F3 Knoxville

Category: The Project

Tire flipping fun

THE SCENE: 50s and dry
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
15 SSH, 15 Moroccan night club, 10 tempo squats
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the recruitment center.  We had rounds of 3 exercises set up to be completed until the timer goes off. The timer is alternating after each round, 8 Tireflips and 20 sledgehammer swings. Each round was repeated once, so each PAX did each exercise twice and flipped and hit the tire with the sledge.

  • Merkins
  • OH presses
  • Tricep extensions
  • Curls
  • Rows
  • CMU swings
  • Squats
  • Lunges
  • Calf raises
  • Heavy Freddie’s
  • American Hammers
  • Big boy situps

MARY:
No time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 HIMs crushed it!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

This morning I wanted to share a great passage about worrying.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 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? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:25‭-‬34 NASB

This doesn’t mean that we just sit around and wait for what we need to drop in our lap. We take our lives one day at a time. We plan our futures knowing that we can’t control every aspect of it and with good stewardship in mind. Live for today while you have it. Don’t worry about tomorrow because it doesn’t benefit you or anyone else.
MOLESKIN:
I am loving the access we have now to our coupons!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence at JUCO March 28.

“Are You With Me?”

THE SCENE: Awesome weather.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Done and done. 
WARM-O-RAMA:

  1. 10 Tempo Squat – 4ct, IC
  2. 10 Tempo Merkins – 4ct, IC
  3. 10 Windmills – 4ct, IC
  4. 10 Cherry Pickers – 4 ct, IC
  5. Mosey to Playground

THA-THANG:

7s @ Playground: Pullups + Burpees=7. 1 Pullup+6 Burpees, 2 Pullups+5 Burpees, etc. (Still lose count at the tipping point: 3 Pullups + 4 Burpees, 4 Pullups + 3 Burpees!)

Brick Work @ Toy Box (until we get a proper name for all our equipment near the Recruiting Offices – CMUs, Cut Utility Poles, Tractor Tires, Concrete Boxes, Pull-up [some assembly required]:

  • One at a time, each PAX will Farmer Carry 2 CMUs (pinch grip) from Toy Box to parking lot curb. This will establish the time/# reps for each exercise. Everyone else rotates through these exercises:
    • Curls (vary grips – inside, outside, etc)
    • Single Arm Bent Over Row (alternating 10 each side)
    • Kettle Bell Swing
    • Thrusters (cuz we can’t get enough of these!)
    • Squat (vary stances – feet together, regular, wide sumo, etc)
    • Single Leg Dead Lift (alternating 10 each side)
    • Burpees
    • For variety, we threw in some Tricep Extensions, Calf Raises, or PAX choice
  • At time, Mosey back to Shovel Flag

MARY:
After all that BRICKWORK, PAX Choice yielded 10 Windmills + 10 Cherry Pickers with a lot of moaning and groaning, and a last minute mad rush of Flutter Kicks, Hello Dolly, and Freddy Mercury.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Fantastic 4+1: Erector, Kickflip, Whipper, Snaggletooth and Jesus.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM: “Are You With Me?”
I’ve shared a prayer request with some of the PAX earlier in the week that I’ve had a few stupid moments in the last month (more than usual in quick succession): blow-up anger that terrified my family, open-mouth-insert-foot conversation with wife. I knew something was wrong and that I needed help. Since then, I’ve been able to see a counselor that has proved to be very fruitful and helpful to me. I came away with a question that is vital for marriage. What each partner wants to know is: “Are you with me?” In the midst of pain and fear, anxiety and sin, triggers and rush, each of us needs to know that the answer to this question is, “Yes. I am with you. I am for you.” When I get derailed, lose focus, or forget my priorities, I need to be asked, “Are you with me?” And when I feel scared or anxious, and I ask the question, I’ll need to be convinced that the answer is “Yes.”

With a little distance from Christmas, we may still remember this verse in the gospel of Matthew 1:23, quoted from the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 – “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).”

Because of Jesus (Emmanuel), whenever we ask God, “Are you with me?” the answer is forever “Yes. I am with you. I am for you.” Ask Him. (Rom 8:31-39)

MOLESKIN:
This is why Jesus came – that we might be reconciled to God, adopted as sons. (Rom 5, Rom 8) He is a Friend who sticks “closer than a brother.”(Prov 18:24) He teaches us “how deep the Father’s love for us.” (I Jn 3:1) He fulfills God’s promise, “I will never leave nor forsake you.” (Deut 31:6, Heb 13:5) How important it is for us to ask the question of God – so that we are reminded afresh of His answer: “Yes. I am with you. I am for you.” This is the good news for us. This is the gospel.

Prayed for Rocket’s mom, Spotter’s mom, and people affected by tornadoes in Middle Tennessee.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Collecting snacks for Wesley House on Friday March 6, Convergence at JUCO on Sat, March 28, Hardship Hill on Sat, May 2

A.K.A.

THE SCENE:   Mid-50s.  Rainy, thundery, lightningy.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:
Seal claps x 10 IC
Knee Tap Merkins x 10 IC
Tempo Squats x 10 IC
Lunge Runners x 10 each leg IC
Projectivator x 10 IC

THA THANG:
Dodge the lightning and head to cover under the senior center veranda.

Last week, Erector started a ridiculously hard pyramid workout.  We didn’t even get halfway through….  Time to pick-up where we left off…at lunges (i.e. Round 6 of the pyramid).  Instead of running a lap between Rounds (Erector’s plan), we’ll bear crawl the length of the veranda.

The pyramid was;
20 Merkins
20 Squats
20 Mountain Climbers
20 Flutter Kicks
20 Diamond Merkins
20 Lunge
20 Burpees
20 Freddy Mercury

We finished 7 more rounds – 800 reps and a bunch of bear crawls.  180 burpees between the three of us (Yeeeessss, Mermaid….we will log them….) 

MARY:
Hillbillies
Hello Dollies
BBS
Sleeping Hillbillies

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
3 HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Early in the biblical story of Daniel, the nation of Babylon besieges Jerusalem – plundering the Temple of God and kidnapping some of the noble families.  Among the captives brought back to Babylon were Daniel and his three friends; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.  Once in captivity, they were given new names to conform to the culture; Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – and placed into service of Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar.

Two years later, Nebuchadnezzar had a nightmare and issued a threat to his sorcerers and counselors (whom Daniel/Belteshazzar was then among), “Tell me what my dream was and what it means – or you’ll be torn limb from limb and your houses destroyed…”  Picking up in Daniel 2:17-18, “Then Daniel went home and told his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah what had happened. He urged them to ask the God of heaven to show them his mercy by telling them the secret, so they would not be executed along with the other wise men of Babylon.”  When he was in trouble and needed true friends to pray with him, Daniel found the three men whom he knew like none other.  He had a history with these men, and he called them by names that few others in Babylon knew them as; Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.

Some of our F3 culture is, admittedly, peculiar – like calling each other by nicknames.  But I love it.  That nickname marks you in a distinctive way, and those who identify you by your alias know you as few others do.  We know you as a man who is willing to time-and-again slide from his warm bed to better himself and his friends.  We don’t care about your career, your education, your stuff – or your mistakes, your history, your insecurities… Instead, we value your authenticity, your humility, and your determination to get better in all facets of life.  Your vulnerability during a Word impresses us more than your physical intensity during the Q.  We know you as few others do.  

In the gloom, the relationships are as exceptional as the names are unique.  I know that men named Erector and Snaggletooth will get out of bed and do burpees with me in the lightning and pouring rain.  Men named Mailbox and Rocket challenge me to be the best version of myself that I can be – physically, relationally, spiritually.  Men named Samaritan, Slappy, and Guardrail pray for my family and pray that I will be more like Christ each day.  Those men all know that KickFlip is praying for their vitality and he has their back during any trouble that may come their way.  If help is needed, I hope I’m at the top of their call lists.

Out here, you are known in a unique way – which is why you are known by a different name.

MOLESKIN:

Don’t blame me…blame Erector!

Prayers for Rocket and his mother, for Spotter/Gump and their mother, for the health of each other’s families, for each other’s patience

Hat tip to Brad Raby

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Everything’s Heavy after 150 CMU Thrusters

THE SCENE: 30* with some dusting of snow, beautiful morning for some heavy work
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Yeppers
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSHx10, Hairy Rockettesx10, Windmillsx10, LBAC fwd/bck x15, Tempo Squatsx10
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the recruiting center.

1st Thang: Knockout the February F3 Knoxville challenge. 150 CMU Thrusters for time.

2nd Thang: A tabata circuit with 20sec on/10 sec rest. Perform 4 sets of an exercise before moving to the next. Stations were:

  1. 20lbs slam ball: Side throw into the wall, switch sides after each set.
  2. 30lbs Ruck Push-ups
  3. 30lbs Weighted sit-ups inside the big tire allowing for more ROM on the sit-up
  4. 50lbs Ammo Can single-arm rows, switch arm each set.
  5. 20lbs sledgehammer swings on the smaller tire, switch sides each set
  6. Small brick lateral and front raises
  7. 30lbs Single-arm DB snatch, switch sides each set
  8. 60lbs Sandbag over the shoulder toss

We had time for everyone to get in one full circuit with 4 sets of each exercise.

Moseyed back to the shovel flag.

MARY:
Never heard of her.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 HIMs, almost 3 until Snaggletooth came in on two wheels at the last second.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I shamelessly bragged on my Mom. She was diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer in January 2020 after being cancer free for 10+ years. When she first felt a lump she had it biopsied to see if it was cancerous. One of her good friends from church also had a lump and was awaiting results of a biopsy. My mom told me that during that time she prayed to God asking that if one of them had to have cancer, she wanted it to be her. My Mom knew that she could handle it, as she had already been through it once and her friend is younger and still has kids living at home. My Mom has never failed to impress me with both her faith and her love for those around her, but that statement really touched me. I’m hopeful that I can reflect that type of love for others in my day to day life.
MOLESKIN:
The 150 CMU thruster buy-in this morning definitely made the weights feel heavier. I’m thankful that the Army recruiting center has allowed us to use their toolbox (2 big tires, weighted ammo can, pull-up bar, etc) and thankful that Kickflip had the initiative to ask. Looking forward to some more Heavy Thursdays in my future.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Snacks for Wesley House. Convergence at JUCO on 3/28.

Pyramid Scheme

THE SCENE: A little drizzle and mid 40s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
15 SSH, 10 Morrocan night club, 15 mountain climbers, 10 tempo squats, 10 slow windmill
THA-THANG:
Mosey the the playground for 11s- start with 1 burpee and 10 pull-ups

Mosey to amphitheatre for:

Pyramid- perform first exercise and make a lap around the creek. Each round add an exercise. The plan was to get to all 8 exercises and then start dropping the first exercise each round.

  • 20 Merkins
  • 20 squats
  • 20 mountain climbers (4-ct)
  • 20 flutter kicks (4-ct)
  • 20 diamond merkins
  • 20 lunges
  • 20 burpees
  • 20 Freddie Mercury (4-ct)

MARY:
10 burpees OYO, 20 Freddie Mercury IC
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Lucky 7 at the Project
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” – Philippians 2:3‭-‬8 NASB

I challenge you to always regard others as more important than yourselves and see what happens with your life. Even the simplest act of humility can have a major impact. Take a simple example of heavy traffic. When merging, if you provide a little more space between yourself and the car in front of you, someone can merge in without interruption. If everyone is bumper to bumper, someone eventually stops (a good Samaritan, if you will) to let another car in. Everyone else had to stop too…and so on. Find ways to be humble in all that you do.
MOLESKIN:
11s with pull-ups and burpees…not my best plan. The pyramid was highly ambitious too. We got through the diamond Merkins…not even half done! All still got a good workout.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Snacks for Wesley House.