I love a good picnic

F3 is a great thing.  Without it I probably would spend today being quiet and more or less keep to myself as I contemplated what would have been my pop’s 80th birthday. He moved on to glory this past January.  Instead, I started the day with 7 great guys who lifted my spirits and helped me celebrate my dad’s life rather than mourning his passing.

After a mission statement, disclaimer (all comments to be submitted to the complaint department aka Couch Potato) we started the day with 5 burpees OYO.  I blamed Maytag for HCing then un-HCing but its not his fault.  The first time I went to a Puddles Q he started that way and I thought it was cool, so I stole it.  Next we did a short snooki mosey and started our dynamic warmorama with a box drill using the parking spaces to get the blood flowing.  Then we lined up at one end of the parking lot and did a series of exercises down and back: but kickers, toy soldiers, high knees & karoke.  Circle up for a little seal jack IC x 15.  Then another short snooki mosey to the boulevard of broken dreams (BOBD).

BOBD is a combo of three exercises done along the sidewalk.  There are 18 trees along the BOBD. We lined up and bear crawled to the first tree – 1 mountain climber.  Bear crawl to second tree – one plank jack.  Bear crawl to next tree – two mountain climbers..next tree two plank jacks and so on to the end.  That gave us about 120 yards of bear crawl, 45 mountain climbers and 45 plank jacks…a good start.

From the BOBD we mosey to the jungle…gym for a six pack.  Dumpster Dawg got really excited when I called for a six pack but seemed somewhat disappointed when I told him it was pull ups and merkins instead of Natural Light. A six pack is just like sevens, except its sixes, get it?

My dad was a terrific athlete and the best coach I ever had.  He was a star in high school, college and semi-pro athletics.  He coached high school basketball, football and cross country.  He coached more rec league teams than I can even count.  What I remember most is that when you played for him there was no doubt that you were an important part of a team.  It made no difference if you were a star or not, he would find your strength and give you the opportunity to contribute to the whole.  His teams played together and won, a lot, as a team.  So as a tribute to pops, we would work in teams the rest of the morning.

From the jungle we did another short snooki mosey and moved to the picnic shelter where we partnered up.  P1 & 2 would alternate. P1 on balls to the wall while P2 did a 20 count exercise.  We did three rounds of merkins, LBC’s and plank jacks.

We completed our final short snooki mosey to the picnic tables.  YHC loves table work almost as much as he loves HIIT circuit work, but how to fit both into one morning?  Luckily for YHC, this AO comes complete with a double long picnic table that can fit 4 pax on each side, perfecto!  The pax were informed we would spend the remainder of the morning working as one unit.  We picked up the table, lifted it to shoulder height and proceeded to mosey.  We carried the table to the first stop for 20 dips IC.  Pick up the table to shoulder height, mosey to second stop, 20 squats SC – did I mention we used the table as a coupon for the squats?.  Pick up the table to shoulder height…well you get the picture.  Next stop step ups IC x 20.  Next stop picnic table snakes (thanks for naming this Princess) 5 circuits. Next stop Derkins. Go, stop – erkins.

Then, at Purple Rain’s request we made a left to head back towards the starting point.  But on the way, YHC had a little surprise in store.  About 1/2 way across the field we set the table down so YHC could turn on the 80’s tunes.  The final team table exercise would be the Van Halen Press (VHP).  All you need to complete the VHP is Van Halen’s “Jump”, a really big picnic table, and 8 PAX.  As the song started we brought the table to shoulder height.  Every time we heard the word “Jump” we would do a shoulder press with the table.  David Lee Roth apparently has a small vocabulary because that is pretty much the only thing he says during the song.  I think the guys really like the VHP based on the amount of noises they made during the song!

Sufficiently gassed and running low on time, we returned the table to the shelter and mosey back to the flag for a little mary.  We had just enough time for a round of 20 more LBC’s IC and 10 birdman crunches per side IC.  Someone who was directly behind me needs to check their shorts – you know who you are.

Count off, name-o-rama, prayer requests.  Backups grandmother and Tony Romo’s family as they help her convalesce and download apps.  Couch Potato as he travels to DC to kick butt in the Marine Corps Marathon.  Tony Romo stepped up and did a great job taking us out in prayer.

YHC doesn’t want to get too sappy but still wants everyone who reads this to know how much F3 means to me.  Every morning YHC posts, you guys lift my spirits and contribute to my physical and mental well being.  You do for me what my dad did for the players on his team, allowing me to contribute what I can, where I can, when I can.  Thank you and thanks Double D for allowing me to Q today!

SYITG

Navy, Out