Legs and Leadership


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Bunny, Herbie, Lawn Boy, FNG (Stray Cat)



CONDITIONS

> 40 degrees and slightly overcast, dry ground and clear morning in the gloom. We were joined by an FNG who found us through a friend in Charlotte who knew of Angus, as well as Lawn Boy from the Houston Area who’s in town to visit family. Quick introductions and we kicked off right at 530.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Jogged to 62nd and back to the tennis courts, circled up for Windmill x 12, slow high knees x 12, third grade exercise x 12, arm scissors x 12, squat x 10 and then mosied to the track.

The Thang

>Wall Sits with cherry pickers x 15, Moroccan night club x 15, OHP x 15, Forward arm circles x 15, backward arm circles x 15.

Started in the end zone – broad jumps to the other end, stopping every 10 yards for squat jumps. 3 @ the 10, 6 @ the 20, 9 @ the 30, 12 @ 40, 15 @ 50, then descending – 12 @ 40, 9 @ 30, etc.

Jogged back to the original end zone and repeated the structure with lunge walks and side lunges (one on each side counted as 1).

Pax finished strong and mosied back to the ‘Rod.

6MOM

> LBC x 25, Flutterkick x 10.

Moleskin

> To Lead is to go before, but it is also to be followed. A ‘leader’ who only goes before and isn’t followed is just wandering around on his own, having lost his people on the way. A leader casts vision and takes his people in that direction, to do so is both a responsibility and a privilege. A privilege to be trusted and followed, a responsibility to do it well and to cast a vision that is aligned with the needs of the followers.

> Tomorrow’s sore legs brought to you by Walkman

Shield Lock


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Bunny, Herbie, Millie Vanilli, Lumbergh, Danish



CONDITIONS

>45 with wet ground but no falling water. PAX arrived on time and we kicked things off in the Gloom.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Jogged to 52nd and then down to Division, circled up by the pathway for Windmill x 15, slow high knees x 15, Third Grade exercise x 15, squats x 10 and mosied to the track.

The Thang

>Descending Ladder of Real Peter Parkers, with lunge walks across the track (width) and back in between. 10 RPP’s, lunge walk, 9 RPP’s, lunge walk…This was tough to finish and had all of our legs burning!

Baby Dora in three teams of two. Each team completed 75 Burpees, 100 Squat Jumps, 200 mountain climbers. Worked up a sweat with some positive chatter to keep the PAX going!

6MOM

> Plank x 15, Flutter kick x 25

Moleskin

>Q1.7 Shield Lock. Men hunt as a pack and share the rewards horizontally. Whereas your M and Shorties will give you feedback if you’re committing malpractice, your friends typically won’t, and relationships require constant acceleration. The Shield lock is beneficial for mutual defense against the flux, and requires 3P – Proximate, Purpose, and Periodic in order to thrive.

> Weekend soreness brought to you by Walkman

Last DoD of 2020


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Bunny, Herbie, Danish



CONDITIONS

> Sub 40 cold and windy, but dry and relatively clear. Nice quiet morning in the gloom, all PAX on time and ready to roll after the long holiday weekend.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Mosied to 62nd and back to the ‘Rod. Slow High Knees x 10, Third Graders x 10, Arm Scissors x 10.

The Thang

> Deck. Of. Death.

Hearts – Burpees (duh)

Diamonds – American Hammers on the hard count

Spades – Jump Squats

Clubs – Plank Jacks on the hard count

Jokers – jog around the courtyards

Pax pushed hard to finish this one with 15 seconds to spare! YHC messed up some calls early, but we got it sorted out and everyone dug deep for the that last 8 of hearts.

6MOM

> Pushed through the DoD!

Moleskin

> Q1.6 Shorties

  • They’re the only relationship you can’t sever, you’ll always be their father.
  • The Quality of this relationship defines the rest of their lives – think of how much your character, perspective, etc was set by your parents.
  • Your presence, and relationship, centers them, gives them a solid foundation upon which to grow throughout their lives.
  • This gives them freedom to grow into who they are meant to be
  • HIM’s keep this in mind in all interactions with their shorties.

>Walkman

Lines Lines and more Lines!


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Lumbergh, Danish, Millie Vanilli, Herbie



CONDITIONS

> 45 degrees and high overcast was actually quite balmy today. No rain was a nice touch! Rather quiet group as we all rolled into the holiday week with a great start.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Mosied to the tennis courts and ran the length and back, Windmill x 15, squat x 10, ran the length and back, Third Grade exercise x 10, slow high knees x 10, ran the length and back merkin x 10, scissor arms x 10.

The Thang

> Lines! Ran to each tennis court and back, adding exercises at each turnaround point. Each set had an exercise that increased by 1 rep per line.

Started with 5 merkins, adding one each time and finishing with 12

Ran a set of lines with no movements.

Set 2 was squats – started with 10 and ended with 17.

Ran a set of lines with no movements

Set 3 was peter parkers – started with 15, YHC realized at 18 that this was too many, and made it a flat 12 for the PAX moving forward.

Ran a set of lines with no movements.

6MOM

> LBC x 30, 2 minute pushup, LBX x 30, 2 minute squat, Plank x 15, 2 minute ‘6 inch’ leg hold, Plank x 15, Big Bois x 20.

Moleskin

>Spoke about the difficulty of choices this time of year – holidays, who to spend time with, how to do it safely, and the amount of Stress most are under due to COVID impacting all of this. Reminded the PAX of the good old saying ‘first seek to understand, then seek to be understood’ as a solid place to start as a leader right now. The value of adding context and perspective to our understanding allows us to make the right choices for ourselves and our families.

>Tomorrow’s soreness brought to you by Walkman

M


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Herbie, Lumbergh, Danish, Bunny, Millie Vanilli



CONDITIONS

> 44 and gloomy. High overcast with wet ground but no falling water. Pax seemed pretty cheery, everyone arrived on time with some light chatter to begin.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Mosied to 58th and down to Division, stopping for a public display of warmup between the HS and ES.

Third Grade Exercise x 15, Squats x 10, windmill x 10, scissor arms x 10, merkin x 10, monkey humpers x 10, slow high knees x 10

Then mosied to the tennis courts.

The Thang

> Cave dweller ascending ladder. HR Merkin x 1, bear crawl across 1 tennis court, mtn. climber x 1, bear crawl back. Repeats increasing by 1 each round, finishing at 10 of each. Great push by the PAX to finish this one!

Mosied to the bathroom walls for Wall Sits. Cherry pickers x 15, forward arm circles x 15, overhead press x 15, backward arm circles x 15.

Finished with a circuit at the playground. Pull ups x10, decline merkins x10, shoulder taps x10, step ups x7, box jumps x10, and LBC’s x20. One round of each.

6MOM

> U x 10, LBx x 30, Plank x 20 with alternating leg up, superman x 10, Plank Jack x 10, Superman Jack x 10, LBC x 20, Big Bois x 7 took us home.

Moleskin

> Shared the five tenets from Q1.5, M.

  • Maintenance = deceleration
  • The culture is a jester
  • Your spouse is not your best friend
  • There is no 50 yard line
  • Joy trumps happiness

Took a moment of silence for each of us to reflect on a point that might hit home for our most important relationship and shared with the PAX.

> Tomorrow’s soreness brought to you by Walkman

The Jester and Pearl Harbor


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Danish, Bunny



CONDITIONS

> Chilly and clear at 38 degrees. Danish and YHC showed up a bit early, Bunny showed up just as we started our warmup.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Side Lunge x 20, Windmill x 20, Slow High Knees x 20, Forward arm circles x 20, Backward arm circles x 20, jog down to 58th and then mosy to the track.

The Thang

> We did a descending ladder of Squat Jumps and Real Peter Parker’s as we ran around the track. Every 100 meters we stopped and performed an exercise, starting with 20 RPP’s, 100 meters, 19 SJ’s, 100 meters….repeated down to 1 and finished with a few minutes to spare. Completed wall sits with 15 cherry pickers, 15 overhead press, and 15 Morrocan night clubs.

6MOM

> U x 15, LBC x 30, Superman x 15, U x 15, LBX x 20, Superman x 10

Moleskin

>Shared about the Jester, and how chaos and lack of planning is what invites him in. For YHC, it’s the mental chaos of the time and some things going on in our lives that caused him to rear up this weekend. Consequently, I sacrificed my Queen and ate like a trash panda, and spent more time playing video games than I would have liked. The Jester makes his way in when you feel chaotic, and don’t plan for him.

> Tomorrow’s soreness brought to you by Walkman

Creative ways to Strive


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Bunny, Lumbergh, Angus, Danish, Dockers



CONDITIONS

> Wet and Cold. Pax showed up just before 530 ready to rock and roll in the rain.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Jog to 62nd and back to the corner of 52nd. Step ups Left leg x 15, Merkin x 10, Step up Right leg x 15, Merkin x 10, Third Grade exercise x 15. Mosy to the track

The Thang

> Started in the end zone. Frog Merkins to the other endzone, stopping each 20 yards to complete 25 LBC’s on the hard count.

Gorilla walk squats back to the original endzone, stopping every 20 yards to complete 25 Freddie Mercuries on the hard count.

Touchdown lounges to the 40 and back, stopping every 20 yards to do 5 merkins.

Mosy back to the Rod.

6MOM

> Superman x 15, Plank x 15, Superman Jacks x 15, Plank Jacks x 15

Moleskin

> Started a conversation about intentionality and how difficult it is to find adult peers who are also striving in their lives. Most of our relationships are on ‘autopilot’ like much our lives – functions of convenience and history rather than intention and future. F3 helps us realize there is more, starting with our physicality and expanding into the fellowship with men who are also willing to push and try to ‘wake up’ more and more. We may not be striving for the same things, but to be close to other men who I know are working to be their best, to accomplish their goals, to be be leaders is encouraging and appreciated. We thanked Angus for starting this AO as he will be out of the state for a few months.

> Soreness brought to you by Walkman

Gratitude on Veterans Day


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Lumbergh, Angus, Bunny, Danish



CONDITIONS

> 40 degrees and wet. No falling water and surprisingly clear skies. PAX was all early with some early morning chatter.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Jogged to 62nd, down 62nd and back to the bottom of the hill. Looked for Good Morning Merkins but didn’t come across anyone – most of PDX chose the fart sack apparently. We did hill sprints and jogged back down between exercise sets. Slow High Knees x 20, Third Grade Exercise x 20, Arm Scissors x 20, Squat x 10 and then mosied to the track.

The Thang

> In the spirit of Veterans day we moved between workout stations on the track as a PAX, alternating Jogging and Skip Jumps between stations, in a line together.

Station 1 – Wall sits with Cherry Pickers x 15, forward arm circles x 15, backward arm circles x 15, overhead press x 15.

Station 2 – Plank x 20, Left/Right Plank x 20, Shoulder taps x 20, Peter Parkers x 20

Station 3 – LBC’s x 30, Flutter kick x 30, Freddie Mercury x 30, Box Cutters x 20. YHC had a hard time breathing/counting those LBC’s again.

Station 4 – Wall sits with Can Can x 15, Morrocan night club x 15, Seal clap x 15, Overhead clap x 20 to let the lone jogger pass us (we got his GMM’s at station 1).

Repeated Station 1 and 2 before heading back to the Lightning Rod.

6MOM

> No time. In hindsight should have completed 1 LBC.

Moleskin

> Commenting on Veterans day itself felt inauthentic for YHC, but allowed for a good conversation around gratitude. Both that which we express (to others), and that which we carry around with us. We spent time sharing in CoT the things that we are all grateful for on a consistent basis. Danish shared a wonderful gratitude practice that he uses. Whole PAX took time to reflect on the areas of life they are constantly grateful for. We acknowledged that gratitude is often manifested by contrast – the things we’re most grateful for tend to be those that we have the most awareness around how their absence feels. These acknowledgements of contrast, and our abundance, serve as a ‘fill up’ for our piggy bank of good will and grace. It’s very challenging to extend grace with an empty piggy bank, and very easy to refill the bank by exploring gratitude.

> Today’s sore shoulders/kneck brought to you by Walkman

Accountability


AO: > Lightning Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Lumbergh, Angus, Bunny, Danish, Buck



CONDITIONS

> 43 degrees and clear but it sure felt like a lower 30’s morning. Everyone was early and had some chatter to kick off the day. Daylight savings brought us some early Dawn during the workout which was refreshing.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Third Grade x 15, Windmill x 15, Arm Scissors x 15, Slow high knees x 15, Imperial walkers x 15 with runs around the courtyard in between the first 4 exercises.

The Thang

> Everyone claimed a bench we completed a set of movements at each bench, with a transition movement to get us to the bench across from us. First set was

Slow squat x 20, Bear Crawl Bulgarian split squat left leg x 20, Bear crawl, Bulgarian split squat right leg x 20, Bear crawl

Real Peter Parker x 15, Lunge walk, Merkin x 15, Lunge Walk, Burpee x 15, Lunge Walk

LBC x 30, Broad Jump, Big Bois x 30, Broad Jump, American Hammer x 20, Broad Jump

Box Jumps x 30, Al Gore, Step ups right leg x 30, Al Gore, Step up left leg x 30, Al Gore

Repeated the cycle with the leg reps x 15, chest reps x 10, core reps x 20 (15 American Hammers), and bench work x 20.

For what it’s worth, YHC was having a hard time breathing while calling the count during LBC’s (after burpee’s & lunge walk). Serious mental panic over amount of oxygen/C02 in my body, amusing in hindsight and good for mental discipline but a 10 count prior would have likely been good for the PAX if I’m any indication – apologies for missing it.

6MOM

> Plank x 20, Side planks x 20 each side. Flutter Kick x 15.

Moleskin

> With our Go30 Challenge starting today we discussed Accountability.

Holding someone accountable is the process of helping them compare outcomes to goals and identifying the activities, attitudes, and beliefs that lead to success or failure. It’s shining a light on their blind spots, and helping them decide how they’ll grow.

Being held accountable is submitting your blind spots to the lens of someone else, and asking them to help you see. This is why permission is required. If you don’t give me permission, and I try to hold you accountable, I’m just an asshole pointing out your flaws as I perceive them. But with your permission, we can help each other see. We can eliminate our own blind spots by submitting to other people’s lens and asking for help. This requires others, as a man needs help getting right.

Accountability requires a standard. An unarguable position with which we can create a comparison. if your goal includes arguable language – terms like ‘some, a little, etc’ you can’t be accountable to it, and we can’t hold you accountable. The language matters and we must insist, for each other, that the language is clear and goals well defined.

If this sounds uncomfortable, it is. Most people have a negative impression of accountability. It’s not fun to have light shined on darkness. In the short term it doesn’t bring joy. But in the long run it brings freedom. We often conflate blind spots with moral failures. we often picture being yelled at or having an awkward conversation as the manifestation of being held accountable. It triggers shame and guilt as the primary motivators of better actions and beliefs. This is counter productive and wrongly done. Shame and guilt are not required to hold someone accountable, and they are often wildly ineffective.

That is why the ‘how’ matters. Not just the slack channel or text message vehicles we’ve identified, but what you want it to sound like when I hold you accountable. How do you want me to bring it up with you if i see your attitudes or actions not aligning with your goal? What would you like me to say that will help you be open to what I’m sharing and not guarded or defensive?

With that, and for the circle of trust, I want to you to know that you each have my permission to bring up me missing my goal, in this time (CoT) or via phone or text. If you see that I haven’t read for 30 minutes the day prior, id like it to be brought up directly. Please ask me what broke down in my process and help me identify why I didn’t do it. Then help me plan for my next 30 minutes. I also want you to know that if you’ve never held someone accountable, if you’ve never approached someone to positively identify a blind spot for them, and you want some language, it’ll be posted in slack and I’m happy to talk through it with you.

> Today’s accountability brought to you by Walkman

Deck of Death Monday


AO: > Lightening Rod

QIC: > Walkman

PAX: > Lumbergh, Angus, Buck, Bunny, Danish



CONDITIONS

> 33 degree’s and chilly caused some limited chatter to start the morning. Everyone was early and we all appreciated getting moving to warm up.

Warm Up (Circle of Pain)

> Completed a series of warmups with a quick lap around the walkways in between. Third grade exercise x 15, Windmill x 15, Monkey Humpers x 10, Arm scissors x 15.

The Thang

> Deck of death

  • Hearts – Real Peter Parkers
  • Diamonds – Hindi Squats
  • Clubs – American Hammers
  • Spades – lunges….oh those lunges
  • Jokers – gorilla walk/bear crawl around the sign and back

DoD gave us a unique opportunity for the entire PAX to practice calling an exercise. Each person called the exercise of the card they drew.

6MOM

> Wrapped up DoD at 6:13, completed Flutter kick x 15, LBC x 20.

Moleskin

> Notes from Q1.2 – King

  • To be effective in our lives, we must keep our body upright.
  • How can the sould prosper if the body withers?
  • It’s made to be used, and the more its used the more prepared it is.
  • Exercise is King and nutrition is Queen – put them together and you’ve got a kingdom. (good add by Angus that you can’t out King your Queen – no amount of exercise trumps a poor diet)
  • The Jester is necessary to think about because even the most amusing distractions can topple a kingdom.
  • We don’t exercise to get better at exercising, we do it to be prepared mentally, physically, and emotionally.
  • For me, this was the goal of 2020. I’d spent a few years working towards physical goals – a target weight, an ability to lift a certain amount, etc and hit hitting them but 2020 was about exercising for mental health and bringing the best me to bear each week. For me this takes 3-4 workouts a week.
  • This is helpful weekly, but it’s also a longterm investment.
  • F3 breaks these pursuits down into something called 3S2T – strength, stamina, speed, mental Toughness and physical Toughness. These are the things we’re trying to accelerate.
  • 3S2T is best accelerated by running with other men.
  • We all have to find what works for us – age, physical history and injuries may impact what our best can be. But what is true for all me is that it works much better as a group than solo.
  • Together, we sharped each other. And it’s kind of simple – to get faster, find someone else faster than you and chase them until you catch them.

CoT – Thanks for sharpening me and letting me chase you, and for providing me an opportunity to let you chase as well.

>Today’s beatdown brought to you by Walkman