F3 Knoxville

Tag: Erector

Constant Promised Growth

THE SCENE: 59, Misty Rain (that wet stuff, if you recall)
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Step overs, Tempo Merkins, Mountain Climbers, Cherry Pickers and OYO
THA-THANG:

Today was all about measuring some physical achievements to see how we are progressing.  Is our effort producing fruit?  Remember, this isn’t a competition expect for against yourself.  We last did this on a hot day in July.

  • 100m dash
  • Max Pull Ups
  • # of heavy thrusters in 2:00
  • 1 Mile Run time
  • Time to do 50 Curls
  • Time to do 50 Tricep extensions
  • Max Merkins consecutive

MARY:
Had time for some Imperial Walkers when we got back and then counted off.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
8 HIMs (1 runner joined us for the prayer)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Some of you may have found today you were faster and stronger than last time in some things. That’s awesome and maybe IPC was good for something.
But for those of you with a few trips around the sun, you know that isn’t always going to be the case.
Being out here with Respect or Double respect probably means you are not as fast as you once were.
The graph of max merkins over the years is more of a mountain than a growth chart.
Do I share this to bring you down on a Monday morning?
Not at all. Because progress and growth on biceps means nothing compared to the plans God has for your soul.

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Tim 1:8

The graph of your soul’s growth has some peaks and valley’s in the beginning but once God will takes hold of your heart and He works on it and ultimately sanctifies you, it’s a rocket launch once you zoom out enough.

Are you growing as a worshiper? That’s what we’ll be doing forever.
Is your soul able to sing like never before (see Matt Redmond’s 10,000 reasons for an awesome song and inspirations to this word)

But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Matt 24:13
So regardless of progress measured today, know that God is in the process of making all things New.

Consider the 10 yr old boy who upon asking his mom about the MRI results (news wasn’t good, 20% growth) here is how the conversation went:

In true John fashion, he has handled the news better than the rest of us. The first thing he asked me when he walked in the door after school was, “So have we heard about the MRI yet?” I told him that the tumor had grown, though just a little bit. His immediate response was, “That’s OK, God has it ALLLLL under control and after here, we will get to be together forever in heaven!” He didn’t have any questions for us, other than he wondered what day of the week it would be when he got to heaven, and if they would have the same days of the week that we have here. Heaven is a very real place to him, and God‘s promises are very real to him. The faith of a child is an amazing thing, and we are so grateful to the Lord for the way we see His Spirit in John!

We should all think a bit more like John.  The graph of his soul’s growth and faith is a rocket launch!

Here are the numbers from last time and this time for the guys here today.  Bold = better.  Keep up the strong work.  Shrubbery, way to crush it on the pull up, mile time and merkins!

HIM
Butter knife
Data
Guardrail
Guardrail
Nadia
Shrubbery
Shrubbery
Survivor
Wanderer
Wanderer
Date Oct 31 Oct 31 July 25 Oct 31 Oct 31 July 25 Oct 31 Oct 31 July 25 Oct 31
100M 19 15.51 17 16 15 16.92 15.48 skip 15.85 16.75
Pull ups 11 15 26 26 4x 21 24 5 5 4
Mile 7:06 6:55 7:27 7:11 6:56 6:30 6:18 9:46 9:11 9:40
Thrusters in 2:00 45 60 27 cmu 44 47 42 35 45 35 coupon 48
50 Curl time 44 50 1:00 cmu 54 1:10 :43 40 1:30 :46 coupon 1:04
50 Tri ext time 45 dnf :47 coupon 42 45 :37 47 1:00 :45 coupon 42
Max consec. Merkins 36 23 22 35 40 34 56 29 13 30

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for our John (see above), Booster (see Slack), Wanderer’s dad and Data.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Brolympics Saturday!  Get signed up to help.

 

Howl

THE SCENE:  Cool, moist, dark
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Phelps
  • LIH
  • Moroccan Nightclub
  • Werewolves
  • O.A.T. Planks
  • Doubletap squats

THA THANG:

Mosey to King College lot for “Toss O’ War”.  Form 2 teams for a competition.  There are two lines of cones separated by 200’, and a 20# medicine ball in the middle.  Perform exercise at your cones, sprint to the ball, and throw it as far as you can toward the other team.  You cannot touch the ball while it is in the air, but once it hits the ground you can stop it.  Play for 5 minutes, then call a winner.  Exercises were;

  1. 25 Carolina dry docks
  2. 30 O.A.T. Planks (15 each side)
  3. 25 4-count flutter kicks
  4. 20 Iron Mikes
  5. 40 Merkins
  6. 20 Doubletap squats
  7. 20 mountain climbers
  8. 35 LBCs
  9. 15 Shoulder taps (4 ct)
  10. 30 Imp lunges (15 each side)
  11. 25 Star Jacks
  12. 15 Donkey Kicks

Mosey to AWW Hill for “Wolves Hunt the Rabbit”.  There are 14 trees going up the hill.  One PAX – the “rabbit” – starts at tree #5 and does 2 burpees per tree, then sprints to the next.  The rest of the PAX – the “wolf pack” start at tree #1 and does 1 burpee per tree and sprint to the next.  Will the wolves catch the rabbit?

Mosey to the steps to nowhere.  One PAX names a core exercise, then sprints to the top of the steps and back.  Continue until all PAX have gone.

2 rounds of Howling Monkeys.  Run back down.

Run back for another round of Toss O’ War.

MARY:

2 minutes left – dealers choice

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

Me and 15 of the best men I know

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Wolves are both fierce and tenderhearted.  We should be as well.

  • “The righteous are bold as a lion” (Proverbs 28:1).
  • “Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial” (James 1:12).
  • “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13)

When life requires it of you, be ready to spring into action with zealousness – fierceness – intensity! You should be alert, vigilant, fearsomely protective, fiercely loyal to your pack…   Continue to be strong in the ways that count.

But simultaneously…

…be soft in the ways that count.

  • Be tenderhearted with your loved ones (Ephesians 4:32).
  • Show humility.  Have sympathy for those less fortunate.  (1 Peter 3:8)
  • Avoid arguing.  Speak evil of no one.  Be gentle and courteous (Titus 3:2)

Be approachable and relatable for your kids – and be patient with them.  Show affection and make yourself emotionally available to your wife – pamper her.

To be a wolf is to be a fearsome warrior, but it is also to be tender nurturer.  You are called to be both.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Wanderer and his father, Solomon

Prayers for Data

Prayers for Booster and his family

Hat tip to Levi Lusko

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

What needs to go?

THE SCENE: Crisp, clear autumn morning. Couldn’t hope for better.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Slow windmills
  • Imperial walkers
  • Cheer leaders
  • Cherry pickers
  • Tempo Merkins
  • Up dog/Down dog
  • Right plank/left plank

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to pool wall for 10 Wall-pees
  • 4 rounds:
    • 20 jungle boi squats
    • 5 pull ups
    • 20 merkins
    • 5 wall-ups
  • Mosey to amphitheater and do 3 rounds
    • 20 LBCs
    • 20 flutter kicks
    • 20 Freddies
    • 20 awkward turtles
    • Bear crawl up the hill
    • 5 burpees
  • Mosey to fountain and do 2ish rounds until time
    • 20 dips
    • 20 step ups
    • 20 dry docks (or Der-docks for +)
    • 20 BBS
    • 20 Iron Mikes
  • RTF

MARY:
Pulled in Erector for Heels to Heaven and Skewer for some Hammers
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

In my pre-blast, I mentioned the need to make hard choices over the next couple months, and I wanted to expand on this just a bit.

I, personally, have been buried with too much stuff. After the relative low of the past couple years, my self-regulation was totally out of whack, and I have said yes to WAY too many things. All good things that bring value when done right, but doing it right requires time to think and plan, which is impossible when there isn’t even enough time to drive between them.

While this is partly a result of a desire to be generous, that isn’t the whole story. When I really scrutinize my inner most thoughts, there are also elements of self-importance, image, and arrogance.

Self-importance in the sense that it is affirming to feel responsible, to have others look to me.

Image in the sense that I want people to see me as the guy who “does it all”. To say things like “I don’t know how you do it”

Arrogance in the sense that I have rather too high an opinion of my own ability and how it compares to others.

In short, it’s ME focused. In F3 we are peer led, not just to make it easier, but because when I give someone else the lead, it gives them an opportunity to develop their skills. It also diffuses the tendency of groups to orbit around strong personalities.

The image that I should be most focused on is the one I project to my 2.0s. I sought involvement because I saw my father as being uninvolved, but now I see that I can be just as disconnected from them when I’m too involved. My attention for them is sacrificed when I must attend to the group.

So now, I find myself working through the new problem, what needs to go.
MOLESKIN:
Just great to be back with the pack.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Halloween event Thursday, 6-8 (setup at 4). Brolympics Nov 5. Christmas parade December 10.

Mission Accomplished

THE SCENE: A brisk 40 degrees but clear skies, gentle breeze and good visibility
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Some side straddle hops, tempo merkins and squats, local cherry pickers, Projectivators, and climbing the mountain.
THA-THANG:
Rugby shuttle run to the CMU pile

The mission: Gather the required hash (tally) marks for each exercise group.  Most hash marks required multiple reps to count, and approved modifications to earn a tally were included:

  • Bodybuilders
    2 burpees (w/ merk) : 1 BB
    3 burpees (no merk): 3 BB
    1 hash = 5 BB, 10 with, 15 w/o
    20 hash marks required
  • Pull-ups
    10 Bent Over Rows : 1 PU
    1 hash = 5 PU, 50 BOR
    20 hash marks required
  • Running Laps
    1 hash = 1 lap
    20 hash marks required
  • Clean & Press (with CMU)
    2 squats : 1 C&P
    4 OHP : 1 C&P
    1 hash = 10 C&P, 20 squats, 40 OHP’s
    40 hash marks required
  • Freddy Mercuries
    2 Big Boys : 1 FM
    5 LBC : 1 FM
    1 hash = 10 FM, 20 BB, 50 LBC
    40 hash marks required
  • Clock Merkins
    20 merkins : 1 CM
    30 knee merkins : 1 CM
    1 hash = 1 CM, 20 m, 30 km
    40 hash marks required

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!  Victory Rugby Shuttle Run back to the flag

MARY:
With 3 minutes to spare, did some LBC’s, pull backs, and hello dolly’s to close off the beat down
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Bible Verse:

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what he has promised.” (Hebrews 10:36, NIV)

Keep Doing the Right Thing.  In Genesis, Joseph was betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused of a crime, and put in prison.  It was thirteen years of injustice and disappointments.  But he kept doing the right thing until one day he was suddenly called out of the prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and subsequently made the prime minister of Egypt.

God wasn’t asking Joseph to defeat his brothers, to escape his captors, to prove his innocence, or to break out of prison.  God was simply asking him to outlast the opposition.  God may not be asking you to overcome some of the challenges you face that are unfair and situations that feel like they are lasting forever.  He may just be asking you to keep doing the right thing in bad situations, and to outlast them.  He is asking you to be faithful.  Then you will be able to say along with the Apostle Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

-Credit to Larry Blakeburn of First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, TN
MOLESKIN:
Thanks everyone for making my VQ as memorable as I had hoped!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
2.0 Workout this Saturday at the Project; and otherwise I’ll leave this up to the AOQ if there’s anything new.

#The Project: coming to you next Tuesday – can you beat their time?

Now THAT’S Impressive

THE SCENE:  High 40s and clear.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:

OYO

THA THANG:

IPC Week 4!

  1. 100 Gas Pumpers
  2. 50 Jump Rope
  3. 1 mile run
  4. 25 Hello Dollies
  5. 25 Burpees
  6. 50 Jump Rope
  7. 400-meter run
  8. 25 Hand Release Merkins
  9. 25 V-Ups
  10. 50 Jump Rope
  11. 400-meter run
  12. 25 Leg Raises
  13. 25 Jungle Boi Squats
  14. 50 Jump Rope
  15. 400-meter run
  16. 25 4-count flutter kicks
  17. 25 Bonnie Blairs (hard way)
  18. 50 Jump Rope
  19. 400-meter run
  20. 100 Big Boy Sit-ups
  21. 50 Jump Rope
  22. 1 mile run

MARY:

Fagettabowtit.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

Me and 13 of the best men I know

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

You finished Week 4 of the Iron PAX Challenge!  Impressive!  You ran 3 miles and completed 700 reps of exercises!  Very impressive!

You know what I find MORE impressive?

  • All 14 of you set an alarm to go off this morning. You got yourself out of bed and came out here knowing what we were planning to do.  Your determination is impressive. 
  • At one time, each one of you came out here in the dark, without knowing another man, and decided to give it a go. If you were like me, your first day kicked your butt – but you came back.  Your resolve is impressive.
  • Many of you have done this for months or years on end. Continually subjecting yourself to these trials to become an increasingly better version of yourself – and to challenge your brothers out here to do the same.  Your consistency is impressive. 
  • Many of you lead Qs. You lead five to ten other men in exercises, a thought, and a prayer.  It might be uncomfortable and intimidating, but you do it because you know that you get better at leading by practicing leading.  Your leadership is impressive.
  • When you lead, several of you have shared from the heart – your struggles, your challenges, your setbacks – you’ve been transparent in this ball of man. That takes real courage.  We may impress each other with our strengths, but we relate to each other through our weaknesses.  Your transparency is so impressive. 

Iron sharpens iron and that’s what we are doing out here.  Each and every one of you made a commitment to be here.  I watch you getting stronger and faster, building your endurance, building your toughness, growing your faith, growing as leaders, and challenging the rest of us to do the same.  That is so impressive and I’m grateful for you men.

Throughout scripture, Jesus was impressed by people on several occasions.  What was it that impressed Him?  Not material things…  Not power…

Jesus is impressed by humility.

  • He said, “Whoever humbles himself like child…is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Mathew 18:4).
  • The Canaanite woman who said “even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table” impressed Jesus (Matthew 15:27).
  • About the sinful tax collector who beat his chest and prayed, “God, be merciful to me a sinner”, Jesus said he left justified (Luke 18:14).

Jesus is impressed by faith.

  • The centurion in Capernaum who pleaded, “just say the word, and my servant will be healed…” – impressed Jesus (Matthew 8:10)
  • About the blind beggar near Jericho, Jesus said, “Your faith has made you well.” (Luke 18:42).
  • All over Scripture we read about Jesus in heaven sitting at the right hand of God. In Mathew, Mark, Luke, John, Hebrews, Colossians, Revelation… And then there is a description in Acts 7.  Stephen, just before he is killed for his faith, looks to heaven and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God.  You know what literally gets Jesus on His feet?  Persistent faith.

Maybe we could train ourselves to be impressed by the same – faith and humility. 

MOLESKIN:

I wish I could say it as elegantly as he did… Ocho mentioned after the BOM that faith and humility are hand-in-hand with each other.

I’m impressed by Ocho for coming out these last couple of months and showing real progress in his fitness.  You’ve showed grit, brother!

Likewise, I’m impressed by Papa Lock for making time in his crazy schedule to post several times a week – he too is making steady progress.  Stick with it – and you’ll be unrecognizable in a year!

I’m impressed by Skewer for leading Qs – each one better than the last – and for courageously sharing his struggles during some of his BOMs.

I’m impressed by Slappy for posting today – despite his injuries – and gutting it out through the entire IPC.  GRIT.

I’m impressed by Borg for being able to run circles around me at 59 years old – and for continuing to demonstrate that age is just a number.

I’m impressed by Rocket for his long-term steadiness and tenacity to work through obstacles and keep getting stronger

I’m impressed by Boy George for nearly completing his insane race last weekend

I’m impressed by Erector for conceiving this merry band of misfits – and for being a machine out there today.

I’m impressed by Bobbitt, who has been with us for a little over a year and has totally transformed his fitness level – and emerged as one of the region’s best AOQs.

I’m impressed by Tuba for the steadfastness he demonstrates in his life and his parenting – and for wearing shorts even in the dead of winter

I’m impressed by 3-Peat for his resolve to show up over and over again – not listening to the devil on his shoulder telling him to sleep in today

I’m impressed by Oh Brother for posting with us just days after moving to town – and coming back out two days in a row now

I’m impressed by Mathlete for leading this group well and challenging us all to accelerate our fitness, fellowship, and faith.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Today – Shovel flag handoff at the Asylum PM
  • Oct 8 – 2.0 Workout
  • Oct 27: Halloween event in Oak Ridge
  • Nov 5: Brolympics at the Asylum
  • Dec 10: Oak Ridge Christmas parade