Author: Whoopee (Page 5 of 25)

Another outstanding day in Gashouse. We had a great crowd with really good weather. Actually, the mumble chatter started early so I’ll take back the comment about a great crowd…there were a lot of people there but the quality was not so good. Well maybe most of the crowd was good but you know what they say about 1 rotten apple spoiling the whole bunch?

We started with a disclaimer and pledge then got to work with the warmup which was a shortened version of the workout. It would be 6 exercises performed in different locations and at varying amounts of time. There was only 1 problem: I could only remember 5 of the exercises but thankfully Roscoe saved me and remembered #6. The exercises were the following: SSH, Merkins, Big Boys, Burpees, Flutter Kicks, and Squats. We did a few as part of the WU then moseyed to Gastone’s Hill. At the bottom we did the same 6 exercises for 10-30 reps and part way thru an unnamed pax that rhymes with Portsale started getting mouthy. Actually, it started during the warmup but I did my best to ignore him up to that point but every man has a breaking point. We did a few rounds of burpees X 5 as punishment to get him to settle down. I think I saw some remorse in his eyes as he started to cry. Well, at this point Defib had to console him. It’s tough to watch a grown man cry. Defib hugged him during the rest of those exercises. There might have been some “massaging” going on as well but it was dark and not sure I could say for sure. We moseyed up the hill then quietly did some more rounds of those same 6 exercises. “Portsale” was obedient and appreciative to be back in the pack at this point and kept his mouth shut like a good little boy from here on out. We moseyed down, did some more exercises, moseyed back up for some more. At the top, I tried to remember something I read from Strog’s Christmas Eve book but didn’t have the book. Or my phone. Or a good memory. So I winged it and discussed what I could remember about the 4th scroll in this book called The Greatest Salesman in the World. It was about being unique and making your time on this earth count. Don’t waste time and enjoy your life to the fullest-at least that’s what I remembered. See below…..We moseyed back to start for COT with a few merkins at every other light post on the way back. Once we got back, Strog got his books out of his car and I read part of the chapter I THOUGHT I wanted to talk about which was good. Once I got home, I got my book (I meant to bring with me) and below is the actual paragraph I meant to read.

It’s funny how my planning for this Q and my “message” was screwed up because this morning I was moaning in my head about how I didn’t want to post. I didn’t want to go exercise. I really just wanted to lay in bed and fartsack. I was tired. I posted yesterday morning then worked hard yesterday most of the day getting Christmas decorations down. Before getting in bed, I checked my watch and was over 25,000 steps for the day. Just seeing that made me even more tired. In short, the Sandy V was on level 9 in my head when I went to bed and had gotten worse through the night. Getting out there this am with the guys really helped. It’s currently about 8 am and I’m working on my backblast (gotta keep Gearwrench happy) with my dog Seymour sitting next to me and everyone in the house still sleeping except the one child who is already at work. I’ve had a good workout, suffered some mumble chatter, showered, gotten dressed, and about to make some breakfast. I’m trying to take my own advice and at least mentally get better today.

Here is the actual paragraph I meant to read. It’s from the chapter on scroll 5…another Q fail but who’s even reading this anyway???

“This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity. I greet this sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death. I lift mine arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day. So too, I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterday’s sunrise who are no longer with the living today. I am indeed a fortunate man and today’s hours are but a bonus, undeserved. Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I, have departed? Is it that they have accomplished their purpose while mine is yet to be achieved? Is this another opportunity for me to become the man I know I can be? Is there a purpose in nature? Is this my day to excel?”

IS THIS MY DAY TO EXCEL??????? How about that? How are you going to EXCEL if you are starting the day off with a freaking FARTSACK?????!!!!! I really needed to tell myself that this am.

If you haven’t Q’d a workout in awhile, sign up. It’s the best way to make sure you shake that sand out of the V and get out here so you can EXCEL!!!!!

see you soon-Whoopee

Good crowd this am with combination of bootcamp and pain lab. Started on time with quick disclaimer, especially since HunkAJunk brought an FNG-good work!!! Hit the pledge then get warmed up. It is my last Q as site Q so I thought I would try something….and as usual, it looked better on paper. We listened to part of “There’s a Carp in the Tub” which was 1 of my twins favorite songs when they were 2-3 years old. They are now 20 years old. The idea was get in plank position, every time you hear “carp” do a plank jack. This lasted about 30 seconds then the gong went off in my head and we moved on to the live version of Billy Idol and “Rebel Yell” with SSH and every time you hear “More, more, more” drop down and do a burpee. Again, better on paper so this maybe lasted about 15 seconds….move on to some regular exercises for WU and then split from the PainLabbers.

Mosey to back side of FPC church to the parking lot. Hop across the lot long ways (in case you are wondering, hopping sucks donkey balls), mosey back. Lunge same distance, mosey back. Karaoke L same distance, mosey back. Karaoke R same distance, mosey back. Mosey to steps at the PAD for 11’s: big boys at the bottom, Mike Tyson’s at the top. Part way thru I Omaha’d to have the first guy up the steps has to hop up while others were able to mosey up the steps. Well that didn’t really help as Defib was still first up almost every time. This was pretty tough, at least tougher than I planned or expected so I asked Stroganoff for a countdown from 50 to recover. We moseyed to the Baptist parking lot for some more work: 10 merkins at the top, high knees to other side, 5 burpees, Nur back. 10 merkins at the top, butt kickers to other side, 10 big boys, Nur back to top. 10 Merkins, hop to the bottom (again, hopping still sucks), pick what you want: 10 big boys or 5 burpees, Nur back to top. 14 count from JJ to recover. Mosey to front of FPC church for merkin countdown from 10 with 1 lap between each set then mosey home with some wall sits on the way then a little Mary at the end.

Good work men-closed out with COT and named out FNG Ethan Johnson/Pale Rider. Thanks for the opportunity to lead. ShortSale takes over next week as site Q.

Whoopee

It was chilly and we had no coffee. If you wanted coffee, there were other AOs advertising this. I promised burpees and that’s what was on the menu.

I rolled in hot and thankfully Watts Up started the warmup on time. Cold weather and driving my daughter’s car this am with a frosted windshield took a little longer than planned. I finished the warmup with a few burpees as Nutria whispered sweet somethings in Watts Up’s ear that sounded something like “I hope we don’t do any burpees”. GAME ON BRITCHES!!! I mentioned something called a burpee war, but didn’t feel like we had enough PAX to pull this off so I’ll save that for another time.

Mosey across the street for some step ups….how many??? Until I say so. We did about 50-ish with a little mumblechatter then headed to Gastone’s Hill. On the way we stopped at the first light and I asked for some exercise “suggestions” from the peanut gallery….whatever they said, I was not listening because all I could think about was burpees-2 at each light until we got to the hill. Once at the hill, head to the top and 2 burpees at each mailbox on the right, mosey down. Back up with 3 squats at each same mailbox I think. Mosey down and on the way I thought of something fun to play called ” What’s it worth?” Each pax counts the number of items of clothing (socks=2, shoes=2, hat=1,…) then add them up. Most everyone had about 14-ish. That was number of burpees you got to do. Here’s the kicker-take whatever clothing you want off and you don’t have to do that burpee. Lose the hat, could do 1 less burpee. Both shoes off, 2 less burpees. Get naked, no burpees. Fortunately,  no one took any clothes off and everyone just did burpees. Next time, need to assign more burpees per item of clothing. I think 3-4 would probably encourage some more reflection before starting burpees. We nurred up 1 lap and moseyed down. At some point we did 52 burpees (or more) as a group. The idea was do as many as you wanted per person, and the last person had to finish the rest until total of 52. I volunteered to be last and the guys took it easy on me. Between Nutria and Maybeline I probably wouldn’t have had to do much at all.

I can’t really remember everything we did and in the correct order, but above pretty much sums it up. Basically, we found ways to do burpees and ran up the hill a few times. It was close to time so we headed home with squats at each light going home. We hit the pledge then COT then hit the road.

The guys pushed hard this am. I know no one there was really excited about burpees….well, maybe Maybeline and Nutria…..and I was just a little. But everyone came this am knowing burpees were on the menu and put in a great effort. And fortunately no one got naked for the “What’s it worth” game. Good thing I was not in Folsom this morning. Could have been ugly….hairy and ugly.

thanks guys-Whoopee

It was a great morning. Nutria was looking for some Q’s to spend a little time talking about living 3rd, and it was the right time for me to do this. We had a solid crowd of 8 and got started on time with a disclaimer and pledge then a really long warmup, at least compared with my usual warmup. At some point we were talking about how to spell Gator’s last name. Full disclosure, he works at the hospital and I knew it would be tough because I’ve seen it on his name badge and probably on some emails also. We got the first letter right and that was all. Show to know the correct spelling.

We moseyed to the end of the covered area, quick discussion about living 3rd, then started the exercises: jump all the way back to front of covered area then mosey to start. Bear crawl same distance, mosey back. Same thing with lunges then mosey to back of school the wall. It was a nice wall, well lit, little bit of grass nearby, no scuff marks…..really nice. So we did some hip slappers and talked a bit more about living 3rd. We actually talked about NOT living 3rd, and that if you don’t live 3rd you are a jackass (thanks for remembering this term Tesla). So at this point, we had to do some jackass kicks on that beautiful wall. I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t have any donkey noises but that’s ok. I’ll get over it. Next was a quick mosey to the back parking lot for some suicides with Bobby Hurley’s then some 22’s with LBC’s and Leppard Merkins (getcho’ butt down Leppard) aka CDD’s. I asked for suggestions for the exercises and came really close to over-ruling the LBCs with Burpees but showed some restraint. Not sure that was a good idea but we went with it. After completing the 22’s, we moseyed around to the track for a couple Bojangles biscuits then some partner work. At about this time it was close to the end so we moseyed back to the flag and finished with a friendly group “hello Mrs. Breaker” that would make Eddie Haskell proud.

Living Third-if you don’t know what this is, you probably should. Living Third is about serving others-put God/the higher power first, community (people around you-family, friends, others) second, and yourself third. To do this, you need to make sure you are not struggling to stay afloat and on track with your own issues. This starts with the daily exercise/first F/red pill….whatever you want to call it. You need to get your own stuff right before you can help others and be a servant instead of just a survivor. This is a whole lot easier with things like a blade/stone relationship, a shield lock, or at least some people around you that you can call “BROTHER.” Don’t take that term lightly-giving it or receiving that label “brother” is a big deal. It’s not the same to me as a friend. If it’s the same thing to you, I think you are missing out. Chew on that for awhile then think about whether you are gonna fartsack.

Whoopee

Chad100 was today at GasHouse. Read about Chad Wilkerson, the SEAL, when you have a chance. Can also listen to the Jocko podcast #296 with his wife, Sara Wilkerson. Basically, it is about a SEAL who suffered from traumatic brain injury and eventually took his life, and how his wife is helping prevent this for future military personnel.

We did 1000 step ups with a ruck and all got better. I said this last year, but I plan on training a little more regularly this coming year. Maybeline was a trooper pushing me during the training the last couple months and JJ did this with us even without training and after 3 miles of EC!!!

We finished then hit COT with PainLabbers and Frosty. 6 of us made it to coffeteeria at the CBD.

Great work this am guys!

Whoopee

3 runners, 2 ruckers, 2 for Q source only. Great discussion on a rainy day.

I got the call I’ve been waiting on. I knew it was coming. Flintstone started the “Redwood” Q series and I knew my number was coming up soon. Although I expected it, I don’t think I was quite ready but I’m not sure I would have been more ready if I had another month.

What can I say about F3 GasHouse? It has been a great experience being part of F3 GasHouse, and I was fortunate to be around when we crawled thru the birth canal back in 2015 thanks to some good guys. It has taken a lot of really good men to keep me here and I am grateful for that. The men that I call brothers more often in my head than out loud have shepherded me thru some rough times, helped me avoid a lot of potholes, and pulled me out of some of each before they got to be too much of a problem. I have enjoyed a bunch of CSAUPs with stories than range from something like “I need something warm in me” to running the BRR. We have rucked the BRR (and dodged some dogs and gun-toting hillbillies) as well and created the Moron with a Part Deux not too far off I am sure. I have met some great men that have taught me how to be a better man. I have become a more patriotic American and grown closer to God as a result of a lot of this. Praying out loud in a group of men was new for me, and now seems pretty simple and honestly pretty natural.

When I get asked about F3, it’s hard to describe effectively. I can (pretty much) recite the mission. I can tell you about the workouts. I can even tell you why you should be there and counter most every excuse why you don’t want to be there. What’s harder to put into words is the effect that you (as a group and as individuals) have had on my life. Any of you that know me for more than a few workouts know I run my mouth (a little?) more than I should. I speak more often than I listen, but I am working on that thanks to feedback from many of you. I’ve read more books in the last 5 years than in the previous 20, no probably 30 years combined. Contrary to some opinions, I have gotten better at listening (which is not really necessarily saying much). I have taken criticism without taking it personal, although it often takes me longer than I would like to admit to get past the personal part but I eventually do get there. I have made my share of mistakes and then some. I’ve splashed in more puddles as an adult than I ever did as a child. I’ve stolen the dish soap from home to slide around on a slip n slide with a bunch of grown ass men and loved it. I’ve been to funerals with shovel flags. I’ve celebrated cancer milestones (mine and others) with shovel flags. I’ve run more hills in the middle of the night and gotten lost with a smile on my face because I knew my brothers would eventually find me during a really stupid race called the Mortimer. I’ve said the Pledge of Allegiance more often than probably any non-F3 person ever will. I have also been more open with a small group of men I call my Shieldlock than I have probably been with anyone else in my life other than my wife. I have been sharpened by some guy that calls me his Stone more times and in more ways than he will ever know.

I guess if I had to sum it up in a word, F3 has been TRANSFORMATIONAL for me. It has changed me and continues to change me. It has refined me as a leader and has helped me realize I have a lot to grow in that area still. It’s this ripple effect than I have been thinking about since reaching out to Dredd to Q at GasHouse a few weeks ago. The effect that so many of you have had on me can’t be understated in my opinion. I can’t imagine how different I would be without F3. Thankfully I won’t have to worry about that. Being thankful for the couple of HIMs that started F3 more than 10 years ago followed by the group of HIMs that helped us get off the ground here in GasHouse and then the literally dozens of HIMs that keep us going every day is something I hope I never get tired of or take for granted. Thank you for being part of this and keeping me on track. Thank you for being my guardrails.

This morning we did some exercises then ended with a COT. It was a normal Monday for me for the most part. If you were there, you know the general theme of what I wrote above. I added a few details that I have thought about during the day. Thanks for keeping this thing going. There is someone out there who doesn’t know it yet, but you just might save his life by continuing to post. Think about that tomorrow when your alarm goes off and you are considering fartsacking…..

SYITG-Whoopee

A bunch of guys showed up today for some work. Most of us dressed for the cooler weather. Then there was Dr. Seuss. In shorts and short sleeves. And 1 big grin and no complaining at all. We started with a disclaimer, the pledge, then a quick warmup and got to work. We moseyed to the school where I had some coupons laid out but bypassed them for a few rounds of hip slappers. That got us warmed up good so we got to the coupons for some instructions: split into 2 groups, group 1: grab a coupon and get 22 step ups on the rock-like objects in front of the school; group 2: mosey to end of lot for 22 Merkins. Each trip for Merkins drop 2 reps, and each trip to the coupons get 22 step ups. Coupons included 40# dumbbells, 30# ruck plate, sandbag, ruck, and 2 collections of marble-wrapped in towels or pool noodle floatie stuff. We did about 5-6 trips then moved on to some book learnin’. I am reading a book by Ryan Holiday who does a podcast on stoicism and has written some books also….more on that below. The book is called Discipline is Destiny and so far it’s pretty good.

It was about this time that the wheels came off. I tried to do an Indian run with 2 lines but couldn’t remember how to make it work right. We carried 2 coupons, took turns leading the lines, and ran around the parking lot 1 time. It was not pretty, but we did it anyway. After that general screw up, we did some more hip slappers and even considered slapping the hip (or other body part) of the pax next to you and calling it Witch Slappers (or Bitch Slappers). We also talked about the Wall of Thermopylae exercise (ask an old guy if you don’t know what that is) then moved on to the next exercise: 11’s-we did overhead claps on the far end and LBC’s on the near end. We jumped our way to the far side and nurred our way back. Thankfully no Anthraxes were injured during the nurring. A few reps in I shortened the distance that we hopped/jumped. Jumping is way under-rated. That is tough. At this point I asked Broke would he rather run or do hip slappers……back on the wall for another round of hip slappers. I think I like Broke. Anybody who chooses hip slappers over running is aaallllrriiiggghhhhtttt in my book.

Time was getting short so we grabbed the coupons, moseyed to start for some tag team suicides/plank with the light posts for a few rounds, and then ended with a few rounds of speed Mary and COT.

This was a good day for me-got started early, put in some work with some great guys, and had fun doing it. The part of the book that I mentioned above reading this am was about getting up early. It talked about a single mom who would get up early to write (she was a writer for magazines) and once her kids got up, she couldn’t focus as much on the work so she started early every day. There was also a quote from Marcus Aurelius’s book Meditations where he is trying to convince himself to get out of bed and says to himself: “Is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?” Another author he quotes believes Christ recommended rising early in the morning by rising from his grave very early and says maybe that is why quiet mornings seem so holy. He suggests that we are tapping into the traditions of our ancestors who rose early to pray, farm, and do other necessary tasks early in the morning.

He goes on to say this: “When you have trouble waking up, when you find it hard, remind yourself of who you come from, remind yourself of the tradition, remind yourself of what is at stake….Think of how lucky you are. Be glad to be awake. Feel the joy of being able to do what you love. Cherish the time. But most of all, use it.”

Hope you all got something out of this morning besides some physical exercise. The time that I spent with F3 guys is never wasted. Taking some time to slow down and enjoy each other is important. What if I told you I only had 10 more times that I could post…..ever? What if I told you YOU only had 10 more times to post ever? Think about that for a minute. It’s a bit cliche, but remember, none of us is promised tomorrow. Cherish the time. But most of all, USE IT. And use it wisely.

thanks for coming out this morning guys-Whoopee

Today was a great day. I really hoped it would be. I sometimes think about “things.” It’s usually when I am off work for a few days and my mind starts to wander and I start dreaming about things that I could be doing better at work or home or with the family. I guess when I slow down enough to consider what is going on around me, I think of ways to make changes hopefully for the better. Although I didn’t have time off to do that, this whole week I was a little excited and nervous about the weekend. Think about all the things that have happened to you over the last few years since you joined F3. For me, it was thankfully early in the forming stages of GasHouse in 2015. Sure we had some guidance and people giving us advice, but we were really just hanging on trying not to let the wheels run off the track as we grew into a region. F3 has been a huge part of my life, and not just from 0530-0615. I’ve met some great guys. I’ve gotten in better shape. I’ve read more books and listened to more podcasts than I ever imagined. In a word…..I have matured. That is a big thing for me and I don’t say that lightly. I could not have done that without a lot of you and most importantly, I could not have done that without Dredd. This is a guy that I have had less than 2 hours of total conversation with in my entire life. Despite this, he has changed my life, possibly more than any other man outside of my family. That really sounds strange when I read that now. His vision for F3 and who he has inspired to be better men can never be understated. Think about that for a minute. When you think of a high impact man, his image needs to consume your thoughts.

I remember running 1 time a few years ago with Tooltime (AKA Bolt) and he got this funny look on his face and said something about how cool it was that we had been a part of building this “thing” in Gastonia. I didn’t want to let it get to my head (don’t think I need any help with that) so I just kind of laughed it off and changed the subject quickly. I know a lot of guys played a role in starting F3 in Gastonia and even more are still playing a role in keeping it going. Just remember, it takes all of us but it probably started with a little spark of a thought from Dredd at the right time with the right people around him and see what F3 has become? Things like this really confirm to me there is a God, there is a plan, and sometimes I need to just hang on and try not to let the wheels run off the track. We have a great group of men with F3 here in GasHouse. Every day you don’t post, you are missing out on that gift and maybe missing an opportunity to be that spark that makes a difference for another guy. That difference might be as simple as sticking with F3 just to exercise or maybe as big as deciding it’s time to make a change in his life for the better. Think if Dredd fartsacked on 1/1/2011? What would you be doing right now? Who would you be right now? More importantly, where would you be headed?

Dread delivered in GasHouse…..in a big way. It’s not too late to reap the benefits. If you were not there at GasHouse, you missed out. We had a great time and got better. Thanks for helping to keep the wheels on the track.

Whoopee

We ran or rucked then discussed courage with Tesla over mimosas. It was a good morning with great weather and a lot of good discussion. thanks for posting guys. enjoyed the change of scenery from Coconut Horse.

Whoopee