F3 Knoxville

Tag: Abacus

“You’re Not Handsome Enough to Be Blindside” and other rude things PAX say

THE SCENE: Gagging, I mean gorgeous.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

An unnamed, smart-mouthed PAX besmirched the good name of Krystal.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, Grady Corns, Tempo Squats — All IC x12 (also known as a sackful)
THA-THANG:
A number of hot, steamy, onion-scented exercises were performed. These included:

  • Bermuda Triangle: Squats, Squat Jumps, and UGA Cheerleaders at the corners; lunge between. A sackful of each exercise. Rinse and repeat x3.
  • Bermuda Triangle: Box Cutters, BBS, and Flutter Kicks at the corners; bear crawl between. A sackful of each exercise. Rinse and repeat x3.
  • 12s (*ahem* also known as a sackful): american hammers at top of the world, step-ups at bathhouse pavalon — recover was called before finishing, because sometimes it’s wiser to stop

MARY:
Nah
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12, of course
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Do your best, pay attention to details, have a great attitude.
MOLESKIN:
There were some sad clowns playing pickleball outside of the posted hours.

Also, two HIMs who I’ve worked out with almost every week for years—who have a profession in common—just met each other today. Good reminder to break your routine every once in a while.

 

EVERYTHING IS AWESOMEEEEEEEE

THE SCENE:

  • Overcast
  • 60s
  • BSIA was hiding this morning.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith 
  • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning 
  • A few things before we begin: 
    • I’m not a professional 
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • You know your injuries if you have any so if you need to modify anything we do today feel free to do so, but push yourselves and the men around you. They deserve it and so do you. 
  • FNGs?

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH: 10×4
  • Squat: 10×4 
  • Merkin: 10×4 
  • Rockette: 10×4 
  • Imperial Walker: 10×4 

THA-THANG:

(Mosey to the rock pile by the gates)

(1) Quarter Pounder

  • 4 rounds of the quarter pounder: 25 reps 91 ct) of an X with a rock, than take a lap around the lot
    • R1: 25 curls 
    • R2: 25 chest presses 
    • R3: 25 rows 
    • R4: 25 squats
  • Circle up 

(Mosey to the Pavilion)

— Warm o Rama #2 — 

Why? Because just like Legos, w’re building something together this morning. 

  • Mountain Climber: 10×4 
  • Baby Arm Circles: 10×4 (F)
  • Baby Arm Circles: 10×4 (B)
  • Carolina Dry Dock: 10×4
  • Calf Raise: 10×4 

(Mosey to the New Pavilion)

(2) The Double Trouble

  • 2 rounds – 5 Xs – all 20 reps (1ct) – rinse and repeat 1x
  • The Xs for both rounds 
    • Incline Merkins
    • Dips 
    • Squats 
    • Box Jumps 
    • Pull-ups
  • Circle Up

— Warm o Rama #3 — 

Why? Because we’re STILL building something together this morning.

  • SSH: 5×4
  • Squat: 5×4
  • Merkin: 5×4
  • Rockette: 5×4
  • Imperial Walker: 5×4
  • Mountain Climber: 5×4
  • Baby Arm Circles: 5×4 (F)
  • Baby Arm Circles: 5×4 (B)
  • Carolina Dry Docks: 5×4 
  • Calf Raises: 5×4

— RIP / fellowship walk to The Island —

(3) The FP

  • Get into teams of 4

MARY:

SWS (Stretching With Steam) + 1 lap around the parking lot

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

Count-Off: 19

Name-o-Rama: Matlock, Crispr, Crawdad, Veggie, Jumbo, Dung Beetle, Brick, Short Sale, Turtle, Musk, LuLu, Waffle House, Swimmies, Cheatsheet, Pusher, Pele, Abacus, Choir Boy, Steam

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Lego Movie Takeaways From This Past Week 

I was watching The Lego Movie this week (no shame) – and surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, I took a lot from it. Man I used to love Legos. And I still do, but haven’t bought any in a while. But there were two specific things I wanted to share this morning, from the movie. 

(1) A quote that invites a powerful mental shift — “You don’t have to be the bad guy. You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you are capable of amazing things.”

  • I think there are a ton of people in our lives that need to hear this, more than we think. 
  • Take the word “bad” out and replace it with what fits — “Hey you don’t have to be the lonely guy anymore.” “You don’t have to be the addicted guy.” “You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you capable of amazing things.” 
  • Maybe they’re not the most talented or interesting or extraordinary person to you, but to the Creator of the universe? Absolutely they are. And they need to know it.
  • There’s a whole generation of people walking around like Emmet from The Lego Movie – thinking they’re just a normal, boring, uninteresting, life form that’s taking up space. That because of nature or nurture don’t know that God above uniquely created them to be capable of doing amazing things. 
  • I mean think of the power that something like this might have on a person? To intentionally say this to them? “Hey I know you’re this person, or you were this person, but you don’t have to be anymore. You were created to be talented, interesting, and extraordinary. And you’ve been created to do amazing things”………wow. Now that’s the power of helping someone unlock some things. 

(2) What are you building?

  • I think a lot of times life can be a lot like Legos – there’s an infinite number of pieces out there, all with different connectors and functions, and intentionally-designed characteristics.
  • And we’re all building something. Even if you don’t think you are, or if you can’t see it yet, you’re building something. So what did you build this week? And what can you build next week?

Final — We have a great opportunity to take everything we do in F3 – and engage in a intentional and relationally-driven weekend together this fall – something called Forg3 – a weekend retreat created by F3 men, for F3 men. And I’d love to just  invite you into this space with us this fall, as we head to DRG September 22nd – 24th, to focus on why our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd F efforts are so important in the context of community as we continually pursue high impact manhood. 

To find out more about Forg3 2023 and how to get plugged in and register – click here! 

Better Versions of Ourselves

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
25 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 7 Twisties, 7 Windmills, 7 Cherry Pickers, 7 Pterodactyls forward and 7 Pterodactyls Backward, Little of This and That.
THA-THANG:
There will be bricks laid out by the AO.  We will split into teams of two for Doras.  While one partner starts on the exercises listed below the other runs on the road going north and east to the large shaded tree.  Do five merkins at the tree and run back.  Partners change position and the other runs.  This pattern goes on until each team has completed the following exercises:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Triceps
  • 100  Curls
  • Rows
  • 100 Punches (both hands = 1)
  • 100 Wings Up
  • 100 Winds Down
  • 100 Wings Out.

We will mosey with the bricks to my car in the parking lot and place the bricks behind the back of my car.  Next we will run to the steps of the Admin Bldg.  There will be a list of exercises that we will do while running around the loop.  The steps of the Admin Bldg will be 12 o’clock.  We will do the first exercise at 12 o’clock and then will run around the loop stopping to do the first exercise at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock.  The first man to finish the exercise at 9 o’clock will sweep men back to 12 o’clock.  Each time we reach 12 o’clock we will run up and down the stairs one time.  Then we will start the loop again but with the next set of exercises.  Here are the exercises:

  • 5 Burpees
  • 10  Merkins
  • 10 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 10 Plank Jacks
  • 10 Carolina Dry Docks
  • 10 Box Cutters

Mosey Back to AO.

MARY:
Abdominals.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eleven men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I recently attending a video seminar that discussed people with disabilities and discrimination that can occur, even from the health professions, towards those with disabilities.  Some of the best moments of the seminar were when two men with disabilities were interviewed.  One of them, a man in his forties named Matt, was born with a very rare disease that caused his bones to be deformed.  His shoulders were awkwardly small, his hands deformed and turned inward, his legs small and crooked, and other bones deformed as well.  Fortunately, the disease had not impacted his brain and he was quite an intelligent person.  Because of his deformities, he had gone through periods of depression in his lifetime but was now a man comfortable in his own skin.  He has a career in film production.

Matt had many important things to say at the seminar but one that stuck out for me and which I want to share with you regarded his physical conditioning.  He was asked what it was like growing up and not being able to do things other kids did like play kickball, run around on the playground and climb the jumble gym. He did say it was difficult and that the inability to do the things others were doing impacted his self-esteem and mood. He commented that as a younger man he was overweight.  After all, he could not do the types of things that we do in F3.  After some time, he decided to work on his conditioning.  He said he began to realize that we cannot expect, through physical conditioning, to look like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson but we can certainly become a better version of ourselves.  So Matt began to work on his diet, eating healthier foods.  He also began to work out doing simple exercises that he could perform, like leg lifts and raising books above his head.  He could do things to raise his heartbeat and work up a sweat without jumping or running.  For a guy with the disabilities he had, Matt looked to be in very good condition.  He had some muscle tone despite the slumped shoulders and curvature in his body.  He felt good about himself and, like I said, was comfortable in his own skin.

Gents, we do not have to look like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, but we can become, like Matt said, “better versions of ourselves.”  We may not have the speed of Swimmies or the all-around ability of someone like Woodshack but we can strive to increase our physical, mental and spiritual prowess.  That’s important to know for an old geezer like me who cannot keep up with you younguns.

Colossians 3:23-24

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for employees at Crispr’s workplace where some things have been happening and an employee will be fired; prayer for safe travel for Drum Major and his daughter and for Dawg Paddle; prayers for Pusher’s son as he decides on graduate school; prayers for Abacus’ daughter as she prepares for graduation; prayer for all students at the end of this school year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We will meet again to work on our Obstacles at Hardship Hill on Saturday, May 20.

Murph Prep / 2 For Tuesday

F3 Q  – 5.2.23

  • Asylum PM 
  • 5:45pm – 6:30pm
    • Pre-ruck / Shield Lock at 5:10pm

[ The Scene ] 

  • 60s
  • Windy 
  • Sunny

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith 
  • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning 
  • A few things before we begin: 
    • I’m not a professional 
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • You know your injuries if you have any so if you need to modify anything we do today feel free to do so, but push yourselves and the men around you. They deserve it and so do you. 
  • FNGs?

The cool thing about today? It’s 2 For Tuesday ON May 2nd. So let’s roll. So let’s roll. 

[ Warm o Rama ] 

  • SSH: 5×4
    • 5 merkins 
  • SSH: 10×4
    • 5 merkins 
  • SSH: 15×4
    • 5 merkins 

(Rinse + Repeat — 2FT!)

[ The Thang ] 

— Mosey to the Coliseum — 

(1) Murph Practice — May’s Metric Workout

  • Murph 
    • 1 mile run 
    • 300 push-ups
    • 200 squats
    • 100 pull-ups
    • 1 mile run
    • All with a 20lb weighted vest
  • TOC (Top Of Coliseum)
    • 5, 10, 15 model — all on a 1-count
      • 5 shoulder presses (in place of pull-ups — hitting the lats)
      • 10 merkins 
      • 15 squats 
      • Sprint, not mosey, sprint around the circle as fast as you can 
      • Rinse and repeat once 
    • 10, 10, 10 model — all on a 1 count
      • 10 dry docks
      • 10 merkins 
      • 10 squats 
      • Sprint, not mosey, sprint around the circle as fast as you can 
      • Rinse and repeat once
    • 10, 20, 30 model — all on a 1-count
      • 10 shoulder presses 
      • 20 merkins 
      • 30 squats 
      • Sprint, not mosey, sprint around the circle as fast as you can
      • Rinse and repeat once 

— Mosey to the picnic tables beside the Coliseum —

(2) There And Back Again

  • Points of contact: picnic table + far bench on the hill
  • Ping Pong Model
    • 5 pull-ups on the table / 5 merkins on the bench
    • 10 pull-ups on the table / 10 merkins on the bench
    • 15 pull-ups on the table / 15 merkins on the bench
    • 20 pull-ups on the table / 20 merkins on the bench

(3) Enough Upper, Focus on Lower

  • Points of Contact: picnic table + wall at the Coliseum
  • Ping Pong Model
    • 10 squats / 10 squats
    • 20 squats / 20 squats
    • 30 squats / 30 squats

— Mosey back to the AO — 

[ Mary ] 

Breathe

[ COT ]

  • # off — 9 
  • Name o Rama 
  • FNGs
  • Word — Tear Up The Planks – God Wants What’s Underneath

No doubt I now grew very pale; — but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased — and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound — much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath — and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly — more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men — but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed — I raved — I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they suspected! — they knew! — they were making a mockery of my horror! — this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! — and now — again! — hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! —

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!”

  • The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

— RD’s talk at the Fellowship men’s retreat – he spoke on this idea of “tearing up the planks.”

— More recently, I’m learning a lot about flooring. We’re going to have to replace our wood floors at some point this year, and unfortunately, due to some water damage from the dishwasher and fridge, the subfloor is now damaged in some places too, which means we’ll have to replace that. Ah, the joys of home ownership. 

— All that being said, when we first realized some of the planks were warped and twisting up, and probably needed to just be taken off and covered, we tried to get them to lay flat again, or covered them with a rug.

— If you think about your life like a floor, you have a couple of components

    • Planks (floor) top level
    • Subfloor is underneath
    • Whatever is under the subfloor 

— My journey in vulnerability over the past year or so has increased tremendously, and to be honest, more rapidly than I am comfortable with — but I don’t think we’re called to be comfortable in this life. It’s in the uncomfortable places that growth happens. 

— Maybe this is true for you – it definitely it for me. Here’s what happens a lot of times: something really tough or hard happens in our life, maybe that we’ve done or caused, or maybe that someone else has, and we want to stow it underneath the surface so no one can see it. And we nail that plank down super hard – with self-denial, disassociation, coping mechanisms, distractions – these are some of the nails we use to do this. 

— This is a good fix – it’s safe for the time being, it’s underneath the surface where no one can see it. But up top on the surface, man! That floor looks good. Polished, put together, everything’s cool! 

— But unfortunately like in my case with my house — what’s not addressed and brought out of the darkness and into the light, can damage the subfloor over time. It can be maddening – just like in The Tell-Tale Heart. How does everyone not see this?! Surely they’re on to me and know what I’m struggling with! But unfortunately, our culture have become masters in the art and tactics of camouflage. 

— Over time, that plank needs to be ripped up and dealt with, and addressed — but what’s true in my life is that anytime I get the sense that the plank I don’t want to come up starts to come up, I grab some of those nails (self-denial, disassociation, coping mechanisms, distractions) and nail that sucker back harder than the first time, or the most recent time that is. 

— “I’m not ready to tear that plank up yet! I don’t want to go there. It’s too painful. I’m the only one that deals with this. No one would understand or be empathetic.” These are all lies. 

— But God is not just interested in how you look from the outside, he wants what’s underneath.

— You know what a good homeowner does? They don’t just pay attention to what’s on the surface in their home, they deeply care about what’s going on underneath. God is the best homeowner – because in reality He does own the home (our lives). And over the course of our lives there is a sometimes gentle and sometimes more urgent invitation to tear up the planks. He wants what’s underneath. Those places that are really hard to go sometimes. And His deep care and love for us wasn’t enough, he puts people and things in our life, just like F3 and our community of men, to help in this process.

The journey of vulnerability and tearing up the planks is not easy nor is it comfortable, but it is good, very good. 

 

Accepted As We Are

THE SCENE: Sunny, temperature about 80 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 10 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 7 Cherry Pickers, 7 Windmills, 6 Pterodactyls forward, 6 Pterodactyls backward, Michael Phelps.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Stop Sign at Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will stop to do 20 Rocky Balboas.

Mosey on perimeter trail toward the entrance gate at Lyons Bend then on the trail heading east.  There will be a cone out in the field nearby. We will split into teams of two for Doras.  While one partner runs up to the tree stump at the top of the hill and back, the other partner does exercises.  Then partners switch off. Here is the exercises that each team of two partners will do:

  • 100 Squat Jumps
  • 100 Carolina Dry Docks
  • 100 Hello Dollies
  • 100 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)
  • 100 Diamond Merkins
  • 200 Baby Crunches

Mosey back up the hill and past the stump to the roadway. Then mosey to the Stop Sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will run on the shaded trail to sidewalk that loops in front of the Admin Bldg.  Then head east to the parking lot area.  Then run on roadway back to the Stop Sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg.  There will be five cones set up along the way.  Each time we run the route we will do different exercises at the cones:

  • First run:  10 squats at each cone.
  • Second Run: 10 Flutter kicks (4 ct) at each cone.
  • Third run:  10 Lunges, 5 each leg, at each cone.
  • Fourth run:  10 Bobby Hurleys at each cone.

From the Stop Sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg. will will race back to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 Men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I hope that F3 will always be an organization where brothers feel welcomed by all brothers . . . where a man is not judged by the job he has, by the car he drives, by how fast he runs, or how fancy the shoes on his feet look.  I think the message of F3 should be, “my man, we accept you as you are.  That doesn’t mean that we won’t mold you into a better man . . . but it means that you can be you.”

One of my F3 brothers was recently talking about coworkers at his job. These guys make good money.  But the narcissistic, self-centered attitude of some of these coworkers, the selfish boasting, and the failure to help one’s fellow man sometimes make my friend feel sick.  My friend strives on at his job but he certainly doesn’t appreciate the attitude of some of his coworkers.

I formerly worked as a jury and trial consultant for a consulting firm that was hired by law firms on pretty major cases.  I highly respected many of the attorneys I worked for.  But, there were some attorneys I definitely did not respect.  I remember a mock trial that my consulting firm conducted in Jackson, Mississippi.  Some of the attorneys on the case and I arrived at the same time at the airport in Jackson and hailed a taxi together to ride to the hotel we were staying at.  I recall the smirks, comments and laughter about the taxi driver after we were dropped off.  The attorneys made fun of his accent and his seemingly backward ways while they also made negative inferences regarding the common state of the city.  I remember thinking during that stay in Jackson that I would be much more likely to enjoy eating dinner with that taxi driver than with those conceited attorneys.  I wondered what dreams that taxi driver had, what friendships, what his family was like, how hard he might be working to make sure dinner was on the table.  He certainly seemed friendlier than the attorneys and was probably much more real.  My bet was that his “seemingly backward ways” had much more depth and poignancy than the shallow sightedness of the out-of-town observers.

God, let me be surrounded by people who can be real with one another, who will appreciate one another for who they are and bring out the best in their fellow humans.  God, help F3 Knoxville to continue to be that type of band of men.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for daughter of Glamper as she is currently ill.  Prayers for Abacus’ son who is struggling with some issues and for his daughter as she prepares to graduate from high school.  Prayer for the wonderful way our F3 brothers pull together to help each other across the finish line.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
On Tuesday of next week, Justice Knox has their annual Nehemiah Action event at the Civic Auditorium.  A coalition of faith communities will meet and work to make Knoxville a better place to live for everyone.  All are invited.  We will be preparing the Asylum PM made obstacles for Hardship Hill on May 20. This will be the weekend before Hardship Hill.  Sparkler will be in charge and we can use everyone’s help.