A Walk around the Block

First off I have to say that this workout was scheduled for Tuesday in the gloom, but as luck would have it my power went out. Since I trusted my local Duke Power station I had not set a backup plan. One of my pet peeves is to be late, and when you wake up in the dark, grab the phone and it shows 535am, you know you've screwed up. This is not like being late for a doctor's appointment, this stuff is serious. If you have ever over slept and missed a duck hunt then you know what I mean. So, I jumped out of bed, found some light, got dressed, and drove to the War Zone to apologize to the fateful PAX. As I pull up there are 3 PAX(1 had already left) breaking up and heading to their cars. I said my apologies, and all was forgiven. (I found out this morning that I was about 2 minutes from having the wrath of the GroupMe unleashed on me for not showing)

Ok, on with the show.

The WarZone has had a strong, fateful group going for a while, but as of late a few have been coming up lame with foot, calf, or other body parts failing. So at 0528 Squat and I were wondering if it was going to just be us. We had a few bolt in right at 0529:29 to bring us up to 5 for the morning.

WARMUP
All IC
15 SSH
15 Windmills
15 Penningtons
15 Reverse Penningtons
10 Rowing Planks(New move my M came up with- Plank position, move forward so shoulders are in front of hands, move back so 6 is over feet then back to original plank=1)

The Thang

I had previously gone by the WarZone and rearranged the blocks in order to find the 10 heaviest so everyone had the same block.
All PAX grab a coupon and we carried the coupons as if we were toting buckets Spartan style.
We made our way to the corner of 4th and Marlboro where I informed the group that we were doubling each corner.
First corner was 5 Burpees. We hadn't even started when 1 says "that's 40 at the end?" Of course YHC said "Yep".
Corner of 4th & Carolina= 10 Burpees
Carry coupons to the planters in front of Y.
10 step-ups each leg
15 Dips
15 Derkins
Double up
20 Step-ups
30 Dips
30 Derkins
Off to Carolina and 5th= 20 Burpees
5th & Marlboro= 40 Burpees
Carry coupons back around flag then place them back in their home.
Gathered in a tight circle for a Triple Double Up with 1-2-4 being used for 5 rounds
Start with 1 Merkin, 2 Penningtons, and 4 Air Presses
End up with 16 Merkins, 32 Penningtons, and 64 Air Presses
That left us with 8-10 minutes to go.
50 LBC's OYO
25 Reverse LBC's OYO (lift 6 off the ground instead of shoulders)
15 Box Cutters IC
Squat had a few he wanted to do so we did-
15 Diamond Merkins OYO
15 Squats IC

We finished with Psalms 40:1-3
"I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
Squat finished off in prayer.

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No Rest for the Weary

Conditions: A beautiful starry sky, a gentle breeze and workout weather.

Warm Up

  1. SSH x 25 in cadence
  2. Carl Penningtons x 10 Frontward and backward rotations in cadence. Bigger and stronger than Mel Penningtons.
  3. Mountain Climbers x 25 in cadence. There was some mumble chatter as several Pax noted YHC only using one arm while he opened up an app on his phone. The misunderstanding was quickly dissipated with the next exercise. Apologies to all who thought YHC was slacking on the job.
  4. Deconstructed Merkins x 1 minute. 3 seconds per move. Top, Mid, Bottom, Mid, Top, etc. for one minute. Nice and slow, no quivers allowed.

The Thang:

Mosey to the brick pile

While we waited on the rest of the Pax, the speedier (aka hungrier for reps) of the gang assumed the plank position, shoulder to shoulder. We then commenced the Tunnel of Love, as each person did a low crawl under his fellow F3 brethren until we gathered in the six. This proved a fairly entertaining diversion and demonstrated the relative arm length to belly fat ratio of each Pax.

Once all Pax were safely gathered at the brick pile, we lost no time grabbing two blocks apiece and moving to the light poles. Each Pax did a dairy carry for two lights, then:

Overhead press x 40

Curls x 40

Squats x 40

We came back one light, then:

Overhead press x 20

Curls x 20

Squats x 20

Back to the start and:

Overhead press x 10

Curls x 10

Squats x 10

YHC chose his numbering system very carefully. He had just eaten Chinese food the previous day, and these were his lucky numbers. Being charitable and carrying an #IAm3rd mindset, YHC shared his good fortune with his brothers.

Eschewing the blocks, we all grabbed two bricks apiece and returned to the starting line. While waiting on the six, we held the Al Gore position with bricks in hand. We then commenced the same route, doing the Brick Bear Crawl. YHC detests bear crawls, which is why he will always add them to any workout at which he has the privilege to Q. The point is not to avoid pain and struggle, but to embrace it heartily, like a lover. A lover with nasty teeth, foul breath and a hairy back, but a lover nonetheless. At each light we did 20 Mercans. On the way back, we lunged between lights and continued the Mercan-fest with 20 more at each light. Let it be known far and wide that Magic Mike led the charge. He was indeed magical on this morning, calling upon some strange super-power which gave him the strength of 2 GroundBlinds. While waiting on the six, we again held the Al Gore position with bricks in hand.

Time beginning to ebb, we moseyed back to the field to work on our core values. Sensing the Pax were in an especially eager to please mood, we again took a turn down the Tunnel of Love to pick up the six. After we caught everyone up, we dropped right where we were for some earnest core workout.

Flutters x 25 in cadence

Russian Twist (aka The Hartsville Hammer) x 25 in cadence

LBC x 30 in cadence

YHC thought the Pax had enough and began to move toward the COT, but "Nay! Nay!", said the worthy Pax. "We still have 8 minutes," spoke up Divac. The boys had #MansonLamps. YHC was nearly overcome with joy as Pax after Pax offered up more opportunities to hone the knife edge. Iron filings were falling off everywhere.

Crunchy Frogs  x 20 in cadence by Divac

Big Boy Situps x 20 by Magic Mike

Burpees x 10 by Backdraft

Mountain Climbers x 15 in cadence by Radar

We gathered up in the BOM for announcements and devo.

Announcements

  • Look for details on a #clowncar at 6am to Sumter for their anniversary convergence this Saturday.
  • Take in the Temple at 4:45, then #ActLikeMen at 5:30. It got real last week.
  • Shirts are available online. Get some.
  • Plan to go to McBee for a 7am beatdown and 8am 5k to support Noah.

Devo

Mark 10:42-45.

Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

YHC shared how many teams were vying to be first at the MudRun this past weekend, which is a laudable goal. Our team of GroundBlind, Wall-E, GreenAcres and Goldilocks, however, were on a different mission from the first obstacle. GreenAcres busted his knee 150 yards into the race. When given the opportunity to pull a #Spurrier, he declined and hobbled forward. As a team we all resolved to get that man over the finish line, come hell or high water (and there was plenty of both). Our "race" turned into an incredible opportunity to serve.

Jesus came to this world with that same mindset. He lived every moment of His life with laser-focused intent, devoting all His energy, passion, blood, sweat, tears and ultimately His life for us. We are called to follow that same example. #IAm3rd is more than a catchy slogan on somebody's t-shirt. It is a challenge to each of us every day. How can I serve? Who can I serve? Where can I serve? We already know the "why".

Closed with a prayer...

Then we had an opportunity to serve. Sunshine lost his wedding ring in the gloom. We set up a police line (or better said a firemen's line) and started trying to save that poor man's life. Pavarotti bailed out our brother in need when he found the missing ring. What a great way to end the workout.

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