F3 Knoxville

A Big Ballin’ Christmas Eve

THE SCENE: Felt Christmas-y. Merry & Bright (not literally).

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

“Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith. My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this Christmas Eve morning. A couple things before we begin:

  • I’m not a professional, despite popular belief
  • You’re here on your own volition – you made a choice to be here/no one’s forcing you to be here, if they are, come see me after and we’ll talk.
  • Modify as you need this morning. You know your body better than anyone, so feel free to modify, but push yourself and the men around you.”

Happy Christmas Eve men!


WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH (Side Straddle Hop): 11 x 4 in cadence
  • Windmill: 11 x 4 in cadence
  • Imperial Walker; 11 x 4 in cadence
    • Humble plug for the new Star Wars movie
  • Revised Merkin (Army Standard): 11 x 4 in cadence
  • Half- Burpee: 11 x 4 in cadence

THA-THANG:
Inforrmation about the workout.

[ Mosey to Market Square from Big Ball AO ]

    • AO –> Stairs by Big Ball –> Bridge across Henley –> Market Square
  • Plateau on stairs by Big Ball: 24 x 4 man-makers in cadence
  • American Santa Run to Market Square (basically an American Indian run but more jolly)

(Arrive at the stage at Market Square)

  • 24s
    • Battle Buddy Up
    • As a BB Team:
      • Stage: 24 battle-buddy sit-ups (1 BB holds feet for the other)
      • Sprint around the perimeter of the ice-skating rink and back to the stage
      • Stage: 24 1-count merkins
      • Rinse & Repeat 2x

(24 count from PAX)

(Mosey to Gay Street Christmas Tree)

  • Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
    • 4 points of contact around tree
      • Gay Street Side: 24 squats in cadence
      • Sidewalk(s): 24 1-count Merkins in cadence
      • Grass opposite of Gay Street: 24 squats in cadence

(24 count in cadence)

(Mosey to World’s Fair Park bridge/tunnel with lights)

  • PAX line up in incline merkin position on the ledge facing the water
  • Starting with the 6 – each HIM counts 7 up-down incline merkins then sprints to the front of the line – All PAX complete 7 merkins with the counter
    • This s*** ain’t no joke
    • Q Tip: It’s okay to give PAX a break if the exercise is elongated ^^^ and high-intensity
  • PAX executes exercise
    • Q gives PAX standing rest for 15-20 seconds
    • Q quickly realizes a rinse and repeat would destroy everyone for the upcoming holiday
  • PAX runs through everyone once

(24 count)

(PAX moseys towards AO – F3 Cadence Call ensues)

@ AO = ATMs (cash it out)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

11 Total: 9 PAX // 2 FNGs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“F3 is not a Christian organization by nature. As long as you believe in a higher power, and that you’re living for more than yourself. However, I’m a Jesus follower, so that’s what I speak about when I Q usually.” – Steam

    • Q Thoughts: I forget to throw this out there before the BOM/in the COT a lot. Which is fine…..however, all men are welcome at F3 and giving whatever men that are in the COT after your Q the reminder that they are welcome regardless of they’re a “varsity Christian” (no such thing), or are struggling in whatever your faith or lack there of may be, you’re welcome.
  • The darkness has not overcome it.
  • Comes from John 1:5 = “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
    • What’s your “it” ?
    • As Jesus followers, we know how the story ends. And our Savior was born as a human to die from the get-go. The darkness (whatever that is for you) cannot overcome the light, the light of the world that we celebrate tomorrow.

Announcements

  • Jan 1st: Polar Bear Plunge in Townsend: Some of our PAX will be clown-car’ing up to Townsend on New Years Day to do an annual Polar Bear Plunge, followed by a 2nd F lunch at Soccer Taco on Northshore Drive. More info to come from Abscess closer to the 1st on where we’ll meetup, etc.

 

  • F3 Knoxville New Year’s Party: 1/3/2020
    • Friday, January 3rd: 5pm – 10:00pm
    • 2223 Mystic Ridge Road
    • “F3 Knoxville is having a New Years party…kind of. It’s on The Friday after New Years. Bring the wife, girlfriend/significant other or even a FNG. It’s going to be a fun night of fellowship to celebrate the new year! What to bring: a few bucks for the game tournaments, a small dessert or appetizer and BYOB. Tea and coffee will be provided. Make the HC now and let your wife/sig other meet the other idiots that you workout with at 5:30am!”

MARSOC Monday

THE SCENE: 47* – in that window where you don’t know what to wear.  But no rain so good to go
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Windmills x10 IC
Tempo lunge x10 IC
4 count merkins x10 IC
Tempo merkins x10 IC
SSH x20 IC
THA-THANG:
Pretty simple routine today, I know it’s probably done at every AO including Big Ball, but I hadn’t seen it come up in a bit so I decided it was time for the Marine Corps Short Card.  We moseyed out of the fountain area and over to the Big Ball.  Perform an exercise for the indicated number of reps, then sprint the stairs at BB to the top and back down before moving on to the next exercise.  I did not deviate from the prescribed exercises:

  • 30 merkins
  • 30 squats
  • 30 crunches (4 count)
  • 10 burpees
  • 10 windmills
  • 30 merkins
  • 30 mountain climbers (4 count)
  • 30 flutter kicks (4 count)
  • 10 burpees
  • 10 cherry pickers
  • 30 merkins
  • 30 star jumps
  • 30 supermans
  • 10 burpees
  • 10 chain breakers
  • 30 merkins
  • 30 lunges
  • 30 hello Dolly’s (4 count)
  • 10 burpees
  • 10 trunk twists
  • 3 sets of max dead hang pull ups, 10 second break in between each set

About halfway through the list, I called an audible and eliminated the stair runs in between exercises to allow everyone the chance to complete.  Those that finished earlier moved to the side and knocked out ab exercises, people joined in as they completed the short card:

Oblique crunches led by Butterfly
Flutter kicks
V Ups led by Ariel
American hammers
Heels to heaven
Boat/canoe

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Nine strong including one FNG: Half Caff, Orkin, Ariel, Huffy (FNG), Driftwood, G6, Butterfly, Swanson, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
“It is not work that kills men, it is worry.  Work is healthy; you can hardly put more on a man than he can bear.  But worry is rust on the blade.  It is not movement that destroys machinery, but friction.”  –

Like usual, what I share is something that I need to hear and listen to more than I’m providing for anyone else.  I just hope that I can listen and that it can help anyone else needing to hear it.  I make things worse nearly always by worrying, worrying before I can even do anything about it.  Worry does nothing to improve a situation.  The best thing I can do is turn worry into action, find something to work on.  If I can actually work on the problem at hand, it rarely is as bad as I worried about it being.  If I can’t yet work towards that, I need to find something else to occupy and improve until the time comes.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Lady Junk, Magic Mic’s grandfather Ed, Passport and his M, Ariel’s grandmother, and Orkin as he travels oversees

discernment

THE SCENE: 58* and rainy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

It would be kind of silly to have a bridge to warm up under and not use it right?  Slowzy to the underpass before warm up exercises:

Imperial squat walker x10 IC
Four count merkins x10 IC
TN walking horse x10 IC
Grady Corns x20 IC

THA-THANG:
Short mosey from the underpass over to the amphitheater, where we modify the Q to stay out of the rain (though not dry).

First routine is Dora starting from top of amphitheater steps, so pair up.  One guy at the top performing exercises, the other sprints down the stairs, jumps on stage and runs to the farthest point (don’t run into the pond…) and knocks out 5 merkins before turning around and sprinting back up the stairs to reliever their partner. Exercises as follows:

  • Pull ups/inverted rows x100
  • Burpees x100
  • Star Jumps x100

Recover and assemble on the stage for modified Route 66.  Placed a ruck in the middle of the stage as the half way point, maybe a tad shorter than light pole distance but worked fine.  First round of Route 66 was runs with sit up ups, obviously going 1:11.  Quick 10 count off before we do another round of Route 66, bear crawling between and doing Jack Webb’s 1:11.  Shoulders were smokeeddddd.

MARY:
No time for Mary
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
4 very not dry ballers: Swanson, Ariel, G6, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

At another workout, I had shared a quote which I didn’t realize was so fitting for the group of men I’m fortunate enough to surround myself with: “A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” When I shared it, I really liked it and therefore planned a workout with rocks near a big church.  But what I was unaware of was the HIMs that I share my mornings with have visions of cathedrals in their minds, and the strength and determination to turn those visions into actions.  Those actions into their dreams.  I am extremely fortunate to be in such close proximity to these men, and my hope I take in what I see and hear to emulate them such that one day I might find the rocks and become the architect as well.

Prayers this morning are for discernment.  I requested selfishly for this for myself, but noted that I am aware that every man in that COT needed it more than me.

 

Stay with me

THE SCENE: 35 on the dash for the drive out, nice and crisp
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Tempo merkin x12
Shoulder taps x12
Imperial walkers x12
Bend and squat x12
SSH x12
THA-THANG:
Mosey over to the sidewalk directly beside the lower entrance to the convention center and under the light to illuminate the chalk on the ground.  Routine is the escalator, which as Swanson pointed, out, we were in site of an actual escalator inside.  Though that one is less fun and less painful.  Start with the first exercise, run to the Big Ball for 5 pull ups, and run back.  Do first and second exercises, another run and 5 pull ups.  Etc. etc. adding an exercise each iteration.

  • SSH x20
  • Tempo merkins x10
  • Alternating shoulder taps x15
  • Y Ups x10
  • Wide merkins x10
  • Mountain climbers x20
  • Elevated foot crunches (legs straight out) x20

Ending count of 140 SSH, 60 tempo merkins, 75 shoulder taps, 40 Y Ups, 30 wide merkins, 40 mountain climbers, 20 elevated crunches and 35 pull ups.  And some running.

 

Mosey just around to the amphitheater stage so I can steal some of the more difficult (at least for me) ab exercise.  First was Butterfly’s oblique 45s (lay with knees to one side and crunch to 45) x10 each side.  Next from Passport were his grinders, which I struggled to count (left elbow to right knee while keeping left leg straight and off ground) x10 each side.

Stay With Me – Plank during the song “Stay With Me” by In Flames (about a 5 minute song), anytime those words are sang do one merkin.  The song is a lot of planking at the beginning and firing off lots of merkins towards the end.

MARY:
Flutter kicks x15
American hammers x15
Boat/canoe
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6 strong: Swanson, Half Caff, Ariel, G6, Amazon, Abort
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
We were discussing Thanksgiving plans a few days ago and my mom told me that even though there are a few places I am supposed to get to, that I need to plan on eating and staying with her for a bit.  That really got me thinking about how we tend to rush through the holidays this time of year and try to get to four different places in one day.  That might be necessary for some, but you miss out on a lot by not taking that time and really being present if you’re just worried about getting to the next place.

Most of us will never regret the things that we did, rather those that we didn’t.  Don’t let your future self look back on this holiday and wish you’d spent more time with someone.  No one is promised tomorrow, so make sure you’re present and enjoy the privilege of family and friends.  Leave no doubt, aye.

BLIMPS and the crucible

THE SCENE: 28* but low humidity so it wasn’t too sweltering
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Bend and squat x10 IC
Squat jumps x5 OYO
Mountain climbers x15 IC
Squat jumps x5 OYO
Three point merkins x10 IC
OH Claps/Forward claps x20 IC
SSH x20 IC

THA-THANG:

Mosey a lap around the WFP lawn and return to start point for a round of BLIMPS
Burpees x5 -> Lunges x10 each leg -> Imperial Walkers x15  -> Merkins x20
Plank jacks x25 -> SSH x30

Mosey again to keep moving as soon as we finish, out past the Big Ball and to the pedestrian bridge across the pond. Stop and repeat same BLIMPS routine. Mosey back the way we came, looping around toward the amphitheater. We stopped at the underpass for wall sits. 30 seconds on, 10 seconds off. 45 seconds on, 10 seconds off. 60 seconds on with arm flutters, then recover. Mosey on to amphitheater.

 

Four sets of stairs with four exercises and four stupid ways to climb the stairs. Before you start any round, you run to the middle of the stage and knock out five 8-count bodybuilders. When you reach the top of each set of stairs, you do 10 inverted rows/pullups on the rails and return to the stage for bodybuilders and advance to the next set of stairs.
Round 1: 15 squat jumps, crawl bear the stairs
Round 2: 10 Catalina wine mixers, left lunge the stairs
Round 3: 15 V-Ups, right lunge the stairs
Round 4: 20 burps, bunnyhop the stairs (touch each step)

MARY:
Flutter kicks x15
Flutter kicks x20
Flutter kicks x25 (yes very creative)
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
5 Strong: Swanson, Singlet (WELCOME BACK!), G6, Ariel (LOVES CRAWL BEARS), Abort (dancing idiot)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Failure is a crucible. It is the forge by which a Leader is purified through the burning away of his me-first self-regarding nature.