F3 Knoxville

Like Cheese and Fine Wine

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Curveball
PAX: Lilydipper, Brick, Lizzy, Drum Major, Mr Jinxy, Crash Dummy, Serpentine (Jason Pierce), Pele (Jon Lindberg), Sparkler, Doubtfire (Nick Bond), Rooney(Carl Whipple), F3 Pluto ( Hugh Nystrom), Curveball, Crankbait
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
WARMUP:
1. Side Straddle Hops (Jumping Jacks)
2. Forward Fold
3. Imperial Walkers.
4. Windmills
5. Arm Circles

THE THANG:
Find Rock Pile. Everyone get one.
Do first listed exercise to rep count. Then run to cone (25 yds) and back. Same exercise same count again. Then to cone and back. Same exercise same count again. Then to cone and back. Same exercise same count again. While waiting for the six, do AMRAP of second listed exercise. After six finishes all 4 sets of exercises, all PAX do third exercise in cadence to rep count.
So, first exercise 4 times with Rocks, second exercise while waiting, and third exercise as group.
1, 15 CMU Merkin walk-overs, Squats, Jump Squats
2, 15 Overhead CMU Press, Big boys, Flutters
3, 20 CMU Curls, Calf Raises, Twinkle Toes
4, 30 CMU Bench Press, Hello Dollys, LBCs
5, 15 CMU Triceps, Lunge, Jump Squats – Dips
6, 15 CMU Rows OR CMU Kettle Bells, LBCs, Box Cutters.

Back to flag. Exercise then run short loop (20-30 second mosey)
1. Squats – 25 reps
2. Merkins – 20 reps
3. Lunges (10 each leg) – 20 reps
4. Plank Jacks – 30 reps
5. Big Boy Sit-Ups – 20 reps
6. Burpees – 10 reps

MARY:
30 second stretch.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
T-Claps for Sparkler and his work done for Hardship Hill.

PRAYERS:
For Drum Major’s wife and all of the family after the passing of her brother.
For Convoy’s brother who is in need.
For all the F3 Brothers battling stressful situations.
And for those prayers held in our hearts.

COT:
One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night

Ladies and gentleman skinny and scout
I’ll tell you a tale I know nothing about
The admission is free so pay at the door
Now pull out a chair and sit on the floor

On one bright day in the middle of the night
Two dead boys got up to fight
Back to back they faced each other
Drew their swords and shot each other

The blind man came to see fair play
The mute man came to shout hooray
The deaf policeman heard the noise
And came to stop those two dead boys

He lived on the corner in the middle of the block
In a two story house on a vacant lot
A man with no legs came walking by
And kicked the lawman in his thigh

He crashed through a wall without making a sound
Into a dry creek bed and suddenly drowned
A long black hearse came to cart him away
But he ran for his life and is still gone today

I watched from the corner of the table
The only eyewitness to facts of my fable
If you doubt my lies are true
Just ask the blind man, he saw it too

Embrace the Nonsense. It makes life a lot of fun.

Listen for the Whisper

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Mr Jinxy, Rooney(Carl Whipple), Drum Major, Abacus, Crash Dummy, Pusher, Lilydipper, Tenderfoot, Curveball, Brick, Lizzy
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: 20 SSH (4 ct IC), 10 Cherry Pickers (4 ct IC), 10 Pterodactyles (complete with mating calls) forward/backward (4 ct IC), 10 Plank Jacks (4 ct IC)

THE THANG:
Met at the New Pavilion, aka Food Court, and started off doing a Dora exercise but quickly switched to a workout under cover when the death thunder started. Moved under the Pavilion, played some music, tried not to bother other rain-shelterers, and did the following circuit workout:
STATION
1:
ROUND 1: CMU ROWS / CMU CHEST PRESS
ROUND 2: TRICEP PRESSES / CMU OVERHEAD PRESSES
ROUND 3: AROUND THE WORLDS / CMU CURLS
STATION 2:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: AMERICAN HAMMERS / FLUTTER KICKS
ROUND 2: V-UPS / GAS PUMPS
ROUND 3: LBCs / BOX CUTTERS
STATION 3:
ROUND 1: STEP UPS / SQUATS
ROUND 2: ISOMETRIC SQUAT LEFT / ISOMETRIC SQUAT RIGHT
ROUND 3: BUTT TOUCHES / LUNGES
STATION 4:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: SIDE STRADDLE HOPS / PLANK JACKS
ROUND 2: HIGH KNEES IN PLACE / IMPERIAL SQUAT WALKERS
ROUND 3: BUTT KICKERS IN PLACE / WALL SIT
STATION 5:
ROUND 1: PERIMETER BEAR CRAWL / PERIMETER LUNGE
ROUND 2: PERIMETER EL CAPITAN / PERIMETER INCH WORM MERKINS
ROUND 3: PERIMETER SIDE CRAWL LEFT / PERIMETER SIDE CRAWL LEFT
STATION 6:
RUN TWO LAPS AFTER EACH ROUND!
ROUND 1: MERKINS / CAROLINA DRY DOCKS
ROUND 2: HAND RELEASE MERKINS / SHOULDER TAPS
ROUND 3: OFF SET MERKINS LEFT / OFF SET MERKINS RIGHT
MARY: Nope. Ran out of time.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill this Saturday!

COT: Quote from RALPH FIENNES as the Cardinal LAWRENCE in the movie CONCLAVE (Part Two from Daybreak’s COT Word):
“Over the course of many years in the service of the church, there’s one sin that I come to fear above all others. Certainty. Certainty is the great enemy of unity. Certainty is the deadly enemy of tolerance. Even Christ was not certain at the end, in his agony, on the ninth hour on the cross, crying out MY FATHER, MY FATHER, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? Our faith is a living thing precisely because it walks hand in hand with doubt. If there was only certainty, and no doubt, there would be no mystery and therefore no need for faith. Let us pray that God grants us a Pope who doubts.”

Indeed, the newly elected Pope, Pope Leo XIV is a man who has felt abandoned by God, who has had doubts. Recently he said the following: I speak to you, especially to those who no longer believe, no longer hope, no longer pray, because they think God has left.
To those who are fed up with scandals, with misused power, with the silence of a Church that sometimes seems more like a palace than a home.
I, too, was angry with God. I, too, saw good people die, children suffer, grandparents cry without medicine.
And yes… there were days when I prayed and only felt an echo. But then I discovered something: God doesn’t shout. God whispers.
And sometimes He whispers from the mud and from the pain. Faith is a walk with stones, puddles, and unexpected hugs.

I remember Lilydipper saying in one of his Words years ago, “Nothing ticks me off quite like someone who acts like they have all the answers with Faith.” Even the Pope has felt the silence at times, and that he doesn’t present faith as a perfect journey. My own faith was challenged when I lost my mom and dad relatively young, two years apart. Where was God then? But then I saw…. Neighbors bringing over dinner, tributes from former students and colleagues, funerals that brought long lost companions together, friends that drove hundreds of miles to say goodbye and to give me an unexpected hug. God was there in those moments, He was whispering to me from the mud and from the pain. He was always there. And He will always be there for you. Just look. Just listen. For the whisper.

Keep Striving

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Lilydipper
PAX: Pele (Jon Lindberg), Curveball, Windex, Crash Dummy, Tenderfoot, Mr Jinxy, Pusher, Sparkler, Brick
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
WARMUP: 20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Squat Jumps, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 10 Twistees, 10 Rockettes, 7 Pterodactyls Forward and 7 Backward

THE THANG: Mosey to the stop sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg. We will go up the road that semi-circles the Admin Bldg and stop at nine different cones to do the exercises listed and then go to the next cone as listed. Here are the exercises at the nine cones:
Cone 1: 10 Shoulder Taps, both shoulders = 1. Sprint to next cone.

Cone 2: 20 Hello Dollies. Bear Crawl to next cone.

Cone 3: 20 Imperial Walkers where both legs = 1. Bernie to next cone.

Cone 4: Go down stairs by bat cave. Run to summit on left and go up summit. Then go to roadway where you will see next cone.

Cone 5: 40 Baby Crunches. Slow Mosey to Cone 6

Cone 6: 20 Bobby Hurleys. Bernie to Cone 7.

Cone 7: 20 Flutter Kicks, both legs = 1. Hop to Cone 8.

Cone 8: 20 Merkins. Sprint to Cone 9.

Cone 9: 20 Mountain Climbers both legs =1, 20 Freddie Mercuries both legs = 1, 20 Big Boy Sit-ups, 20 Box Cutters, 20 Diamond Merkins, 20 Backwards Lunges, 20 Plank Jacks, 20 Iron Mikes both legs = 1.

Mosey to Coliseum. We will stop to do 20 Squats. The Coliseum is 6 oclock. We will run counterclockwise around circle. At 3 o’clock we will do 10 Carolina Dry Docks. At 12 o’ clock we will do 10 box jumps on stairs of the Admin Bldg. At 9 o’clock we will do 10 Wide Merkins. At 6 o’clock do 20 Bench Dips at steps. Rinse and repeat.
Next, guys will number off into two teams. Team one will mosey to Stop Sign on the Northeast Corner of the Admin Bldg, then go up semi-circle road to AO, picking up cones on the way. Team two will mosey to Stop Sign on Southeast Corner of the Admin Bldg, then go up semi-circle road to AO, picking up cones on the way.

MARY: Stretches.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill will be May 17. Volunteers are needed. Also, guys who participate can arrive early to help set up or stay late to help break down and clean up. Tomorrow morning at Shamrock, at the 5:30 am workout, Slappy will be passing the baton to Stitch as AO captain. Be there if you can.

COT:

Message

Keep Striving

As a psychologist and as a human being, I have experienced, had family members experience, and had patients experience deep depression. When depressed the idea of going through another day can seem absolutely overwhelming. When depressed, just getting out of bed to shower can be difficult. And, when we do get more active, when we do put in the effort, it may feel like we will never get rewarded. For us who are believers in God, we may wonder where He is and why He doesn’t respond. We may feel like giving up. Yet, we can’t give up. We must keep striving.

I love the song Your Labor is Not in Vain by Isaac Wardell, Paul Zach and Wendell Kimbrough. The song is about having faith and knowing God is with us although all our work and efforts may not currently seem to be paying off. Imagine God saying the following to you:

Your labor is not in vain
Though the ground underneath you
Is cursed and stained
Your planting and reaping are never the same
Your labor is not in vain

Your labor is not unknown
Though the rocks they cry out
And the sea it may groan
The place of your toil may not seem like a home
But your labor is not unknown

Chorus
For I am with you I am with you
I am with you I am with you
For I have called you
Called you by name
Your labor is not in vain

The vineyards you plant will bear fruit
The fields will sing out and rejoice with the truth
For all that is old will at last be made new
The vineyards you plant will bear fruit

The houses you labored to build
Will finally with laughter and joy be filled
The serpent that hurts and destroys will be killed
And all that is broken be healed

Remember, God is with you. He has called you by name. He is there when all seems broken. Keep striving. Your labor is not in vain.

Prayers: Prayers for Slappy and Stitch as Slappy passes leadership as the AO Captain of Shamrock to Stitch. Prayers for our brothers at Shamrock as well. Prayers of thanks for Sparkler’s continuing recovery from surgery related to prostate cancer. Prayers for Crash Dummy’s friend as her recovers from the removal of a tumor near his pituitary gland. Prayers of thanks that Windex’s daughter, Mattie, has recovered so well from her terrible car accident.

Run & Sweat

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Crash Dummy
PAX: Lilydipper, Pele (Jon Lindberg), Switchhitter (Tony), Drum Major, Brick, Kung Blue, Rooney (Carl Whipple), Mr Jinxy, Pusher, MD Hammer, Curveball
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: Side Straddle Hops x 20, Cherry Pickers x 5, Good Mornings, Runner’s Stretch, Light Stretching, Downward Facing Dog, Money Stretch.

THE THANG: Run around the park, keeping mostly to the perimeter. A few stops along the way for a quick breather. Sprint up Everest a few times then end back at the AO.

MARY:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Double Beat Down w/F3 ROCO -5/6. Hardship Hill 5/17.

COT: How are we connected to our identities? Are you tied to your business card? If you died today, how would you want to be remembered?

Locking Shields

AO: asylum-pm
Q: Pele (Jon Lindberg)
PAX: Drum Major, Lilydipper, Abacus, Lizzy, Mr Jinxy, Pusher, Crash Dummy, Curveball, Welch’s, Brick, MD Hammer, Pele (Jon Lindberg)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
WARMUP: 20 SSH, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Tennessee Rocking Chairs, 10 Grady Corns, Yoga Stretches, 10 Hand Release Merkins

THE THANG:
MOSEY to Slope on Picketts Charge.
HILL PYRAMID!:
Run up the slope and back down. Every time you get back down do the exercises (10 REPS EACH):
– JUMP SQUATS
– JUMP SQUATS / BOTTLE OPENERS (2-count)
– JUMP SQUATS/ BOTTLE OPENERS / BIG BOY SITUPS
– BOTTLE OPENERS / BIG BOY SITUPS
– BIG BOY SITUPS

Mosey to Center of Colosseum.
JINXY’S FOUR AND A QUARTER. Start at bottom of hill, run to tree about 2/3 to Admin Bldg, 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 Stop sign on circle drive.
MODIFIED WELSH DRAGON (4-ct Bear Crawl, 1 Merkin, R&R up to 10 Merkins… always only 4-ct Bear Crawl). Run to where the railing begins and do the 1st rep, run back to do the 2nd rep, etc.
AYG to Flag.

MARY: A little light stretching.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hardship Hill, Ascent Leadership School at Frozen Head

COT: NO GAPS IN THE WALL!
Three years ago Judge Judy, who was our Nantaan at the time, wrote an article in the weekly newsletter called Cracks in the Foundation, which alluded to some situations surrounding F3 that resulted in fractures within groups and between individuals. That message was very timely back then, and as some of you are aware, there’s a little bit of that going on right now. Nothing that I don’t think we can fix, but some things that if we don’t address could just continue to fester. So for my Word, I just wanted to reiterate what I feel is F3’s absolutely greatest attribute: it’s ability to inspire us all to be better men through SHARING. Sharing of the Suck from the workout, Sharing in the responsibilities of being Q, Sharing of life experiences in the Circle that others may learn from or be inspired by, etc.

We often use the term “Lock Shields” in F3. Think about that for a second. What comes to mind? I have this image from Lord of the Rings or a movie about the Roman Empire of a bunch of warriors facing a common enemy, and each one of them standing shoulder to shoulder with their shields up. If it was just one dude, he’d get surrounded, overwhelmed. But it’s a bunch of warriors that are aligned in a common purpose: PROTECT EACH OTHER’S SIX. If there’s a crack or a gap in the wall, then everyone is in deep doo doo.

To no one’s surprise, the guys in F3 have differences. We have our differences in Faith, Politics, what kind of workouts we want to do out here, and maybe even differences in how we think F3 should operate. That’s fine! But how do we keep locking shields if the guy next to us is of a different political party? Religion? If he has way more hair and is better looking than the rest of us (thanks guys… you know who you are…)? It comes down to RESPECT for your brother, who’s out here trying to get 1% better, just like you are. When we’re out here, we lay our differences aside. When we’re out here, I’m continually trying to figure out ways to better serve you so that you can serve others. This requires that we keep that wall tight. NO GAPS IN THAT WALL. And I hope we all have that mindset. But whatever differences we have can be overcome with Grace and empathy and understanding