F3 Knoxville

First Last and Last First

THE SCENE: Beautiful chilly morning, temps in low 30’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Pinto Twists, 10 Windmills, Plank Stretches, Michael Phelps.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot by Southern Ball Fields.  There will be eight cones set up in the parking lot.  Cone 1 and 8 will be on one side of the parking lot.  Cones 2 through 7 are on the other side of the parking lot.  We will circle clockwise around the cones.  The following will be the exercises at and from each cone:

  • Cone 1:  20 Squat Jumps.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 American Hammers (four count).  Crab Walk to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  20 Star Jumps.  Bear Crawl to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  20 Hello Dollies.  Broad Jump to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  10 Shoulder Taps (each shoulder).  Gorilla Hop to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6:  10 Hand Release Merkins.  Sprint to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7:  15 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)  Bernie Sanders to Cone 8.
  • Come 8:  15 Dive Bombers.  Sprint all the way back to Cone 1.
  • Those finishing first rinse and repeat cycle until last man finishes first cycle.

Mosey to perimeter trail just past the pavilion at the southern ball fields.  We will do the following (what I call the 10 light nerve-wrecker) heading east and then north on the perimeter trail until we go on the boardwalk by the water and finally reach the serpentine sidewalk.  We will continue the 10 light nerve-wrecker on the serpentine sidewalk until we reach the roadway that is east of Pickett’s Charge.  With the 10 light nerve-wrecker, we run the length of 10 lights.  We then stop and do the following exercises in order:

  • 10 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 20 Merkins
  • 30 Squats
  • 40 Baby Crunches.
  • Rinse and repeat until every man has gone through the cycle of exercises.  Then run another 10 lights and do it again.

Once at the roadway, we will mosey to the playground.  We will do elevens at the benches, starting with one bench dip and 10 bench jumps.

Mosey to CMU Pile.  Each man grabs a CMU.  We will do the following exercises:

  • 20 Overhead Presses
  • 50 Bench Presses
  • 20 Curls
  • 25 Rows

Put CMU’s back in pile.  Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Box Cutters
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
11 men, no FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Welcome Is Our Greeting

Matthew 20:  26- 28.  But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,c 27and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,d 28even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

At the Broylmpics last Saturday, I was one of the brothers who ran in the long distance run.  I started with the group and very quickly saw the group dash on ahead of me.  After about 1/4 of the race, Mandolin and I were consigned to last place.  We had already competed in all of the prior events.  Our bodies were aching and Mandolin was nursing a problematic leg.  We suffered onward.  About halfway through the race we see the brother who ended up being the overall Brolympics Champ, Woodshack, running towards us.  He joins us, at a pace that was much slower than his typical mosey, and encourages us throughout the remainder of the race.  He didn’t belittle us, didn’t ingratiate us, he just ran by us, commenting on the great effort he was seeing and inspiring us in a thoughtful and brotherly manner.  We finally get to the final stretch of the race along the Serpentine Sidewalk.  By this time, all others in the race had already finished it.  As I am running ahead, what do I see?  A whole line of bros coming towards us, giving us high fives and finishing the race with us.  I can’t tell you how good that made me feel.  These were my brothers.  I might have been the slowest on the distance run but I was one of them.  Something pushed me a little faster as I crossed that finish line.  And on past the finish line were the other bros, smiling at me, Hey Lillying me, and getting me in the breakfast line for some of Junk’s famous cooking.  A slice of heaven with my brothers.

This kind of fellowship is what we all need.  In F3, all are welcome, no matter what the age or what the athletic condition.  “No Man Left Behind” is our philosophy.  As Q leaders, we need to design our workouts to make sure that happens.  Those men who get to a particular destination first can keep on working on exercises, whether Burpees, Side Straddle Hops, Running in Place, or Big-Boy Sit-ups as they wait for the remaining men to catch up.  Sometimes, we even Wagon Wheel back to join our brothers at the six.

Here’s another thing that we need to remember in F3.  Those of us who are less athletic or less fit should not pridefully shun the efforts of the more athletic who come to meet us.  We should not be embarrassed or angry because we are slower.  We should greet those circling back with glee, accept their gift of encouragement.  We should also remember that we too, even though we may be less athletic, have so much to offer the brotherhood – whether it be our mumble-chatter, our humor, our smiles, our social leadership, our aged wisdom, or plain old humility.  We all are living examples to one another, to the community around us, and to the FNG’s we welcome to our PAX.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Junk and his wife, for Messi and his wife, and for Cheatsheet’s friend who died at the age of 49.  Be with the friend’s family at this difficult time.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
On December 7 at 7 am in the morning we will have a Convergence at the Truck Stop.  We will then go to Two Rivers Church nearby for a 3rd F Gathering with Manilow as our speaker.  Food from Einsteins Bagels will be provided.

Hey, guess what?  Today is Crawdad’s birthday.  The man is now 40.

“It Takes 2” feat. CheatSheet & Steam

THE SCENE: Dark on the outside, sunny on the inside. 35-40 degrees. Character-building weather.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • My name is Steam and I will be one of your Qs this morning
  • A couple of things:
    • 1) I am not a professional
    • 2) You are here on your own volition – you made a choice to be here this morning
      • Mumblechatter: Was it the right choice?
      • Q: Time will tell. You did make a choice to be here this morning and so did they – make it count!
    • 3) You know your body better than anyone else: if you need to modify anything we do this morning – feel free to do it. But push yourselves and the men around you.


WARM-O-RAMA:

1. SSH (Side-Straddle-Hop): 15×4 in cadence

2. Rockette: 15×4 in cadence

[ 1 burpee on your own ]

3. Windmill: 15×4 in cadence

[ 2 burpees on your own ]

4. Merkin: 15×4 in cadence

[ 3 burpees on your own ]

5. Flutter Kicks: 15×4 in cadence

[ 4 burpees on your own ]

THA-THANG:

[ PAX moseys to playground next to AO ]

  1. 15s (Not what you think)
    • 5, 5, 5
    • 5 dips on a bench
    • Sprint to covered pavilion
    • 5 box jumps
    • Sprint back to playground
    • 5 man-makers/8-count body buolders
    • R&R (Rinse and Repeat) 3x

[ 15-count // walk and talk ]

  • Q instructs to battle-buddy up
  • Parking lot outside of playground:
    • Pavement (parking spaces) = sprint
    • Grassy medians = bear crawl
    • Why battle buddies for this? Push your battle buddy and don’t let him slack off
    • Iron. Sharpens. Iron. 

[ Q asks for No BS Assessments from several of the PAX – QTIP: Whether you are leading a Q, walking through something hard with a loved one, or just in everyday encounters, don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions – such as “Give me a no BS Assessment of how you are/how’s your heart.” ]

[ PAX moseys to pavilion before the Chapel ]

  • 2 columns (battle buddies side by side)
  • Q instructs that the right column = casualties/dead
  • Remaining battle buddy must carry their casualty battle buddy across the field separating the small pavilion to the chapel
  • Walk into chapel

[ 10 count ]

[ Steam turns on AC/DC because obviously it’s about to go down ]

25s (once again, not what you think)

  • IN CADENCE: PAX executes 5 burpees – takes a lap around the perimeter of the chapel
  • R&R 4 more times
  • PAX is LOUD. FIA probably what in the heck was going on.
  • CheatSheet leads PAX in a 25 motivated SSHs
  • Time is 0600
  • The date is November 15th
  • 15 minutes to get better – let’s rock.

[ PAX mosey’s back to playground ]

  • Parking lot in front of playground
    • Karaoke – switch halfway down
  • Playground
    • PAX on their 6
    • 15s
      • 15×4 Flutter Kicks in cadence
      • 15×4 Big Boy Situps in cadence
      • 15×4 Penguins/cockroaches in cadence

[ Mosey to Flag below AO lot ]

  • Bear crawl up the pavement to the AO gates
  • Sprint into the AO

[ Toe the Line ]

    • “Do as I do”
    • Arm/leg skips across lot – jog back
    • Bernie Sanders across lot – jog back

[ Circle it Up ]

  • CheatSheet and Steam lead PAX in ATMs to close out

MARY:

Breathe is heavy, arms are sweaty.

You all chose the harder thing this morning. Well done. Well. Done.

If CheatSheet and I can do this, you can too. I know you can. You have what it takes to step-up and lead. Co-Q with me, I’ll co-Q with anyone. We need you, the guys need you.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

19 PAX – No FNGs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Stand. Remember. Proclaim. Fight.

Take this to heart men.

Stand – STAND UP. The world needs High Impact Men to stand up. Stand Up for yourself, stand up for your family, stand up for your friends, stand up for your loved ones, stand up for what you believe in. You have a voice and you have a story. Stand Up and own it. He calls us to stand up as High Impact Men.

Remember: REMEMBER who you are and WHOSE you are. The enemy is cunning in the ways he tries to make us forget who we are and whose we are. Remember when the Lord showed up in your life. Remember why you do what you do. Remember why you go to your job during the week. Remember why you come out here in the morning. Remember who He calls you to be and live out of that. Lest we forget that we were created in HIS image.

Proclaim: PROCLAIM as High Impact Men. This bonfire that we gather around called F3 in the mornings needs to be shared and multiplied with guys just like you and me before we came into F3. You have a voice and a story to tell. Tell it courageously and proclaim as a High Impact Man. Whether that’s here in F3 or in your own family or relationship or at work – as High Impact Men – proclaim boldly.

Fight: We are not all called to pick up a gun and fight. God bless those that are. However, as men, as High Impact Men – we are called to stand up and fight. Fight for yourself, fight for your wife, your girlfriend, your family, your friends. Fight because there is some good left in this world and it is worth fighting for. Cary the fight wherever you go. Weapons come in many different shapes and forms. Your story and your voice and your heart can be weapons of mass life-giving that the enemy hates and wants to destroy. Fight spiritually, fight emotionally, fight prayerfully.

It is nothing short of an HONOR to be out here with you all in the mornings and lead. If you’ve led before you know what it’s like, if you haven’t – come on. It’s time for you to find your voice and lead. We need to hear it.

MOLESKIN:

PRs:

  • CheatSheet’s Friend who died suddenly. Funeral is this afternoon in Farragut.
  • Children/Schools in CA – fires in CA – pray for safety.
  • Spoken and unspoken prayers – He knows the cries and whispers of our hearts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

!!!Last 3rd F Convergence of 2019!!!

When: Saturday, December 7th (7am – 9:30am)

Where: TruckStop AO (7am)

    • Post-Workout Convergence at Two Rivers Church (275 Harrison Lane, Lenoir City, TN 37772)
  • For more info – check the event on the F3 Knoxville GroupMe 
  • Grab a battle-buddy you haven’t seen post in a while!

Veteran’s Day Tribute

THE SCENE: Clear and cool (42f) – Beautiful morning
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Side straddle hops (I.C.) 25
  • Michael Phelps
  • Arm Bars
  • Baby Arm Circles (forward & back) from TIE fighter position

THA-THANG:

Props to CODE BROWN for  carrying The Colors for us throughout the Q!!

Mosey from AO to skunk hill – Honoring the U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima:

  • Up skunk hill – 11 Merkins – back down
  • Up skunk hill – 11 Merkins – back down
  • Up skunk hill – 19 Merkins – back down

Mosey from Skunk Hill to river walk – Honoring the U.S. Navy:
• Row Boat (I.C.) 11
• Drydock (I.C.) 11
• Hello Dolly (I.C.) 19

Mosey from boardwalk to chapel – Honoring U.S. Coast Guard:
• Captain Morgan (I.C.) 11 (Each side)
• Flounder Pounder (I.C.) 11
• Doggie Paddle (I.C.) 19

Mosey from chapel to cloud – Honoring U.S. Air Force:

  • Triceps dip (I.C.) 19
  • Dive bomber 11
  • Wind Mill (I.C.) 19

Bernie from cloud to AO / CMU pile – Honoring U.S. Army:
• CMU Curl (I.C.) 11
• CMU Squat (I.C.) 11
• CMU Bench Press (I.C.) 19

*Threw in 19 CMU overhead presses for good measure

MARY:

  • Box cutters (IC 20)
  • Mtn Climbers (IC 20)
  • Flutter kicks (IC 20)
  • Old Man Stretch

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
24 HIMS shared in a tribute to our armed forces by working our way around various Asylum landmarks and honoring our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Special shout out to the veterans in our group as well.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
History lesson – 100th anniversary of Armistice day:
November 11th, 1918 marked the end of WWI – One year later on the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1919, (11/11/1919) the first National Holiday known then as Armistice Day was celebrated to commemorate the end of the first world war. Armistice Day remained so until 1954 when the name was changed to Veterans Day to be inclusive of all veterans who had come before and after WWI. That makes today, November 11th of 2019 the 100th anniversary of this national day of recognition of the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces. Over the course of that 100 years, millions of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have served and sacrificed for our freedom and to ensure the greater safety and wellbeing of the world as a whole. Today is a day to say thank you.

MOLESKIN:
CHALLENGE: At some point today, reach out to a friend, a colleague or even a stranger and simply thank them for their service. To keep it top of mind throughout the day, post an American Flag on the group me once you’ve done it.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Return of Burpin’ Bernie

THE SCENE: 40ish, just about perfect.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • 10-Cherry Pickers
  • 10 – Windmills
  • 15 – lbac forward/backward
  • 15 – Tempo Merkins
  • 20 – Tempo Squats

THA-THANG:
Line up on curb and run at 50% to other side of launch parking lot. 40xCalf Raises on opposite curb

Run back at 75% effort. Performed 20 4-count Rocky Balboa’s

Mosey to the large parking lot for the return of an old friend.

Burpin’ Bernies

The large parking lot has 10 parking rows. Starting on the West side of the parking lot, run to the first row (Level 1) and perform 1 burpee, Bernie back to the start and perform the level 1 exercise, run to the second row (Level 2) and perform 2 burpees, Bernie back to the start and perform the level 2 exercise. Complete until finished with level 10.

  1. 10 – Carolina Dry Docks
  2. 20 – Monkey Humpers
  3. 30 – Plank Dips
  4. 40 – Merkins
  5. 50 – Smurf Jacks
  6. 60 – Flutter Kicks
  7. 70 – Shoulder Taps
  8. 80 – Air Squats
  9. 90 – Freddie Mercuries
  10. 100 – Side Straddle Hops

In total there were 550 reps of the level exercises and 55 burpees. We ran 3/4 mile forwards and 3/4 mile backwards. Last time we had about 3 of the PAX finish all ten levels, this time I believe it was 7-8 PAX.

MARY:
No time.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
23 HIMs.  Love the JUCO PAX and their enthusiasm.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Don’t allow yourself to become complacent. It’s obvious that no one here is complacent with their physical self as we are all here to grow and push ourselves to the next level. It’s important that we apply that same desire to grow in all areas of our lives. Christ addressed the church in Laodicea in Revelation 3 saying, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” The church had become complacent with where they were spiritually and Christ reprimanded them for it. Let’s strive to be passionate about all that we do. To push ourselves to the next level physically, spiritually, and mentally. 

MOLESKIN:

Shoutout to Erector and Anchorman for knocking out a long pre-run.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Canned food drive for Second Harvest

Ai-CAN Legs and Bro-CAN-back Mountain

THE SCENE: 60ish and cloudy.  No rain yet!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x20; Now grab 2 cans each from Charmin’s food drive box; Imperial Squat Walkers x 20; Tie fighters x 11 each way; line up on the baseline curb for some Rocky Balboas. All in cadence.
THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to the Cloud for some Aiken (or Ai-CAN) Legs:  20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 Mary Katherines, 20 Rev. Lunges, rinse and repeat.  Stop midway for 10 burpees (10 burpees every time someone drops a can!)
  • Rest with Flutter kicks IC x 20.
  • Mosey to the Pavalon and partner up.  20 step ups on the tables while the partner wall sits with cans held out. Rotate out. Rinse and repeat.
  • Mosey to bottom of Baby Everest (or is it Little Cardiac??).  Vote to hold on to the cans for the remainder of the workout.
  • Bro-CAN Back Mountain:  Doras with your partner.  One partner Bernies up the hill (back pedal) and then runs down while the other is doing SSH or Moroccan Night Clubs (250 total for each exercise).
  • Back to the Cloud for Can Ups:  Grab a bench, plank position with cans in front of you.  Place one can up on bench from plank, then merkin, then other can up on bench, then merkin, then one can back down on ground, merkin, and other can back down on ground and merkin.  That’s 1.  Do 10 of those.
  • Mosey back to AO

MARY:
Code Brown led in some Canned Thors, then some Canned Dollies
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Food drive message: “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”  John 6:8-10.  We never know what small thing will lead to big miracles.  Have faith and great things can happen from even the smallest gesture.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pacman and his wife as she goes to Vanderbilt for evaluation of eyesight issues.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  1. Last week for the food drive!  2) Brolympics on Nov. 9.  Sign up now!!