F3 Knoxville

Tag: F6

Puddles Galore

THE SCENE: Raining, temp in 60s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Mosey to Pavilion because it is raining by golly.  20 Side-Straddle-Hops, 15 Plank Jacks, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Rockettes, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward.

Next, do 20 Picnic Table Pullups and then run around around the Pavilion.  Next do 20 Bench Dips and then run around the Pavilion.  Rinse and Repeat.

Why heck, it’s still raining, let’s get wet.  Mosey down ball field sidewalk to Caribbean parking lot and to the southwestern side of the parking lot.  We will run in a candy cane motion stopping at each island to do the listed exercise.  Those getting to the end of the candy cane sweep all men back to the start.  Then do the same with the next exercise.  These are the exercises:

  • 10 Merkins
  • 10 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 20 Little Baby Crunches

Next, we mosey on park roadway to the old southern ball field parking lot.  We will start on the southern curb and do suicide, returning back to curb from each parking lot light and northern curb.  The run to the first curb is always a Bernie Sanders while all the other running is a sprint.

Next we mosey to the park perimeter trail just off the pavilion by the old south ball fields.  We will do nickel dime quarter doing the following exercises:

  • Dive Bomber
  • Squat Jump

Next we do double quarters (run 5 lights then do 25 of exercise, then rinse and repeat) with the following exercises:

  • Toe touches
  • Bobby Hurleys

We stop where perimeter trail meets serpentine sidewalk.  We next run on serpentine sidewalk for four lights and lunge for one light until we reach the Caribean Parking Lot.  From there, mosey to Pavilion by northern ball fields.  From there, sprint to the AO Flag with winner (who happened to be Lulu) getting a free breakfast from your Q.

MARY:
Who’s she?  Cross-Eyed Mary happens to be an incredible song by Jethro Tull.  Just sayin.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
William Shatner, the actor who played good ol Captain Kirk, flew into space this past week.  At age 90 he is the oldest person to ever travel in space.  He was overcome with emotion when he returned.  He talked about the beautiful blue skies of earth and how, once the space vessel passed through the Earth’s atmosphere, the beautiful blue of earth went suddenly black in space.  It made him think of the preciousness and fragility of Earth, how it can vanish into nothing, and about the fragility of our own lives, about how our bodies will one day just die.  Thankfully, our lives are more than what is spent on Earth.  There is the infinity of God, the Alpha and Omega, who created everything, and the opportunity to live with HIM, forever.
MOLESKIN:
We live on a beautiful planet.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Christmas party at Judge Judy’s home on December 11.  Wives or partners are invited.

The Pumpkin Says…

THE SCENE: Sunny, a bit warm, low 80s.  Maybe the last 80 degree day of the year?…

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.
WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), in cadence

– Air Squared (Squat chair while forward extended arm claps) 10 Overhead, then 10 sideways (seal claps)

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

-LBCs, forward/backward

-Leg Stretches

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Big Tree next to circle drive, south of the Admin bldg.  What’s that?? A bag?? A bag with a PUMPKIN IN IT??!! Let’s get it.

Get Pumpkin.  Indian Run to oval parking lot down by Field of Dreams.  Pass the Pumpkin to the back of the line.  When it gets there, that person runs to front, carrying it over his head, then passes it backwards.

  • The Pumpkin Says What You’re Going to Be! This was my favorite Halloween song from grade school.  I can’t remember the exact lyrics, but it talks about how the pumpkin will select what your get-up is for Trick or Treating that year.  So… Pick a card from the Trick or Treat container.  This is the “disguise” we will have for Halloween, and an associated exercise..
    • A DRAGON!
      • Do a 5-count Welsh Dragon. RUN A LAP
    • AN INMATE!
      • Do 10 Prisoner Get Ups. RUN A LAP
    • A FAMOUS ATHLETE!
      • Do 20 Bobby Hurleys, RUN A LAP
    • A STAR WARS VILLAIN!
      • Do 20 Imperial Squat Walkers, RUN A LAP
    • AN ANNOYING CARTOON CHARACTER!
      • Do 20 Smurf Jacks, RUN A LAP
    • DOLLY PARTON!
      • Do 20 Hello Dollies (4-ct), RUN A LAP
    • A ZOMBIE!
      • 20 Walking ROCKETTES (feet straight out) (4-ct), RUN A LAP
    • A PIMP!
      • 20 Pickle Pounders, RUN A LAP
    • THOR!
      • Do a round of CAPTAIN THORS (up to 5 reps), RUN A LAP
    • SPIDER MAN!
      • 20 Peter Parkers (4-ct), RUN A LAP
    • A ZOMBIE!
      • 20 Zombie Crunches each side (LBC with both legs laid to the side like a dead zombie), RUN A LAP

REVERSE INDIAN RUN UP PICKET’S CHARGE.  Person in front runs with the Pumpkin over their head as long as they can, then hands it off and goes to back of line.

Mid-way up Pickett’s… Pumpkin Line Dance.  Get in a line.  Do the following exercises, doing a special Pumpkin exercise when it gets to you (in parentheses).

  • Big Boy Situps (5 American Hammers w/ pumpkin)
  • Hold Plank (5 Pumpkin Press Burpees)
  • Tempo Squats (5 Squat Thrusts with Pumpkin)

MARY:
The PAX did some ab work while the 6 caught up.  Then some stretching to wrap it up.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine little ghouls! And a pumpkin.  Which we smashed at the end.  It was a good pumpkin.  It deserved better.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Scrapped my original Word, and talked about how grateful I am to have to of our Double-Respect HIMs, Lilydipper and Jinxy, back from their hip surgeries and working out with us again.  We are a better PAX for it, and their dedication and effort to recover and get back into our workout group is nothing short of inspiring.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Christmas Party!

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. 

Where you’re supposed to be

THE SCENE: Beautiful, a tad warm, plentiful sunshine, low 80s, no breeze
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check, with special focus on our FNG, Chris, who is a mentee of Tank’s.
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Motivators (Q butchered these, so we moved on after 6)
  • 7 BAC Forward, Backward  (4 ct, IC)
  • 7 Windmills (4 ct, IC)
  • 7 Rockettes (4 ct, IC)
  • 7 Tempo Merkins
  • 7 Cherry Pickers (4 ct, IC)

We established (not easily, mind you…) that 7 squared = 49. Apropos, as this was a 49th Bday Q, no?
THA-THANG:

MOSEY down to gavel circle across from Area 51 :

  • Birthday Sea Biscuit!
    • ROUND 1: Run a lap, 49 Merkins
    • ROUND 2: Run TWO laps, 49 BBS
    • ROUND 3: Run THREE laps, 49 SSH
    • ROUND 4: Run TWO laps, 49 Squats
    • ROUND 5: Run ONE lap, 49 Seal Claps

Mosey to Big Tree near Pickett’s charge.  Here there be Dragons!!

  • Welsh Dragon (7 count ascending).  Tclaps to F6 who did it without stopping to rest! (Q rested a bunch of times…)

MOSEY to Bottom of Pickett’s Charge.  49s! Do 4 reps of the exercise at the bottom of each of the three hill tiers, and 9 at the top.  The exercises are:

  • 4 Jump Squats, Run up first level, 9 more Jump Squats
  • 4 Lunges (2-ct), Run up second level, 9 more Lunges
  • 4 Burpees, Run up to wall at Coliseum, 9 more Burpees.

MOSEY to AO

MARY:
No time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 strong.  Welcome FNG Iron Mike, real name Chris, an 11-year old mentee of Tank’s.  He wants to play middle linebacker in football, so we named him Iron Mike, with his approval.  Iron Mike and After Party not tagged.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I recently read the Language of God by Francis Collins, a physician and scientist who spearheaded the Human Genome Project.  He is currently the director of the National Institutes of Health.  The book discusses his struggles as a scientist to accept God, given his rigorous training in the Scientific Method, and his reluctance, at least early on in his life, to be able to rationalize a spiritual Father without being able to identify any actual evidence that He exists.  I’ll touch on some of the revelations and evidence that he lays out that builds his case for the existence of God in another Word, but I wanted to highlight one portion of the book today, because it seems timely.  Dr. Collins volunteered to go on a mission trip to a hospital in a small, impoverished village in Nigeria one summer, and in the book he admits that at the time he had some illusions of being sort of a Savior figure for the people there.  Here he was, a highly educated physician from America, coming to save the day for these poor villagers. But those illusions were quickly dashed.  He became frustrated that most of the illnesses he was called to treat were highly preventable with just some simple sanitary and medical standards.  The shortcomings of the facility where he worked were appalling… there weren’t enough hospital beds, X-ray and other basic hospital resources were lacking, etc.  Frustrated, disillusioned, and overwhelmed, Dr. Collins was losing faith that his efforts could ever make a difference.  And then a young farmer came in with an illness that at first appeared to be tuberculosis, but further testing revealed that he had fluid build-up in the pericardial sac around his heart.  The only cure was to draw out that fluid with a syringe.  In a modern hospital, this would be easily done by a computer guiding the needle.  But here in this hospital, Dr. Collins was forced to do it manually.  The man would die otherwise.  But it was terribly risky. Dr. Collins put the syringe into the man’s sternum, and was able to draw off the liquid without piercing the heart.  The farmer recovered, however, his long-term prognosis was still poor.  A few days later, he came across the farmer again, who said, “I get the sense you are wondering why you came here.”  Dr. Collins was shocked that the farmer had seen so clearly how he was feeling.  “You came here for one reason,” the farmer continued. “You came here for me.”  This was an epiphany for Dr. Collins.  He wasn’t there to be the great white doctor, saving an entire village.  He was there for that man.   As he puts it in his book, “We are each called to reach out to others.  On rare occasions, that can happen on a grandiose scale.  But most of the time, it happens with simple acts of kindness of one person to another.  Those are the events that really matter.”

As Steam said recently in a Word, You are exactly where you are supposed to be.

As another brother who is acting as friend and counselor to some people close to him recently said to me, “I’m exactly where I need to be”.

Maybe those simple acts of kindness will be so much more meaningful to others than you think.  Maybe your belonging to F3 is part of it.  Maybe that meal you deliver to Waxjob’s family will mean more to them than you can imagine.  Maybe the blood you donate on Friday will save someone’s life.  Maybe the Word you deliver at your Q will inspire someone to reach out to someone in need. Look for those opportunities, and then grasp them, even if they seem trivial.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for F6 and his cousin, who is expected to deliver on Wednesday (update that the delivery was successful, and Baby Jasmine and mother are doing well). Prayers for Jetlag and his family.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Blood Drive Friday at Asylum, Hardship hill this Saturday!!

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/