F3 Knoxville

Author: Bobbitt

Freedom = Power to Do As You Ought

THE SCENE: Temp – 75. Skies – partly cloudy and blissfully captivating. Humidity – Muggy? Please. I just hope you brought your bathing suit and towel!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Skillfully Executed

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH x15
  • Projectivators x?? (lskdjfslkdskfj) *See below
  • Tempo Squats x10
  • Knox Cherry Pickers x10
  • Willie Mays Hays x10
  • Tempo Merk x10
  • Shoulder Burn – YHC’s favorite part of the morning!
    • Little Baby Arm Circles
    • RLBAC
    • Grady Corn
    • Moroccan Night Clubs
    • Chat Cherry Pickers (Lot’s of groaning here! LOVE IT!!!)

THA-THANG:

Mosey for 11s on the Hill
Shoulder Taps at the bottom, Burpees at the top

Mosey to the Baseball Parking Lot entrance.
20 squats at the bottom
Bernie to the middle
10 BBS
Bernie to the sign
20 Merks
Mosey to the middle
10 BBS
Rinse and repeat until time or utter collapse.

Mosey to clubhouse for 60 sec wall sit and 60 sec plank

MARY:
20 (2 ct) Flutter Kicks

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Lord Acton, British historian and the guy who said, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely” was also working on a defintion of freedom. He came up with two.

  1. Freedom = The permission to do what you like
  2. Freedom = The power to do as you ought

Permission, such as the self-interested, self-indulgent kind of freedom without constraint actually leads to slavery. It circles back on itself like a snake eating its own tail. You see it best in addiction. It starts with freedom to look at, drink, smoke, eat whatever I want and ends in an inability to stop (porn, drunkenness, tobacco addiction & drug use, overeating). That’s slavery. It actually becomes bondage, captivity, servitude to something or someone else.

However, the second definition is you putting limits on yourself and leads to ACTUAL freedom. For example, anyone is free to become a baseball player in this country. They have permission. Yet, if they do not put on the appropriate restraints they are not actually capable and therefore not free in reality. A true baseball player has to train their diet, exercise, eating, sleeping, practice, and time. They are free to put those restraints on themselves, and by doing so are MORE free to do what they desire.

Place limits and boundaries in your life to really exercise your freedom.

Use your freedom FOR others.

Gal 5:13-14 says, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

MOLESKIN:
T-Claps to Foghorn Leghorn for showing back up and grinding it out this morning for the second time this week!

Way to grind it out this morning fellas!

*I plan to organize an hour-long OTB session just for everyone to practice projectivators. I’m also considering putting together an instruction video/DVD series entitled “So You Wanna Projectivate” brought to you by the men at The Project to help with those that are struggling with coordination, counting, and balance for a mere $19.95… + shipping and handling, of course. Sorry, no CODs. Make checks out to “So You Wanna Projectivate, LLC”, PO Box 54321, Omaha, Nebraska 68DoubleO7.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Service Opportunity coming soon to Cerebral Palsy Center.
Working on 2nd F get together at Coffee Whipped on a Saturday Morning at 0800. Details to come.
Prayers for those sick and those traveling.

Building B.O.M.B.S and Assaulting the Fort

THE SCENE: A crisp and welcome 58 degrees with clear skies.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Obsequiously delievered.

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH x15
  • THE Knoxville Cherry Picker x5
  • Willie Mays Hayes x6
  • Tempo Merk x10
  • Tempo Squat x10
  • Mtn Climbers x10
  • FLBAC x10
  • RLBAC x10
  • Grady Corn x10
  • Moroccan Nigh Clubs x10
  • Your favorite and mine, ladies and gentlemen… The Chattanooga Cherry Picker x11

THA-THANG:
PAX flipped on headlamps and moseyed down the trail to the amphitheater to build B.O.M.B.S. PAX partnered up. One performed exercises while the other moseyed the perimeter of the amphitheater then flapjack. PAX took the cumulative amount of the follower exercises.

  • 50 Burbees
  • 100 OH Claps
  • 150 Merks
  • 200 BBS
  • 250 Squats

First team to complete called recover. PAX moseyed Creeper’s Charge to assault the fort and held Al Gore for 6. At Pastor’s Peak, PAX took a 10 count and moseyed to RTB for Marry.

MARY:

  • Flutter Kicks x10 (Bobbitt)
  • LBC x10 (Creeper)
  • 20 second plank (Airborne)
  • 20 MORE seconds plank (Skeletor)
  • Time was called.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

This past weekend, YHC participated in the Barbarian Challenge, and obstacle course race near Gadsden, AL. This was a 6+ mile course with 35 obstacles. YHC realized that this was more of a mental challenge than a physical challenge. There were obstacles that played on people’s fear of heights in particular which included walking across a log with a 20 foot drop into the creek and several others.

In particular, the final obstacle was meant to capitalize on the participant’s fear; a 30 foot tower (YHC is guessing) that consisted of a cargo net climb to the top, jumping a chasm to grab on to a bar to pull yourself across. The worst part was the announcer commentating on every person that came to the chasm and the crowd surrounding the tower. Many people froze in fear. YHC had to listen to one person stuck for the entire entry to the final obstacle. Just when YHC summitted the tower, the Beastie Boys came on, fear dissipated, all thinking ceased, and big leap was made.

Mark Divine, in his book, Staring Down the Wolf tells a Native American tale of a negative wolf that resides in the minds of humans. This wolf operates from fear, is hungry for drama, catastrophizes, and has incessant negative talk. It begs for your attention. But there is also a second wolf residing in the hearts of all humans. This one has an appetite for love and connection. It does not need the drama. It is optimistic and simply asks to be noticed. The one that controls you in the one you feed the most.

It’s our job to put ourselves in scenarios to create the conversation between our mind and heart, the whiner and the whisperer. The more we conquer our fear, the more we feed the positive wolf and the stronger it gets. The more we give into our fears, the more we feed the negative wolf and live from it.

YHC explained that his personal signs of fear are hesitation, procrastination, excuse making, and anxiety. It’s our job to recognize the voice of fear for what it is and push through.

2 Tim 1:7 says, “For God has not given you a spirit of fear but one of power, and of love, and of sound judgement.”

MOLESKIN:
All PAX pushed through a grinder today. Well done! It’s an honor to be in the gloom with you fellas! Don’t forget our Rampart Motto! There will be a test Wednesday.

1 Cor 16:13-14, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Do everything in love.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence July 2 at JUCO!
Olive Oil on Q Wednesday!
Airborne VQ next Wednesday!

Billy Boy Goes Back to School at Rampart

THE SCENE: A muggy 71 degrees. Too dang hot for a penguin to just be walking around here!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Dutifully executed…twice!

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH x15
  • Knoxville Cherry Pickers ® x5 (Are ground cherries a thing?)
  • Willie Mays Hayes x8
  • Tempo Merks x10
  • Tempo Squats x10
  • FLBAC x10
  • RLBAC x10
  • Grady Corn x10
  • Moroccan Night Clubs x10
  • Chatty Cherry Pickers ® x10
  • SSH x15

THA-THANG:
PAX performed a Billy Madison routine. The goal was to get Billy all the way through high school graduation. To complete first grade, pax performed 12 reps of exercise 1 and moseyed a lap around the parking lot. For second grade, PAX completed 12 reps of exercise 1 and exercise 2 then took a lap. Grade three, exercises 1, 2, and 3 twelve times each, lap, and so on. Exercises were as follows. PAX ALMOST completed the 12th grade, thus Billy can still claim to be the “smartest man alive!” …and we cannot. …yet.

    1. OH Claps (Slap Hands!)
    2. SSH
    3. Big Boys (“It was my shoe!” mmhmm!)
    4. Merkins
    5. Shoulder Taps
    6. Squats
    7. Toe Merkins
    8. Monkey Humpers
    9. Heels to Heaven
    10. Dry Docks
    11. Flutter Kicks
    12. Burpees

YHC knows y’all enjoyed the soundtrack as much as he did. For all you Culture Club fans, etc., here it is.

  1. Old John Braddelum – Alan Mills (Personal fave when counting in cadence. Wow!)
  2. ABC – The Jackson 5
  3. The Stroke – Billy Squier (apparently about the music business and not…well…)
  4. Carry on Wayward Son – Kansas
  5. I’ll Tumble 4 Ya – Culture Club
  6. Jump Around – House of Pain (Clearly not edited. Pastor apologizes)
  7. Beat on the Brat – Ramones
  8. Renegade – Styx
  9. Rock ‘n’ Roll (Part 2) – Gary Glitter (Obviously from Happy Gilmore but we needed a break, right?)
  10. Tuesday’s Gone – Skynyrd (Also from HG but… just… it’s Skynyrd, ok?)

MARY:
No time for Mary. DON’T tell us our business, devil woman!

Name-O-Rama:

9 PAX including 2 FNGs at Rampart this morning! Welcome “Doppler” and “Rango”!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Reminder of our motto at Rampart: 1 Cor 16:13-14: “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong, do everything in love.”

1 Peter 5:8-11 reads, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

YHC has stopped praying that God would keep me from being tempted. After 40 years, YHC has realized, it’s not going to happen. “And lead us not into the time of trial” is a better translation of the Lord’s Prayer. Peter tells us that God doesn’t tempt us. We are tested. Temptation will always be there in one form or another. Even Jesus was actually tempted!

Instead, YHC has been praying for STRENGTH against temptation.

One practical thing YHC been learning is about will power. Will Power matters more than IQ. Willpower is a better predictor of success than intellegence. Some of you have seen the Marshmallow Test (see a version of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4WF3cSd9Q). The crazy fact is that these 15 minutes of discipline and willpower could predict kids’ future the next 15+ years. Kids with grit and will power perform better in life than kids that have a high IQ!

Here’s what we need to know about willpower: IT’S A MUSCLE – It gets tired. How do you hack your will power? Pre commit. Made decisions and act on them early to keep yourselves from having to make those decisions when you’re weak. Odysseus’ men plugged their ears and had them tie himself to the mast of the ship to avoid the song of the sirens and running the ship into the rocks.

This is the psychology of the HC (hard commit). When you make the decision the night before, you won’t be tempted to complain about a leg cramp and roll over the next morning when it’s time to get up. Make the decision when your willpower is strong to avoid the fartsack. This is true about many things. Examples are as follows:

Food – Precommit and eliminate prompts. YHC struggles with lunch. It’s a weakness. I now make it ahead of time including healthy snacks so that I don’t mess up.

  • TV – unplug it
  • Social Media – delete it and use browser
  • Impure thoughts – delete or remove whatever prompts them

Bottom Line: Be Alert to those temptations and weaknesses you have and make good decisions EARLY!

MOLESKIN:

  • Welcome FNGs Doppler (RESPECT!) and Rango!
  • YHC is proud of our FNGs for listening or …not listening… to the M about coming to this ridiculous morning beatdown. Looking forward to seeing you guys Wednesday!
  • YHC found himself downwind of Airborne who lived up to his name after a weeklong camping trip eating beanie weenies… Don’t be downwind of Airborne after a week-long camping trip eating beanie weenies.
  • 2DE was afraid to live up to his name and made a necessary and quick egress after the COT! Just go man!
  • “Slap hands!” – Wingman
  • YHC is downright impressed with whatever happened the week while gone. T-Claps to the High Impact Man, Skeletor for some stellar leadership in the AOQ’s absence.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • VQ from Piston coming at you Wednesday! Truly excited to see what this HIM has for us! He’s been working hard these last couple of months. Be sure to HC and be there for your brother!
  • Convergence at JUCO on July 2!

Top Gun Exercises at Rampart

THE SCENE: The gloomiest of glooms…just the way we like it.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Dutifully executed.
WARM-O-RAMA:
We started with some Projectivators (x11) to get the Pax good and disoriented to start things off.
Tempo Squats x7
Tempo Merkins x10
Mtn Climbers x10 two count
FLBAC x10
RLBAC x10
Grady Corn x10
Moroccan Night Clubs x10
Chattanooga Cherry Pickers ® x10
SSH x16 or 17 …QIC got distracted thinking about the amazing playlist he made.

Mosey a lap around the lot.

THA-THANG:
Pax performed a modified version of the “Danger Zone” routine. 10 minute exercise cycling through 10 reps of the following exercises (Merkins, Freddy Mercury, Big Boys, Bobby Hurley, Monkey Humpers, repeat). Every 2 minutes, the timer goes of to perform 4 burpees (hence, the Danger Zone). All performed to the glorious sweaty passion of of Kenny Loggins.

As “Playing with the Boys” played, PAX moseyed a lap then went to the “volleyball court”. There they split into teams of 3. Each team had notecards with the following exercises: Carolina Dry Docks (which apparently, can be modified into Pickle Pounders merely by preference), Monkey Humpers, Big Boys, Toe Merkins, and Mtn Climbers. Teams will flip a card, perform 20 reps of the exercise and either flip a cone up or down depending on their team. At the end, the team with the most cones facing in their direction wins. PAX played two rounds. It was almost as dazzling as the movie. Next time Creeper promises to bring the baby oil (although we had plenty of Olive Oil).

PAX then moseyed to the end of the parking lot for Dog Fight exercises (or basically that rabbit hunt thing Kickflip did reinterpreted for our purposes). A single PAX would volunteer to be the hunted rabbit while the rest were the wolves. The rabbit got extra reps and a head start. Wolves worked to catch up to the rabbit. Exercises were Burpees (Olive Oil), Bobby Hurleys (Wing Man), Merkins (Piston), aaaaaaand those delightfully memorable Pickle Pounders (QIC – thanks Skeletor!).

PAX moseyed for Mary.

MARY:
Flutter Kicks (x10)
Box Cutters (x10)
Freddy Mercury (x10)
LBC (The little boys!) (x10)
Hello Dollies (x10)
10 Second Hold (x10)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Casting Your Shadow
Acts 5:5-16 says “People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. 16 Crowds gathered also from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those tormented by impure spirits, and all of them were healed.”

Psalm 17:8 – “Hide me in the shadow of your wings.”

In Jewish culture, Your shadow is your realm of influence. The idea was that, we can no more detach ourselves from our influence on others than our bodies can get rid of their own shadows. Peter, through the work of the Holy Spirit after Pentecost, had gone from being a brash loudmouth with little action to back it up into a bold and influential man of God. While healing might have occurred through his shadow (hard to tell in the text), it is clear that his influence was widely known.

Are we casting a shadow of influence or “throwing shade” as the kids used to say?
A HIM understands the influence he has on other people.
A HIM uses influence intentionally to make an impact.
A HIM’s focus is always for the sake of others, not himself.

Are you intentionally using your influence FOR people?
I used to work in a grocery store at a meaningless job. The more the Lord began to change my life, the more I began to be available for people that I worked with. Eventually, I noticed that people would come to me saying something like, “I don’t know why I’m telling you this, but…”. I was slowly becoming someone known for helping people and giving wisdom.

In How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie says “The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition.”

What are those areas you could be intentionally casting your shadow to influence people?
Why aren’t you?
Lack of Energy?
Lack of attention?
Lack of confidence?

How do you cast a shadow? You stand in the light.

MOLESKIN:
YHC apologizes for reliving the volleyball scene three times with “Playing with the Boys”. There were many, MANY more great songs to the soundtrack though we only heard 3 on repeat. We’ll do this again in three months with the whole soundtrack, aviators, and Creeper will remember the baby oil.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
RAMPART OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES MONDAY! 7am hour-long beatdown. Bring those FNGs!
July 2nd Convergence at JUCO!

Danger Zone at the Project

THE SCENE: A blisteringly hot day with scorching sand, glistening tans, and government issued Ray-Bans…perfect for beach volleyball “with the boys”! …or it was just dark and 42 degrees. You pick.

F3 WELCOME & DISLCLAIMER: Roger that, Ghost Rider.

WARM-O-RAMA:
An assortment of Project classics that included the following:

  • SSH x 15
  • Willy Mays Hays x10
  • Tempo Squat x5
  • Knoxville Cherry Pickers x5
  • Forward LBACs x10
  • Reverse LBACs x10
  • Moroccan Night Clubs to the beat of 10
  • Chattanooga Cherry Pickers® x10
  • Up-tempo SSH x15
  • 25 Merkins OYO (for KickFlip Stuff™)
  • Mosey for touch and go at the fountain for 25 more Merkins – OYO
  • Mosey to the Thang!

“Let’s turn and burn!”

THA-THANG:
Pax formed a circle with CMUs around the speaker blaring the Top Gun Soundtrack.

Pax performed a slightly modified “Top Gun” routine – 10 reps each of 5 coupon exercises for 10 minutes. The 5 coupon exercises are repeated for the entire 10 minutes. The Danger Zone happens every 2 minutes when PAX drops coupon and perform 3 Burpees, then pick up where they left off on the coupon exercises. The “Top Gun Motion Picture Soundtrack” only moderately numbed the pain.

    • Round One: Curls, Rows, CMU Swings, OH Press, Squats, rinse and repeat for 10 minutes with 3 burpees every 2 minutes
      • Mosey a lap around the lot
    • Heavy Hammers, Heavy Freddies, Heavy Crunches, Heavy Dollies, Heavy Flutters, rinse and repeat for another 10 minutes with 3 burpees every 2 minutes
      • Mosey a lap around the lot

Pax then performed 25 more merkins and a 2 minute plank

RTB
KickFlip had “a need….for speed!” and called jailbreak when “Danger Zone” played. No one could resist.

Total for Push, Pull, Plank Challange:

  • 75 merkins + 30 burpees = 105
  • 2 minute plank complete
  • 0 pullups

MARY:
Pax arrived at base at exactly 06:15. We fly by the seat of our pants. No time for Mary.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Real Danger Zone is not getting enough rest.

YHC recently took a test for a couaching group and found out he is high on “restlessness.” I realized how much I struggled on vacation; always looking to the next thing, irritable when we’re not accomplishing something. I have a hard time actually resting.

Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, in his book Rest says, “I argue that we misunderstand the relationship between work and rest. Work and rest are not polar opposites. Rest is not work’s adversary. Rest is work’s partner. They complement and complete each other.”

When we work out, we’re not building muscle. It’s the rest and sleep that are VERY important to the process. This is where the building of muscle actually happens. 

Pang continues, “Further, you cannot work well without resting well. Some of history’s most creative people, people whose achievements in art and science and literature are legendary, took rest very seriously. They found that in order to realize their ambitions, to do the kind of work they wanted to, they needed rest. The right kinds of rest would restore their energy while allowing their muse, that mysterious part of their minds that helps drive the creative process, to keep going.”

  • Albert Einstein’s day dreaming and mind experiments led to the Theory of Relativity. They came when he stopped overworking the math.
  • Winston Churchill took naps every day – pajamas and all.
  • In seminary, I would work hard on gathering information and forming the structure of my paper. I would then take a nap and wake up with how it all ties togetyer. This is very often true for my sermons each week as well.

Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds the house,
    those who build it labor in vain.
the Lord guards the city,
    the guard keeps watch in vain.

It is in vain that you rise up early
    and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives sleep to his beloved.

It takes a certain amount of FAITH to REST.
Are you trusting the Lord enough to rest?
Are you caring for your work and family with rest?
Are you caring for your mind, body, spirit with rest?

MOLESKIN:

  • YHC: “If you’re going to watch Top Gun, you have to endure the volleyball scene.” Mathlete: “What do you mean ‘ENDURE’?!”
  • Three-Peet momentarily saw his spirit leaving him during heavy crunches and “Memories”. (Goooose!)
  • Extra Top Gun points to Tuba for pulling out the aviators for COT

Workout Soundtrack:

  • “Top Gun Anthem” by Harold Faltermeyer
  • “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins
  • “Playing with the Boys” by Kenny Loggins (sufficiently endured)
  • “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling” by The Righteous Brothers
  • “Great Balls of Fire” by Jerry Lee Lewis (“Hey Goose, you big stuuuud!”)
  • “Mighty Wings” by Cheap Trick
  • “Memories” by Harold Faltermeyer (Goooooooose!!!)
  • “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding
  • “Lead Me On” by Teena Marie (I admit… this was a bad choice. My bad, guys.)
  • “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  1. New AO “Rampart” (Kingston) OTBs THIS Saturday as well as 4/9 & 4/23 at 7AM
  2. No Family Workout Sat Apr 2
  3. Check Slack channel @TheProject for details on Family Camping April 1-3 (1 more camp site available – BEST ONE!) OR hiking Devil’s Racetrack on Sat, Apr 2
  4. Planning for 1st Project CSAUP May 6 – see Slack channel for signup and details on Google Doc