F3 Knoxville

Tag: Abacus

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.

March Metric Workout – Asylum PM’d

F3 Q – 3.28.23

  • Asylum PM AO
  • 5:45pm – 6:30pm
  • Steam on Q
  • Accelerate You vs. You – March Metric Workout 

[ Warm o Rama ]

  • 3-5 minutes

[ The Thang ] 

March Metric Workout

  • Start the timer
  • All PAX perform each exercise for 1 full minute (no rest interval between sets)
  • Immediately following the 10th exercise (CMU deadlifts) (no rest), perform 5 minutes of CMU Thrusters (keep counting toward your total # of reps)
  • You will keep track of the TOTAL number of reps (cumulative) for each exercise below
  • Duration: 15 minutes
  •  Exercises
    • 1-minute of CMU OHP
    • 1-minute of CMU Goblet Squats
    • 1-minute of CMU Bent Over Rows
    • 1-minute of CMU BBS
    • 1-minute of CMU Biceps curls
    • 1-minute of CMU Lunges
    • 1-minute of Derkins (feet elevated on CMU)
    • 1-minute of CMU LBCs
    • 1-minute of CMU Triceps extension
    • 1-minute of CMU Deadlifts
    • 5-minutes of CMU Thrusters

Crispr recorded 1st Round # of reps

Rest 3 minutes.

Repeat the full routine – starting over with your rep count. Total duration: 30 minutes.

Submit BOTH scores – Round 1 reps and Round 2 reps (scored individually, not cumulatively).

Enter your times and reps on THIS FORM. 

[ Mary ]

Stretched for the last 60 seconds

[ COT ]

  • # off – 16
  • FNGs? – 0
  • Name o Rama
    • Pusher, Pluto, Rooney, Sparkler, Z-Bone, Lillydipper, Onstar, Crispr, Cheetah Boy, Steam, Flashback, Red Card, Abacus, Switchgrass, Down Under, Swimmies
  • Word

Pray for Nashville’s shooting victims. This morning at a small group I’m a part of one of the older guys said that you were going to see a lot of blame start to happen because of this weather it is gun control or stuff about the shooter, being transgender or the lack of security, and all this stuff. But really what it is, is that we live in a fallen world and its sin.

Do we need better precautions and things in place to protect our kids and be more responsible as citizens of this earth? Absolutely but we need Jesus even more. 

Check out these powerful lyrics, from the song “Never Let Go” by Seventh Day Slumber. I was listening to this on the way to the workout tonight and these lyrics hit really hard:

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of deathYour perfect love is casting out fearAnd even when I’m caught in the middle of the storms of this lifeI won’t turn backI know You are near
And I will fear no evilFor my God is with meAnd if my God is with meWhom then shall I fear?Whom then shall I fear?
Oh no, You never let goThrough the calm and through the stormOh no, You never let goIn every high and every lowOh no, You never let goLord, You never let go of me
And I can see a light that is coming for the heart that holds onA glorious light beyond all compareAnd there will be an end to these troublesBut until that day comesWe’ll live to know You here on the earth

Listen to “Never Let Go” on Spotify

0 Expectations

F3 Q – 3.25.23

  • Asylum Daybreak
  • 7am – 8am
  • Theme: Expectations

[ The Scene ] 

  • Rainy (stopped a little before 7am)
  • 60s

[ 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? – 1! EH’d by Voltage

[ Warm o Rama ] 

  • SSH – 10×4
  • Baby Arm Circles – 10×4 F + B
  • Windmill – 10×4
  • Rockette – 10×4
  • Twisty – 10×4

[ The Thang ] 

(1) Square Pyramid 

  • 4 corners of the parking lot 
  • 4 rounds or 4 times at each corner
  • R1: 25 reps across the board 
  • R2: 50 reps across the board 
  • R3: 75 reps across the board 
  • R4: 100 reps across the board 
  • All on a 1-count
  • Moving counter-clockwise 
  • C1 – Calf raises 
  • C2 – Chest presses
  • C3 – Squats
  • C4 – Incline merkins

— Mosey to NewPav —  Legs

  • There and back again 
  • NewPav: Squats, Lunges, Step Ups
  • 10 reps each (1-count)
  • Do all 3 Xs
  • Run a lap around the island
  • Rinse and repeat – 3 rounds total

— Mosey back to the AO — 

[ Mary ] 

(1) Down + Backs

  • Skips
  • Side-shuffle
  • Open-chest lunges

(2) SWS

[ COT ]

  • # off – 16
  • Name o Rama – Veggie, Jumbo, Pluto, Voltage, Crawdad, Q-Bert, High-Heels, Choir Boy, Swimmies, Abacus, Lillydipper, Pele, Glamper, Curveball, Steam, FNG
  • FNGs – 1 – Parcore
  • BOM

Expectations – Luke 10:38-42

I came into this week with a lot of expectations, spoken and unspoken. I would imagine that you did as well. And to be honest, it’s been a really tough week when it comes to my expectations. Expectations professionally, personally, and relationally. I think one of the best stories on expectations in the Bible comes from Luke 10:38-42, the story of Martha and Mary. I’ve included it below.

What you see in this passage of scripture is a lot of what we go through in life: missed expectations, met expectations, exceeded expectations, and how we respond to these. In this story you see three responses (based upon expectations)

  1. Martha’s response
    1. Lord don’t you care?
    2. Don’t you see me?
    3. Don’t you see all this work I’m doing to prepare for you and others?
    4. Tell her (Mary) to help me. She should be helping me! (I have expectations for her, don’t you see that?)
  2. Mary’s response
    1. Sitting at the feet of Jesus, taking in every word He said
  3. Jesus’s response
    1. I see you. I care deeply about you. I care about your expectations.
    2. I also care about Mary sitting at my feet desiring to abide in my as I abide in her.

Marha is not wrong for completing tasks, working, and preparing, and Mary is not lazy for sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Did you know you can have expectations of yourself, of others, and of Jesus. Whether you realize it or not.

A couple of questions to think about

  1. Where does this story find you right now, in your season of life?
  2. Where do you find yourself in this story?
  3. What expectations do you have of yourself, others, and Jesus?

Regardless of what your expectations are, and how you respond, Jesus wants to be invited in and wants to meet you right there – in your missed, met, or exceeded expectations.

Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details!

  • Luke 10:38-42 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.10.38-42

Practices Makes Progress

Asylum PM Q

  • 3.9.3
  • 5:45pm – 6:30pm
  • Meeting up top 
  • Steam on Q

[ The Scene ] 

  • March/September Metric Workout Prep workout (11 Xs)

[ 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: 25×4
  • Imperial Walker: 10×4
  • Apollo Slowno (Apollo Ono, but slow): 10×4
  • Zombies: 10×4
  • Moroccan Night Clubs (hands out and switch palms up and down): 10×4

[ The Thang ] 

Only doing the 11 Xs in the metric workout (all with your CMU, ruck plate, etc)

  • Overhead press 
  • Goblet squats 
  • Bent over rows 
  • BBS
  • Curls 
  • Lunges 
  • Derkins
  • LBCs
  • Tricep extensions 
  • Deadlifts 
  • Thrusters 

Locations (Bring CMUs, etc)

(1) Rock Pile at the top of Pickett’s Charge 

1st 5 Xs

  • Overhead press 
  • Goblet squat 
  • Bent over rows 
  • BBS
  • Curls 
  • 25s (1 count)
  • Execute 25 reps of the X
  • Run to the neighboring rock pile with your CMU/rock, etc
  • Do the same X – 25 reps 
  • Rinse and repeat this process for all 5 Xs

Mosey to location #2 

(2) Wall below the Coliseum 

2nd 5 Xs 

  • Lunges 
  • Derkins 
  • LBCs
  • Tricep extensions 
  • Deadlifts 
  • 25s (1 count)
  • Execute 25 reps of the X
  • Take a lap (no CMU/rock/etc)
  • Rinse and repeat for all 5 Xs

Mosey back to the AO for thrusters + Mary

[ Mary – FP ] 

  • 10 CMU thrusters
  • Core 4 
    • LBC: 10×4
    • American Hammer: 10×4
    • In + Outs: 10×4
    • Alabama Hello Dollys: 10×4

[ COT ]

  • # off – 15
  • Name o Rama 
  • FNGs – 0
  • Word

“Practice makes progress, not perfection.”

“The comeback is always stronger and more redemptive than the setback.”

I think these two things tie in very well to this metric workouts that we are completing together this year. If you come out here wanting to crush it and have a perfect workout every single time you’ll be disappointed. If you come out here and want to get 1% better and engage in progressive, incremental growth, your ROI will increase tenfold.