F3 Knoxville

Tag: Gridiron

All Hail the GOATS!

THE SCENE: Perfect! Sunny, mid 60s, slight breeze… we will miss this when it’s 95 and humid.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.


WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 SSH (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Plank Jacks (4-ct, IC)

– 20 Moroccan Nightclubs (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

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: Imperial Walkers (single count)
    • Round 3: Lunges (single count)

MOSEY to field across from Area 51.

  • LILYDIPPER’S FOUR CORNERS. Cones will be laid out in a square.  Move around the square 3 times, doing the exercises listed, in order.  Move to the next corner by the method indicated.
    • CORNER 1: 20 Merkins/ 20 Shoulder Taps (4-ct) / 20 Bottle Openers (4-ct). Sprint to Corner 2.
    • CORNER 2: 20 Box Cutters / 20 BBS / 20 Gas Pumps. Bernie to Corner 3.
    • CORNER 3: 20 Star Jumps / 20 Bobby Hurleys / 20 Tempo Squats. Bear Crawl to Corner 4.
    • CORNER 4: 20 Mountain Climbers (4-ct) / 20 Hurpees (Burpee without the Merkin) / 20 Plank Jacks. Skip to Corner 1.

MOSEY to Area 51

– 20 American Hammers, Run up slope to tree stump…

– 20 Pinto Twists, Run up to Street…

– 20 Rocky Balboas

MOSEY TO TOP OF SUMMIT

– PINTO’S GRINDERS! 4 STATIONS:

  1. BAT HOUSE: 25 SMURF JACKS
  2. BOTTOM OF STAIRS: 25 BBS
  3. BOTTOM OF SUMMIT: 10 Burpees
  4. TOP OF SUMMIT: 25 LBCs.

We didn’t have time to do the whole Grinder, so we did the top exercises (Smurf Jacks and LBCs) at the top of the summit, ran down, did the Burpees and BBS, then charged back up.

MARY:
No time for the old gal…

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 strong!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This workout honored some of the Goats, which is the name we gave ourselves sitting around at the Board Meeting a few years ago when we were by far the oldest AO.  In particular, I wanted to pay tribute to some of the guys in the DOUBLE RESPECT categories who were not able to join us this afternoon because of various ailments and injuries, namely PINTO, JINXY, and LILLYDIPPER.  There are several reasons we use the term DOUBLE RESPECT title, and sometimes we tend to gloss over it, or simply yell it out automatically in the BOM.  But these workouts are damn hard, and age makes them even more challenging, as I’ll be the first to tell you.  So there’s respect for the fact that the older guys are getting out there and busting their rear ends side by side with the younger crowd.  But also, these are the elders of our F3 community, and these three have been with the program longer than almost everyone else out here.  They set the example of how it should be done, and they may not be able to keep up with the rabbits in the group in terms of pure speed, but after being in F3 for 3 years I can tell you that no one does it better.  Their dedication to the tenets of F3 and in encouraging the next generation never flags.  It’s important to them to pass that torch on to the younger guys.  I remember Pinto getting on me for resting instead of keeping moving when I was standing in line to go down the stairs on the Grinder Circuit (“There’s no standing around! Keep moving!”).  I remember Lillydipper telling me how great I was doing and encouraging me when we I was absolutely dying going up Cardiac for the first time.  (And by the way… just watch Lilly when he moseys… he keeps running all the way to the stopping point, when 99% of the rest of us pull up 20 feet short and walk. ) And I remember Jinxy refusing to quit after pulling a leg muscle mid-way through his second lap on Hardship Hill a few years ago when I was running with him as a partner.  Dude had one leg, but he kept on going.  So thank you to our Double Respect warriors.   Their age may be pretty high, but you know what?  So is the dang bar that they set for the rest of us as F3 brothers. LONG LIVE THE GOATS!

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Lilly, Pinto, and Jinxy.  Prayers for the Austin East Community as they try to heal following the shootings and violence they’ve experienced the past year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Don’t forget to pick up something for the Safe Haven and World United Ministries charity drive!

With One Eye Squinted…

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, very pretty clouds, low 70s, quite breezy.  Good kite-flying weather.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check.

WARM-O-RAMA:

-Motivators (7-ct)

– 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

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to stop sign at northeast corner of circle drive.

  • ARM STATION: MUCHO CHESTO
    • 10x Merkin
    • 10x Wide Merkin
    • 10x Stagger Left Merkin
    • 10x Stagger Right Merkin
    • RINSE AND REPEAT

MOSEY to Center of Coliseum.

  • LEG STATION: AIKEN LEGS
    • 20 squats
    • 20 Box Jumps (on wall)
    • 20 Lunges (10 each leg… but we did 20 each leg for extra credit)
    • 20 Split Jacks (10 each leg forward… but we did 20 each leg forward for extra credit)
    • RINSE AND REPEAT

MOSEY to lower parking lot under Coliseum

  • 5/10/15s. Get a Battle Buddy.  Partner 1 runs up to stop sign and does 5x reps of two exercises, then comes down and switches with Partner 2, who is running in place or doing SSH.  R&R with 10x, then 15x exercises.  The exercises are:
    • Round 1: Mountain Climbers and Peter Parkers (both 2-ct)
    • Round 2: Smurf Jacks and Froggy Jumps

Mosey to stop sign at southern corner of circle drive.  20 American hammers (4-ct, IC), 10 BBS.

Bernie Sanders to no parking sign.  20 American hammers (4-ct, IC), 10 BBS.

MOSEY TO AO.

CMU Catch Me If You Can!

  • Partner 1 Lunges away, Partner 2 does 20x of an exercise, then runs with CMU (overhead carry) to catch Partner 1.   Keep going, changing the exercises.  Partners must agree on exercise.
    • OPTIONS: Overhead Press, Curls, CMU Press, Situps, Rows, Triceps, Squats

MARY:
LBCs until 6 caught up.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
19 strong!  Plus one doggy.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Those of us in the Christian faith have just emerged from a special part of year, the Easter season.  Part of what makes Easter so extraordinary is that it is about moving on, emerging from the darkness, and having faith that God will make all things new again.  As the seasons change, winter turns to spring, and the Easter season arrives, we move ahead slowly, deliberately, with great love, and great hope.  But the true meaning of Easter is not without some darker elements as well.  Before we reach the time of great renewal and hope there can be much fear, hesitation, and confusion, similar to what Mary Magdalene felt initially when she saw the empty tomb.

(Mary) Flannery O’Connor is a well-known southern author who wrote strange and often violent short stories.  She was diagnosed with Lupus at a relatively young age.  Her stories were often influenced by her struggles with her disease, and were often sardonic and dark, but she was a devout Christian that also incorporated messages of faith in her writings.  Her faith-based outlook on life are on full display in a book called THE HABIT OF BEING, which is a collection of letters she wrote in the latter half of her life. And she writes that being a person of faith is not all sunshine and rainbows….

She writes, “All Human Nature rigorously resists grace. Grace changes us, and change is painful.  We don’t run towards Grace, sometimes we are dragged fighting it all the way.”  Faith calls us out of complacency, and into places of uncertainty. It’s risky. Uncomfortable.  It’s transformative.  She writes, “What people don’t realize is how much religion costs…” “It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it, but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.”  Fear. Uncertainty. Transformation. And only then, Exultation! That’s Easter in a nutshell.

Flannery O’Connor died of her illness at age 39.  Despite the struggles and challenges, she wrote of her life, “I can, with one eye squinted, take it all as a blessing.”  As we move through the darkness of the past year, hopefully we can acknowledge our blessings and faith in the journey, and, with one eye squinted, find some grace, some miracles in the year behind us, and recognize and act on the ways we were all called to be changed.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the return home of Corona Weight’s brother, prayers for Ribbed, Jinxy, La-Z-Boy and Lillydipper, as they recover from injury and illness, prayers for Steam’s friend Shawn.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
April service challenge! Details TBA.

When in Need

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temp about 70.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, Plank Stretches, 10 Iron Mikes, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, Michael Phelps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Cone 1 at Stop Sign at Southeastern Corner of Admin Bldg.  We will run back up the semi-circle road toward Stop Sign at Northeastern Corner.  We stop[ at cones to do exercises.  There will be 8 cones with the last cone at the stop sign at the Northeastern Corner.  We go forth by method depicted on the cone.  Then we run back.  However, with each run back and forth we lose the end cone.  In other word we run cone 1 to 8, then 8 to 2, then 2 to 7, etc.  The cones and methods of running are shown.

  • Cone 1:  20 American Hammers (regular count).  Sprint to next cone.
  • Cone 2:  20 Side Straddle Hops (normal count).  Bernie to next cone.
  • Cone 3:  20 Merkins.  Skip to next cone.
  • Cone 4:  20 Big Boys. Sprint to next cone.
  • Cone 5:  20 Hello Dollies (normal count).  Sprint to next cone.
  • Cone 6:  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Skip to next cone.
  • Cone 7:  20 Squat Jumps.  Bernie to next cone.
  • Cone 8:  20 Bicycle Kicks (regular count).  Sprint to next cone.

Go to Roadshow Run.  We will run to trail at end of the run.  We will do 40 Baby Crunches and 20 Squats.  Then we run back up but at each set of stairs we do 20 Calf Raises before running on up the stairs.  At bat cave we do more Baby Crunches until six arrives.

Run to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Hello Dollies, Stretches.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 men with no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
When In Need

All of us have faced time of great distress that can lead to significant anxiety or depression.  We are encouraged, in F3, to reach out to our brothers when in need.  We may be quite depressed when a brother turns to help us.  Often, those who are depressed are not good at accepting help.  When brothers reach out to us, there are some things we need to remember:

  • Be gracious to those who come to you.  This may be difficult to do because we are so down and out.  However much we are hurting, we need to show appreciation to the brother who took his time to come to us.
  • Accept what is given.  Some people are better at giving advice or listening to us than others.  Some people may give advice that you already have tried or that you don’t think is that wise.  That’s ok.  Search for the pools of wisdom in what they say and remember that your brother has come to you out of love, no matter what the advice.  His coming to you is gift enough.
  • Use what is given to build yourself back up.  Unfortunately, when we are hurt and down we sometimes get stuck in the role of a victim.  We can’t believe our fate and we are angry about where we are.  As Christ said to the invalid, “Pick up your mat and walk.”  Take strength and assistance from your brothers and use it for change.
  • Don’t expect people to come to you if you aren’t calling on them to.  When we have something happen to us, people will come for a while.  They care.  But people may stop coming to you after a period of time.  You may feel forgotten and get angry, thinking people don’t care.  Remember that people get busy with their own lives and problems. Don’t expect them to keep coming if you aren’t asking them to.
  • Leave people feeling glad they visited.  You need encouragement in your time of need but our visitors need encouragement as well.  It isn’t easy to take time out of one’s day to visit a person who is ungracious.  If you continually depict a picture of misery, it is the rare person who will continue to visit you again and again.  Thank the visitor for coming and let them know that you care for them too.

If we can do these things when in need we will find that are wounds are healed more easily.  We are accepting the gifts God places before us and we can regain our strength again

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for those in the Philippines where the Covid rate has risen significantly; prayers for other countries where Covid is on the rise; prayers for Mr. Jinxy who is recovering from injuries after his automobile accident.

The Value of Giving

THE SCENE: Just about perfect. Partly cloudy, slight breeze, high 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3, Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. F3 is a free workout program designed to improve fitness, share some camaraderie, and foster male leadership in the community.  I’m Pele and I will be your Q today.  I am not a professional, and I do not know your fitness level or injury history.  Please push yourself, but modify the workout as necessary to avoid making any existing injuries worse.  The goal is to get better together!  Some additional COVID-19 considerations: keep your distance between you and other members of the PAX and any other folks that we pass during moseys, etc. to 6-10 feet.  We need to set good examples and be good neighbors out here at this public park, especially with so many folks out and about.

WARM-O-RAMA:

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

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 BACs forward/10 BACs backward (4-ct), in cadence (1/2 were wide-arm circles)

– 10 Tempo Squats (4-ct), in cadence

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to front of Admin Bldg.

  • Count off by 4s. 1’s and 2’s do 50 CALF RAISES, 3’s and 4’s do 50 AMERICAN HAMMERS. Run to the corner of the loop and back, then do the other exercise, then run again.  Alternate 20 SQUATS/10 MERKINS until 6 catches up.
  • RINSE AND REPEAT. But this time do 50 CDDs and 50 GRADY CORNS (single count)

MOSEY to stop sign at southeast corner of the circle drive.

– UPHILL SPRINTS.  Four sets of cones will be laid out up the road, about 40 yards apart.  Sprint from one cone to the next in same groups of 4.  One of the sprints will be a BERNIE SANDERS.

MOSEY to Bowl Area south of Admin Bldg.

TRAINING FOR MARCH MADNESS!:

Start at the base of the hill.  Defensive basketball stance. Backpedal left shoulder x 4, Right Shoulder x 4, RINSE AND REPEAT, Charge up the hill, 5 Bobby Hurleys.

Wait until 6 catches up, and rinse and repeat x4 (1st half/2nd half/overtime/double OT*). *We didn’t get to Double OT due to a wedding engagement situation.  Q considered calling an audible to Pickle Pounders, but resisted.

MOSEY to Bat house.

– GRINDERS! 4 STATIONS:

  1. BAT HOUSE: 25 SMURF JACKS
  2. BOTTOM OF STAIRS: 25 BBS
  3. BOTTOM OF SUMMIT: 10 Burpees
  4. TOP OF SUMMIT: 25 LBCs.

Do two rounds, then meet at Base of Summit for one last charge up to the top, staggered (1s, 2s, 3s, 4s). PAX had option of doing Burpees at the top or cheering on their fellow PAX as they ran up.  Good participation on the latter option.  Didn’t see one burpee being performed…

MARY:

  • 20 American Hammers (4-ct), in cadence
  • 20 Box Cutters (4-ct), in cadence
  • Xs and Os
  • 10 Leg Lifts

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 strong!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Katharine Hepburn, in her own words [paraphrased]:

“Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.  Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter.  There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn’t have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.

The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were so excited, jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before.

The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. They were smiling and enjoying seeing their family happy.

The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, “I’d like to buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus.” The ticket lady stated the price.

The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man’s jaw fell open. Then he leaned a little closer to the ticket lady and asked, “How much did you say?” She again stated the price.

The man didn’t have enough money. How was he supposed to tell his eight kids that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?

Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.”

The man understood what was going on. He wasn’t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.

He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; “Thank you, thank you, sir. This means so much to me and my family.”

My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.

Although we didn’t get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.”

That day I learned the value to give.

~ Katharine Hepburn*

(from Everything Good in the World)

(* Online research showed that this is actually a narrative that was published in the 1995 book “A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul,” part of the popular Chicken Soup collections of inspirational tales.  It illustrates a powerful lesson, regardless of its actual source. But I hate Fake News, so I just wanted to point this out…)

 We have an opportunity to give as a group to this month’s fund drive, which benefits STREET HOPE, an organization that assists victims of human trafficking. They still need 55 gallon trash bags, napkins, and/or copy paper.  Bring those items to a workout and we will get them delivered.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks that Dungbeetle’s situation at work is resolving itself, prayers of healing for Jinxy and for Abacus’s mother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None

Back On Top

[ The Scene ]

HOT – 60s and feeling good, PAX met up top (top of Asylum) because apparently people like to frequent public parks when the weather is nice outside.

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3! Fitness-Fellowship-Faith
  • Name is Steam and I’ll be your Q tonight
  • Few things before we begin:
    • I’m not a professional
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • If you need to modify anything feel free to do so but push yourself and the men around you – they deserve it and so do you!
  • FNGs? — 1 (with Snag – well done!)

[ Warm o Rama ]

  • SSH: 25×4 IC
  • Rockette: 10×4 IC
  • Cherry Picker: 10×4 IC
  • Baby Arm Circles: 20×4 (10 F and 10 B)
  • Apollo Onos: 10×4 IC

[ The Thang ]

(Mosey over to the right of the asylum building)

(1) The Hill and Back — 10s

  • The Tree on top of the hill (Imperial Walkers)
  • Curb on the other side of the street (Rocky Balboas)
  • Everything on a 4 count
  • 9 and 1
  • 8 and 2

Recover with flutter kicks in the grass

(Mosey to log pile – lower parking lot)

(2) Core 4 + Push

  • 4 corners of the lower parking lot (10 – 1 ct)
    • C1: LBCs
    • C2: BBS
    • C3: Cockroaches
    • C4: Boat/Canoes
  • Run to the top of the drive (Street)
  • 10 merkins
  • Rinse & Repeat — once

__________________________

*Q Teaching Moment*

Pick up the 6 and Wagon Wheel mean Pick up the 6 and wagon wheel. Gridiron, who’s 12, led the charge on this. So I called all PAX back up to the street where the merkins were being done and specifically called out Gridiron for doing this — leading from the front. i put Gridiron in a place of leadership – instructing him to lead all PAX in 30 down/up merkins, which he did exceptionally.

QTip: You’re never too young/old/seasoned to never leave a man behind, and never leave a man the same.

We could all learn a lot from Gridiron and the way he consistently picks up the 6, wagon wheels, and lives out “No Man Left Behind, No Man Left The Same.”

This goes into my BOM a little bit too – but on the mosey to Everest pre-Mary, I had told Gridiron I was proud of him for leading from the front and setting the example and standard. His response was the following:

”Well I have 2 of the best role models that teach me that, my dad and mom. Basically Mr F3 and Mrs FIA”

Doubtfire (and your M) — well done. That’s HIM stuff right there.

___________________________________________

(PAX mosey to the base of Everest and form battle buddy teams)

PAX take Everest by force, going all the way to the top and over the highest point back to the AO

[ Mary ]

Core 4

  • Flutter Kicks: 25×4
  • American Hammers: 25×4
  • Little LBCs: 25×4
  • Penguins: 25×4

[ COT ]

  • # off — 23
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs — 1
  • BOM

From the movie “Courageous”

“As a law enforcement officer, I’ve seen firsthand the deep hurt and devastation that fatherless brings in a child’s life. Our prisons are full of men and women who have lived recklessly after being abandoned by their fathers, wounded by the men who should have loved them the most. Many of these children now follow the same pattern of irresponsibility that their fathers did. While so many mothers have sacrificed much so that their children could survive, they were never intended to carry the weight alone. We thank God for them.

But research is proving that a child also desperately needs a daddy. There’s no way around this fact. I now believe that God desires for every father to courageously step up and do whatever it takes to be involved in the lives of his children. But more than just being there and providing for them, he’s to walk with them through their lives and be a visual representation of the character of God, their father in Heaven. A father should love his children and seek to win their hearts. He should protect them, discipline them, and teach the, about God. He should model how to walk with integrity and how to treat others with respect. He should call out his children to become responsible men and women, who live their lives for what matters in eternity.

Some men will hear this and mock it, or ignore it. But I tell you that as a father you are accountable to God for the position of influence He has given you. You can’t fall asleep at the wheel only to wake up one day and realize that your job or your hobbies have no eternal value. But the should of your children do.

Some men will hear this and agree with it, but have no resolve to live it out. Instead they will live for themselves and waste an opportunity to lease a Godly legacy for the next generation.

But there are some men, who, regardless of the mistakes we’ve made in the past, regardless of what our fathers did not do for us, will give the strength of our arms and the rest of our days to loving God with all that we are, and to teach our children to do the same, and whenever possible, to love and mentor others who have no fathers in their lives, but who desperately need help and direction.

We are inviting any man who’s heart is willing and courageous to join us in this revolution. In my home the decision has already been made: you don’t have to ask who will guide my family, because by God’s grace, I will. You don’t have to ask who will teach my son to follow Christ, because I will. Who will accept the responsibility for providing and protecting my family? I will. Who will ask God to break the chain of dysfunctional patterns in my family’s history? I will. Who will pray for, and bless my children to boldly pursue whatever God calls them to do? I am their farther. I will. I accept this responsibility and it is my privilege to embrace it. I want the favor of God and His blessing on my home. Any good man does.

So where are you men’s of courage? Where are you fathers who fear the Lord? It’s time to rise up and answer the call that God has given you. And to say I will, I will, I will.”