F3 Knoxville

Category: Asylum AM

Founding AO

Hey, Let’s Move Swimmies’ Car!

THE SCENE: Unusually Warm, upper 70s, partly sunny but getting dark earlier and earlier…
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH, 4-ct IC, 10 Cherry Pickers, 4-ct, IC, Twist stretches…

Then Jinxy told us Swimmies (who we thought was just typically late) was actually stuck on the entrance road with a blown clutch.  So… forget the rest of the warmup… MOSEY RUN TO THE RESCUE!

Followed Swimmies to his car, which was on the entrance road from Lyons View, dead in the water, smelling very unpleasantly of fried clutch.  It was HIM’s to the rescue! Pushed it up to a pull off area, then proceeded with warmup.

10 Hillbillies, 4-ct, IC, Little of this and that.

THA-THANG:

[Q crumples up his Weinke and starts just making stuff up, since the original workout was supposed to be on the opposite side of the park from where we moved the car… Crawdad appears out of nowhere.  So does Brick.]

Moseyed to terraced hill on side of Everest.  Start at the bottom, do 5 reps of three exercises , then run up to first terrace and return, do 10 reps of each exercise and run up second terrace and return, then do 15 reps of each exercise and go all the way to the treeline.  EXERCISES: Merkins, Squats, American Hammers (2-ct)

MOSEY to perimeter trail and over to edge of park that looks out at the Veterans Cemetery.  Pause, take a moment to pay respects to the Veterans buried at the cemetery.

NICKEL/DIME/QUARTERS along perimeter trail to top of the Tail of the Dragon.  Run 1 light post, do 5x exercise, run 2 light posts do 10x exercise, run 5 light posts do 25x exercise.

  1. [Can’t remember the first exercise… something awesome]
  2. CDDs
  3. Mountain Climbers (2-ct)

MOSEY to the hill along the Tail of the Dragon that leads up to the monument.  Do 7’s Top: Prisoner Get Ups, Bottom: Prisoner Cell Merkin Burpees.  These were brutal.

MOSEY to AO. DORAS.  Partner 1 works on exercise, Partner 2 runs about 2/3 up Baby Cardiac.  Exercises are 100 Merkins and 100 BBS.  Final Sprint up Baby Cardiac with everyone.

MARY:
Hamstring stretches, 20 American Hammers, 4-ct, IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 strong. No FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Veteran’s Day is tomorrow, and it’s had me thinking about those who have served our country, the men and women that have been a part of the armed forces, as well as their families.  We took a moment earlier to pause and remember those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country.  What does sacrifice entail?

One of the defining traits of human beings is altruism. Altruism is the practice of doing things that benefit others even at the cost of your own happiness, welfare, or (to use a biological term) “fitness”.  It is unusual in the Animal Kingdom because of the principle of “Survival of the Fittest”… if an action benefits someone else rather than you, you might be the one eaten by a cheetah on the Serengeti, or fail to make sweet love with that attractive she-moose over there, or die of thirst in a desert with a limited number of watering holes

What force is it that allows men and women to sacrifice their comfort, families, even their lives in service to others?  To me, it is the gift of Grace from God.

St Francis of Assisi articulated this when he said “Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self.”

But there’s more to it than that. Even though we have the ABILITY to sacrifice and be altruistic doesn’t necessarily mean we will USE that gift.  What inspires us to use it?

Bob Hope, who entertained troops overseas for decades, once said, “I saw more courage, more good humor in the face of discomfort, more love in an era of hate, and more devotion to duty than could exist under tyranny.”

And as Ernest Hemmingway said in a FAREWELL TO ARMS, “When you love, you wish to do things for that which you love. You wish to sacrifice. You wish to serve.”

Another saying about veterans is that they don’t fight for what’s in front of them, they fight for what’s behind them.  We are fortunate to live in a country that is free from tyranny, where military service is voluntary, where autocrats and dictators do not hold sway over our democracy.  The veterans that paid the ultimate price didn’t fight for themselves, they fought for what they loved.  America the Beautiful.  The Land of the Free.

The veterans who have served and died for this country overcame self, and is so doing, in my opinion, became one with the Grace of God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for several PAX and their relatives.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Aiken legs for Equalizer

THE SCENE: 65 balmy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Slow Mosey to the Front of the park as we moved up to the pavilion for the rain
THA-THANG:
Aiken legs

  • 20 Squats
  • 20 Box Jumps
  • 20 Lunges (10 each leg)
  • 20 split jacks (10 each leg forward)
  • mosey to the outhouse and back
  • Rinse and repeat

MARY:
Insert information about any additional post-THANG work (if applicable).
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
done

Broken Frisbee Toss and The Vote at Asylum – 2020

THE SCENE: Slightly Overcast, mid 60’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 SSH IC

Pinto Hops – 15 IC

Cherry Pickers – 15 IC

Grady Corns – 32 IC

Rocketts – 10 IC

Merkins 10 OYO
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the open field near the outdoor field just before the large chapel. Throw the frisbee (broken due to preworkout fracture). The entire group runs to the frisbee position and does the exercise, throw again, do same excercise, repeat:

    • First 15 squats oyo (run back and forth)
    • 25 American Hammers, 4 ct oyo (Bernie back and forth)
    • 20 Hello Dollies (4 ct, LT Dan back and forth (1 lunge, 1 squat, 2 lunge, 2 squat, 3 lunge, 3 squats, etc))
    • 20 LBC, 4 ct, (bear crawl back and forth)
  • Mosey further towards entrance past first stop sign to open field with cones
    • NIckel, Dime, Quarter at each end of field – Merkins 5,5, then 10, 10 then 25, 25 running in between
  • Mosey back half way to CMU parking lot, ring of fire- 1 round x 1 Merkin, 1 round x2 merkin
  • Mosey back to CMU parking lot. Partner up, each grab a CMU
    • . Electorals (aka Doras) 100 Curls, 100 BBS, 70 Overhead presses
      • Partner runs to other side of lot, 20 Sawmills (1 ct) 5 squat jacks, run back

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 strong
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
October is a tough month for our family. Oct 17 is Grady’s (my son’s) birthday- he would have been 32 this year. Grady died 2 years ago this Dec 13 of an accidental overdose. Sharing the fact that your son was an addict is not an easy thing to do. You just don’t talk about it. I just wanted to share a little bit about our story. Grady was a straight A student and an outstanding athlete. He played on the top Arizona soccer teams until he was about 17. He excelled at pretty much everything he tried. He worked hard to be the best. His issues started when he was a Jr in high school. He struggled with his addiction and our family struggled along with him for the last 13 years of his life. He was clean for about a year before he moved to Knoxville in October.  I was proud of him, especially when he was able to join the Asylum PM group- we finally had something in common and it was healthy. I think he came to 4 or 5 workouts and he Q’d after about 3 or 4 I think. His life ended on Dec 13. Having gone through the addiction cycles with Grady, I can attest how devastating it is to the addict and the family. Progress and setbacks… It dominates and controls every aspect of life. It’s chemical and mental but treated as criminal in our society. Substance abuse and addition is all around us- so if you know someone (or observe it in someone you don’t know) , pray for them and reach out to help in any way you can. In Knoxville in 2017 there were 293 drug related overdoes , in 2018- 295, 2019-257 and in 2020 year to date- there were 299.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence Oct 7

Moving Refrigerators

THE SCENE: Beautiful evening, temps in low 60s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Mountain Climbers, 32 Grady Corns, 10 Windmills, Little of This and That.

THA-THANG:

Mosey to “the Caribbean” parking lot.  We will journey a candy cane route around the parking lot (starting up south side of parking lot then rounding to go about half-way down north side of parking lot) but stopping at each cone planted along the way.  The cones will be spaces at about every other island in the parking lot. Once the final cone is reached we will sweep back to the beginning of the candy cane.  We will run the candy cane 6 times, journeying by the following methods and doing the following exercises.  We will always run back once the cane is finished.

  • Sprint and do 10 Merkins at each cone.
  • Bernie and do 10 Big Boy Sit-ups at each cone
  • Grapevine left and do 10 Star Jumps at each cone
  • Grapevine right and do 10 Smurf Jacks at each cone
  • High knees and do 10 Hello Dollies (4 ct) at each cone.
  • Butt kick and do 10 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1) at each cone.

Mosey to start of Serpentine Sidewalk.  We will do 14s along sidewalk by bear crawling for one light and running for four lights until we reach the perimeter trail.  Then we will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to start of Cardiac.  We will run up Cardiac stopping at each of the following to do the listed exercises:

  • First Curve:  20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
  • Second Curve:  20 Hello Dollies (4 ct)
  • Third Curve:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  20 Bench Dips

Mosey to AO

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 men, no FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

One of my good friends in my doctorate program in psychology was a guy named Jim Dupree.  He was about ten years older than me and had already practiced as a therapist but with a master’s degree and was going back to school to get his doctorate.  He sweat like a pig on those hot days in Texas and smoked cigarettes like a bandit, but he was wise, honest, and an excellent friend and counselor.  I remember him and me working on painting a room in his house one time and him saying, “You know John, talk is good but if you really want to get close to a guy you need to do something like move a refrigerator across town with him.”

You know, I think he’s right.  We brothers are close.  Our talks at board meetings are part of the reason but I think a bigger reason is that we work hard and sweat together to accomplish something good.  I have also enjoyed “moving fridges” type moments with some of you guys that drew us closer.  Recently, I enjoyed working with Sparkler, Abscess, Pele, Steam and Curveball to both put up and break down obstacles at Hardship Hill.  I acquired a bit of poison ivy in the process but it was definitely worth it.  I remember a big group of us, including Mr. Jinxy, Hooker, Doubtfire, Pele, and Abscess, sawing and pruning branches in Pinto’s backyard and enjoying the reward of his swimming pool and some brewskis thereafter.  There is something about working together, sweating together, that brings us close.  We face the same challenge and it unites us.  Gents, I enjoy our fellowship and appreciate your willingness to help each other through the grind.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Rooney’s coworker who is currently on ventilator after contracting Covid 19; for Pinto who is recovering from stem cell transplant; for Jared, brother of Corona Weight, who is in prison but had to go to hospital after accidentally cutting off top of finger – may he recover and find God to help him change his life; and, for our country, that we may be united and at peace no matter who ends up winning the presidential election.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Knoxville 5th Anniversary and Convergence this Saturday

No Choice

THE SCENE: Clear, moony, and hovering around freezing. Perfect beatdown weather!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
25x SSH IC
15x TN rocking Chair IC
20x Mountain Climber IC
10x Tempo Merkins IC
15x LBAC each way
15x Grady Corns
Run up to the top of the hill and back down, concentrating on getting circulation to the fingers
THA-THANG:
Even though it’s election day, I’m not handing out choices except for one: Do it or don’t.

Head to the pile and pick up a cold murder block – The solid, extra-heavy ones. No counting reps today, concentrate on the heavy weight and form!
Pair up in groups of 3.
One PAX at each end of the parking lot doing reps until relieved by the third running between. At the middle of the parking lot, do one hand-release blockee.
Once each PAX has done both top exercises, run together to the top of the hill to let the fingers warm up.

BBS/Calf Raise
Run
Lunge/OHP
Run
Tricep Ext/Bent Row
Run
Squat/Derkin
Run
Curl/Stepup
Run

MARY:
Less than a minute left… Cash out with Merkins!
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 men killed this murder block beatdown.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
No matter who wins the election today, about half the country is saying that will be the worst possible thing that could happen to America. But as we head into today and especially the evening, I want to leave you with encouragement from the Word:

Proverbs 21:1 –
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;
he turns it wherever he will.
Proverbs 19:21 –
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

So what then should we do? 1 Timothy 2:1-4 tells us:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Note that it says “Thanksgivings” for “all people”…. Not for your guy if he wins, but all.

MOLESKIN:
Tried to be a benevolent dictator today and not keep those fingers in contact with cold concrete for too long…
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
RSVP for the 5th Anniversary Convergence and Breakfast on Saturday!