Asylum Daybreak – Page 3

Another Face in the Crowd

October 11, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Crash Dummy
PAX: Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), Dung Beetle, Toretto, Dain Bramage (Will Olson)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 6
WARMUP: Cherry Pickers – 5, SSH – 20, Tempo Squats – 10, Monkey Humpers – 10. Stretching. Run twice around the AO.

THE THANG: Ran up Baby Cardiac. American Hammers – 30. Ran about 1/4 down the green way. Stopped to do 20-BBSU. Ran to the rocks before Everest: Grabbed a rock, 20 curls, 10 negative curls, 20 triceps, 10 more triceps, 20 rows, 20 BBSU with our rocks. Ran to bottom of Everest. Held plank until walkers passed. Held an Al Gore till other walkers passed. Partnered up. Run up to set of rocks (approx. 1/2 way up). Winner did 10-Merkins. Loser did 5-Burpees. Mosey back down to bottom of Everest. Partners now Bernied up to the top of the greenway. Winner – 10-Merks. Loser – 5-Burpees. Mosey to the building next to the basketball court. 10 – jump ups to the platform. 25 Hello Dolly’s then 15 Jane Fonda’s. Run up to the roundabout for Swimmies (Nathan Chesney) to give us 20+ Rocky Balboa’s. Run to the stairs to the left of the Coliseum. Run up the stairs then back around to the bottom x2. Ran to the Coliseum. Sprint around to the top. 20-Flutter Kicks. Sprinted up again, then did 10-Tempo Squats, then back to the AO. Hold Plank till time.

MARY: None

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 10-year Convergence on 11/8. Sign Ups in the newsletter. Please donate for food for the event.

COT: When Brick tapped me to be the next AOQ for the asylum-pm, I was surprised. I’ve only been coming to F3 workouts less than 2 years. I thought, “Am I even qualified to be a leader?” But after I turned 40 and realized that life is finite, my motto has been, JUMP OFF THE CLIFF & let the chips fall where they may. so, I said “YES!”

Besides lots of advice and encouragement, Brick gave me the book, Freed to Lead which is about leadership not just in F3 but in life.

There are several essays within the book but one that stuck out was by an F3 brother who goes by DROP THRILL out of South Carolina.

He starts out “I’m not a leader, or at least that’s what I always told myself.” Drop Thrill goes on to talk about wanting to just become part of the crowd. His goal wasn’t to lead but to blend in. Instead, he was asked to be site Q.
Eventually, he moved across town and began attending a different AO and again tried to just blend in and again, was eventually asked to become the site Q at this new AO.

Drop Thrill states “It’s a funny feeling when you feel totally unqualified to take a leadership role, but you suck it up and figure you’ll learn as you go”.

Guys, you may think you show up to these workouts to just do the exercises and blend in. But the reality is, you showed up because you know you’re destined to be more than just another face in the crowd.

“Pajoma”

September 20, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Crawdad (Robbi Dickens)
PAX: Brick, Lizzy, Dung Beetle, Lilydipper, Waffle House (Brady Greene), Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), Doubtfire (Nick Bond), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Pusher, @pacman, @honeydew
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
Self-rating (7.5 / 10) Solid day’s work

WARMUP:
50 SSH (duh?)
10 Tempo Merkins
10 Tempo Squats
This right here / that right there
Michael Phelps
10 Imperial Walkers

THE THANG:
Mosey to Skunk Hill
Hill Grinders
– Run up → 10 Merkins, Run down → 10 Squats
– Run up → 20 Merkins, Run down → 20 Squats
– Run up → 30 Merkins, Run down → 30 Squats
Al Gore

Mosey to the Dock to behold the beauty of the river, consider God’s power over the cosmos, and some Junk Science – 40 pushups.

Mosey to Bidet (Brosebowl) but en route:
Stoped for 100 squats (@pacman) request.

Brosebowl/Bidet
“Merkin Mile”
– Run 1/4 mile loop
– Stop every ¼ mile for: 25 Merkins, 25 Squats, 25 LBCs on 4 CT
Total = 100/100/100

Mosey to Yoga Studio
100 Hello Dollies
90 Flutter Kicks

Mosey back to the AO!

MARY:
Did it at the Yoga Studio – ATMs instead!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
10 year celebration
Mud Run in 2 weeks (talk to Lizzy with questions)
Pray for: Ellen & Michelle (?) , my parents, Unibrow, Pusher’s knee, Pepe’s calf.

COT:
Gentlemen, we have to stay together. Alone I can go fast but together we go far. Let’s all show up for each other. This is an incredible group of men.

But, But, But.

September 6, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Lulu (Greg Huddy), Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Krauss (John Greene), Crawdad (Robbi Dickens), High Heels, Drum Major, Crash Dummy, Waffle House (Brady Greene), Farley, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Swimmies (Nathan Chesney)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: 20 Side-Straddle-Hops, Curly Stomps, 10 Windmills, 15 High Knees, 10 Tennessee Rocking Chairs, 10 Tempo Squats, 160 Raise the Roofs (or 40 x 4).

THE THANG: Split into teams of two. We will mosey across the street to the shady parking lot. Each team will get two bricks off of my trailer and mosey back to the AO parking lot. From there we will Dora. While one man runs to end of parking lot, does 10 merkins off the curb, and runs back, the other partner works on the exercises. Then partners switch off. Here are the exercises that each set of partners will do as a team with the bricks;
100 Overhead Presses
–
100 Curls
–
100 Tricepts
–
100 Rows
–
100 Punches with both hands = 1
–
100 Wings Up
–
100 Wings Down
–
100 Wings Out
–
Replace bricks in trailer. Then mosey on sidewalk and up to Haslam’s Rock. We will stop there to do 20 Hello Dollies.
Mosey to Coliseum. We will stop there for 30 second gander at the BSIA and then to do 15 American Hammers and 15 Flutter Kicks.
Mosey to stairs and down the stairs to the parking lot below the Coliseum. We will split into teams of two again for another round of Doras. This time one partner does exercises while the other runs up the steps, over to the stop sign near the parking lot, and back down the parking lot to the exercise area where partners switch places. Here are the exercises:
100 Merkins
–
100 Iron Mikes
–
100 Smurf Jacks (4 ct)
–
100 Carolina Dry Docs
–
150 Baby Crunches
–
Mosey south to the intersection of the side road with the main park. We will stop at the circle to do 20 Rocky Balboas.
Mosey to parking lot that heads to playground close to ballfields. We will stop to do 20 Freddie Mercuries.
Mosey to entry way to the parking lot by the outdoor chapel. We will stop to do 20 Bench Dips off curb.
Mosey to the parking lot with the nice restrooms. We will Bear Crawl 12 paces and Lunge 12 paces repeating the pattern to the end of the parking lot.
Mosey to the AO.

MARY: Stretches

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Farley and his Y-12 Credit Union companions will be hosting a super Tailgate Party at today’s Tennessee Vols football game. All are invited. Food and drinks are free. The Y-12 Credit Union tailgate will be located at Circle Park on campus.
Don’t forget the 10-Year Anniversary of F3 Knoxville on November 8, 7 am at the Asylum.
Finally, at Coffeeteria, Professor Crawdad (Robbi Dickens) will be leading a Ph.D. level class on “Advanced Uses of the Bidet.” This will be a can’t miss lecture.

COT: Message
But, But, But . . .

I truly believe that the major reason why most of us men keep coming back to F3 workouts isn’t the workout itself but to share the love we have for each other. That may feel awkward and it may be hard to admit. But, I believe it to be true.

Some of us find it easier to say I love you to one another than others. Even when we do it generally must be in a quick, sorta manly kind of under one’s breath way, like “Hey, love ya bro.” But, whether we say that or not, the good thing is that there are all kinds of ways to love one another. It can come in the form of sharing coffee at Coffeeteria or beers at a board meeting and laughing at each other’s jokes; it might be through helping a brother move his damned furniture from one place to another; or, it can be just through letting a guy know you’re praying for him.

What got me thinking about all this is a scenario within a book I was reading. The name of the book is My Friends and it is by the author, Fredrik Backman. In the scene I am referring to, two brothers are talking and sharing some beer together. They have had a rough upbringing, are different in their natures, and haven’t been that close to each other. But, they are brothers and have shared experiences. Their father has died from cancer. Their mother is a hard-assed woman who can be mighty hard on them. Yet, she herself was abused and mistreated in childhood and she wants to make sure people don’t walk all over them like she was stomped on in her youth.

So, the brothers in a rare moment of togetherness are sharing beers. They talk about never really hearing their parents say, “I love you.” But, there was one occasion when they were in the car and their Mom was angry because their Dad was complaining about her driving. She told him to “shut the hell up.” Then she lit a cigarette and almost drove off the road, so Dad had to reach over and grab the wheel, which made their tough as nails Mom even angrier. Then, their Dad got so frustrated that he screamed, “For God’s sake, I LOVE you, but . . .” That was probably the first time anyone in her life had said that word to their mother. She was quiet the rest of the way home. As the older brother remarked, it was probably too much for her. But that night, when their parents went to bed, their Mom whispered to their Dad, “But, but, but.” Their Dad said the same thing back to her. And that is was their parents said each night before they went to bed until their dad died.

After these two brothers, who had so much unsaid between them, shared the story, one whispered into his beer, “But, but, but” The other repeated, “But, but, but” down his own.

So F3 brothers, as awkward as it is, what I want to say to each of you, is “But, but, but.”

Prayers
Prayers for all of us as we are all children of God.

What The Heck Are They Doing?

August 23, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: High Heels, Swimmies (Nathan Chesney), F3 Pluto ( Hugh Nystrom), Drum Major, Veggie (Rylen Huddy), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Dain Bramage (Will Olson), Brick, Crash Dummy, Mr Jinxy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
WARMUP:
20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Iron Mikes, 10 Windmills, 5 Cherry Pickers, Curly Stomps, 7 Twistees, 7 Pterodactyls Forward and 7 Backward, 10 Dive Bombers, Stretches

THE THANG: Mosey to the Caribbean Parking Lot. We will run do Candy Cane, stopping to do 10 Squats at every other island. Those getting to 4th island on the other side of the parking lot sweep men back to the start.
Mosey to Bros Bowl. We will run counterclockwise around the inner circle stopping to do 20 Dips at the Benches. Those getting back first do Baby Crunches until the six arrives.
Mosey to Muscle Beach. Pick exercise machine of choice, do 20 reps and then run around the parking lot. Rinse and repeat two more times with a different exercise machine each time.
Mosey to perimeter trail and head east and then north. We will run for 4 lights and walk for 2 lights. Those walking the two lights first do listed exercises until the six arrives. We will repeat the pattern until we arrive to the docks by the water. We will do one exercise at every stop along the way. Here are the exercises:
Plank Jacks
–
Merkins
–
Big Boy Sit-ups.
–
Hello Dollies.
–
Jump Squats.
–
We will take a 30 second gander at the best sunrise at America when we get to the docks.
Mosey to the start of the Serpentine Sidewalk. We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.
Mosey Back to the east end of the Caribbean Parking Lot. We will stop to do 20 Rocky Balboas and 20 Flutter Kicks.
Mosey to the Pavilion. We will stop to do 20 Picnic Table Pull-ups and then do a 60 second squat with backs against wall.
Mosey to rocks by entry gate at AO parking lot. Each man grabs a CMU weight rock. We will do 20 Overheads, 20 Curls, 20 Rows, 20 Triceps, and 20 Chest Thrusts. Replace rocks.
Next we will play Horse Shoes by the pavilion. The first two men toss. The person getting closest to horse shoe pole gets to go back in line. The man missing must run to end of AO parking lot and back.
Mosey to AO. Before we finish up we will do 60% sprint to end of the parking lot and back, then do a 100% sprint to the end of the parking lot and back.

MARY: Stretches

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bro Olympics at the Asylum at 7 am on Saturday, November 8. There will be a pre-Olympics gathering at Downtown Xul from 6 to 9 pm on Friday, November 7.

COT:

Message:

What The Heck Are They Doing?

My next door neighbors are Colin and Billie Leonard. They moved into the home of other wonderful neighbors we had and that we still keep up with, Kathryn and David Perry. Anyway, I loved having the Perrys as neighbors but also have grown to love having the Leonards next door. Pele has met them and can attest to their kindness and good nature.

The Perrys had a fine home and fine yard when the Leonards moved in but the Leonards had their own ideas about what they wanted for the home. Not long after moving in they were tearing the grass out of the front yard, and having contractors tear up the driveway. New concrete was going to be laid out for a circled driveway and large flat blocks of rock were being brought in for a walkway on the side and back of the house. Other folks in the neighborhood would ask me, “John, what the heck are they doing?” One neighbor secretly complained to me about the messy yard and dust being stirred up. I had already met and talked with Colin and Billie and liked them but I must admit that I too was asking myself and my wife, “What the heck are they doing?”

What Colin and Billie were doing was creating the most beautiful yard in the neighborhood. Their front yard is full of flowering plants, their porch and window boxes as well. The symmetry and grace of it all is fantastic. Their backyard is amazing as well and some neighbors are now asking Billie and Colin if they can go around back to see it. It’s funny how all those folks complaining are now marveling.

In the same way that folks, including me, were wondering about Colin and Billie, I think we all are also guilty of frequently asking, “What the heck is God doing?” I think we often look around this world and aren’t very pleased. We may ask, “God, why do you let such things happen?” “God, why have you created a world like this?” (As if we could do a better job.) “God, why do you allow disease, war and pestilence?” “God, why do you let these things happen to me?” Perhaps God has a design, a plan in mind just like Colin and Billie did. Perhaps that plan is more beautiful than we can imagine. Perhaps we should question less and appreciate more, trusting that God knows what the heck He is doing!

Prayers: Prayers of thanks that Mr. Jinxy’s wife is doing better and that the cause of some of the physical things she was suffering isn’t as dangerous as was expected. Continuing prayers for all of our brothers and any thing that they may be dealing with at this time.

22 Years Worth

August 9, 2025 BackBlasts

AO: asylum-daybreak
Q: Crawdad (Robbi Dickens)
PAX: Brick, Lizzy, Snitch (Cory Beilharz ), Waffle House (Brady Greene), Crash Dummy, Lilydipper, Jumbo(Carter Dickens), Drum Major, Mr Jinxy, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Veggie (Rylen Huddy)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
WARMUP:
100 SSH (“the oil change for your mind”), 30 seconds of high knees, 30 seconds of butt kickers, shuffle abouts, 10 tempo merkins, 10 tempo squats. Do we need anymore? Let’s get after it!

THE THANG: (Self-rating of 7/10)
Mosey (pickle balls in hand) to Yoga Studio. Mary all over that place.
100 Hello Dollies, 25 Box Cutters, 2 x 30 second elbow planks, 60 second full plank, and the yoga suite: Baby Cobra, Power T, and Bow Pose. Lilydipper sprouted wings and soared! I mean he soared!

Mosey en route to whiffle ball fields. Stop at the curb (where you turn left to the church) for 50 (in multiple sets aka “every man’s workout”) incline curb merkins and 50 full squats. Always hitting that upper aperture of that peck deck.

Continue Mosey to whiffle ball field for shuttle runs. Three levels and lots of them to include Veggie (Rylen Huddy) leading us in 50 BBS….a monster was born!

Mosey to Colosseum for 2 whole minutes of soaking in the highly rated BSIA! :sunny: That’s a lot of silence and everyone crushed it. During this, we asked ourselves the question – how committed am I? The sunrise did NOT disappoint.

After the silence, Drum Major anchored us in some Merkin “Ring of Fire” up to 3 merks.

We then scooted around to do 100 calve raises (you read that correctly) at the stairs of the Asylum because there is now a third chapter of junk science. Your length of life is connected to…that’s right, the size of your calves. Article will be attached.

Mosey back to the AO for some sprints (we must keep that testosterone high so this will always be part of the syllabus) and wrapped up by Brick leading us in ATMs.

Gents – I get fired up just thinking about this workout we had yesterday. I would love to do it all over again with you guys.

MARY: cough, ahum – Yoga Studio.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Drum Major celebrating 26 years of marriage! Ayooo!

Prayer requests:
– Dung Beetle fam heading to NOLA for the move back into college.
– My 2.0 moving into TN (today :cry:)
– Drum Major 2.0 Brady had a close friend (Blake I believe) pass away of cancer. Pray for the family and Brady as he travels and processes it.
– Pele (Jon Lindberg) calf for healing.
– Any I’ve forgotten.

COT:
On the final run back to the AO I shared the humorous full day of my wedding day 22 years ago. But in all seriousness, the story was the birth of the question that we asked to ourselves during the two minutes of silence. How committed am I?

One of our pastors preached a few months ago that we as believers have fleeting hearts. When something is hard, we naturally want to run. When I got married, I could not of imagined how hard marriage would be and the work required. I have been fortunate that my wife has tolerated me and put up with me for 22 years and I’m so grateful for that. Whether it’s your job, a friendship, witnessing to someone, don’t give up and stay committed to the task.

There are two types of people. The first type that sees the world’s difficult circumstances through the lens of God‘s goodness and sovereignty. The second sees God through the lens of the difficult circumstances. Be the first type in your commitments.

Gents – we have a high level of commitment at this Saturday morning crew. Thank you, and keep it up! :muscle: