F3 Knoxville

Nightmare before Christmas WOD #2 “Lock, Shock, and Barrel”

THE SCENE: A brisk 25 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Obligatory, and check.
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH
  • Tempo merks
  • Tempo squats
  • LBAC -F
  • LBAC – B
  • Hallelujahs
  • Moroccan Night Clubs
  • Chattanooga cherry picker
  • Knox Cherry Pickers
  • SSH

THA-THANG:

“Lock, Shock, and Barrel”

1/2 Pax wearing ruck or vest, app pulled sandbags for pull through

  • 10 man makers
  • 50 plank ruck pull through
  • 400m ruck
  • 10 man makers

Cops showed up around here to check on us. Apple Watch thought I had a fall, through all the layers and gloves, I couldn’t get to it quick enough. 911 was called and 5.0 came to check on us. Turned out to be one of Roane County’s finest that ,multiple PAX had been EH-ing. All in all, glad it happened, maybe he will show up to a beatdown soon.

  • 50 ruck press/leg lift
  • 400m  ruck
  • 10 man makers
  • 50 ruck twists (2 ct)
  •  400m ruck

MARY:
Super quick Skeletor’s choice of core burning exercises on the 6
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Everyone read the latest newsletter from Kickflip? If not, he has been releasing them every Sunday morning and I highly recommend that you give them a read. This week I was challenged by what I read to make a few changes in my COT.  

In my COT’s I try to be motivational, encouraging, and point you all to Christ in some way. Today will be different. I am going to share one of my biggest struggles as a man, as a husband, and as a father. I struggle with anger. If I am not careful, I will let it get the best of me, and I lash out at those I love. I am going to use this newsletter as a springboard to be more open and honest with you guys. I think mostly we come here to be an encouragement to each other but we haven’t reached the point where we are honest about our weaknesses. I have more, but today it’s anger that’s on my mind. 

The root of my anger is selfishness. My M will ask me for a favor, the. Another, then another, then another, and before you know it, I blow up. Or, Super Soaker needs some help while I am working on something, or “resting”, and I grumble at him and let him know I am too busy. I have prioritized my needs over theirs, and that isn’t right. It should be God first, others second, and me third. 

The root of my selfishness is pride. My pride gets in the way when I begin to think that my needs are more important, and I begin to prioritize myself or my needs over anyone else’s. 

The goal I should have in my heart is to be more like Christ each day. “He must increase, I must decrease”. 

“‘The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression,’”

Numbers 14:18 ESV

“A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

Proverbs 15:18 ESV

MOLESKIN:
Couldn’t have been a better day in the gloom. We welcomed THREE FNG’s today. Welcome Slider, Candy Crush, and Baskin!

My 2.0 “Super soaker” was also in attendance.

Proud of these men. Most who were in attendance today earned a niceChristmas patch for completing GORUCKS The Nightmare Before Christmas WOD’s.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Too excited to remember every thing Bobbitt had for us!

The Ocho UNO Q

THE SCENE: A crisp, but beautiful gloom set the backdrop for what was destined to be a great day!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Every HIM was welcomed and disclaimed.

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • 20 SSH
  • 20 LBAC
  • 15 Tempo Squats
  • 15 Merkins
  • 15 Mt Climbers
  • a few Up & Down Dogs
  • 3 perfectly executed Knoxville Cherry Pickers (because ground cherries are the only cherries)
  • A warm-up lap around the lot

THA-THANG:
HIMs were welcomed to the “table” on the porch to play OCHO UNO.

The OCHO UNO Q

One Uno Deck (1-3 cards thoughtfully removed)

Green – CORE
Red – LOWER
Yellow – UPPER
Blue – BURPEES

Process: Draw a card, identify the exercise, place card in discard pile, flip the exercise card over, announce your exercise. Number on card = number of reps (0=10). Pick one of the exercises that hasn’t been done yet. When all are picked, all are available again. ALL 8’s are OCHOs (ANY COLOR) = Yell Ocho and take a lap

Multipliers:
+2 means double the next card. Pick one more card, use color of second card, pick an exercise, and x2 the reps
+4 means quadruple the next card. Pick one more card, use color of second card, pick an exercise, and x4 the reps

All special cards are all 8’s. Color doesn’t matter:
Skip = 8 Single-leg squat (4 each leg)
Reverse = 8 Groiners (2 count = 1)
Wild = 8 Mt Climber (4 count = 1)

Announce your number and exercise loud enough for everyone to hear the call. After the HIM to your right announces the number and the exercise, you don’t do that exercise. You sit out one round and draw yours and get ready to announce so that we have constant work.

CORE (Green)
Basilisks
Prone Rows
LBCs
Freddy Mercurys (4 count)
Big Boys

LOWER (Red)
Squats
Monkey Humpers
Jump Squats
Lunges (2 count)

UPPER (Yellow)
Merkins
Hand-Release Merkins
Carolina Dry Dock (pike push-up)
Shoulder Taps
Triceps Dips (in reverse plank or on wall/bench)

MARY:
We had time to lay down and pull off some Hello Dollys and Side Crunches.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
We made it!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I want to tell you about the Ocho Unos of the Bible.

You know that left to ourselves, we’re a wreck. Genesis draws a bleak picture of humanity. The hearts of humanity are always evil everywhere. So, God brought judgment on that evil through the flood. But in His great mercy, He didn’t wipe out everyone, God graciously rescued a family to continue His plan. God remembered us.

Genesis Ocho:Uno (ESV) — 1 But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

And yet human beings still continued to do what was right in our own eyes instead of living by God’s good ways. So instead of just telling us about the way, God Himself became the way. That’s what we celebrate at Advent and Christmas.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke 8:1 all show us Jesus teaching about how to be made right with God and many people turned from their sins and followed him.

Matthew Ocho:Uno (ESV) — 1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

Mark Ocho:Uno (ESV) — 1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him and said to them,

Luke Ocho:Uno (ESV) — 1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him,

God came to us. The baby in the manger made a way for us by coming as God and as man to live the life we should have lived and then by paying our price for the sinful lives we have actually lived. He made the way. So that the best Ocho Uno in Scripture is…

Romans Ocho:Uno (ESV) — 1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

And then one day soon, the one who came as a baby to live life for us is coming again as the Lamb of God who is also the Judge and King.

Revelation Ocho:Uno (ESV) — 1 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

So, men, my simple encouragement to you today is if you want your marriage to change, if you want your parenting to change, if you want your life to change it starts with this. Are you still living under the right condemnation for the wrong you’ve done, like a slave chained to your sin? Put your hope in Christ, because he has paid the price, there’s no more condemnation for a man in Christ. And then, live like men who God has remembered and pronounced free of condemnation. Live for Christ in your marriage, with your kids, and at your work today. If you’re in Christ, you’re a free man. So step up and stop living like a slave to sin.

MOLESKIN:
Prayed for Cosmo’s mom, for healing and endurance. Prayed for Mathlete’s M, who’s getting close to bambino siete arriving. Prayed for all the brothers who are travelling this time of year.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Project Christmas fellowship upcoming.
2.0 workout on Christmas Eve. 12 pains for the chilluns.
And Kick & Mathlete mentioned something about a billion burpee challenge in January. Sounds just crazy enough to make men of all of us.

It’s a good day at Rampart!

THE SCENE: Not rainy. Weird!

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Indubitably!

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH x15
  • Knox Pickers 5 or 6
  • Willie Mays Hayes x8
  • Liver Twists – x6
  • Chatty Cherry Pickers – x12
  • Hallelujahs – x10
  • Moroccan Night Clubs – x10
  • LBAC Forward – x10
  • LBAC Reverse – x10
  • SSH – x10

Mosey to the paved “hill” thingamabob.

THA-THANG:
Jacob’s Ladder – Run to the top of the hill, 1 burpee, mosey back. Run to the top of the hill, 2 burpees, mosey back. Run to the top of the hill, 3 burpees… you get the idea. All the way to 7. 28 burpees in total.

Kevin’s Ladder? – repeat the following exercises in 3 stations in the following order: station 1, station 2, station 3, station 2, repeat until time.

  • Station one: 10 Lunges
  • Station two: Cut a Flip (3 merkins, flip, 3 BBS)
  • Station three: 15 squats, then back to station 2, then one.
  • Rinse and repeat until time.

RTB

MARY:

  • Flutter Kicks – 10x IC
  • Freddie Mercury – 10x IC
  • SSH – 30 IC
  • Time was called.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The other morning, Slappy at The Project started the morning off saying, “It’s a good day.” Regardless of the weather and our circumstances, he reiterated that it was going to be a good day. YHC believed him and started thinking about that statement.

The following day, after having coffee with a friend who was struggling, YHC repeated. “It’s a good day.” Said friend agreed with a certain amount of determination. “It is a good day.”

Philippians 4:4-7 says…

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

“Rejoice” is not just an internal sentimental feeling. The word actually indicates a public or outward celebration.

YHC would have loved to write the “Southern Translation” of the Bible if someone hadn’t already beaten YHC to the punch. It’s difficult to tell second person plural from second person singular in English; (i.e. you from you all) without the very important and completely legitimate word “ya’ll”. It’s nearly as important as the Oxford Comma in the opinion of YHC. In the Greek, Paul means “y’all” in this paragraph when he says, “you”.

Paul is saying, “Let y’all’s gentleness be evident to all” and “will guard y’all’s hearts and y’all’s minds in Christ Jesus.

This means that your outward celebration and your visible attitude does 3 things.

  1. It changes your attitude.
  2. It’s contagious.
  3. It affects the environment of the entire group.

We should be the kind of person that is always celebrating, always reassuring, always positive. It’s a good day. Especially when we have hope in the Lord who “is near”. Each of us should be challenged to be a more positive influence to our Ms, 2.0s, PAX, colleagues, communities, etc.

It’s a good day!

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Cardinal with a tough assignment today, Spielberg’s M, Curious George.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Binks on Q Wednesday.
Skeletor on Q Saturday.
VQs forthcoming!

By the bit and bridle

THE SCENE: Double helping of gloom with drippy foggy 55.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • High Knees
  • Liver Twists
  • Failure to Launch
  • Down dog/up dog
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Tempo merkins

THA-THANG:

  • Divide into crews of three or two
  • Stations (50/20 x3, 30s transition)
    • Cardio
      • Jump ropes – Singles or doubles
      • CMU for Rocky Balboas
      • Slamball – Slam
    • Arms
      • 40 lb dumbbells for chest press
      • 25 lb kettlebell for halos
      • 35 lb dumbbell for tricep extensions
    • Legs
      • Weighted vest plus CMU for squats
      • CMU for Split squats
      • CMU(s) for toe merkins
    • Back
      • Sand Kettlebell/35 lb kettlebell for Swings
      • CMU for good mornings
      • CMU/35 lb Dumbbell for rows
  • Core Break 20 4-ct of each, in cadence, rotate through PAX
    • LBCs
    • Freddies
    • Box cutters
    • Awkward Turtles
    • American Hammers
  • Round two of stations
    • Cardio
      • Jump ropes – Tricks (backwards, criss cross, alternate feet, etc.)
      • CMU for Rocky Balboas
      • Slamball – High throw
    • Arms
      • 25 lb dumbbells for butterflies
      • 25 lb kettlebell for one arm OHP
      • CMU/35 lb dumbbell for curls
    • Legs
      • CMU for Bulgarian split squats
      • Weighted vest for sumo squats
      • CMU(s) for toe merkins
    • Back
      • Sand Kettlebell/35 lb kettlebell for standing dead lifts
      • CMU for man-makers
      • 15 lb Dumbbells for wings
  • RTF

MARY:
No time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Word – Psalm 32 – Bit and Bridle

1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered.

2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

3 For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away

through my groaning all day long.

4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;

my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.

Selah

5 I acknowledged my sin to you,

and I did not cover my iniquity;

I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”

and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.

Selah

6 Therefore let everyone who is godly

offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;

surely in the rush of great waters,

they shall not reach him.

7 You are a hiding place for me;

you preserve me from trouble;

you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Selah

8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

9 Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,

which must be curbed with bit and bridle,

or it will not stay near you.

10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord.

11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous,

and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

This psalm has hit me from several angles over the past weeks. The message is fairly direct, but I want to focus on verse 8-11, especially 9, because they carry a hard message. God will instruct you in the way you should go, whether you like it or not. Your choice is only whether to listen and trust in the Lord (like a human) or to be curbed with bit and bridle, i.e., pain and force (like an animal). The wicked, who choose the bit and bridle, have many sorrows from this instruction, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Another way to say it is “Do you want the stick or the carrot?” But this undersells the challenge, because it isn’t a one time choice, it’s an all-the-time choice. And choosing the listen and trust the Lord requires constant attentiveness. It taxes our resources, demands of us to have our eyes and ears open. We have to engage in the work. By contrast, the bit and bridle require minimal effort on our part. Just plod along and move away from the pain. You aren’t engaged in the work, simply a tool in the hands of the driver. Personally, I often find myself slowly drifting into the “bit and bridle” zone. Distraction, busy-ness, anxiety, and over-commitment lure me out of good habits and rhythms, leading to fatigue, dropped balls, and self-punishing guilt, which then cycle back into the loop. It doesn’t take long before I feel like a boxer just covering up in the corner praying for the bell to ring. That’s the trouble with the bit and bridle, it saps your strength and leaves you exhausted. Or you might say “[your] strength [is] dried up as by the heat of summer.” By contrast, while being attentive to listen and trust is demanding and requires self-discipline, it makes your efforts efficient because you are working in cooperation. This is because, as the psalmist says, “you preserve me from trouble”. If you will listen and trust, you will be guided out of trouble that you could never foresee. “Surely in the rush of great waters, they shall not reach [you]”. So, knowing which path pays off in the long run, can you stick to it? As CS Lewis says, this is the true function of faith, to keep to the truth which our reason has once showed us in spite of our changing moods.
MOLESKIN:
I hope everybody tried something new today. I said I would give a prize to anyone who hit the roof with the slam ball, and darned if Tuba didn’t do it. Gonna have to figure that one out…
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
PARADE SATURDAY. Meet at 4 to decorate, 5 to walk, step off at 6, done by 8. Check Slack channel #christmas-parades for details.
Sign up for Papa Lock’s Christmas shindig on the 22nd.

Frosty The Swoleman

THE SCENE: Gloomy and Cold 31 Degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER YUUUUUUUUUP
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 SSH, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Mtn. Climbers, 10 Tempo Squats, 10 Toe Merkins, 10 LBAC Foreward, 10 Hallelujah, 10 Morrocan Nightclubs, 10 Chatt. Cherry Pickers, 10 LBAC Backwards

THA-THANG:

PAX Divided into 3 groups of 2. Pax then completed a chosen exercise off the provided table that corrresponded with a Snowman part, then One Pax ran to their paper and drew that part of the snowman, until Snowmen were complete.

MARY:
Snowmen took up all our time.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 Frosty Pax
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Reflecting to the story of Mary, and Joseph. Focusing on the fear they mustve had, when they were met by the angel to discuss the plan that God had for them. Sometimes, we think that God is supposed to take our fear away, when sometimes he could be using that fear to call you. Faith is like a bridge. Sometimes it can be windy when your walking across, but the reward on the other side is so worth it.
MOLESKIN:
TAPS for Feeny’s cousin in Law, Spielbergs Wife and all our DL, DR, and Boiz we aint seen in a while.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Project’s Christmas Party this Saturday in Oak Ridge