F3 Knoxville

Be a Sheep, Not a Goat

THE SCENE: Sunny and give-me-a-breeze-because-it’s-90-degrees-oh please oh please Hot, around 90 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER  Check.  I may not have clarified I’m not a professional. But I am not.
WARM-O-RAMA:

30 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence, 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence, 20 Imperial Walkers (4-ct), in Cadence, 10 Baby arm circles forward/backward, Little of This and That, 10 plank jacks (4-ct) in cadence (had to add these on waiting for Hooker to dress himself… insert eye roll here)

THA-THANG:

Mosey to random shady area south of Admin Building before Chapel

  • Mucho Chesto #1: 10 x Merkin / 10 x Wide Merkin / 10 x Diamonds / 10 Stagger Merkin Left / 10 Stagger Merkin Right.

Mosey to Chapel

  • CHAPEL 7’s
    • Part 1: Mountain Climbers (4-ct)/Bench Dips
    • Part 2: Froggie Squat Jumps/Decline Merkins

Mosey to big tree outside of chapel that had a sort of circular shade pattern.

  • Catch Me if You Can!
    • Partner up. One partner Burpee Broad Jumps around perimeter of shade.  Other partner does 10 LBCs and then GORILLA RUNS to catch up.  Then partners switch. 3 minutes.  Rinse and repeat, except with Lunges and Bear Crawls.

Mosey to CMU pile.

  • DORAS
    • Use same partners as before. One partner DUCK WALKS ½ way then sprints to end of parking lot, does 3 merkins, then sprints and switches.
      • 100 curls (Q pulled up lame with a tight calf here.  Dang!!)
      • 100 overhead press (RIP to the CMU that Tank dropped.  We all pitched in on the punishment burpees)
      • 100 triceps (didn’t have time for these last two)
      • 100 squats

Mosey to start of Dragon Tail

  • Mucho Chesto #2, 1/2 reps: 5 x Merkin / 5 x Wide Merkin / 5 x Diamonds / 5 Stagger Merkin Left /5 Stagger Merkin Right.Mosey to monument up the Dragon’s tail
      • 20 American Hammers

Mosey to AO

MARY:
No Time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 HIMs, J-Lo not tagged
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Certain current events in the news have been disturbing to me, and I felt the urge to recite this Bible verse that contains some sentiments that I feel we need to be reminded of collectively as a society.

Matthew 25 verses 1-13, Parable of the Sheep and Goats

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’

“The King will answer them, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ Then he will say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

“Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn’t help you?’

“Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Most certainly I tell you, because you didn’t do it to one of the least of these, you didn’t do it to me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for several PAX who have family members who are going through health issues, and praise for some news of recovery for several as well.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Fourth of July F3/FiA parade news (check Cap’n Crunch’s email) and Goliath at the Gorge mud run/obstacle course near Johnson City in late October.  F3 Knoxville is coordinating with other F3 groups and the organizers to get an F3 discout, arrange some fellowship options, and perhaps volunteer.

Give In To God

THE SCENE:  Sunny and humid, temps in 80’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side-straddle hops, 10 Iron Mikes (four count), 10 Windmills, 10 Twists, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign at southeast corner of the Admin Bldg.  20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to parking lot near Area 54.  20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Cones that will be in grass on others side of the street from parking lot near Area 54.  The cones will be set up in four corners.  We will be going to each cone by the following methods and doing the following exercises:

  • Cone 1:  20 Merkins.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Big Boy Sit Ups.  Grapevine, right foot in lead, to Cone 3
  • Cone 3:  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Sprint to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4.  40 Baby Crunches.  Grapevine, left foot in lead, to Cone 1.+
  • Rinse and repeat two more times.

Mosey to shaded area on perimeter trail that is near the North Shore Gate Entrance to park.  20 Buzz Saws.

Mosey down perimeter trail to bottom of Mt. Everest.  20 Hello Dollies. 20 Merkins.  20 Big Boy Sit Ups.

Run up Mt. Everest to street in front of Admin Bldg.

We will run in a counter-clockwise square doing the following exercises at the following locations:

At Bat House:  Do 20 Star Jumps then run down steps.

At grassy area at bottom of steps:  20 Carolina Dry Docks then run to tree grove below summit of Mt. Everest.

At tree grove:  10 Burpees then run to top of Mt. Everest.

At top of Mt. Everest:  20 Big Boy Situps

Mosey to wall on other side of street from Admin Bldg parking lot.  We will pair up into two man teams.  While one partner does 20 dips at wall the other partner does merkins.  Then partners trade places.  Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Buzz Saws, 20 Pickle Pounders, 15 Shoulder Taps, 20 Merkins
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eleven men, one FNG, Robert Land whom we dubbed “Hot Lips.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Give In To God

“Never give up.”  “When the going get’s tough, the tough get going.”  ” Go the extra mile.”  “Give 110%.” “When you think you have had enough, find that extra in reserve.”

These are phrases we can relate to in F3.  We are a group of men who encourage each other to push ourselves to our limits so that we can better ourselves in health and as members of society.  These are good phrases and they ring with truth.  To succeed in life we must push ourselves, even when the chips are down. To be true HIM’s we must also sometimes carry others with us along the way.

But as HIM’s who live in a world that has tainted views of what true success is, we must also think on these phrases with discernment.  We must realize that their are exceptions to every rule.  We must learn that it is important to have balance in our lives.  We must see that even Jesus took time to rest and pray.  And, in F3, we must remember that one of our often used phrases is, “Modify!”

As a psychologist, I see people who definitely need to listen to the “don’t give up” types of statements.  I see people quitting jobs just because they had a bad day at work, because a co-worker or boss said something negative to them, because they don’t like getting up on dark and cold mornings.”  This type of attitude leads to defeat, to failure, to depression.

But I have also seen people who are anxious, depressed and miserable because they think they have to hold everything together or else they are failures.  These people are not the “I give up types.”  But they are burning the candle at both ends, failing to “sharpen the saw”, and failing to turn to God and trust in Him at their greatest time of need.  I was watching a television show on Netflix with my wife on Saturday night.  Part of the show focused on an attorney who had been very successful at her job.  She also wanted to be a good mother.  She and her stay-at-home husband were doing the best they could to raise their young daughter and they had also recently adopted a nine-year-old boy who came from a very difficult background and had some behavioral issues because of it.  The attorney was trying to meet the needs of her family and the needs of the job.  She was getting further and further behind because of the many demands facing her.  She had her daughter getting angry at her for missing one of her school musicals (due to job necessities) and she had her employer and clients getting upset at her for making mistakes on the job that she had not made in the past.  She was reaching the breaking point.  In one scene, she has a panic attack in front of her husband, almost fainting, something that had never happened to her before.  Finally, in a critical scene of the show, leaders of the law firm let her know that she has been on track to become a partner in this highly successful firm.  Noting her recent mistakes, they ask her if she is willing to give 100% to the law firm.  She makes an important decision, one that the society she runs with would see as a mistake, as a sign of failure.  She decides to quit the firm.

I bring this up because there will be times in each of our lives when we must choose to give things up.  A great way to recognize this is when we see that we are taking on too much, when our life feels out of balance.  We are not failing when we make the decision to give up in such a case.  We are, rather, choosing something greater.  In the case of the female attorney in the show I mentioned, she chose to spend more time with family.  She could take on a job with less pay so that she could have a better relationship with her daughter and adopted son.

What can we do when we experience ourselves off kilter?  We can pray to God.  Too many times we try to handle things on our own without asking God for direction.  We can also talk to our friends.  God often speaks to us through friends.  In our prayers we may hear that we need to hang in their for a while, that things will slow down, that life will get back to balance.  But we may also hear that it is time to give something up.  We may also see that we have been trying to manage things without God without giving in to Him, allowing him to guide us, freeing ourselves up to give Him control.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

Peanut’s Here

THE SCENE: Slightly cloudy, temps in sixties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Plank Jacks, 10 Pinto Twists, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, 10 Tempo Squats, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to large parking lot that is south of northern ball fields and north of serpentine sidewalk.  Each man picks up a two bricks.  We will run, with bricks, counter-clockwise around the parking lot, stopping at each cone to do the listed exercise.

  • Cone 1:  10 Mini-man-makers
  • Cone 2:  20 Overhead Presses
  • Cone 3:  20 Wings Up
  • Cone 4:  20 Curls
  • Cone 5:  20 Wings Down
  • Cone 6:  20 Tricepts
  • Cone 7:  20 Wings Out
  • Cone 8:  20 Rows

Run one more time around parking lot with bricks, doing Bernie Sanders during first half and sprinting for the second half (not stopping at cones).  Lunge at semi circles ends of the parking lot.  Then dump bricks back in pile.

Mosey to start of serpentine sidewalk.  We will do 14’s on the sidewalk all the way to the perimeter trail.  We will bear crawl to first light, run for four lights, lunge to next light, run four more, then repeat sequence to perimeter trail.  We will do 20 Imperial Walkers as a group at the perimeter trail.

Mosey on perimeter trail until we reach cardiac hill.  We will run up cardiac hill, performing the following exercises at each of the following areas:

  • Start of cardiac hill:  20 Hello Dollies (four count).
  • Turn 1:  20 American Hammers (four count)
  • Turn 2:  20 Flutter Kicks (four count)
  • Turn 3:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  20 Bench Dips

Mosey to parking lot by entrance to the northern ball fields.  Go to CMU Pile.  We will do 20 Overhead Presses, 20 Curls, 20 Rows, and 20 Squats with CMUs.

Mosey to northern-most ball field.  We will do the great football throw.  In this, one man runs to first base and then rounds towards second.  The next man must lead him with a pass of the football as he heads to second.  If the ball hits the ground then all men must do five burpees. The ball is passed back and the man who passed the ball is now the receiver going to first and second base with the next man in line being the passer.  The group must do five burpees for any ball that hits the ground on a pass.

Mosey to playground.  We will do elevens at the benches with decline merkins as one exercise and bench hops as the other.

Mosey back to CMU pile.  We will repeat the 20 Overhead Presses, 20 Curls, 20 Rows, and 20 Squats with CMUs.

Mosey to bottom of Mini-Cardiac.  We will Bernie Sanders to No Parking Sign then sprint to the gate at the top of the hill.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Box Cutters.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eight men, including P-nut visiting us from UT Martin and Abscess’ dog, Tank.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
How Do We Color Our World?

I recently viewed a quick video by Christian rapper Andy Mineo.  He talked about how he reads scripture to help relieve him from doubt about Christ.  He also talked about how scripture helps to color his world with what is good, with what is right.  And by coloring his world in that way, he then can do more in regards to what is good and right for others, because he is viewing those around him in a way that God wants him to view them.

How do we color our worlds?  Sometimes when I wake up on a work day I do not color my world with much beauty.  I may start off with a stroke that goes like this:  “Crap, another day of work.”

I can chose to color it in a different way.  I can chose to paint my morning this way:  “God, help me to greet others with strength and love today.  Help me to know you are there with me in each and every activity I perform.  Let me hear your voice whispering to me and help me to feel your hand upon me.”

Further, I can read from the bible at the start and/or end of my day.  I can get together with people who will get me in the correct frame of mind and help me to color my world in the right kind of way.  For example, I can go to F3, bust my butt with my brothers, and hear the message within the Circle of Trust that will thrust me forward with a strong spirit to meet the day.

Some of you may remember a song by the group Chicago called “Color My World.”  The last line of the song, directed toward a lover, says “Color my world with hope of loving you.”  What if we were to change the line, thinking of our Father in Heaven, and say, each day, to God “Color my world with the love you have for me.”  Saying that to ourselves may color our day with hope, with strength, with conviction, and with joy.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the pregnancy of Small’s wife who is due in mid to late July.  Prayers for Crawdad’s wife, Kaitlin, who is having surgery.

Whiskey, Soft Beds, and Buttermilk

THE SCENE: Perfect. Low 70s, nice breeze, sunny

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check


WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH, 20 IC
  • Bolt 45s (15 top ½ squats, 15 bottom ½ squats, 15 full squats)
  • 5 PCMBs OYO
  • 10 Plank Jacks (4-ct, IC)
  • 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)
  • Baby Arm Circles Forward (x10, 4 Ct, IC) and backward (x10, 4 Ct, IC)

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to grassy field below Admin building.
  • RECTANGLE OF DEATH!!!! (Q was not too original with the name…) Cones set up in rectangle.
    • Run suicides on long sides, but Bernie Sanders back to baseline instead of turning around. Run to ¼, ½, ¾, and full length.
    • Short sides, Burpee Broad Jumps (3 jumps then a Burpee)
    • Do exercise listed at the corner. Do 5 reps of each exercise the first lap, then 10, then 15
      • Corner 1: Mountain Climbers (2-ct), Tempo Squats, Iron Mikes (both legs =1) (5x/10x/15x)
      • Corner 2: Hand Release Merkins, Carolina Dry Docks, and Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1) (5x/10x/15x)
      • Corner 3: Star Jumps, Smurf Jacks, Bobby Hurleys (5x/10x/15x)
      • Corner 4: Big Boy Situps, American Hammers (2-ct), and box cutters (4-ct) (5x/10x/15x)

Only did two laps… too many other fun things to do.  Plus these were hard as heck and Q was out of breath.

  • Mosey to CMU pile.
    • CMU Farmer Carries!
      • Line up on Curb. Take turns lugging two CMUs around perimeter of parking lot.  Rest of PAX will be running back and forth across parking lot doing merkins at one end and squats at the other.  5x/10x/15x, rinse and repeat.  Keep repeating until everyone has carried the CMUs.  Tank, Lillydipper, and maybe one other PAX I’m forgetting volunteered to team up and do an extra lap to keep company with the last person to carry the CMUs, exmplifying the sacrifice and No Man Left Behind philosophy of F3.  Tank did it while battling calf cramps.  Beast.
      • Hat tip to Judge Judy!
  • Get a partner. One partner runs straight normal, the other Bernie Sanders up Baby Cardiac.  Switch half way up.  At top do 10 patty-cake merkins.
  • Mosey to AO.

MARY:
No time.  Barely made it back to the AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong! (J-Lo and Thunderstruck not tagged)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I recently revisited the book Lonesome Dove, which truly is a Great American Novel, and has countless memorable quotes and words of wisdom in it. It’s a tale of an ambitious (but tragic) cattle drive undertaken by two ex-Rangers-turned-cattle-ranchers, Gus and Call, from Texas to Montana.  During the drive, a woman companion on the trip, Lorie, a gentle soul who has led a difficult life surrounded by men who take advantage of her, is abducted by Comanches and is treated brutally while she is prisoner.  She survives and is rescued, but has many scars, both physically and psychologically.  She decides she needs to strike out on her own and finally realize a dream of hers to travel to California and start a new life.  In a letter that Gus writes to Lorie when she sets off, he says: “You see, life in San Francisco is still just life. If you want any one thing too badly, it’s likely to turn out to be a disappointment. The only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little everyday things – like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself.”

The message is pretty clear… The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. If you’re always looking ahead, you will miss the enjoyment of the present.  If you are always chasing a dream, you will not realize the simple pleasures of the present that are Gifts from God.

    • Take pleasure in the simple things.  Life is what you make of it.
    • The trap we often fall into is looking at someone else’s situation and thinking that I wish I had what they have.  The reality is what they have may not be as good as it appears as we stand in our field looking across at theirs.
    • Phillipians 4:11-12 And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little.

MOLESKIN:
Several members of the PAX have friends and family members battling serious illnesses.  We are thinking of them and keeping them in our prayers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Nope.

Pyramid Scheme

THE SCENE: A nice reprieve from 2 days of rain with plenty of humidity to go around.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Side Straddle Hop x 20
  • 1 Burpee
  • Imperial Squat Walker x 15
  • 2 Burpee
  • Merkin x 10 (4 ct)
  • 3 Burpee
  • Baby Arm Circles x 15, Over head Clap x 10
  • 4 Burpee
  • TN Rocking Chair x 15

THA-THANG:

Mosey to the lower parking lot, See Skunk, Stop abruptly, fast mosey…

Pyramid Scheme.    Partner up with someone of similar speed.  Run in the opposite direction and every time you meet do 25 of the following exercises with the exception of burpees which are x 10

  • lap 1 merkins
  • lap 2 merkins, superman
  • lap 3 merkins, Superman, mtn climbers
  • lap 4 merkins, Superman, mtn climbers, Bobby Hurley
  • lap 5 merkins Superman mtn climbers, Bobby Hurley and burpees
  • lap 6 Superman, mtn climbers , Bobby Hurley’s , burpees
  • lap 7 mtn climbers , Bobby Hurley , burpees
  • lap 8 Bobby Hurley’s , burps
  • lap 9 burps
  • lap 10 victory lap

Mosey to the Cloud.

  • 7’s with Box jumps and Bulgarian squats

Mosey through the start point to the base of baby Everest….sike.  No, we are not going to circle up for mary.

  • Grinders x 3 
    • Sprint up the hill 2 burpees
    • Reverse up the hill 4 burpees
    • Sprint up the hill 6 burpees

MARY: Flutter kicks by 30, BBS x 20

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Be Proactive in life not Reactive.   If you only react to the day you will be subject to the circumstances that come your way.   Working out in the am before the sun comes up ensures you will get it in.   We can proactive in our spiritual lives and relationships as well.   “Play the ball before the ball plays you”