F3 Knoxville

Monkeys & Bears, Oh My

THE SCENE: 40°. Clear. Great moonrise.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Cherry Pickers IC | SSH IC

THA-THANG:

Pain stations at the tennis court. 40sec at each station. 20sec to move to next station. Take a lap & flip stations after each round. Stations included:

  • BBS/LBC
  • Diamond Merkins/Boat
  • American Hammer/Flutter
  • Shoulder Taps/Bear Crawl
  • Power Skips/Burpees
  • Inch Worm/Hand Release Merks
  • Imperial Walkers/Calf Raises
  • Monkey Humpers/CDD
  • Burpees/Shoulder Taps
  • Mtn Climbers/SSH

MARY: 

  • LBCs IC X44 in honor of Tweet-E’s birthday

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

We’re out here to get better: as men & as leaders—in all areas of our lives. Certainly that starts with fitness, but I think it’s inevitable that that mindset, the goal of relentless forward progress will bleed over into each area of our lives. If we’re going to get better at anything, we’re going to need to be teachable.

I found a list of five ways to know if you’re teachable. 

  1. People give you input—if you’ve proven yourself to not be teachable, people probably gave up on giving you input long ago
  2. You experience growth—if other people’s input leads to results, you must be teachable
  3. you don’t have to defend yourself against criticism—you don’t put walls up, you take criticism, knowing that if there’s any truth to it, it’s an opportunity to get better
  4. Not only do you take criticism, you do it without firing back; without returning the favor
  5. you’re hearing different input than you used to—progress is having new areas to work on than you did a few years ago

Run back through them. Think about an area you’re trying to improve in and If one of these hits home with you; take the time to work on it, to cultivate it this week. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Fill that Q Calendar.

Also, in April, we’ll be collecting individually wrapped snacks & drinks, as well as paper towels for Safe Haven. It’s a ministry in the Austin-East area giving teens a safe spot to land to get off the street and avoid gang violence. I’ll post a full list in slack; if you’ll tack a couple of those things on to your family’s shopping list, it’s an easy way to make an impact on a part of our community that has experienced a lot of pain the last few months.

Passing the Torch!

THE SCENE:  A couple of degrees below freezing…

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:

Forgot to mention that I am not a professional…  However I am sure the PAX is aware of that by now!

WARM-O-RAMA:
30 SSH

10 Tempo Merkins

10 Tempo Squats

Baby Arm Circles Forward/Reverse

THA-THANG:

Drawed the number 2 with GPS with 3 stations located in the park.

Station 1 – Bear Crawl around the tennis court with 5 Burpees at each corner.  Run and touch gate then proceed to Station 2.

Station 2 – at the back parking lot I placed some modified CMU’s in the grass next to the trail entrance.  We used these CMU’s for 20 Curls and 20 Overhead Presses.  Then run over to the boat ramp.

Station 3 –  We did 20 Dry Docks facing downhill on the ramp.  Then starting at the water, 20 Squat Jumps up the ramp.  Then we ran back to the Tennis Court.

Rinse and Repeat as many times as you could.

MARY:
ATM closeout led by Cap’n Crunch

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Passed the Flag over to Stripped, he is a wonderful asset to the Equalizer.  Not only is he accountable at the workouts, he is also accountable to reach out to brothers that are needing help outside of the workouts.  I am grateful that the Equalizer is in good hands!

“Leadership is not about a title or a designation.  It’s about impact, influence,  and inspiration.”

MOLESKIN:
Was one of the most boring workouts I have put together but drawing the 2 for our 2 year anniversary was very important for me.  However it did turn into a pretty good beatdown, so I plan to use it again soon!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hardship Hill 10/2!!!

Back in the Saddle

THE SCENE
28 and Clear

COP
Run to lower front parking lot
SSH x35 IC
Merkins (4ct) x10 IC
Imperial Squat Walkers x10 IC
Baby Arm Circles Fwd x12 IC
Baby Arm Circles Bkwd x12 IC
Run to HGTV Area

THA-THANG
Tree Trunks
– Squats x10
– Fwd & Bkwd lunges (same leg then switch) x10 each leg
– Side Lunges x10 each leg
– Jump Squats x10

Rinse and repeat

Run to parking area under the HGTV Area

Countdown
Partner up. One person performs the routine while the other jump ropes.

Routine:
One man runs to far cone perform x20 reps, run back to first cone perform x15 reps, run to the second farthest cone and perform x10 reps, run back to first cone perform x5 reps. Partners does jump rope while waiting.

Exercises:
1. Diamond Merkins
2. Dry Docks
3. BBS
4. Squats
5. Wide Merkins

Mosey to playground (The Cloud)
* Stop on the way at the parking lot, do 5 Wolverines

Bench 11’s
11’s on benches: Bench Squats and Dips

Run to end of parking lot, do 5 Wolverines, run back to the playground and do LBCs while waiting in the six.

Run to lower parking lot at far entrance to the trail. Take the trail to the SP, do Route 66 along the way.

Route 66
Run the trail stopping at each light pole to do merkins. Start with one rep and add step at each light pole until you get to the end.

At the SP, circle up for MARY

MARY
American Hammers (4ct) – x20 IC
Superman Swims (4ct) – x12 IC
Box Cutters (4ct) – x15IC
Superman Swims (4ct) – x12 IC
Flutter Kicks (4ct) – x15 IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
23 PAX

COT/BOM

“For this is the will of God,
that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Live as people who are free,
not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,
but living as servants of God.”

1 Peter‬ ‭2:15-16 ESV

Honor – Adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct

“Honorable men refuse to wallow in the small and the bitter.
Honorable men refuse to hate life because something once went wrong.
Honorable men don’t build monuments to their disappointments, nor do they let others brand them and curse them to their destruction.
Honorable men seek out the highest definition of their lives, the nobler meaning granted by heritage, by their ancestors’ dreams and their parents’ hopes.
Honorable men cry out to God until curses are broken and a grander purpose is achieved.
Honorable men don’t settle for lives of regret.”

Stephen Mansfield, Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men

As we push ourselves physically each week it is important to remember that we must also be pushing ourselves mentally, emotionally and spiritually…to grow as HIMs. Physical fitness is important, but character, virtue, integrity and leadership are paramount. Our world is starving for men with these characteristics. Men of honor who live beyond themselves. Men who are life-givers, not life-takers. I believe there is a direct correlation between strenuous physical exercise and the strenuous pursuit to live a life of honor, integrity and impact. Both take effort and focus. Both take intentionality, consistency and daily commitment. Both are met with resistance from the status quo and our own passivity. Both can’t be pursued alone and require me to surround myself with like-minded men who inspire, encourage and challenge me along the
journey.

Each morning in the gloom we have an opportunity to experience AND be these things for the men on our left and right. Iron sharpen iron. This is what it means to wear the “F3”.

 

When in Need

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temp about 70.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Plank Jacks, Plank Stretches, 10 Iron Mikes, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Cone 1 at Stop Sign at Southeastern Corner of Admin Bldg.  We will run back up the semi-circle road toward Stop Sign at Northeastern Corner.  We stop[ at cones to do exercises.  There will be 8 cones with the last cone at the stop sign at the Northeastern Corner.  We go forth by method depicted on the cone.  Then we run back.  However, with each run back and forth we lose the end cone.  In other word we run cone 1 to 8, then 8 to 2, then 2 to 7, etc.  The cones and methods of running are shown.

  • Cone 1:  20 American Hammers (regular count).  Sprint to next cone.
  • Cone 2:  20 Side Straddle Hops (normal count).  Bernie to next cone.
  • Cone 3:  20 Merkins.  Skip to next cone.
  • Cone 4:  20 Big Boys. Sprint to next cone.
  • Cone 5:  20 Hello Dollies (normal count).  Sprint to next cone.
  • Cone 6:  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Skip to next cone.
  • Cone 7:  20 Squat Jumps.  Bernie to next cone.
  • Cone 8:  20 Bicycle Kicks (regular count).  Sprint to next cone.

Go to Roadshow Run.  We will run to trail at end of the run.  We will do 40 Baby Crunches and 20 Squats.  Then we run back up but at each set of stairs we do 20 Calf Raises before running on up the stairs.  At bat cave we do more Baby Crunches until six arrives.

Run to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Hello Dollies, Stretches.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 men with no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
When In Need

All of us have faced time of great distress that can lead to significant anxiety or depression.  We are encouraged, in F3, to reach out to our brothers when in need.  We may be quite depressed when a brother turns to help us.  Often, those who are depressed are not good at accepting help.  When brothers reach out to us, there are some things we need to remember:

  • Be gracious to those who come to you.  This may be difficult to do because we are so down and out.  However much we are hurting, we need to show appreciation to the brother who took his time to come to us.
  • Accept what is given.  Some people are better at giving advice or listening to us than others.  Some people may give advice that you already have tried or that you don’t think is that wise.  That’s ok.  Search for the pools of wisdom in what they say and remember that your brother has come to you out of love, no matter what the advice.  His coming to you is gift enough.
  • Use what is given to build yourself back up.  Unfortunately, when we are hurt and down we sometimes get stuck in the role of a victim.  We can’t believe our fate and we are angry about where we are.  As Christ said to the invalid, “Pick up your mat and walk.”  Take strength and assistance from your brothers and use it for change.
  • Don’t expect people to come to you if you aren’t calling on them to.  When we have something happen to us, people will come for a while.  They care.  But people may stop coming to you after a period of time.  You may feel forgotten and get angry, thinking people don’t care.  Remember that people get busy with their own lives and problems. Don’t expect them to keep coming if you aren’t asking them to.
  • Leave people feeling glad they visited.  You need encouragement in your time of need but our visitors need encouragement as well.  It isn’t easy to take time out of one’s day to visit a person who is ungracious.  If you continually depict a picture of misery, it is the rare person who will continue to visit you again and again.  Thank the visitor for coming and let them know that you care for them too.

If we can do these things when in need we will find that are wounds are healed more easily.  We are accepting the gifts God places before us and we can regain our strength again

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for those in the Philippines where the Covid rate has risen significantly; prayers for other countries where Covid is on the rise; prayers for Mr. Jinxy who is recovering from injuries after his automobile accident.

Faithful to Us

THE SCENE: Sunny, temp in 30’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Tempo Squats, 10 Windmills, 7 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 5 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward
THA-THANG:
Run to CMU pile.  Each man grabs CMU.  We will do the following exercises.  Between the listed exercises each man runs to the benches at the playground to do 10 bench jumps, then runs back.

  • 25 Overhead Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Rows

We then put CMUs back.

Mosey up cardiac and on trail to stop sign at intersection of park road and road to admin bldg.  We will do 20 American Hammers and 20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will do 10 Tempo Squats, 20 Bicycle Kicks and 30 Baby Crunches.  We then run up Everest to roadway by Admin Bldg.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks.

Mosey to parking lot below stairs at Coliseum.  We will do Doras.  While one man does exercises the other runs upstairs, heads south at Coliseum, the comes back down the parking lot driveway.  Partners then switch.  Here are the exercises that each two man team performs:

  • 100 Plank Jacks
  • 100 Merkins
  • 100 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 100 Squat Jumps
  • 100 Imperial Walkers

Mosey down Picket’s Charge and back to Playground.  More Flutter Kicks until everyone arrives.

Mosey to outfield by baseball field closest to CMU parking lot.  We will split into two teams.  We will play soccer/ball shoot.  In this game there will be two large boxes at each end of the field.  Teams will kick soccer ball toward opponents end.  The shot at the box, however, must be made by man throwing ball to go inside the box.  The man cannot move when he picks the ball up.  If a team scores, that team will run to second base at the ballfield and back while the team that is scored on must run all the way to home plate and back.  Then game resumes.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
22 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
God is Faithful

The phrase “you gotta have faith” is one you have probably heard before.  I think that phrase often applies to having faith in ourselves, or having faith that things will work out, versus having faith in God.  Still, most of us have certainly heard of our need to have faith in God to get by in this world.  And, we do need to have faith in God.  Yet, we often fall short of being faithful:  in our trust of God, in our commitment to his desire for obedience, in living the loving and virtuous lifestyle that God expects from us.  Fortunately, we have a God who is faithful to us.  So much so that he was willing to, from the Christian standpoint, send his only Son to die for us on the cross.  It is nice to know that we have a God who is faithful to us, who is there for us.

That knowledge of his faithfulness keeps us strong.  I may have told some of you this story of my childhood.  I was about age 5 or 6 and I had acted rather poorly toward my mother earlier that day. It was getting towards evening and I came home to find the door locked.  No big deal, it was a policy to lock the door.  I rang the door bell.  No answer.  I knocked on the door.  No answer.  I ran around to the back of the house.  Door locked and no answer when I knocked.  I ran back up front and after ringing and knocking, I went to our large front window and peered in.  My mother was sitting on a chair in the living room.  How could she not come to me when I was ringing the doorbell and knocking so loud?  Had my mom stopped loving me because I had acted poorly that day?  I called out and she didn’t come.  I ran into the backyard and threw myself to the ground in tears.  Imagine Little Lilydipper, crying until the snot was draining in fissures from his nose.  I later heard my mom calling.  I took a while to get up.  She came to the backyard and found me in tears.  She asked me what was wrong and I told her the story of my persistent knocking and her failure to come to me.  She had been sitting at a chair sound asleep and had not heard me.  She thought she heard a child crying and that was what woke her up.

My mother took pity on me as I was obviously distraught.  So she sat with me, assured me that she would never leave me, would always have faith in me, that I would always be her special child, that I could count on her loving me forever.  She and I went to get a hamburger and ice cream at Goff’s Burgers that evening.  I loved that place because they had the best chili hamburgers in the world and amazing ice cream cones.  I sat there at Goff’s with a special feeling in my heart.  My mother would always be faithful to me.

Gents, we aren’t kids but it sure is good to know that God will always be faithful to us.  We can count on Him.  We may act poorly sometimes, we may upset him with our behavior. . . but we will always be His, we will always be special to Him.   You are His precious child.  Let that truth sink into you and give you that special feeling in your heart like I had that evening at good old Goff’s Hamburgers.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for those of Asian decent in our country because of the hatred that some have showed toward them; for the disenfranchised and folks who are not well and having to stay home; for Mr. Jinxy, Sarah, the wife of Ribbed, and Jan, the wife of Lillydipper; for Dung-Beetle who, as a minister, is working with so many in need, for those with Covid including the father of one of Mickey’s schoolmates, for those struggling with addiction, and that we may have discernment when watching the news as the news can be biased.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Beer ruck tonight at 6:00 pm!