F3 Knoxville

45 Minute Warm Up

THE SCENE:

Mid 30’s with a slight breeze

WARM-O-RAMA:

4ct SSH x 20; Tai Fighters x 10 (forward and backward); Cherry Pickers x 5; Plank Jacks x 10; Failure-to-launch x 7; mosey up and around to CMU pile (stopped for some Rocky Balboa’s and Derkins on the way)

THA-THANG:

Carried CMU’s over by the church parking lot for some group therapy (and to continue warming up!).

Simple format… perform exercise listed at first cone, run to next cone across park lot and do same, continue and do same at cone 3 and 4, then run all the way back to cone 1 for round 2.

Exercises by rounds and cones:

1) CMU Thrusters x 5; Hand-Release Merkins x 10; Big Boy Sit-ups x 15; and 4ct SSH x 20

2) CMU Hammers x 10; Carolina Dry Docks x 15; Flutter Kicks x 20; Squat Jumps x 25

3) CMU Squats x 15; Wide Grip Merkins x 20; Freddie Mercurys x 25; Lunges x 30

4) Lightening Round – perform all 3 exercises at each cone… CMU Thrusters x 5 + CMU Hammers x 10 + CMU Squats x 15… then move to the next cone… so on and so forth

Restocked the CMUs and did high knees, rockettes, karaoke (both sides), and jogged back to AO

MARY:

Time for modified Howler Circle (PAX does non-stop monkey humpers while we rotate one at a time taking a lap around the circle – friendly “pats” on rears may have occurred)

Finished with Hello Dollies, Pickle Pounders, and Dead Bugs.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA:

6 well seasoned HIMs present – no FNGs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Reflected a bit on my up and down year of leading well at times and failing other times (more lazy than missing while trying).  Many opportunities to lead in our homes, work, church, and community.  Sometimes we pull back for fear of failure or the sting of memories from recent failures.  2 Peter 1 we read that the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness – for His glory and excellence – and therefore we have no excuse to “not try”.  We need to pursue the model of Jesus described in Philippians 2 where His attitude was right before any actions took place.  With humility we should try and try again and trust the Lord for the results.  Read an excerpt from Q source 4.5 talking about the tool of failure in carving out Virtuous Leaders.  Failure will happen… especially if we try to do difficult things… but we should not give up and we should get up and try again.

Quarter Mile Stations

THE SCENE:

Clear Temperature Humidity Feels like Wind Speed Wind Direction
36 ℉ 87% 33 ℉ 3.5 mi/h NE

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER.
I am not a professional.  I have a phone.  Workout as injuries allow.

WARM-O-RAMA:

Happy Jacks (5)
Tempo Merkins (10)
Dead Bugs (10)
Abe Vigodas (10)

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the track.

On the track, there are nine stations.
1. Burpees
2. Monkey Humpers/Squats
3. BBS/Merkins
4. Flutter Kicks/Hello Dolly
5. Diamond/Wide Merkins
6. Smurf Jacks/Lunge
7. LBC/Box Cutters
8. Merkins/BBS
9. Dips/ Carolina Dry Docks

Running around the track stop at every station and do 10 of the exercises. Second time around the track do the second exercise listed. If there is one. Third time go back to first. And so forth. If you want, you are allowed to pass a cone and not do that exercise. But every cone passed increases the number of exercises by 10. If you pass 1 cone, then you do 20 at the next cone. You then drop back to 10. So, you can make this go as you want. You could run the entire time and not do any exercises. On your honor. Work yourself out as hard or easy as you want.

Mary:
Dead Bugs (15)
Supermans (5)
LBC(4)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
8 good men got better.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“If a guy cuts you off in traffic, you can take that as “drop dead” and respond in kind. Or you can just assume that he is a bad driver and keep driving reasonably. If you choose the former, that means that you too become a bad driver and may provoke another negative response from him. A good driver wouldn’t do that because it might disrupt him from getting to his destination safely, which is the whole purpose in driving, to get where you are going in one piece.”
With your goals, don’t let the bad change you in a way that could keep you from where you want to end up.

 

MOLESKIN:
For all of our families and coworkers.  For Pom Pom and his competitors next week. Just a wee bit more for Pom Pom.  For the unsaid prayers in our hearts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

SSHhhh – Faithfulness is Quiet

THE SCENE: Coldest day in awhile. But just right for a beatdown (it wasn’t raining!)
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER – Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

Overhead clap x 10 IC
Seal clap x 10 IC
Tempo squat x 10 IC
Seal clap squat x 10 IC
Tempo Merkins x 10 IC
Rainbow drop x 5 IC
Mountain climber x 10 IC
Forward lunge x 5 each leg
Side lunges x 5 each leg
Burpees x 7
Tennessee Rocking Chair x 10 IC

Name an exercise not SSH- Curveball named Jump Squats (after SSH’s & variants were named several times)

Falling Indian Run to the CMU pile

THA-THANG:
At the CMU pile

Exercise (modification in parentheses)
10 Blockees (10 burpees or 10 squats & 10 merkins)
15 Kettle bell swings (15 seal clap squats)
20 Goblet squats (20 squat jumps)
Run down the slope & back

We modified the second time through to the following:
10 Burpees
15 Kettle bell swings
20 Squats

Sparkles finished first and led us in 20 Flutter Kicks x IC. Put our CMUs up.

Falling Indian Run 1x and then back to the #ShovelFlag

Inspired by @Baby Boomer’s use of my 11’s we’ll be doing a modified hill version of 11’s:
BBS at bottom
Bear Crawl or Lunge up
Flutter kicks (4-ct)
Crawl Bear or crab walk down

MARY:
Dealer’s Choice (stopped after 4 PAX)
Big Finale: Pool Boy’s modification of Thunderstruck

Thunderstruck
Q plays “Thunderstruck” by ACDC. PAX complete 1 standard Merkin for every “thunder!” that is heard in the song. Plank during the rest of the song. Awesome way to end a workout and just make sure any juice that’s left is burned away. (modification listed below)
1:23
Thunder = 1 merkin, return to plank
Thunderstruck = 1 burpee and do core the Q calls
Core Exercises Flutter Kicks
BBS’s
LBC’s
Box Cutter and end with like 7 burpees

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA6 faithful men.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Proverbs 20:6Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

Faithfulness is maybe the most underrated fruit of the Spirit. Staying your post when it seems all hell is breaking loose is hard, yet it also is commended in Ecclesiastes 10:4If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness[a] will lay great offenses to rest.

We live in what seem to be crazy times. Can we even count on having liberty, food, a house, a marriage, you name it tomorrow? This is why Proverbs 20:6 asks the question:

Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

We all see and I especially see in my own heart where it has gone astray and yet we’re called back time and again by God. We are the bride of Christ, to be presented without spot or blemish

But what does real faithfulness look like? It starts with doing what you’re supposed to do. With showing up at work and working diligently. With doing what you told your wife / kids / friends you would do.

It goes from there and works its way out to ministry opportunities. As a Christian, to quote Mack Stiles (who will be at my church’s Men’s Conference “Act Like Men” this weekend), “my life is forfeit.” We have been bought by Christ, how could we not be faithful and serve others? Then as we live out the Gospel (also summed up in 1 Corinthians 15:3-5) it will overflow. We’ll make disciples of all nations, starting with our families, then churches, then communities, and go on and on!

But remember, it starts with being a faithful man.

Some ways we can be faithful men in F3:
1. Show up to workouts regularly and consistently (make the HC!).
2. Intentionally get to know other PAX while working out.
3. Intentionally get to know other PAX outside of F3 (that’s the 2nd F ICYMI).
4. Sign up to Q! This not only will humble you (the Q is not about you but about serving the men who show up and trust your leadership) but also it serves the AO-Q. The best problem to have is that the AO-Q cannot get a Q in. This happened last summer at Shamrock. Let’s make it happen again!
5. Post a backblast!
6. Ask an AO-Q or the Nantan and other men how you can serve them.
7. Pray for your F3 brothers.
And so much more.

So ask yourself the question that Proverbs 20:6 asks:
Many a man proclaims his own steadfast love, but a faithful man who can find?

MOLESKIN:
Some people tried to troll me with SSH’s as suggested exercises. I hate to have to qualify it but we can be SO MUCH MORE CREATIVE than that overused exercise! Prayed for Amber and Megan (doctors are unsure for both of them what is causing the physical pain and suffering they’re experiencing), Curveball’s mom, Boomer’s travels, and Mermaid’s upcoming family business purchase.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Men’s Conference at my church tonight. EH the guys who haven’t been out in a while too.

Spooky Tabata Skeletons

THE SCENE: Wet but no rain; a perfect 50’s kind of fall morning; a few puddles to play in (at your own volition)
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH (IC) x 20; Frankenstein-in-place (OYO) x 10; Werewolves (OYO) x 10; Shoulder Smash = 4ct Seal, Overhead, BAC-F, and BAC-R without rest x 10 each; Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:

Mosey to lot by CMU pile; 11’s warmup between two parking spots; Merkins – Lunge to other side – Squats – Bear Crawl back

Grab a CMU and head to lower lot corner by chains for some Tabata-inspired pain loops; Perform selected exercise for 45 seconds, Run a lap, rest for 15 seconds, rinse and repeat; Exercises by round = 1) CMU Curls, 2) Modified Creapees on CMU or curb, 3) Frankenstein-in-place hold CMU like a Zombie, 4) Monkey Humpers, 5) Kraken Burpees, and 6) Mother Earth Merkins

Stash those CMU’s and fellowship mosey back to AO – talk to a HIM you don’t know as well, ask their hospital name, where they are from originally, and how many years in F3.

MARY:

Bloody Mary Circle of Fun: 10 of each – 4ct Box Cutters, Merkins, SSH (led by @pool boy), Howler Circle (Monkey Humpers for a bit), 4ct Hello Dollies

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 experienced HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
From Q Source:

“The Pursuit Of Proper Personal Alignment – A man must Get Right before he can do anything else

To understand the Get Right, picture a man vigorously rowing a boat across a fast moving stream. If it suddenly capsizes so that the keel is skyward, the man would have to right it–return it to its upright position–before he could continue rowing. Until he did that he could not make headway against the current and get his boat to the far bank. At best, he would be simply trying to survive, clinging to his capsized boat as it was pushed by the current to points unknown downstream.

Now apply this image to the life of a man. If he has become (or always was) un-Right, he cannot make headway in any aspect of his life. The fast moving current of his surrounding circumstances will sweep him yon while he clings desperately to the hull of his overturned boat. Worse, his Concentrica –the passengers that he is charged to bring safely to the far bank–will be right there in the water with him, helpless because their husband, father and boss can do little more than focus on his own survival. Before he can help them, or himself, he has to Right his boat.”

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12

  • A man must Get Right before he can do anything else
  • An unfit man is a slave to his lack of self-control
  • To be able to help others, a man must first help himself

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
2nd F Coffeteria after workout at Dunkin (every Friday)

Infinite Competition – Everybody Wins

THE SCENE: Perfect fall gloom; 45 degrees with fog
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x 20 (IC); T-Merkins (aka Mother Earth) x 5 (OYO); Snow Angels x 5 (OYO); 4ct Starfish Crunches x 5 (OYO); 2 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey over to lower baseball parking lot; divide into two teams; Q picks first exercise for infinite pain stations; six cones placed along 1/4 mile figure eight route; at “go” PAX sprints to first cone and performs 1 rep of the chosen exercise – at each additional cone an additional rep is added (total of 21 reps per round); first team member back to start picks the next round exercise (rotated through whole, upper, and lower body, and core); arriving PAX holds plank until 6 arrives; rinse and repeat for as many rounds as possible. Finished nine rounds.

MARY:
Plank to downward dog to cobra to child’s pose… slowly over 1 minute to cool down and stretch.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Psalm 34:8 “Taste and see that the Lord is good…”  After missing several weeks recovering from Covid, I was amazed how weak and undisciplined I became in just a few short weeks.  Thankfully many HIMs continued to encourage me and call me to come back out in the gloom.  Reminded of the Lord’s grace to continue to call us back to Him each day with new mercy in spite of our weakness or undisciplined lives.  Paul says in Philippians 1 that to “die is gain”, so he clearly understood the treasure that awaited him in Christ.  For those outside of faith in Christ, this broken world is as close to the Lord and His kingdom you will get.  It’s like the reality that William Shatner just experienced with a ten minute ride in “almost space”… paling in comparison to the many universes he saw on Star Trek.