Pele – Page 7 – F3 Knoxville

Seeing Beyond

August 13, 2021 Pele

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, but lots o’ sunshine, hot, 92 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3, Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. F3 is a free workout program designed to improve fitness, share some camaraderie, and foster male leadership in the community. I’m Pele and I will be your Q today. I am not a professional, and I do not know your fitness level or injury history. Please push yourself, but modify the workout as necessary to avoid making any existing injuries worse. The goal is to get better together!

WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Hillbilly Squats (4-ct), in cadence. (Q is a knucklehead, and screwed up the motion and cadence for this, resulting in a mulligan)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 LBCs forward and backward (4-ct), in cadence

Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

AMRAPS Galore! Mosey to Stop Sign to northeast of admin building. Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises. Rinse and Repeat.

Plank Jacks
Peter Parkers
Mountain Climbers
Merkins

Mosey to ROCK pile. Get a ROCK. Do 30 seconds of the following exercises. Rinse and repeat.

Overhead Press
Curls
Rows
Squats

Mosey to Parking lot by Area 51. Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises. Rinse and Repeat.

Froggie Jumps
Lunges
Bobby Hurleys
Smurf Jacks
We may have done one more leg exercise here?… Q was getting delirious from the heat

PAULA ABDULS in same parking lot. Burpee Broad Jumps for 2 cones, then El Capitan back 1. I’m not sure High Heels ever figured this pattern out… :))

MOSEY to shaded tree by stop sign south of Admin building. Do 30 seconds of the following 4 exercises. No Rinse and Repeat due to time.

Big Boy Situps
American Hammers
E2K Left Side
E2K Right Side

MOSEY to Stop Sign to the southwest of admin building. Finish with CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Partner 1: BERNIE SANDERS, Partner 2: 5 STAR JUMPS, then sprint to catch up) to AO.

MARY:
Didn’t have time for ol’ Mary.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 Strong!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

A few years ago there was a video going around the internet. Viewers were shown a group of people on a basketball court. Half are in black shirts, half in white shirts. The viewers were asked to count how many times someone in a white shirt passes to another in a white shirt. When the video is over, they threw out numbers as guesses. Then they’re asked, “So… who saw the gorilla on the court?” There was actually a gorilla in the video that walked into the circle, stood there for a few seconds twirled around, then walked away. 70-85% say they didn’t even see it. We are trained to see what we are asked to see. We are clouded by our preconceived notions, expectations, biases, etc. We don’t see something that’s right in front of us because we aren’t EXPECTING it. We explain it away. This happens even more readily in today’s age of science, sophistication and knowledge we tend not to believe in magic, or miracles in the literal sense. So how do we expand our vision, revisit and put our pre-conceived notions aside so that we can see the miracle of God? The difference between Biblical Truth and Fact. The Bible is the Truth. Some people would argue that some of the FACTS described in it are a bit debatable, but in the end, the Truth is what matters. For example, whether or not Jonah was swallowed by a great sea creature is immaterial. But the story has TRUTH. French have a word, BRECOLLAGE (sp?), which means seeing what is in front of you, but also seeing beyond it. We need to remind ourselves to see not only what is obvious, and also the “beyond”, the workings of God in our everyday lives. The key to witnessing God in our daily lives is not to demand to see burning bushes or columns of fire, or water bodies dividing in two. It is to see BEYOND the obvious. The buddy that calls you right at the moment you need to hear a friendly voice. The neighbor who brings you dinner when you or someone in your family is sick. The brothers in F3 who pray for a favorable outcome, like the wonderful turnaround with Corona Weight’s brother. Are these coincidences? Are they just random happenings? Look Beyond.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for those suffering from COVID, prayers for the Philippines and the people there
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP coming up a week from this Saturday, Snack Drive, Hardship Hill, Iron Pax… busy month for F3!

Do It Anyway

July 21, 2021 Pele

THE SCENE: Not too bad, all things considered… low 80s, light breeze, mostly cloudy at first, switching over to mostly sunny which made it a bit toastier.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 SSH, 4-ct, IC

-5 Burpees for Abscess, who has a mental derangement that causes him to actually LIKE Burpees

– 10 Windmills, 4-ct IC

– 15 Grady Corns , 4-ct IC

– Little of this, then that

– Hamstring stretches, right leg over left, touch toes, reverse

– 10 Tempo Merkins, 4-ct, IC

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to the soccer field below the Coliseum:

BATTLE BUDDY AB KRAKEN with 6 cones. Do 20 REPS of the exercise (4-ct when applicable), then run around circle PLUS ONE cone, etc., until you reach the last cone. When finished, go to the middle and alternate 10 merkins and 20 squats until 6 finishes.

EXERCISES: Flutter Dollies, LBCs, Big Boy Situps, Bicycle Kicks, American Hammers, Dead Bug

MOSEY to the little parking lot just above the soccer field. Get a BATTLE BUDDY for THREE BY FIVES. One partner will be in the “bullpen” slowly running back and forth, while the other partner runs to stop sign and does two exercises, then runs back. Start with 5 reps of both exercises and increase by 5, i.e., first trip do 5x, then 10x, then 15x. Three sets of exercises:

Peter Parkers (2-ct) / Half-Burpees
Star Jumps / Iron Mikes
Decline Merkins / Dive Bombers

AYG back to AO, cresting at least 2 of the small hills in the amphitheater on the way back.

MARY:
Plank holds, 5 more burpees for Abscess. Uggh.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 HIMs, No FNGs, one doggy
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

One of the things I’ve been struggling with the past year or two is how to maintain my efforts to be a man of character and integrity when it seems like no one else is playing by the same rules, or setting the same standards for themselves. There comes a point where it’s easy to shrug and say, “Why bother?” and a temptation to sacrifice your principles in any variety of situations. I am by no means perfect, but I get frustrated when I see ignorance, or selfishness, or an acceptance and propagation of falsehoods that are passed along purely for self-gain. I get furious when I see hypocrisy, prejudice, and self-righteousness masquerading as patriotism or religious zeal. And sometimes when I feel like I’m at my breaking point, I remember one of favorite poems, Do It Anyway, by Mother Teresa. It goes like this:

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.

You see in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pusher’s co-worker’s family, the family of Jetlag’s friend in the Philippines who died of a heart attack, and other PAX members struggling with loss or are healing from injuries.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP date change, now 3rd Sat. in August; Saturday AM will likely move to parking lot where PM group meets during winter.

Paying the Price

July 2, 2021 Pele

THE SCENE: Humid as all get out, thunderstorms in the area, low 80s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Nailed it.
WARM-O-RAMA:
A minute or two late getting started, as the Pavilion we were going to use for the workout was reserved, forcing us to switch locations at the last minute.

SSH, Cherry pickers, BAC forward and backward, Rockettes, Tempo Squats, all 10 or 20x, 4-ct, IC

THA-THANG:

DORA suicides. Partner 1 does exercise with coupon, AMRAP, Partner 2 does the movement, then switch, as shown below [Exercise/Movement]

Curls/Jacobs Ladder (4-ct Bear Crawl/4 2-Ct Mountain Climber/4 Merkins, R&R about 10 meters, return via Bear Crawl)
Overhead Press/Jacobs Ladder
Rows/Suicides (suicides to first three signs, then a fourth light pole, 5 Burps at light pole, return to start)
Squats/Suicides

Moved into Pavilion for some AMRAP Tabata Pyramids. 30 seconds of exercise AMRAP, 10 seconds rest.

Leg Burner. Pyramid of Prisoner Get Ups, Iron Mike’s, Squats. Bobby Hurleys as 60 second bonus exercise.
Ab Burner. Pyramid of BBS, Flutter Kicks, Am. Hammers. Gas Pumps as 60 second bonus exercise
Cardio Burner. Pyramid of SSH, Half Burps, Step ups. High knees as 60 second bonus exercise

MARY:
Yoga stretches by Steam. A young man, 10 yrs old was watching us and invited in to join in the Mary and the bomb. We named him KTM because he likes mountain biking. He’s from out of town, however, so we may not see him again. Maybe a seed was planted…? Nice young man.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 HIMs, Grid Iron not tagged
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Talked about how easy it is to have convictions when it doesn’t cost you anything. Easy to stand up for others who are week, oppressed, or marginalized when it doesn’t cost you anything. Easy to be a good Christian when it doesn’t cost you anything. Easy to claim that you support our country’s democratic ideals when it doesn’t cost you anything. Who will you be when it DOES cost you something? As HIMs, we need to make the decision now, before we’re faced with it, that when the time comes, we will pay the price, not only for ourselves, but for others as well, if we can.
MOLESKIN:
T-Claps to Doubtfire and High Heels, who were on their second work out of the day, and Guppy, who ran a few miles before the workout. Lilydipper and Jinxy met us for the Board meeting.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP! Get signed up! Also need Wesley House Qs.

DORAS Galore!

June 23, 2021 Pele

THE SCENE: Rare gem of a day! 80 degrees, sunny, low humidity.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Done and Done!
WARM-O-RAMA:

– 20 SSH (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence (We came close to starting over because PAX lost count, except for Jetlag, who bailed everyone out. Then the smart-alecks started exaggerating the count, shouting it out excessively loudly, which was actually kind of hilarious)

– 10 Steve Earles, (4-ct), in cadence

– 20 Grady Corns (4-ct), in Cadence

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to rock pile below Coliseum. BATTLE BUDDY UP! Each set of partners pick up a pair of equally sized rocks. Alternate carrying the rocks between the partners as we run around. High Heels picks up a pebble so small that a toddler could easily lift it. 🙂

MOSEY to parking lot below Coliseum. DORAS! WINGS UP x 100

Partner 1, RUN up to end of roundabout, 10 ROCKY BALBOAS (2-ct), run back
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100

MOSEY to stop sign at southern corner of circle drive. DORAS! WINGS DOWN x 100

Partner 1, BERNIE to tree about 50 yards away, 10 SSH, run back
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100.

MOSEY to Amphitheater. DORAS! WINGS OUT x 100

Partner 1, Run up hill, 10 JUMP SQUATS, run back
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100.

MOSEY to BAT HOUSE. DORAS! SHOULDER PRESSES x 100

Partner 1, Run down stairs, 10 HAND RELEASE MERKINS, run back
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100.

MOSEY to Stop sign at northern corner of circle drive. DORAS! CURLS x 100

Partner 1, BEAR CRAWL to edge of guard rail, 10 Diamond Merkins, run back
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100.

MOSEY to grassy area on north side of Pickett’s Charge. DORAS! ROWS x 200 (since these are easy…)

Partner 1, EL CAPITAN to tree about 10 yards away up the hill, 10 IMPERIAL SQUAT WALKERS , run back
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100.

MOSEY to Rock Pile. DORAS! PUNCHES x 100

Partner 1, REVERSE LUNGE up hill, 10 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS, run back. (These didn’t work too well. Really tough to actually reverse lunge uphill, although Abscess gave it his absolute best. This was actually hilarious, as he was trying to go backwards, but really not going anywhere. TClaps for trying, though). Modified to forward lunges or Bernie up the hill instead.
Partner 2: Do exercise, until cumulative total = 100.

AYG MOSEY to AO.

MARY:
Leg Stretches
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
18 strong! No FNGs. Grid Iron not tagged.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Screwtape Letters were written by CS Lewis to his good friend, JRR Tolkien. The character Screwtape is a senior demon in hell who counsels his nephew, Wormwood, how to corrupt a human (called “The Patient” in the letters). Wormwood is rather incompetent, and wants to try all sorts of extravagant tricks on the Patient, but Wormwood counsels him to take a more nuanced approach, such as the one depicted in this letter. As he says to Wormwood in another letter, “… the safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts“. The take home message of the letter that Judge Judy posted in the 3rd F channel is that disagreements on things such as politics can distract us from our internal (i.e., religious) growth and development. So next time you feel your blood pressure rising after watching cable news, or see you that one post on Facebook that you are just dying to respond to, maybe try to take a deep breath, disconnect, and focus on something you can do to serve your community, your family, your God

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for several PAX going through difficult challenges, particularly with health issues to them or their families.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Wesley House work day this Saturday! Off the Chain CSAUP coming up. Start thinking about Hardship Hill teams!

Pyramid Laps

June 11, 2021 Pele

THE SCENE: Cloudy and humid, but SOOO thankful for relatively cool temps (80 degrees) and a nice, gentle, whispering breeze…

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

– Motivators (5-ct, descending)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence

– Michael Phelps

– 10 Tempo Seal Claps (4-ct), in Cadence

– 10 Tempo Overhead Claps (4-ct), in Cadence

– OYO leg stretching

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to parking lot below Coliseum.

Pyramid laps! Partner up with like speed. Run opposite directions, Every time you meet (half way and back at start), do the following exercises in REPS of 20
- LAP 1 Merkins
- LAP 2 Merkins, LBCs
- LAP 3 Merkins, LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct)
- LAP 4 Merkins, LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurleys
- LAP 5 LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurleys
- LAP 6 Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurley s
- LAP 7 Bobby Hurleys

MOSEY to Amphitheater

Goal is to do each group of exercises, going up to top of hill after each group is completed, for a total of 5 times up the hill. Can be done in any order. Exercise groups are:

AB BLASTER:
- 20x: LBCs, BBSs, American Hammers (4-ct), Bicycle Kicks (4-ct)
ARM BLASTER:
- 20x: Merkins, Carolina Dry Docks, Bottle Taps (4-ct), Diamond Merkins
LEG BLASTER:
- 20x: Bobby Hurleys, Iron Mikes (2-ct), Froggie Jumps, Squats.
CARDIO BLASTER:
- 20x: SSH (2-ct), High Knees (2-ct), Butt Kickers (2-ct), Mountain Climbers (2-ct), Smurf Jacks
STRETCH BLASTER:
- 10 x: Cherry Pickers (4-ct), Windmills (4-ct), Grady Corns (4-ct)

* we only got about 1/2 way through this before we ran out of time.

AYG Mosey back to AO.

MARY:
LBCs until 6 caught up.

Q called time prematurely, so we did tempo squats (10, 4-ct, IC) and 5 burpees just to make sure those guys keeping REEEAAALLL close track of time got their money’s worth! >:)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 HIMs, no FNGs. Grid Iron not tagged.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Awhile ago, I heard the story of college basketball player, the starting center, who made a vow when he was young to never play basketball on Sundays. His team made it to the Final Four, and then the championship game, which, unfortunately, was to be played on Sunday. He explained his predicament to his coach and teammates, and they tried to convince him that just this one time, couldn’t he break his commitment and play? Here it was, the biggest game of his life… why couldn’t he just make an exception?

In the end, he sat out the game. As he explained it later, the nature of the promise wasn’t as important as the keeping of the commitment. He said in the end it was an easy decision. It’s much easier to hold on to your convictions 100 percent of the time than it is 98% of the time, because then you have to make decisions constantly instead of simply sticking to your guns.

It comes down to a choice about marginal benefits in measuring the value of your life. Is it ok to do something wrong or unethical just this ONE TIME, for a benefit? Or is your life filled with greater meaning to forego that temporary benefit so that you can assure yourself you have fulfilled your promise to try not to sin, even though we understand and accept that we are all, in the end, sinners.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Biscuit and Wax Job and their families as their loved ones struggle with serious health issues. Prayers for Jinxy and Lilydipper as they continue to heal. Praise for Thunderstruck, who is getting married Saturday, and praise that Jinxy has been able to get out and attend workouts, modifying as needed.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Wesley House volunteers needed; CSAUP at Dog Pound end of July.