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Groundhog Day

QIC: Irish

Date: 02/02/2024

PAX: Castaway, I.E.

AO: Boneyard

Conditions

High 30s. Clear and but not too cold.

COP

  • Warmup (SSH, 3rd Grade, Stretches, LBACs, etc.)
  • Mosey around building with some wall sits.

The Thang

Since today is Groundhog Day, YHC decided to make the beatdown, er, repeatable just to get everyone in the Bill Murray spirit.

  • 10 Curls for Gurls
  • 10 Thrusters
  • 10 V-Ups with block
  • 10 Incline Merkins (on block)

After each set, we ran to the end of the parking lot and back. Then the Q asked one of our participants a ground-hog themed trivia question. 3-burpee penalty for a wrong answer.

Then, because it’s Groundhog day, we repeated the whole shebang again.

COT

Remember the people from your past who have made an impact on your life and make efforts to reconnect with them. YHC has college friends who mean a lot to him. It took tragedy for this group to start reconnecting, but we do connect and communicate often, which only enriches YHC’s life.

Moleskin

  • Boneheads don’t know anything about Groundhog Day. We only got 3 out of 10 questions correct.
  • Three burpee buses today

The Questions

In case you are interested, here’s the trivia (correct answer is highlighted)

  1. In what year did the first official Groundhog Day celebration take place?
    a) 1952
    b) 1887
    c) 1776
    d) 1981
  2. The man who started the annual Punxsutawney traditions on Groundhog Day worked in
    what profession?
    a) Journalism
    b) Outdoorsman gear sales
    c) Banking
    d) Teaching
  3. What is the approximate population of Punxsutawney, PA where famed forecaster Punxsutawney Phil lives?
    a) 1,500
    b)10,000
    c) 6,000
    d) 3,400
  4. According to legend, Punxsutawney Phil is how old thanks to the magic potion he drinks
    each year?
    a) 131
    b) 1,002
    c) 85
    d) 448
  5. Which legendary talk show host featured Punxsutawney Phil as a guest in 1995?
    a) Ricki Lake
    b) Phil Donahue
    c) Oprah Winfrey
    d) Geraldo Rivera
  6. The Punxsutawney celebration lasts how long?
    a) One week
    b) Three days
    c) One day
    d) Three weeks
  7. Residents of Vermillion, Ohio use this creature to predict the spring forecast rather than a
    groundhog?
    a) Spider
    b) Mouse
    c) Beaver
    d) Caterpillar
  8. Groundhogs make a unique sound called what?
    a) A whistle
    b) A scream
    c) A grunt
    d) A whisper
  9. Most groundhogs live where?
    a) Alaska
    b) Eastern U.S.
    c) South America
    d) Eastern Canada
  10. What is the highest number of visitors to Gobbler’s Knob to celebrate Groundhog Day?
    a) 55,000
    b) 10,000
    c) 100,000
    d) 35,000

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    Dora’s Toolkit

    QIC: Irish

    Date: 01/05/2024

    PAX: Castaway, Life Alert, I.E.

    AO: Boneyard

    Conditions

    High 20s. Clear and cold. Hence the Beatdown was designed ahead of time to keep people moving and warm.

    COP

    • Warmup (SSH, 3rd Grade, Stretches, LBACs, etc.)
    • Mosey to Pad

    The Thang

    Musical Dora:  The beatdown was designed as a standard Dora but with a twist. Partner 1 exercises while Partner 2 runs a lap on the track. Flapjack as normal. But instead of worrying about counting the reps, we just exercised to the length of the songs on our 4-song playlist.

    Since YHC is a Tool fan (as Life Alert pointed out, all computer geeks are Tool fans), four Tool songs would cover the 35+ minutes or so of the beatdown more than adequately. So four exercises were chosen.

    Exercise 1:

    • Song: Schism –  6:44
    • Album: Lateralus
    • Exercise: Merkins

    Exercise 2:

    • Song: 46 and 2 – 6:03
    • Album: Aenima
    • Exercise: Squats

    Exercise 3:

    • Song: 7empest – 15:43 –> Note: Lots of mumble-chatter regarding the length of this track!
    • Album: Fear inoculum
    • Exercise: LBC

    Exercise 4:

    • Song: Vicarious – 7:07
    • Album: 10,000 Days
    • Exercise: Flutter Kicks

    Two Burpee Buses interrupted the beatdown. I.E. demonstrated a more-than-adequate “Burpee Bus” radar system; Rodeo has taught him well.

    We then moseyed back to the flag to close out.

    COT

    Lots of people have 2024 resolutions to be more productive. That shouldn’t mean doing more stuff but doing the right stuff. Minimize distractions and get really clear on what matters to you and work on that. Don’t just fill your day with tasks that don’t get you where you want to be or drive value in your life.

    Moleskin

    News

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      Boneyard B-Sides

      QIC: Irish

      Date: 10/27/2023

      PAX: The Count, Cowbell, Castaway, V-Squared

      AO: Boneyard

      Conditions

      Low 60s. Great weather for a beatdown.

      COP

      Started with some SSH, stretches, 3-rd grade exercises, LBACs, chair pose, tree pose, etc. Got nice and limber. Then went for a short mosey and did some wall work (wall sits, and Pure BURN – after which there was much grumble-chatter).

      The Thang

      This was totally stolen from 9-Volt’s Tommy Boy backblast (with some modifications) – props to 9-Volt. The idea was to do music trivia (hence Side A/Side B) after each exercise (if answered wrong, we would increase the rep count) but Q forgot to bring the trivia questions, so we just did the exercises as written.

      Start on Side A and do the exercise, then move across the parking lot using the MOTION indicated and do Side B. Return to Side A using the same motion. Rinse and repeat.

      We finished up with some stretching and a last-minute Burpee Bus.

      COT

      Be conscious of negativity and negative people in our lives. Engaging with negative thoughts and negative people can cause us to adopt a negative attitude OURSELVES, which is toxic to our self-being, causes undue stress, and impacts our health. Seek to eliminate or minimize negativity where possible!

      Moleskin

      • The Count regaled us with quite a story afterwards on positively dealing with a negative person!

      News

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        Get the Led Out

        QIC:  Irish

        Date: 05/06/2022

        PAX: Rodeo, iSpy, Castaway

        AO: Boneyard

        Conditions

        72 degrees. Extremely muggy due to overnight rain showers. Humidity caused a lot of sweat!

        COP

        • Side-Straddle Hop – x15 IC
        • Squat Thrust – x15 IC
        • FF OYO
        • Mountain Climber – x15 IC
        • Abe Vigoda – x15 IC
        • LBAC x15 IC plus reverse

        The Thang

        Q mentioned that there is a theme associated with this date in history that can be found from the clues in the workout. Queue the Led Zeppelin playlist!

        Round 1: at Flag

        • Burpees x 5
        • Lunges x 10 (each leg)
        • Imperial Walkers x 15 (each leg)
        • Merkins x 20
        • Plank Jacks x 25 (Q forgot to do this one, so Pax got a freebie)
        • Squats x 30
        • Mosey to next station

        Round 2: behind Teacher’s Place building

        • Burpees x 10
        • Lunges x 15 (each leg)
        • Imperial Walkers x 20 (each leg)
        • Merkins x 25
        • Plank Jacks x 30
        • Squats x 35
        • Mosey to next station

        Round 3: Food City Parking Lot

        • Burpees x 5
        • Lunges x 10 (each leg)
        • Imperial Walkers x 15 (each leg)
        • Merkins x 20
        • Plank Jacks x 25
        • Squats x 30
        • Mosey to next station

        Round 4: behind Teacher’s Place building

        • Burpees x 10
        • Lunges x 15 (each leg)
        • Imperial Walkers x 20 (each leg)
        • Merkins x 25
        • Plank Jacks x 30
        • Squats x 35
        • Mosey to next station

        Round 5:

        • Wall squats
        • Mosey to Flag
        • Mountain pose stretch to finish us out

        COT

        The historical event referenced by the workout was the Hindenburg disaster which occurred on May 6, 1937. While docking, the blimp caught fire (it didn’t officially explode) and within 29 seconds, all of the hydrogen was consumed. 35 people (out of 90+) lost their lives.

        There are many lessons to be learned from the disaster. One that struck YHC’s fancy was that the zeppelin was originally designed to use helium (which is inert and doesn’t burn, but does make your voice sound funny if you inhale it). But because Germany had a helium shortage at the time, it was cheaper to use hydrogen (which burns like nobody’s business). So in essence, the owners of the Hindenburg prioritized cost over their primary (and most important) mission – transporting passengers safely from one place to the next.

        The lesson for us is this: what are the important things in our life and are we fueling them with more expensive helium or cheaper hydrogen? Are we giving our all to our primary missions (as husbands, fathers, leaders, sons) or are we short-changing them? Spend the time, effort, and cost on the most important things in your life – otherwise you may crash and burn like the Hindenburg.

        Moleskin

        Pax didn’t guess the workout theme during the exercises – they thought it was all about Led Zeppelin, especially since YHC started spouting off Zep trivia between exercises just so we could catch our breath in the muggy air.

        The final answer was guessed when we reviewed the B.L.I.M.P.S. acronym during the COT.

        Zeppelin Playlist

        • Black Dog
        • Whole Lotta Love
        • Ramble On
        • Heartbreaker
        • The Ocean
        • Immigrant Song
        • Rock and Roll
        • Misty Mountain Hop
        • Moby Dick
        • Kashmir
        • Houses of the Holy
        • D’yer Mak’er

        News

        Memorial Day Burph at The Dam
        Chubby’s – bring stuff to Lion’s Den on Monday

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          Tabata Time!

          QIC:  Irish

          Date: 03/22/2022

          PAX: Rodeo, Sunburn, Money Ball, Oil Can, Backfire, Iron Butt, Fissure, V-Squared

          AO: Boneyard

          Conditions

          53 Degrees, clear, great weather for a beatdown

          COP

          • Imperial Walker – IC x 20ish
          • LBAC and reverse – IC x15ish
          • Windmills – IC x 12
          • 3rd Grade Exercise – IC x 15ish
          • SSH – IC x 10 or 12 (depending on Q’s questionable cadence calling)

          The Thang

          Tabata-Time!
          Tabata- style workout. 30 seconds of work, 15 seconds of rest, 8 reps (four of each exercise, alternating) per cycle. 1 minute in between cycles for rest and/or Burpee Bus shenanigans.

          • Cycle 1:
            • Merkins
            • Coupon Squats
          • Cycle 2:
            • Dips
            • High Knees
          • Cycle 3
            • Lunges
            • Derkins
          • Cycle 4
            • Mountain Climbers
            • Calf Raises
          • Cycle 5
            • Irkins
            • Monkey Humpers
          • Cycle 6 – Truncated due to time
            • High Plank
            • Donkey Kicks (Rodeo’s favorite!)

          COT

          Set intentions for your life (i.e. long-term plans) but don’t wait to live them out. We never know just how much time we have left on this earth so don’t wait to live your dreams now before it’s too late!

          Moleskin

          The Q obviously had brain fog today as evidenced by his inability to count cadence. Numerous references toTed Lasso, Tommy Boy, and – for some strange reason known only to Rodeo – the finer techniques of cow insemination.

          Coffeteria afterwards, courtesy of Rodeo.

          News

          Chubby’s homeless ministry (need NEW underwear and socks), Merkin challenge update (lost to Cleveland due to some hanging chad recount nonesense), CSAUP (Poker ruck)

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          Merkin Challenge at the Boneyard

          QIC:  Irish

          Date: 03/01/2022

          PAX: Sunburn, Castaway, Brain Fart, V-Squared, Stork

          AO: Boneyard

          Conditions

          Clear, dry, and 39⁰. Perfect for some merkin workin’.

          COP

          SSH x 15 in cadence
          LBAC x 15 in cadence
          LBAC (reverse) x 15 in cadence
          WMH x 15 in cadence
          Forward Fold OYO
          Third-Grade Exercise x15 in cadence
          Quad Stretch OYO

          The Thang

          Several rounds of Merkin pain with some other squats and such thrown in for variety. Following each round, mosey around the parking lot.

          Round 1:
          Merkin x 10
          Wide Merkin (Werkin?) x 10
          Diamond Merkin x 10
          Staggered Merkin (R) x 10
          Staggered Merkin (L) x 10

          Round 2:
          Pike Merkin x 10
          Military Merkin x 10
          Sphinx Merkin x 10
          Peter Parker x 10
          Dive Bombers x 10

          *Burpee Bus #1 (x5)

          Round 3:
          Merkin x 10
          Wide Merkin x 10
          Diamond Merkin x 10
          Staggered Merkin (R) x 10
          Staggered Merkin (L) x 10

          Round 4:
          Jump Squats x 30
          LBCs x 30
          Merkins x 10
          Wide Merkins x10

          *Burpee Bus #2 (x5)

          Round 5:
          Squats x 30
          LBCs x 30
          Dive Bombers x10
          Peter Parkers x 10

          Mary:
          Stork – Scorpion Merkins x 10 OYO
          V-Squared – Freddy Mercuries x 10 IC
          Sunburn – (I can’t remember but I’m sure it was tough)
          Brain-Fart – Leg Lifts x 30 OYO
          Castaway – (I can’t remember but I’m sure it was tough)
          Irish – 1 minute Merkin blow-out (AMRAP)

          COT

          American culture favors self-reliance. I (and most men I know) tend to take this to the extreme and I (we) don’t usually ask for help when we need it. We try to go it alone or figure it out ourselves. F3 gives us the gift of fellowship and a community of HIM who are there to lend a hand. Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help (and be willing to accept help when given)!

          News

          -4F
          -Chubby’s
          -Log your Merkins here!

          Moleskin

          We had two MDs in the group today – one thought too many Merkins were unhealthy. So YHC turned to the other for a second opinion. Glad to know we were covered in case there was a medical emergency!

          Gotta beat KC with the March Merkin Madness!

          YHC brought music today but forgot it for round 1. Not sure what the PAX thought of it, but it sure motivated the Q.

          Playlist: (didn’t make it through all of these)
          Muse – Hysteria
          Tool – Parabola
          APC – Weak and Powerless
          GNR – You Could be Mine
          Disturbed – Indestructible
          RATM – People of the Sun
          Saliva – Ladies and Gentlemen
          Linkin Park – In the End
          Bad Religion – 21st Century Digital Boy
          Fighters of Foo – Monkeywrench
          Metallica – Wherever I May Roam
          Chevelle – The Clincher
          RHCP – Give it Away
          Greta Van Fleet – Highway Tune
          The Prodigy – Breathe

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            Modified Mini-Murph

            QIC:  Irish

            Date: 02/15/2022

            PAX: Rodeo, Sunburn, Castaway, Brain Fart, V-Squared

            AO: Boneyard

            Conditions

            Clear 29⁰. Full moon cast a eerie glow over the AO.

            COP

            SSH x 15 in cadence
            Forward Fold – oyo
            Downward Dog – oyo
            Seal Claps x 15 in cadence
            “Quad” Stretch – oyo
            Pigeon Stretch – oyo
            LBAC x 15 in cadence
            LBAC (reverse) x 15 in cadence

            The Thang

            Five rounds of exercises. Each round started with a mosey around the AO track. Loose adaptation of the The Murph exercise, but with the same level of respect for LT Murphy, USN, patriot and hero.

            Round 1:
            Mosey Lap
            Pull Ups: 10
            Merkins: 20
            Jump Squats: 30

            Round 2:
            Mosey Lap
            Dips: 20
            Incline Merkins: 40
            Lunges: 60

            Round 3:
            Mosey Lap
            Decline Merkins: 30
            Imperial Walkers: 80
            Monkey Humpers: 120

            Round 4:
            Mosey Lap
            Dips: 20
            Incline Merkins: 40
            Lunges: 60

            Round 5: (truncated due to time)
            Pull Ups: 10
            Diamond Merkins: 10

            Cool Down:
            Various broga poses and stretches (Mountain Pose, Cobra, Forward Fold, Downward Dog, Child’s Pose, etc.)

            COT

            A failure to plan is a plan to fail, even for far-off events. As I reflected on my mother-in-law dying, I realized that there was really no plan on final resting place, funeral, etc. So in the midst of grief, the family also has to plan a funeral, make arrangements, etc. – essentially be a project manager and coordinate a lot of activity instead of focusing on their loss and their loved ones. It’s a bit macabre, but having a plan for your final arrangements now is an incredible gift to your spouse and family as it allows them time and space to mourn. YHC has some homework to do this weekend . . .

            News

            -Tuff Muff
            -Chubby’s
            -Habitat (may be moved due to conflict with TM)

            Moleskin

            Apparently YHC doesn’t know the difference between a hamstring and a quad (or his right from left for that matter). The group turned to the expert opinion of our resident MD, Brain Fart, who showed his disdain for all anatomy below the neck, referring to the entire leg as a “lower appendage.” We are not sure if we did quad or hamstring stretches, but we did work on our lower appendages during this beatdown.

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              Gloom Math is Fun!

              QIC:  Irish

              Date: 01/07/2022

              PAX: Rodeo, Cookies (from F3 Wheaton, IL), Burrito, Sunburn, Best in Show

              AO: Boneyard

              Conditions

              Clear and cold (22⁰). Small patches of ice on the track. No snow, which made Cookies yearn for home.

              COP

              SSH x 15 in cadence
              Windmills x 15 in cadence
              LBAC x 15 in cadence
              LBAC (reverse) x 15 in cadence
              Third Grade Exercise x 15 in cadence
              Imperial Walkers x 15 in cadence

              Followed up with a run up the hill and then back down, narrowly avoiding icy patches along the way. This would be our route later on in the Thang.

              PAX were rather chatty during the warmup, making YHC wonder if anyone besides him was really counting, but this mumble-chatter quickly turned to grumble-chatter during the next phase of the beatdown.

              The Thang

              We incorporated a little bit of mental gym in the beatdown, reminding our HIM of their multiplication tables!

              PAX circle around with their coupons and one PAX drew a card at random from a pre-shuffled and not-stacked-at-all deck. This card was the multiplier. Exercises below were then performed based on the multiple times times the value on the card. Number cards are their own value, Jacks are 11, Queens 12, Kings 13, Ace 15.

              Blockiesx1
              Incline MerkinsX2
              American TwistsX3
              Squats with CouponX4
              LBCsX5
              Mountain Climbers (2 count)X4
              Lumberjacks (2 count)X3
              Decline MerkinsX2
              Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes (Squat, Curl, Press)X1

              After each round of exercises, we conducted an Indigenous Peoples’ Run around the lap noted above.

              Example: in Round 1, Rodeo drew a 7. So we did 7 blockies, 14 incline merkins, 21 American twists and so on until the round was complete.

              We did three total rounds and two Indigenous People’s Runs until grouping back up for some Broga (Mountain Pose, Downward Dog, Cobra, etc.) as a cool-down. During Round 3, we adjusted Lumberjacks to a 1x multiple based on incessant grumble-chatter.

              COT

              YCH reflected on the wisdom contained in Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages. Every human favors one or two of these love languages and shows love to others (spouse, kids, friends, etc. ) using the language they favor. But this causes conflict if your favorite love language is not the same as your spouse’s. Understanding the love languages of the people in your life you love the most is a great way to show love to others in the way they want to be loved. The five languages are below and – note, they do change over time so periodic re-evaluation is recommended!

              • Words of Affirmation
              • Physical Touch
              • Acts of Service
              • Gifts
              • Quality Time

              More here plus a quiz to help understand your LL: https://www.5lovelanguages.com/

              Moleskin

              Best in Show was a bit put out by the lack of promised coffee to end the beatdown, as Dunkin was closed due to the non-weather event and YHC did not have an adqeuate backup plan. He was promptly offered a refund on his investment for the workout, but intends to file a complaint anyway. YHC will offer coffee and donuts for the next beatdown but refuses to accept responsibility for Dunkin dropping the ball a second time.

              Our guest poster, Cookies, from Chicagoland was not impressed by the Tennessee version Snowmaggedon and was less impressed by grumble-chatter, stating that he “didn’t get up early to take it easy” (or words to that effect).

              Burrito apparently loves stretching/broga given the quasi-obscene sounds he made during the exercises.

              News

              Reminder to sign up for Chubby’s Homeless Ministry, either helping out or providing quality goods (coats, blankets, NEW underwear or socks). They also take monetary donations as a 503c organization.

              Burrition mentioned an upcoming CSAUP extraordinaire in mid-February which promises to be a beatdown of a lifetime. I’m assuming more info is coming on the #convergence-csaup channel in Slack.

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