F3 Knoxville

Author: Stripped

Monkeys & Bears, Oh My

THE SCENE: 40°. Clear. Great moonrise.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Cherry Pickers IC | SSH IC

THA-THANG:

Pain stations at the tennis court. 40sec at each station. 20sec to move to next station. Take a lap & flip stations after each round. Stations included:

  • BBS/LBC
  • Diamond Merkins/Boat
  • American Hammer/Flutter
  • Shoulder Taps/Bear Crawl
  • Power Skips/Burpees
  • Inch Worm/Hand Release Merks
  • Imperial Walkers/Calf Raises
  • Monkey Humpers/CDD
  • Burpees/Shoulder Taps
  • Mtn Climbers/SSH

MARY: 

  • LBCs IC X44 in honor of Tweet-E’s birthday

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

We’re out here to get better: as men & as leaders—in all areas of our lives. Certainly that starts with fitness, but I think it’s inevitable that that mindset, the goal of relentless forward progress will bleed over into each area of our lives. If we’re going to get better at anything, we’re going to need to be teachable.

I found a list of five ways to know if you’re teachable. 

  1. People give you input—if you’ve proven yourself to not be teachable, people probably gave up on giving you input long ago
  2. You experience growth—if other people’s input leads to results, you must be teachable
  3. you don’t have to defend yourself against criticism—you don’t put walls up, you take criticism, knowing that if there’s any truth to it, it’s an opportunity to get better
  4. Not only do you take criticism, you do it without firing back; without returning the favor
  5. you’re hearing different input than you used to—progress is having new areas to work on than you did a few years ago

Run back through them. Think about an area you’re trying to improve in and If one of these hits home with you; take the time to work on it, to cultivate it this week. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Fill that Q Calendar.

Also, in April, we’ll be collecting individually wrapped snacks & drinks, as well as paper towels for Safe Haven. It’s a ministry in the Austin-East area giving teens a safe spot to land to get off the street and avoid gang violence. I’ll post a full list in slack; if you’ll tack a couple of those things on to your family’s shopping list, it’s an easy way to make an impact on a part of our community that has experienced a lot of pain the last few months.

Round & Round the Ladder

THE SCENE: A comfortable 40s morning, illuminated by the soft, flickering glow of the Equalizer parking lot light that just won’t die.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Tempo Squats | SSH IC
  • Seal Claps IC

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Splash Pad. Take a trip down the ladder, then back up.  Do 7 exercises, take a lap, and drop the top one. Do 6 exercises, take a lap, and drop the top one.  Etc…

  • 7 — 4Ct Mtn Climbers
  • 6 — CDD
  • 5 — 4Ct Flutter Kicks
  • 4 — Diamond Merks
  • 3 — BBS
  • 2 — 4Ct Shoulder Taps
  • 1 — Burpee

Threw in some bonus pull-ups, bear crawls, crab walks, and lunges.

MARY:

  • Hello Dolly IC | Peter Parkers

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

John 15 – I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. 

We’ve all seen our lives pruned to an extent this past year; for all the negative, there were a number of things, people, activities that were sucking the life out of us that got cancelled or put off. Just because life is getting back to normal doesn’t mean we have to let those branches of our life grow back.

Equalizer Merry Go Round

THE SCENE: Mid 50s. 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Cherry Pickers IC | Windmills IC
  • Baby Arm Circles IC | SSH IC

THA-THANG:

Four Corners on the Track

Round 1

  • Dips x20 at Flag
  • Pull-ups x10 at playground
  • Welsh Dragons to 5 at tennis court
  • Dry Docks x20 at stinky corner

Round 2

  • Step ups x20 
  • Calf raises x20 
  • Walking Lunges x20
  • Single leg bridge x20

Round 3

  • Crab toe touches x20
  • Vups x20
  • Australian foxhole x20 (WWI sit-up, roll into Australian snow angel)
  • Single leg deadlifts x20

Begin each lap at flag circle. Stop at prescribed areas along the way to complete exercises. Do as many laps as possible.

MARY:

  • Flutter Kicks IC | LBCs IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM: Prov12:15 – A fool’s way is right in his own eyes, but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

Cleaning Frost Off the Field

THE SCENE: Mid-20s. Winter part 2.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Windmills IC | Grady Corns IC
  • Baby Arm Circles IC | SSH IC

THA-THANG:

Four Corners on the Field

  • Merkins
  • BBS
  • CDD
  • Squats

30 reps at each corner. Run a full lap to the next corner. On each subsequent round, drop 10 reps. After third round, burpees at center field and wait for six.

7s: Pull-ups & Step-up w/ Knee Raise

MARY:

  • Box Cutters IC | American Hammers IC
  • Freddie Mercurys IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM: John 9:18-28 — The Jewish leaders still refused to believe the man had been blind and could now see, so they called in his parents. They asked them, “Is this your son? Was he born blind? If so, how can he now see?” His parents replied, “We know this is our son and that he was born blind, but we don’t know how he can see or who healed him. Ask him. He is old enough to speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who had announced that anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue. That’s why they said, “He is old enough. Ask him.” So for the second time they called in the man who had been blind and told him, “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” “I don’t know whether he is a sinner,” the man replied. “But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” “But what did he do?” they asked. “How did he heal you?” “Look!” the man exclaimed. “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Then they cursed him and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses! We know God spoke to Moses, but we don’t even know where this man comes from.”

The Pharisees had a preconceived idea of what the Messiah would be like; they had preconceived ideas of what it meant to be blind; and in the end, those preconceptions are exactly what made them blind to the Messiah who they claimed to be waiting for,

What prejudgements do I make about people, sometimes about whole groups of people, that keep me from seeing things for what they really are? How can I strike those down?

Wet Jenga at The Equalizer

THE SCENE: Windy with a little rain

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Windmills IC
  • Baby Arm Circles IC | SSH IC

THA-THANG:

Head to pavilion. We’re playing Jenga. Pull a block—blocks have an exercise written on each side—pick an exercise—and do 15 of it. Blank block: cardio. Tower falls: take a lap.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:  Attitude—my predetermined outlook—so often determines whether I have a good day or a bad day. My attitude, more than anyone else’s actions, so often determine whether I’m a kind & patient father, a caring & attentive husband, a measured & thoughtful leader, or just a impatient, impossible to please jerk.

If I choose to start my day reflecting on what I have to be grateful for; if I ground myself in what is true & right and take 90 seconds to acknowledge how blessed I am—I pretty reliably have a good day; because once I stipulate that the best things I have, the essence of life, the stuff that actually matters—that I haven’t earned or deserved it; everything else tends to become the cherry on top.

So let’s take a moment. And each share one thing we’re grateful for—and let’s think about the things we take for granted and what a gift those things really are.