F3 Knoxville

Author: Blindside

Training Like the Elves Do

THE SCENE: Chilly morning, LOOK AT THAT MOON! 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Done and Done. I will NOT comment on the outfits of TweetE and ToePick, I just won’t do it. 

WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH IC x15 | LBAC IC x12 each way | Little bit of This; Little bit of That | Cherry Pickers IC x4 | Tempo Squats IC x5

THA-THANG:

Time to train like the elves do getting Jolly Ol Saint Nick ready for his Christmas Eve journey! 

  • Santa’s Workshop (Flagpole)
    • 7s 
      • Toymakers (Manmakers) @ Flagpole
      • Squat Jumps @ Playground
  • Loading Santa’s Sleigh (Field)
    • 5 cones set up down the field (about 20 yards apart)
    • Rifle carry CMU to 1st cone, set it down, sprint to the start and back
    • Rifle carry CMU from 1st cone to 2nd cone, set it down, sprint to start and back
    • Repeat to the 5th cone, then repeat the process from the 5th cone back to start
  • On Dasher, On Dancer, On Prancer… (Tennis Courts)
    • Pick a corner of the court; do 8 Diamond Merkins and 8 Imperial Walkers
    • Sprint to the next corner and do 7 of each
    • Repeat down to 1 rep of each exercise
  • Run, Run, Rudolph
    • “Colonizer Run” from Tennis Courts to Stonehenge 
      • Opposite of an Indian Run, HIM at the front of the line drops off and does SSH until the entire line has passed. 
      • Yells out “Back!” when the last HIM in line passes and rejoins the run
      • The new HIM at the front drops off and repeats 
  • Down the Chimney with Lots of Toys! (Stonehenge)
    • Start with 8 reps of each exercise and drop a rep each round
    • Chimney Jumps (Box Jumps)
    • Inchworm Merkins
  • HO-HO-HIIT (Splashpad)
    • Tabata timer (20 seconds work/10 seconds rest) for 16 rounds alternating:
      • Chimney Climbers (Mountain Climbers)
      • Tree Toppers (Star Jacks)
  • Fellowship Mosey back to the AO

Special Coffeeteria of Milk and Cookies!

MARY:

Did you know? 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

7 PAX; 0 FNGs; 3 for Pre-Ruck 

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

With the hustle and bustle of the Christmas Season, even though we are often reminded of the true “Reason for the Season.” Many times this is ignored or not given a lot of thought. Of course, Christmas time is the season to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but often we are distracted. I saw on the sign at a church down the road a new phrase that can reinvigorate us during this time. “Don’t focus on the presents, focus on His presence.” 

Christmas celebrates God becoming Man. The Word incarnate. The Almighty Lord of the Universe humbled Himself enough to become a little baby, born into this world to experience all of the pain and suffering of humanity… and He did this for us.

Just Cold Enough to be Annoying

THE SCENE: Just cold enough to be annoying 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Did this, forgot to mention I had my cell phone, they quickly understood

WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH IC x15 ; LBAC each way IC x10 each ; Little of this, Little of that ; Cherry Pickers IC x5 

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Splash Pad for a Tabata workout + Field Trips 

20 work/10 seconds rest x 8 ; After 3 exercises, field trip to the bathhouse 

  • Set 1:
    • Dips
    • Step-ups 
    • BBS
  • Field Trip to the Bathhouse 
    • 5 Burpee Pull-ups
  • Set 2: 
    • Shoulder Taps
    • Imperial Walkers 
    • Freddie Mercury
  • Field Trip to the Bathhouse 
    • 5 Bodybuilders
  • Set 3: 
    • Merkins 
    • SSH 
    • Reverse Crunch 

Aborted set 3 halfway through SSH as the Q didn’t hear the PAX at the other end of the SplashPad yelling that it was 6:13, then 6:14…

Quick mosey back to AO (arrived after time 6:16)

MARY:

There just wasn’t enough time. 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

8 HIM (2 pre-rucked)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

When Ribbed asked me about my weekend this morning during the pre-ruck, I told him that “It was good, just not enough time to do nothing.” While this wasn’t going to originally be the focus of my BOM, that phrase churned in my mind throughout the workout. During the holiday season, many of us become busier and busier. Whether it is kid’s concerts at school, holiday parties with work or friends (shoutout to Judge Judy for welcoming us into his home this weekend, what an incredible evening!), shopping for presents, etc. We tend to go, go, go during this last half of December. I challenge you all to take time out of your day to do “nothing.” I don’t mean sit and stare at a wall nothing, but do something unscheduled, something without a deadline, something that makes you a better HIM. For me, I am committing to spending an extra 15 mins before heading out into the gloom this week, sitting in front of my lit Christmas tree, with my gas logs going, and spending some extra time in silent prayer.

4 Corners in a Straight Line

THE SCENE: Y’all it’s starting to be cold, like every day. 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Did this. No questions. 

WARM-O-RAMA: Blindside warm-up things 

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Flagpole for 20 jump-ups/steps // Mosey to Playground 10 pull-ups

Mosey to the upper parking lot for “straight-line” 4 corners. 4 stations of exercises, each cardboard has 3 exercises on it. Do the top exercise then move to the next station. Do all 4 stations 2x then mosey to dock for 20 CDD then to the Bathhouse for 10 pull-ups. Return to Stonehenge to lunge around waiting on the six. Repeat the whole process with the second exercise on the board. Then repeat for the third exercise.    

  • Round 1
    • 20 Merkins
    • 20 BBS
    • 20 Squats
    • 20 4 count Flutter Kicks
  • Round 2
    • 10 Burpees
    • 20 LBCs 
    • 20 Diamond Merkins
    • 20 4 count Freddie Mercury
  • Round 3
    • 20 Iron Mikes
    • 20 American Hammers 
    • 20 Smurf Jacks
    • 20 Hello Dolly

Fellowship Mosey™ back to AO

MARY:

Ring-of-Fire with 3 Merkins 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

12 HIMs did the Beatdown; 1 Mall Walker 

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“You’ve got to ask for faith every day. You have to read about those people who exercised faith. You have to read the Scriptures.” –Mother Mary Angelica. Mother Angelica was a Roman Catholic nun of the poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. She founded the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) in Birmingham, Alabama in 1981. This quote from Mother Angelica hit me hard yesterday because I have to remember to choose faith daily. In F3, the Fitness is the easiest part for me in that I can get up and meet my brothers in the Gloom. Fellowship is the next easiest, but still difficult. I love the Fellowship that pre-rucks and beatdowns give, and most of you know that I love the fact that Slack offers continual communication with the PAX of F3Knoxville outside of the Gloom, but the 2nd F can still be difficult for me in that I sometimes forget to be that friend that many men need me to be. Not only to be present and reachable but also to be there to listen when needed. 

The 3rd F, Faith is the most difficult for me. I can’t meaningfully go on “auto-pilot” with my faith. I have to actively choose my faith. I have to actively read my devotions, say my prayers, and be present for God. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Asylum AM/PM combining at 7 am on Thanksgiving for an hour beatdown

Christmas Party — Let Judge Judy know if you’re coming by Dec. 1st. Slack channel #annual-christmas-party. 

Brovember reminder.

The DogPound Becomes the Real ‘Man Park’

THE SCENE: Cool, but nice. INCREDIBLE moon set over the trees during the PreRuck. Probably the last not-super-cold day for a while. 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Did this. Everyone welcomed and disclaimed. 

WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH IC x20 — 1 Burpee — Tie Fighters IC x10 each way — 2 Burpees — Cherry Pickers I(DogPound)C x4 — 3 Burpees 

THA-THANG:

Blindside’s Fellowship SeaBiscuit w/ CMU: 

4 Rounds; Subject 5 reps from each exercise each round; Add a lap to each round. Selected ab work OYO until the 6 arrives. Finish with 10 reps IC and start the next round together 

  • 10 Blockees
  • 15 OH Press 
  • 20 Curls
  • 25 Rows 
  • 30 Up & Over Merkins (each Merkin counts as “1”)

Ab Work: 

  • Round 1: Hello Dolly
  • Round 2: Flutter Kicks 
  • Round 3: Freddie Mercury
  • Round 4: Box Cutters 

Return to AO for a Ring of Fire of Merkins starting with 5. 

 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

13 HIMs including 1 FNG. Welcome Salad Spinner! 

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I am reading a book called Behold the Man which is a deep dive into the spirituality and faithfulness of Catholic men in today’s culture. The author references Pope St. John Paul II when he wrote that we are currently living in a “Culture of Death.” We are in spiritual warfare. Saying that Satan and evil don’t exist is foolish. The Evil One may not walk around as a red-horned devil, but he absolutely is present. Over the past few decades, men have become marginalized in society. Our culture puts such low expectations on men that it has left many men wondering how to navigate our world. 

In last weekend’s episode of Saturday Night Live, there was a fake commercial for “Man Park.” This was a park similar to a Dog Park where men can meet and make friends, alleviating their wives and girlfriends from being the only person their husbands and boyfriends talk to. While many aspects of the skit were funny if you really look at what the writers had the men and women saying, it was incredibly sad and should be a big eye-opener for our society. A 2019 Harper’s Bazaar article wrote about how men no longer know how to form emotional bonds with each other. The tagline from the skit said, “It’s not their fault masculinity makes intimacy so hard.” F3 is the real ‘Man Park,’ and I am thankful that we are able to grow physically, mentally, spiritual, and with meaningful male friendships. 

This was so sad for me because it shows just how real male loneliness is, I absolutely experienced it before starting in the Gloom. 

I think it is that our masculinity is just what CAN make emotional intimacy possible, both here in the Gloom as well as the spiritual heads of our households. We must continue to lead, throw off spiritual laziness & timidness and become a strong witness to the Truth of our Faith with passion and conviction. When enough of us do this in our society, the stereotype of the lazy, buffoon of a father in our culture/society will change. 

MOLESKIN:

Behold the Man 

Man Park SNL skit

Men’s Health Article on ‘Man Park’

F3 Twitter mentions of ‘Man Park’

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Christmas Party. RSVP by December 1st. #annual-christmas-party channel on Slack 

Brovember: With the introduction of Weekly Winners, there is still time to compete! #brovember2021 on Slack! 

Lock Shields with Minivan Centurions

THE SCENE: Warmer than anticipated. Less Wind. Wonderful pre-ruck.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Done. Q took about 15 mins for questions. 

WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH IC x15; LBAC each way IC x10; Little of This, Little of that; Tempo Squats IC x10; Cherry Pickers IC x5 … Grab a CMU and mosey to Thunderdome

THA-THANG:

Tabata+ workout: eight 25-second rounds of an exercise with a 10-second rest between rounds. Field Trip in between rounds.

Exercises:

  • OH Press
    • Field Trip to SkateTown, up & over the wall and back
  • Goblet Squats
    • Field Trip to the entrance to track Burpees x5  
  • Curls
    • Field Trip to SkateTown, up & over the wall and back 
  • Up & Over Merkins
    • Field Trip to the entrance to track Imperial Squat Walkers x5
  • Flutters x2; Hello Dolly x2; Freddie Mercury x2; Georgia Cheerleaders x2
    • Field Trip to SkateTown, up & over the wall and back

MARY:

Mosey back to AO and put up CMUs 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

11 HIMs; 0 FNGs; Welcome Backfire from F3 Chattanooga!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

When making my Birthday/Christmas list recently for my family, I was browsing the F3 Gear site and noticed a patch with a minivan that said “Minivan Centurion” on it. I thought this was a funny thing that connected that a lot of F3 guys are dads who have to haul their kids around and added it to my list. I also have been getting into the F3 Nation podcasts recently (start listening if you can!). One of the shows mentioned the “Minivan Centurions” and I actually understood where it came from and what it actually means. 

Excerpt from “The Locked Shields of the Minivan Centurions” on the F3Nation website

“I have had the opportunity to workout at a lot of great parks and schools in F3Nation, but I have to admit to being partial to Freedom Park in Charlotte because that is where it all started. Not only is it a great workout location, but it serves the community in a thousand different ways. I probably spend an average of 7 hours a week there in one capacity or another. Go there on a Saturday morning in the Spring or Fall and you will see the parking lots stuffed full of minivans and the fields overrun with kids playing soccer and baseball.

There is so much sweet America there it will make your teeth hurt. When the World is running particularly amuck, a day in Freedom is all I need to keep focused on what we have here, what is worth protecting. The World may be afire, but we have Freedom Brothers. We have Freedom. Is it likewise in every park that is part of F3Nation? I imagine so. That is really why we do this, isn’t it?

One day after soccer, I walked towards the minivan with my daughters when the youngest one asked me why there were never any police officers at Freedom Park. I had never thought about it until that moment, but she was right. I had never seen a police officer patrolling the park. So I answered, “they are probably at other places in Charlotte where they are needed.”

Which prompted her older sister to say, “yeah Sarah, we don’t need them here because we have the daddies.”

Little Sister: “rigggght, we have the daddies to keep us safe at Freedom. The police are at the parks without the daddies.” At that, I kind of looked away so my daughters wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes, and I noticed that I could see about five other F3 guys within nine-iron distance, coaching soccer or cheering their kids on. And I knew there were another 20 F3 men that I couldn’t see from where I was standing. But they were there. It occurred to me that if the bad guys came to Freedom they might have thought it easy pickings because they would see no police on duty. But they would be mistaken. If Evil comes to Freedom it will have the daddies to contend with, and it will not stand a chance. While we might be outnumbered Brothers, we have locked our shields and will keep them locked in the heat of battle.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Coats for the Cold, donate to AOs now through Nov. 13th

Brovember Challenge. Link to track your progress in the #brovember2021 Slack channel.