F3 Knoxville

Thanksgiving Buffet – And Pie

THE SCENE: Surprisingly warm, post rain
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Appetizer:  SSH (4ct) x 25; CP x 5; Tie Fighters x 13 each way
THA-THANG:
We all jump in the family station wagon for a trip to grandma’s house for dinner (Mosey up the hill to the lower trail.  The buffet has been set out and we work our way around, filling the plate:

  • Mashed potatoes and gravy = Tempo squats x 25
  • Dressing (and more gravy) = American Hammers x 25
  • Turkey and Cranberry Sauce = Tempo Merkins x 25
  • Sweet Potato Casserole = Smurf Jacks (4 ct) x 25
  • Brussel Sprouts roasted with bacon = Hello Dollies (4 ct) x 25
  • Yeast Rolls = Carolina Dry Docks x 25

We know we’re gonna have seconds, so we head back around to earn those extra portions.  At each station, we take turns giving thanks to something in particular.

  • Next is dessert:  Mosey to the overlook to earn some pie with 10 8 count man-makers.
  • Finally, it’s time to do the dishes.  Run the loop at the overlook (it is shaped like a platter, after all).  Then mosey back to the AO
    MARY:
    Just enough time for Waffle House to lead us in some ATMs and a couple BBQ squats and we’re done.
    COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

    CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
    1863 was one of the worst years in our country’s history.  And yet, President Lincoln saw fit to proclaim the last Thursday of November a National Day of Thanksgiving, the first time it was a national holiday.  We should all read that proclamation from time to time to remind us of the bounty that God’s grace has bestowed upon us, even if it is not immediately apparent.  You can read it here:  http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm  

  • As Paul said: “for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”  Rom 8:18
    MOLESKIN:
    Prayer requests:  Ribbed and his family; Cheatsheet’s mom and for national healing; Assfault’s family; Full House’s wife and family; safe travels for those on the road.
    ANNOUNCEMENTS:
    Happy Thanksgiving.  Let’s spend a moment of quiet contemplation on what we should be truly thankful for and recognize that those things flow from God’s grace and mercy.

Don’t Look Back

THE SCENE: Sunny, temps in low 40s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Y 20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Cherry Pickers , 32 Grady Corns, Left Leaner (Liberal), Right Leaner (Conservative), Little of This and That.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Coliseum. We will do 20 American Hammers and 10 Tempo Merkins.  Mosey to parking lot below Coliseum.  Each man gets a partner for Doras.  While partner runs up stairs and to driveway coming back to parking lot the other partner does exercises.  Here are the exercises that each two-man team completes:

  • 100 Squat Jumps
  • 100 Iron Mikes (both feet = 1)
  • 100 Hello Dollies (4 ct)
  • 100 Flutter Kicks (4 ct)
  • 200 Baby Crunches

Mosey to stop sign at southeastern corner of Admin Bldg.  There will be cones planted along the roadway.  Men will stop at each cone to do exercise listed.

  • Cone 1:  10 Hand Release Merkins.  Sprint to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  Ten Burpees.  Bernie to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  20 Big Boy Sit-Ups.  Bear Crawl to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  Run to front of Admin Bldg to do 25 Calf Raises at Steps.  Then run back to Cone 5 which is on roadway at other end of parking lot.
  • Cone 5:  Hop to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6:  Run down stairs by bat cave, head left to grove and run up top of summit to come back to this cone.  Then Bernie to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7:  20 Dive Bombers.  Butt Kick to Cone 8.
  • Cone 8:  20 Bicycle Kicks (4 ct.)  Sprint to Stop Sign.  Alternate between Big Boys and Merkins until rest of PAX arrives.

Mosey to Haslam Boulder.  30 Second Gander at River Area below.

Mosey to Parking Lot with CMUs.

Each man grabs CMU.  We will do the following exercises then run to Pavilion to do 15 Picnic Table Pull-ups between each exercise:

  • 20 Overhead Presses
  • 20 Bell Ringers
  • 20 Curls
  • 20 Rows
  • Note:  We just happened to team up and play a little game called “Encore” while in the midst of the CMU exercises.  Losers had to do some Burpees.

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

Philippians 3:13:  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. . .

From Lyrics to “Don’t Look Back” by Boston:

Don’t look back
A new day is breakin’
It’s been too long since I felt this way
I don’t mind where I get taken
The road is callin’
Today is the day.

A patient of mine told me of a quote he heard that he wanted to apply to his own life.  The quote is, “There is a good reason why the front window of a car is bigger than the rear view mirror.”  I love that quote.  If we spend too much time looking at the rear view mirror what happens?  We crash.  We are injured.  We are not dealing with what lies ahead.

I see another patient who is frankly stuck in the past.  It keeps him from moving on in the present.  He made a decision to leave a job he hated, retire early, leave the expensive city he lived in up north, and move to the mountains of East Tennessee.  His life has not been what he had dreamed about when he made the decision.  He has struggled financially and doesn’t have as many friends here as he would hope to have.  He now regrets the decision he made to quit the job he had and move here.  He keeps thinking of how much more money he would have if he had stayed with the job.  Trouble is, he was miserable at that job and treated unfairly in it.  He had good reasons for making the decision he did.  And, he could make his life better here.  He has opportunities to meet new people, meet friends.  He could get a part-time job to bring in a little extra income besides his retirement income.  But he lives in regret, looking at the past through that rearview mirror.

Even if we do make mistakes in life, we cannot go back and fix it.  We can only learn from our mistakes and move on.  That is the key to finding what we need.  I think this is what Jesus meant when he said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:62) He means that if we keep looking back we will miss out on God’s heavenly blessings, on the opportunity He gives us to live in Him.

Gents, don’t look back.  We all make mistakes.  Put your hand to the plow and move forward, trusting in God to be with you along the way.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers that racism would end in our country, our melting pot; for the victims of Covid-19 around the world; of praise for Lily’s wife, Jan, being cancer free; for Abscess’ sister who will be getting a biopsy to see if she does have breast cancer; and for Ribbed’s wife who has surgery near the cervical area of her spine to remove a tumor.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Bring coats for the collection we are gathering for charity.  Come on out to Panera this morning for the book signing by a fellow named Robertson Dickens (aka Crawdad).

Fear the Cardboard

THE SCENE: Mid 30s, clear and calm. Not too many more days until all the leaves are gone and the AO is clean again…
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x20 IC
Tempo Merkins x10 IC
Crabettes x10 IC
LBAC x10 IC each way
Tempo Squats x10

THA-THANG:
Grab a CMU and circle up.
Bunch of dudes today, so a few (including YHC) were resigned to Murder Blocks. I gotta get a weight on those things.

Working independently today. Not a race, concentrate on form!

Cardboard wienkie as follows:

15 Up & Over Merkins (L+R=1)
30 Upright Row
20 Squat Thrust
30 Curls
30 Tri Ext
30 CMU LBC
30 CMU Swing
20 Hand-Release Derkin
20 Lawn Mowers (each side)
15 Twist Lunge (each leg)
20 OHP each arm (or 50 with both arms)
20 ALPOs
20 V-ups
Total reps add to 500… But start over at the top when you finish.
No running on the schedule today, but take a lap any time you need one.

MARY:
10x LBC IC. Felt super easy without the blocks.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Lucky 13 for today’s 500 o’ fun!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Short. Doesn’t mean it’s easy:
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you.
MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coat drive still ongoing! Check out the new Service Opportunities channel on Slack

The Skunk Biscuit

THE SCENE: Man, one day it’s chilly.  The next day it’s muggy and humid.  This was one of those days.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Yep. Did that.
WARM-O-RAMA:

So, I picked up this Q basically as I went to bed since nobody else had.  I’m off the cuff here boys.  Some side straddle hops, some cherry pickers, some imperial squat walkers.  That’s about it.  Let’s mosey.

THA-THANG:
Mosey to Circus Maximus for a Baby Sea Biscuit

  • 10 Burpees; 20 Merkins; 30 LBCs, 40 squats, run a lap;
  • Repeat above reps, run 2 laps;
  • Again, run 3 laps;
  • Ditto, run 4 laps.
  • At this point, a true Sea Biscuit requires us to move back down the ladder, but the friendly neighborhood skunk made an appearance and decided to hang out in the middle of the CM oval.  Maybe he reserved it before we did?  At any rate, we called an audible at that point and moseyed back to the foot of baby Everest.
  • With some time left, let’s sprint to the top, 5 man makers (or is it body builders?) and back down for 20 squats.  Do it again, but Bernie up the hill.  Repeat this series one more time.

MARY:
Circle drills with Ring of Fire Merkins.  Each takes a turn doing 2 merkins, but alternating holding plank and 6 inches low with each turn.  Then Howling Monkeys, then Hands of Time.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
From 2 Corinthians 12:8-10:  Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Don’t be afraid to show vulnerability.  The Lord is with you and makes you stronger because of it, and that brings glory to Him.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence for 5 year anniversary. Nov. 7 – Asylum.

Steamed & Smoked, Not Skunk’d

[ The Scene ]

– Couple of skunk sightings in the cool 60-degree air.

– Some diesel powered ‘Mercian trucks roll up

– It’s about to go down

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • My name is Steam and I’m honored to be in your company and be your Q this morning
  • FNGs?
  • Couple of things before we begin:
    • (1) Contrary to popular belief I am not a professional
    • (2) You’re here on your own volition
    • (3) If you need to modify anything we do this morning – feel free to do so as you need but push yourself and those around you. .

[ Warm o Rama ]

  • Imperial Walker: 11×4 IC
  • Rockette: 11×4 IC
  • Windmill: 11×4 IC
  • Merkin: 11×4 IC
  • SSH: 11×4 IC

[ The Thang ]

(Mosey to the Pav)

(1) Power of 3s

  • 3 points of contact:
    • Dugouts: 3 pull-ups
    • Pav: 6 incline Merkins
    • AO parking lot far corner: 9 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Dugouts — Pav — AO parking lot far corner
  • R & R this 2x — adding 3 reps to each station each time
    • Round 2: 6, 9, 12

Done? — Wall-sits & Seal Claps (Yayyyyyyy)

(10 count)

(Mosey to parking lot outside of playground)

Tour de Parking Lots

(2) 9s

  • Rocky Balboas on the curb
  • Freddie Mercury’s at the opposite end of the parking lot
  • Everything on a 4 count
  • 8 & 1
  • 7 & 2 etc etc etc

GET SOME.

(Mosey across the street to opposite parking lot)

(A very distinct skunk smell is in the air — and no, it wasn’t the newest scent of Axe body spray, this was clearly a  skunk. Cutting Parking Lot #2 short — PAX execute 25 u0/down squats and mosey to Parking Lot 3. Shame, Parking Lot #2 had a cool name – but in the wild wild gloom, in a 19 to 1 battle of PAX vs. skunk – the skunk wins.)

(3) There and Back Again — cut short by Skunkinitis

  • 3 points of contact
    • 1 end of the lot
    • Middle of the lot
    • End of the lot
  • 2 ways of getting to them
    • Bear crawl
    • Lunge
  • At each POC: 25 SSH (1 count)
  • When you get back here: Hold the squat
  • Complete the last 25 SSHs together to = 100

(Mosey to roundabout parking lot next to baseball field)

(3) Rounding Up (To 100)

  • We’ll do this together
  • 25×4 mountain climbers

(Run around to the right to the opposite side)

  • 25×4 Carolina Dry Docks

(Run around to the right back to the start)

  • 25×4 mountain climbers 

(Run around to the right to the opposite side)

  • 25×4 Carolina dry docks 

(Mosey pax the back way up past the dugouts and Pav to the AO parking lot)

  • 3 good pull-ups at the dugout
  • 6 good incline merkins at the Pav
  • 9 good big boy sit-ups at the AO parking lot

PAX circle up — still breathing and still time on the clock

[ Mary ]

  • ATMs (15×4 shoulder taps, 10 slow merkins, 10 quick merkins)

 

  • Dynamic Stretching with Steam (Last 5 minutes)
    • Back stretches
    • leg stretches
    • Calf stretches
    • Core stretches
    • GOOD STUFF (not a stretch – stretching is just good stuff)

[ COT ]

  • # off — 19
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs — 0 
  • BOM

“The Power to Change our Thoughts”

  • Jerry Flowers

I shared that it’s been a really hard year for us all and whether we realize it or not it’s probably affected how we think and our thought life (whether we give it credit or not).

So I heard this sermon by a pastor by Jerry Flowers about thought life and the power we have to change the way we think and he listed the exercise below to prove this.

Picture a lion in your head.

Got it?

Now picture a a tiger in your head.

Got it?

You just proved to yourself that you have the power to change your thoughts.

 

The way we think is important! How we think about ourselves, how we think about our life and family and communities, it’s important.

I say this as an encouragement so that if you’ve ever found yourself in a place like I’ve been in and out of this year – desperation and just being tired and exhausted – (1) Give the situation you’re in to the Lord and (2) Realize you have the power to change how you think.

 

Stay in the fight men!

Steam