lifted up Hot Box’s M, TBTF with a rough work schedule this week, and Bloomer and Captain Crunch’s 2.0s.

Sparrow sang the praises of hand warmers and made an altar call (forgiveness and salvation being even better news than hand warmers).

“Stairway to Mary” aka “Mary’s Ladder” 01/30/2021 @ AO TARPIT

by backblasts

 

This workout was advertised as having stairs and having Mary, several brave HIMs accepted the challenge.

Quick Warmorama with Motivators gave way to a trek around the football field carrying sandbags on the extended ladder. 4 PAX at a time, cycling through so everyone gets warm.

Landing at the base of the stairs for the Thang, the less literal ladder on the board was revealed. PAX were given choices of Mary with a quantity that needed to be populated onto the board in multiplier slots from 1 to 10 then back down to 1. As the rules were explained there was significant chatter requesting clarifications, and whether we would be able to complete the entire ladder.

Here is how it worked.

 

  1. PAX would note the exercise posted on the board, including the multiplier, running up the stairs and completing all reps at the top of the hill, then running back down the paved slope (driveway).

  2. Back at the board, for each PAX if there was already another exercise posted that they have not completed then they would repeat step 1 with that exercise.

  3. If a PAX returns to the board and they have completed all posted exercises then they choose a new exercise to post in the next available slot and perform a “posting fee” of 30 burpees or 30 sandbag exercises (squats, curls, rows, overhead presses, etc.) then proceed with step 1 based on the exercise they just posted.

Here is what the PAX chose:

1 x 100 100s

2 x 5 Plank Up-Downs (High low plank)

3 x 10 BBSUs

4 x 20 LBCs

5 x 15 Dollys

6 x 30 Leg Raises (thanks @Saga)

7 x 5 Flutter Kicks (4ct=1)

8 x 5 American Hammers

9 x 5 Crunchy Frogs

10 x 20 LBFC (thanks @Captain Crunch)

9 x 1 Plank Up-Downs (High low plank)

8 x 10 Leg Raises

7 x 40 LBCs

6 x 10 Manatees

Incomplete exercises left hanging that would have filled 5-1

20 Flutter Kicks (4ct=1)

20 BBSUs

25 Dollys

20 American Hammers

15 Crunchy Frogs

Warning to all, this workout will be brought again, probably sometime late spring and summer with more choices thrown in, including more of the much needed back exercises to balance them out.

1/20/21 – Jäzz Händz VQ F2 Bonfire

by backblasts

Wednesday, Jan 20th, 2021—9 PAX “braved” the evening winter chill for a right ol’ F2 event at AO “Jäzz Händz”. All the important “B’s” where present: bonfire, bourbon, beer, burpees, and boys—large boys (men?), gathering and posting flags for a fun childhood clubhouse vibe. Chilly winds and smoke in our faces didn’t stop us from laughing, sharing, and yes, doing Saga’s EC preblast which was primarily “bourpees” (bourbon burpees) in the snow. It was a jolly time, and @Tortuga @SAGA @Shiplap @Sparrow @Captain Crunch (AJ) @Noodles @Beaker @Crack @Jäzz Händz would all agree, we need to do this more regularly. Glad for all you PAX chipping in to bring firewood, sharable spirits and snacks. Let the nominations for next time begin!

Kevin Lipp

Backblast: 1/21/2021 – Year in Review

by backblasts

Warm-o-rama (Snapshot 1)

5 Motivators: Chuck Norris breaths air – 5 times a day

Tappy-taps: Chuck Norris got Coronavirus. Now the Coronavirus is in isolation.

Arm Circles: Chuck Norris was once run over by a tank. He refused to pay for it.

5 mountain climbers w/a merkin: Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups, he pushes the earth down.

We circled the crib to hear the tale of the newborn among us: The Birthbee. A demonstration of its beautiful cry was beheld by all in the shape of 2 Dollys + 2 Big Boy Sit-ups (here’s to cramping) + 2 “nursing” nipple scrappers (cause you need to give attention to both sides) + 1 burpee jump + 1 squat = 1. Thus a salute to our mothers who went into double-time pain that we might have breath. (SAGA)

(Saga)

Snapshot 2

Everyone look at the sky, what don’t you see? The Great Conjunction…Still (Crack)

Snapshot 3

In honor of the 3 years we were in Augusta, GA, we each did three trips up Hoffa while the other did LBCs and BBSs (Panhandle)

Snapshot 4

· Do 5 curls, 5 overhead press, 5 rows, 5 grave diggers, 5 skull cruchers, 5 goblet squats, 5 monkey humpers, 5 bernie sanders, 5 BBSU (Jolly’s Santa Delivery)

Snapshot 5

Da Vinci brought us the arts, visual, musical and written but perhaps most memorable are quotes of the Desert Fathers, (Da Vinci) Would you motivate us with one of your favorites? Or perhaps just anything you want?

Snapshot 6

What’s you’re favorite exercise shiplap? Do 40 if you don’t beat shiplap you have to run the hill, for every person who beats Shiplap he has to run the hill. If you win, you can do burpees or whatever for the six. (Shiplap)

Snapshot 7

1. What is the most expensive home in the world? Buckingham Palace (Mose got it correct!) 50 overhead presses (Bigmac)

Snapshot 8

Theme was James 1:2. “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds.”

(Everyone does 20 Bonnie Blairs) (Tortuga)

Snapshot 9

Howling Monkeys/Gorillas (Cap’n Crunch)

Snapshot 10

Everyone partner off, we’ll run to the baseball field and tell your partner your favorite memory of 2020 and your favorite F3 memory of 2020 (Sparrow)

Snapshot 11

“Make each day a masterpiece”

Have Archive demonstrate perfect IC exercise call of exercise and reps of choice (Archive)

Snapshot 12

The second law of thermodynamics say that during any process, the entropy of the universe increases. In plain language, chemical reactions happen because they increase the randomness and disorder in the universe. You can also say that entropy is the tendency for things to mix. I cannot think of a more random, disordered mix of exercises than the birthbee.

In between sets 2 and 3 (above) we explored the second law by doing and Indian run around the AO, stopping to perform 5 birthbees in the ice at 3 bridges, for a total of 15 birthbees. (Beaker)

Snapshot 13

As many situps as you can in 2 minutes, timed. (You would have a partner counting) (Banks)

Snapshot 14

“Remain in plank position the whole time. Bear crawl forward 4 steps, do 1 merkin, 1 plank jack, and tap the BACK of each shoulder 1 time. Repeat adding 1 rep to each exercise each time – bear crawl forward 4 steps, do 2 merkins, 2 plank jacks, 2 sets of back of shoulder taps… etc. Go until you get to 4 reps each, you’ve covered 30-50 feet, or until your arms fall off – whichever comes first.” (Jazz Hands)

Snapshot 15

Nolan Ryan and One Arm Coupon Rows. (Cookies)

Snapshot 16

Load Eroica Symphony (Beethoven) and do a whole bunch of burpees then shout I FEEL OUTSTANDING!x (Hotbox)

Circle of Trust, Moleskin & Prayer

Reviewing the year, it’s quite clear, F3 was the best part. Thanks to everyone for contributing towards that. We’re better together.

In attendance: (Going from memory…late, sorry if I forgot anyone)

Tortuga True or False, 1/23/21

by backblasts

Backblast, 1/23/21, Tarpit, 5:30AM

WOR: slow jog around the parking lot, mtn climbers, Abe Vigodas, slow merkins, slow colt 45 (just 15)

Getting inspiration from @panhandle’s anniversary Q, I thought it would be fun to tie in some Tortuga life trivia with the morning’s beatdown.

Tortuga True or False

A three count after each statement was made, all PAX signaled their True with a thumbs up or their false with a thumbs down. Their answers determined the number of reps for each exercise.

All correct – 25 reps, Most correct – 50, Most wrong – 75, All wrong – 100

3 blockee buy in, winner adds 3 more. They accumulate. First to finish yells, “I feel outstanding!” Everyone stops and goes up and down the ramp. 25 or 50 reps: carry coupon, 75, 100: no coupon.

  1. Tortuga has never been skydiving. False, most wrong, 75 reps

Overhead press

  1. Tortuga has run a marathon in under 3 hours 40 minutes. False, most wrong, 75 reps

One handed rows

  1. Tortuga has been fired from a paying job twice. True, most right, 50 reps

Kb swings

  1. Tortuga’s sister used to work at the Pentagon. False, 50

Goblet squats

  1. Tortuga still has one baby tooth. True, 75

Jump overs

  1. Tortuga doesn’t have his own cell phone. True, 50

derkins

  1. Tortuga did 1000 burpees in a day. True, 25

thrusters

  1. Tortuga repeated first grade. True, 75

Bent over rows

  1. Tortuga has a nephew named after him. True, 50

Weighted lunges

  1. Tortuga has shaved his eyebrows. False, 75

Burpees, or side pulls. We split these between partners, 75 total for two PAX.

Mary: 41 flutter kicks with coupon held straight up, IC.

We finished with a slow cool down jog around the parking lot.

NOR: Panhandle, Noodles, Katniss, Saga, Davinci, Cookies, Banks, Beaker, Shiplap, Tortuga (Q), and Wet Burrito for the NOR/COT/ Coffeteria (with a fractured shoulder)

COT: Beaker has a friend whose dad passed away recently. They had a hard relationship and his friend is settling things in Nevada now. Wet Burrito has had a shoulder fracture since early January. It was just correctly diagnosed yesterday. Panhandle’s father-in-law is in rehab at MarianJoy. Continued prayers for Bloomer and his family as his son undergoes testing.

Flags present: Tarpit, Mastodon