F3 Knoxville

Category: The Project

X

THE SCENE:  Wet and warm
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:
Projectivator x 10 IC
Moroccan Nightclub x 10 IC
Overhead Claps x 10 IC
Squats x 10 IC
Merkins x 10 IC
Mountain Climbers x 10 IC
CMU Curls x 26 OYO

THA THANG:

Mosey to the amphitheater

“Seven X”:  Imagine a large X dissecting the amphitheater stage.  Starting at one corner of the X, perform the exercise then bear crawl to the center of the X, turn left and bear crawl to the next corner (clockwise).

Corner 1 – Curls
Corner 2 – Squats
Corner 3 – Overhead presses
Corner 4 – CMU Swings

Round 1, 7×1 = 7 reps of each
Round 2, 7×2 = 14 reps
Round 3, 21 reps…
Round 4, 28 reps…
I’d planned to do additional sets….but we’ve got more work to do.  Move along, you lucky guy!

 

NEXT….
Battle buddy up…
Round 1
P1 – heavy bear to the line and back
P2 – LBC
Cycle through 2x
Round 2
P1 – heavy lunge to the line and back
P2 – Clean and press CMU
Cycle through 2x
Round 3:
P1 – sprint to the rail and back
P2 – Plyometric merkins on CMUs
Cycle through 2x

 

NEXT….
Tabata – 20 seconds work + 10 seconds rest (goal is 20 reps each set)
Round 1:  Goblet squats (3 sets)
Round 2:  Tricep extensions (3 sets)
Round 3:  Weighted crunch w/ CMU (3 sets)
Round 4:  Curls (3 sets)

Mosey home…

MARY:

No time!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

9 Men

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

This Word of encouragement may be meaningless to you today… If so, I ask you to tuck these words into your heart, so that you will be reminded of them if you ever do need them – or that you will share them with someone in your life who needs them now.  These are words of encouragement for someone who is suffering after a profound loss.  These are words that you will need to know in one of life’s darkest moments – but that might seem insensitive, or certainly uncomfortable, for someone to tell you.  Listen for a minute and remind your future self of these words…

If you asked any historian, “Who are the Top 5 most remarkable U.S. presidents in history?”, odds are good that their list would include our 26th – Teddy Roosevelt.  He was a fascinating character and accomplished a tremendous amount in his life.  Assistant Secretary of the Navy…  Hero of the Spanish-American war…  Governor of New York…  Vice-president, then youngest person ever to become President… While in office, he was the first president to have a telephone installed in the white house… first president to ride in a submarine… first to leave the country while in office (to check on his little side-hustle, the Panama Canal…), first president to be awarded the Medal of Honor, first to be awarded the Noble Peace Prize, and on and on…. A remarkable life!

BUT – before he did any of those things – when he was just 25 years old – he endured a pain that is unimaginable to me.  On Valentine’s Day 1884, in the same house – both his mother and his wife died of unrelated diseases.  In his journal that day, young Roosevelt drew a large X and wrote only a single sentence, “the light has gone out of my life”.

Roosevelt was so deeply grieved that he left his newborn daughter with his sister and escaped by himself to the Dakota Territory.  It was there that he learned to ride and rope, he lived among hardened men, he developed into the man who would later be nicknamed “The Lion”, and he completely reoriented the trajectory of his life.  After three years, he returned home and assumed custody of his daughter.  It would be another decade more before those notable achievements in public life would start.

Here’s what I want you to remember from Teddy Roosevelt’s early life;

  1. If you ever have the misfortune of suffering a profound loss, you may feel like life cannot go on (“the light has gone out of my life”) – in those moments, take your refuge in the Lord our Comfort, and know this – life WILL go on for you.  Grieve in a healthy way but remember in those terrible moments that your grief will come to an end.  From the Psalms, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18)  “The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all” (Psalm 34:19).  “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3).
  2. Difficult as it may be to consider in that moment, your grief may be transformative for you.  Like Roosevelt, your grief may be the catalyst for you to reorient your life.  Sometimes you’re in a dark place and you feel like you’ve been buried – but actually you’ve been planted and are getting ready to grow (hat tip, Christine Caine).  Grief can deepen your faith in God and your reliance on His strength over your own.  It can prepare you to have empathy for others who will suffer after you.  It can give you laser focus on what matters most in life.

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:10).

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Curveball’s daughter, who is traveling to The Great White North

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Project: Sore Baby Chest

THE SCENE: 50s and raining… It was great. Coulda been much worse, right?
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Welcome to F3, Free Workout, Not a professional, You’re here of your own volition, Scale/modify as needed, I have a cell phone in the event of an emergency. Done and Done.
WARM-O-RAMA:
Due to rain, we warmed up under the covered drive of the Senior Center.
1. 15 SSH – 4ct, IC
2. 15 Squat – 4ct, IC
3. 15 Arm circles – 4ct, IC (both directions)
4. 15 Moroccan nightclub – 4ct, IC
5. 15 Overhead clap – 4ct, IC
6. 15 Merkins – 4ct, IC
7. 5 Burpees – OYO
8. 10 Cherry Pickers – 4 ct, IC
9. 8 Project Motivators (AKA The Project-ivators – IT’S A THING)

THA-THANG:

Mucho Chesto @ Amphitheater: My kids think it’s funny that I don’t have any hair on my chest. They call me “baby chest” because they think all men should have hairy chests. (What are we back in the 80’s when Tom Selleck was the measure of a man?) So, as punishment, I mean, for exercise, PAX did 10 of each type of merkin: Regular, Wide, Diamond, Stagger Right, Stagger Left for a total of 50 merkins. Rinse-Repeat for a total of 100. Lots of groaning and ugly form in the 2nd set. Mosey over to Library Parking Lot.

Barak Obama @ Library Parking Lot: Named after the 44TH POTUS, PAX begin at one parking lot island, bear crawl 4 parking lines then do 4 merkins. Rinse/repeat to the other parking lot island. It was only light rain at this point so there was little to no complaining. That started when we bear crawled back 4 parking lines + 4 merkins back to the starting point. Mosey over to the Senior Center Parking Lot.

Apple Turnover @ Senior Center Parking Lot – We needed to grab gloves because my tender hands were revolting against me for all that bear crawling – on the asphalt – in the rain. Just in time for MORE BEAR CRAWLING. Apple turnover included PAX bear crawling 3 parking lines, and then flipping over to crabwalk (forward) 3 parking lines. We began from one parking lot island to the far parking lot island. When we made it there – we crawl-beared (that’s right, backward bearcrawling…) 3 parking lines, flipped over to crabwalk (backward) returning to starting point.

BONUS: Since we burned through our workout so quickly, with the extra time, we did 5 burpees at one end of the parking lot and sprinted to the other side. Then, 5 burpees and sprint back to the start. Rinse and repeat until I was completely gassed – I mean, until time ran out.

MARY:
Mary @ Covered Drive of Senior Center: PAX Choice – LBCs, Rosalita, Freddy Mercury, Left Side Crunches, Right Side Crunches, Flutter kicks, and Big Boys with funky cadence, courtesy of Mailbox.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Lucky 7: Erector, Kickflip, Rocket, Samaritan, Mailbox, Slappy, Snaggletooth-Q

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

ALL WHO TRUST, LOVE, AND FOLLOW CHRIST ARE MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATION.

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 – “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

MOLESKIN:
I have the privilege of visiting fellow followers of Jesus who are incarcerated at the Morgan County Correctional Complex (MCCX). I am writing a letter to the governor of Tennessee on behalf of a friend for clemency. I believe that his life in prison testifies that he has paid enough of his sentence, that he is a true follower of Jesus, and that his life is better spent outside of prison walls with his family and as a contributing member of society, not as a threat or a parasite. He now can live and serve as an ambassador for Jesus, calling and imploring others to be reconciled to God, as he himself has been through Jesus Christ our Lord. What’s striking is how we can view someone in one way, when God sees him another way completely. While his prison sentence is justified, he now has a greater calling (a minister of reconciliation) to live beyond his past into a new eternal purpose as a new man.

WE ARE MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATION.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Project adding Thursdays so we’re all going to be Q’ing a couple times each month. Tuesdays will remain traditional bootcamp workouts, Thursdays will be heavy work: rucking, CMU, etc. Kickflip on Q – bring CMUs. Hardship Hill in May – JUCO has at least one team with another possibly in the works. Sign-up.

Inaugural Project Heavy PT

THE SCENE: rainy, upper 50s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
15 SSH, 15 Moroccan night club, 15 overhead claps, 10 tempo merkins, 10 tempo squats, 5 cherry pickers
THA-THANG:
Exercises performed buy muscle group for maximum burn.

Shoulders/Chest/Triceps

  • 20 Merkins
  • 20 Overhead presses
  • 20 Tricep extensions

Biceps/Back

  • Colt 45
  • 20 Rows

Legs

  • 30 Squats
  • 30 Lunges (total)
  • 30 Calf Raises

Core

  • 15, 4 ct Heavy Freddies
  • 15 Big Boys
  • 20 American Hammers (total each side)

Rinse and repeat until time is called.

MARY:
15 flutter kicks and some stretching
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 HIMs to kick off Thursday right.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Growing this AO is the goal.  We want to reach out to as many men in the community as possible.  Today, I wanted to remind everyone of our mission.

F3: Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith

Fitness is what gets it going. A free workout certainly is enticing for anyone wanting to get their fitness where it needs to be.

Fellowship is the glue that holds us together. I don’t wake up early and get wet from rain for just any reason. I do it for the fellowship.

Faith is the ultimate strength builder for HIMs. Recognition that we are but a small part of the universe around us is so humbling.  I appreciate all the words of wisdom shared during COT.
MOLESKIN:
Don’t eat two chicken biscuits as a pre-work out “snack”. Just ask Whipper.

Act Like a Wolf

THE SCENE:  Wet and warm
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

Moroccan Nightclub x 10 IC
Hairy Rockettes x 10 IC
Project Motivator x 10
Seal squats x 10 IC
Werewolves x 8 IC
Dead bug x 10 OYO

THA THANG:

Long mosey to the cinema…

“Wolves Hunt the Rabbit”

There is a 100m parking lot that is divided by 7 parking lanes.  PAX start on one end of the lot – we’re the Wolves.  One PAX (Erector) is our Rabbit – he gets a head start and goes to line 3.

Game starts when the Wolves howl.  The Rabbit does 12 Merkins then advances to the next line….12 merkins – advance again…  Repeat, working toward the end of the lot.  He’s trying to make it to safety.

The Wolves do 8 Merkins and advance – we’re trying to catch the rabbit (he gets a head start but does more Merkins).  When a Wolf catches the Rabbit, he becomes a Rabbit and they all advance together (doing 12 Merkins together).  Rabbits win if they make it to the other side.  Wolves win if all Rabbits are caught by the last Wolf.

Repeat the game a few times with a new Rabbit and new exercise each round.  Perform with;

  • 4 / 6 Iron Mikes (both legs)
  • 4 / 6 Flutter Kicks (4-count)
  • 8 / 10 Mountain Climbers (4-count)
  • 6 / 8 Squat jumps

 

Line up at one end of the lot – divide into two teams.  Teams will race to the other side of the lot, sprinting diagonal routes between the parking lot islands.  When you get to an island on the west side, perform 5 burpees.  When you get to an island on the east side, perform 10 Dead Bugs (4-ct).  Each team will end up doing 3 sets of each.  First team to hit the other side wins.

Repeat the race – this time west side does 10 merkins, east side does 10 LBCs

 

Mosey around to the back of the cinema…

 

DORA – Partner 1 bear crawls to the base of the steps, runs to the top of the steps and back to Partner.  Partner 2 performs exercise.  Switchero.

  • 50 Werewolves
  • 100 Rosalitas
  • 150 Mountain Climbers

 

Long mosey home….

 

MARY:

Mailbox led the Mary while I chillaxed back at my car – sweet!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

10 HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

For millennia, the wolf has been revered across cultures and civilizations as the epitome of the warrior spirit.  They are intense, fierce, fearful, fascinating creatures and unique in many ways.  Wolves are incredibly complex.  They have a ferociousness about them – yet they also have a very empathetic spirit.

Did you know that within the animal kingdom, wolves are one of the only animals that practice adoption?  When they stumble upon an orphaned pup – even if it belongs to a rival, wolves have been known to take them into their own den and raise them as their own.  That is entirely unheard behavior for an apex predator.  Wolves are excellent communicators with body language – understanding each other’s subtle movements.  Wolves are also very socially smart.  Within the wolf pack, they seem innately to understand the responsibilities the strong have to the weak, the full to the hungry, and the young to the old.  Wolves are not afraid to show affection – licking, grooming, nuzzling and even nibbling one another.

How tenderhearted this fierce creature can be.  Wolves are full of potential intensity – and full of empathy.

In that sense, men – I am asking you to act like a wolf;

  • You all have the spirit and intensity of warriors. Continue to be strong in the ways that count – fiercely loyal to your pack, alert, vigilant, a protector, rock solid…  Be as bold as a lion! (Proverbs 28:1).  Be zealous for good works! (Titus 2:14).  When life requires it of you, be ready to spring into action with a fierce intensity!

But SIMULTANEOUSLY… (here’s what we can learn from the wolf – and here’s the part that I need reminding of from time-to-time…)

  • Be SOFT in the ways that count. Be tenderhearted with your family and loved ones.  Show humility.  Avoid arguing.  Speak evil of no one.  Have sympathy for those less fortunate.  Be socially aware and alert to those around you.  Demonstrate brotherly love.  Be playful with your kids and patient with them.  Show gentle affection to your wife and pamper her.  Be emotionally available.  (See Ephesians 4:32, Titus 3:2, 1 Peter 3:8, Colossians 3:12).

To be a wolf is to be a brave warrior, but it is also to be tender nurturer.

You are called to be both.

 

MOLESKIN:

Great to see Guardrail and Waterboard at the AO!

Hat tip to Mailbox for leading our Mary today!

Hat tip to Levi Lusko for inspiring the Word.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Project is expanding!  Thursday bootcamps starting this week!!  Erector will be on Q – you won’t want to miss it!

CMUesday @ The Project

THE SCENE: Bitter 24 degrees with wind. Just mean…
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Done. With cell phone just in case any of us were to freeze and fall over.
WARM-O-RAMA: heck yeah – lots of warm-o-rama…

  1. 15 SSH – 4ct, IC
  2. 15 Tempo Squat – 4ct, IC
  3. 10 Iron Mikes (each leg, 2 ct) – OYO
  4. High Knees running in place – 30 seconds
  5. 5 Burpees – OYO
  6. 10 Arm Circles (both directions)
  7. 10 Moroccan Nightclub – IC
  8. 10 Overhead Clap – IC
  9. 8 Tempo Merkins – 4ct, IC
  10. 8 Merkins – 4ct, IC
  11. 8 Cherry Pickers – 4 ct, IC
  12. 8 Project Motivators – IC
  13. Pick up CMU, mosey to Friendship Bell

THA-THANG:

CMU Work @Friendship Bell: 20 bicep curls, 20 overhead press, 20 tricep extensions, 20 squats, 20 BBS w/CMU (2 ROUNDS) – Take CMUs, mosey to K-2(5)

Doras @K-25: Partner 1 starts on 50 Burpees, 75 BBS, 100 merkins, 200 squats (all without CMU) while Partner 2 starts on Sprints w/CMU up the hill. Switch off with partner until rep count is complete. Mosey back to Shovel Flag. Whew!

MARY:
PAX Choice: Freddy Mercury, and Little Baby Flutter Kicks – Finished for time.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4-STRONG: Erector, Kickflip, Chaco, and me, Snaggletooth.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
God, Touch Our Hearts (John Piper)
Saul went to his house at Gibeah; and the valiant men whose hearts God had touched went with him. (1 Samuel 10:26)
Just think of what is being said in this verse. God touched them. Not a wife. Not a child. Not a parent. Not a counselor. But God.
The One with infinite power in the universe. The One with infinite authority and infinite wisdom and infinite love and infinite goodness and infinite purity and infinite justice. That One touched their heart.
How does the circumference of Jupiter touch the edge of a molecule? Let alone penetrate to its nucleus?
The touch of God is awesome because it is a touch. It is a real connection. That it involves the heart is awesome. That it involves God is awesome. And that it involves an actual touch is awesome.
The valiant men were not just spoken to. They were not just swayed by a divine influence. They were not just seen and known. God, with infinite condescension, touched their heart. God was that close. And they were not consumed.
I love that touch. I want it more and more. For myself and for all of you. I pray that God would touch me anew for his glory. I pray that he would touch us all.
O for the touch of God! If it comes with fire, so be it. If it comes with water so be it. If it comes with wind, let it come, O God. If it comes with thunder and lightning, let us bow before it.
O Lord, come. Come that close. Burn and soak and blow and crash. Or still and small, come. Come all the way. Touch our hearts.

MOLESKIN:
There is something about the phrase “the valiant men whose hearts God had touched” that inspires me, and rouses a hunger in me. I have found myself in this new year more hungry for a deeper, more powerful, intimate closeness with God. I believe it’s the natural consequence of F3 and my purity group, and what God is doing in my family and church. At the beginning of the year, I felt God give me the word FOCUS. Makes me wonder about what this year will be like. Whatever else 2020 may bring, this hunger for greater friendship with God is a worthy and holy pursuit.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Talking about expanding The Project to include Thursdays and Saturdays – possibly another bootcamp, perhaps with more running while Tuesday with more reps/weights, or vice versa. Saturday option would be trail running with pain stations. EHing our local guys to jump in to The Project. Need more commitment for Qs as well as handing off shovel flag to an Oak Ridge local.

F3 Morristown Launch in April! And Hardship Hill coming up in May!