4/6/2023 – The Coop
Location: Swanson Elementary
PAX: 11 – Tight Lip, Slow Piiiiiiiiitchaaaaaa, Ditty, Pig Pen, Pony Express, Icy Hot, TC, Stella, Dirty Bird, Lansbury, Invictus.
QIC: Invictus
0500 – Pre Run – Stella, TC, Slow Pitch, Pony Express, Icy Hot, and I set off on the typical pre-run route.
0530 – QIC kicked off the morning with the description of F3 – Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith.
Five Core Principles – Free, Open to ALL Men, Always Outside, Lead in a rotating fashion, and Ends in a Circle of Trust.
Credo – Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him.
The Mission of F3 is to Plant, Grow, and Serve small workouts groups for the reinvigoration of male community leadership.
There were no FNG’s present, nonetheless, QIC noted he was not a fitness professional so the PAX should modify the workout as needed.
WOR
5 Burpees
10 Merkins
15 SSH’s IC
20 Arm Circles (10fw, 10 bw)
25 Air Squats
0535 – Pre Thang – Hill Grinder
PAX were to pair up with 1 man running and the other AMRAPing at the bottom.
Top of Hill – 10 Merkins
Bottom of Hill – AMRAP Air Squats
OMAHA called after 5 mins.
0540 – The Thang – Soccer Field – PAX gathered at the COT station for an explanation of the beatdown. We were to mosey to Station 1, back to COT, mosey to Station 2, back to COT, mosey to Station 3, back to COT, mosey to Station 4, back to COT for a single round. Reps at each station increased as well as the burpees at the COT station. This is 2023’s Mental Battle workout, slightly modified. Each station was meant to represent one of the 5 core principles.
COT Station – middle of the field – we always gathered in a circle for burpees.
Round 1 – 2 Burpees
Round 2 – 4 Burpees
Round 3 – 6 Burpees
Round 4 – 8 Burpees
Corner Station 1 – Free of Charge
Round 1 – Hand Release Merkins x10
Round 2 – T-Merkins x10
Round 3 – Toe Touch Merkins x10
Round 4 – Diamond Merkins x10
Corner Station 2 – Open to All Men
Round 1 – Alt Shoulder Taps x15 IC
Round 2 – Mountain Climbers x15IC
Round 3 – Peter Parkers x15 IC
Round 4 – Donkey Kicks x15
Corner Station 3 – Always Held Outside
Round 1 – Monkey Humpers x20 IC
Round 2 – Bonnie Blairs x20
Round 3 – Alt Lunges x20
Round 4 – Jump Squats x20
Corner Station 4 – Peer Led
Round 1 – LBC’s x25 IC
Round 2 – Freddy Mercuries x25 IC
Round 3 – Heels to Heaven x25 IC
Round 4 – Supermans x25
Mumble chatter report: At the start of the second round when the burpees increased, I reminded the PAX to look at the workout sheet for a reminder of what each round required. As we went to 4 burpees, this really surprised Lansbury who expressed his surprise and wonderment of the set of now 4 burpees. YHC reminded him to not blame the Q, but to blame the workout sheet. No further arguments, your honor.
OMAHA called at 0600 – We got through 3 full rounds. Everyone was happy to not go to the round of 8 burpees after each station. We needed to allow for time to gather cones and mosey up the hill. I gave Lansbury the courtesy of calling Omaha.
MARY – 15 Big Boys, 15 American Hammers – Recover.
NOR
COT – A lot of the COT’s I had listened to this week (as well as those referenced in some NOR videos), referenced mental health and the emphasis on checking in with other guys on a regular basis. Since communication among men tends to be very low in this department, I figured I would go against the grain and keep the conversation going. I started by sharing the following statistics listed on one of a few F3 Mental Battle websites:
1. Although men are marginally less likely than women to develop a significant mental illness during their lifetimes, about 1 in 2 men will have a diagnosable disorder at some point in their lifetimes.
2. Men are about 2x less likely than women to seek help if problems do occur.
3. Almost 50% of men feel that they are struggling more than they admit to people in their life.
4. Depression looks significantly different in men than in women… Women tend to present as sad and withdrawn, while men tend to present as irritable and angry.
In addition to talking about how important it is to take not of these stats, YHC talked about how he is in the middle of a family dispute where one decision to choose a side can lead to someone getting hurt, no matter which way it goes. There are some recent events that have changed YHC in some negative ways and I am trying to avoid going down those roads. This was my form of communication to change the nature of how men communicate about mental health and I encouraged the rest of the PAX to find a way to do the same that serves them well. Even if it means taking the rough road.
YHC concluded the morning in Prayer – Aye! – Invictus.
