At 5:25, I got out of my truck and took a big breath of the fresh Carolina air! I asked the other 7 men who had gathered on this sacred day “Do you guys smell that?” The men looked a bit puzzled. I answered “That’s the smell of FREEDOM!”. I could almost hear the caw of Bald Eagles chasing after some Commie-prey. I could almost feel the cold of the Delaware River as General Washington crossed with his men. I could almost smell the ink as our founding fathers drug that quill pen across that legendary parchment that indeed created the greatest nation in history. Merica! 8 men were at Folsom to day for this Star-Spangled-Kick Some Ass-Merica themed workout!

Warmarama

Montross has a Bluetooth speaker and a playlist just for today! Nothing but songs about Merica!

SSH and Toy Solders – in cadence

Bedpan shared some terrific July 4th history with us. Do you know when our country first celebrated July 4th? The answer was July 1777…we didn’t even wait to win the war, we started celebrating on the first anniversary of the Declaration of Independence because we’re Merica and we had no intentions of losing!

Montross takes the lead: Let’s mosey to the Ampitheater – one little adjustment today. Normally the shovel flags say at the starting location but not today. We left Bedpan’s double-barrel Merica and F3 flag at the start, but we are carrying the Folsom Shovel Flag with us to every stop today! We rotated flag duties, other men grabbed the coupons.

First up – Abs
– 25 LBCs in cadence
– 25 Rosalitas in cadence
– 13 Fifer Scissor Alt Punch in cadence (the exercise Short Sale brought to convergence that looks kinda like a Dying Cockroach)
– Repeat all 3 to give us 50 total LBCs and 50 Rosalitas in cadence for each of the 50 states. Also, (2) sets of 13 Fifer Scissors for the 13 colonies and original states.

What celebration of Merica would be complete without plenty of Merkins? Therefore, let’s do some Ladder Merkins.
– 5 each Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, Right Arm Stagger Merkins, Left Arm Stagger Merkins, Right Leg Up Merkins, Left Leg Up Merkins, and Mike Tysons in cadence.

Bedpan takes the lead: Mosey to the lower large parking lot for a 1776 spectacular!

• 17 Merican Hammers in the first corner.
• “Put it in reverse!” for Terry and Nur up the parking lot to the next corner (Mayor and Montross got a little competitive, Mayor may have used force to ensure Montross would not pass him).
• 70 Squats – not little baby squats either, dig deep and get low!
• “Put it in reverse!” and Nur to the next corner
• 6 burpees. The PAX are greatful Bedpan didn’t call 70 of these!

Don’t forget the Ladder Merkins!
– 4 each Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, Right Arm Stagger Merkins, Left Arm Stagger Merkins, Right Leg Up Merkins, Left Leg Up Merkins, and Mike Tysons in cadence.

Montross takes the lead again: Mosey back to the amphitheater. Merica by Grainer Smith and Earl Dibbles Jr comes on the speaker. Looking back on it, I should not have been too surprised that Tater Hole was all about this song and knows almost every word! Here’s the chorus:

We’re back to back undefeated world war champs
So take a cup, raise it up for my Uncle Sam
You know we sent a man to the moon
And before we’re done
Yeah we’ll probably send a man to the sun
‘Merica

Circuit – 1 minute AMRAP at each station. Balls to the Wall, Divebombers, LBCs, Curls (with a cinder block), Squat Thrusters (with Montross’ 35 lb rucksack), Mountain Climbers, LBCs.

Ladder Merkins! – 3 each Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, Right Arm Stagger Merkins, Left Arm Stagger Merkins, Right Leg Up Merkins, Left Leg Up Merkins, and Mike Tysons in cadence. Shoutout to Tater Hole – YHC was pretty gassed and ready to abandon the Mike Tysons but Tater wasn’t having it!

Bedpan takes the lead again and we mosey up the hill back to the parking lot. Time was running sort so other plans will just have to wait until next time. However, we still have some Merkins to finish up! We are going back to back just like Merica did as undefeated World War Champs!

Ladder Merkins! – 2 each Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, Right Arm Stagger Merkins, Left Arm Stagger Merkins, Right Leg Up Merkins, Left Leg Up Merkins, and Mike Tysons in cadence.

Ladder Merkins! – 1 each Merkins, Wide Arm Merkins, Right Arm Stagger Merkins, Left Arm Stagger Merkins, Right Leg Up Merkins, Left Leg Up Merkins, and Mike Tysons in cadence.

Time!

Announcements: Happy July 4th, July 20th is tubing, Also on July 20 – No Brainer Nationals at Shadyside Dragway, 7/21 is the Tronmoss 5k, Christmastown 5k registration is now open. YHC took us out in prayer.

Special thanks to Bedpan for helping me out today! I had a few things in mind for today to keep it partriotic, but Bedpan brought it to another level with the 1776, his 4th of July facts throughout the workout, and of course, his awesome bald eagle shirt! Bedpan is one of the guys you know you can count on to be there and bring joy and fun to the workout! I really appreciate ya BP!!! To the other PAX who posted today, thanks for coming out and resisting the fartsack. Hope the beatdown was worth your efforts to join us!

YHC told Linus a few weeks ago that I wanted to get around to some other AO’s a little more.  There are a lot of guys that we know only by name if we don’t get out of out comfort zone and travel to some other sites occasionally.  Linus posted that Q was open, so let’s make it happen.

Q rolls in about 10 minutes ahead of time, Roscoe and Whopee getting back from EC.  May have been others as well, if so I apologize for not mentioning.  0700, let’s get rolling!  Okay, maybe not, can’t get started with Hipaa and Hunchback just arriving.  MNC until they join.  Nice to see you, 20 burpees. Pledge

Boot campers with YHC to middle school track.  Progressive 4x4s (burpee with 4 merkins and 4 mtn climbers at the bottom).  Run to first corner do one, next corner do two.  Made two laps and progressed to eight 4x4s.  Good work.  Mosey to First Pres parking lot for seven of diamonds.  Mapped out our route with corners.  Started with seven diamond merkins, 14 bobby hurley, 21 American Hammers, 28 smurf jacks, 21 crunch frogs, 14 copper head squats, seven derkins, all of these in cadence.

Next we borrow a page from the Tesla playbook.  YHC sees that we are standing on top of a hill and have another hill about 150 yards away.  Half pipe triple nickel with turkish get up at each end.  Quiet group today.  Five rounds of that was tough.

Back on top of hill after nickel, have curb at each side of parking lot.  YHC can’t VQ at a new site without throwing in some Tiger squats.  11’s with Mike Tyson’s on the other side.

Head back of the flag, arrive just in time to the bell ring.

Pain lab rejoins for Moleskin.  Q reminds the group that last November we took a few weeks and read the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Now that we are mid year, it is a good time to pull out Proverbs again.  31 chapters, and is a great book to read a chapter a day each day of the month.  Saturday was July 6, and a few verses from chapter six remind us “There are six things the Lord hates,     seven that are detestable to him:  haughty eyes,  a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,       a heart that devises wicked schemes,  feet that are quick to rush into evil,  a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”

Announcements: Tubing coming up, 2.0 workout at Folsom, possibility of another Ragnar team if enough interest. Montross 5k

Prayer requests, our leadership, Montross mom, Bed Pan mom, Monk and his family.  Q took us out.

Always an honor

Tiger

15 men resisted the fartsack this morning and put in some work at Folsom.  1 FNG present, so a short disclaimer was given.  Everyone was told to grab a block and circle up, time to start.

Warm-Up:

10 Blockees

The Thang:

If you have made it to one of my Qs before at Folsom, it isn’t a secret that I enjoy using the tennis courts for the majority of the workout.  It has lots of room, smooth surface,  and painted lines which work well with a variety of workouts.  Unfortunately, the courts are under maintenance and the courts are locked.  This wouldn’t fare well with the pax here today.  This meant that my workout would still stay the same, but would just have to relocate to another area.  The area chosen is one that isn’t uses a lot, and takes a short mosey to reach.  So after the quick warm-up, pax are told to grab their block and follow me.  It wasn’t a very far mosey, but when you add the block, even the shortest of mosey sucks.  We made our way to the pond area, which is over to the very far left of Folsom.  There is a walking track that goes around the pond and some picnic shelters.  After much complaining, the pax finally arrive at the pond area.   Here is where the first exercise is called.  5 exercises are called:

10 Thrusters

15 Tri-cep Ext

20 Incline Merkin on Block

25 Curls

30  Chest Press

You are to complete the 5 exercises and then run a lap around the pond.  Do this for 5 rounds.  This was a challenge and  I appreciate everyone pushing on this.  My upper-body was toast after this.

Next we took a short fellowship mosey to the large parking lot near the ball fields at the back left of Folsom.  Here we would do some 4 Corner Escalator.  There wasn’t a lot of positive mumble chatter.  At the first corner, we would do 10 Blockees.  Walk to the 2nd corner for 10 Blockees, 20 Decline Merkins.  Go to 3rd corner for 10 Blockees, 20 Decline Merkins, 30 Leg Raises with holding blocks extended from chest.  Then the last corner we did 10 Blockees, 20 Decline Merkins, 30 Leg Raises, 40 Squats w/ block.  Time running short, we make our way back to the flag with our blocks.

Announcements:

7/20 is 2.0 workout at Folsom, 7/20 tubing trip, 7/21 Tronmoss Legacy 5k

Prayer Request

Nameorama:

Welcome FNG Gump.

It was an honor to lead today men.  Appreciate the push today.

Sister Act

The Pax was 18 strong to start Day 1 of the 2nd half of 2019.   We welcomed in July 1st.  Only 6 months left until a new decade.   Seems odd thinking about 2020 being right around the corner.  A future Q will be based on a Space Odyssey.   On a different note, there are a number of #HIMs tied for the Iron Skillet.   Yes, the month is just starting.  Where will you be come July 31st?

Disclaimer

The Pledge

Warm Up – Some SSH’s, MNC, LBC’s and Merkins

Mosey to the old HT parking lot.   YHC mentioned that had been in Chapel Hill over the weekend and was amazed that the old Four Corners Bar is still on Franklin Street.   First exercise would be in homage to the legendary gathering hole.

1st corner – 10 burpees

Mosey across the parking lot

2nd corner  –  20 big boy sit ups

Bear crawl over to the next corner

3rd corner – 30 plank jacks

NUR back down the parking lot

4th corner – 40 flutter kicks

Bear crawl across to the starting corner

Plank it up waiting on the six

Rinse and repeat the above

After the 2nd trip around, planked it up and recover

YHC had a pretty simple question for the PAX, knowing that their were a few Tigers, Wolfpack and Bears among us, who would you pull for between Duke and UNC?  YHC had devised the next exercise around who received the majority of votes.  What YHC did not anticipate (of course it was 5:45 in the am and had not given much thought to other possible outcomes) was that a number of #HIMS would silently protest by withholding votes.   Who would pick Duke?  Based on a fading memory, think it was 2 or 3.   Who would pick UNC?  Perhaps it was 8 or 9.  YHC can do basic math that early in the morning and knowing that the PAX was 18 strong, it was easy to determine that a number of #HIMS did not vote.   Heard some mumble chatter where the theme was “I would never pick either of those two teams.”    Very well, let’s just complete the 4 Corners again.

Rinse and Repeat

Meander to the upper side of the HT parking lot and partner up.   Time for Dora 1-2-3

Partner A runs across the parking lot to the Neel Hawkins side while Partner B completes an exercise; switch at the turn

100 – Donkey Kicks

200 – Merkins

300 – LBC’s

Plank it up then those that had completed jumped in to help the six complete LBCs.  No man left behind

Next up – Some wall sits with air presses; seems like we did 2 or 3 sets

Line up in the parking lot for a jail break across the parking lot

Mosey to the start – TIME

Announcements

COT

A great start to the week.   Good work men.

Turtleman

OK HIMS, it’s time to get your stair climb on. There is a 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Charlotte that honors FDNY firefighters, police, and EMS who gave their lives so that others might live. This is scheduled for September 14, 2019 at the Duke Energy Building at 550 South Tryon Street in Charlotte. Registration is $25 (that is current price and website says it will change if you wait too long to register). You will get a shirt and get to climb 110 flights of stairs so what are you waiting for? Registration is limited so if you can make it, get on board soon. Roscoe and I have already registered so get your butt in gear and join us.

I registered as a team called F3GasHouse. Not sure if you need it, but the username is F3GasHouse and password is Whoopee.

http://events.firehero.org/site/TR?fr_id=2092&pg=entry

Hope you can make it-Whoopee

After an extended break from The Fighting Yank and some VERY high quality leadership at The Yank Tesla gets back in the cockpit in the pilot’s seat to have a little fun. After a nice roll on the 4th at Special Edition it was time to get back to what we really do – bust it and get a lot better! We also had a FNG that we needed to break in as well courtesy Stroganoff. So as the humidity persisted and if possible got thicker we gathered at the park and made our way to the concrete pad for some COP and beyond. Went like this:

*Stretching (toe touch, foot to hand both sides, up dog, down dog)

*SSH X 20

IW X 20

Copperhead squats X 10

Merkins X 10

Mtn. Climbers X 20

Mosey on over to the dreaded Hawthorne Hill for DORA work

DORA:

100 merkins

200 LBCs

300 squats

P1 – Run the hill to the top.

P2 – Do the work above until P1 gets back then flapjack

This got everybody pretty gassed so we were well on our way to accomplishing the goal of a total SUCK workout! FNG holding up well.

Mosey back towards the traditional AO. Stop for a round of Route 66.

Lunge to each parking line.

Hand release merkins, 1-11. Total 66.

10 count, Mosey to the Field of Dreams.

Warmup for Bear crawl slalom in the shelter

Dips X 10

Step ups x 10

Dirkins x 10

Report to the field for BCS! We had 11 pax and put it looked like @ 6 feet apart which is pretty much the standard per YHC. Everyone got 2 turns and we got to the end of the field.

BCS warm down

SSH X 10

Turkish get ups X 5

Run halfway back, drop and 5 big boys.

End of field, drop and 10 big boys.

Time for some halfpipes!

Top of Heart Break: 5 jump squats.

Bottom pad: 5 merkins

Top of stairs: 5 butt to the street monkey humpers.

Got 2 runs in here. 4 minutes for pax to complete one repeat, then figure a minute to get everybody back ready to repeat.

Back to the shelter for Mary and stretching for @ 3 minutes. Down to The Yank for the pledge.

NMM:

Great work by the pax. Was a tough, humid, hot morning. Welcome FNG Righteous Fox! Keep getting out there brother, You’ll get better fast.

Honor and pleasure to lead. Anybody ready to lead next week? Step up!

Tesla

The 4th of July is one of those days that gets lost a little bit as a day off in the summer, maybe a whole week off work to observe American Independence as it’s “mission”. Lots of big shows, races, barbecues, boat rides, fire works, you name it. But do we ever actually read the document those founders wrote and really give it our thoughts and ask does it mean anything to us today, 243 years later? Unless you are a student of history probably not! So our mission of the day was to do an upbeat workout and then read this declaration aloud to see what it was all about. Went like this:

COP:

Warm up and stretching.

SSH X 20

IW X 20

Merkins X 15

LBCs X 20

Mosey up to the Field of Dreams for a set of blimps

Partner up for BLIMPS, Burpees, Lunges, IWs, Merkins, Plank Jacks, Squats,

Partner 1: Run a lap around the track.

Partner 2: do the “BLIMP” exercise.

Flapjack P1 and P2 upon lap completion. Repeat until we get through the whole BLIMP set.

Move on over to Heartbreak Hill for a set of Half Pipes.

Top of Heartbreak: jump squats X 5

Pad: Burpees X 5

Top of stairs: monkey humpers (butt to the street) X 5

3 repeats of the half pipe, takes @ 12 minutes and has everyone gassed. (Note: After looking at the half pipe in practice you can figure 1 round takes an entire pax @ 4-5 minutes total.

Back to the pad for some warm down stretching and the ceremony

Followup by the statue of The Fighting Yank;

Pledge of Allegiance, then reading the Declaration of Independence YHC had broken down into @ 17 parts for each pax to read. it’s a lot more than the preamble about being endowed by our creator but without that it doesn’t mean anything.  I would highly recommend anybody getting this weekend’s Wall Street Journal that discusses it pretty in depth. It says a lot about what Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin were thinking when they wrote it. And it wasn’t about them. It was about us. And those who come after us. Everywhere.

Sam gave us some words based on Paul Harvey’s July 4, 1974 radio show, a time I well remember as a real low point in the nation’s history. 5 weeks later the president would resign. South Vietnam was collapsing after the US pull out in March 1973. The US economy was beginning to see the inflation that would cripple it until the early 1980s. And the first round of gas lines had occurred along with a close call with nuclear war in October 1973. Talk about a crisis of confidence.

Sam talked about how the signers fro the most part of the declaration suffered pretty badly as a result of their staking out of their positions. They were all men of means, all leaders in their communities, states, and then some semblance of a nation. in most cases they either died during the war or lost everything they had as a result of the war. It was not pretty. So it was in fact an act of sacrificial leadership. With a whole lot of virtue as well.

YHC plans to do this every year by The Fighting Yank. For reasons illustrated above. Come by and listen or if you are motivated help us read! It means a lot.

Happy 4th! And keep it going!