Was a tad bit nervous, my brothers, given the crazy storms that rolled into our region yesterday. I had this Q on my calendar for a few weeks now and I didn’t want anything to come around to up end it. Thankfully, the storms rolled out just as quickly as they came in and it looked like it was 100% game on.
Anyways, watching the storms yesterday, I happened upon a handout that was posted online by MOVE!, a weight management program supported by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. The handout gave a brief overview of what they deem to be the four elements of fitness: (1) aerobic fitness (cardio), (2) muscular fitness (strength training), (3) flexibility (stretching), and (4) stability and balance (core exercises).
https://www.move.va.gov/docs/NewHandouts/PhysicalActivity/P36_TheFourElementsOfFitness.pdf
The MOVE! site states that it provides the most up to date approaches to fitness and weight management. Being a grungy, old guy, I am always grateful for any resource that helps me stay current and relevant (ok, insert groans and eye rolls from my 2.0s right here…). Personally, I found the hand out en pointe, y’all. Brief, simple, straight forward…and it gave me the inspiration I needed for the theme of today’s workout.
MADAM, I AM ATOM
0345 Alarm. Snooze (#1). Snooze (#2), Snooze (#3)…alright, alright…Instagram. Reddit. Facebook.
0425 Pick up Griswold. 0428 pick up Goat Cheese.
0452 Sit at intersection of Hope Valley & Garrett for what seemed like 5+ minutes. Eff it. Run it. Would have done so earlier, but we were deeply engrossed in conversation about all the groundbreaking contributions that originated from the great city of Baltimore.
0458 Roll up to meet the EC crew.
9 PAX for ManMaker EC. Strong work, brothers!
ELECTRON TURNS TO PROTON: WITHOUT YOU I WON’T BE ABLE TO HOLD THIS TOGETHER. PROTON: YOU’RE ALWAYS SO NEGATIVE.
Arrived late to the ME Welcome Party from EC. PAX are circled up and hitting SSH.
Greetings & Fist Bumps while going around the SSH circle. Got x50, IC.
Old Grunge here needs a breather after EC. Encouraged PAX to hit the ManMaker. Legit. Decided to start things off nice and easy and possibly build it up from there. This morning, we went with the…
Slaughter Open: 10 Burpees, OYO. 9 BW Squats, SC. 8 Burpees, OYO. 7 BW Squats, SC. 6 Burpees, OYO. 5 BW Squats. 4 Burpees, OYO. 3 BW Squats. 2 Burpees, OYO. 1 BW Squat…….10 Burpees, OYO finish.
Count-o-Rama. 24 PAX for the ME.
Split PAX into 2 groups of 12.
Mosey to the Traffic Circle.
NEUTRON WALKS INTO A BAR AND ASKS HOW MUCH FOR A BEER? BARKEEP SAYS FOR YOU, NO CHARGE
Introduced the workout for today: The 4 Elements. (1) Air, or Aerobic/Cardio, (2) Fire, or Strength Train/Feel The Burn, (3) Earth, or Core Work, and (4) Water, or Stretching/Flexibility.
Air
10 Burpees, OYO.
Get back into your 2 groups of 12. Line up. Ricky Bobby Run around the lower parking lot/tennis courts/soccer field (approx 1/3 of a mile?) Group 1 takes the low road; Group 2 decides to take the high road. Groups meet up at the top of the loop for high fives. Nicely done.
Take it to the lower parking lot. Some kind soul placed a couple cones out in the middle of the lot. Time for our warm up.
Dine & Dash: PAX dash approx. 20 yards, circle up and hit an exercise for 10 reps.
- Dash —–> SSH, x10 IC
- Dash —–> Roberto Durans, x10 IC
- Dash —–> Mountain Climbers, x10 IC
- Dash —–> High Knees, x10 IC
- Dash —–> Merkins, x10 SC
- Dash —–> Squat Air Press (x3), x10 SC
Fire
Mosey back to the traffic circle. Circle up around the perimeter. Time for a few rounds of Ring of Fire to really get things warmed up.
Ring of Fire #1: Carolina Wine Mixers (Start in plank, drop to Chilcutt one arm at a time, back up to plank, then hit a Merkin). Each PAX performs 2 Wine Mixers, first starting with left arm, then second starting with right. PAX in circle holds plank, but everyone hits both Merkins (total of 48) that the Wine Mixer performs.
Ring of Fire #2: Jump Lunges. Each PAX performs 2 sets (L, R, L, R). PAX in circle performs BW Squats while waiting their turn.
Ring of Fire #3: Bridges. Each PAX performs 5 Bridges. PAX in circle hold Bridge (work them Kegels…) for static.
Ring of Fire #4: Burpee Smurfs. Each PAX performs 1 Burpee + 4 Smurf Jax. PAX in circle holds Al Gore.
Ring of Fire #5: Wave That Flag. Go around circle, each PAX hits 1 Merkin, like a wave. Go in opposite direction each time. Went around 5x.
PROTON: I THINK I’VE LOST AN ELECTRON. NEUTRON: YOU SURE? PROTON: YES, I’M POSITIVE
Earth
Mosey to the covered walk way. Need to warm up the core…dive under the crust and into that magma. PAX in groups of 5 will perform 10 hanging knee ups (alternate middle, left, right, etc…end with middle) using the I-Beams in the walk way. While the 5 works, rest of PAX performs LBCs AMRAP.
Mosey to the parking lot. Circle up to complete Mary.
WWIIs, x30 SC
Iron Cross, x10 SC L/R
Sitting Knee Ups, x30 SC
Flutter Kicks, x50 IC (h/t to Bushwood)
Water
Had PAX get up on feet. Time to cool things down and finish off with some stretching/flexibility work. Take deep breaths.
- Arms overhead, side to side. Bend at waist, arms out front.
- Arms behind back, fingers clasped. Stretch arms up and down. Bend at waist, arms up and down.
- Arms outstretched to the side. Pull them back to get chest stretch.
- Bent arm behind head, tricep stretch. First, left, then right.
- Bend at waist, reach down and grab ankles. Lower back and hamstring stretch. Touch toes..
- Legs apart. Hamstring stretch, left and right side. Palms down in middle.
- Standing quad stretch, left and right. Balance on each leg.
Fin. Awesome job by all! Way to crush it, brothers.
COT/BOM
Announcements
- Stop Drop & Roll: Promo for #OCL. Kudos to Stop and TB for taking over as Site Qs. Thu, 0530, Rashkis Elementary, Meadowmont Chapel Hill. Boot camp, great AO with tons to work/play with. One of the original CH sites. Definitely worth checking out.
- Uzi: Promo for #TheBatteringRam. Kudos to Uzi for taking over as Site Q. Sat, 0630, Hooker Field, UNC. High intensity boot camp, mix in some heavy carry/gear workouts also. Get your weekend sweat on.
- Didn’t mention this, but Tue, 8/7, #TheRabbit will celebrate its 1 year anniversary. 0530. Meet up at Veranda @ Briar Chapel (right out front on 15-501). We will get some dirt, vert, and hurt, then hit Breakaway Cafe afterwards for coffee and fellowship. All paces, all experience levels welcome.
Name-o-Rama
BOM
Perhaps some or many of you brothers can relate, but my M is always on the lookout for interesting decor to help spruce up our living space. She picked up a nice little piece of wall art from one of our many beach excursions…this one was from a Cracker Barrel, want to say it was down in Wilmington. She saw it and told me she had to have it. Quaint little sign that provides a list of Family Rules. Anyways, it is up on a wall above a buffet table in our dining room where we have our evening meal. It’s not something that we all recite or read over or pay a ton of attention to, or anything like that…but, it is always right there, looming over us.
The other day, I actually took a moment and read over the rules carefully. Here’s what it says:
Family Rules:
- Work With All Your Heart
- Be Supportive of One Another
- Choose To Be Happy
- Love One Another
- Be Kind and Tender Hearted
- Comfort Each Other
- Have Fun
- Always Be Honest
- Count Your Blessings
Gotta be honest. These are some darn, fine rules. I think they work well for families. I also think they work well for us F3 brothers. I think they work well for life. Definitely worth keeping in mind and in your heart when you’re out in the gloom or as you go about your day.
Took us out in prayer. Thankful for the beautiful morning. Was concerned, as I mentioned at the outset, about the storms that came in the other day, but it turned out to be an awesome morning. Thankful for my F3 brothers for coming out this morning and getting some work done. Our bodies are gifts and temples and each time we post in the gloom, we are honoring our temples and our Creator. Grateful, as always, for the fellowship and support. We are fortunate to have so many amazing, kind, wonderful PAX in our region. A truly awesome band of brothers that lift each other up and make each other better, stronger. Asked for a hand of healing and wisdom over Jordan High School and the surrounding community in dealing with a recent incident. Prayers for guidance to help bring the community together and resolution to the situation. Asked for guidance as we go about our day today and through the weekend, that we may be better fathers, husbands, brothers, friends…and accomplish all that we are meant to.
Thank you again Falcon brothers for an awesome morning. Really appreciate the warm welcome and hope to see you all again soon. Until next time, aye!