Q-School…

Eight Pax, took the Daily Red Pill (DRP) this evening and got better.

The Pax: McFly, Rafiki, Copper, Smash, Squeegee, Insight and Cordova (Q: Squirrel)

The Scene: High 30’s and the ground was wet

The Thang: Q-School

The Q asked for the F3 Mission statement, which is to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.  The Pax (if any) who correctly provided the answer gets to choose an exercise. If no correct answers the Q chose an exercise.

 

The Q then asked for the five principles of an F3 workout:

• Be free of charge
• Be open to all men
• Be held outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold
• Be led by men who participate in the workout in a rotating fashion, with no training or certification necessary
• End with a Circle of Trust

The Pax (if any) who correctly provided the answer gets to choose an exercise. If no correct answers the Q chose an exercise.

 

General tips:

• Wear a watch.  Start on time. End on time.
• Do a Pre-Blast on GroupMe if the Pax need something (e.g. Gloves, Cinder Block, Sandbag, etc) 
• Be prepared.  Leading will be more strenuous physically than you think.  Counting cadence while you exercise can make it harder to breathe.
• Remember you have help. If for any reason you want someone to grab a part of the workout even while you are out there, speak up.
• When you screw up, keep calm and drive on… push forward.
• No man left behind.  Pick up the 6.  Yes, it’s “you versus you” so everyone gets a good hard workout AND this is a brotherhood.  We don’t leave anyone behind and we don’t leave them where they started.  Keep the PAX together, For the bat flippers give them extra credit via burpees, planks, merkins, etc.
• Don’t take unnecessary risks or do (really) stupid stuff. 
• HAVE FUN. 

Think of the workout as small sections of time.

• The Disclaimer – F3 Sandhills only does this when FNGs are there  
  • This is a free, volunteer, peer-led workout
  • I am not a professional
  • Modify exercises as needed to prevent injury

• The Warm up – some examples:
  • Cotton Pickers / Grass Getters Demonstrator Post
  • Windmills / Abe Vigoda’s
  • Arm Circles / Chinooks Demonstrator Post
  • SSH In Cadence
  • Imperial Walkers
    
• The Workout (The Thang)
  • Plan this out.  Maybe even do it before the day of to check your timing.  Use the F3 Nation exercise database for inspiration. 
  • Have more exercises than there is workout time.  It’s easy to scratch them off, then search through your head thinking of them on the fly.  
  • If you need to kill time – Mosey from one place to another and then do the next set of exercises

The Q provided the men present several examples of upper, lower, modes of transportation and abs exercises that could be accomplished 

The Pax then were taught about the Proper Order and Calling Cadence –  Example:

• Demonstrator Post
• “The Next Exercise is the Side Staddle Hop”  PAX repeat exercise name.  If folks don’t know what this exercise is demonstrate it
• “Start Position … Move” 
• “In Cadence … Exercise”
• The Q calls out “1, 2, 3” then PAX calls the rep.  F3 Sandhills uses Quatro for 4 and Schlitz for six….if you forget that’s ok, just call the number.
• Voice inflexion on the last Rep = STOP

The discussion moved to a Focus on Form: This is subjective and we’ve all seen guys who’s form is – questionable.  

• Remember is You-v-you…no judging, although a good bit of ribbing is fun

• Proper form accomplishes two things –  it gives benefit and prevents injury 

• If you can’t do it, don’t Q it

• If you are losing more than 10 – 20% of the Pax, halt and move on 

The Circle of Trust (COT) was discussed and why it’s important.  

End EVERY workout with a COT – EVERY man is in the COT. No one sits/stands outside.  This is about inclusion, relationship building, fellowship, doing life together

• Count-o-rama – count off one by one to get the total number at the workout
  • After counting the Pax go back around, giving their Real Name – Age – F3 Name
• Name-o-rama – State your name, age, and nickname. The other Pax will holler out the nickname and Respect if they are over 50
• Be sure the Friendly New Guys (FNGs) know to say “FNG.” 
  • Name your FNGs
  • Don’t name him something that you can’t holler out in a Grocery store, in front of his wife and kids or Grandma. 
• Close it all out with a prayer.  Usually the fella who is leading next will pray the group out.

We even talked about the importance of The Backblast (BB)

Every good workout deserves virtual mumblechatter.  This is a way to acknowledge who what there and all the things you did…as well as impart some of your wisdom to the rest of the Pax.

 

MOLESKINE:  Q-School

Schooling is the first phase of the Leadership Development Plan (LDP).  Today the Pax of the Piranha AO went to school.  We provided the head-knowledge these men need to lead.  Sure, you say, “it’s just leading a workout” or “it’s just leading other F3 Sandhills Pax.”  I’d suggest you reframe that.  This initial step into leadership can apply to every kind of team regardless of its structure or composition of its people.  

 

To those who came to this Q-School and as a reminder to those who have been posting for years I remind you that each morning, we all face the decision whether to take the Red Pill (hard true) or the Blue Bill (easy false).  F3 grabbed this lingo from the movie The Matrix and taking Daily Red Pill (DRP), while difficult, makes us better.  

Taking the Red Pill gets us up at 0450 or leaving work as the whistle blows to make the workout in time.  It is the thing that forces a man to ruck the root-strewn path, run to an ice cream shop that is NEVER open, or sweat alongside his brothers in the Gloom.   The first Red Pill is the toughest to swallow the second, third and thousandth Red Pill is just as tough to swallow as the first, AND by taking the Red Pill….

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking the Blue Pill creates a soft world.  You don’t get better.  You may say they are fine, but pull the covers back (because you’ve been fartsacking) you’ll see you are only fooling yourself.  How does that song go?  

I say I’m fine, yeah I’m fine oh I’m fine, hey I’m fine but I’m not

I’m broken

And when it’s out of control I say it’s under control but it’s not

And you know it

I don’t know why it’s so hard to admit it

When being honest is the only way to fix it

There’s no failure, no fall

There’s no sin you don’t already know

So let the truth be told

Don’t choose the Blue Pill fellas.  Tell the big-T truth.  Use your fellow men as Guardrails to keep you in check.  These are the men who call to see if you’re coming to a workout, or check in when they haven’t seen you, or…after being together for a while they just KNOW that something isn’t right and they ask into what’s going on…NO, really…what’s going on?  

Take the Red Pill, come out and watch-listen-learn, then lead.  You are powerful beyond measure when you Get Right, Live Right and Lead Right.  

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

~ Marianne Williamson 

There you have it.  That’s why we did Q-School today.  This was step #1 to influence movement to advantage.  To get men out of the status quo and accelerating towards being leaders.

So lead men!  

Scared?  

Don’t be.  Shine your light brightly!  Step into your power.  

 

Aye!