F3 Knoxville

Tag: Brick

Durn Curmudgeons

THE SCENE: Sunny, temps in low 70s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Plank raises, 20 Plank Jacks, 10 Rockettes, 10 Cherry Pickers, 8 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign on northeast corner of Admin Bldg.  We will go back on the road that semi-circles around the Admin Bldg stopping at various cones to do exercises.  The exercises at each cone are as follows:

  • Cone 1:  10 Burpees.  Then, Barry Sanders to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Big Boys.  Then Bear Crawl to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3.  20 Squat Jumps.  Then Mosey past parking lot to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  20 Imperial Walkers (both legs = 1).  Then Sprint to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5.  20 Squats.  Then Hop to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6.  20 Merkins.  Then Mosey to Cone 7
  • Cone 7:  20 Hello Dollies (4 count), 20 Iron Mikes, 20 American Hammers, 20 Dying Bugs, 20 Flutter Kicks

Mosey to Shaded Area near Park Entryway off of Northshore.

40 Baby Crunches

Mosey to Bottom of Mt. Everest.  40 Baby Crunches.  Then run up to top of Mt. Everest.

Rinse and Repeat on the 7 cone run on the road that semicircles around the Admin Bldg.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Helping the Curmudgeons of the World

As HIMs we try to help others in our community.  Some folks take our help graciously.  Others do not.  Some people are mighty difficult to help.  I have been giving a number of messages about helping such “hard to help” people.  Helping difficult people, the curmudgeons of the world, is hard.  If we can trust that God is also working with them, it might make it easier for us.  Our efforts may not reap rewards quickly.  Rather, we might be planting a seed that will lead to blossoming that is very slow to come.

Furthermore, we must remember that we are sinners ourselves.  The curmudgeon’s pride, disrespect, and lack of kindness may be sinful but that does not make us somehow superior to the curmudgeon.  In fact, the curmudgeon might be able to offer us something that helps us to grow as humans.

A wonderful illustration of how Curmudgeons can involuntarily be helped by others and help others as well is the book A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman.  Ove is a true curmudgeon.  He can be downright rude and cruel to others.  He is 59 years old, has been forced to take retirement, and is pissed about it.  He hates life and wants out of it.  We find out, in the book, that the one person whom he did allow to get close to him was Sonja, his wonderful wife.  She saw beneath his outward stiffness.  But we also learn that Sonja has died of medical causes.

Ove contemplates and tries various ways to kill himself in the book.  But they are foiled by heaven, fate, or crazy people in his life that he just can’t get away from.  Two of those people are Patrick and Parvaneh, new neighbors who back up their U-Hual right over Ove’s mailbox.  Others are an overweight neighbor named Jimmy, a diffident mailman named Adrian, a flamboyantly gay young man named Mirsad, and a crazy cat that keeps on coming around Ove’s house when Ove would like it to go the hell away.  Ove begrudgingly helps each one of these characters (or animals in the book).  He feeds the cat and finally allows it to come into his home.  He helps Jimmy get a job.  He teaches Parvaneh to drive and takes her to the hospital to deliver her baby.  And, these people, also help Ove.  Although he wants out of life, they give him a reason to live.

It isn’t that any of these characters made the choice to help this curmudgeon called Ove or that he sought them out.  Rather, it is through their sloppy, confounding, odd, and downright hilarious interactions and relationships that each character grows – and takes Ove away from the incredible depression that was leading him to try suicide.

So, our interactions with others need not be smooth and on target to derive benefit.  Your attempt to help curmudgeons will be downright difficult and sometimes seem impossible.  But if you can be patient, who knows how God will work in your relationship with the curmudgeon.  You may plant a seed that brings about change.  And, God may work with your relationship in such a way that the doggone curmudgeon actually helps you!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Iceman gets married Saturday and Hooker’s wife, Carly, is due with baby in April!  Prayers for the aforementioned.

This loop is looking familiar

THE SCENE: Low 40’s and clear
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • 2 laps around the parking lot
  • SSH IC x 20
  • Tempo Squats IC x 10
  • Baby Arm Circles (Forward/Reverse) IC x 12
  • Cherry Pickers IC x 10
  • Merkins IC x 10

THA-THANG:

Moseyed to the oval parking lot for some laps. 4 stops along each loop, each with an assigned exercise. Complete 20 reps of each exercise, then run to the next stop.

Lap 1:

  1. Merkins
  2. Wide Merkins
  3. Narrow Merkins
  4. Carolina Dry Docks

Lap 2:

  1. Squats
  2. Lunges
  3. Jump Squats
  4. Iron Mikes

Lap 3:

  1. Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
  2. American Hammers (4 ct)
  3. Hello Dollies (4 ct)
  4. LBC’s

Rinse and repeat. We managed 9 total laps, so completed each of the exercises 3 times.

MARY:
No time for Mary

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
25 HIMs including 3 FNG’s; welcome to Burgundy, Scrum, and Flo

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

It seems like the last few weeks have been filled with story after story of tragic accidents and loss of life. It’s easy to get caught up in our own lives and worry about the “stresses of tomorrow” – discounting the blessings of today by worrying about what we may face tomorrow. However, we aren’t guaranteed tomorrow. Worrying about tomorrow doesn’t take away those troubles; it simply steals the joy from today.

I’m terrible about taking today for granted and worrying about what tomorrow may bring. It’s usually when I’m confronted with a story about tragic loss of life that makes me momentarily realize how precious today really is. I use the word “momentarily” because it typically lasts for a day or so and then I’m right back to worrying about tomorrow.

Let’s celebrate the blessings of today.

Deck the Asphalt

 

THE SCENE
34 and clear

Welcome & Disclaimer

 

THE THANG
COP
SSH 4ct x30 IC
Chinooks Squats 4ct x15 IC
Tempo Merkins 4ct x15 IC
Line up on curb
Rocky Balbos x20 IC
Merkins  x 4ct 10 IC
Rocky Balbos x20 IC
BAC Fwd x10 IC
BAC Bkwd x10 IC
Rocky Balbos x20 IC
One lap around the parking lot

Line up on the curb.

 

Deck the Asphalt
The deck of cards determines our destiny!
For all suits with a card value of 1-6 = Suicides based on the value of the card

  • Example: draw a number 4 card (4wo Cone touches): Run to Cone 1, back to Start, run to Cone 2 and back to start. run to Cone 3, back to Start, run to Cone 4, back to start. Done.

For the rest of the deck, perform the number of reps based on the value of the card according to the list below:

  • Hearts: Burpees
  • Spades: Squats
  • Clubs: 4ct Flutter Kicks
  • Diamonds: Merkins
  • Face Cards = 15 reps
  • Jokers = run to the top of the hill, perform 1 burpee and back to the curb.

Finishing deck results in: 85 Merkins, 85 Squats, 85 4ct Flutter Kicks, 85 Burpees, 20 suicides and 1 Hull Run in under 45 minutes.

 

COT
Number off and Name-O-Rama – 24 PAX

 

BOM
Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them to do to you. (Matthew 7:12)
Golden Result: In general, people will treat you in the same manner that you treat them.

The importance of knowing the Golden Result is it reminds us that in many ways we are creating the world around us.  When it seems like everyone around us is “out to get us” that’s a cue to look inward and reflect on how you are relating to others.  As a HIM we seek to be men of impact, not men of excuses.

Today, be the type of person that changes the relational temperature of the room. Bring grace, humility and love where every you go and see if it is not returned back to you 10 fold.

Submitted by
Cap’n Crunch

Grinders and Circuits

THE SCENE
51 and clear but wet

 

Welcome & Disclaimer

 

THE THANG
COP
SSH x30 (IC)
Imperial Squat Walkers x15 (IC)
Merkins x15 (IC)
4ct Side Lunges x15(IC)
Dive Bombers x15 (IC)
BAC Fwd x12 (IC)
BAC Bkwd x12 (IC)

Mosey to the curb.

 

Grinders
Partner up with Battle Buddy.  Battle Buddy lunges to the first cone, then sprints to 2 second cone, does 2 reps of the exercise while Battel Buddy 2 is jumping air rope.  Switch.

Each round increase by 2 reps until each man does a total of 8 reps.  Three rounds:

  • Rd 1 = Diamond Merkins
  • Rd 2 = Squat Jumps
  • Rd 3 = Dry Docks

Mosey to pavilion area and circle up around the flag pole.

 

Circuit Corners
Divide up and head to 4 Stations.  Compete AMRAP in 15 min.

  • S1: 15 Burpees / 20 Reverse Pickle Pounders
  • S2: 20 Superman Swims/ 20 4ct Flutter Kicks
  • S3: 10 Chin-ups / 25 Prisoner Squats
  • S4: 25 Derkins / 20 Let Me Ups

Mosey back to SP and circle up

 

MARY
American Hammers  x20 (IC)
Merkins x10 OYO
4ct Box Cutters x20 (IC)
Merkins x10 OYO
Right Side Crunches x15 (IC)
Left Side Crunches x15 (IC)
Merkins x10 OYO

 

COT
Number off and Name-O-Rama – 27 PAX

 

BOM

Spiritually Strong

THE SCENE: Cloudy and cool, temps in low 50’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, Plank Stretches, Cherry Pickers, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot directly across the street from Northern Ball Fields parking lot.  We will break into four groups, one in each corner of the parking lot.  We will perform each exercise listed, first doing 20 of each exercise, then follow directions to go to next corner of the parking lot.  We will rinse and repeat after going around the parking lot once.  Here are the exercises for each corner:

  • Corner 1:  20 Star Jumps.  Bernie Sanders to Corner 2.
  • Corner 2:  20 Diamond Merkins.  Bear Crawl to Corner 3.
  • Corner 3:  20 Plank Jumps.  Sprint to Corner 4.
  • Corner 4:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Lunge to Corner 1.

Mosey to Alleyway that goes to northeast corner of the Admin Bldg.

We will break into teams of two and do Doras.  One teammate does exercise while the other runs to end of parking lot, does ten merkins and runs back.  Each team will do 100 of each of the following exercises with bricks that will be placed by a curb along the alleyway.

  • Overhead presses
  • Curls
  • Rows (with bricks at sides)
  • Tricepts
  • Wings forward
  • Wings up
  • Wings down
  • Wings in

Mosey to roadway in front of admin bldg.  Cones will be set up for suicide runs. We will do suicides to each of five cones laid out ahead.  Afterwards do Baby Crunches until all men finish.  Do suicides again but this time do 15 Squats after returning to start from each cone.  Get bricks that were set up for Doras.

Mosey back to AO to drop off bricks. 

Mosey to Playground.  We will do five sets of Bench Jumps with 20 second rests in between.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Hello Dollies, 20 American Hammers, 20 Pickle Pounders, ATM’s.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Fourteen men with one FNG, his hospital name is Roman Marshall and his F3 name is “Fozzie.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Psalm 46: 1.  God is our refuge and strength, our very present help in time of need.

Our F3 workouts increase our physical strength and stamina.  But in F3 we also focus on spiritual strength.  In fact, it is the Fellowship and Faith parts of F3 that give credence to the importance of increasing our spiritual strength.

Looking into the subject of “spiritual strength” I found some good advice in an article from a website called PowerofPositivity.com.  It listed seven exercises for spiritual strength.  I am listing these below, making my own comments about them, and adding one more exercise at the end of the list.

1.  Spend more time with loving/encouraging family and friends.  I agree that being with family and friends is  important but I also want to put emphasis on the word “encouraging.”  We need to surround ourselves with those who encourage us.  We get enough pessimism from watching the news and listening to people complain, gossip or argue.  We need to get near the type of people who are going to push us forwards, not backwards.  One of the things I love about F3 is being surrounded by men who encourage me to get better.

2.  Go outside as much as possible.  I like this one.  What do we do in F3?   We get outside to workout, whether rain or shine, no matter what the temperature is.  There is something about being outdoors that makes us healthier.  We connect to nature, to God’s creation.  We are in His space, free yet a part of Him.

3.  Reduce distractions (TV, Radio, Internet, Newspaper).  I agree that we tend to spend too much time absorbed with media.  In my church, on youth group trips such as church camps, we have required that students give us their cell phones for the time spent on the trip.  They get them back on the bus ride back home.  We ourselves only use our cell phones for emergency purposes on these trips.  We have found the students (and us adults) are less distracted, more connected to one another and God, and happier when we implement this policy.  We are more free to think about truly important things and to use our minds to imagine and create.

4.  Observe your thoughts about the people around you.  The website article talked about putting away judgemental thoughts and trying to have positive thoughts about others you know or encounter.  Focusing on gossip and judgement does not serve others.  I would rename this 4th exercise “praying for the people around you”.  It is amazing what happens if you start praying about your coworkers, your neighbors, even strangers you happen to meet.  You don’t have to tell them your praying.  Just do it.  You will find yourself having a better connection to those you pray for and even find your prayers coming true.

5.  Step out in faith.  This means getting bold in your faith, being willing to take on challenges and even threats from others in your faith.  You may get sneered at or criticized but push on in the face of adversity.  The website arrticle has some words that I think are powerful in regards to this exercise:  “There may be forces that have an investment in keeping you from receiving your best life, but when you decide to stand up or speak out, knowing that your faith is bigger than your fear, the illusion of fear that’s trying to hold you down will diminish and eventually disappear.”  The other words from the website I want to quote are “Know that the Divine has got your back.”

6.  Be of service to others.  Is a true HIM one that is focused on serving himself.  No, a true HIM is focused on serving others.  Do we grow spiritually strong by focusing on ourselves?  No.  We grow spiritually strong by serving others.

7.  Make prayer/meditation a habit.  Our awesome PAX leader, Cap’n Crunch, talks about making the HC, the Hard Commit to show up in the gloom for workouts in order to make ourselves better as men.  In the same way, to be spiritually strong, to get truly closer to God, to the Higher Power, to the Divine, we need to make the Hard Commit to pray.  It is through this commitment to communicate with God that we make it a habit.  And it is though this habit, this connection to God each day and at least several times a day, that we grow in spiritual strength.  And when you do it, don’t only listen to what you have to say to God. . . listen to what God has to say to you.

8.  Be grateful.  This is not an exercise that was listed in the website article but one that I have added.  We need to recognize, to truly see, and be grateful for what God has given us.  The people that I know who are spiritually strong have this strength of being grateful.  That gratefulness can get people through some mighty tough times.  Gratefulness keeps us positive, gives us hope, helps us focus on the road ahead, and leads us to glorify God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Olympics next Saturday at Asylum.  Register online or get to Asylum at 6:30 am to register.  November 17 is launch for Cleveland, TN AO.  Let Abscess know if you can go with us to the launch.