The Hub

January 1, 2024

BACKBLAST-12/30/23 -The Mick’s 2023 Blowout at The Hub

BACKBLAST 12-30-2023 – The Mick’s 2023 Blowout at The Hub

F3 Mission – Plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership

F3 (5) Pillars – (1) Free of Charge, (2) Open to all Men, (3) Held outdoors, (4) Peer led in a rotating fashion, (5) Ends with a Circle of Trust (COT)

“Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him”

Weather – 29 deg F, cloudy, overcast

Pax – (17) The Mick (QIC), Lights Out, 45, HHH, Mufasa, Scarecrow, Class Act, Heisenberg, Rusty, FNG (Mulligan), The Count, Optimus, Dash (Little Minion), Mr. Incredible, Atticus, Trader Joe, Peyton

5am Pre-Pre Ruckers – (2) Atticus, Mufasa

6am Pre-Ruckers – (9) Atticus, Mufasa, Rusty, Lights Out, Heisenberg, Peyton, Trader Joe, Class Act, The Mick

Warm-up

10 Slllloooooowww Abe Vigoda

10 Slllloooooowww Bean Picker

10 Slllloooooowww Apollo Ono

10 Bonnie Blair

10 Campbells Dance Party

Count Off

Light Pole Lap – Get a Block – Move the Block up onto MO7 Hill

First Thang – Murder Bunny Blowout

• 4 Blocks were set-up on the long slop of the hill. The blocks were about 60 feet apart

• We did 5 rounds moving around the blocks (like running the bases) in squads

• We did and exercise at each block. When your entire squad finished the set you moved to the next block, thus completing 4 sets of the exercise

• The rounds went like this

Round	Mode of Travel around the square (block to block)	Exercise (10 reps at each Block)
1	Murder Bunnies	Overhead Press
2	Farmers Carry – Right Arm	Left Arm Row
3	Farmers Carry – Left Arm	Right Arm Row
4	Overhead Carry	Jump Squat
5	Murder Bunnies	Curl

Second Thang – Murderous Dora

• Partner up – Dora from hell time on the west parking lot

• Pax 1 does exercises while Pax 2 was the timer

• Pax 2 the timer, run to the long parking lot marker – 1,2, or 3 burpees, run back to start, run to the second long parking lot marker 2, 4 or 6 burpees, run back to start, run across the parking lot 3, 6, or 9 Burpees run back to start

• Flap jack

• Exercises were: 250 SSH, 250 WWI’s, 250 Squats (skipped in the interest of time – had to do the iconic Merkin Core Complex)

Third Thang – Merkin Core Complex

10 Reps – CC – Each move

Merkin – Done with our Blocks	Core – with Block held overhead
Right hand on block	Low Flutters
Left hand on block	Leg Raises
Inclined Merkin	Low Flutters
Derkin	Leg Raises
(we skipped the next 4 styles)

Cool Down Thang

• Squaticide to 10 parking stripes

Mosey to the Flag

• 10CC – Dying Cockroach

• 10CC – E2K (elbow to knee each side)

• 10OYO – Side Crunch (each side)

Moleskin

Everyone was in a holiday spirit and the beatdown was solid but not grueling by any means. Instead we did more moves, more “Thangs.” Had we focused on the first Thang doing all planned 9 rounds, it would have felt tougher. Had we done all the planned Dora, it would have been tougher. Had we done all 10 rounds of merkin-core, it would have been tougher. But some of use did get 4 rounds of 18 burpees (total 72). And it was enjoyable to have some variety.

I am feeling the need for more rep driven, full set beatdowns. I feel a little out of shape, but that may bejust the circumstances of my own trials and tribulations this fall. As always, if we hang those trials and tribulations on our source of faith, we find we can overcome them. We also find that the fellowship of F3 helps pull a man through. Remember the motto: Leave no man behind. Leave no man where you found him. F3 Did that for me this fall as you all came to my aid with your prayers and well wishes. They always mean more than you know. And the trite “thank-you” is heartfelt and humble.

We had a good morning rucking. I was late, as I circled back in my neighborhood checking on a suspicious car (it looked like Pac Rat, but he was supposed to be away). Heisenberg tried to hold Atticus back and wait for me, but Atticus had to launch and off the Pax went. Following Atticus’ lead (just think how sad that is ????). I found them by rucking the course backwards (sorta). The F3 lesson of course is: “Early is on-time, On-time is late.”

Well, its New Years Eve and I need to submit this before you all are too drunk to read it. So, I am stopping. At least I am finishing this Backblast in the same week as the Beatdown. A rarity for me. HAPPY NEW YEAR men. May God richly bless you and your families next year and every year (He will, but sometimes you just must look a little harder to find those blessings)

Prayer (TAPS)

We prayed for The Mick’s father whose is home suffering with a long bout of congestive heart failure.

The Mick

January 26, 2023

BACKBLAST 1-24-23 at The Hub – The Mick’s Did someone Say APFT?

BACKBLAST 01/24/2023 –The Mick’s Did Someone Say APFT? At The HUB

Weather – 31 deg F, breezy (wind Chill 21 deg F)

Pax – (15) The Mick (Q), Atticus, Mr. Incredible, Little Minion, Al Gore, HHH, Bozo, Saluki, Campbells, Groening, Scarecrow, Light Out, Han Solo, Cru, Dr. Freud

Warm-up

Light Pole Lap

Motivators 10-8

Campbells Dance Party (10IC)

Apollo Ono (10IC)

Arm Circles forward / backward (10IC)

The First Thang

Deconstructed Burpees on the Hill. We did 4 sets of 12reps of each of these moves. After each exercise we Bernie Sanders up the hill and Mosey’d down. After 2 sets we took a recovery lap around the back sign before completing the other 2 sets

—Squats 12IC

—Thrusters 12CC

—Merkins 12CC

—Burpees 8 to 12 (do your best)

—Bernie Sanders uphill after each Exercise

Repeat for 4 sets total

The Second Thang – The King of Thangs – The Merkin Core Complex

Perfect Wide Merkins – 8 Reps	Bay City Scissors – 10CC
Perfect Merkins – 8 Reps	Freddy Mercury – 10CC
Perfect Diamond Merkins – 8 Reps **	Bay City Scissors – 10CC
Hand Release Merkins – 8 Reps	Freddy Mercury – 10CC
Right Hand High Merkin – 8 Reps	WWII’s – 10CC
Left Hand High Merkin – 8 Reps	WWII’s – 10CC
Right Leg Up Merkin – 8 Reps	WWII’s – 10CC
Left Leg Up Merkin – 8 Reps	WWII’s – 10CC

Third Thang – Leg Wrecker and Kato’s 20 yd Resistance Sprints

Leg Wrecker – Partner up. P1 does Al Gore. P2 Lunge walks down a 2 parking strips and back about 20 yards. Rinse and Repeat 2 more times (total 3 sets each)

Kato Resistance Sprints – Partner up. Partners face each other. One (P1) puts his hands on the front shoulders of the other (P2). The other (P2) tries to sprint about 25yds while P1 runs backwards and gives resistance. Rinse and Repeat 2 more times (total of 3 sets each)

Mary – What about Mary … who needs her

Moleskin

I really had fun today!! It is hard for me to Q Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. Felt great to lead this group and I appreciated the feedback … the groans, moans and grunts music to my ears. They tell me you are having fun. They also tell me you are not disappointed you showed up on a cold crisp morning before sunrise.

This Q was my version of APFT Basic Training (we could have done more reps, but you did get over 100merkins each). When posting the video, I posed a question: Do you really need any more than Squats, Merkins and WWII’s? I’m serious, do you? Actually, I’m teasing … you need burpees too!

You all did a great job this morning!

Prayer Requests (that I remember)

• Patience and understanding in our lives

• Speedy recovery for Han Solo’s dad

• Healthy pregnancy for Daughter-in-law

• Continued recovery for my Dad

Keep doing your merkins and eat your vegetables

The Mick

December 23, 2022

BACKBLAST – 12/20/2022 The Mick does The Mick part 2 – at The Hub

BACKBLAST 12/20/2022 –The Mick does The Mick Part 2 at The Hub Beatdown

Weather – 28 deg F, calm and cloudy (Calm before the storm!!)

Pax – (14) The Mick (Q), Al Gore, Atticus, Saluki, Al Gore, Campbells, Han Solo, Class Act, Cru, Lights Out, Scarecrow, Groening, Mr. Incredible, HHH

Warm-up

Arm Circles forward / backward (10IC)

Apollo Ono (10IC)

Campbells Dance Party (10IC)

Burpeecide 1-5 (OYO)

The Thang

Working in West Lot (near gravel lot), do an exercise on the left parking strips with coupon and run to the other parking strips do a similar body weight exercise

*West Side – with* Your *Coupon*	*East Side – Body Weight*
*15 IC Goblet Squats*	*15 IC Squats*
*15 IC Bench Press*	15 *Merkins (WMD, Hand Release, In/Out)* **
*15 RH Rows, 15LH Rows*	*7 Burpees*
15 *IC Jerk to Press*	15 *Scorpion* *Dry Dock*
*15 IC Low Flutter, Coupon Overhead***	*15 Freddy Mercury*

Repeat for 3 sets total

Mosey to the Flag – Mary

• Low Flutter 10IC

• Leg Raises 10IC

• Side Crunch 10 each side

Moleskin

My last Q in 2022 and I really had no idea what to do, so, I pulled ideas from old Q’s of mine. Creative right? I heard Han Solo say the body weight side was harder than the coupon side. Made sense to me! That was the goal – superset design (similar exercises back-to-back) causing that fatigue. **We did mix-up the Merkins with the first set WMD, second set Hand Release and third set In-and-Out. These styles will help you improve your merkins according to an article I read (especially the in/out). Got to admit, I love 3 set workouts, but that is the gym rat in me.

One person who doesn’t lack idea’s is HHH. We all need to tune in to his Team/Committee survey for how we can contribute to the administration of F3NWI. End of the year is time to reflect and as I reflect, HHH has done and amazing job as leader and idea man. He keeps up the F3NWI tradition of outstanding examples as Nantan (Scarecrow, Fonzie, Barricade). But the purpose of the survey is to not make F3 aboutthe Nantan, it’s about all of us chipping in to carry some of the weight (just like we do in Beatdowns).

To be honest, this is a great group of men, and you really need no PSA from me. Most of you chip in at the drop of a hat and you all make me proud. You commit more time to each other than I am able to do. This is the thing that kept me coming back to the HUB however, the Incredible generosity and dedication of the men of the HUB. The kind of people I like to be associated with. All of you are exceptional at one time or another and often quietly which is even better character.

In conclusion, for 2022, from The Mick, do your 3 sets and give it your all, always. That’s what Pac Ratwould do. Fill out the Team/Committee Survey. And have a Merry Christmas if that is the Holiday you celebrate (it is for me). If not, have a wonderful winter Holiday. And to all of you may God bless your family and your new year.

The Mick

January 23, 2022

BACKBLAST 1/22/22 – The Mick’s Walk the Line Beatdown -at The Hub

BACKBLAST 1/22/2022 – The Mick’s Walk the Line Beatdown at The Hub

Weather – 17 deg F Windy and cold 5 degF wind chill

Pax – (15) The Mick (Q), Fonzie, Lights Out, Bert, Atticus, Optimus, Ginger Billy, Al Gore, Bob Villa, Dr. Freud, Minion, Peyton, Mufasa, Scarecrow, Class Act, In the Can – for the 6am Ruck and Spur – for the 730am run

Warm-up – In cadence (IC)

10 Arm Circles Forward/backward

12 Bean Picker

12 Abe Vigoda

20 SSH

12 IST’s

12 Hillbillies

12 Toy Soldiers

Indian run around the parking lot – Take Coupons to west parking lot. Go get a block. Picking a long parking strip (the about 30-foot-long strip), coupon at west end, block at east end. Start at Coupon. We did a coupon exercise, “travelled” down the line and did a similar block exercise and “travelled” the same way back. Every exercise was CC OYO. Went like this

The Thang

*Coupon*	*Travelling move* *(down / back)*	*Block*
*20 Squats*	*Bear Crawl*	*20 side to side jumps over block*
*10 Lunge*	*Bear Crawl*	*20 Squats*
*10 each leg 1 Leg dead lift*	*Bear Crawl*	*10 Knee Ups (leg on blk kickup)*
*Repeatto*
*Indian run to back sign*
*15 Standing Bench*	*Duck Walk*	*30 Bench Press*
*15 Overhead Press*	*Duck Walk*	*15 Power Clean*
*15 Skull Crushers*	*Duck Walk*	*15 Block Complex*
*15 curls*	*Duck Walk*	*15 Curls*
*Repeatto*
*Indian run to back sign*
*20 WWI’s*	*Lunge Walk*	*20 Low Dolly block overhead*
*20WWI’s*	*Lunge Walk*	*20 Leg Raises*
*Take Block Home*
*10 Makhtar n’ Diayes*
10 *Hand Release Merkins*

COT at the Flag – Moleskin

No Mary. No second Thang. Just grunt work. Wanted to do one more Indian Run. And wanted to run MO7S Light Poles with 10 Makhtar Diayes’s each and on the way back do 10 Hand Release Merkins. Disappointed we ran a little short of time. I heard we still got a mile in, but I also heard this had a high cardio score during the exercise.

Not a lot of mumble chatter to play off of, even though I was next to Atticus. He had one great line, but I forgot it (us over 60 folks are prone to that). Great to see Burt and Peyton well and able to push through this gym-like Beatdown. Several others lead the way on most exercise, but I guess they had Bear or Duck in their blood. Also, great to have Minion and Ginger Billie with us. Been a while and it was great to see them venture here on a bitter morning.

We did get in my new 4 moves I love to hate (so they will appear regularly in my Beatdown). From Al Gore: one leg up on a block knee up the other leg, and 1 legged squats. From HHH: Makhtar n’ diapers, and hand release merkins. Yes some of you have also done they. Al Gore and HHH just pissed me off (in a Beatdown kinda way) with them so I related the moves to them.

In our prayers, we remembered Pack Rat and Muck’s parents. Along with Al Gore’s mom and Lights Out friends and family. We recognize there are many needs, but we gave thanks for how we are provided for, noting we have several Pax who were injured or ill that are now back again with us at full speed. No doubt the magnetism of F3 Brotherhood brings them back.

Well done everyone! As always it was an honor to lead you on a Saturday.

The Mick

December 23, 2021

BACKBLAST 12-21-21 at The Hub – The Mick’s Wizard of Winter Beatdown

BACKBLAST 12/21/2021 – The Mick’s Wizards of Winter Beatdown at The Hub

Weather – 32 deg F Windy and chilly at 24 deg F wind chill

Pax – (9) The Mick (Q), Lights Out, Tank, Scarecrow, HHH, Dr. Freud, Atticus, Excellent!, Mufasa

Warm-up – In cadence (IC)

Light Pole Lap

10 Arm Circles Forward/backward

10 Bean Picker

10 Abe Vigoda

10 SSH

10 IST’s

10 Hillbillies

10 Toy Soldiers

Mossie NW Parking Lot

First Thang – Mr. Incredibles Side Bear Crawl Merkin Complex Wizardry

Face West – Side Bear Crawl 3 parking lot stripes – 7 Merkins at each stripe (total 21 Merkins)

Crab Walk back – 21 LBC’s at each stripe (Total 63 LBC’s)

Face East – Repeatto

Take Coupons to hill along back entrance

Second Thang – Winter Wizardry on the Hill (December 21 – Winter Solstice)

With Coupon perform exercise called by the Q at the bottom of the hill. Two hand carry coupon to top of hill. Perform exercise called by the Q. Two hand carry the coupon to the bottom. All exercises 21 CC. Never set the coupon down from start to finish of this entire Thang.

Bottom – Curls Top – RH Row

Bottom – LH Row Top – Skull Crushers

Bottom – Ovhd Press Top – Standing Bench

Bottom – Power Clean Top – Goblet Squat

Leave Coupon on top of hill – stay with Coupon

Third Thang – Jack Webb Wizardry

Deconstructed Jack Webb as follows:

Start at top of hill 1-10 Overhead Press

Go down hill 10 – 1 Merkins – go to top of hill

Forth Thang – Light Pole Suicide Wizardry

Start at MO7S

Run a Light Pole Suicide – at each pole 7 Burpees (total 21 Burpees)

At each start at MO7S 21 Squats (63 Squats)

Recover Coupon Mossie to Flag

Mary Wizardry

21 cc – Low Dolly

21 ic – Flutter Kicks (11 the pause, then 10 more)

COT at the Flag – Moleskin

Not much chatter for fodder for this one. It was straight forward, but oddly it made my leg muscles sore. I was next to Tank and was proud to see him at the top of his game for this Beatdown. Dr. Freud was the lead wizard on the hill finishing ahead of everyone. Lights Out is back and went though this without complaint in spite of still recovering from surgery a few weeks back – way to push brother. Excellent wore out the hill with his block as a coupon, great work brother. Atticus, Mufasa, Scarecrow and HHH were their usual selves solidly working their way through the beatdown, like always. HHH and I wore weight vests, I did not check but trusted HHH put the weight in his before leaving home.

Our Prayers were for our injured PAX and Lights Out two friends with pancreatic cancer. We ask for blessings at Christmas and the wisdom to recognize them. Afterward, Tank was beaming announcing he was not pregnant as Lights Out thought, but after 3 months of interviews he has a new job in Chesterton that has great benefits. Please wish Tank well on his new role!!

Happy Solstice to all the bears of winter beatdowns and to all a very merry and blessed Christmas

The Mick