F3 Knoxville

Author: Abort

Rockstar!

discernment

THE SCENE: 58* and rainy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
It would be kind of silly to have a bridge to warm up under and not use it right?  Slowzy to the underpass before warm up exercises:

Imperial squat walker x10 IC
Four count merkins x10 IC
TN walking horse x10 IC
Grady Corns x20 IC

THA-THANG:
Short mosey from the underpass over to the amphitheater, where we modify the Q to stay out of the rain (though not dry).

First routine is Dora starting from top of amphitheater steps, so pair up.  One guy at the top performing exercises, the other sprints down the stairs, jumps on stage and runs to the farthest point (don’t run into the pond…) and knocks out 5 merkins before turning around and sprinting back up the stairs to reliever their partner. Exercises as follows:

  • Pull ups/inverted rows x100
  • Burpees x100
  • Star Jumps x100

Recover and assemble on the stage for modified Route 66.  Placed a ruck in the middle of the stage as the half way point, maybe a tad shorter than light pole distance but worked fine.  First round of Route 66 was runs with sit up ups, obviously going 1:11.  Quick 10 count off before we do another round of Route 66, bear crawling between and doing Jack Webb’s 1:11.  Shoulders were smokeeddddd.

MARY:
No time for Mary
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 very not dry ballers: Swanson, Ariel, G6, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

At another workout, I had shared a quote which I didn’t realize was so fitting for the group of men I’m fortunate enough to surround myself with: “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” When I shared it, I really liked it and therefore planned a workout with rocks near a big church.  But what I was unaware of was the HIMs that I share my mornings with have visions of cathedrals in their minds, and the strength and determination to turn those visions into actions.  Those actions into their dreams.  I am extremely fortunate to be in such close proximity to these men, and my hope I take in what I see and hear to emulate them such that one day I might find the rocks and become the architect as well.

Prayers this morning are for discernment.  I requested selfishly for this for myself, but noted that I am aware that every man in that COT needed it more than me.

 

Stay with me

THE SCENE: 35 on the dash for the drive out, nice and crisp
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Tempo merkin x12
Shoulder taps x12
Imperial walkers x12
Bend and squat x12
SSH x12
THA-THANG:
Mosey over to the sidewalk directly beside the lower entrance to the convention center and under the light to illuminate the chalk on the ground.  Routine is the escalator, which as Swanson pointed, out, we were in site of an actual escalator inside.  Though that one is less fun and less painful.  Start with the first exercise, run to the Big Ball for 5 pull ups, and run back.  Do first and second exercises, another run and 5 pull ups.  Etc. etc. adding an exercise each iteration.

  • SSH x20
  • Tempo merkins x10
  • Alternating shoulder taps x15
  • Y Ups x10
  • Wide merkins x10
  • Mountain climbers x20
  • Elevated foot crunches (legs straight out) x20

Ending count of 140 SSH, 60 tempo merkins, 75 shoulder taps, 40 Y Ups, 30 wide merkins, 40 mountain climbers, 20 elevated crunches and 35 pull ups.  And some running.

 

Mosey just around to the amphitheater stage so I can steal some of the more difficult (at least for me) ab exercise.  First was Butterfly’s oblique 45s (lay with knees to one side and crunch to 45) x10 each side.  Next from Passport were his grinders, which I struggled to count (left elbow to right knee while keeping left leg straight and off ground) x10 each side.

Stay With Me – Plank during the song “Stay With Me” by In Flames (about a 5 minute song), anytime those words are sang do one merkin.  The song is a lot of planking at the beginning and firing off lots of merkins towards the end.

MARY:
Flutter kicks x15
American hammers x15
Boat/canoe
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 strong: Swanson, Half Caff, Ariel, G6, Amazon, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
We were discussing Thanksgiving plans a few days ago and my mom told me that even though there are a few places I am supposed to get to, that I need to plan on eating and staying with her for a bit.  That really got me thinking about how we tend to rush through the holidays this time of year and try to get to four different places in one day.  That might be necessary for some, but you miss out on a lot by not taking that time and really being present if you’re just worried about getting to the next place.

Most of us will never regret the things that we did, rather those that we didn’t.  Don’t let your future self look back on this holiday and wish you’d spent more time with someone.  No one is promised tomorrow, so make sure you’re present and enjoy the privilege of family and friends.  Leave no doubt, aye.

BLIMPS and the crucible

THE SCENE: 28* but low humidity so it wasn’t too sweltering
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Bend and squat x10 IC
Squat jumps x5 OYO
Mountain climbers x15 IC
Squat jumps x5 OYO
Three point merkins x10 IC
OH Claps/Forward claps x20 IC
SSH x20 IC

THA-THANG:

Mosey a lap around the WFP lawn and return to start point for a round of BLIMPS
Burpees x5 -> Lunges x10 each leg -> Imperial Walkers x15  -> Merkins x20
Plank jacks x25 -> SSH x30

Mosey again to keep moving as soon as we finish, out past the Big Ball and to the pedestrian bridge across the pond. Stop and repeat same BLIMPS routine. Mosey back the way we came, looping around toward the amphitheater. We stopped at the underpass for wall sits. 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off. 45 seconds on, 10 seconds off. 60 seconds on with arm flutters, then recover. Mosey on to amphitheater.

 

Four sets of stairs with four exercises and four stupid ways to climb the stairs. Before you start any round, you run to the middle of the stage and knock out five 8-count bodybuilders. When you reach the top of each set of stairs, you do 10 inverted rows/pullups on the rails and return to the stage for bodybuilders and advance to the next set of stairs.
Round 1: 15 squat jumps, crawl bear the stairs
Round 2: 10 Catalina wine mixers, left lunge the stairs
Round 3: 15 V-Ups, right lunge the stairs
Round 4: 20 burps, bunnyhop the stairs (touch each step)

MARY:
Flutter kicks x15
Flutter kicks x20
Flutter kicks x25 (yes very creative)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
5 Strong: Swanson, Singlet (WELCOME BACK!), G6, Ariel (LOVES CRAWL BEARS), Abort (dancing idiot)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Failure is a crucible. It is the forge by which a Leader is purified through the burning away of his me-first self-regarding nature.

 

Borrowed Q from Mouthwash

THE SCENE: 35* – good incentive to keep moving
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Windmills
Tempo squats
Patty cake merkins
OH Claps
BAC forward and reverse
Standing shoulder taps
THA-THANG:
Short mosey over to the base of the Big Ball, which is where my first theft of Mouthwash’s recent Q comes into play.  First routine is 5 body blasters (Burpee -> Pull up -> Knees to elbows) and try to keep good form (keep from swinging about).
Then we stepped over to the stairs and go 1:10 with jump squats at the bottom, run to the middle landing and do WWII sit ups.  Start with one rep of each exercise, then two, all the way up to 10 reps of each.
Finish off with another round of body blasters.

Recover and mosey back to the lawn at World’s Fair Park.  This is the other part of his Q I stole.  Set up cones down the sidewalk for various suicide drills with exercises thrown in.  Every time you were at the start point, you did two burpees.  This remained constant regardless of the round or which cone you were on.  Variations as follows:

  • Sprint suicide; 15 merkins at each cone
  • Lunge suicide; 15 squats at each cone
  • Bear crawl suicide; 15 LBCs at each cone

Quick mosey back over to the base of the Big Ball.  Told everyone to do 5 body blasters and meet back out front to head back to the start point.  As soon as everyone was in front, I sent them back for 5 more body blasters, then we jogged it back home.

MARY:
V-Ups
Flutter kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Fantastic Four: Amazon, Passport, Swanson, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I’ve lived in Knoxville about 3 years now, but being from Maryville I grew up only 30-40 minutes away.  If you’d told me five years ago I’d be walking around downtown Knoxville at 4:30AM multiple times a week, I’d probably think I made a huge mistake and wound up without a place to live.  When I first started F3 about 2.5 years ago, I only posted Saturdays because I “didn’t have time” to post during the weekday mornings.  If I’m not lazy, now I’m trying to post four weekdays plus Saturdays.It’s funny how things that once seemed either highly unlikely or maybe even unfathomable slowly become not just possible but completely routine.  While the two instances I just mentioned are positive, the unfortunate thing is that it happens for negative things as well.  Neglecting a relationship with a parent/child/spouse or friend usually isn’t an acute issue.  Neither is half-assing things at your job.  You allow yourself wiggle room to become complacent in these things, and five years fly by and you are doing things you’d never have imagined yourself doing.  Only this time when you realize the routine you are not proud, but ashamed.  Look at your day, both what you’re doing and how you treat people, and ask yourself how that compares to five years ago.  And take the steps today to make sure five years from now you hold your head high.  Leave no doubt.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:Can drive finishing up and the Brolympics this weekend.

Three man birthday bash

THE SCENE: Low 50s, a little cool start but absolutely perfect once moving
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Mountain climbers
WWII situps
Burps
Tempo squats
Patty-cake merkins
OH Claps
THA-THANG:
Very short mosey just across the street to the sidewalk outlining the war veteran’s memorial for four corners.  Start at corner one, perform the exercise, run the square outside the veterans memorial and back to the start.  Do first exercise then second corner exercise, finish the square.  Continue adding each corner on the lap until doing all four exercises.  Exercises were:

  • Merkins x20 (four total rounds)
  • Eight count bodybuilders x10 (three total rounds)
  • Lunges x20 (10 each leg, two total rounds)
  • Freddy Mercury x20 (4 count ex, one total round)

Again, very short mosey to the rock pile behind L&N STEM academy.  Grab a rock and knock out the list below, doing 23 reps of each exercise for Ariel’s 23rd birthday.  After each exercise, you either run to the flag pole at the memorial and back or stay in place and knock out 15 merkins.  Can change as often as you want.  Exercise list, with rocks:

  • Curls
  • OH Press
  • Squats
  • Front raises
  • Curls
  • Lunges
  • Sit ups
  • Curls

Third very short mosey back to the fountains where we started.  Again 23 reps of each exercise utilizing the four benches on the outside perimeter of the fountains.  Bear crawl around the circle between each bench. Exercises:

  • Dips
  • Step ups
  • Incline merkins
  • Pistol squats

Rinse and repeat doing an easier/harder modification.  Cut the reps from 23 of each exercise down to 12 of each, but crab walk (feet forward is the correct form) between the benches instead of bear crawl.

MARY:
Leg lifts
American hammers
Ariel’s choice, which he got to lead: V-Ups
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
3 man birthday bash: Ariel, G6, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I’ve lived in Knoxville about 3 years now, but being from Maryville I grew up only 30-40 minutes away.  If you’d told me five years ago I’d be walking around downtown Knoxville at 4:30AM multiple times a week, I’d probably think I made a huge mistake and wound up without a place to live.  When I first started F3 about 2.5 years ago, I only posted Saturdays because I “didn’t have time” to post during the weekday mornings.  If I’m not lazy, now I’m trying to post four weekdays plus Saturdays.

It’s funny how things that once seemed either highly unlikely or maybe even unfathomable slowly become not just possible but completely routine.  While the two instances I just mentioned are positive, the unfortunate thing is that it happens for negative things as well.  Neglecting a relationship with a parent/child/spouse or friend usually isn’t an acute issue.  Neither is half-assing things at your job.  You allow yourself wiggle room to become complacent in these things, and five years fly by and you are doing things you’d never have imagined yourself doing.  Only this time when you realize the routine you are not proud, but ashamed.  Look at your day, both what you’re doing and how you treat people, and ask yourself how that compares to five years ago.  And take the steps today to make sure five years from now you hold your head high.  Leave no doubt.