F3 Knoxville

Category: Asylum AM

Founding AO

All Hail the GOATS!

THE SCENE: Perfect! Sunny, mid 60s, slight breeze… we will miss this when it’s 95 and humid.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.


WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 SSH (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Plank Jacks (4-ct, IC)

– 20 Moroccan Nightclubs (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to Amphitheater.

  • JINXY’S FOUR AND A QUARTER. Start at bottom of hill, run to top of slope and do 25 reps of an exercise, return to starting position.  R&R 4 times, totaling 100 of the exercise.
    • Round 1: Carolina Dry Docks
    • Round 2: Imperial Walkers (single count)
    • Round 3: Lunges (single count)

MOSEY to field across from Area 51.

  • LILYDIPPER’S FOUR CORNERS. Cones will be laid out in a square.  Move around the square 3 times, doing the exercises listed, in order.  Move to the next corner by the method indicated.
    • CORNER 1: 20 Merkins/ 20 Shoulder Taps (4-ct) / 20 Bottle Openers (4-ct). Sprint to Corner 2.
    • CORNER 2: 20 Box Cutters / 20 BBS / 20 Gas Pumps. Bernie to Corner 3.
    • CORNER 3: 20 Star Jumps / 20 Bobby Hurleys / 20 Tempo Squats. Bear Crawl to Corner 4.
    • CORNER 4: 20 Mountain Climbers (4-ct) / 20 Hurpees (Burpee without the Merkin) / 20 Plank Jacks. Skip to Corner 1.

MOSEY to Area 51

– 20 American Hammers, Run up slope to tree stump…

– 20 Pinto Twists, Run up to Street…

– 20 Rocky Balboas

MOSEY TO TOP OF SUMMIT

– PINTO’S GRINDERS! 4 STATIONS:

  1. BAT HOUSE: 25 SMURF JACKS
  2. BOTTOM OF STAIRS: 25 BBS
  3. BOTTOM OF SUMMIT: 10 Burpees
  4. TOP OF SUMMIT: 25 LBCs.

We didn’t have time to do the whole Grinder, so we did the top exercises (Smurf Jacks and LBCs) at the top of the summit, ran down, did the Burpees and BBS, then charged back up.

MARY:
No time for the old gal…

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 strong!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This workout honored some of the Goats, which is the name we gave ourselves sitting around at the Board Meeting a few years ago when we were by far the oldest AO.  In particular, I wanted to pay tribute to some of the guys in the DOUBLE RESPECT categories who were not able to join us this afternoon because of various ailments and injuries, namely PINTO, JINXY, and LILLYDIPPER.  There are several reasons we use the term DOUBLE RESPECT title, and sometimes we tend to gloss over it, or simply yell it out automatically in the BOM.  But these workouts are damn hard, and age makes them even more challenging, as I’ll be the first to tell you.  So there’s respect for the fact that the older guys are getting out there and busting their rear ends side by side with the younger crowd.  But also, these are the elders of our F3 community, and these three have been with the program longer than almost everyone else out here.  They set the example of how it should be done, and they may not be able to keep up with the rabbits in the group in terms of pure speed, but after being in F3 for 3 years I can tell you that no one does it better.  Their dedication to the tenets of F3 and in encouraging the next generation never flags.  It’s important to them to pass that torch on to the younger guys.  I remember Pinto getting on me for resting instead of keeping moving when I was standing in line to go down the stairs on the Grinder Circuit (“There’s no standing around! Keep moving!”).  I remember Lillydipper telling me how great I was doing and encouraging me when we I was absolutely dying going up Cardiac for the first time.  (And by the way… just watch Lilly when he moseys… he keeps running all the way to the stopping point, when 99% of the rest of us pull up 20 feet short and walk. ) And I remember Jinxy refusing to quit after pulling a leg muscle mid-way through his second lap on Hardship Hill a few years ago when I was running with him as a partner.  Dude had one leg, but he kept on going.  So thank you to our Double Respect warriors.   Their age may be pretty high, but you know what?  So is the dang bar that they set for the rest of us as F3 brothers. LONG LIVE THE GOATS!

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Lilly, Pinto, and Jinxy.  Prayers for the Austin East Community as they try to heal following the shootings and violence they’ve experienced the past year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Don’t forget to pick up something for the Safe Haven and World United Ministries charity drive!

The Taxman Cometh

THE SCENE: Weather was nice, around 50 degrees at circle up
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Start off with 20 SSH on 4ct, Tie Fighters x10 4ct L and R, Imperial Walkers x10 on 4ct, A little this and that, Some regular stretching, Cherry Pickers x6, Tempo Merkins x10 on 4ct, Plank Jacks x10 on 4ct
THA-THANG:
No Mosey, we put in work at the lot.  The idea was 1 minute of exercise, 1 minute of suicides.  End result was 24 minutes-12 minutes of exercise and 12 of suicides

  • 1 Min Merkin
  • 1 Min Suicide
  • 1 Min Plank Jacks
  • 1 Min Suicides
  • 1 Min Jump Squats
  • 1 Min Suicides
  • 1 Min Peter Parkers
  • 1 Min Suicides
  • 1 Min LBC
  • 1 Min Suicides
  • 1 Min Dry Docks
  • 1 Min Suicides

Rinse and Repeat

Once Second Set was done mosey to Tail of the Dragon- Lunge to Light Pole, Then Bear Crawl to the next…Repeat to the top of the hill.  Then 20 4ct LBC’s and back to AO

MARY:
Had enough time for 20 4ct Freddie Mercury
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Talked about what it means to be a true friend and what the scriptures tell us about it.  We are called to transparency and consistency.  We are to bear each others burdens (Galatians 6:2) Should be there through thick and thin (1 Thessalonians 5:11) sharing their goods  and their lives with each other if there is need (Hebrews 13:16) Friends must encourage each other through honor and affirmation (Romans 12:3-6) They are to identify and call out one another gifts, strengths, and abilities.  They are to build each other up in faith through common worship.

-Taken from Tim Keller’s “The Meaning of Marriage”

This is our calling.  Our job as brothers doesn’t stop when we break the COT and get in our cars and go home.  It’s an every day effort of growing friendships and being there for each other.  Pointing each man back to our creator.

Suicide Corner

THE SCENE: Mild and Springy.  Gloom rolling in.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: I am not a professional, but I have had my first Corona Shot.
WARM-O-RAMA:
This being my birthday, we did:

  • 49 SSH, IC.
  • 20 Moroccan Night Club + 19 T-Claps

To the base line

  • High Knees across the lot, mosey back
  • Butt Kickers across the lot, mosey back
  • Side Step across the lot, mosey back
  • High Skip across the lot, mosey back
  • Bear Crawl across the lot, mosey back.

Are ya warm yet?
THA-THANG:
We stayed at the AO today, but set up some suicides around the corners.

Do 4 reps at the first corner
Run to the 2nd corner and do 10 reps, run back to the start
Run to the 3rd corner and do 15 reps, run back to the start
Run to the 4th corner and do 20 reps, run back to the start

  • Merkins
  • Squats
  • Big Boys
  • Plank Jack (4ct)
  • Iron Mike
  • Hello Dolly (4ct)
  • Rocky Balboas (4ct)
  • Superman.

MARY:
We did the Bicycle Race.  Of course we did.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA:
16 strong
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
“You all know your injuries” past, present and future. But an injury doesn’t mean you can’t come out in the morning. An injury means “Modify If You Have To”, and if all you can do is walk, then we’ve all pledged that No Man is Left Behind so we’ll walk with you, or we’ll wagon wheel, or we’ll bear crawl alongside.  If you can’t do an exercise for what ever reason, talk to me, talk to others. I’m sure we’ll be able to come up with something suitably grueling that doesn’t involve shoulders, or hips, or knees.
Posting consistently is the name of the game, not what you do when you get here. Getting out of the Fartsack is the first step in mending the injury be it physical, mental, or spiritual. Just because you are injured, doesn’t mean you aren’t accountable.
MOLESKIN:
Keeping the routine and doing one armed SSH for the last few weeks has helped me get over my shoulder knack.

The playlist is here
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Bring drinks and snacks for Safe Haven

With One Eye Squinted…

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, very pretty clouds, low 70s, quite breezy.  Good kite-flying weather.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.

WARM-O-RAMA:

-Motivators (7-ct)

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence, maintain position…

– Hamstring stretches, sky reaches

– 20 Grady Corns (4-ct), in cadence

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to stop sign at northeast corner of circle drive.

  • ARM STATION: MUCHO CHESTO
    • 10x Merkin
    • 10x Wide Merkin
    • 10x Stagger Left Merkin
    • 10x Stagger Right Merkin
    • RINSE AND REPEAT

MOSEY to Center of Coliseum.

  • LEG STATION: AIKEN LEGS
    • 20 squats
    • 20 Box Jumps (on wall)
    • 20 Lunges (10 each leg… but we did 20 each leg for extra credit)
    • 20 Split Jacks (10 each leg forward… but we did 20 each leg forward for extra credit)
    • RINSE AND REPEAT

MOSEY to lower parking lot under Coliseum

  • 5/10/15s. Get a Battle Buddy.  Partner 1 runs up to stop sign and does 5x reps of two exercises, then comes down and switches with Partner 2, who is running in place or doing SSH.  R&R with 10x, then 15x exercises.  The exercises are:
    • Round 1: Mountain Climbers and Peter Parkers (both 2-ct)
    • Round 2: Smurf Jacks and Froggy Jumps

Mosey to stop sign at southern corner of circle drive.  20 American hammers (4-ct, IC), 10 BBS.

Bernie Sanders to no parking sign.  20 American hammers (4-ct, IC), 10 BBS.

MOSEY TO AO.

CMU Catch Me If You Can!

  • Partner 1 Lunges away, Partner 2 does 20x of an exercise, then runs with CMU (overhead carry) to catch Partner 1.   Keep going, changing the exercises.  Partners must agree on exercise.
    • OPTIONS: Overhead Press, Curls, CMU Press, Situps, Rows, Triceps, Squats

MARY:
LBCs until 6 caught up.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
19 strong!  Plus one doggy.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Those of us in the Christian faith have just emerged from a special part of year, the Easter season.  Part of what makes Easter so extraordinary is that it is about moving on, emerging from the darkness, and having faith that God will make all things new again.  As the seasons change, winter turns to spring, and the Easter season arrives, we move ahead slowly, deliberately, with great love, and great hope.  But the true meaning of Easter is not without some darker elements as well.  Before we reach the time of great renewal and hope there can be much fear, hesitation, and confusion, similar to what Mary Magdalene felt initially when she saw the empty tomb.

(Mary) Flannery O’Connor is a well-known southern author who wrote strange and often violent short stories.  She was diagnosed with Lupus at a relatively young age.  Her stories were often influenced by her struggles with her disease, and were often sardonic and dark, but she was a devout Christian that also incorporated messages of faith in her writings.  Her faith-based outlook on life are on full display in a book called THE HABIT OF BEING, which is a collection of letters she wrote in the latter half of her life. And she writes that being a person of faith is not all sunshine and rainbows….

She writes, “All Human Nature rigorously resists grace. Grace changes us, and change is painful.  We don’t run towards Grace, sometimes we are dragged fighting it all the way.”  Faith calls us out of complacency, and into places of uncertainty. It’s risky. Uncomfortable.  It’s transformative.  She writes, “What people don’t realize is how much religion costs…” “It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it, but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.”  Fear. Uncertainty. Transformation. And only then, Exultation! That’s Easter in a nutshell.

Flannery O’Connor died of her illness at age 39.  Despite the struggles and challenges, she wrote of her life, “I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.”  As we move through the darkness of the past year, hopefully we can acknowledge our blessings and faith in the journey, and, with one eye squinted, find some grace, some miracles in the year behind us, and recognize and act on the ways we were all called to be changed.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the return home of Corona Weight’s brother, prayers for Ribbed, Jinxy, La-Z-Boy and Lillydipper, as they recover from injury and illness, prayers for Steam’s friend Shawn.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
April service challenge! Details TBA.

Be a Knife

  • THE SCENE: Mid to high 50s nice
    F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
    WARM-O-RAMA:
  • 10 baby arm circles in cadence
  • 10 reverse baby arm circles in cadence
  • 10 imperial walkers in cadence
  • 10 mountain climbers in cadence
  • 10 more mountain climbers in cadence
  • 25 SSH in cadence
  • mosey to top lot at start of greenway
    THA-THANG:
    Lap around the asylum stopping every 400m to perform 3 exercises then 6 calls exercise to do while the rest finishes
  • 5 hand release merkins
  • 10 Big Boys
  • 15 squats
  • Pax Choice

MARY:
Cat Gut led us in some Boat/canoe and then Waffle House hit us with some ATMs
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 Pax at the Asylum
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The world is pushing cancel culture and throwing terms like toxic masculinity out there both of which are toxic and detrimental to our way of life. The world wants us Men to be like spoons, non-threatening and easy to administer the easy stuff. F3s mission is to reinvigorate male community leadership by planting small peer-led workout groups. We are called to be knives, sharp precise and protective. We are called to cut away detrimental aspects of our lives and those around us. We are called to protect our loved ones. We are called to be sharp in every aspect of our lives. Be a Knife!