F3 Knoxville

Tag: Convoy

Carry the Football

F3 Q: 6.25.22

AO: Asylum

7am – 8am

[ The Scene ]

  • muggy
  • 80s
  • BSIA

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning
  • A few things before we begin:
    • I’m not a professional
    • You’re here on your own belief
    • You know your injuries if you have any so if you need to modify anything we do today feel free to do so, but push yourselves and the men around you. They deserve it and so do you.
  • FNGs?

[ Warm o Rama ]

  1. SSH: 25×4

(Take a lap around the lot)

  1. Merkin: 25×4

(Side shuffle around the lot)

  1. Squat: 25×4

(Take a lap around the lot)

  1. Plank Jack: 25×4

(Side shuffle around the lot)

  1. Mountain Climber: 25×4

(Take a lap around the lot)

[ The Thang ]

(Mosey to the playground – short)

[1] Upper

  • 3 stations, 3 rounds
  • (1) Playground
    • 25 Incline Merkins (1ct)
    • 25 SSH (1ct)
  • (2) Pavilion
    • 25 Dips (1ct)
    • 25 SSH (1ct)
  • (3) Between 2 Fields
    • 25 Carolina Dry Docks (1ct)
    • 25 SSH (1ct)
  • Complete station 1
    • Run and complete station 2
    • Run back to station 2
  • Complete station 1 + 2
    • Run to station 3
    • Run back to station 1
  • Complete all 3 stations, but add 25 reps each station = 50 reps at each station

— 10 count or something —

(Mosey to Cardiac Hill – medium)

[2] Lower

  • 3 stations
  • Base
    • Squats: 25 (1ct)
    • 25 mountain climbers (1ct)
  • Middle Curve
    • Lunges: 25 (1ct)
    • 25 mountain climbers (1ct)
  • Top (Benches)
    • 25 Apollo Onos (1ct)
    • 25 mountain climbers (1ct)
  • Stay at the top when done: Al Gore
  • Once everyone is at the top, execute all together:
    • 25 squats (1ct)
    • 25 iron mikes (1ct)
    • 25 squat jacks (1ct)

— 10 count or something —

(Mosey to the Amphitheater – Long)

(American Indian Run)

[3] Core

  • 3 stations
  • Middle
    • 25 up + outs (1ct)
    • 25 LLBCs (1ct)
  • Right
    • 25 cockroaches (1ct)
    • 25 LLBCs (1ct)
  • Left
    • 25 mountain-climber cross overs (1ct)
    • 25 LLBCs (1ct)
  • Complete the middle, and then both the left and right stations
  • Recover in the middle when done: Flutter Kicks

— 10 count —

[4] Put It All Together

  • 3 stations (triangle)
  • Everything is 10 reps on a 1 count
  • We’ll do these together in cadence
  • Top (1ct) — GO HERE 2ND
    • 10 incline merkins
    • 10 dips
    • 10 dry docks
  • Left (1ct) — GO HERE 1ST
    • 10 squats
    • 10 lunges
    • 10 Apollo Onos
  • Right (1ct) — GO HERE 3RD
    • 10 up + outs
    • 10 cockroaches
    • 10 mountain-climber crossovers

— 10 count or something —

(Mosey back to AO)

[ Mary ]

  • SWS

[ COT ]

  • # off — 10
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs — 1
    • Tyke Hillmer
    • F3 Name: Fumble
  • BOM

I had a word prepared for this morning but last night and going into this morning, I felt like this was put on my heart to share instead.

For the past 60 minutes, we carried a football around, but didn’t really use it much, except for tossing it around during 10 counts and on the mosey a bit. We didn’t use it, but we carried it. And in fact, even though it’s really not that heavy, over the period of 60 minutes. It became a little more tough to carry, after doing merkins, and squats and all kinds of exercises.

And don’t we do the same thing in real life? We carry around these “footballs” through life that we don’t use all the time but that we’re carrying around. “Footballs” like old wounds, past trauma, addictions, and whatever else you’re carrying that may have gotten heavier over time.

So why carry around a football and pass it around to others so they can help carry it over the course of the workout?

“Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

— Galations 6:2

TPQs (Thought Provoking Questions)

  1. What “footballs” are you carrying around that you need to let go of?
  2. Who can you invite in to help carry your football and release it?
  3. How can you help people around you release their grip on their football?

God’s Identity Papers

THE SCENE: 70s, clear but humid
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 5 Burpees, 10 Mountain Climbers, 4 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 3 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 2 Burpees, 10 Tempo Merkins, 1 Burpee, Stretches
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot close to the Brolympics Field.  Turn around about 1/3 of the way along the parking lot and Bernie Sanders to the curb. Mosey to the flat fields where we hold the Brolympics. There will be 8 cones set in a perpendicular line.  In single file we will serpentine between those 8 cones.  Then sprint to 2 cones set parallel to each other.  Do a broad jump at the imaginary line between those two cones.  Then bear crawl to the last cone.  Rinse and repeat two more times.

Run up to the Coliseum, stopping at the top of each hill to do 3 Burpees.

In the courtyard od the Coliseum we will do 20 American Hammers ans 20 Hello Dollies.

Next, we will run counterclockwise around the loop that goes by the Admin Bldg.  We will stop at each quarter to do the following exercises:

  • 1st quarter:  20 Diamond Merkins
  • 2nd quarter:  20 Calve Raises on Steps of Admin Bldg.
  • 3rd quarter:  20 Wide Merkins
  • 4th quarter:  20 Decline Merkins off benches in Coliseum Courtyard.
  • Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to bat cave.  We will run in a counterclockwise route stopping to do the following exercises at the following locations:

  • 20 Star Jumps at Bat Cave
  • 20 Carolina Drydocks at bottom of stairs.
  • 20 Incline Merkins on final summit od Mt. Everest.
  • 10 Dive Bombers at tip of summit.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

We will do 20 4 ct Baby Crunches.

Mosey to Rock Pile just below Coliseum.  Each man picks up a large rock.  Mosey with rock above head to next rock pile.  We will then do the following exercises with the rocks:

  • 20 Curls
  • 20 Overhead Presses
  • 20 Rows
  • 20 Chest Out Pushes

Mosey back to other rock pile and relace rocks

Mosey to nearest cone on Brolympics field.  We will Bear Crawl to parallel cones, then do a standing broad jump, then lunge to the next cone, then serpentine sprint between the last 8 cones.  Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to parking lot bt the Brolympics field.  We will sprint halfway down parking lot then Bernie Sanders to curb.  We will do the same thing back.  Then, mosey to AO.

We will do 20 Side Straddle Hops, then Bernie Sanders the length of the parking lot and sprint back.

 

MARY:
Stretches
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 men and one fine dog.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

God’s Identity Papers
With the war in Ukraine, with the long list of public shootings occurring over the past two months, including those in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas, with the inflation we are coping with in 2022, with the continuing Covid numbers that faded but now seem to be rising again, it is easy to lose sight of God.  We worry about the state of the world and continue to hear from news pundits and politicians about what should be done or, even more often, what isn’t being done.  God, where are you in this process?
Maybe this is a time when we should slow down . . . in order to allow our senses to hear God, to see Him, to feel Him, to taste and discover Him.  Where is He?
Let me read you a poem that my pastor, Shaun Slate told our congregation about.
I Wake Close To Morning by Mary Oliver
Why do people keep asking to see
God’s identity papers
when the darkness opening into morning
is more than enough?
Certainly any god might turn away in disgust.
Think of Sheba approaching
the kingdom of Solomon.
Do you think she had to ask,
“Is this the place?”

I am often guilty of failing to see God when the evidence is there before my very eyes.  The world spins in the same pattern daily, the days of the year remain the same, each season returns, the stars gaze at us from the sky, the birds in the air, the animals of the earth, the mountainous majesty, the waves of the ocean, all speak of the majesty of God.  Is it harder to believe when we see wars and shootings?  Maybe so.  But remember when Christ came to Earth over 2000 years ago?  What was the state of the world then?  Wasn’t their war and bloodshed then?  The Romans ruled much of Europe, the Middle East and parts of Asia through a bloody and deadly war campaign.  The Romans were often vicious, using people as slaves, hanging people on crosses in public areas to remind people to fear the Roman Empire or else.  And Christ, the one who Christians like me believe is the loving representation of God, was hung by those very Romans on a cross for all to witness.  It was hard for Christ’s disciples to believe.  But Christ showed Himself to them.

Where is God in these uneasy times we face?  Allow God to show Himself to you.  His identity papers are all around us.  Let us open our eyes and see.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for all those impacted by the war in Ukraine and by the recent shootings in the United States.  Prayers for Steam’s safe travels to Kentucky next week and for all our brothers who are traveling.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F6 and Del Monte are performing in the musical, Something Rotten at the UT theatre.  F3 Knoxville has a convergence at Juco on July 2.

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Trivia Night

After being properly motivated, we did some Stretchies and we vowed to trust the (Junk) Science. Everybody got 10 years of invincibility; you’re welcome. PAX was quiet, so we did some Shoulder Blasters because that always gets people complaining.

Trivia Night at F3 commenced. If you or your partner got a correct answer, you were both exempted from burpees before the next exercise. Some guys know sports, some guys know art and literature, some guys know history. Some guys (looking at you, Lulu) just start doing burpees.

We hit the Cloud for some Descending Box Baby Box Rows, then traveled to the Caribbean for juuust a hint of a Sutherland Seabiscuit. Just a skosh. The faintest whiff.

Speaking of Seabiscuit, Convoy and Swimmies are like two thoroughbreds among a bunch old mares on their way to the glue factory. They beat us to Cardiac, where we only had time for one and a half Crawdad Comebacks.

Two things about your Q: 1) he is not going to make you do knee-based air presses on asphalt, and 2) time management may not be his strong suit. So we couldn’t complete a full round of the Dark Webb, and it was all Q’s fault. But as Donald Rumsfeld said, “You go to F3 with the Q you have, not with the Q you wish you had.”

MARY:
Lebowski pointed out another ill effect of Q’s poor clock management, which is that we didn’t go by the ATM and none of us has cash for the weekend.

Sincere gratitude to all F3 men for leading and participating in workouts. I wouldn’t do anything if it wasn’t for you all.

Philippians 4:10-13.

Raised Up

THE SCENE: Beautiful sunny morning, temp in low 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Rockettes, 10 Twisties, 10 Tempo Merkins, Michael Phelps, Little of This and That.
THA-THANG:
Men will divide into pairs of two. Each pair will grab a set of two bricks out the trailer parked in the parking lot across the street from the AO parking lot.  We will then go back to the AO parking lot to perform Doras.  While one partner starts exercising with the bricks, the other partner runs to the end of the parking lot, does 10 Rocky Balboas (both feet = 1) and then returns to take the bricks.  This pattern continues until all exercises are completed by the team of two.  The following are the exercises to perform with the bricks:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows
  • 100 Punches where both hands = 1
  • 100 Wings Forward
  • 100 Wings Upward
  • 100 Wings Downward

We will then replace the bricks in the trailer.  We will mosey south on the roadway to the Lily Pad.  We will run around the parking lot stopping to do exercises at each corner of the parking lot.  But, before going to the next corner, we must run to the center of the parking lot and do three burpees there.  Rinse and repeat once exercises have been completed at all four corners.  Here are the exercises at each corner:

  • Cone 1:  20 Hello Dollies, 4 ct.
  • Cone 2:  20 Merkins
  • Cone 3:  20 Big-Boy Sit-ups
  • Cone 4:  20 Squats

Next, we will mosey to the grassy area across the main roadway at the base of Picket’s Charge.  We will do the following exercises in the grass:  20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct), 20 Bicycle Kicks (4 ct), and 20 Dying Bugs (4 ct).

Next, we will run up Pickett’s Charge to the Coliseum.  After each hill we will do 3 burpees.  At the Coliseum we will do the following exercises: 20 Carolina Dry Docks, 20 Moon Plunges, 10 Shoulder Taps

Next we will run counter-clockwise around the clock loop, stopping at the steps of the Admin Bldg. to do 25 Calf Raises, and stopping at the bench area of the Coliseum to do 25 Bench Dips. Rinse and repeat.

Mosey Back to AO by route of the Haslam Boulder and Dragon Tail.

Next we will do sprints from curb to curb in the parking lot.  We will sprint in the following manner from curb to other curb and back:  regular sprint, Bernie Sanders, skip, Grapevine left and right, crab walk 1/4 of the way then run there then hop 1/4 of the way and run back, and end with hard sprint there and back.

MARY:
Stretch those legs!
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
You can’t escape news of the War in Ukraine at this time.  The destruction to peoples homes and cities and the deaths of civilians has been horrible:  citizens bombed in their homes or shot with hands tied behind their backs.  It has led to some, including news people, to question the meaning of life for the Ukrainians suffering through the mess.  For what is life when your home is destroyed, your livelihood gone, family members lost? What would it be like for us if we were in those very homes, very streets, knowing that death is facing us? The news and images of the war have caused my to reflect upon it.  What if I was pigeon-holed in some building as the Russians approached me?

I would certainly be afraid.  How could one not be?  And, I would certainly fight for my life.  I may be 65-years-old but I’m not ready to die.  I wouldn’t give in without a fight.  But if the guns of the Russian army were staring me in the face, would my life be meaningless?  As I Christian, I can firmly say “no way.”

In Christ, I know that life is more than what this world presents us.  The enemy may seem stronger.  Their missiles may destroy our homes, their tanks may crush us, their guns may mow us down.  And so, if I was a Ukrainian watching the Russians coming into my city, I would have to accept the fact that I might die.  But I would not be the loser.  Those who use the weapons to kill me are the true losers.  I can trust that God guarantees their is more to this life.  And, I have a Christ who said the meek shall inherit the Earth.  Death, where is your sting?  I have a Christ who will raise me up.  So enemy, come on in with your tanks and your weapons.  Love will endure and so will I.  I believe this truth would give me the strength and courage to deal with death and destruction and to help those around me.  And, if truly strong, I might even be able to forgive the Russian soldiers invading.  Could I like Christ say, “Forgive them, God, for they know not what they are doing”?  But, whether I could or not, whether I vomited  in horror or peed in my pants in fear of the enemy coming to get me, I have a Christ who cares.  And, he will be there for me when I breathe my last breath.  He will raise me up on my last day.

MOLESKIN:

Pray for Swimmies’ grandfather who is battling cancer, for those dealing with drug addiction, and the people impacted by the War in Ukraine.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

CSAUP at Haw Ridge on Friday, May 6 from 9 pm to midnight.

Superficial Cracks

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, low 60s, beautiful, but breezy as heck!!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-SSH x 20 (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence, maintain position…

– Hamstring stretches, sky reaches

– 20 Grady Corns (4-ct), in cadence

– Little of this and that

– Tempo Squats, 4-ct, IC

THA-THANG:
MOSEY to Amphitheater.

  • JINXY’S FOUR AND A QUARTER. Start at bottom of hill, run to top of slope and do 25 reps of an exercise, return to starting position.  R&R 4 times, totaling 100 of the exercise.
    • Round 1: Carolina Dry Docks
    • Round 2: Lunges (single count)
    • Round 3: Imperial Walkers (single count)

MOSEY to FIELD Below Colosseum.

RECTANGLE of DEATH!!

Blue cones on Corners, Orange Cones on sides (one side has blue cone in middle).  Sheets will tell you what to do and how to get to next Blue Cone.  Rinse and Repeat.  First one done yell RECOVER.

Corner 1: Do 20 Iron Mikes (10 each leg). Suicide using orange cones to next blue cone.

Corner 2: Do 20 Plank Jacks, Bear Crawl to next Blue Cone

Corner 3: Do 20 Big Boy Situps, Bernie to Blue Cone ½ way down.

½ Way Cone: Do 10 Burpees, Bernie to next Blue cone

Corner 4: 20 Dive Bombers , EL CAPITAN to next Blue Cone

RINSE AND REPEAT (didn’t quite get 2x around)

Mosey to Area 51. Check for cars with undressed people inside.

Totem Pole.  Start at 10, do all the exercises, then run to CONE, do 10 SSH, and return. Then start at 9, etc.  Only got about 1/2 way done with this.

  • 10 Burpees
  • 9 Mountain Climbers (4-ct)
  • 8 Diamond Merkins
  • 7 Box Cutters
  • 6 American Hammers (4-ct)
  • 5 Imperial Squat Walkers (4-ct)
  • 4 Hand Release Merkins
  • 3 Bobby Hurleys
  • 2 Squats
  • 1 Star Gazers (10 seconds).  Rabbits R&R

RUN UP HILL.  WATCH FOR BEES. Mosey to AO

MARY:
Steam led the PAX in some ab work while the QIC picked up the Six.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I hope you all read Judge Judy’s newsletter that came out this week.  Its title was Cracks in the Foundation, and alluded to some situations both in F3 and outside of it that have resulted in fractures within groups and between individuals.  We recently experienced a little bit of that here, at our very own AO.  So for my Word, I just wanted to reiterate what I feel is F3’s absolutely greatest attribute: it’s ability to inspire us all to be better men through SHARING.  Sharing of the Suck from the workout, Sharing in the responsibilities of being Q, etc., and Sharing of life experiences in the Circle that others may learn from or be inspired by.

We often use the term “Lock Shields” in F3.  Think about that for a second.  What does that look like, literally?  I have this image from Lord of the Rings of a bunch of warriors facing a common enemy, and each one of them standing shoulder to shoulder with their shields up.  If it was just one dude, he’d get surrounded, overwhelmed.  But it’s a bunch of bad hombres that are aligned in a common purpose, that being to protect each other and protect what’s behind them by being an integral part of that wall.  If there’s a crack, if there’s a gap in the wall, then everyone is in deep doo doo.  So we have our differences.  We have our differences in Faith, Politics, what kind of workouts we want to do out here, and maybe even differences in how we think F3 should operate.  That’s fine!  If everyone agreed on everything, life would be boring.  And probably those guys in the days of the Roman Empire standing next to each other didn’t see eye to eye during the course of their daily lives.  But the 45 minutes we have out here are not for solving all our differences about those things.  It’s about working hard physically, improving ourselves, supporting our brothers, and being inspired to bring positivity, leadership, and GOODNESS, dagnappit, outside of the Circle.  When we’re out here, we lay our differences aside.  When we’re out here, I’m continually trying to figure out ways to better serve you so that you can serve others.  And I hope that’s all of our mindsets.  But whatever cracks in our foundation we have are superficial, and can be overcome with Grace and empathy and understanding.  And Boys, from the bottom of my heart, it’s an honor and a privilege to come out here and lock shields with each and every one of you.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Steam and his fiancee and their venture down a new path, prayers of thanks that Lillydipper’s daughter got a job that she really wanted, prayers for Pusher and his family as his daughter deals with heartbreak.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Escape from Haw Ridge coming up!