Author: Sargento (Page 12 of 30)

6 HIM showed to put in some mid-week rock pushing to keep their acceleration going. This is what happened…

Brief disclaimer. Brief warmup. Pledge of Allegiance

Mosey across the street to the Bank of America for

ATMs

10 Alternating Shoulder Taps

10 Tempo Merkins

10 Regular Merkins

Repeato

Mosey to the Fidelity Bank

ATMs x 2 plus some other stuff I can’t remember. This is a good reminder to YHC on the importance of writing the backblast in a more timely manner along with using a weinke to refer to, not only for the workout itself but when writing the backblast too. I’ll do better next time.

Mosey down to the SECU, stopping at Grace Animal Hospital for some Goofballs while we wait for the six.

At the SECU, we did ATMs x2, the other stuff I forgot and then Side Straddle Hops x25 IC, E2M x10 each side, CDDs x10 IC, V-Ups x10 IC

Mosey back down the road, stopping at Grace for the six, then on to the Walgreens, planking for the six again. We crossed the street to end up at the Wells Fargo ATM. Here we only did WELLS – Werkins x10 IC, E2M x10 each side, 10 lunges each leg, some other L exercise and then an s exercise.
Mosey to Pelicans for the namorama and BoM.

Announcements: It’s running season

Prayer Requests: Our country, Round Up’s family

Thanks for the opportunity to lead today men. My apologies for leaving out so much of what we did, I just can’t remember, but that’s no excuse. I’ll do better next time. Sargento out

The first installment of the F3 Gastonia HIM Retreat had been brewing for a long time in YHCs mind. Planning comes second nature for YHC and getting to do fun stuff with the guys is always…fun. That said, the plan was to head to Bonclarken, the conference center for the Associate Reformed Presbyterian church in Flat Rock, NC. It’s an easy 1 1/2 hour drive up the mountain to the beautiful grounds where 1st ARP Gastonia’s house named Carroll Cottage waited for the PAX to arrive. This is what happened…

Boudin, CPAP and YHC left home just after 2 on Friday and arrived at the cottage right at 4 to find two guys wandering around the back of the house like they were casing the joint. Good thing it was just Oompa and Montross! A grocery list was made and we headed off to the mega-Ingles to get in several thousand steps while we stocked up for the weekend. Upon arriving back, a couple other dudes showed up and we messed around for a while. YHC broke out one of the best games ever to learn the PAX something new, Farkle! Its a dice game where you total up points based on different combinations and the first to 10,000 wins. It was fun.

At the appointed time, we headed to Pi Squared Pizza to have some authentic Detroit style pizza. Our tabel was waiting for us and they had already gotten a jump on cooking the “pi’s” when we arrived thanks to calling ahead. It seemed to be a hit as there was nothing left when the dust settled. From there we went to Triskaleon Brewing for some live music and good beer. Shirts were shed. There may be photographic evidence.

Back at the house we ate some food, played some games and generally messed around but hit the hay at a reasonable hour in preparation for the big day that lay ahead.

The alarm sounded at different times for the PAX and we gathered out front of the house for a countoff. 19 PAX were ready for the beatdown YHC had planned out. A disclaimer was given and we headed out for a mosey.

Down the hill and around the bend we found a flag flying where we stopped for the Pledge of Allegiance. Moseying on down to the pond we stopped for a warmup of Don Quixotes and Goofballs. More moseying happened and the we gathered at the gazebo over the water. YHC asked for the mission of F3, which Tesla recited verbatim flawlessly. AYE! 5 burpees, or at least as many as the PAX could manage given limited space. Moseying back on the trail led us to the hill on the lower side of the dam pond.

Elevens were called. Crab Cakes at the bottom, crab walk up the dam hill and V-Ups at the top were the command. The PAX handled this well. We tried EHing a couple of what looked like college age dudes who were running laps around the lake but the laughed and just kept going.

The PAX moseyed over to the YAB (Youth Activity Building) for the next part of the beatdown.

Dora 123 was on the list. Partner up and do 100 Def Leppard Merkins (aka CDDs), 200 Monkey Humpers and 300 Goofballs, counting the right leg only. While the exercises were done, partner 2 would run around the bath house about 50 yards away for some cardio.

A fellowship mosey past the Gaga Ball court and the Paintball woods led us to a soccer field where the PAX sprinted from one end to the other. Pretty sure YHC won this race.

More moseying took us to the cool enclosed, articifial turf Soccer Pit. This was a perfect place with even ground the next round of pain.

Luckily, the JBL Flip was toted around and the enclosed area had perfect accoustics for back and forth exercises. YHC called the exercise at each end with varied duration, however we lunge walked from side to side after each one. There were lots of Donkey Kicks, Australian Mountain Climbers, Merkins, Wall Sits and of course Lunges.

A short mosey over to the Camp Bunk House area took the PAX to the steep, frosty hill that many worried was too slippery for use. Not so! It was perfect for BOMBS. It went like this. Partner up for 50 Burpees, 100 Overhead Claps, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy Situps and 250 Squats. Partner 2 would bear crawl up the hill and walk down the stairs to switch off. Some of the PAX took a faster, more unsafe path by running down the hill instead of the stairs. As far as YHC knows, only Oompa slipped on the frosty surfaces and he is tough enough that he wasn’t fazed.

When we were done, we fellowhip moseyed back to the yard at Carroll Cottage for namorama, prayer requests and announcements.

Breakfast! We cooked bacon, sausage, eggs, biscuits and even livermush (but it was still disgusting) and ate our fill. God is good! Just a little rest and time to let the food settle and we were ready to go on our extendo-ruck.

Look up Freights backblast for details on the ruck. It was fun.

We got back in time to cook dinner or hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill. Before that though, we played some more Farkle and other games. Then dinner, digestion and relaxing. It was a full day to say the least! Bedtime came pretty early for some much needed sleep.

Sunday morning, some PAX got in a run or yoga but most caught up on sleep. All were happy with their choices, although some weren’t happy with the choices others made. Go figure! Next Breaker Breaker led us on a devotion about having a servant’s heart and leading by serving. Great discussion ensued. Bubba Sparxxx led a Q Source discussion based on the DRP and how that is the daily decision to make ourselves better and also those around us we may not even realize we’re impacting by taking the DRP. More discussion happened and we enjoyed it.

The last mission of the weekend, other than cleaning up the house, was to march over to the Flat Rock Village Bakery. There isn’t much room in the cozy little restuarant but they had a nice enclosed porch with a heater. The selection wowed the PAX and we chowed down. Some questioned whether they actually make their own product and it was confirmed that there is a guy at the bakery who begins baking the stuff each morning at 2am! That’s dedication to your craft!!!

We headed back to the house, finished cleaning up after BOS, Pigrim’s Progress and Kaepernick did the heavy lifting and then we hit the road. We’ll definitely do this again, at least annually, maybe more than that.

Until next time, keep taking the DRP and ALWAYS BE EHing!!!

It was a perfect morning to make it a great day at the Gashouse. 8 HIM were there to push the rock and show their knowledge of all things F3 and other letters. This is what happened…

Disclaimer, no FNGs

Pledge of Allegiance

YHC began the questioning with one that we don’t cover too often. What is the mission of F3? The answer was given by past Nantan Stroganoff, “To plant, grow and serve small men’s workout groups for the invigoration of male community leadership.” Past Nantan Whoopee explained that it was originally “for the re-invigoration of male community leadership.” Either way you say it, F3 is obviously more than just a workout, it’s also a leadership organization! With that, the PAX split up and the bootcampers followed YHC away to destinations unknown.

We moseyed up Garrison and ended up in the back of 1st Presbyterian church. YHC asked the PAX how many letters are in the alphabet, with the answer of 26 given by some wise PAX. With that, the Thang was revealed.

The Alphabet!!!

A – American Hammers x20 IC

B- Big Boy Situps x20 OYO

C – CDDs x20 IC

D – Daniel Sons x20 OYO

E – E2K x10 IC each leg (look it up)

Take a lap around the church. Upon return and the 6 arriving, YHC asked for one of the core principles of F3. Someone said it was Open to All Men. That right it is! Mosey, stopping for a few seconds of wall sit and then resuming until we reached the parking lot of Parkwood Baptist where we returned to the regularly scheduled programming.

F – Flutter Kicks x50 IC

G – Goofballs x50 IC

H – Hillbillies x 25 IC

I – Imperial Walkers x25 IC

J – Jingle Balls x25 IC (YHC joked around and called this something silly during the workout but Defib called it correctly)

Take a lap around the church. Upon returning, YHC called for another of the core principles. “Peer led” was the call I think. Mosey across the street to the Grier track and our regularly scheduled programming.

K – Knerkins x20 OYO

L – LBCs x50 IC

M – Monkey Humpers x25 IC

N – Nolan Ryans x10 IC each side

O – Whoopee called something I can’t recall, which we did IC. Then we did Outlaws x10 IC each direction.

Take a lap around the track. Upon returning YHC called for another core principle. “Men only” was the call I think. Mosey back across the street to the library and our regularly scheduled programming.

P – Plank Jacks x25 IC

Q – Quick Step (a Sargento original) x25 IC

R – Rocky Balboas – x25 IC

S – Side Straddle Hops x25 IC

T – Turkish Getups – there was dispute about whether you can use a hand to get up. Because of this dispute, most PAX didn’t do the exercise. Whatevs. Take a lap!

Upon returning, YHC called for another core principle. “Ends in a COT” was given. The final core principle of “Free” was called out as well. Mosey across the street to the museum for the finale of the the beatdown.

U – Up Downs x 1 OYO

V – V-Ups x 10 IC

W – Werkins x20 IC

X – skipped it

Y – skipped it

Z – Zombie walk across the parking lot.

Time! Great job hanging with plenty of mumblechatter to boot!

Announcements: Rice N Beans Tuesday, 2nd F Lunch at JR Cash’s Wednesday, Inaugural HIM retreat next weekend.

Prayer requests: Gumby’s back, T Square, Tube’s brother in law, Living Hope church plant, Tax Break’s family on the loss of his mom

Great group of men out at the original AO this morning. Keep pushing the rock men and remember, Always Be EHing!!!

The PAX have longed for the loving embrace of our dear Pamela for many weeks. Our yearning remained unquenched until YHC guided the 13 other HIM toward their heart’s desire. Oh Pamela, how we missed you. This is what happened…

We ran toward the open arms of Pamela and she welcomed us like a Valentine yearning for her beau. We made wild, passionate love on her asphalt blacktop. Then we finished the rest of the run. The end.

Annoucements: 2nd F lunch at JR Cash’s in Mt Holly next Wednesday, HIMs Retreat to Flat Rock next weekend

Prayer request: Gumby’s back, YHC’s M, Linus’ family, Roscoe’s father in law, PAX on IR

Thanks for the opportunity to lead today men. ALWAYS BE EHing! AYE!!!

7 couples and 1 solo HIM travelled from the Gastonia region looking for the next challenge to conquer. This is what happened…

First F Q Roscoe offered to pick up YHC from the hacienda and drive to the airport. Sounded like a plan to YHC and we picked up Boudin on the way too. We dropped off the M’s and Boudin off at the departures spot and drove to Long Term Parking. Upon finally finding a spot, we tried catching up with the shuttle but he wasgoing  just fast enough from stop to stop that we couldn’t catch it. Picture “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”. Anyway, we finally hitched the ride, met the others and made our way through inspections and ended up at the gate. Eventually, all the group found their way there and we took off.

Upon landing we made our way to pick up the Sprinter that Defib reserved and headed to lunch. Because it was about 3:00 EST, we were starving so we found an old haunt of tour guide Defib’s and hunkered down to some bloody mary’s, beer, crawfish and po boys. Fantastic start to the trip.

Next we checked into the hotel, gathered ourselves and then went out for dinner on Bourbon Street, just not the out of control part. From there we went to one of the Top 20 Hotel bars in the world, The Carousel Bar. This thing literally spins slowly around the center bartender area! It was cool and many a laugh was had. Some of the guys progressively made their way home so they could get up early for the half marathon we travelled all this way for.

We agreed to meet in the lobby to take the 1.5 hour trip to Biloxi. At the appointed time, most of the group were waiting to split but one of us decided to “Smart Sack.” Oh well, we headed out anyway and had a very pleasant trip. Upon arriving in Biloxi, we found the Golden Nugget casino where check in was located. Before leaving Gastonia, YHC tried furiously to find the email confirmation for the registration because YHC kept receiving “Register Now Before it Closes” emails. YHC could’ve sworn YHC registered way back in the late summer but they apparently never sent a confirmation and the website didn’t allow for searching up a registration. YHC rolled the dice to see if they had the registration and Eureka! Sure enough YHC had done it and we’re in business!

The shuttle took us to the start area and, after waiting in the mini old Charlotte coliseum to stay warm, they herded us out of the building and down the street. Where are we going? After about a half mile walk we came to what was a rolling start. They had a mat on the ground that was the starting point. Here we go! YHC decided to jump over to the uncrowded sidewalk on the side to avoid the cluster of runners at the start. Freight, Broke and Defib (The 3 Amigos) stayed together to support and encourage each other, that’s teamwork! The sun had come up and was staring us right in the face, which caused the temperature to jump us very quickly. The course was almost straight as an arrow running into the sun for the first 6 miles which made YHC contemplate stripping off the upper garmets to stay cool. Yep, couldn’t take it any more so when YHC got to a point of where the layer could be picked back up, off it went and there was nothing left but the flabby muffin top. Some would say they would’ve mistaken YHC for Goldigger except for the going fast part! Yeah right!!! It was definitely cooler though.

The bridge over the inlet wasn’t super high on the way over thanks to a little small incline early in the out portion of the bridge. On the way down and around, we wound through a little waterfront neighborhood that was lined with some fans and then it was back to the bridge. Going up the incline, it was rough. So much so that Freight needed to take a breather with a short walk, that is until Defib gave him a push from behind and said “Keep going!” Now that’s teamwork!!!

YHC could feel the finish approaching fast so YHC went all out. The finish line was right next to the casino a YHC gave it all he had until the checkered flag. Not too long afterward Freight, running in his first half marathon ever mind you, came trotting across like it was easy-peasy. Nice job. Close behind him Defib finished, followed by Broke and Short Sale. Awesome work men!

The Three Amigo’s said that staying together really helped with encouragement and pushing each other during the race. Isn’t that exactly what F3 does for us? We’re there when we need each other and we help make each other better, maybe even when we don’t plan for it to happen.

All in all, it was a great race and we had a lot of fun. We even made it back to New Orleans in time for lunch and an afternoon of fun. That night we went out for dinner and listened to some hometown jazz music too. We even found a vestibule of truth where deep dark secrets were shared. Apparently someone with us has a dream of having an authentic Viking funeral, complete with raft, flaming arrows that burn half a body and a shark attack. Had to be there! The next day the dudes went to the National World War II Museum, which was amazing and is highly recommended for anyone interested in history or America for that matter. It was awesome! With the little time left on Tuesday we went to Cafe Dummond for some fresh beignets and coffee, which was a nice way to end an awesome trip with good friends.

Thank you all for indulging YHC, the “Instigator”, by coming on this wild trip. It was a blast!!! The next big group one on tap is Austin, TX in February 2023. Mark your calendars now!

It was a beautiful February morning. The 10:00 hour struck and only HIPAA showed and Nutria was there to plant the shovel flag at The Ricky Bobby for the inaugural EH ruck. What the #&%*! Where was everybody? Ok, we’ll get it done by ourselves.

We headed out on the trail and started making good time. It was windy so it messed with the papers a little but we made it work. Good progress was made and we got about 1/3 of the way through the hood when ‘ole Dr Seuss showed up in his sweet ride. Nice, let’s keep going!

We were running low on flyers about the time we came up to 1st F Q Roscoe’s hacienda. We put in an order for 50 extra flyers and kept moving. Roscoe showed up a little while later with the police interceptor’s lights flashing for the emergency delivery!!!

With the refueled cargo, we made the final push and wrapped up the deliveries. At the end, we delivered 300 flyers to guys who don’t even know that they need us. But they do! ALWAYS BE EHING!

We’ll do this again soon and we need way more HIM there!!!

It was raining. A lot. Pouring, actually. Despite that, 3 got some EC miles in and when the clock struck 5:30 12 HIM were present for the beatdown. Dedicated men looking to make themselves and each other better! This is what happened…

We started under the pavilion and the chatter began before the first part of the disclaimer was given. Mayor, Sister Act and others already had their gums warmed up and were blabbing like never before. Good. The disclaimer was given and we said the Pledge of Allegiance.

The warmup consisted of the Don Quixote.

Mosey down the way to the parking deck for the Thang.

Elevens

Merkins at the bottom. Mosey the long way to the top and do Peter Parkers there. Descend down the stairs and go to the next round. This was a cardio burner for sure!

Once  the 6 was in we moseyed back toward the start, making a pit stop for some Wall Sits and Air Presses, and then on to the pavilion. We did a few Goofballs to finish and left time for some discussion.

Moleskin –

YHC deliberately stopped the workout 5 minutes early to explain that it’s alright, if the Q so chooses, to leave time before the 45 minute mark for conversation. Here’s the thing, when we’re attending workouts, especially during the week, guys are itching to get to work or whatever once the time is up. Stopping early allows time for guys to share some things that are on their mind if they watn to without feeling like they’re holding everybody up. Now this won’t happen all the time but remember that it’s ALRIGHT to stop early. If you don’t like that, then take the Q and use the whole time to workout. That’s fine too.

Bottom line, we men are made for community and connection. We need each other and we can make a huge difference in each other’s lives if we just try. Aye!

Prayer Requests: Purple Haze’s mom, WIchita’s mom, Tesla, SA’s family and also travels

Announcements: Flat Rock retreat, Rooster relay in Rock Hill, 2nd F lunch at JR Cash’s 16th

The drive into Midoriyama today was rainy and cold. The weatherman got it wrong again, it was supposed to be 65 and dry. Instead it was 48 and rainy. YHC wondered which HIM if any would show up today. A pleasant surprise was in store, 3 PAX were waiting beside the turd shack waiting out the rain. YHC wandered over to shoot the breeze until it was time. Gavel rolled in after that right at start time.

Pledge of Allegiance. Then there was a gray truck that showed up. Dang if it wasn’t the IR sitter himself Def Leppard. I guess he has been feeling healthy enough and needed to get out of the house. But isn’t his wrist messed up? Oh well, he’s here, let’s get going. This is what happened…

Mosey

We did a lap on the pump track to test our agility on the way to the dry covered area. Warmup of Don Quixotes, Imperial Walkers and LBCs.

The first Thang – Escalator

10 Lunges each leg

20 Squats

30 V-Ups

40 Step Ups each leg

50 Dying Cockroaches each leg

Mosey over to the top of the sidewalk that leads to the lake.

The Thang Thang – Triple Nickel

At the top do 5×10 (that’s 50) Air Presses, at the bottom do 10 Apollo Ohno’s each leg. This was tiring just like I planned it.
Mosey back to the start just in time.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead today men. A small group was in attendance but they pushed the rock hard. AYE!!!

Annoucements: Neighborhood ruck this Saturday at TRB 10:00am, 2nd F lunch Wednesday the 16th at JR Cash’s, HIM Retreat in Flat Rock 18-20th

Prayer requests: The wrist, Slaw is under the weather, Gumby’s back, see prayer request Slack channel

These were some unexpected circumstances to be sure. The weekend before, the weather peeps called for everyone to batten down the hatches and prepare for snowmageddon. This time around, they hardly even mentioned a chance of anything for our area. Well Friday evening it started snowing. And kept snowing. And kept snowing. And kept snowing until the SE part of the county had a solid 3″ of the white stuff. When YHC went to bed, it looked like the chances of making the treck to Folsom would be in danger of not happening.

5:30 came and the morning routine started like usual. YHC was thinking of how to conduct a remote Q so the PAX could get some sort of work in. What to do, what to do. When the garage door was opened and an analysis of the conditions was held, it looked a little better than expected. The road snow had settled down a litte so that it wasn’t totally white. Maybe there was a chance. When the radar seemed to indicate that the northern part of the county may not have gotten it as bad an YHC’s hood, the decision was made to give it a go. Better get on the road early so that careful slow driving could be done. Let’s do it!

After a mostly uneventful drive to the norhtern territory, YHC pulled into the Folsom area to be greeted by Balljoint running around getting in some EC. There were a few other trucks in the lot ready to get some work done. At the start time, there were 5 HIM ready to push the rock. This is what happened…

After a little chatter, it was determined that the covered picnic shelter at the bottom would be a perfet venue for what YHC had cooked up. It had light and was ice free. Excellent!

The Thang – The Frozen Deck of Death!!!

To keep moving around in the ice to a minimum, YHC picked the Deck as a good method for madness. The format was that we’d do a specific exercise per suit. It went like this:

• Spades – Merkins
• Diamonds – Big Boy Sit Ups
• Hearts – Lunges
• Clubs – Goofballs

To accompany the work, YHC broght the trusty JBL Flip for some musical vibes. Volt really appreciated most of what was played for sure. We made it all the way through the deck with enough time to give another round a go. This time it was like this:

• Spades – CDDs – aka Def Leppard merkins in honor of the former Nantan who is on IR for the time being
• Diamonds – LBCs
• Hearts – Squats
• Clubs – Plank Jacks

We finished with just barely enough time and then we headed back to the start. Way to push it men!

Prayer requests- Def Leppard’s wrist, Huck’s dad, Gumby’s back, Big Pappy’s mom, Wichita’s mom, Chloe’s tumor behind her knee

Announcements – Q School rescheduled to February 5th, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader rescheduled to May 3rd, Rooster relay in Rock Hill, Flat Rock retreat February 18-20 has 15 spots remaining

As usual, even when it’s unsure whether it’s smart to post or not, YHC was super glad he pushed the envelope to make it to the workout. We had great fellowship and mumblechatter and everyone got better. AYE!!!

It was a day unlike any other. The Gastonia area actually got the predicted snow, kids and parents alike had tons of fun and all was right with the world. With all the icy weather Flintstone made the decision to move the regularly scheduled Monday workout from am to pm. On top of that, the scheduled Q couldn’t make the new time so reinforcements were called in. This is what happened…

YHC got to the AO early to scout things out. There was still lots of ice around and it was wet too. Now some HIM might throw caution to the wind and go splashing through some half frozen puddles like a school kid. Not this guy, we took the mature route and headed to the nice dry abandoned bank drive through. It was perfect.

Because YHC felt like mixing things up, a delegated workout from the PAX was in order. When YHC asked for any suggestions, Broke spoke up and offered

The Covid WOD

• 25 burpees
• 1 round of
  • 19 Crisscrosses IC or something like that. Actually, they looked a lot like Jingle Balls
  • 19 Imperial Squat Walkers IC (Sargento style)
  • 19 Oblique crunches each side IC
  • 19 V-Ups OYO – This is where Def Leppard did a sneak attack and sucker punched Defib in the gut! Watch you back men!
  • 19 Diamond Merkins OYO
  • Lunge walk from one end of the drive thru and back
• Repeato x3

After this Flintstone offered up some partner work where one person exercised whilst the other held plank and you switched back and forth whenever you wanted. The idea was to do this for 2 minutes. We did Merkins (stupid) and other stuff. It sucked and he won’t be called on to lead this again.

At this point time pretty much ran out so we carefully moseyed back to the start, said the pledge and wrapped it up.

Remember our theme for the year, Always Be EHing!!!

Prayer requests: Gumby’s back, Huck’s dad, Mayor’s M, Big Pappy’s mom,

Announcements: Q School has been rescheduled for February 5th, Flat Rock retreat only has 15 spots remaining

Thanks for the impomptu opportunity to lead men. Aye!