Send me.

Halloween Saturday. Mats on the driveway, a professional camera on the lawn, and more dads than we've ever had in one garage. So many that the whiteboard ran out of room and we built a fourth station on the spot. If you were there, you know. If you weren't, here's what you missed.

Josh Cate of Cate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu walking the mat while two dads work a position — Josh Cate running the workshop on the driveway mats.

8:15: Fight Club, for real

Josh Cate from Cate Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu came out early and ran a workshop on what to do when you're in a bad spot. Flat on your back, somebody on top of you, no room to breathe. Josh walked the group through how to protect yourself, create space, and get back to your feet. Simple, practical, and built for the kind of situation nobody plans on and every man ought to be ready for.

Two dozen grown men drilling escapes on a driveway at 8:15 in the morning is a sight. A couple of the kids got on the mats too, which was the best part.

Josh does this for a living. If you've been thinking about learning to defend yourself or your family, or you want your kids on a mat with a coach who knows what he's doing, go support him: Cate BJJ and Kickboxing. Tell him the dads sent you.

Coaching from the ground up: working out of a bad position on the mat

The Word: send me

Jonathan Fleury brought the devotional, and the whole morning hung on three words from Isaiah.

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
Isaiah 6:8

Isaiah didn't ask what the job was. He didn't ask who else was going. He heard the call and volunteered. That's the posture. Not "somebody should do something." Not "I'll go if the other guys go." Here am I. Send me.

Then Aaron picked it up and took it one step further. Be the kind of man who says send me even if it means walking into the fight alone. And be the kind of brother who never lets a man actually walk in alone. Both. At the same time.

He showed the clip to make the point. Jon Snow, outnumbered, watching his little brother die, draws his sword and walks out to meet an entire army by himself. He's done. He knows it. And then his brothers come storming past him into the fight. He was willing to go alone. They weren't willing to let him.

That's the Dad Standard in one scene. Say send me. And make sure no man in this group ever has to mean it by himself.

Laughing in the driveway before the lift

The board: Inheritance

The 10/31 board was titled Inheritance, and it was a four-station day because it had to be. We had so many people show up that the three stations on the whiteboard weren't enough, so a fourth one got drawn on a sandwich board and dropped by the curb.

The 10/31 whiteboard: Inheritance. Gym, Turf and Fight Club stations, buy-in and cash-out — The board. Three stations, plus the one we had to add.

Buy-in: a 1K run, 10 walk-outs, 20 push-ups, 30 air squats. Then rotate.

Gym: banded EZ-curl 8, fringe row 8, pull-ups 8, deadlift 8, KB/DB high row 20
Turf: devil's press 14, cable fly 12, barbell bench 10, 5, 5, med-ball push-ups 6, DB shoulder press 8
Fight Club: toes over box 8, GHD rounds 5/5, sissy squats 8, sandbag carry 1, bear drags 8, short-bar Turkish get-ups 12
Condition (the one we added): team max calories on the rower, the runner and the bike, and while your teammates are pulling, each man knocks out 40 slam balls, 50 air squats and 60 push-ups

Cash-out: team hill suicide races. The top Condition team put up 444 calories. Nobody complained about the fourth station. Nobody got to.

The Condition board, drawn on a sandwich board at the curb: max calories as a team on the rower, runner and bike — Station four, drawn on the spot and dropped at the curb.

Dumbbell shoulder press on the turf with a brother spotting — Turf station. A brother on the spot, like always.

Bear drags on the concrete, teammates waiting their turn — Bear drags. Fight Club station.

Deadlifts on the driveway with the whole neighborhood behind

Camo sandbag on the shoulder, flex on the way back — Sandbag carry, Fight Club station.

Thank you, Carson

Every photo in this post was shot by Carson from Griffin Cox Media, who gave up a Saturday morning to stand in a driveway with a real camera while grown men grunted at him. The difference between a phone snapshot and these is obvious. Connect with Drew if you are interested in working with Griffin and his team.

Thumbs up from the littlest judge at the Fight Club board — The judges were tough but fair.

The Fight Club station, junior division: a dad on the mat with his boy — Family station.

Mark it: November 14, Pump and Run

Two Saturdays out we're doing something different, and you need a partner for it.

Run a 5K.
The clock doesn't stop. You have 60 seconds after you cross the line to be on the bench.
Bench your body weight for as many reps as you can get.
Every rep takes 20 seconds off your 5K time.
Partner event. Your time plus your partner's time is your team score.
Awards will be presented.

So find a partner now. Pick somebody who runs if you lift, or somebody who lifts if you run. Then spend the next two Saturdays wishing you'd trained for it. November 14. Be there.

Here am I. Send me.