The Challenge

The Challenge

QIC: Rollback

Date: 7/29/26

PAX: Van Gogh, Tonka, Bootsie (WB), Huckleberry, Zima, Subfloor, Draftee, Rubber Ducky, Headhunter, Green Acres (WD), Ziffel, Zephyr, Slow Pitch, and Rollback

Backblast – The Challenge

AO: Mayhem
Date: July 29, 2026
QIC: Rollback

PAX: Van Gogh, Tonka, Bootsie (WB), Huckleberry, Zima, Subfloor, Draftee, Rubber Ducky, Headhunter, Green Acres (WD), Ziffel, Zephyr, Slow Pitch, and Rollback (QiC)

EC: Four brave (or questionably intelligent) souls knocked out a Murph beforehand: Van Gogh, Headhunter, Slow Pitch, and Zima. Their reward? More work.

The morning began with a brief Warm-O-Rama followed by a mosey of just over a half mile to the pull-up bars. Once everyone arrived, the rules of The Challenge were explained. Every PAX would choose their own pull-up and merkin numbers, then complete four sets consisting of different pull-up grips and merkin variations.

As soon as the built-in 90-second recovery periods were mentioned, several PAX questioned whether that was really necessary.

As it turns out, when every set leaves your arms and chest progressively more useless, those 90 seconds suddenly don’t feel nearly as generous. Funny how that works.

Only one PAX immediately recognized the workout. Credit where it’s due—Zima called out Tony Horton before most realized what was happening.

The work:

• Set 1: Wide-grip pull-ups + standard merkins
• Set 2: Chin-ups + Ranger merkins
• Set 3: Narrow-grip pull-ups + wide merkins
• Set 4: Switch-grip pull-ups + staggered merkins

Each set included two rounds with alternating sides where appropriate, with every PAX selecting their own pull-up/merkin target numbers and grinding through the challenge at their own pace.

To close things out, everyone completed one final round of dealer’s choice pull-ups followed by three Huckleberry Merkins. The PAX seemed to especially enjoy the final Huckleberry Merkin, featuring an exceptionally slow count on both the descent and ascent…with a completely unnecessary pause in low plank, purely for educational purposes.

A mosey back to the AO included several rounds of burpees and squats while waiting on the six, followed by one final one-minute burnout of merkins to empty whatever was left in the tank.

NMM

• Upon hearing there would be 90 seconds of rest between sets:
  • “That’s way too long.”
  • Approximately 20 minutes later: “Can we make it two minutes?”
• Zima earned today’s obscure fitness trivia award by immediately recognizing Tony Horton’s The Challenge. The rest of the PAX apparently spent the P90X era doing literally anything else.
• The switch-grip pull-ups and staggered merkins generated plenty of discussion. Several PAX had never tried one or both before. Draftee admitted they were new to him…which is mildly concerning considering he literally just wrapped up Tour de Draftee. We’ll chalk that one up to selective memory.
• Subfloor was in peak form this morning, generously providing commentary throughout the beatdown:
  • “Rollback, this workout is terrible.”
  • “Funny…I don’t remember asking for Yelp reviews.”
  • Later: “How many more sets?”
  • “Enough that you’ll remember today.”
• Bootsie joined us while downrange from Winston-Salem Central. We were glad to have him despite his questionable choice of home AO.
• After handing off the Title Belt yesterday, your Q managed to get a less than stellar nights sleep. Since I officially handed it off for the year anyway, we’ll just assume Pele is taking good care of it…and definitely not wearing it to the grocery store. It’s like missing an old friend
• Green Acres once again inspired an outpouring of generosity as the PAX volunteered to donate spare AA batteries to help get his Smart Car restarted after the workout.
• It’s amazing how quickly “I’ll do the higher number” becomes “I’m going to be a little more strategic on this next set.”

Announcements

• Several upcoming Q opportunities—check the calendar.
• Q School is August 8 and will be held jointly with our brothers from Samaritan Ministries at Project Cornerstone. If you’ve ever thought about stepping up to lead, this is a great opportunity.

Prayer Requests

• Green Acres’ friend, Jonah.
• The family, friends, and F3 brothers of a PAX in Katy, Texas, who passed away from a heart attack following a recent beatdown.

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17