It normally doesn’t take this long to squeeze out a backblast, but this one needed to take some time to do it justice. We all joke at the lessons M4L can provide. Sometimes he shows to workouts he commits to, sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he does 1/2 of the workout, sometimes he does 1/2 Side Straddle Hops, sometimes he does a full one or just flaps his arms. On that Friday, last week at Kung Pow, he delivered one of the more memorable Q’s I’ve been a part of, and truth be told…when he shows to Q, they always have a lesson.
On an aside, these guys at Wescott are bringing it and I’m not saying it because it is home turf. I have yet to see a duplicated workout and every single one has a signature footprint. Pablo’s manhole merkins, Deadbolt and DoubleD’s Reagan era burpeefest, and who could forget that time where YHC almost killed Fram, DoubleD, Sprinkler, and Fonzie with cardio cul-de-sacs a few weeks ago.
I will say this, anytime I have seen M4L Q, I always come away with something. It could be an exercise routine, it could be something personal he has shared, but more importantly, his Q’s always extend beyond just a workout (hence F3- more than a workout) and have always shown me to appreciate the moment and embrace these great things we have… F3 and each other. Just like we tackle these workouts, we are also going through everything life throws at us together.
On this Friday morning, it was destined that something special was gonna happen. Pre-Blast yielded 8 HC’s, which was a really high number considering none of the regulars were HC’ing the night before. Also, nobody HC’s anymore…anybody else notice that?
Picked up Deadbolt… yes- we drove only being a half 0.4 mi down the road. Arrived to a completely full Wescott parking lot, 13 PAX limbering up, representing all areas of SouthWake-some from Fuquay, another from 12 Oaks, even one from Cary and also from Raleigh. 15 total- A new record at Kung Pow. Full House later shared that he was undecided that morning, but just like Nemo from a few weeks ago, he was drawn by the pre-blast marketing campaign.
What on earth did M4L have planned? Whatever it was, it was about to go down as we were at 5:29 and the mumblechatter was starting to rise above the level that gets us exposed on our neighborhood Facebook page.
Time to mosey. Extended the 15 PAX group across the street to do some warm-ups at the Veterinary clinic across the street.
FNGs: None, but would be alot cooler if there were…
Warm Up: SSH X10, Burpee X10, Uneven Merkins- Right arm extended forward x10\Left Arm extended forward X10. Mumblechatter= more burpee X10, then followed by a mosey back to M4L’s vehicle.
The Workout: Upon arrival, M4L pops the trunk. Strategically stacked where several bricks with the words “No OYO” spray painted on them. Everybody grab a brick- one for each hand. I’ve seen this workout once before, but judging by the other faces they had not and wasn’t sure what they were more surprised by…the possibility that they’d have to carry these bricks the whole workout or what M4L meant by “No OYO.” As suspected, Midget instructed PAX to mosey with bricks in hand down Wescott Ridge. PAX stopped about halfway down among the trees lining what we refer to in Wescott as the ‘fairway.’
As a tribute to New Mexico, PAX performed a series of quick feet with bricks in hands. Recover on the mosey to Bells Walk (oh- if anyone puts the bricks down, 10 burpees with bricks for all PAX). At Bells Walk, M4L calls for a Indian Brick Walk with curls where the trailing PAX double times it to the front curling alongside group of 14 PAX who are also curling in single file. Made it to the end of the cul-de-sac for 31 Monkey Humpers with bricks (31 years since entering the US) . This was also in honor of one of our favorite Wescott residents, bless her heart. She is looking for a gently used Oboe, so if anyone knows a friend of a friend who has one let us know. A real Oboe…not you, Oboe. Really- not kidding.
After those were performed, M4L called for a faster paced Indian Run with bricks, except halfway down the street, Q ended up ‘dropping’ his bricks.. 10 burpees OYO all PAX. Continued to the end of Bells Walk and onto Dumbo’s house. How we were able to fit all 15 PAX in his driveway was beyond me, but we did and its unfortunate he did not have a Ring camera to capture this. There was mumblechatter as to the other cameras he has in his house, but we would need to wait for him to return from vacation to either confirm or deny.
Inside the driveway, all 15 PAX performed 31 tricep extensions , followed by 31 overhead presses. With arms already significantly torched, M4L now reveals the true meaning of the lesson behind the “No OYO” bricks. He instructed PAX to partner up. From here, one member of the unit would give their bricks to the partner, so one carries all 4 on the mosey, while the other stays with him for moral support. Do not leave your partner- He will need you.
Not sure Fram got that memo, even with 4 bricks, he was running a 5K pace and YHC was having trouble keeping up with him as he made his way up Wescott Ridge and down to the Palm City cul-de-sac where M4L used to live. At the cul-de-sac, M4L shared a story of what F3 means to him and specifically how PAX should never do life alone- hence the “No OYO” bricks. We all carry something and should never feel afraid to ask for help and lean on your brothers to help you through difficult times. A message that hit home with everyone that morning.
On the return, PAX mosey’d with their bricks again, making sure that each partner didn’t leave the other behind. At the top of the hill, M4L did a quick check of the lead PAX to ask where their partners were. If they were left behind, he instructed them to apologize for leaving them behind as a reminder that we are all accountable to ensure we are picking up the six.
Mary: Merkins on the “Bring Sally Down”- A tribute to “Gone in 60 Seconds” (67 seconds to be exact-the amount of time remaining in the workout)
Announcements: Q Swap coming in August; New AO- Something Awesome on Monday
T-Claps (Recognition): All PAX getting out there this morning. A great crowd, great workout, great message.
Prayer: Healthcare workers, Bondo’s new grandchild Piper. Continued health for families near and far.
Double D took us out!
Crossing the Aisle
/in To Be Determined/by Fanny PackBringing people together is important.  We each have the power to unite or divide. Men, in particular, have an opportunity to bring people together. Our families, our co-workers, neighbors, and friends. Sadly, a lot of guys go it alone and don’t engage. I’ve been there.
One way men get together is through competition (usually proceeded by smack talk, then usually followed by the smack down) and cooperation. Well, we had all that and more going on today. You see, there has been a lot of smack talk between R4TJ and TBD here lately. These co-site Q’s apparently inherited a beef that goes back.  Well, YHC decided to cross the aisle, plan a small convergence of sorts, and plan a competitive Thang for us to come together, workout, and have some fun before the smack talk re-ensues.  With both site Q’s negotiating the plan and timing, we were ready to roll.  14 pax from TBD rolled up on 8 pax from R4TJ on the parking deck to get squared away. There was an additional, 5-6 R4TJ pax that had “other hills to climb”.
EC:Â YHC solo.
Warm Up: Told the fellas I wasn’t wearing gloves cuz I didn’t want to hear R4TJ complain about it for the limited ground work we’d do. Circle up for SSH, Good Mornings, Windmills, Squatted Seal And Overhead Claps, Moroccan Night Clubs, Annie’s, and Frankenstein’s. Mosey the .6 mile over to the parking deck. Picking up the six before crossing Main.
The Workout: Thang 1 was meant to be for my crowd only. SSH in circle, then a Guantanamo style 45 degree side shuffle down the line and a plank hold hop down the line.  Alternated position every 3 or so pax.  Just happened to finish as R4TJ arrived.  After a quick count off, rules of engagement, etc. YHC decided to partner up mixed teams of R4TJ and TBD pax. YHC planned beforehand that if we couldn’t match numbers to compete… we would cooperate and compete. 2 teams… 3 points to be won. All pax in a parking space on their six.
Thang 2: 1 pax sprints wall to wall and back to their spot. All other pax await their turn to run by doing WW1. In the end, 1 point was awarded to team that finished sprints first. 1 point for most cumulative WW1’s. 1 point for team who could calculate their WW1 total the fastest. This fella named McNugget is crazy fast and closed the distance. Halftime result- 2-1 for team 1.
Thang 3: Down below to the underworld for last man standing BTTW. Turns out, 4 minutes and 8 seconds declared a winner. Team 2 awarded the point, but crazy cheers, coaching, and valiant effort put in by all. We finished in a 2-2 tie.
Mary: Mosey back to the TBD flag. Laughs were had, encouragement happened, we got loud downtown in the early morning, men worked out. It’s really all that YHC hoped would happen this morning. F3 can be fun too. #morethanaworkout
Announcements: Mulch continues, Sign up. Mookie will be reaching out to site-Q’s with info about Q swap in the coming weeks. As per Banana Seat, try to get out in the coming weeks to AO’s you usually don’t frequent.
T-Claps (Recognition): Cupid for being agreeable to arrange this idea of mine. Goldilocks apparently made a return to the gloom?
Prayer: Unspoken, those in recovery. Â We are thankful. Â YHC took is out.
Hit the skids
/in Possum Trot/by FramFNGs: None
Warm Up: SSH, Sir Fozie arm circles (10 forward / 10 back) Windmills, single leg dead lift.
The Workout: 4 cones spaced 75 feet apart in a square. cone 1 > PAX choice, Cone 2 > Abs, Cone 3 > Biceps/Triceps, Cone 4 > Chest and back. Group split into teams of 2 and a group of 1. Each Cone had an additional 44lbs tractor weight. Once the timer started tractor weights could not touch the ground, penalty for dropping was 5 burpees per drop. A skid was placed at Cone 1 and pushed/pulled to the next cone with the tractor weight. Partner helped without picking up the skid. Once the skid hit cone two the 2nd tractor weight was added and the next group pushed/pulled the skid. This rotation continued around all four cones. The next pass around the cones we dropped off one weight and continued the rotation. The HIM’s owed 50 burpees at the start of the workout and each pass of the skid deducted the overall burpee count for the 30 min ME. As the team got the jest of the activity it became very clear that we have conceptual thoughts about how the theories of E=M2 works in physics, but we were very challenged in practical application of the theory. POTS worked the skid and weight with out a buddy to help and we lost one tractor weight early. 55 burpees before we made one pass and another drop put us at 60. We got better as the time passed, but a PAX that shall not be named (POTS) maybe dropped two weights accidentally on his mosey to the next cone. At the end of the 30 min we owed 10 burpees from an apex of 60.
Mary:Â Korean Wars (20 count) Ball Diamonds (20 count) Side Raises / Oblique V-ups 10 each then switch sides.
Announcements:Â Mulch..Mulch…Mulch.
T-Claps (Recognition):Â Thanks Sprinkler for bringing the coupons.
Prayer: Families trying to figure out school and working parents, First responders, People in isolation. Unspoken
Vicious Virgins
/in Viscous Cycle/by DocFNGs: None in sight
Warm Up: Not at this workout
The Workout: We showed up. This happened:
Mary: Nowhere to be found
Announcements:
T-Claps (Recognition): Everyone that posted at this new seasonal AO
Prayer: Ended with COB (circle of bikes)
Let Me Teach You a Lesson…
/in KungPOW/by MookieIt normally doesn’t take this long to squeeze out a backblast, but this one needed to take some time to do it justice. We all joke at the lessons M4L can provide. Sometimes he shows to workouts he commits to, sometimes he doesn’t. Sometimes he does 1/2 of the workout, sometimes he does 1/2 Side Straddle Hops, sometimes he does a full one or just flaps his arms. On that Friday, last week at Kung Pow, he delivered one of the more memorable Q’s I’ve been a part of, and truth be told…when he shows to Q, they always have a lesson.
On an aside, these guys at Wescott are bringing it and I’m not saying it because it is home turf. I have yet to see a duplicated workout and every single one has a signature footprint. Pablo’s manhole merkins, Deadbolt and DoubleD’s Reagan era burpeefest, and who could forget that time where YHC almost killed Fram, DoubleD, Sprinkler, and Fonzie with cardio cul-de-sacs a few weeks ago.
I will say this, anytime I have seen M4L Q, I always come away with something. It could be an exercise routine, it could be something personal he has shared, but more importantly, his Q’s always extend beyond just a workout (hence F3- more than a workout) and have always shown me to appreciate the moment and embrace these great things we have… F3 and each other. Just like we tackle these workouts, we are also going through everything life throws at us together.
On this Friday morning, it was destined that something special was gonna happen. Pre-Blast yielded 8 HC’s, which was a really high number considering none of the regulars were HC’ing the night before. Also, nobody HC’s anymore…anybody else notice that?
Picked up Deadbolt… yes- we drove only being a half 0.4 mi down the road. Arrived to a completely full Wescott parking lot, 13 PAX limbering up, representing all areas of SouthWake-some from Fuquay, another from 12 Oaks, even one from Cary and also from Raleigh. 15 total- A new record at Kung Pow. Full House later shared that he was undecided that morning, but just like Nemo from a few weeks ago, he was drawn by the pre-blast marketing campaign.
What on earth did M4L have planned? Whatever it was, it was about to go down as we were at 5:29 and the mumblechatter was starting to rise above the level that gets us exposed on our neighborhood Facebook page.
Time to mosey. Extended the 15 PAX group across the street to do some warm-ups at the Veterinary clinic across the street.
FNGs: None, but would be alot cooler if there were…
Warm Up: SSH X10, Burpee X10, Uneven Merkins- Right arm extended forward x10\Left Arm extended forward X10. Mumblechatter= more burpee X10, then followed by a mosey back to M4L’s vehicle.
The Workout: Upon arrival, M4L pops the trunk. Strategically stacked where several bricks with the words “No OYO” spray painted on them. Everybody grab a brick- one for each hand. I’ve seen this workout once before, but judging by the other faces they had not and wasn’t sure what they were more surprised by…the possibility that they’d have to carry these bricks the whole workout or what M4L meant by “No OYO.” As suspected, Midget instructed PAX to mosey with bricks in hand down Wescott Ridge. PAX stopped about halfway down among the trees lining what we refer to in Wescott as the ‘fairway.’
As a tribute to New Mexico, PAX performed a series of quick feet with bricks in hands. Recover on the mosey to Bells Walk (oh- if anyone puts the bricks down, 10 burpees with bricks for all PAX). At Bells Walk, M4L calls for a Indian Brick Walk with curls where the trailing PAX double times it to the front curling alongside group of 14 PAX who are also curling in single file. Made it to the end of the cul-de-sac for 31 Monkey Humpers with bricks (31 years since entering the US) . This was also in honor of one of our favorite Wescott residents, bless her heart. She is looking for a gently used Oboe, so if anyone knows a friend of a friend who has one let us know. A real Oboe…not you, Oboe. Really- not kidding.
After those were performed, M4L called for a faster paced Indian Run with bricks, except halfway down the street, Q ended up ‘dropping’ his bricks.. 10 burpees OYO all PAX. Continued to the end of Bells Walk and onto Dumbo’s house. How we were able to fit all 15 PAX in his driveway was beyond me, but we did and its unfortunate he did not have a Ring camera to capture this. There was mumblechatter as to the other cameras he has in his house, but we would need to wait for him to return from vacation to either confirm or deny.
Inside the driveway, all 15 PAX performed 31 tricep extensions , followed by 31 overhead presses. With arms already significantly torched, M4L now reveals the true meaning of the lesson behind the “No OYO” bricks. He instructed PAX to partner up. From here, one member of the unit would give their bricks to the partner, so one carries all 4 on the mosey, while the other stays with him for moral support. Do not leave your partner- He will need you.
Not sure Fram got that memo, even with 4 bricks, he was running a 5K pace and YHC was having trouble keeping up with him as he made his way up Wescott Ridge and down to the Palm City cul-de-sac where M4L used to live. At the cul-de-sac, M4L shared a story of what F3 means to him and specifically how PAX should never do life alone- hence the “No OYO” bricks. We all carry something and should never feel afraid to ask for help and lean on your brothers to help you through difficult times. A message that hit home with everyone that morning.
On the return, PAX mosey’d with their bricks again, making sure that each partner didn’t leave the other behind. At the top of the hill, M4L did a quick check of the lead PAX to ask where their partners were. If they were left behind, he instructed them to apologize for leaving them behind as a reminder that we are all accountable to ensure we are picking up the six.
Mary: Merkins on the “Bring Sally Down”- A tribute to “Gone in 60 Seconds” (67 seconds to be exact-the amount of time remaining in the workout)
Announcements: Q Swap coming in August; New AO- Something Awesome on Monday
T-Claps (Recognition): All PAX getting out there this morning. A great crowd, great workout, great message.
Prayer: Healthcare workers, Bondo’s new grandchild Piper. Continued health for families near and far.
Double D took us out!
Filter or Cowboy Style?
/in Purple Cobra/by Fanny PackThe air was thick down in the Teeter bowl this morning.  Cigarette butts were abundant among the parking spaces that were used just about all through the workout. Mumblechatter surrounded cigarette style preference, proper exercise form, slow bear crawlers, and the size of sweat stains. “Hey, can get that last drag?”  “You got menthol filter over there?” “Nah, this ones cowboy style.” “ How many merkins on these burpees?” These were only a few of the mumblechatter examples as we moved constantly throughout today’s AO.
EC:Â YHC, 187, and Aquaman. Why did we take the Wescott hill route.
FNG’s: None, but Bullseye is officially an FNG behind the wheel with his permit now!
Warm Up: Mosey around the lot a bit stopping for Good Mornings, Sir Fazio’s, Squatted Seal And Overhead Claps, Frankenstein’s, and Imperial Walkers.
The Workout: Bear Crawlers Choice as we laid down some tracks along the parking spaces. Each pax in a parking spot. First pax calls an AMRAP exercise and bear crawls to the end.  Continued this procedure for the whole workout. The only break in action was when we hit an island, we all jailbreaked to the end of the lot, moseyed back to our spots and continued. Did this twice. Lunge walked back the second time. All kinds of exercises were called. Merkins, Irkins, dirkins, dry dicks, squats, lunges, pistol squats (ouch!), Shoulder Taps, WW1s and 2’s, Pickle Pounders, H2M, LBC, LSF, Guantanamo’s, burpees, Star Jumps, absolutions, Peter Parker’s, Box Cutters, Boat Canoes, American Hammers, mountain climbers, Freddie Mercury’s, wine mixers, plank holds, side planks, and several more.  The pax altogether called out a solid workout!
Mary: During the Thang.
Announcements:  Mix it up, get to other AO’s this week.  Mulch continues. Q Swap at the end of August.
T-Claps (Recognition): Lots of sweat stains on the lot this morning.  Great work HIM’s!
Prayer: Military, first responders, teachers to have peace and service during uncertain times.
I discovered today we could not do this routine all the way to the end of the lot. Â We got about 2/3. Thanks brothers for helping me learn new things each time I Q. Honored to lead.
There was an Axe but it wasn’t used
/in AO Post/by DawgpoundEC: Dawgpound, Cowboy, Katniss, Red, Emeril
FNGs: Nope
Warm Up:
Circled up at the top of the parking deck.
Foot Trace
Tootsie Rolls
Hip Barrels
Spinal Twist
Shoulder Shrug
Neck Stretch
The Workout:
10 Reps Bow Draw to the Side Each Side
10 Reps Uppercut Each side
10 Reps Squats switches
5 Reps Bow Draw to the front. Each Arm
5 Reps Uppercut with Lunge each side
5 Reps Lunges to Squat Switches. Each leg
Did the Onnit game workout. 45 seconds work 15 seconds of rest. If you finish early increase the number of reps by 2. Start at 4 total for each exercise. If you take longer then 45 seconds decrease the number of reps by 2.
Bow Draw Series
Uppercut Series
Squat Series
Mary:
Onnit 6 minute abs – Up to 6 minutes or 30 rounds. No stop keep ongoing
10 Second Plank
10 Second Plank knees to Elbows – Nice and Slow
10 Seconds Mountain Climbers – Nice and Slow
20 Seconds Situps Hug your knees
20 Second Bicycle nice and slow
20 Seconds Russian Twist
20 Seconds Bowl
Announcements:
Mulch Sign Up
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer:
Unspoken prayers
All Upper body at Ivan
/in Crazy Ivan/by DawgpoundFNGs: None
Warm Up:
Circled up at the top of the parking deck.
Foot Trace
Tootsie Rolls
Hip Barrels
Spinal Twist
Shoulder Shrug
Neck Stretch
The Workout:
5 Rounds of the following Exercises. 30 Seconds Reps 10 seconds rest
Kneeling Clean and Press
Push up On Bell
Lawnmower
Bobbity to Bbbity
Shoulder Press
KB raises
Midget Cookie Pouches
Mary:
Onnit 6 minute abs – Up to 6 minutes or 30 rounds. No stop keep ongoing
10 Second Plank
10 Second Plank knees to Elbows – Nice and Slow
10 Seconds Mountain Climbers – Nice and Slow
20 Seconds Situps Hug your knees
20 Second Bicycle nice and slow
20 Seconds Russian Twist
20 Seconds Bowl
Announcements:
Mulch Sign Up
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer:
Saddique
Oh great :/
/in Paradise City/by SkidmarkEC: Emeril, Dawgpound, Cupid, 187, Skidmark
YHC has three favorite exercises: The first is the merkin clock. We would not see that today, that comes out on special occasions. The second is the two man catch me if you can Indian Run. We commonly see that at Paradise City but not today. My third is the three man Indian Run. It is typically higher tempo with slight variations to pace. You really get a race feel when doing it. Start out fast, then run faster. I also like to make the three man indian run random grouping, it get’s people out of their comfort zone.
YHC promised no warm-up and to be ready at 0530. At 0529 it looked we had the final group there so we counted off in 4’s. A moan overtook the group as guys imagined what was about to happen. Some may have prayed for a good group of like paced Pax, then cursed the devil when the groups were established.
Group 1: Pablo, McNugget, Cupid
Group 2: Snap, Bondo, 16-bit
Group 3: Emeril, Katniss, Lucky Charms
Group 4: 187, Dawgpound, Skidmark
FNGs: none
Warm Up: none
The Workout: Three man Indian Run as promised with the group heading out on the Paradise City EC route. At the top of the first Bridgewater Hill stopped for 10 merkins, 10 squats, 10 LBC’s. Continue three man Indian Run to the top of the next Bridgewater Hill for 10 merkins, 10 squats, 10 LBCs. Three man Indian Run to fence at the bottom of the hill. Pax would be doing 11s back up this side of the Bridgewater hill.
Pax would run a three man Indian Run up the hill and complete Peter Parker Merkins. Then jail break down the hill for reverse lunges (L/R = 1). After a few loops Q audibled to only going up the hill halfway. At some point Dawgpound traded himself to Group 2 for Snap.
Whole group Indian Run to the top of bridgewater hill for 10 merkins, 10 squats, 10 LBC’s. Continue 12 man Indian Run to the corner of Main St. then jail break back to the basketball courts.
Mary: Yoga stretching
Announcements: Mulch, Scramble week
T-Claps (Recognition): Cupid finishing his master’s.
Prayer: Piper (Bondo’s granddaughter), McKeon family
Out and Back
/in Any Given Sunday/by Mookie3 PAX showed to AGS for some miles, but only two were eager to knock them out this morning. YHC was still sore from all day yard work the day before, and perhaps some residual soreness for the bricks M4L made us run with for 40 minutes on Friday. In any event, Cupid had a good suggestion to do some 1.0 out and backs, with Womble as the focal point, making sure YHC didn’t feel left out and would be able to check in throughout the workout. Perfect!
FNGs: None
Warm Up: Half circle to the back of the soccer fields. Imperials X10, Fazio, 10 F\10B. Good Mornings X10. Continued on the mosey back to the picnic shelter on the opposite side of the soccer fields. Squats X10
The Workout: Out and Back #1- Get your Groceries- From the top of Stinson to Lowe’s Foods and then back to Womble
Out and Back #2- Cletus EC route- Top of Stinson to Raleigh Street
Out and Back #3- Continuation of Out and Back #2, and instead of heading back to Womble, PAX took Grigsby all the way around and to the fence at Sugg. Great work throughout by Cupid and Oboe, who got a solid 6+ mi in.
Mary: Stretches OYO
Announcements: Q Swap coming in August
T-Claps (Recognition): Cupid and Oboe for getting out there this morning and additionally to Cupid for getting a 60 mi week. Great Work
Prayer: Health Workers, those with family members near an far that are ill. YHC took us out.
The Ruck – 3 Mile
/in NeedMore Ruck/by DauberFNGs: None
Warm Up: Â OYO
The Workout:  3 miles red loop and some extra strolls in the parking lot.  Midget and his Gal sighting (someone’s alarm did not go off). PAX carried 20-50 # depending on stupidity, I mean strength and will-power.
Mary: Â No appearance but a ton a mumble chatter.
Announcements: Â Mulch, future Rucks. Â And for the record, do not ever piss off POTS! Â He was on a roll today and a wee bit cantankerous.
T-Claps (Recognition):
Prayer: Â Unspoken