THE THANG: Bear crawl to pick up patio pavers, Lt Dan carries pavers to Wall of Fire for rotating merkins, mosie pavers down to corner, sprint one block and Karaoke return to starting line 4x, Bobby Hurleys 30x, mosie pavers back to Wall of Fire, Webbicide with 10 merkins 6x, Bear crawl limbo under pavers
THIRD F: Storytime… Fellow finds clay balls buried in sand, packs them in ruck but throws all but one into sea. Last one cracks open showing beautiful gemstone inside. See what you lose by throwing away without looking past surface.
NUMBER RAMA
NAME RAMA
COT…praise for 35* and rain plus more important things.
Summary: With 2 FNG’s in tow, and nearly double digits for the first time in Georgetown, 9 PAX sharpened iron in the county seat!
Warm-O-Rama
SSH – 20 IC
Seal Jacks – 20 IC
Smurf Jacks – 20 IC
Cherry Pickers – 20 IC
Windmill – 20 IC
Windshield Wipers – 10 IC
Rearview Wipers – 10 IC
Mosey to Georgetown Elementary for the thang!
The Thang 1: “Chappie Challenge”
PAX lined up along sidewalk 1 on near side of school front yard. Bearcrawl to sidewalk 2, mosey back to start, complete 30 merkins – OYO. Bearcrawl to sidewalk 2, Lt. Dans to sidewalk 3, mosey back to start, complete 20 Merkins. Bearcrawl to sidewalk 2, Lt. Dans to sidewalk 3, Dragoncrawl to sidewalk 4, mosey back to start, complete 10 Merkins.
Mosey to Library for The Thang 2!
The Thang 2: “Descending Curb Crawl”
Complete 10 Derkins, bear crawl to opposite curb for 9 Irkins, Crawl back to initial curb for 8 Derkins…rinse and repeat descending to 1.
Break for Third F: “Catch People on the Bounce”
QIC is currently reading “Everybody Always” by Bob Goff. The book challenges us all to love, literally everyone, regardless of their difficulty or what they’ve done or are currently going through.” A particular excerpt spoke deeply to me last night and I decided to share with the group. I believe that F3 is the perfect brotherhood to catch one another on the bounce…If you don’t know what I mean, read below:
“There’s one last thing the instructor told us in class. He said if the main parachute doesn’t open up, and the reserve parachute doesn’t either, you’ve got about 45 seconds before you hit the ground and make your mark. I was surprised and a little grossed out when the instructor said hitting the ground isn’t want kills you. Every bone in your body will break, of course. But after you hit the ground, you’ll bounce – and it’s the second time you hit that kills you as the broken bones puncture all your organs I know that is kind of graphic, but it’s true.
I’m a lawyer, so with this information in mind I figured I needed a strategy. Here’s mine: if none of the parachutes open up, when I hit the ground, I’m going to brag the grass and avoid the bounce. What is true in skydiving is true in our lives. It’s usually not the initial failure that takes us out; it’s the bounce. We’ve all hit the ground hard at work or in a relationship or with a big ambition. Whether we had a big, public failure or an even bigger private one, the initial failure won’t crush our spirit or kill our faith; it’s the second hit that does. The second hit is what follows when things go massively wrong or we fail big, and the people we thought would rush to us create distance instead. The express disapproval or teat us with polite indifference
If we want to be like Jesus, here’s our simple and courageous job: Catch people on the bounce. When they mess up, reach out to them with love and acceptance the way Jesus did. When they hit hard, run to them with your arms wide open to hug them even harder. God wants to be with them when they mess up, and He wants us to participate.”
“Everybody Always” -Bob Goff
Mosey back to AO for The Thang 3!
The Thang 3: 11’s of Box Jumps & Dips
PAX split into 2 groups at each planter of the GTown Circle. PAX completed 10 Dips at initial planter, ran across circle to opposite planter for 1 Box Jump, back to initial planter for 9 dips, back across for 2 Box Jumps…rinse and repeat until you’ve gone from 10 to 1 on Dips and 1 to 10 on Box Jumps. Total reps for each round always equaling 11.
Burp & Merk – Burpee with ascending merkins up to 10
Mosey approx. .54 miles to new H.O.B. Elementary flag pole
The Thang
B.O.M.B.S. – 50 Burpees, 100 Overhead Claps, 150 Merkins, 200 Big Boy Sit-ups, 250 Squats. PAX partnered up and worked on exercises while partner ran the circuit around the front parking lot approximately .22 miles switching off after each lap. Each PAX completed half of the listed exercises.
Mosey back .43 miles by a revised route to the AO. All HIM completed just short of a mile for the mosey to and from the school as well as an additional mile running around the parking lot for their portion of the beat down.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message
Q shared a blast from the past regarding watching the Peanuts Christmas Classic as a kid and how they handled the message of what Christmas is really about as told through the animated character Linus. This information was found and utilized in this back-blast from a post by Gregg on December 9, 2008 on the Archive Attic in the Gazette in Cedar Rapids
“During the making of the animated Christmas classic A Charlie Brown Christmas, Peanuts creator Charles Schulz had a meeting with Lee Mendelson, the show’s producer, and Bill Melendez, its lead animator. The discussion concerned Schulz’s insistence about including a New Testament scripture reading of the Christmas story from the Bible.The scripture reading was to be spoken by Peanuts character Linus Van Pelt in response to Charlie Brown’s lament, “Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?” Mendelson and Melendez both voiced their concern about the reading, with Melendez telling Schulz, “It’s very dangerous for us to start talking about religion now.” Schulz answered him by saying, “Bill, if we don’t,who will?” In the end, the scripture reading was retained, and the CBS special was the second-most watched show of the week when it debuted on December 9,1965.”
Linus’ King James version scripture reading from Luke 2: 8-14, read:
“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And,lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone roundabout them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not:for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
“That’s what Christmas is all about,Charlie Brown.”
Mosey back to AO to visit the wall wall sit with 20 overhead claps, balls to the wall for 10 count by leatherman another wall sit with 20 overhead laps
Warmup: 20 SSH, 15 Cherry Pickers, 10 Finkle Swings each leg, 10 Nancy Kerrigans each leg.
The Thang 1: Mosey up Union Street to 16 and back Mulberry Street to Shipbuilders field. William Wallace: 4 Corners with Teams of 2 with Q jumping in as a 3rd wheel! Round 1: Corner does LBCs while teammate sprints to middle of field and does 25 Burpees and sprints back; Round 2:Corner Plank & Middle Field 25 Merkins; Round 3: Corner American Hammers & Middle Field 50 Squats; Round 4: Corner Plank & Middle Field 25 Hand release Merkins. 10 Count and break for F3 message.
F3 Message: Friendship. We all have friends but do you know your true friends? Proverbs 12:26 The godly give good advice to their friends; the wicked lead them astray. Proverbs 16:28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends. Proverbs 17:17 A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need. Ecclesiates 4:9-12 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
We have a lot of aquaintaices but we need to know who are true friends are.
The Thang 2: Mosey back up Mulberry, cut over to Union with jail break at end. 10 Count. Super Toy Soldier Set 50 LBCs-30 E2Ks-20 Big Boys. 15 Ranger Merkins 15 Diamond Merkins 15 Wide Armed Merkins 25 Flutter Kicks. Toy Soldier led ABCs lower case and Hideous led 4 Count Freddie.
Count off followed by Name-O-Rama. Circle up. Thanks to all those that posted and be with those who didnt post. Prayers and thanks for Toy Soldiers friends Dad Sandy pulling through coma and continue to be with him and his famiy, continued prayers for Qs mom, prayers for healing of Hideous’s ankle and Chappie’s chest, and prayers for all those in harms way on daily basis whether our troops or 1st responders.
Once again a “dirty dozen” HIM posted in the Gloom, even with the threat of rain. That shouldn’t be surprising. After all we post rain or shine, hot or cold. That’s a great lesson for life in and of itself–i.e. circumstances and conditions should not be given a whole lot of power over us.
The Backblast title says “0.0”—this was as a result of a request by one of the PAX who injured an ankle and needed a low-run to no-run workout. Well, there you have it. But it was a workout nonetheless! Here’s how it went down:
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH – 18 IC
Parker Peter – 10 IC
Crazy SH (CSH) – 18 IC (Thanks Mr. Swartz, YHC’s elementary school gym teacher. He always taught is SSH’s this way! Addition to the Exicon? Who knows.)
Plank Jacks – 18 IC
Calf Raises – 30 OYO (toes in)
Calf Raises – 30 OYO (toes out)
The Thang:
PAX paired up after counting off by 2’s as instructed by YHC for some unknown reason. Duh, huh, huh! Anyway, after a brief intro to the workout stations around the AO parking lot, PAX commenced to the no “mike, mikes” (slang for miles) beatdown.
Here’s the list of stations:
*Timer: Box Jump Squat – 10, Curb Steps – 10, Flying Squirrel – 10, Side-to-Side Line Touch – 10 (*This station was used in lieu of a timer, upon completion, PAX rotated to next station–approximately 2 mins. per round)
Ruck – OH Presses/Ruck – Curls, AMRAP
Ruck – OH extended while woseying around lot
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear – Around parking space, AMRAP
Log Press/Log Upright Row – AMRAP
Sandbag Sit-ups – AMRAP
Parking Line Burpees – AMRAP
Single Leg Hip Thrusters – AMRAP (on park bench…this was punishing)
Paver Drive – AMRAP (Also punishing, they burn! PAX held pavers straight out and turned left/right, like driving, for the duration of the round. YHC hopes the messages motivated some push.) Here’s an image of the infamous pavers…
3rd F Message shared a couple of rounds in:
As much as those in the military experience that in training and in battle conditions, and as much as athletes experience it while training and more so in competition, and as much as we experience here in the Gloom, those thoughts are made real as we experience them day-in and day-out—they’re lived out by us all.
In fact, I would even add that it is those real-life experiences of suffering and hardship that are really training us to be faithful.
Paul said in 2 Timothy 2:3-9, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. Similarly, anyone who competes as an athlete does not receive the victor’s crown except by competing according to the rules. The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained.”
I love that, Paul, here in Scripture, speaks in terms that we can understand. Here’s the takeaways on this one. Paul was talking about Kingdom values vs. World’s values. He said,
▪Suffering/hardship is normative, not just in training, but in everyday life (in ministry!). Can you imagine that? Well, it’s the rule rather than the exception! ▪ We endure it, however, because we understand there’s a greater purpose behind ALL suffering. So wherever it’s taken you, focus on the bigger purpose, the eternal—do your job in order to please the ONE who is carrying you through it. ▪It’s meant to sharpen and purify you. To strengthen you. It’s meant, in the context of this passage, to make you a greater witness to Jesus Christ. “No guts, no story!” Right? ▪After all, if you won’t quit and walk away when things get tough, others are gonna want exactly what you have. Add to that, no cheating! No short-cuts! ▪Pain IS only temporary—that’s a reality taught us EVERY TIME we show up in the gloom and workout. Here it’s only 45 mike, mikes. In life it may be a day, a week, a year, etc. Enduring it builds muscle, but in greater ways than just physically. It builds muscle emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and in return WE BECOME BETTER LEADERS AT HOME, AT CHURCH, IN THE WORKPLACE, AND IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH WE SERVE.
That’s why we use slogans like: ▪DFQ – “Don’t Freakin’ Quit!” ▪”Embrace the suck” (Embrace it because it is normative! Paul: “Suffer hardship with me”) ▪”Find an Excuse to Win!” ▪And, yes, “No guts, no story.”
That’s about it. The pain actually was temporary—it only lasted 45 mins! Well, actually, post-workout chatter implies that it’s lasting throughout the day. Yep! YHC will take that as a compliment! It was great to see everyone pushing hard today, even as we partnered up it was still a “you against you” kind of day.
COT/BOM:
~Announcements: Get your flyers for the Grace Church Father/Son Campout ~Prayers: Lifted up Chris and Lifted up Bethany, along with other young people trying to figure out life.
PAX rotated between 5 stations doing as many reps as possible for as many rounds as possible. Rotation happened when PAX running at station 5 completed their loop.
Pull Ups
Swerkins w/ Tuck (Complete a merkin with feet in swing then pull feet in for a tuck – BRUTAL!)
Box Jump to Incline Merkin
Forearm Plank
Run loop around gazebo
3rd F Message: Extreme Ownership
“On any team, in any organization, all responsibility for success and failure rests with the leader. The leader must own everything in his or her world. There is no one else to blame. The leader must acknowledge mistakes and admit failures, take ownership of them and develop a plan to win. The best leaders don’t just take responsibility for their job, they take Extreme Ownership of everything that impacts their mission.” – Jocko & Leif, Extreme Ownership
“As individuals, we often attribute the success of others to luck or circumstances and make excuses for our own failures and the failures of our team…Total responsibility for failure is a difficult thing to accept, and taking ownership when things go wrong requires extraordinary humility and courage. But doing just that is an absolute necessity to learning, growing as a leader, and improving a teams performance.” -Jocko & Leif, Extreme Ownership
“You can’t make people listen to you. You can’t make them execute. That might be a temporary solution to a simple task. But to implement real change, to drive people to accomplish something truly complex or difficult or dangerous you can’t make people do those things. You have to lead them.” -Jocko & Leif, Extreme Ownership
Thoughts from QIC: Extreme Ownership is a man in the mirror mentality. In every and all situation, regardless of “fault,” the only thing we as leaders can control is our attitude and actions. Taking extreme ownership sets an example that will trickle down into your team, family, subordinates, etc. As a byproduct those that look to you for leadership will start to apply extreme ownership to their own selves. If you want to see change in those around you, as a leader, they need to see change in you. This means 100% extreme ownership in all situations.
Patriot Run back to AO
Site Q Handoff from Chappie to Chattahoochee (See Video Attached)
warm up- tubthumper -chumbawamba. Every time he says “I get knocked down” you do a burpee. Follow Q doing SSH and marrocan night clubs in between.
Start upper body station at circle. All with cynder block as coupon. 10 irkins. 10 dirkins. 10 left side stagger merkins. 10 right side stagger merkins. 20 triceps extensions. 20 shoulder press. 20 curls.
Run .5 mile to middle school.
Ab station. 75 lbcs. 50 reverse crunch. 50 flutter kicks. 25 big boys.
Run .5 mile back to circle.
Rinse repeat.
3rd F. 2nd Corinthians 4:7-16. Definitely would recommend reading this again on your own and digesting it. So much good information.
Because time restriction did 1 more set of upper body station and ab station all at circle. Without the mile run.
Totals- 27 burpees in warm up! A lot of arm and ab stuff! And 2 mile run. Great push HIM!
