F3 Knoxville

Author: Lillydipper

Taking Time to Reflect

THE SCENE: Sunny, temps in eighties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 10 Iron Mikes, 10 Windmills, 10 Cherry Pickers, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign on northeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  There will be sets of bricks.  We will be doing Doras with the brick.  While one partner runs to cone, does 10 merkins, and comes back the other partner will be doing exercises with the bricks.  The partners switch off when one partner comes back from the run.  The partner teams will do 100 of each of the following exercises with the bricks:

  • Overhead Presses
  • Curls
  • Rows with brick at each side
  • Punches from chest out (punch with each hand = 1)
  • Wings out
  • Wings up
  • Wings down

Mosey north to perimeter trail and head west on perimeter trail to area below Roadshow Run.  Each man will do 20 Big Boys, then run to top of Roadshow Run by the bat house.  There, each man does 40 Baby Crunches.  We will rinse and repeat.  The first man who finishes then runs back up Roadshow Run sweeping all men upward.

Mosey to grassy area in shade and by small wall on west side of road.  We will do elevens starting with 10 Jump Squats and 1 Incline Merkin with hands on wall.  We will do another eleven with 10 Mountain Climbers (four count) and one bench raise off of wall.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I read this week about something that the comedian Louie C.K. said when he was being interviewed by Conan one time.  He commented that he doesn’t want his kids to have cell phones because he wants them to be sad.  He was being funny with this comment but he was also being serious.  Sadness can come when we are forced to be alone with our thoughts.  The comedian noted, “That’s what the phones are taking away, the ability to just sit there.  That’s being a person.”

He also talked about a time when he was driving and listening to a Bruce Springsteen song on the radio.  He was feeling a melancholy come over him and his immediate response was to grab the phone and text somebody.  Instead, he let the sadness grow and pulled over to the side of the road to weep.  Afterwards, came another strong feeling, one of joy and thankfulness for his life.

Technology and cell phones are not bad things.  They are useful things.  But we can get too absorbed in it.  In so doing, we may find that we are avoiding true alone time, true thinking time.  We may be be pushing aside time to reflect over the events of the day, good and bad, that impact us cognitively and emotionally.  We may be merely numbing our minds.  We are not struggling but sometimes struggle is important.  And as Louie C.K. implies, sometimes sadness is good.  We don’t like seeing our loved ones, our children, or ourselves feeling sad.  But sadness is an important emotion – one that can inspire us to change or one that puts us more in touch with humanity.  Life is about loss as well as gain.  Sadness comes with loss and it is important to reckon with it.

The bible gives us plenty of images of Christ weeping – whether over the death of Lazurus, for the fate of Jerusalem, in compassion for others, or in anger over the tyranny of death over mankind.  Christ does not keep us from experiencing sadness.  But, in living in a relationship with Him, with God, he also shows us what true joy is.

Louie C.K., explaining his resistance to cell phones and technology, stated “you don’t ever feel really sad or really happy, you just feel. . . kinda satisfied with your products.  And then you die.”

I hope that we, as HIMs, are striving for more.  That striving for more may take the form of welcoming the Gloom when it meets us in the cold of a 5:30 am workout or heat of a 5:45 pm beat down.  It may also come in the form of welcoming the sadness that sometimes comes about in living a meaningful life.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Sparkler’s stepdad, Shooter’s friend, and Iceman’s brother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Neyland run on Saturday, May 11.  Hardship Hill on Saturday, May 18.

Pain is Gain

THE SCENE: Beautiful day, temps in high 70’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-straddle-hops, 10 Pinto Twists, 10 Windmills, Plank stretches, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign on southeast corner of Admin Bldg.  20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to Area 51.  We will run up hill stopping three times to do decline merkins.  Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to bat house above Roadshow Run.  We will do the Pinto Grinder.  We will start with 20 Star Jumps by bat house.  Then run down stairs and do 20 Diamond Merkins.  Run to grove of trees just below peak of Mt. Everest.  Do 10 Burpees.  Run up to peak of Mt. Everest and do 20 Big Boys.  Rinse and repeat.

Do 20 American Hammers in Shade.

Mosey to stop sign at northeast corner of Admin Bldg.  20 Hello Dollies.  We will head back on road toward AO but stop at each cone along the way.  The cones will instruct us what to do next.  The instructions at each cone are as follows:

  • Cone 1:  10 Shoulder Taps (both arms = 1).  Bear Crawl to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  25 Baby Crunches.  Lunge to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  20 Flutter Kicks (four count).  Bernie Sanders to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  20 Buzz saws (four count).  Grapevine with face away from Admin Bldg to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Grapevine with face toward Admin Bldg to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6.  Go back to Cone 1 to rinse and repeat.

MARY:

10 Bottle Caps, 20 Box Cutters, Stretches.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eight men, no FNGs.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 That’s why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day. This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison, because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.

It can be human nature to desire the easy way out.  But the fact is that truly good things generally involve toil, effort and pain.  I often times witness people wanting to move forward but unwilling to accept anxiety, stress or pain in order to get there.  As a psychologist I see people wanting to take narcotics or avoid challenges to that they don’t have to experience anxiety.  I am not belittling the anxiety that those with Anxiety Disorders must battle.  But some people actually think humans aren’t supposed to experience anxiety.  They want to avoid anxiety at all costs.  The fact is that anytime we take on new challenges, we are going to experience anxiety.

I see some people wanting to improve physically without experiencing pain.  I know that doctors and physical therapists see this all the time.  Someone gets total knee replacement and then is sent to see a physical therapist.  They stop going saying the physical therapy only made them feel worse.  Of course it made them feel worse – it is supposed to make them feel worse – so that through work, pain and effort they will improve and eventually feel much, much better.

We in F3 get up early mornings to face the gloom and experience the pain and thrashing of an F3 workout.  It is supposed to be painful.  Without the pain we don’t receive the gang.  We could wimp out and make it easy for everyone.  But as Cheatsheet proclaims, “Treat yourself, don’t cheat yourself!”

We often think relationships are supposed to be free from pain and turmoil.  Nothing goes wrong in our relationships in the Honey Moon stage.  Your lover can do no wrong.  It is later that we wake up to the reality that this lover is a real person – with her own strange idiosyncrasies and opinions that don’t,God forbid, always coincide with ours.  We begin to think, what’s wrong with this person – maybe she isn’t right for me.  But maybe, just maybe, that person is right for you.  To find true love is to work through differences with another that can sometimes be painful.  But in working through these differences we see we can learn and live with them.  We find something richer and greater – not a person who will agree with us about everything – but someone who will love us, no matter how hard that task can be (look at yourself, that can be pretty doggone difficult) and will help us to grow stronger and better for it in the process.

Finally, with God it is not always rosy and wonderful.  We sometimes want to turn from Him when things aren’t wonderful and going our way.  We may blame Him for it, say “Where the hell are you God?”  Or, we may not want to follow Him when He wants us to do something we don’t like to do.”  But God’s way is the best way, not the easy, rosy way.  We don’t just follow God when it feels good.  We follow God when it is difficult, when it is not all fun and games, when we doubt, when we hurt, when we are ready to give up, when we are angry and pissed at Him.  In so doing, we find faith, we find hope, and we have a true relationship with a God who desires relationship and desires to make us better men.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for five of Abscess’ friends who have had heart attacks.  Continuing prayers for Pinto who is recovering from his heart attack and heart surgery.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill!

Cogs in the Wheel

THE SCENE: Misty, in 40’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 15 Plank Jacks, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot near entry to northern ball fields.  We will split into partners of two men each to do Doras.  One partner will Bernie Sanders to cone, then sprint to end of parking lot.  At end of parking lot he does two burpees.  He then does Bernie Sanders to cone and sprints back.  Meanwhile, the other partner is working on exercises with CMU’s.  The exercises are the following

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows
  • 100 Squats with CMU at chest area

Mosey to beginning of Serpentine Sidewalk located between north ball fields and outdoor chapel.  We will do 14’s (do listed exercise for one light then run for four lights) to where sidewalk hits perimeter trail or from perimeter trail back to roadway if it is next exercise on list).  We will do three exercises and, therefore, will end at perimeter trail.  All men who finish first on any exercise and run will do baby crunches until last man arrives.  Here are the exercises:

  • Bear Crawl
  • Hops
  • Lunges

When we are through with above we will do 20 Hello Dollies (four count) as a group.

Mosey on perimeter trail to cardiac hill.  At cardiac hill we will run up hill doing the following exercises at each turn:

  • Turn 1:  20 American Hammer
  • Turn 2:  20 Big Boy Sit Ups
  • Turn 3:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Turn 4:  20 Bench Raises

Rinse and Repeat

Mosey to bottom of mini-cardiac.

We will do 20 Merkins at bottom of mini-cardiac, then run up and do 20 Carolina Dry Docks by gate.  Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks (four count); 15 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1); stretch of each leg and slow toe touches, slow back bends.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 Men, no FNG’s.  Finger Paint was with us but has yet to be tagged for the post.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM

God had created each one of us as special, unique individuals.  As the apostle Paul claims, we each have individual gifts.  But he also remarks that these individual gifts we have serve the whole community.  In this way, we are all part of the body of Christ.

From 1 Corinthians 12:

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[d] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many.15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts,[e] yet one body.

There is a song by the group Fleet Foxes that I particularly enjoy.  It is called Helplessness Blues.  Here are the lyrics in the beginning of the song:

I was raised up believing I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see
And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me.

We are each of us unique.  Each one of us is different – in body size, strength and endurance levels; in age; in the backgrounds we come from; in the types of jobs we have; in our politics; in our dreams for the future.  But as the great poet John Donne proclaimed, “No man is an island unto himself.”  We have a need for our fellow man.  And when united together, we give service to something that is greater than ourselves.  I often feel that with the men of F3.  It is sometimes difficult to put into words.  But by getting up in the morning to be here with my friends, my brothers, I am not only serving myself but something beyond myself – something that brings me, brings each of us, closer to what God created us for – and, therefore, closer to God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill in May!

God Has Our Six

THE SCENE: Cloudy with temps in 60’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 15 Squat Jumps, 10 Rockettes, Plank Stretches, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey northeast to perimeter trail near intersection of primary park roadway and roadway going to admin bldg.  We will be doing nickel, dime, quarters (running one light to stop and do 5 of exercise, running two lights to do 10 of exercise and running five more lights to do 25 of the exercise.  We will initially head west on perimeter trail, following it all the way to southern ball field area.  Here are the exercises we will be doing

  • Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Merkins
  • Star Jumps
  • Hello Dollies
  • Diamond Merkins
  • Smurf Jacks
  • American Hammers
  • Carolina Drydocks
  • Iron Mikes
  • Flutter Kicks (four count)
  • Dive Bombers
  • Plank Jacks

Mosey to Outdoor Chapel.  We will do sevens starting with one Decline Merkin at stage area and six Mountain Climbers at other end of chapel.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Use the TAGS on right-side to record PAX (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOURSELF) in attendance. Be sure to select the AO in CATEGORY above TAGS and then delete these notes!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
One psychological definition of anxiety states that it is 1. the overestimation of threat and 2. the underestimation of competency to handle the threat.  It is not uncommon for us to experience anxiety, particularly when we take on new things.  For example, when taking on a new challenge (such as starting a new job) we tend to worry about the many things that could go wrong – in so doing we exaggerate the likelihood of bad things occurring.  Those of you who have never taken the Q at an F3 workout may worry that the guys would not like what you have put together, that what you planned will not be hard enough or that it would be too hard, that you will plan too much or too little, or that you will screw up when leading the exercises. You may not think about it being common to make mistakes when you do your first Q and that the other guys will understand that and accept you.  When taking on new challenges we also tend to underestimate our competency.  When taking on a new job you may forget that you were hired because of abilities and skills that the employer saw in you and that you can learn and adapt to new situations.  When thinking of leading a Q you may underestimate how much you have learned from being involved in F3 workouts, how even though you have never led a Q your ability to do so will be just as good as other guys who have never led a Q, how you can write out a good outline for a workout, how you can adapt your workout as you move along, how you can be inventive and come up with new ways of doing things, how when delivering the message guys will be interested in your experiences and what you have learned in life.

Take on new challenges.  Remember it is common to feel some anxiety when you do so.  But remember that you are probably overestimating the threats of the new challenge as well as the negative reactions to your making mistakes.  Remember your abilities, your ability to adapt, your ability to get up when you have been knocked down, and that God and friends are there to turn to when mistakes are made because in taking on new challenges you are supposed to make mistakes.

Remembering these words from Christ in Matthew, Chapter 6, may also help:

25 e“Therefore I tell you, fdo not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 gLook at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. hAre you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his ispan of life?7 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, jeven Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

 

Convergence

THE SCENE: Sunny and nice, temps in 50’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 15 second squat, 15 Mountain Climbers, 30 second squat, 10 Windmills, 45 second squat, 10 Cherry Pickers, 60 second squat, Little of This and Little of That.  Split into three groups and Mosey to workout stations.  In each station we will work out for 15 minutes.  After workout out at the three stations we will meet back at AO.
THA-THANG:

STATION 1 (at parking lot near entrance of northern ball fields)
There will be bricks on ground at Corner 1 and CMU’s on ground at Corner 3.
We will circle the parking lot counter clockwise, stopping at each corner to do the listed exercises.  We will circle the lot three times, doing the series of exercises as we go.
  • Corner 1:  With brick in each hand do:  1. 25 Wings Out  2.  25 Wings Up  3.  25 Wings down.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 2 after each listed exercise.
  • Corner 2:  1.  20 Merkins  2.  20 Dive Bombers 3.  20 Carolina Drydocks.  Bear Crawl to Corner 3 after each exercise.
  • Corner 3:  With CMU do:  1.  25 Overhead Presses  2.  25 Curls  3.  25 Rows.  Sprint to Corner 4 after each exercise.
  • Corner 4:  1.  20 American Hammers (4 count)  2.  20 Box Cutters   3.  20 Flutter Kicks (4 count).  Lunge to Corner 1 after each exercise.

STATION 2 (on north side of parking lot with nice restroom and across street from northern ballfields)

Picket’s charge w 3 Burpees at every cone
Circle Burp: grab a baby and take turns leading cadence with curls until saying “Go” and do two Burpees all around circle, repeat w Triceps
Give and Take: choose a battle buddy, plank across from each other. Take turns taking bricks off CMU and replace until time is up bout 1-2 minutes.
Merkin Suicides: run to cone do 10 merkins suicide style

Station 3 (in parking lot by southern ball fields)

On one end you will do an exercise than run to the other end and continue that exercise until the Six arrives.  Modification is leave early on the run.

Strength and Conditioning Side:

Exercise 1     20 – Merkins

Exercise 2     20 – 4 Count Side Straddle Hop

Exercise 3     20 – Squats

Exercise 4     20 – Carolina Dry Docks

Exercise 5     5 – Burpees

Exercise 6     3 – Yoga – Plank – Downward Dog – Upward Dog You will need to call it out.

Ab Side:

Exercise 1     20 – IC 4 Count LBCs

Exercise 2     20 – IC Holly Dolly

Exercise 3     20 – IC Plank Jacks

Exercise 4     20 – On your own Shoulder taps  shoulder

Exercise 5     20 – On my Up – Big Boy Sit Ups

Exercise 6     20 – IC 4 Count – American Hammers IC

MARY:
50 Baby Crunches, 25 Sit-ups
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
43 men with one FNG, Jeremy Cameron whom we dubbed “MIB”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
We all must suffer.  That will be the theme of today’s 3rd F.  It helps to remain optimistic in the face of suffering.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pfeiffer is gonna be a daddy this week!

3rd F at Outlook immediately following this workout!