F3 Knoxville

Don’t Underestimate Today

The Scene

22 degrees and ice cold

F3 Welcome and Disclaimer

Fitness, Fellowship, Faith, Free, Modify, Not Professional, Own Volition, Social Distance, Phone

Warm-O-Rama

  • Motivators
  • Bear Crawl (F/S/B/S)
  • Tempo Squat
  • Merkins
  • Imperial Walkers
  • Toe Tap Jumps

Tha-Thang

Mosey to CMU Pile and grab 2 coupons per person and head to the parking lot

Traveling to the four Corners we will use the following exercises:

  • Murder Bunny 
  • Rifle Carry with Blockee every 5 steps
  • Granny Drag
  • Bernie w/ CMU

At every corner abandon CMU and run back to corner one for work with your second CMU 

  • 10 CMU on Shoulder Split Squats (10 E/S)
  • 20 CMU to Knee Taps
  • 30 SSH w/ block
  • 40 Z press (Seated CMU Press)
  • 50 Opposite Foot Deadlifts
  • 60 Mt Climbers (2 Count)
  • 70 Side Jumps over CMU 
  • 80 Freddy Mercury’s 

Called recover and brought all CMU’s back to corner 1

2 minutes CMU holds (one CMU in each hand). We took turns telling bad dad/lawyer jokes to help the time pass. 

Recover, rack the CMU’s, Mosey back to AO sprinkling in some walking lunges and reverse walking lunges. 

Mary

No Time

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

13 High Impact Men

COT/BOM

I have a confession, on Monday I did the bare minimum at work all day long. I was feeling tired and unmotivated so I did just enough to fly under the radar until it was time to go home. I didn’t feel great about it but it really punched me in the mouth when I woke up on Tuesday morning. School was canceled for my wife and daughters and they got a “snow” day. My wife suggested I take a PTO day and spend time with them. My heart broke. I told her I had way too much to do and some lunch deadlines I had to meet (spreadsheets and reports that I could have done on Monday but…). I was sick over the time with my family I could have had but the “fart sack” on Monday led to a missed opportunity to get closer to my M and Shorties on Tuesday. Later that day I ran into this quote by John Maxwell that hit home and came with perfect timing. 

“We overestimate what we can do tomorrow, we over-exaggerate what we did yesterday and we underestimate what we can do today.” -John Maxwell

If we stay consistent about how we structure our “today’s” the yesterdays and tomorrows will take care of themselves. 

Today is the only moment we have, all we have is now. What is on your daily agenda? What are you putting off until tomorrow? Don’t wait, perform the tasks at a hand and do the best you can today. We never know what tomorrow will hold. 

MOLESKIN:

What is everyone’s go-to song/band right now? Comment under the backblast post in slack and share with the group. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

10 for 30 for 30 for Giving, Protecting, and Creating @ Shamrock

  • What: Today in 34 degrees of pre-dawn darkness, 10 Men came out to share some traveling exercises.
  • Where: Catholic High School of Knoxville – Area of Operation name Shamrock.
  • Welcome: Always totally free, we are not professionals. Be careful – it’s dark – we tired & sleepy.  We’re here to wake up!
  • Warmup:
    • 30 Side Straddle Hops, 30 Merkins, 30 Squat Jumps, 30 Mountain Climbers,
    • For 30 seconds think of your favorite spot on Campus
  • Workout: 30 for 30
    • Part 1:
      • We stay in a single file line the whole time. Running and doing exercises in a line.
      • The person at the head of the line decides where we will run to for 30 seconds.  We stop at 30 seconds regardless of if we get to where he wanted to get.  When we stop, we do 30 repetitions of the exercise of his choosing.  Then he goes the back of the line.  We repeat this process until 6:00 am.
    • Part 2:
      • At 6:00 am we mosey to the Cement Unit pile on campus and clean up the pile.
      • First we unload & dis-assemble the sloppy pile into a flat (1 level high) grid of blocks in the Parking lot – We do this for 5 minutes.
      • Next we take 5 minutes to assemble and VERY neatly stack the blocks we dis-assembled.  If the new neat block pile does not meet our cleanliness standards then we all do 100 burpees.  Luckily the pile was very neat.
    • Run back to Area of Operation home base – unfortunately they broke formation on the way back and received a 10 burpee penalty.
    • Jenner one the “Best location & exercise” vote and did not have to do the 30 burpees the rest of us had to do as a wrap-up.
  • Wrap-up
    • Today in 34 degrees of pre-dawn darkness, 10 Men came out to share some traveling exercises – and organize some blocks.
    • I encourage you today to go out there and Give, Protect, and Create.  If our evil enemy wants to Steel Kill and destroy, and I am sick and tired of the enemy, and I recognize the Good vs. Evil war we are already in, then I’d like to make some serious advances on the battle-front by doing direct things that are opposite of what the enemy does.  So go instead of Steeling – go out and Give today – Flex that giving muscle – it will get stronger.   Instead of Killing life – go out and protect a life (or create a life :), give money to a pro-life cause, go be a foster parent or big brother, protect our youth in some caring way – Nurture life in some way.  Instead of Destroying something – go out and use that creative brain and muscle that God has given you and create something – build something – design something.  Make advances for our Kingdom, God’s Kingdom!

How long can you HOLD on?

THE SCENE: High 30’s windy and some drizzle
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 SSH, 5 slow cherry pickers, 5 slow tempo squats, 10 baby arm circles forward & backward.
THA-THANG:

Divide into 3-4 teams
A team will perform the circuit, while one team member is in a hold.
When the team member breaks the hold, the next team member rotates in, and the one that rotates out, takes the position of doing exercise.
Repeat until all exercise are done.  Take a lap, start the next round with the same format.
You can only do exercise while a teammate is “holding”
Station 1
Hold plank on elbows
25 merkins each team member
25 squats
25 big boy sit ups (ea)
run a lap
Station 2
Hold a wall squat
25 burpees each
25 monkey humpers
25 little baby crunches (4ct)
take a lap
Station 3
Hold a “canoe” position
25 diamond merkins
25 lunges
25 hello dollies (4ct)
Run a lap
Station 4
Hold balls to the wall position
25 bicep merkin
50 single leg calf raises (25 ea)
25 American Hammers (4ct)
run a lap

MARY:
We went around the circle.  One PAX led us through an ab exercise, then we did 10 merkins following each.  We made it through 8 PAX (80 Merkins) and did a variety of ab exercises along the way.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Pride… Things I am proud of:
That flag has been here for every workout
WE have never had to use a pocket Q, you guys have signed up and showed to lead every workout at Shamrock
This AO makes me proud, and then things I am not proud of.
James 4:6 But He gives all the more grace; therfore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Proverbs 29:23 A person’s pride will bring humiliation, but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.

 

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Fun with the Alphabet

THE SCENE:

Partly Cloudy Temperature Humidity Feels like Wind Speed Wind Direction
39 ℉ 85% 36 ℉ 4.6 mi/h NE

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER.
I am not a professional.

WARM-O-RAMA:

The entire workout is based on this list:

A – Burpees x 15
B – Little Baby Crunches x 30
C – Jump Squats x 20
D – Merkins x 20
E – Squats x 25
F – Plank x 60 seconds
G – Lunges x 30
H – Carolina Dry Docks x 25
I – Side Lunges x 30
J – Freddie Mercury x 50
K – Iron Mikes (Jump Lunges) x 25
L – Military Toe Touch Situps x 20
M – Single Leg Squats x 20 (10 each leg)
N – Dips or Diamond Merkins x 20
O – SSH Jumping Jacks x 50
P – Hello Dolly x 20
Q – Box Jump x 16 or Cross Country Skiers x 30
R – Flutter Kicks x 50
S – High Knees x 50
T – Mountain Climbers x 50
U – Bobby Hurleys x 20
V – Wide Merkins 20
W – Monkey Humpers x 25
X – Shoulder Taps x 40
Y – Supermans x 20
Z – Heals to Heaven x 20

For warm-ups, pick a member of the PAX who is absent and use their name or use the first name of a present PAX’s hospital name. Perform the exercises associated with the first 4 or 5 letters of that name. You can vary the totals to make this more of a warm-up. Like 20 Freddie Mercuries instead of 50.

THA-THANG:
Using four variations of the above alphabet/exercises. Before starting, place one alphabet/exercise list in four corners of a square parking lot or field. Mosey towards the parking lot/field. Divide into 4 groups. Each group goes to a corner. Using the alpha-list, the group selects a PAX name from their group and performs all of the exercises associated with that name. So, everyone in the group does the exercises for just one of their names. The whole name. After the group finishes, they mosey as a group to the next corner. Pick another name, do the exercises associated with that name using the list available at that corner. Then move to third corner. Rinse and Repeat. To fourth. Rinse/Repeat around the square. If the group finishes all the names of their group before the other groups, that finished group runs to an unfinished group and joins them. At the end, it should be one big group or everyone finishing at the same time.

There wasn’t time for this.  But if there is time, use two lists for entire group and pick two locations about 50 yds apart. Have the group, pick different AOn names and perform those exercises. For example, do ‘Shamrock’ at one side, then ‘Asylum’ at the other, then back for ‘JUCO’ etc.

Then Mosey back to AO.

MARY:
Using various lists, use the word ‘Mary’ (and maybe others like ‘Core’, ‘Ab’,’Stomach’). Only with these, find the letter of the word and if the exercise is not an ab/core exercise, go to the next exercise in the list. For instance, in the above list, ‘M’ = Squats. You don’t want to traditionally do squats during the Mary, so go down list. Not Merkins, Not SSH, But Yes to Hello Dollys. Obviously, Q can say what exercise is a Mary exercise.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 Brothers.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

 

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the wives recovering from and going into surgery.  For the kids struggling with issues at school.  For our brothers battling illness.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Grainger County Christmas Story

THE SCENE: Clear skies, temps in high 20’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Run around the parking lot to get warm; 20 Side-Straddle Hops; 10 Burpees; 10 Cherry Pickers; 10 Rockettes; 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward
THA-THANG:
Mosey to start of the Dragon Tail.  We will run up dragon tail stopping at every other light to do 10 of the following exercises (one exercise for each run up).  After reaching the top, run on trail to road, back down to lower parking lot, and back to the start of the Dragon Tail to do the next exercise.  Here are the exercises:

  • Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)
  • Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Jump Squats
  • Merkins

Mosey to stop sign that is on the northeastern corner of the admin bldg.  We will be moving in a route with signs giving the directions for exercises along the way and where we go next.  The signs will be numbered and by cones.

  • Cone 1:  Do 10 Burpees.  Then bear crawl on sidewalk heading south to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  Do 15 Dive Bombers.  Then lunge on sidewalk south to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  Do 10 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1).  Then run to Cone 4 at porch of Admin Bldg.
  • Cone 4:  Do 20 Calf Raises on stairs and 20 Hello Dollies (4 ct.) on porch. Then run south on trail and back north on trail to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  Run down steps to parking lot below Coliseum.  Then run south up parking lot, around to southern end of Coliseum and north to Cone 6 which is by marble bench area of Coliseum.
  • Cone 6:  Do 20 Bench Dips.  Then run to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7:  Do 40 Baby Crunches.  Then run to Cone 8 which is on street near to the admin stop sign where we started.
  • Cone 8:  Do 20 Carolina Dry Docks.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

As a group we will take a 30 second gander at Beautiful Eastern TN below us.  Then we will mosey to parking lot with CMUs.

Each man grabs a CMU and teams up with a brother.  We will do Doras. While one man runs to pavilion and does 10 Picnic Table Pull-ups, the other does the exercises with the CMU.  Then partners switch. Each team will do the following exercises:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows
  • 100 Squats

Put CMUs back and mosey to start of mini-cardiac.  Bernie up mini-cardiac to park sign, then sprint the rest of the way to the AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
28 men with one FNG:  John Case.  He is now named Lamont.  He is the father of member Mickey.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
In my work as a therapist I heard a mighty fine Christmas story from one of my patients and decided to share it to you here in February.  My patient lives in a mountainous area in Grainger County, Tennessee.  Some of you may have heard of Grainger County tomatoes.  Most are grown in the valley of the county but some areas of the county can be pretty rugged.  Here’s a little demographic news for you in regards to Grainger County.  It is 94% white, 3.3% Hispanic, and probably less than 1% Black.  If you are a black man, you may not want to get stuck alone in Grainger County.  The patient I am talking about is a middle-aged white woman and she would tell you that.

She also told me about an African-American truck driver who was driving on a winding highway through the area she lived in on Christmas Eve.  As you may recall, Christmas Eve is the day we got that snow that gave us all a White Christmas.  The highway the man was driving on was curvy and slick.  Unfortunately, his 18 wheeler went off the side of the road and landed in a deep ditch.  There was no way to get that truck out easily.  It was going to take more than one large wrecker truck to get the truck out.  It being Christmas, that would take well over 24 hours.

The truck had valuable cargo and the driver was required to stay with his truck until it could be towed.  So this African-American truck driver was stuck on Christmas Eve miles from his home – in one of the most rugged areas of “redneck country”.  In Grainger County, if you aren’t driving a pickup truck with a gun rack inside your back window, “you probably ain’t from around these parts.”  The necessary clothing for a man is a pair of jeans with a can of snuff in your back pocket.

News can spread pretty fast in a rural county and the news of the sidelined truck came to my patient quickly.  She was frankly worried about this African-American truckdriver stuck in her neck of the woods.  She was concerned someone might try to start some trouble with him.  She wanted to go out to his truck to check on him but was worried about doing so until her husband got home.  He did later that day and they went out to the area where the truck was located.

What they found was a number of “neighbors” already congregated by the truck.  They also found these same “redneck” neighbors had brought the African-American truckdriver some hot dinner, hot coffee, and baked goods to snack on through the evening.  People from all over were coming to make the driver feel as comfortable as he could.  They even brought blankets but he had those in his cabin which he was able to keep warm through keeping the engine on.  They offered for him to come to their homes but he had to stay with his truck.  By the next morning the driver had hot breakfast and gifts of goodies and Christmas cards.  When the truck was finally pulled out of the ditch, the driver went home with more hot food and goodies that were brought to him at lunch and dinner time on Christmas Day.

My patient went to sleep on Christmas night feeling wonderful about the residents of Grainger County.  Whatever their beliefs and prejudices’, they had made an African-American stranger feel blessed and welcome.  It was a Christmas that I am sure he will never forget.  And, my patient, who has had a difficult year, sang “Joy to the World” a little louder on Christmas day.  The air smelled mighty fresh in Grainger County and the stars shone brighter for the rest of 2020.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the disenfranchised; for caregivers who are taking care of others and that they would have patience in that difficult task; for Ribbed and his wife, Sarah, after the surgery to remove the tumor by her spine; for Abacus’ mother who will need surgery on her leg; for those in F3 who have lost loved ones this year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Reward at Coffeeteria!