F3 Knoxville

Category: Asylum AM

Founding AO

I’m Diving In

THE SCENE: Raining, temps in 60s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, 10 Lunges, 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward, Little of This and That

THA-THANG:
Mosey to Bottom of Cardiac.  We will run up hill and do the following exercises at the following areas:

  • Curve 1:  25 Carolina Dry Docks
  • Curve 2:  25 Dive Bombers
  • Curve 3:  25 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  25 Bench Dips

Mosey to Parking Lot by South Ball Fields.  We will do suicides running to each of 6 cones, doing 10 Merkins, and running back to do 20 Baby Crunches.  Those who finish first get a 30 second break, then rinse and repeat.

Mosey back to the main street.  Do 20 Bench Dips off of curb.

Mosey to Parking Lot with Islands (Jinxy has named it “The Caribbean” and the name has been officially sanctioned by Crawdad) that is south of the Northern Ball Fields.  We will Bernie clockwise around the parking lot the first time, stopping at every other island to do 10 Hello Dollies, 4 ct.  We will skip around the parking lot the second time, stopping at every third island to do 10 Flutter Kicks, 4ct.  We will Grapevine left around half the parking lot and Grapevine right around the other half, stopping at every fourth island to do 10 Squats.

We will High Knee to sidewalk that leads to the ball fields.

Mosey to the Pavilion at the Northern Ball Fields.  We will do 20 Picnic Table Pull-ups then run to playground to do 10 step ups at benches (five starting with one foot and five starting with other.  Then we run back to Pavilion.  Rinse and repeat two more times.

Mosey to beginning of Mini Cardiac.  Bernie to park sign then run the rest of the way to the AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct), 50 Hello Dollies (4 ct)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 men, no FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

My Christian beliefs have not come about by a sudden conversion as it has for some people.  Rather, my road to belief in God has been one full of twists and dips.  I have found it difficult to commit to God in the face of my doubts.  Is God truly there?  Did God create the universe?  Is God a good and loving god?  Why would a loving God allow pain and suffering in our world?  I have read Christian books on apologetics to help me better understand the arguments for Christianity.  But like other men with much greater minds than I, including Pascal, St. Augustine and C.S. Lewis, I have found that reason alone is not enough for me to believe in God.  One can rationalize both belief and disbelief.  I had a philosophy professor at Baylor University who once said that philosophy cannot prove that God exists – but also cannot prove that God does not exist.  God is a great mystery.  To believe, we must, as Van Morrison writes in one of his songs, “let go into the mystery.”

There is a scene I love in one of the first of the Star Wars movies, The Empire Strikes Back.  Luke, after a battle with Darth Vadar, hangs to a latter.  If he falls, it appears he will certainly die, as the crevice below seems to go on forever.  He learns that Darth Vadar is his father.  Darth Vadar offers him the chance to live, beckons Luke to take his hand and join him, proclaiming that together they can rule the Galaxy as father and son.  What does Luke do?  He lets go!  And in doing so, he plunges to the depths below.  He lets go into the mystery.  He allows the “Force to Be With Him.”  And, of course, we later learn that by letting go, he lives.

Pascal, St. Augustine and C.S. Lewis found out that joining with God takes faith – a trust that goes beyond reason, beyond rational understanding.  At some point you just have to trust what you can’t see.  So, I can make all kinds of arguments for the existence of God – but, those arguments cannot take away the uncertainty – ultimately, I have learned to say, ok God, I’m going to trust you, here I am.

There is a Christian song called “Dive” by Steven Curtis Chapman that captures the need to take the plunge if one is going to trust in God:

The long awaited rains
Have fallen hard upon the thirsty ground
And carved their way to where
The wild and rushing river can be found
And like the rain
I have been carried here to where the river flows, yeah
My heart is racing and my knees are weak
As I walk to the edge
I know there is no turning back
Once my feet have left the ledge
And in the rush I hear a voice
That’s telling me it’s time to take the leap of faith
So here I go

I’m diving in, I’m going deep, in over my head I want to be
Caught in the rush, tossed in the flow, in over my head I want to go
The river’s deep, the river’s wide, the river’s water is alive
So sink or swim, I’m diving in (I’m diving in…)

Brothers, I count to 3 and I dive in, whether it makes sense or not – I dive in hoping that Jesus will catch me like he did Peter who in his fear, started sinking in the water while Jesus stood upon it.  And like Peter, I ask, “Lord, to whom else shall we go?”  I’m diving in.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Lilydipper’s wife, Jan, who is now getting radiation for her breast cancer; prayer of praise for Choir Boy’s wife whose health is improving; prayers for young people during this pandemic, including a high school student at Hardin Valley that recently committed suicide, an adolescent that Lulu knows who is coping with anorexia, and Abscess’ son who recently got into a severe automobile accident – he is ok but definitely suffered injuries; prayers for family/friends of a friend of Pele who lost his life in a solo plane crash yesterday.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence and 3rd F on Saturday, October 17, 7 am at the Bomb Shelter in Alcoa.

Delta Rain is coming

THE SCENE: Overcast mid 70’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
Welcome to F3.  I’m not a professional and you are here on your own volition. You know your injuries so push yourself but don’t hurt yourself.
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x 25 4c
Hamstring strerch, This & That
Windmill x 15
Imperial Walker x 15
10 Yard  ea. High Knees, Butkickers, karaoakie.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Bat House – The Grinder 10 or 15 reps of ea (personal choice) exercise 3 circuits

  • Bobby Hurley at top of steps
  • Burpees at bottom of steps
  • Big Boys at the bottom of The Summit
  • Diamonds at the top of The Summit

Mosey to stpes below the Coliseum – Partner up for DORA’s. Partner 1 runs up the street to Coliseum and back to base of steps while partner 2 does exercise.

  • 50 – 4 count Shoulder taps (cummulative reps) –
  • 100 – Squat Jumps  (cummulative reps)
  • 150 – LBC’s (cummulative reps)
  • 20 – Squats (cummulative reps)

Mosey to the AO

MARY:
Dealers Choice – AB Work.
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:
We go through life looking for the next thing or the next answer and often fail to ask the heavenly father… “…you have not, because you ask not…” James 4:2. Build your relationship with your Father in heaven, sit with him, express your heart to him, walk with him in “the garden” just the Adman did in the beginning. He cares for you, he will provide, seek him out and ask… talk to Him and leave it there. He will answer – he always provides just as he does for the all creation. The answer may be different than expected, but He will hear you and He will care for you. “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?” Matthew 6:26  He does care for the birds of the air but they don’t sit and wait. They are always looking for food…   So we need to do the same don’t sit and wait keep moving seek God out, He can be found and He will answer and provide.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence at The Bombshelter with 3rd F following the wokrout Saturday Oct 17 workout starts at 7:00 am sharp.

Steamed & Smoked, Not Skunk’d

[ The Scene ]

– Couple of skunk sightings in the cool 60-degree air.

– Some diesel powered ‘Mercian trucks roll up

– It’s about to go down

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • My name is Steam and I’m honored to be in your company and be your Q this morning
  • FNGs?
  • Couple of things before we begin:
    • (1) Contrary to popular belief I am not a professional
    • (2) You’re here on your own volition
    • (3) If you need to modify anything we do this morning – feel free to do so as you need but push yourself and those around you. .

[ Warm o Rama ]

  • Imperial Walker: 11×4 IC
  • Rockette: 11×4 IC
  • Windmill: 11×4 IC
  • Merkin: 11×4 IC
  • SSH: 11×4 IC

[ The Thang ]

(Mosey to the Pav)

(1) Power of 3s

  • 3 points of contact:
    • Dugouts: 3 pull-ups
    • Pav: 6 incline Merkins
    • AO parking lot far corner: 9 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Dugouts — Pav — AO parking lot far corner
  • R & R this 2x — adding 3 reps to each station each time
    • Round 2: 6, 9, 12

Done? — Wall-sits & Seal Claps (Yayyyyyyy)

(10 count)

(Mosey to parking lot outside of playground)

Tour de Parking Lots

(2) 9s

  • Rocky Balboas on the curb
  • Freddie Mercury’s at the opposite end of the parking lot
  • Everything on a 4 count
  • 8 & 1
  • 7 & 2 etc etc etc

GET SOME.

(Mosey across the street to opposite parking lot)

(A very distinct skunk smell is in the air — and no, it wasn’t the newest scent of Axe body spray, this was clearly a  skunk. Cutting Parking Lot #2 short — PAX execute 25 u0/down squats and mosey to Parking Lot 3. Shame, Parking Lot #2 had a cool name – but in the wild wild gloom, in a 19 to 1 battle of PAX vs. skunk – the skunk wins.)

(3) There and Back Again — cut short by Skunkinitis

  • 3 points of contact
    • 1 end of the lot
    • Middle of the lot
    • End of the lot
  • 2 ways of getting to them
    • Bear crawl
    • Lunge
  • At each POC: 25 SSH (1 count)
  • When you get back here: Hold the squat
  • Complete the last 25 SSHs together to = 100

(Mosey to roundabout parking lot next to baseball field)

(3) Rounding Up (To 100)

  • We’ll do this together
  • 25×4 mountain climbers

(Run around to the right to the opposite side)

  • 25×4 Carolina Dry Docks

(Run around to the right back to the start)

  • 25×4 mountain climbers 

(Run around to the right to the opposite side)

  • 25×4 Carolina dry docks 

(Mosey pax the back way up past the dugouts and Pav to the AO parking lot)

  • 3 good pull-ups at the dugout
  • 6 good incline merkins at the Pav
  • 9 good big boy sit-ups at the AO parking lot

PAX circle up — still breathing and still time on the clock

[ Mary ]

  • ATMs (15×4 shoulder taps, 10 slow merkins, 10 quick merkins)

 

  • Dynamic Stretching with Steam (Last 5 minutes)
    • Back stretches
    • leg stretches
    • Calf stretches
    • Core stretches
    • GOOD STUFF (not a stretch – stretching is just good stuff)

[ COT ]

  • # off — 19
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs — 0 
  • BOM

“The Power to Change our Thoughts”

  • Jerry Flowers

I shared that it’s been a really hard year for us all and whether we realize it or not it’s probably affected how we think and our thought life (whether we give it credit or not).

So I heard this sermon by a pastor by Jerry Flowers about thought life and the power we have to change the way we think and he listed the exercise below to prove this.

Picture a lion in your head.

Got it?

Now picture a a tiger in your head.

Got it?

You just proved to yourself that you have the power to change your thoughts.

 

The way we think is important! How we think about ourselves, how we think about our life and family and communities, it’s important.

I say this as an encouragement so that if you’ve ever found yourself in a place like I’ve been in and out of this year – desperation and just being tired and exhausted – (1) Give the situation you’re in to the Lord and (2) Realize you have the power to change how you think.

 

Stay in the fight men!

Steam

Drop Dead Legs

THE SCENE: Though the thermometer said it was over 50, I could barely see the road from the heat coming off as I pulled into the AO and was met by 15 HIMs ready to get unchained and hit the ground running.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Ain’t talking ’bout love. I’m talking ’bout Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. I’m Charmin, you’re Q.  All my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy. Plus they’re free.  Cause of this Full Bug called COVID, don’t spit on each other and and if Push Comes To Shove, you’re not social distancing.
WARM-O-RAMA:
Might as well Jump with some SSH, IC (4ct) x 20; followed by some BBQ squats (low and slow), Imperial Squat Walkers x 10 and Tie Fighters, back and forth with the BAC, 10x each.

Move to the baseline for some Rocky Balboas, IC (4ct) x 20, then it’s Bottoms Up with a burpee broad jump across the AO, lunging back to the beginning.
THA-THANG:
Time to hit the Mean Streets.  The Q wanted to run but also get some quad work in, so why not the Best of Both Worlds with a Bernie up Baby Everest and a run down the Dragon to the Cloud.

At the Cloud,we did some Aiken Legs (Box Jumps/Step Ups, Mary Catherines, Reverse Lunges), 20 each for 2 rounds.  The Q forgot to throw in Squats to lead off, so the Aiken Legs wasn’t fully legit, and now I’m feeling like an Atomic Punk.

After that House of Pain, we had another round of Bernie up BE, down the Dragon to the AO.

Now it’s into the Pleasure Dome for a little 7 of Diamonds.  Repeat each exercise and reps at each corner for 4 total laps around the AO.

  • 1st lap: 7 burpees at each corner
  • 2nd lap; 14 Flutter kicks, 4 ct;
  • 3rd lap; 21 Merkins;
  • 4th lap; 28 Squats.

Circle up for Death by Squats:  Start with 10 jump squats, followed by 10 squats, then 9 jump squats, followed by 10 squats, etc., down to 1 last “Failure to Launch” jump squat and 10 squats.  At this point, Somebody Get Me a Doctor, because my legs are On Fire.  I don’t know if Jamie’s Cryin’, but I sure am.

MARY:
Q has a Loss of Control and Kentucky takes over, calling out a favorite: Bicycles (Play Bicycle by Queen.  Do Freddy Mercurys plus a BBS every time he sings Bicycle or Bike).  Why? because Everybody Wants Some!
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
16 HIMs feel Black and Blue but are on Top of the World.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I know everybody has One Foot Out the Door and wants to be Dancing In the Streets, but you can’t miss the BOM and just Hear About It Later.  Stealing from Steam’s podcast with Cap’n Crunch, we need to remember what F3 is and is not. As Cap’n perfectly put it, “We are not a workout group.  We are not a men’s group.  We do those things, but that’s not what we are. The goal of F3 is to invigorate male community leadership.  We are a leadership factory . . .A leadership university.”  Leadership requires practice and experience.  What better place to get in practice than leading the men of F3 through a workout.  Remember that Iron Sharpens Iron.  Are we being sharpened by those around us?  Are we in turn sharpening those around us?
MOLESKIN:
Eddie Van Halen’s music was part of the soundtrack of my life.  The music for today’s workout and this BB is dedicated to his memory. RIP.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
3rd F on 10/17 at the Bomb Shelter.  Be there!

Adapting with CMUesday in the Fake Gloom

[ The Scene ]

SUNNY. Little warm. Character building weather.

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness-Fellowship-Faith
  • My name is Steam and I am honored to be your Q this evening
  • I am not a professional, you’re here on your own volition, and if you need to modify anything we do this evening feel free to do so BUT push yourselves and the men around you.
  • You will not get left behind and you will not leave the same way you came in.
  • FNGs?
  • I’ll have water, med gear, and my phone on me the entire time in my ruck so if you need to put something in there before we get on the mosey feel free to do so

Before we begin tonight we’re going to have a 1 minute moment of silence in honor of our fallen brother from F3 GrandStand in Myrtle Beach.

Jacob Anchor – codename Hightower –  End of Watch on October 3rd 2020

Very active in F3 GrandStand and a true HIM that led a life of service to his family and community.

Join me now in honoring our fallen brother.

[ Warm o Rama ]

(1) SSH: 15 x 4

(2) Happy Feet: 10

– quick feet —> 1 burpee on command

(3) Windmill: 10 x 4

(4) Baby Arm Circles: 10×4 F & 10×4 B

(5) Rockette: 10×4

 

[ The Thang ]

(Mosey to CMU Pile)

  • Every stop sign = 25 up/down merkins
  • Everyone get a CMU

[ Pause for Reflection for/from the Q ]

Apparently baseball season is back. When I was planning this Q – that did not come across my mind. Which means a couple things: (1) I, as the Q, did not accurately scope out the scene pre-Q. (2) We’re going to have to adapt. Halfway through the evolution of PT that you will see below, some of the PAX running were confronted by a middle aged man who was blatantly overreacting to our presence in the specific area of the park where the morning AO meets (parking lot) and was pretty aggressive in making his feelings toward us being there clear. So what do we do when that happens. Let’s start with what we don’t need to do: We don’t need to add fuel to the fire, we don’t need to confront or engage the individual, and we don’t need to push that individual who is already upset/mad/pissed off/irrational. Frankly, it’s not worth our time in that moment. So what do we need to do: We need to be peacemakers. Being the bigger man man sometimes means choosing to walk away. We’re called to be at peace with all men. We can do this without diminishing our dignity or the other party’s. This man was being irrational and approached our men in almost a rage. Pusher made the excellent point of just walk away, it’s not worth it. However – this all could have been avoided if I, the Q, had recognized that we may have needed to avoid this certain area of the park when we were mosey’ing to it. So from me, the Q – I apologize for not using discernment when leading us there. This was a learning lesson wisely pointed out by Jinxy at the COT. 

[ End Pause for Reflection for/from the Q ]

– PAX takes CMUs to the field by the playground and lays them down in two lines facing each other

– PAX execute 25 Big Boy Sit-ups with CMUs on their feet for stability

– PAX run to CMU pile and execute 10 burpees

(Rinse and Repeat 4)

***Encounter with the upset man in the parking lot***

– Q calls audible – replaces CMUs — circle the men up — brief AAR of what just happened — Mosey back home to the PM AO

– PAX mosey back up the street to the PM AO — every stop sign = 25 up/down merkins

– PAX encounter last 2 stop signs in the same 50 feet or so = 50

– Q leads PAX in 50 up/down merkins but stops when PAX reaches 45 — tells everyone to drop down to their knees and look up — “Breathe. It’s going to be okay. We’re almost there.” — Execute the final 5

– PAX mosey back up the hill to the PM AO — wagon wheel and pickup the 6 — circle up by the flag

[ Mary ]

– 25×4 Hello Dollys

– 25×4 LBCs

– 25×4 flutter kicks

[ COT ]

  • # off = 21
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs = 0
  • BOM

I found myself at a place I don’t find myself at very often last week.

I found myself at a place that looked exactly like a scene in Lord of the Rings where the main character drops down to his knees, realizes the place that he’s in, and utters the words “I can’t do this.”

What a place to be right?

So a couple points with this:

(1) Own where you’re  at.

  • If you’re tired – own it. If you’re struggling, own it.  I’m tired/struggling mentally, I’m tired/struggling physically, I’m tired/struggling mentally, I’m tired/struggling spiritually, I’m tired/struggling sexually (we’re men we can handle that), I’m tired/struggling emotionally – own that place.
    • What I mean by this is this: We have all been tired and struggled in all of these arenas at some point in time in our lives. For me specifically, last week I was really tired and struggling mentally. I was tired and struggling emotionally. I was physically tired. I was struggling spiritually. I was struggling sexually with lust and loneliness and losing my sexual battle with porn and felt the complete weight of that. I was exhausted. The enemy was exhausting me, because I was exhausting myself. We’ve all been there. Maybe in different forms or fashions, but nonetheless, we’ve been there.
  • I’m tired. I’m lonely. I’m stressed. I’m not where I want to be. Own it.
  • Own it. Don’t accept it – own it. There’s a difference there.

Why do we need to own it?

(2) Just because we’re in a certain place does not mean this is our final resting place. Just because we’re here doesn’t mean we are destined to stay here.

  • Life is hard. It’s dark. If you’re in a place you don’t want to be in – own it and realize this is not where the story ends. You weren’t meant to stay here.
  • Just because this is where you are right now does not mean this is where you’re going to stay.

You were created for so much more than the situations and places you find yourself in.

(Hey and guess what – you have brothers that toe the line with you in the gloom and fake gloom – that I KNOW are ready to lock shields and toe the line with you outside the COT too. Let them in and seek wise counsel from them)

Why? Because point number 3

(3) God is about to do something awesome in your life. God is about to do something AWESOME in your life.

Believe that.

Regardless of where you are, what your status is, God is on the move in your life whether you realize it to not.

We need to believe this to be true.

  • God is about to do something great in your life but it is directly tied to your obedience.

What does this look like? Something like this I think.

(Gather men around carefully)

I saw this on my morning walk as the sun was rising and I was praying just for a good day. Sometimes we just need to pray for a good day.

And I came across this gate in a field with the door opened. And I truly believe this is such an excellent picture of how much God loves us and how he calls us into freedom in Him.

And I don’t know who needs to hear this besides me but here we go:

So when I saw this this morning and took this picture — I noticed a couple o things.

  • One of the gate doors was flung wide open
  • The other side of the gate door was closed, with a trash can blocking some of it.
  • And if you were with me this morning, we could have walked right through the open side of the gate. But we would have had to make a choice to do so. However it would have cost us something as well.
  • I think this picture screams the invitation that God gives to us:
    • An invitation to walk out of or walk through whatever you’re going through or wherever you’re at.
    • There is a God above that opens jail cells, doors, and gates — but it’s going to require something of you.
    • Notice the trash can sort of in front of the closed side of the gate. When God opens a gate or a door or a jail cell – whatever that may be in our lives – we’re going to have to leave something behind and leave the place that we currently are at to enter into the place He’s calling us to be. Maybe its an identity we’ve been holding onto or a relationship we’ve been in, or an idol – anything that would prevent us from walking through the gate/door that God is calling us to. 

 

 

Here’s what I want to leave you with:

Jeremiah 1:17 – 19

Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them or I will terrify you before them. Today I have made you a fortified city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall to stand against the whole land – against the kings of Judah, it’s officials, it’s priests and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord.

 

Stay in the Fight!

Steam