St. Cloud Area Honors ‘Minnesota 3′ Black Hawk Crew with Hero Workout

On December 5, 2019, a Minnesota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter on a maintenance test flight crashed near Kimball.

Three Minnesota National Guard members on board died.

• Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles P. Nord, age 30;
• Warrant Officer Candidate Kort M. Plantenberg, age 28, and;
• Chief Warrant Officer 2 James A. Rogers Jr., age 28.

A special Memorial Day Hero Workout will remember the 'Minnesota 3.'

Athletes at St. Cloud's Rejuv Fitness will remember the three during a special workout starting at 9 Memorial Day morning, May 26, 2025.

Rejuv is opening-up the event to the entire community -- not just Rejuv Fitness members.

The cost for this special workout -- a $15 suggested donation. Spectators can attend for free.

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WOC Plantenberg was a Rejuv Fitness member.

The Hero Workout donations -- with the approval of Plantenberg's family -- will benefit a local police dog unit "in honor of his deep love for fitness and his German Shepherd, Max."

The money will go to training, kenneling, equipment and eventually adding a new K9 in the next few years, according to the Rejuv Medical Facebook post.

This Memorial Day hero workout is challenging.

The Memorial Day Community Workout -- dubbed the "Minnesota 3" Hero Workout -- is a serious challenge for fitness enthusiasts.

Katherine DeLeon is Rejuv's Fitness Manager.

She says the workout consists of:

Rx Version (advanced athlete)

5 Rounds for Time
12 Handstand Push-Ups
19 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
30 Reverse Lunge Steps
28 Deadlifts (155/105 lb)
28 Dumbbell Push Presses (2x50/35 lb)

Scaled (intermediate to beginner)

5 Rounds for Time (Scale)
12 L-Sit Dumbbell Overhead Press (load=TBA)
19 Pull-Ups or Banded Lat Pulldowns
30 Reverse Lunge Steps
28 Deadlifts (105/85 lb or lighter)
28 Dumbbell Push Presses (light)

DeLeon says the number of repetitions in the workout is significant.

"The numbers in reps and/or rounds will usually pertain to something about the fallen hero. In the case of the Minnesota 3, the numbers represent the day their Black Hawk went down (12/19) and the ages of the soldiers at the time of their death (30, 28 and 28)," she says.

If you're interested in taking part in the workout, you can register here.

Or you can contact DeLeon at 320-217-8480, Ext. 1034.

Here's a map to Rejuv Fitness in Waite Park.