F3 Knoxville

Tag: High-Heels

The Sea Refuses No River

THE SCENE: Windy, temps in 40s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Plank Jack, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Rockettes, Plank Reaches, 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to parking lot by southern ball fields.  We will suicides, running from curb on south end of parking lot to successive lights in the parking lot.  Each time we return to curb we will do 20 Baby Crunches before running to next light.

Mosey to Pavilion by Outdoor Chapel.  We will do Elevens starting with 1 Bench Dip off and 10 Squat Jumps.  After Squat Jumps, each man runs around the Pavilion and back to the bench he started with to do 2 Bench Dips and 9 Squat Jumps.  This pattern continues until each man has done 10 Bench Dips and 1 Squat Jump.

Mosey to Serpentine Sidewalk.  We will run length of sidewalk until it reaches the perimeter trail but will stop to do ten Big Boy Sit-ups every other light.  Those finishing first we sweep all men back.

Mosey to CMU pile.  Divide into teams of three.  Each team grabs three CMUs.  One man carries two CMUs across parking lot to next partner who carries them back to next partner.  On one side of the parking lot men do side-straddle hops while waiting for a partner to return.  On the other side of the parking lot men do curls while waiting for partner to return. Once all partners have carried the CMU to another side, partners will rinse and repeat but do overhead presses as the exercise with the stationary CMU.  When all partners have finished again, we will rinse and repeat one more time but do Rows with the stationary CMU.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Fifteen men and one FNG, Chip Omer, whom we dubbed “Salsa.”

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Where do rivers flow?  To the sea.  My good friend, High-Heels, taught me that our own Tennessee River flows toward Chattanooga, dips into Alabama, heads northwest to the border of Alabama and Mississippi, then, of all things, heads north through Tennessee again to reach the Ohio River at Paducah, Kentucky.  From there, the waters head west to the Mississippi River and south before emptying into the Gulf.  A crazy route but the waters flow to the sea.

As humans, where do our lives naturally flow?  To God.  And, no matter what crazy routes we take, our direction, if we live for what we were created for, should be toward God.  What a beautiful metaphor it is to think of our lives being the rivers that flow to God, who is the Sea.  God created us for this and expects us to journey toward Him, our creator, our Home.

There is a song written by Pete Townsend (yes, the guitar crashing band member and primary song writer for the rock group, the Who) that beautifully depicts this idea of our lives flowing toward God. It was a song written on one of his solo albums.  The song is entitled “The Sea Refuses No River.”

Just as Jesus accepted all humans, whether tax collectors, outlaws, or prostitutes, the Sea, Townsend proclaims, refuses no river.

The sea refuses no river
Whether stinking and rank
Or red from the tank
Whether pure as a spring
There's no damned thing stops this poem.
The sea refuses no river
And this river is homeward flowing.

And it is that idea of God accepting him that helps him, helps the individual human, to live:

There was a fool in a dressing robe
Riding out the twilight hour
Lonely and cold in an empty home
Trying to access his power
But now he's like a stream in flood
Swollen by the storm
He doesn't care if he sheds his blood
Let him be reborn.

The wonderful thing to know is that there is no privilege to the religiously elite here.  The front row of seats is not sealed off to those who live by some code that Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or any type of religious snob claims we must live by,  Jesus informed us of this when he said, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.:  (Matthew 20:16)

Townsend, recognizing this in his song, is able to celebrate the reborn course of his life toward God:

The sea refuses no river
No pecking code respected for the damned
The sea refuses no river
Whether starving and ill
Or strung on some pill
Just 'cause you own the land
There's no unique hand plugs the dam
The sea refuses no river
And the river is where I am
The river is where I am.

You are on the river.  Take comfort in the direction it flows.  The sea is the end to your journey.  And, the sea will not refuse you.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Iceman’s father, for Pinto, and for Thunderstruck’s mother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Troubadour Q training at Asylum this Saturday morning, 7 am.

Raise the Flag

THE SCENE: Cool but definitely shorts weather. No rain #BlessUp

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • Name is Stean and I’ll be your QIC this morning – honored to do so
  • Any FNGs?
  • Knock out a few things before we begin
    • Contrary to popular belief I’m not a professional
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • You know your body better than anyone – if you need to modify anything we do this morning: DO IT.
    • However here’s my challenge to you for the next 45 minutes and the week:
    • When you’re tired and hurting and ready to throw the towel in, remember 2 things: someone is hurting more than you and is more tired than you are & the name of the game is one foot in front of the other. That’s how we get through the next 45 minutes and the next week.


WARM-O-RAMA:

 

  • SSH: 12×4 IC
  • Bend & Reach: 12×4 IC
  • Imperial Walker: 12×4 IC
    • 2 burpees on your own
  • Windmill: 12×4 IC
    • 2 burpees on your own
  • Baby Arm Circles: 11×4 forward & 11×4 backwards IC

THA-THANG:

 

(Mosey to Pavilion)

(Battle buddy up)

[Quarter Pounder]

***Steam showcases his impeccable taste in music – blasting motivational classic rock for all to hear***

  • Pav: 25 battle buddy sit-ups each with the other holding the feet
    • 1 lap around the AO and back to the Pav
  • Pav: 25 1-count battle-buddy merkins (Hand clap)
    • 1 lap around the AO and back to the Pav
  • Pav: Repeat the 1st – 25 BB sit-ups each with the other holding the feet
    • 1 lap around the AO and back to the Pav
  • Pav: Repeat the 2nd – 25 1-count BB merkins (Hand clap)
    • 1 lap around the AO and back to the Pav
  • Recover in the Pav – Wall Sit

 

[Quarter Pounder Round 2]

  • 4 sides of the table/bench in the Pav
    • Short sides = 25 chin-ups
    • Long side 1 = 25 incline merkins
    • Long side 2 = 25 dips
  • When PAX gets done with 1 side –> hold the squat
  • All PAX execute 12 4-count SSHs together in between each side of the table/bench

(12 count)

(Mosey to the playground)

(Walk to the arches of the playground – getting breathing back in control)

(PAX execute 12×4 squats while waiting on a rival tribe to finish running down the parking lot they’re headed to)

(PAX mosey’s across the street from the playground to the parking lot)

[100s]

  • sprint down to far end of parking lot
    • Execute 25 squats
  • Sprint back to start point
    • Execute 25×4 down/up merkins
  • Sprint down to end of lot
    • Execute 25 calf raises
  • Sprint back to start point
    • Execute 25×4 SSHs

(12 count)

(PAX mosey to parking lot in front of AO)

(Battle buddy up)

[75s]

  • Battle buddy teams sprint to the 3 grass buffers alongside the parking lot
  • Grass Buffer 1: 25 x 4 merkins
  • Grass Buffer 2: 25 x 4 squats
  • Grass Buffer 3: 25 x 4 SSHs

(ALL PAX mosey back towards the playground – Q makes the challenge for 1 of the PAX to lead 25 x 4 SSHs at each point of contact going back)

(PAX steps up to the plate and a new HIM leads each new round of 25×4 SSHs

(Mosey back to AO)

MARY:

With “We Will Rock You” blaring – PAX execute American Hammers & Flutter Kicks to the beat

To end it, Q leads PAX in Motivators (2)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

21 PAX – no FNGs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

What flag will you raise this week?

MOLESKIN:

  • What flag will you raise this week? Spoiler Alert – things aren’t going to go your way 100% of the time this week. If they do, that is awesome as well. However, the question has to be asked: “What flag will you raise this week when that happens?” A flag of gratitude and glory and blessing? What flag are you unconsciously raising as well?
  • Think about what flags you raise this week – when the going is good and the going is rough. Does the flag you raise make others want to help raise it with you? Is the flag you raise life-giving? Take the high ground this week – and raise the flag of honor and duty and courage and prayer and humility – in the spheres of influence that God has uniquely placed you in.
  • This is just the huddle – the game is out there. Go take the high ground.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Q101/GrowSchool Convergence THIS Saturday at the Asylum (2/29/2020)

  • 7am – 8am: Q101 led 2 of the F3 Knoxville TRUEbadours team (Judge Judy & Absces)
  • 8:10am – 9am (rough estimate): GrowSchool will take the place of coffeteria post-workout at the Chick-fil-A off Kingston Pike close to Lakeshore park (catty-corner from Panera where coffeteria normally is). The TRUEbadour team will lead a GrowSchool – a short time of leadership sharing and wisdom. Think of GrowSchool as an extended BOM/Leadership training.
  • Any questions/more info –> reach out to Steam or Abscess.

Sowing Seeds

THE SCENE: Beautiful sunshine and cold, temp in 20’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side-Straddle Hops.  10 Burpees.  Ten Cherry Pickers.  8 Burpees.  Ten Windmills.  6 Burpees.  Seven Baby Arm Circles Forwards then Backwards.  4 Burpees.  Seven Wide Arm Circles Forwards then Backwards.  2 Burpees.  Little of this and that.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to trail way that is east of parking lot and which meanders towards the Lyons Bend Gate entrance of the park.  We will do 14’s on the trail until it reaches the roadway that goes to the Lyons Bend Gate.  With the 14’s we will bear crawl one light, then run for four lights, then repeat the pattern until we get to the roadway.

On grass by the roadway we will do 20 Hello Dollies in cadence.  Next we will run and do nickel, dime, quarters (run 1 light, do 5 of exercise, then 2 lights and do 10 of exercise, then 5 lights and do 25 of exercise) with the following exercises:

  • Dive Bombers
  • Big Boy Sit-Ups
  • Merkins

We will stop at the bottom of Mt. Everest.  Here, all men will do 10 Hand Release Merkins, then 40 Baby Crunches, then run up Everest and go all the way to the top of the Space Needle.  Men then run back down the stairs to the Space Needle and meet in parking lot.

Mosey to Area 51 at southeastern side of Admin Bldg.

We will be doing sevens on the starting from the bottom of driveway of area 51 and heading south a distance of about 20 yards.  We will start with 1 Squat Jump and go the 20 yards to do 6 Burpees, then continue with the “sevens” sequence.

Mosey onto roadway and head to parking area by apartments. We will do 20 American Hammers in Cadence

Mosey on roadway to parking lot with nice restrooms.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks in Cadence.

Mosey to CMU Pile.  Each man grabs CMU.  We will do the following exercises.  Between the exercises we will sprint to the end of the parking lot and back.

  • 25 Overhead Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Rows
  • 20 Bell Ringers
  • 20 Sit Ups with CMU at chest
  • 20 Decline Merkins with feet on CMU

Mosey to bottom of Mini Cardiac.  We will go uphill to AO.  We will start with Bernie Sanders until we get to green sign, then sprint the rest of the way.

MARY:

10 Sideways Shoulder to Knee Bends on Right Side and 10 Shoulder to Knee Bends on Left Side (Four Count)

.COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eight Men, No FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

2 Corinthians 9:10

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

Zechariah 8:12

‘For there will be peace for the seed: the vine will yield its fruit, the land will yield its produce and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.

As a very young boy I can remember planting seeds with my mother in a flower bed before the season of Spring came around.  I was very anxious to see when the flowers would grow.  My mother told me it would take some time but I would go out to the garden each day to look, only to see the same old flower bed with no growth. I forgot about it all after a while.  Then one day, the flowers actually sprouted.  I was filled with excitement and wonder.  Those flowers actually came from the tiny little seeds I had planted!!

We as humans can also plant seeds and watch righteousness spread through what we have planted.  A visit to a person in need, an opening the door for a person at a store, a letter to an old friend, listening intently to someone who has something on their heart to say, paying attention to youth as they approach adulthood, an anonymous gift to another, a compliment given a few times a week to others – these are ways we can plant seeds of righteousness.  And as 2 Corinthians 9:10 indicates, God will multiply and harvest the seeds we have planted.

Sometimes we may plant a seed without even knowing it.  For example, an airlines ticket agent planted a seed for me one time when I was flying from Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi back when I was working as a trial consultant.  I was not really looking forward to the trip and was feeling a little sorry for myself that morning.  I heard the ticket agent talking to a fellow ticket agent at the counter about the movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams.  Patch Adams was a medical doctor who made it his mission to help others, whether he healed them medically or made them smile and even laugh in the face of their serious illnesses.  I left that ticket counter thinking, you know, I can try to be like that this very day.  I have a difficult job ahead of me but I can choose to be kind to those I meet, to carry a face of strength in grace, to plant a few good seeds here and there.  I felt good for the rest of the trip and was even more confident in my work.  In the way I was choosing to act, I felt like God was behind me.  And, who knows, I may have spread some good seeds along the way.

As HIM’s, we make the choice to do good.  And, we can to that daily.  Keep the idea of planting seeds in your mind today and this week.  And remember that God will harvest your seeds of righteousness.

 

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Hand’s wife and her friends on the trip they are taking to Florida for the week. Prayers for Hands as he parents his sons on his own with the hope they don’t burn the house down!  Prayers for our brothers Messi and Pinto.

A Frigid and Motivated Asylum

THE SCENE: Cold, 22 Degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  I am not a professional, the workout is free, and we are at Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith.  I do not know your injuries, so modify as you see fit.

WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry Pickers
Motivator from 10
Around the World Merkins (20)
Baby Arm Circles

THA-THANG:

Reps of 20 for each exercise
Station 1 with Coupons
20 Rows
20 Curls
20 Squat Thrusters
20 Tricep Ext
20 Calf Raises with Coupon
20 BBS with Coupon “Louganis”
Run from station 1 to 2, perform exercises, rinse and repeat
Station 2 at the pavilion
20 Wide Merkins
20 Squat Jumps
20 Picnic Table Dips
20 Diamond Merkins
20 El Capitan to bleachers
20 Picnic Table pull Ups
Mosey to Playground
10 Lunges (each leg) with one leg on the wall
20 Derkins
20 Dips
Mosey Back to AO

MARY:

20 Pickle Pounders
20 Merkins
20 Flutter kicks
20 Hello Dolly’s
20 Box Cutters

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Deuteronomy 6:5
Matthew 22:38
God’s message is the same from Moses, to Jesus, and to us.  Love God with all of your heart, mind, and soul.

MOLESKIN:
NA
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
NA

The Man in the Middle

THE SCENE: Cool. low 40s, cloudy
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-20 Side Straddle Hops (4-ct), IC

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), IC

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), IC

– 20 Tempo Squats (4-ct) IC

– 10 Rockettes (4-ct) IC

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to pavilion by northern ballfields:

  • AIKEN LEGS! 20 Squats, 20 Box Jumps, 20 Lunges (10 each leg), 20 Split Jacks (10 each leg forward)

MOSEY to Big loop parking lot south of ballfields:

  • Catch Me If You Can!
    • Partner #1 Bernie Sanders, Partner #2 does 5 of the exercise then sprints to catch Partner #1. When he does, they reverse rolls.  We will run around the parking lot 4 times doing the following exercises:
  1. 5 American Hammers (2-ct)
  2. 5 Burpees
  3. 5 Gas pumps
  4. 5 Bobby Hurleys

MOSEY to where the path intersects the perimeter trail.

  • 20 American Hammers 4-ct, IC

MOSEY to base of Cardiac:

  • Cardiac 25’s:
    • Run to first turn and back. At bottom do 5/20, 10/15, 15/10, 20/5 of:
      • Mountain climber (2-ct) and LBCs

MOSEY to top of the hill by benches.

    • 20 American Hammers 4-ct, IC

MOSEY to parking lot across from AO

  • Need to get warmed up for Valentine’s day, so… BUCK 25’s!
    • Start at the X.  Karaoke to curb to the left. 10 Pickle Pounders/10 Pickle Pointers
    • Run back to X, Karaoke to right curb. 10 Pickle Pounders/10 Pickle Pointers
    • Run back to X, Bernie Sanders backwards to the curb. 5 Pickle Pounders/5 Pickle Pointers
    • Sprint forward to far curb. 100 Side Straddle Hops (single count). Yell out victoriously and with passion:  “BUCK 25!!”

MARY:
1.5 minutes of heart-shaped leg lifts.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 strong
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Man in the Middle

During the last workout, Lillydipper and Steam were co-Qs, and gave their perspectives of F3 coming from a guy in his 20s, who was just starting out on his post-college life and correcting the course a little bit from some challenging times, and a guy in his 60s who has found renewed vigor in the workouts and benefits of male companionship.  So I thought I’d add to that and share a bit about what F3 has meant to me, a guy of 47 years, whose age is about in the middle of those two HIMs.

My first F3 workout was in late January, 2018, but F3 for me actually started January 1, 2017.  I’m not big into New Year’s resolutions, but I always start the New Year off with prayer and meditation about what I would like to get better at or improve in my life in the coming year.  That year, I identified two things that were of importance to me: 1) achieve a higher level of physical fitness, and 2) develop a closer and more meaningful relationship with God.

I felt #1 was necessary because I was at that age when some of your physical abilities start to wane.  Hey, it happens.  The sports that had always provided me with such joy and pride, as well as being an outlet for my competitive nature and keeping me fit, were becoming more and more frustrating for me, and injuries were becoming more common; thus, I stopped participating in them as much as I used to.  Consequently, my fitness and strength started to diminish.  I freaking HATE running (unless it’s up and down a basketball court, soccer field, etc.), and although I went to the gym somewhat regularly, I no longer had that avenue for fitness that playing sports 4-5 days a week had provided.

#2 was important to me because I just felt that I didn’t have as intimate a relationship with God as I would like.  I had grown up in a wonderful church, and I enjoyed attending either my home church or my brother’s church up in Chicago when I visited, but I hadn’t landed in a church here.  I had visited or checked out a few with friends who had invited me to service at their places of worship, but none of them felt like the right match.  As a single guy, and a bit of an introvert, I found it awkward to seek out more options on my own, so I had sensed my bond with God becoming a little weaker than I would like, and I resolved to actively seek out ways to strengthen that bond.

Later that same year, I met Lillydipper at a party hosted by a mutual friend.  We started talking, found we had many shared interests, and we struck up a friendship.  He invited me to the Polar Bear Plunge Jan 1, 2018.  There I met Abscess and Jinxy.  They gave me the ol’ EH, and after making excuses a few times, I finally showed up to F3 a few weeks later.  I thought I was going to be a one and done.  I hated it.  I was embarrassed by how slow I was (I was frantically searching for escape routes shortly after just doing the WARMUP left me breathless), the lactic acid or something made me nauseous for days (I remember the guys went out for a beer and some food afterwards… I could barely walk into the restaurant, let alone summon the strength to do more than sip pitifully on my water bottle), it was miserable, dark, and cold during the workout, I hardly knew any of the guys… I clearly remember thinking, just get through this stupid thing without throwing up, and you will never have to do it again. Check. Done.  Soyonara.  Tried it.  It sucked.  Later guys.  Thanks but no thanks.

And yet… and yet…!!

Once the pain and embarrassment faded, I was able to see that F3 offered a unique answer to my prayers. Here was an avenue to better physical Fitness for sure, and the BOM at the end really struck a chord of Faith.  How could I turn my back on this gift, this opportunity?  How could I quit??  I stuck with it, and grew both physically and spiritually.  I started reading backblasts, especially the Word at the end.  Someone once mentioned to me that sometimes they get more out of the BOM than sitting in a pew at church, and I couldn’t agree more.  I love bonding and learning from guys out here who are more conversant with the Bible than I am, or hearing the non-religious messages about improvement and leadership, or just being a good person.  What I DIDN’T pray for back on that New Year’s Day, or count on with my involvement with F3, is the Fellowship.  I had had a pretty good group of friends before, but I was caught by surprise at how strong the bonds of friendship are between the brothers that meet together for F3 workouts.  There is a unique and unexpected melding of spirits that occurs when you lock shields to get through brutally challenging physical hardship together through cooperation and encouragement of your fellow brother.  Through F3, I’ve met men who I not only enjoy having a beer with, but respect immensely and seek to emulate.  I didn’t realize I was missing that in my life.  And so F3 has literally been an answer to my prayers– both spoken aloud, and in my heart but not on my lips– from that day on January 1, 2017.  I am very grateful to the men of F3, and proud of the friendship, commitment to service, philanthropy, and open and accepting community that it provides.  I am especially grateful to, and humbled by, the men of the Fake Gloom, who I have the privilege to call brothers and friends.  I look forward to the challenges, rewards, and shared times that lie ahead.  Let’s GO!!

-Pele

MOLESKIN:
Continuing prayers for Pinto, who is battling a severe illness, and for Thunderstruck and his family.  Prayers for Switchgrass, who is dealing with issues at his work.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: