F3 Knoxville

Tag: High-Heels

The Lord is My Strength and Song

THE SCENE: Cloudy and cool, low 40s, but thankfully no rain!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check


WARM-O-RAMA:

– Motivators (5-ct, descending) (was going to do 7-ct, but Steam guessed the exercise, so doing only 5 was the reward)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)

– 15 Steve Earls (4-ct, IC)

– 20 Moroccan Nightclub (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to Pavilion

-20 Bench Dips, 20 Bench Pull-ups, 20 Bench Step Ups, RINSE AND REPEAT.

MOSEY to Circus Maximus

CANDY CANE:

  • Run to four cones laid out in a “Candy Cane” pattern. Do 10 Reps of the exercise at the cone, then return to start, and run to next cone, etc.  Rabbits sweep the six.  Exercises:
    • Hand-release Merkins
    • Box Cutters
    • Iron Mikes (2-ct) (Q called an audible and we only did every other cone for this one. Stopped at far cone, did 10 reps of Iron Mikes at every cone on the way back)

Mosey to Base of Cardiac

CARDIAC SUICIDES (Modified):

Run to first curve, do 20x Plank Jacks/Peter Parkers/Mountain Climbers, run to second curve, again do 20 of each exercise, run back to first curve, and then all the way to the top and do our last set of 20 of each exercise.

MOSEY to AO

MARY:
High Heels led some LBCs, then Q had the PAX do 30 second static leg raises, 20x Hello Dollies (4-ct, IC), and Homer/Marge to finish it off.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong, including one FNG, whom we named TMI

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

FAITH AND JAZZ: My church has recently brought in a small band to showcase in their streaming services, and last Sunday they played a variety of jazzy tunes, perhaps in part to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  Over the years, I’ve never been a big fan of jazz music.  Jazz can be kind of frustrating to those of us who like our music to be a little more structured.  A typical jazz tune tends to lack that structure, and it can go off into unexpected directions, some of which you might appreciate, some of which you might not, like when there’s a jarring interruption by a trumpet, or the crash of a symbol that shakes you up.  At times when I listen to jazz I feel a bit bewildered, like when the musicians all go off on a 10 minute segue on some random riff.  Why are they doing that?  Can’t they just stick to a melody and go from there?  It seems chaotic and unplanned.

Another thing that frustrates me with jazz is that it tends not to have a definite end.  Most songs seem to just ramble on for a while and then suddenly wrap up at a random part of the tune.  This can be somewhat unsatisfying for those of us who just want to read the “cliff notes” version of music and be told the answer to what it’s all about.  All the meanderings and lack of a satisfying conclusion can be irritating if you’re not really tuned into it.

But I’ve come to appreciate jazz more over the years if you listen carefully, with patience, and let yourself become immersed in it, something magical happens.  All the pieces and disparate parts that seemed confusing at the time ultimately pay off as the players create a beautiful whole from the various individual pieces, almost like a quilt.  And the more you invest in it, the more you give yourself in to it, the more rewarding it can be.  There IS a structure to it, there IS a pattern.  You just have to have the awareness and patience to tap into it and recognize it.

To me, that’s kind of like spirituality.  We have to have faith that the song God is weaving in our lives will ultimately take us to a place of peace and beauty, even if at times it seems meandering and strange, even dark and frightening.  Jazz players will tell you that one of the most important aspects of being a jazz musician is listening to what is going on around you, and tapping into that energy so that you’re in harmony with it, not fighting against it.  So it is with being a spiritual person.  The more carefully we listen to the song of faith that courses through us and the more we let ourselves be pulled into its melody, the more we are able to recognize the beautiful tapestry that the Lord is creating for each one of us.

As it is written in Exodus:

“The Lord is my strength and song,

And He has become my salvation;

This is my God, and I will praise Him;

My father’s God, and I will extol Him.”

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Boogaloo and his family as they cope with the loss of a family member to COVID.  Prayers for the folks without power and water in Texas.  Prayers for TMI that his dentist appointment won’t be difficult or painful.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New Maryville AO opening on March 6, 7:00 am.  Details to be announced.

CMSaturday

[ The Scene ]

  • High 20s
  • Sunny
  • Ruckers and PAX unite

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness/Fellowship/Faith
  • My name is Steam and I’m stoked to be your Q this morning
  • FNGs?
  • Couple of things before we begin:
    • 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
  • COVID precautions

[ Warm o Rama ]

  • Shoulder-tap: 15×4 IC
  • Baby Arm Circles: 15×4 IC (back)
    • Little bit of this: R arm over
    • Little bit of that: L arm over
  • Cherry-Picker: 10×4 IC
  • Windmill: 10×4 IC
    • Little bit of this: R arm back
    • Little bit of that: L arm back
  • Merkin: 5×4 IC
  • Squat: 5×4 IC
    • Little bit of this: Michael Phelps
    • Little bit of that: torso twist

[ The Thang ]

(1) Quarter Pounder

(Mosey to CMU pile via the Dragon — all the way to the street/past the morning AO lot)

  • Every light: 25 reps (1count) broken into these ingredients
    • 5 Merkins
    • 5 Squats
    • 5 BBS getups
    • 5 SSHs
    • 5 mountain climbers
  • All together
    • 6 was recovered an all PAX completed 2 rounds together before heading to the CMU pile

(2) CMU Pile

  • Everyone get a CMU
  • Toe the line facing the play ground — CMUs in front
  • Bear Craw CMU drags
  • Every 5 drags = 10 BBS with CMU on feet
  • All the way to the other side of the parking lot

(Mosey with CMUs to The Island — parking lot below Pav)

(3) 100s

  • Bottom of The Island:
    • 25 curls (1 count)
    • 25 deadlifts (1 count)

(Mosey around to the top of Island with CMU on 1 shoulder)

  • Top of The Island:
    • 25 CMU chest presses (1 count)
    • 25 CMU lunges (knee to CMU) (1 count)

(Mosey with CMUs to the big tree outside the middle of the parking lot close to the river)

(3) CMU OffRoading

  • PAX walked with CMUs and circled up in field below baseball fields
  • Core Xs + one handed CMU merkins

(Carry CMUs to Picnic Table 1)

  • Flutter kicks: 10×4 w/CMU overhead

(Carry CMUs to picnic table 2)

  • American Hammers: 10×4

(Carry CMUs to picnic table 3)

  • LBCs: 10×4

PAX carry CMUs back to CMU pile

The Final Push

  • Pax get into lines of 4 facing up the hill to the AO/top of Cardiac
  • Teams of 4 sprint up to the AO and knock out ATMs as a team

Once all teams are done with ATMs — Core 4 (4 core Xs for the final 4 minutes – 60 seconds each

    • Flutter Kicks
    • BBSs
    • LBCs
    • American Hammers

[ COT ]

  • # off — 24
  • Name o Rama
  • FNGs — GooGoo joined us from F3 Chattanooga
  • BOM

Michael Jordan Quotes — January 23rd

(1) – “You can practice shooting 8 hours a day, but if your technique is wrong, then all you become is very good at shooting the wrong way. Get the fundamentals down and the level of everything you do will rise.”

    • Pursue excellence in the basics, fundamentals

(2) – “I want to be the bridge to the next generation.”

  • High Impact Men and Women build bridges
    • We were created to build and strengthen things
    • Plant. Grow. Serve.
      • Plant something, grow it into something bigger than yourself, and serve it well.
  • High Impact Men and Women leave their legacy for the next generation
    • This is not contingent on if you have kids
  • High Impact Men and Women connect and help others get from point A to point B
    • This is not always a physical locationn

(3) – “Winning isn’t always championships.”

  • Learn how to discern a win this year.
  • Quit mis-labeling victories and wins because they don’t look what you thought they would/what you’re told they should look like

Baptized

THE SCENE:  Cloudy, temp in mid-forties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jacks, 10 Jump Squats, 10 Rockettes, 10 Windmills, Michael Phelps, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to South Ball Fields Parking Lot.  We will start at southern curb.  There will be five cones places along parking lot toward northern curb.  We will run to each cone, hop backwards three parking spaces, then run to the next cone, hop backwards three parking spaces, and continue this pattern until we reach the northern curb.

We will do the same thing going back but instead of hopping back three spaces will bear crawl back three spaces.

Next, we will have a race to pick up the cones.  The idea is to get a cone and run back to southern curb or to the middle light pole with the cone.  However, anyone who is touched by another men must give that man his cone and allow him a second to run off.  Whoever ends up back at the southern curb or at the middle light pole with the most cones wins.

Mosey to stop sign at main drive.  10 Tempo Squats.

Mosey to parking lot with the nice restrooms.  We will do 20 American Hammers.  Then we will Bernie Across parking lot.  On the other side of the parking lot we will do 20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to playground.  We will do the following in a counterclockwise triangle:

  • At Playground:  20 Bench Jumps and 20 Bench Dips
  • At Pavilion:  20 Picnic Table Pull-ups and 20 Decline Merkins
  • At Flagpole:  20 Sky Jumps and 20 Squats
  • Rinse and Repeat

Mosey to parking lot by the entry gate to the Northern Ball Fields.

We will do Sprints, Bernies, Karaoke’s, and Skips back and forth across parking lot.

Mosey to AO

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks, 20 Pickle Pounders, 20 Bicycle Kicks, then stretches.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I have read from this song in the past in reference to topics but I thought I would read the whole thing today.  To me, it is a beautiful song about what it means to be baptized.  The name of the song is “Been Through the Water.”  It is written by Kyle Matthews.  It follows the life of a person baptized as a boy and talks about how his baptism follows him through marriage and as an old man before he dies.

Been Through The Water – Kyle Matthews

Preacher pulled the boy up from the water
Alleluias rose from the banks
There was a new suit of clothes from his Father
And a prayer of thanks

The boy walked barefooted all the way home for dinner
And when they laughed at his muddy feet…

He said I’ve been through the water and I’ve come out clean
Got new clothes to cover me
And you don’t wear your old shoes on your brand new feet
When you’ve been through the water
Ah been through the water

Preacher turned them around at the altar
Pronounced the boy and his girl “man and wife”
In two years they were Mother and Father
And they built them a life
And his old girlfriend saw a moment of weakness
And she said “If you’re lonely come see me sometime…”

He said I’ve been through the water and I’ve come out clean
Got new clothes to cover me
And you don’t wear your old shoes on your brand new feet
When you’ve been through the water
Ah been through the water

He baits a hook with his grandson of seven
And says “Soon, I’ll be free from these pains.”
The boy asked if he’s ever been to heaven
He says “No… but I think I know the way… ’cause I’ve been through the water…”

I’ve been through the water and I’ve come out clean
Got new clothes to cover me
And you don’t wear your old shoes on your brand new feet
When you’ve been through the water
Ah been through the water

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pele’s cousin, Tom, who is in 80s and has Multiple Myeloma.  He, further, was recently diagnosed with Covid.  Prayers for Crawdad on a safe journey to Huntsville.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP on Saturday, January 30.  Arrive at 6:15 am at the Asylum to register.  We will start at 6:30 am and end at 9 am.  Breakfast will follow.  Blood drive at Asylum the day before.

It all started with a BLIMP… Part deux

THE SCENE: Couldn’t ask for better winter weather…
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

4 sure


WARM-O-RAMA:

20 SSH 4ct

2 Burpees

20 Imperial Walkers 4ct

4 Burpees

20 Tempo Squats 4ct

6 Burpees

THA-THANG:

B – Moseyed over to the Dragon and knocked out 10 Burpees

L – Moseyed over to Death Valley or Super Bowl and broke up into team 1 & team 2.  Team 1 sprinted to the other side of the bowl and touched a tree then sprinted back while team 2 lunged in place.  Then team 2 did the sprint while Team 1 lunged in place. We did 2 rounds.  Already started to hear some groaning!  Lol

I – The Bowl was such a hit we stayed and around to do Imperial Walkers & Sprints. (2 Rounds)  More Groaning!  Lol

M – Continued in the Bowl since no one had spilled Merlot yet…  This time with Merkins and Sprints(2 Rounds)

P – The Bowl was getting too easy so we shipped out to the base of Everest.  We knocked out 20 Plank Jacks 4ct.  Then Team 1 lined up for an All You Got(AYG) up Everest,  Team 2 gave them a 10 second head start and was challenged to catch Team 1!  As if Everest didn’t suck without someone chasing you…

We knocked out some exercises at the top of Everest then proceeded back to the AO.

MARY:
Team 1 LBC’s while Team 2 ran up Baby Cardiac then swapped

Team 1 kept feet and head 6 inches while laying on their 6 while Team 2 ran up Baby Cardiac then swapped

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
YOU GET WHAT YOU GIVE
MOLESKIN:
Welcome FNG Stucco!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Blood Drive & CSAUP

Revealing Our Brokenness

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temp about 32 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Windmills, 15 Second Squat, 10 Rockettes, 30 Second Squat, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 60 Second Squat

THA-THANG:
Mosey to CMU parking lot.  Instead of CMUs, each man grabs a pair of bricks which will be along east curb of parking lot.  We will Dora.  While partner one does exercises listed below with the bricks, the other man runs to other curb, does 10 Rocky Balboa, and runs back to replace partner with the exercises.  Here are the exercises with the bricks:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows (brick at each side)
  • 100 Triceps (brick on either side of head)
  • 100 Punches (both hands = 1)
  • 100 Wings Up
  • 100 Wings Down
  • 100 Wings Out

Put bricks down.  Mosey to Mini Cardiac.  We will Bernie to Park Sign then sprint to crosswalk.

Mosey to Stop Sign at Northeast Corner of Admin Bldg.  We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to small parking lot below the Coliseum.  We will do Doras again.  This time, while one partner does exercises, the other runs up stairs, left on Coliseum sidewalk, and down to the driveway to small parking lot to reunite with partner who will then make the same run.  These are the exercises the partners will work on:

  • 100 Hello Dollies (4 ct)
  • 100 Squat Jumps
  • 100 Merkins (4 ct)
  • 100 Iron Mikes (both feet = 1)
  • 100 Flutter Kicks (4 ct)

Mosey to parking drive by apartments and soccer fields. We will do 20 Bicycle Kicks.

Mosey to parking lot that is south of playground.  20 Squats.

Mosey to Mini Cardiac.  We will, once again Bernie to Park Sign then sprint to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
26 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The Lord is close to all who call on Him, yes, to all who call on Him in truth.  Psalm 145:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

And it’s no, nay, never
No, nay never no more
Will I play the wild rover
No never no more.     —  Old Irish Folk Song

I used to belong to a Sunday School class in a church that I formerly went to that had nice, intelligent, and friendly people in it.  I found myself missing something in the class, however.  What it took me some time to realize was that people weren’t opening up in the class.  They freely talked about worshipping God, about helping others, about walking the right kind of life – but they weren’t revealing themselves in the process.  They talked about how “people” needed to apply the Bible’s lessons to their lives but not about how those lessons should be applied to their own lives. They weren’t talking about the true challenges they faced in their Christian journey. They weren’t talking about their BROKENNESS.  I remember wishing people would talk from their hearts.  I remember one woman in the class being more likely to do so.  I followed her example one time but no one else in the class did.  And, after a time, I figured, “heck, I’m not going to talk about my problems if no one else does.”  And so, I withdrew and finally just left the class.  Maybe I should have confronted the class.  Instead, I found a church where people do freely reveal themselves.

Men, it is important to REVEAL ourselves to God and to others we can trust.  We are broken creatures in so many ways.  As humans, we mess up!  We find ourselves making the same mistakes, sinning in the same ways, despite our promises to ourselves that we will not do the same thing again.  I certainly find myself making the same mistakes over and over.  It as if sin is inherent in my nature.  And, if we believe the Bible, SIN TRULY IS IN OUR INHERENT NATURE.  In the Old Irish Folk Song above, the singer proclaims “never no more will I play the wild rover” (i.e. drinking so much that one gets snockered).  Yet, the song is one that is sung with the comic knowledge that one absolutely will play the wild rover again, when the hangover is gone and the temptation arises. Despite our best claims to stop the sin within us, we sin again and again.  This could be in regards to many different things:  pornography, greed, animosity, overuse of power, coveting, prejudice, infidelity, or just plain worrying too much.  If we truly look at ourselves, consider every sinful part of ourselves – we are likely to feel great shame and may want to give up on ourselves.

But, we have a great and glorious God.  We have a God that actually wants us to reveal that sinful part of ourselves to Him.  He wants to know us fully.  And what happens to us when we truly reveal ourselves to Him?  LOVE happens.  Think about what happens here in F3 when a brother reveals his brokenness to the group. Do his brothers turn their backs on Him and run away?  Do they smite him?  Do they ignore him?  I think not.  They embrace him.  They let him know that they understand.  And, as his brother, they see themselves in him.  They know that they too have messed up, have been broken.  When God sees us revealing ourselves to one another, He Smiles from Above.  He celebrates.  He say, “Now that is what I want my children to do!”  Because through that revealing, we heal.  We get the feedback of love from our fellow man and from God.  And, it when we are strengthened by love, that is when we can experience True Change.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers to end racism and for our country to be more united.  Prayers for wife of Ribbed, praise for healing of Choir Boy’s wife, praise for Cap’n Crunch’s 25 wedding anniversary, prayers for Cheatsheet in the care of his mother and daughter, prayers for Veggie’s safe return back to college in the state of Michigan.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
CSAUP from 6:30 am to 9 am at Asylum on Saturday, January 30.