F3 Knoxville

Let the LORD Remodel Your House

THE SCENE: Rain was coming and going… Moved to the Splash Pad pavilion. Choir Boy still needed his running shoes though… 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Did this, very few questions, forgot to tell them I had my phone. They knew though, they knew. 

WARM-O-RAMA:

Blindside warmy-upy things

THA-THANG:

Sea Biscuit from the Splash Pad (1 lap = down the ramp and around Stonehenge)

  • 1 Lap → 30 Merkins → Box Cutters 
  • 2 laps → 30 Box Jumps → Flutter Kicks 
  • 3 Laps → 30 Dips → Freddie Mercury 
  • 4 Laps → 30 Imperial Squat Walkers (Knee/Knee/Squat = 1) → Hello Dolly
  •  Not a race. PAX completes ab work until the SIX completes the exercise

Cindy Crawford AMRAP at the Bathhouse: Timer set to 13 minutes (Time left in the workout)

  • 5 Pull-ups 
  • 10 Merkins
  • 15 Squats 
  • 20 LBCs
  • 25 V-ups 

MARY:

Right over left & left over right stretching. Kobra Kai stretching until the time is called 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

6 HIMs. 0 FNGs. 

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

MOLESKIN:

The quote above is from C.S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity. God is in the process of making you into something magnificent.  This is especially true if you have suffered a great deal in your life.  God will tear down the walls of your life, and He will rebuild them into something that can house His glory.  We often wonder why God is allowing such great suffering in our lives.  The answer is quite simple, however; some of us have major walls to be torn down.  On the other hand, as a Christian, it is always worth it to endure the tearing down process because, in the end, the beauty that is created is more magnificent than we could have imagined.   Often, we are content to be “a decent little cottage”, however, this is the Christian equivalent to being lukewarm.  God wants to build something incredibly beautiful in you. For some of us, that means extensive renovation.

Do Work. Be Happy.

THE SCENE: 

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Done and done

WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH IC x20; LBAC IC x10ew; Tempo Squat IC x10; Tempo Merkin IC x10

THA-THANG:

  1. Mosey to STOP sign by Chapel: Partner up! One partner runs to the next STOP sign and back while the other completes: 
    1. V-ups 
    2. Hello Dolly’s 
    3. Flutter Kicks 
    4. Repeat until each partner does all three exercises.
  2. Mosey to the bottom of Route 66. Every other light pole; do a Captain Thor (1 BBS and 2 ct American Hammer), sprint to the next station. Adding 1 Captain Thor at each stop keeping the 1:2 ratio. Finish with 10:20. Kobra Kai stretches while waiting on the SIX. 
  3. Mosey to the Overlook:  
  1. Bear Crawl to the first pole; sprint back
  2. Bear Crawl to the second pole; sprint back 
  1.  Body Builder + Ghostman Baseball (Body Builder + is a Burpee/ShoulderTap/PlankJack/ToeTouch Combo)
    1. One group does “dealer’s choice abs while the other runs the bases
    2. Round 1: 
      1. 1st= 1 BB+
      2. 2nd= 2 BB+
      3. 3rd= 3 BB+
      4. 2nd= 2 BB+
      5. 1st= 1 BB+
    3. Round 2:
      1. 1st= 3 BB+
      2. 2nd= 2 BB+
      3. 3rd= 1 BB+
      4. 2nd= 2 BB+
      5. 1st= 3 BB+
  2. Return to AO 
    1. Ring of Fire: 5 → 1 Merkins  

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA:

9 HIMs; No FNGs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“It is the working man who is the happy man. It is the idle man who is the miserable man.” -Benjamin Franklin

We need to be “working” constantly. Whether that is working on bettering our bodies, our minds, our spiritual life, our family life, etc. Once we become idle, we start to deteriorate. Do Work. Be Happy. 

Ockham’s Razor-Sharp Tabata

THE SCENE: 60 something, clear, lower humidity, satellites in the sky, Aladdin saw the moon (again)

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x 50 (4 ct)

274th day, 91 left

Last quarter of 2021

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the Splash Pad

An actual, legit tabata workout – 8 rounds of the same exercise with 20 secs on, 10 secs off, followed by a lap before switching to the next exercise until time

Merkins

LBCs

Dips

Boat/Canoe (boat for 20 secs, rest for 10 secs, canoe for 20 secs, rest for 10 secs, and so on)

Box Jumps/Step Ups

American Hammers

Carolina Dry Docks

Mosey back to the AO

MARY:
No time as we arrived back at the AO right at 6:15, but we worked our core during the tabata (I went easy on the PAX since the Iron Pax Challenge on Wednesday involved a lot of CMU work).

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 HIMs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Ockham’s Razor is the principle that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily, which is often translated into “the simplest solution is usually the correct one.”  Look for simplicity.  Also known as, the K.I.S.S. method – keep it simple stupid.  Enjoy the simplicity.  See, e.g., Proverbs 16:8 (“Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues with injustice.”).

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pat and her family for the loss of Cory, for Aladdin and his work family and the trying year that they have had, Ribbed’s wife, the blood drive, and the brothers participating in Hardship Hill.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Blood Drive, Hardship Hill

No Stars, So No Gazing

THE SCENE: Beautiful & Clear, until workout time. No stars to gaze at…

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH IC | Windmills IC
  • Baby Arm Circles IC
  • Grady Corns IC | Rockettes IC

THA-THANG:

Partner up & alternate AMRAP of the exercise with running to the next station and back. Teams advance when both partners have done all three exercises.


Station 1

  • Diamond Merkins
  • Lunges
  • Box Cutters

Station 2

  • Dry Docks
  • Squats
  • Flutter Kicks

Station 3

  • Shoulder Taps
  • SSH
  • LBCs

Station 4

  • Hand Release Merks
  • Single Leg Bridge
  • Imperial Walkers

MARY:

STRETCHES:

  • Bend down & grab toes
  • Sit squat
  • Knee to chest / Knee across
  • Child pose
  • Downward dog
  • Cobra Kai/upward dog
  • Pigeon Pose
  • Child pose
  • Downward dog
  • Upward

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM: Golden Rule

ANNOUNCEMENTS: HH. Waxjob. Q

PRAYER

Q101 + GrowSchool

F3 Q101 + GrowSchool

  • 9.25.21
  • 0700-0900
  • AO: Asylum

[ The Scene ]

Dark. Chilly. Foggy. The creaks and moans of men arriving are accompanied by the wake up calls of Creation.

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness-Fellowship-Faith
  • My name is Steam and I am honored to be your Q this morning
  • This will be a Q101 + GrowSchool:
    • Q101:
      • For the next 60 minutes, we will be doing a Q101 — walking through how to lead an F3 workout with tips and tricks along the way. If you haven’t led an F3 workout yet — you have what it takes to lead. This will be a great learning experience and catalyst for your leadership.

      • For those of you that have led an F3 workout, this is not a time to coast, but a time to work and sharpen your skills.
    • GrowSchool: An intentional time of leadership development in the form of an extended BOM after the Q101.

5 Principles of an F3 Workout:

  • Be free of charge
  • Be open to all men
  • Be held outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold
  • Be led by men who participate in the workout in a rotating fashion, with no training or certification necessary
  • End with a Circle of Trust

Many of these seem self-explanatory but can get lost in the moment:

  • Start on time. Wear a watch. End on time.
  • Be prepared for your lead to be more strenuous physically than you think.  Counting cadence while you exercise can make it harder to breathe.
  • Remember you have help. If for any reason you want someone to grab a part of the workout even while you are out there, speak up.
  • When you screw up or fail, keep calm and drive on… count louder and push forward. As Dredd says, “When falling, dive!”
  • Every man thrashed, no man left behind. To promote “you versus you” but also to keep the PAX together, offer extra credit to the frontrunners via burpees, planks, merkins, etc.
  • Don’t take unnecessary risks or do stupid stuff. The Pax is looking for leadership and will follow often before thinking if they’re getting a great workout.
  • If your region has the Q do the shoutout, think of CoT words in advance.
  • HAVE FUN. F3 groups are always supportive of new Qs. We love to see new people stepping up.

Disclaimer and Notice — From f3nation.com

“F3 Nation, Inc. (“F3”) is a peer-led, zero-cost non-profit workout group. F3 makes no representations with regard to the skill level of workout leaders, the safety of the exercises performed during workouts or the hazardousness of the premises upon which workouts are conducted. The men who lead F3 workouts are not paid to do so and no representations of any kind are made by F3 about their skill level. The premises upon which F3 workouts are conducted are not owned or maintained by F3. F3 makes no representations of any kind regarding their safety. Although F3 workouts vary widely in intensity, all F3 workouts tend to be rigorous and are undertaken upon uneven ground during periods of limited visibility. Therefore, there are certain dangers inherent in participating in an F3 workout. Participants must be 18 or older and are assumed to have made their own reasonable decision as to whether they should so participate. Participants under 18 must be accompanied by a father or male legal guardian. F3 disclaims any and all responsibility for any individual’s decision to participate in an F3 workout. By participating in an F3 workout, an individual assumes the risks inherent in doing so. This Disclaimer and Notice is made by F3 on its own behalf and on the behalf and for the benefit of any person leading an F3 workout and/or otherwise acting for the benefit of F3.”

  • Another and way easier of saying this is:
    • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
    • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning
    • Few things before we begin:
      • I’m not a professional
      • You’re here on your own volition
      • You know your body better than anyone, so if you need to modify anything we do this morning, feel free to do so, but push yourself and the men around you — they deserve it and so do you.
  • FNGs? — always check for FNGs. This helps with identifying them to the PAX so they can help them throughout the Q.

[ Warm o Rama ]

Think of muscles like taffy… when cold, snapping happens easier. When warm, nice and smooth.

This is probably the trickiest part for new Qs. Calling Cadence in the F3 style serves a number of purposes:

  • Creates rhythm which distracts the mind from the task at hand
  • Builds teamwork by synchronizing PAX and creating focus
  • Not knowing the number of reps discourages budgeting of effort; you get used to going as long as you have to
  • Cadence
    • “The next exercise is…” [pause] “Side Straddle Hop!” (or name of other exercise)
    • “Starting Position…” [pause] “Move!”
    • “In Cadence…” [pause] “Exercise!” (begin count 1..2..3)
  • There is not a magic # to hit for how many reps you should do. You’re the Q, you choose the # of reps. But be strategic in this effort as well (i.e. not leading 300 squats right out of the gates)
    • SSH: 25×4 IC
    • Rockette: 20×4 IC
    • Squat: 15×4 IC
    • Baby Arm Circles: 10×4 IC (B and F)
    • Merkins: 5×4 IC

For how to lead a cadence — see here: https://youtu.be/xRTitxnE-mI

[ The Thang ]

KISS = Keep It Simple Superstar

If you’re a planner, “schedule” more exercises than there is workout time. Time will pass faster than usual, most likely.

Usually you’ll want something that’s a time-eater after a warm-up, search for “routine” in the exercise DB and remember the “pearls on a string” concept. You stop, do something, run to another place, so something else.

(1) 4 Corners

  • 2 Points of contact
    • Parking Lot Corners (4)
    • Pavilion
  • Parking Lot Corners: 10 squats
  • Pavilion: 10 incline merkins
  • Run down to the pavilion, do our 10 incline merkins, and come back up here to 1 of the corners and execute our 10 squats. We will rinse and repeat that process until we hit all 4 corners up here.
  • Recover up here in the parking lot after you finish your 4th corner — merkin plank

(20 seconds and talk)

(Mosey to Cardiac Hill)

(2) SlingShot

  • Battle buddy up
  • 3 points of contact
    • Top
    • 1st curve
    • Bottom (light post)
  • The exercises for cardiac hill is the big boy sit-up + mountain climber
  • One battle buddy will run from the top to the 1st curve — execute 10 big boy sit-ups while battle buddy #2 is at the top executing mountain climbers.
  • Once battle buddy #1 is is done with his 10 BBS at the 1st curve, he will come back to the top and now both battle buddies are running to the 1st curve.
  • This time, the BB that was doing the mountain climbers the first time will run from the 1st curve to the bottom and execute 10 BBS, while the other BB stays at the 1st curve and executes mountain climbers.
  • Once his BBS are complete, he will come back to the 1st curve and BOTH BB will run to the bottom and execute 10 BBS and 10 mountain climbers on a 4 count together.
  • Both BB are going down cardiac, but taking turns being the slingshot

(20 count and talk) — Pause for the Cause

  • Huge learning experience with this
  • The failure or success of an F3 workout is ultimately on the Q and his communication and leadership.
  • Halfway through the “Slingshot” workout, it became clear that there was a miscommunication between the Q and the PAX.
  • This is on the Q. Let me say this again — this is on the Q.
  • The Q circled everyone back together and restated the instructions of the workout and the PAX completed the workout all together until the end.
  • After a 20-count, the Q went through the above bullet points with the PAX — learning experience.

[ Mary ]

Post-beatdown, usually some core Xs or cool down, depending on the Q

Core 4

  • Flutter Kicks: 25

Run across the lot and back

  • LBCs: 25

Run across the lot and back

  • American Hammers: 25

Run across the lot and back

  • Cockroach: 25

Run across the lot and back

Stretching with Steam

  • Q led the PAX in light stretches to end the Mary portions before the COT.

Takeaway from the Q101:

HAVE FUN. F3 groups are always supportive of new Qs. We love to see new people stepping up.

[ COT ]

  • # off — start and finish with the same # of guys 
  • Name o Rama
    • Hospital name, age, F3 name
    • 50 = Respect
    • 60 = Double Respect
    • 70 = Triple Respect
    • 80+ = basically immortal
  • FNGs — none
  • BOM (GrowSchool)

The BOM is a time for the Q to share something that’s on his heart with the men. An encouraging quote, a motivational story, something from the Bible, as long as it is something positive, encouraging, and challenging to the growth of the PAX, that’ll do.

The Q shared a few points from the GrowSchool portion at the COT, and then the PAX converged to Coffeteria at Panera to continue.

Q Source: The F3 Manual of Virtuous Leadership

Foundation: Disruption

Socratic Qs // TPQs

  • What do leaders do?
  • What effect does leadership have on the status quo?
  • Is there a common characteristic shared by leaders who leave a legacy?

Disruption = a disturbance to the status quo

The connection between movement and leadership is critical because it presupposes a need for action, a recognition by the leader himself that that status quo is something less advantageous than some other place — a location the leader visualizes and then articulates to his followers.

Because it induces movement, leadership causes disruption, or a disturbance to the status quo.

If a man calls himself a leader but does not cause disruption by initiating movement, then he is not practicing leadership.

Like the agitator in a washing machine, leadership dislodges things long embedded in people’s emotional fabric.

A Leader is a person who influences movement to advantage.

A great leader’s legacy is built on love, because a great leader’s focus is always upon his followers rather than himself.

He views leadership as a craft that must be honed through continual study and application

It is their (the followers) advantage, not his (the leader’s) to which he initiated movement.

Takeaways

  • Leaders influence movement to advantage
  • Because it induces movement, leadership causes disruption
  • A great leader’s legacy is built on love

For everything about your first Q — check this out: https://f3nation.com/q101/