F3 Knoxville

Tag: High-Heels

Heavy at the Equalizer

THE SCENE: Just north of shorts weather.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Done and Done semi-ok!

WARM-O-RAMA:

Typical Blindside Warmup-y things: 

SSH IC x15 | LBAC IC x10 each way | Cherry Pickers IC x5 | Little bit of this, a little bit of that

THA-THANG:

Equalizer’s First Heavy Workout:

Mosey to Smokehouse for CMUs, take to Pickleball Courts. PAX each choose a cardboard piece. Do AMRAP of the exercise while the PAX with the “Blockees” piece does 20. Once done, rotate clockwise to the next exercise. 

  1. Blockees
  2. Goblet Squats
  3. OH Press
  4. Bench Press
  5. Curls
  6. BBS with CMU Press
  7. Lunges with CMU Twist 
  8. Rows 
  9. Jump Rope
  10. Calf Raises
  11. CMU Merkins
  12. Squat Thrusters with CMU

Return CMUs to Smokehouse, return to AO

MARY:

Flutter Kicks IC x20 | Box Cutters IC x15 

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

13 HIMs; 0 FNGs; 4 PreRuckers  

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Quote from St. Augustine: 

Now, may our God be our hope. He Who made all things is better than all things. He Who made all beautiful things is more beautiful than all of them. He Who made all mighty things is more mighty than all of them. He Who made all great things is greater than all of them. Learn to love the Creator in His creature, and the maker in what He has made.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Equalizer will start doing “Heavy” workouts on Wednesdays. While today was obviously Monday, this will start to be the norm on Wednesdays moving forward with the official start on April 5th. Get some diversity in our workouts and promise some of those guys who want to have a little less running in their lives an opportunity to get some work in.

Get in the Wheelbarrow

THE SCENE: Cool and breezy, around 40 degrees moderate cloud coverage
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check, if you could hear it over the mumblechatter, which picked up significantly when Brick and Steam decided to go bare chested.  Glass cutters club!
WARM-O-RAMA:

-10 SSH (20x, (4-ct), in cadence) RUN 2 CIRCLE LAPS (TO THE LEFT) R&R 10 SSH RUN 2 CIRCLE LAPS TO THE RIGHT

– 10 STEVE EARLES (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Rockettes, (4-ct), in cadence

-LBCS Forward/backward  (4-ct), in cadence

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

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to Serpentine Sidewalk north of the AO.
    • “2-4-6-8 WHO DO WE APPRECIATE” Run down sidewalk, suicide style, stopping at EVEN # lights to do the following exercises:
      • 2 lights: 4 MERKINS/ 4 lights: 8 merkins/ 6 lights 12 merkins/ 8 lights, 16 merkins. ON LAST REP SWEEP FOWARD
      • Rinse and repeat with SQUATS
      • Rinse and repeat with BBS (2-ct)
    • Mosey east on path to intersection, stop to do 20 Imperial Walkers
    • Mosey to base of Cardiac
      • 5s from base to first curve, starting with 1 OFFSET RIGHT MERKIN, run up and do 4 OFFSET LEFT MERKINS 1 JUMP SQUAT
      • Fellowship Mosey to second curve
      • 5s from Second curve to Benches, Starting with 1 FROGGY JUMP, run up and do 4 SMURF JACKS.
    • Mosey to AO

 

MARY:
I wanted to give Mary her due, since we’ve been ignoring this fair lady for awhile, so we had a good 5-6 minutes of Mary…

  • MURDER PLANKS
    • Plank position, knee to opposite elbow x 10
    • Reverse, x10
    • Hold Elbow Plank x10 seconds
    • R&R until time called
  • Captain Thors
    • 1 BBS/1 4-ct American Hammer
    • 2/8
    • 3/12
    • 4/16

Stretching with Pele
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 Hims and 1 2.0, Cheetah Boy
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

THE TIGHTROPE WALKER

There’s a story I read recently about a tight rope walker in Europe who was very talented, could do all sorts of tricks.  One of these tricks was to walk on tightrope while pushing a wheel barrow.  A Big Time Promoter over here in the States heard about him, and invited him over to North America to walk over Niagara falls for a lot of money. A LOT of money.  But the Promoter wanted to make sure the guy really was all that and a bag of chips, so he asked him to come over for a demonstration.  The tightrope walker was a bit insulted that his talent was being questioned, but he flew over, they went to Niagara Falls, he walked back and forth over the falls, without the wheelbarrow, and then he did it with the wheelbarrow.

When he was finished, he returned to the Promoter and said, “There!  Now do you believe I can do it”?

The Promoter said, “Yes, I’m sorry I doubted you, I believe you can do it.”

“No No” said the tightrope walker, “I want to REALLY make sure you believe in my abilities! After all, I don’t want you to have any doubts”.

“Of Course I believe you! I just saw you do it!  Yes, yes, I believe you!”

The Tightrope walker said with an evil grin…  “If you really believe I can do it… Then get in the wheelbarrow.”

Living in Faith requires us to get in that wheelbarrow and have trust and faith. Must give control up to God.  It can be a little bit scary.  When I was about 10 I went on the American Eagle roller coaster at Great America in Gurnee, Illinois for the first time.  Wooden roller coaster that held several records when it was built in the 80s, including longest drop and fastest speed.  Here are some stats on that sucker:

  • built with approximately 1,360,000 feet (410,000 m) of lumber,
  • 129,720 bolts,
  • 30,600 pounds (13,900 kg) of nails (How many of those have come loose over the years?)
  • 55 degree max invert angle (Think of that!)

Rickety, wheels squealing on the rails, lots of motion.  I was petrified.  But you have to believe that the safety measures are in place and that you’ll be ok.  But you don’t really KNOW it until you take that ride.  There are ups and downs, twists and turns on your faith journey.  But in the end, you’ll be exhilarated, like that 10 year kid on a rollercoaster.

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Get your dogtag order in!  Looking for new F3 Knoxville F1 and F3 leaders.  Hot Toddy Q this Saturday!

Distracted

THE SCENE: Sunny, temperature about 30 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators starting with seven, 10 Windmills, 10 Twisties, 10 Rockettes, Standing Stretches.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Lilypad.

From one curb we will sprint to the other, stopping at each of the tall light posts to lunge forward five parking spaces before sprinting again.  We will then Bernie Sanders back, stopping at each light post to lunge backwards five parking spaces.

Mosey past the southern Pavilion to the perimeter trail and head south.  We will go right toward the fence of the water treatment plant.  We will split into teams of two men each for Doras.  While one partner runs to the park bench just down the trail and back, the other works on exercises.  The partners trade places when the running partner gets back.  Here are the exercises:

  • 150 Flutter Kicks
  • 150 Baby Crunches
  • 150 Hello Dollies

Mosey west on the perimeter trail.  We will stop about halfway to do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey west again to the area near the electrical transformers and the dock.  We will split into three groups to go to three different areas and perform exercises at each area.  After completing the exercises, men run to the next area.  The areas and the exercise performed at each are:

  • Area 1:  Boulders near perimeter trail.  Pick up Boulder and perform 20 Bench Presses, 20 Curls, and 20 Rows.
  • Area 2:  The benches near the dock.  At benches do 20 Bench Jumps, 20 Bench Dips and 20 Incline Merkins.
  • Area 3:  At cone on perimeter trail west of the dock.  Do 20 Iron Mikes and 20 Squats.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

Mosey back to the area we did the American Hammers at.  We will do 20 Box Cutters.

Mosey to soccer fields.  We will go from west to east.  We will Bear Crawl for 10 Counts then Run for 30 Counts and continue this to the east side of the soccer fields.

Mosey to the Lily Pad.  We will stop to do 15 Imperial Walkers.

Mosey to parking lot that is just south of the Playground.  We will do 20 Bench Dips

Mosey to the Playground.  We will do elevens at benches starting with 10 Box Jumps and 1 Decline Merkin.

Mosey to eastern curb of the AO parking lot.  We will Karaoke left to other western curb and the Karaoke right back to the western curb.  Then will will sprint to the western curb.

MARY:
Leg lifts.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
19 men with one FNG.  Welcome new member Stubing!!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Distracted

In our modern world we are often distracted by so many different things . . . the internet on our cell phones, social media, tv shows and tv advertisements, the daily onslaught of mail in the mail box, emails, traffic, job duties, commitments to different organizations and causes, and . . . well, I could keep on going but you get the idea.  These distractions keep us from connection to our true selves and to God.  These distractions leave us off kilter and lead to our worries.

I recently read the following paragraphs from the great priest, theologian, professor and writer, Henri Nouwen.

Today, worrying means to be occupied and preoccupied with many things, while at the same time being bored, resentful, depressed, and very lonely.  I am not trying to say that all of us are worried in such an extreme way all the time.  Yet there is little doubt in my mind that the experience of being filled yet unfulfilled touches most of us to some degree at some time.  In our highly technological and competitive world, it is hard to avoid completely the forces that fill up our inner and outer space and disconnect us from our innermost selves, our fellow human beings, and our God.

One of the most notable characteristics of worrying is that it fragments our lives.  The many things to do, to think about, to plan for, the many people to remember to visit, or to talk with, the many causes to attack or defend, all these pull us apart and make us lose our center.  Worry causes us to be “all over the place” but seldom at home.  One way to express the spiritual crisis of our time is to say that most of us have an address but cannot be found there.

I don’t think I even need to add to Nouwen’s message because it is so clear and strong.  I will, however, add one more quote from Henri Nouwen about worries:

It wasn’t that the gospel proved useful for my many worries but that the gospel proved the uselessness of my worries.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks for Stubing having a baby coming soon and for two of F6’s work colleagues having recent babies.  Prayers of thanks for Waffle House and his son’s safe return from Guatemala.  Prayers for Captain Crunch on the recent loss of one of his parents.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hot Toddy Triple Birthday Q at Asylum on Saturday, January 28.  Today is first day of Cap’n Crunch’s five week leadership study at Panera Bread Conference Room, Bearden.

The PM Crew Tackles Accelerate Metric Workout #1

F3 Q: 1/17/2023

Asylum PM

5:45pm – 6:30pm

[ The Scene ] 

  • 50s
  • Cloudy with a chance of IRON SHARPENING YEAHHHHHHHHHH

[ 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 volition
    • 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 ] 

(5:45pm – 5:50pm)

These warm up Xs will be catered towards the Xs we’re going to do in Accelerate Metric Workout #1 

  • SSH: 15×4 
    • Run 25 yards and back 
  • Cherry Picker: 10×4
    • Run 25 yards and back 
  • Twisty: 10×4
    • Run 25 yards and back 
  • Rockette: 10×4
    • Run 25 yards and back 
  • High Knees: 10×4 
    • 25 yards and back 

Dynamic SWS (5:50 – 5:55)

4 corners – The Movements 

  • 1st Corner: Cobra stretch (30 seconds)
    • Run 
  • 2nd: 20 BAC (Front and Back)
    • Karaoke
  • 3rd: 10 Lunge Twists 
    • Deep Lunge
  • 4th: 10 wind mills
    • Side shuffle back to the light pole 

[ The Thang ] 

(Give instructions at 5:55pm)

(Start the workout at 6pm on the dot)

Accelerate Metric Workout #1

Introducing Accelerate 2023 — In an effort to ensure that the PAX of F3 Knoxville are continuing to accelerate their King (Q-source speak for always getting better in their workouts), we are going to be promoting 6 workouts this year done 6 months apart and to Track PAX progress. So the January and July workouts will be the same, Feb/August, etc. Instead of making it a competition, a la Iron Pax, this is an individual competition. Overall results will not be posted or tracked, just participants. AOQs will be the ones to share with PAX members their overall scores. 

This a YOU vs. YOU acceleration and not an Iron Pax-like competition. It will be about competing with yourself, not other PAX members. Please DM me any feedback you have for this year-long Accelerate challenge!

Here is January + July’s Accelerate workout:

Metric Workout #1 (Every man will need 1 CMU)

Set a timer for 30 minutes.

Complete as many cumulative reps as you can in that time.

The following list of exercises are performed in sets of 25 reps. 

After completing a set of 25 reps, put down your CMU, run 25 yards, do 2 burpees, return to your CMU, and continue. 

Here are the exercises:

  • 150 curls
  • 125 heavy squats
  • 100 OHP
  • 75 CMU swings
  • 50 Thrusters
  • 25 Blockees

When you finish the Blockees, start back at the top with curls.

It will look like this:

25 curls → 25 yard run → 2 burpees → 25 yard run → 25 curls…repeat until 150 curls are finished, then switch to squats (the next exercise)…etc.  

Once through the entire circuit is 525 reps (burpees do not count toward total).

[ COT ]

  • # off —> 13
  • Name o Rama 
    • Pele, Swimmies, Pusher, Sparkler, Rooney, Drum Major, F6, Abacus, Lillydipper, Brick, High-Heels, OnStar,  Steam
  • FNGs — 0
  • BOM

Reflections from the past week: 

  • Cardinal died on Wednesday 
  • My grandfather died yesterday
  • Megan (my wife) is going through a really tough time with her job and searching for a new one

It would be really easy to look at the past week and think “What in the world is going on.” But in light of everything that has happened over the past week, here are three things I need to remember, and maybe we all do heading into a new week. 

(1) We can rejoice too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. – Hebrews 5:3

    • Something about the really hard things we go through in life develop endurance for us to press on, to keep going, and to stay in the fight. 

(2) Memento Mori = Remember that you must die

    • This is just a fact of life. 
    • It’s not an “if” it’s a “when”
    • That being said – how are you you stewarding the days you’ve been given? We each have a certain number of days we’re going to be on this earth, no more, no less. 
    • I’m 28 years old, which is roughly in the neighborhood of 10,000 days —> Have I taken advantage of these days or have they taken advantage of me (Ephesians 5:16 — making the best use of the time, because the days are evil)

(3) Keep showing up

    • High Heels has said “How do you get better at burpees? Do more burpees.” And in the past when I’ve heard that I probably laughed or thought “But why?”
    • But the point is not the success or failure, but to keep showing up. You wanna get better at burpees? Keep showing up and do the work. 
    • To quote Samwise Gamgee —> Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something. That there’s some good in this world and it’s worth fighting for. 
    • Last week we all saw how powerful and impactful it is when men decide to show up. 

You Are More Than Your Job

THE SCENE: Windy, temps in low 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 10 Cherry Pickers, 20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Windmills, Sitting knee stretches 10 count right, forward and left.
THA-THANG:
Mosey up Dragon Tail to Haslam Rock.  Stop on roadway to do 20 Box Cutters.

Mosey to Coliseum Courtyard Area.  We will run counterclockwise around the sidewalk loop.  We will do the following exercises around the circle:

  • First loop:  20 Bench Dips at Coliseum and Admin Bldg steps and 20 Merkins at the two sides of loop.
  • Second loop:  20 Box Jumps on Steps and 20 Carolina Dry Cocks at sides of loop.
  • Third loop:  20 Calf Raises on Steps and 20 Diamond Merkins at side of loop.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

Mosey to roadway area close to Haslam Rock.  We will do 20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey on Perimeter Trail to area at bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will split into teams of two and do Doras.  One partner runs to the construction fence going south on the perimeter trail, touches the fence and runs back.  The other partner works on the listed exercises and then partners switch.  As a team, the partners will do the following exercises:

  • 150 Freddie Mercuries (4 ct)
  • 150 Jump Squats
  • 150 Baby Crunches
  • 150 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
Abdominals
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
21 men with one FNG:  Robert Kelly whom we dubbed Kung Blue.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I know that some men in our brotherhood and some M’s of our brothers have struggled with the jobs they are in and the vocational decisions they are attempting to make. It is difficult to have a job that just doesn’t seem right for you.  It can be bewildering to wonder what direction your professional life should take. It can feel oppressive to go to a job you just don’t like and wonder when the right job will come along.  I look back to my own vocational struggles when I was in my 20’s and early 30’s. I can say that during some of those struggles I was clinically depressed.

As a 66-year-old who has been in the job market for quite some time, let me offer some words to you that may help be of benefit to those of you who have struggled vocationally or who have loved ones who have struggled:

  1. You are more than your job.  I know of people who feel they have never found the “right job.”  But some of them are amongst the finest people I know.  Yes, at parties we may introduce ourselves to others and answer the questions about what we do for a living.  But that isn’t our identity.  There is so much more:  our worship, our families, our friends, our activities outside of work, how we listen to others, how we treat others, how we lead others.
  2. If you are dissatisfied with your job, keep looking.  That doesn’t mean quit your current job.  But network with others, talk to your brothers, let them know you are looking for something new.  Also, when you interview for jobs, that in itself can be a learning process.  I am proud of my son, Bennett, for his growth through networking and interviewing in the past year.  He had a good job but wanted something different.  He thought he wanted to get into the banking industry but he wasn’t sure in what area or what direction to take.  He gradually found out a job that is fitting his desires by networking and interviewing for jobs that weren’t quite the fit.
  3. As our brother High-Heels said in a recent Q, even if you aren’t thrilled with your job, it’s a blessing to have it.  You are getting paid.  Your job is putting food on the table.  There are many people who are jobless and hungry.  Don’t forget that.
  4. You have an opportunity to serve others, no matter what your job.  You can smile at your customers, try to make their lives better, and enhance the lives of your fellow employees with a kind and eager spirit.  And, no matter what your job, whether physician or trash collector, that work is probably contributing to what makes our world spin.

I will sum up the last point with some of the words from a song we sometimes sing at my church called “Day by Day.”

Server, you remind us of our Savior's bowl and towel.
Teacher, you are raising up a child to be kind.
Lawyer, give us hope that justice one day will surround us.
May God's kingdom come, on earth His will be done.

Farmer, you are working for a table full of bounty.
Painter, with each color you are teaching us to see.
Nurse, yours are the healing hands that touch the poor and broken.
May God's kingdom come, on earth His will be done.

Lord, be close to us.  Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, please put Your hand on us day by day.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Jinxy and his family after the death of Jinxy’s father.  The funeral was today.  Prayers of praise for Operation as his wife is over six weeks pregnant after she and Operation went through such a lengthy time with issues of infertility.  Operation is going to be a great father!!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Hot Toddy Triple Q at the Asylum on Saturday morning, January 28 at the Asylum!  Pusher will have his Birthday Q with Lumpia likely in February!