F3 Knoxville

DORA Bricklayer

THE SCENE: 35 and foggy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x25, Imperial Walker x10, Cherry Picker x5, Tempo Merkins x10, BAC x10 (both ways), little bit of this and little bit of that.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to location where Blair Witch Project was filmed to retrieve bricks.

DORA in upper parking lot.  Goal was to hold onto your bricks the whole time.

  • 100 — Merkin rows
  • 200 — V-ups
  • 300 – Squat press
  • Partner runs with bricks around island while other is doing exercises.

Mosey to playground for Pull-ups and Flutter-kicks (alternating between partners)

MARY:
Hello Dolly x25

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Encourage the PAX to make memories with their families. Put ideas on the calendar in pen, not pencil.  Make it stick. Make memories. Invest in your kids and your relationship with them. It’s the most productive thing you can do with your time.

If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.

I swing my beats at the playground; ya know!

THE SCENE: mid 40’s, bright moon, fog coming off the lake, B-E-A-UTIFUL.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x25, Tempo Squats x10, Tempo Merkins x10, Cobra Kai x5, Cherry Picker x5, BAC x 10, little bit of this and a little bit of that.

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the playground for some body blasters (burpee-pull-up-knees to elbows).

Mosey to B-ball court for suicides:

  • Full-court sprint — 10 merkins at each line + Run to playground for 5 body blasters
  • Full-court Bernie — 20 squats at each line + Run to playground for 5 body blasters
  • Half-court bear crawl — 25 LBC at each line + Run to playground for 5 body blasters
  • Full-court lunge — 15 CDD at each line + Run to playground for 5 body blasters
  • Half-court crab walk — 20 BBS at each line + Run to playground for 5 body blasters
  • Full-court imperial walkers — 10 diamond merkins at each line + Run to playground for 5 body blasters

MARY:
ABC’s.  Feet together 6 inches off the ground and spell out the alphabet (capital letters only).

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
James 3:17-18 — “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.  And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

An encouragement to HIMs to model wisdom for our kids, co-workers, family, and friends. We need men who are wise and display true wisdom in how they interact, love, and care for those around them.

 

Impromptu Q

THE SCENE: Mid 60s, clear skies, beautiful morning to be alive, outside, and sweating with a bunch of dudes at a dark park at 5:30 a.m. (when you write that out, it doesn’t sound quite right)
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Ribbed was on Q, but he was sidelined with a fever and headache, so I warmed us up with:

SSH x 20 (4 ct)

Baby arm circles forward x 10 (4 ct)

Baby arm circles backward x 10 (4 ct)

Overhead claps x 10 (4 ct)

Tempo squats x 10

Tempo merkins x 10

Some Michael Phelps

A little of this and a little of that x 2

THA-THANG:
Handed off to Mouthwash after the warmup, and he took us to the flagpole for a 7 of diamonds – run the loop stopping to do exercises at each of the 4 points of the diamond along the way.

First lap – 7 diamond merkins at each point

Second lap – 14 big boys at each point

Third lap – 21 wide merkins at each point

Fourth lap – 28 squats at each point

Mouthwash handed back to me, and we ran to the Bermuda Triangle in honor of Ribbed.  At the first point, we did 35 v-ups.  Bear crawled to the second point and did 35 Carolina Dry Docks.  Bear crawled to the third point and did flutter kicks x 35 on a 4 ct.  Bear crawled back to the first point.

Handed off to Kentucky who took us to the playground.  Rocky Balboas on the curb on a 4 ct (I think we did either 20 or 25, but I don’t remember for sure – I was trying to keep up with the exercise).  Asymmetrical merkins x 10 each arm (one hand on the ground, the other on the curb and then switch arms after 10).  Mouthwash suggested baby dips on the curb x 25 followed by 10 tempo pull ups (fast up, hold, slow on the way back down).

Kentucky then took us to the splash pad for 15 table rows and 15 box jumps/step ups.

Back to the AO for Mary

MARY:
Kentucky suggested a bicycle race, so I led us in some plank work while he set up the music for the race, which consisted of Freddie Mercurys during the song “Bicycle Race” by Queen with 1 big boy every time the word “bicycle” or “bike” was mentioned, and they were mentioned – a lot.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 HIMs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
No one else had anything to say, so I took the BOM and talked about Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”  We are forging both friendships and brotherhoods at F3.  While work, family, church, etc. may prevent us from getting together and hanging out like we would in high school or college, the gloom gives us a chance to bond, encourage, support, and mumble-chatter.  And while some us may be closer friends with some than others, we are all brothers and have each other’s backs in times of adversity.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Ribbed, Lillydipper’s wife, Jinxy’s wife, Doubtfire, Lulu, the two women with brain tumors mentioned by Baywatch, the kids in school, and everyone working.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill on 10/3.  Still trying to put together an Equalizer team.

God Is God

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Pinto Twists, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Windmills, 7 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Northeast Corner of Admin Bldg.  We will do 20 Hello Dollies.  Mosey to CMU Pile.  Each man grabs CMU and places it on east side of Parking Lot.  Cone 1 is at that side of parking lot.  Cone 2 is on opposite west side.  We will do one of the listed exercises at Cone 1 with CMU.  We then
Bernie Sanders (without CMU) to Cone 2 and do one of the listed exercises.  We then run up mini cardiac to crosswalk and run back to Cone 1.  We will repeat this sequence with the next set of exercises.  We will have run up and down mini cardiac three times by the time we are finished. Here are the exercises at each cone:

  • Cone 1:  1. 25 Overhead Presses.  2. 25 Curls.  3. 25 Rows.
  • Cone 2:  1. 20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct).  2. 20 Bicycle Kicks (4 cts).  3. 20 Hello Dollies (4 ct.)

Replace CMUs.

Mosey to parking lot that has islands on the other side of ball fields.  We will run around the parking lot stopping at each island to do 10 Merkins.  At island that semi-circle that we semi-circle around we will bear crawl instead of run.  Once around the parking lot, we will do the same thing but do 10 Big Boys at each island.

Mosey to beginning of Pickett’s Charge.  We will Pickett’s Charge to Northeastern Corner of Parking Lot.  We will stop at each hill of Pickett’s Charge to do 5 Hand Release Merkins.  We will also bear crawl up each hill.  After finishing Pickett’s charge we will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Bat House.  We will sprint from Bat House to Parking Lot.

Mosey to AO.

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

The Kingdom grows, because the kingdom is already planted.  It grows of itself and in its own good time.  Above all, it grows we know not how.

–Robert Farrar Capon

Difficult times, like those we are facing with the coronavirus, racial protests, and our very heated political situation, test our beliefs and faith.  Our faith in our government, in other people, in ourselves, and even in God is being put to the test.  At a time like this we may be asking questions such as:

  • God, how can you let this happen?
  • God, where are you in all of this?
  • God, do you have any power to stop this?
  • God, what is your purpose?

We look to solutions to this world problem as if we know the answer, as if we know how the world should be run.  We do that individually and corporately, blaming the whole state affairs on others or claiming that surely us Democrats or us Republicans are in “the right.”

At such times of angst, of confusion, of bewilderment, it is reassuring to know that, as Robert Farrar Capon proclaims, the kingdom is already planted and it grows of itself in its own good time.  It is good to know that God is in control and that is the truth whether we like it or not.  Look at history, at humankind’s treatment of one another, at the devastation of war, of slavery, of corruption, of pollution, and we can see how we botch things when we play God.

One of my favorite songs is “God is God” by Steve Earle.   In discussing fate, uncertainty, miracles, and life he proclaims both that “God ain’t me” and “God ain’t us.”  But through the mystery and uncertainty he believes in God:

Every day that passes I’m sure about a little bit less.
(But) even my money keeps telling me it’s God I need to trust.
And I believe in God, but God ain’t us.

If we believe in God then we must accept that he has a plan that goes beyond our understanding.  His plan is a mystery but one that we must trust.  God is God.  And that is certainly reassuring in difficult times like these.  Personally, it gives me hope.  And, it gives me comfort to know that neither I nor the rulers of this world have the final say.

I will close with the last stanza of Steve Earle’s song which puts in better words than what I can say this mystery, this miracle, and our need to accept it.

God, of my little understanding, don’t care what name I call.
Whether or not I believe doesn’t matter at all.
I receive the blessin’s.
And every day on Earth’s another chance to get it right.
Let this little light of mine shine and rage against the night.
Just another lesson
Maybe someone’s watching and wondering what I got.
Maybe this is why I’m here on Earth, and maybe not.
But I believe in God, and God is God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Sparkler’s son and daughter-in-law, whose son, who died last Christmas Holidays, would have been two today.  Prayers for Jinxy’s wife who has surgery on September 17, for Lilydipper’s wife, and for Thunderstruck’s mother.  Prayer’s for Lulu and Doubtfire whose mothers died this summer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Fake Gloomers will be building two obstacles for Hardship Hill.  We will get started the weekend of September 19-20.  Talk to Sparkler for details.  Be at Asylum PM this Thursday because Pusher will be on Q and is bringing Filipino noodles (made by his mother-in-law) for our board meeting!