August 17, 2022//Stinson Park//AO- Heavy Metal//62 degrees, 100% Humidity//
24 Pax: Pig Pen, Z-Bo, Hightower, Hat Trick (Respect!), Wentworth, Touché, Animal (Respect!), Romeo, Bobsled, Tax Man, Farva, Red Cross, Spacebar, Black Lung, Hipster (Respect!), Black Flag, Mahomes, Cyclone (Respect!), Bloodshot, Doll Face (Respect!), Golden Pike, Samples (Respect!), Betamax, and Folsom.
Q: Folsom
The mission statement, the 5 core principles, the moto, and the disclaimer were all shared. Play was pushed on the Awesome Mix of Rock, and Folsom lead the PAX to the giant Weiner where they circled up for Warm O’Rama.
Warm O’ Rama approx. 10 minutes
Mosey the long way to the monolith and hold plank upon arrival. (If you’re running somewhere, give the destination and an exercise to do when they arrive, that way the Sugar Rays aren’t just waiting, and the Clydesdales can take a shortcut.) (I end with something to get the heart rate high, because the PAX will have time to recover as we move to, and I explain, the Thang. It’s also good to get that first wind out of the way so the hard work of the Thang won’t peak too soon.)
- Seal Jacks x 20 IC
- Copperhead Squats x 10 IC
- Tempo Merkens x10 IC
- Monkey Humpers x 10 IC
- Walk Out Merkins to 7 (From a standing position, bend to toe touch, walk hands out to high plank, perform Merkins for number of rep you’re on, i.e. 3rd rep, do 3 Merkins, walk hands back, stand up straight.)
- Mosey to the playground, hold high plank to the 6.
The Thang: Ring of Fire Aprox. 22 minutes
Folsom demonstrated the proper technique for counting by leading the PAX in the first exercise, then Folsom went around the circle of PAX calling on each one to lead an exercise. Everyone did great! Most of the exercises were done for 20 reps, some more, so less. After getting through the entire list, we ran to the Giant Penis and back. We got through ½ the list a second time before Omaha was called.
- Kettlebell Swings
- Chest Flys
- Up right Rows
- Big Boy Sit ups
- Goblet Squats
- Werkens
- Curls
- Overhead Triceps Extensions
- Arnold Press
- Hand release Merkens
- Bent Over Rows
- Dead Lifts
- Pull Over Crunch
- Thrusters
- Curls
- American Hammers
- Step Back Lounges
Mary: Folsom wanted to get through this list twice but ran out of time after the 2nd set of Dying Cyclones. Of course, all exercises were done with weights.
- Dying Cyclone ICx15
- American Hammers ICx10
- Big Boys x20
- LBC’s x20
COT: You had to be there to get the real thing. Below is an incomplete list of my thoughts on the various things that go into a great Q. As for what I said to the PAX, well, you had to be there. The gist was that as I thought about all of these things, one word came to my mind over and over, Tribe. F3 Omaha is our tribe. The culture of our tribe is well defined and must be announced at every beatdown to keep it that way. This culture is so important because it creates a feeling of belonging (fellowship), from the funny names for each other to the way we count so that we are all moving together, everything works towards our mission statement. Once we have become a member of the Tribe, we begin to trust the other members. When we trust, we become vulnerable. When we are vulnerable, we can learn from each other. When we learn, we can become better men and better leaders. When we lead, we have accomplished the mission of F3. We are not an exclusive group; we are open to all men, but once you join our group, you will become a part of our tribe by learning our language. A note on the culture, we are a group of men that trust each other, and everything is set to develop the culture. It’s important because many of us feel left out, we never truly feel like we belong, at work, with our friends, or even with our families. F3 is the safe place where you can be who you are and still be loved. We have a shared suffering, the beatdown, and we have a shared language, the counting and funny names. Speaking of funny names, we all get our own, further cementing us a member of the Tribe (PAX). All of this leads to a sense of belonging. If you were like me and played team sports growing up, you probably experienced what I’m talking about. My college basketball team had a nickname for everyone on the team and we definitely suffered together, and basketball has its own language too. I had an almost immediate group of friends upon entering college. I imagine joining a fraternity would be the same. As we move out into the world, we lose that sense of belonging; we become Sad Clowns, that’s why we need a Tribe. F3 is the perfect tribe and continuing the culture is essential to keeping it that way.
Counting: This is The Way to do it. Why? Because everyone moving together creates that feeling of togetherness. We’re not just some guys working out in the park, we are guys working out together. The words have meaning! “The exercise is:” Tells everyone what is going to happen. “Starting position, Move!” Tells everyone to get ready by getting in the proper position. “In cadence” or “on my down” Tells everyone how the exercise will be lead. Which, btw, is not as fast as you can say down, or count to 3. Each number or word like down or up, corresponds to a movement. “Exercise!” Tells everyone to get moving. Without this cue, people won’t be moving at the same time and our sense of togetherness is lessened. Speaking of togetherness, why do we have funny names for exercises and for each other? Why do we speak in codes like “fart sack” or FNG? We do those things because we are a tribe. Having our own language, sets us apart from others. It’s another way for us to feel connected.
Introduction: Defining the 3 F’s, reciting the mission statement, creed, and disclaimer are all important, because they define our culture. Say them with some spirit, this is your time to speak to the PAX and express yourself! I like to do it all with energy to get the PAX going for the beatdown about to be laid down.
Warm’o rama: Tailor it to your workout. Going to have a lot of leg work, then warm the legs up with high knees, butt kickers, a few squats, and tappy taps. Going to do a little of everything, then warm up everything too. Always throw in some cardio, that doesn’t mean S, S, H must be done at every workout though! Finally, end with something that will get them breathing heavy! You’re going to have a count off and probably several seconds of explanation of the upcoming workout, maybe a mosey to a different location, that’s recovery time, give them something to recover from!
Pre Thang: I don’t like them for a 45 minute workout, I think it takes too much time to explain it and then explain a thang. That’s downtime and I like to keep everyone moving. But you are freed to lead. If you do one, make it hard. If the PAX are only going to do it for 5-10 minutes, then crank up the intensity, if you did the warm up like I suggested, then the PAX will be ready to go hard. I prefer to spend time on the Thang, people seem to think that a workout shouldn’t repeat exercises, but if you really want to work a muscle group, you have to multiple sets. On the other hand, if it’s an hour long, then I like a pre-thang, or is two thangs?
Thang: I love thangs like 21’s or Grinders. (Grinder: 2 or men on a team are given a series of exercises to complete, while one man runs to a point, and returns to switch places. Reps can be AMRAP or to a certain number.) I like them because they are you vs. you beatdowns that allow each PAX to push themselves as little or as much as they would like. Grinders give me an incentive to work harder because I don’t want to let my partner(s) down. As Many Reps As Possible allows the PAX to have mumblechatter while they’re not worried about keeping count. It, hopefully, also allows the PAX to focus on good form and not number of reps done. They also both mix in cardio with strength exercises. I find if you have people run too far they dog it, or too short and they don’t get the HR high enough, the sweet spot is probably between 50-200 yards. If you do a String of Pearls and you lead a ½ mile run, you’re probably going to lose someone, save those things for running AO’s. (String of Pearls: Running a distance, gathering all the PAX together for some exercises, then running again, more exercises, etc. These can cover 2, 3 or even more miles in one beatdown.) String of Pearls can be done but keep the runs to ¼ or less and plan something to keep the Sugar Ray’s busy and to give the Clydesdales a chance to catch their breath. Speaking of running AO’s, there are some specialty AO’s which change the rules a bit. Heavy Metal is an obvious example. Know your audience for your Q. Don’t come to Heavy and expect to lead the PAX on a 3 mile run. Don’t show up to The Sandlot with a bunch of dumbbells and lead a Ring of Fire. Even bootcamp AO’s have their own personalities in a sense, be aware of what the PAX is expecting, but don’t be afraid to blow it up when appropriate. Variety is what gets and keeps us in good shape, mentally and physically.
Post Thang: See my comments on pre thang.
Mary: The core is so important. I like to put core exercises throughout the beatdown and if I do a lot of them, then I might not have Mary at all. Other times, I’ll do an entire 6 minutes of abs. I think either is fine, but I think those are your two only choices. Not doing any abs and then only doing American Hammers around the circle (Rancid Style), doesn’t give our abs the attention they need. Also don’t be afraid to repeat ab exercises in Mary. I like to have a routine that touches the upper, lower, and obliques, then repeat in once or twice.
CoT: You don’t always have to be vulnerable and share something deep, but you should be mindful of the PAX’s time. If you don’t have something to say, then kick their asses for longer, and then recite a quote. We are supposed to finish on time, but I don’t ever hear complaints if we aren’t done at 6:15, but I do if we are done before 6:15. I got up so damn early for a lot of reasons but getting to coffee before the other AO isn’t one of them.
Final Thoughts: Everyone should Q. Don’t be intimidated, or worried that you have to be perfect. This is your place to be you, mistakes and all, and still be loved. It’s a judgement free zone. If you do screw up, someone will probably point it out in a constructive way and not be an asshole about it. It’s fun to Q, so have fun with it and let your personality show. My friends talk about the “Q High”, mostly it’s an explanation of why my calorie burns are so highest when I Q. My friends don’t believe, or don’t want me to believe, that I have the best beatdowns. They say I’m hyped up and therefore burn more calories as the Q than I would if I were doing the same beatdown with someone else on the Q. Maybe…
Aye- Folsom