AO: Wild Kingdom
DATE: 8/10/21
Weather: 77 degrees, with about 100% humidity
PAX (18): Thomas, Gator, Crab Cakes, T-ball, Mufasa, Sasquash, Griswold, Hawg (Respect!), Lite Brite, Barn Door, Gump, Blades of Glory, Cheap Seats, Breaststroke, Butterfly (Respect!), Chippendale, Supa Fly, Hard Hat
Q: Hard Hat
Welcome: It was a hot, muggy morning. The prerunners were pushing it to get back to the shovel flags in time for the workout. They were drenched. The air was thick and heavy. This is the gloom. The PAX were greeted, and there were no new guys. The typical spiel was given. We went over to the grassy circle to warm up.
Warmup: Since there were no new guys, a more runner’s type of stretching warmup was performed. 10 Single Leg Deadlift Toe Touches IC –> 20 SSH IC –> 10 Iron Crosses –> 20 Mountain Climbers IC. At the conclusion of warmarama, the thang was explained.
Thang: 5 station group work: The group counted off into 5’s. Each station was explained, and direction was given that as your group was getting pushed, they could not release to the next station until the 6 from the push group got in. All exercises are AMRAP with exception to the push station. Some modifications were described where applicable.
- Station 1: Picnic Tables; Table top Jump Ups, Dips
- Station 2: Playground; Overhand Pull-Ups, Curl Ups
- Station 3 PUSH: trail entrance; 5 Turk N’ Burps, then Sprint to Station 4
- Station 4: Coupons by bridge; Curls, Kettlebell Swings
- Station 5: Core by bike rack; Flutter Kicks, WWI Situps
The AMRAP exercises along with number of stations, etc gave plenty of opportunity for some 2nd F mumblechatter. The stations actually had more exercises listed, but together we only got through the 1st round, then two stations of the 2nd round.
Post Thang: Duck Jousting; The arena was setup in the grass where we warmed up. The rules were given. It’s a battle until the last man is standing (duck squatting). Everyone duck walks and trys to knock other guys down or out of the arena. No using hands. This was entertaining, especially when guys were slipping around. It should be noted that due to the humidity level of the morning, this might as well have been a greased pig contest. It took a while for the first guy to get out, but after that, they just kept falling, until the final showdown. Gator vs. Thomas. Thomas was utilizing some of his wrestling experience earlier and tried hooking feet with his in order to knock someone over. That didn’t work with Gator though, who was really getting deep to get a nice stable base. The strategy paid off, as Thomas lost his footing is the sweat soaked arena. Gator left the arena victorious.
6MOM: ABCs –> Barn Door and Crab Cakes were both asked to lead the group in a core exercise –> 32 American Hammers were counted out in cadence –> With everyone thinking we were done, we did 20 dying cockroaches, then Griswold was asked to take us out with some Rosalitas.
Circle of Trust: I had a message in mind, but then listening to the Glue-OOM podcast episode with Ponzi, it got me thinking about a few things. He mentioned in that episode how the guys were that he kind of hung out with before F3. Guys that would go out for drinks after sand volleyball and complain about their wives and kids. That struck me, because sometimes I feel like I do that. I need to get better and not take for granted how great things are for me. I wanted to share with the group the story of one of my favorite COT’s. The workout was led by Ponzi, and his theme was failure. He had several parts to his COT regarding failure, and although that message was good, the next part is what I remembered most and have reflected back on multiple times. He shared with us a prayer that he wrote and reads daily, like a mantra. I thought that was awesome. Like, he actually took the time to sit down, write it out, and remind himself so often about the things that are important to him. I had never really considered doing anything like that before. I recited his prayer for the group to close things out.
“God, help us be kind, loving and encouraging men with outrageously optimistic, positive, and abundant mindsets. Nothing gets us down or stands in our way because we enjoy failure and pain. These are our greatest teachers and we not only embrace them, but cherish them as if they were a precious gem given to us directly from you. We are grateful for another day on this earth today. For another opportunity to love deeply and passionately. As men, we strive to be better everyday without taking this day or moment for granted. God grant us the grace and wisdom to live this day to its fullest. Amen.” – Ponzi
Aye!
Hard Hat