F3 Knoxville

Tag: Hooker

Majestic Yet Close

THE SCENE: Cloudy, temp in mid-forties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Insert information about the warmup.
THA-THANG:
25 Side Straddle Hops, 31 Brady Corns, 10 Rockettes, 7 Baby Arm Circles Forward, 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward, 7 Baby Arm Circles Backward, 7 Wide Arm Circles Backward, 10 Cherry Pickers.

Divide into two teams.  Mosey to CMU Pile.  Each team grabs one CMU.  Each team can divide among the men in terms of carrying the CMU through various moseys.

Mosey to the parking lot south of northern ball fields that has scenic island in middle of the lot.  There will be one cone placed on either side of the parking lot.  Each team must accomplish the exercises listed at each cone.  They can divide up the exercises among the team members in any way they chose (e.g., have one man take each exercise or divide all exercises among the men on the team).  Once the exercises are completed by the team, one man from the team runs with the CMU to the next cone while other team members race ahead of him to start the exercises at the next cone.  Once those exercises are completed by the team, a new team member takes the CMU back to the first cone.  The team does those exercises again.  This cycle continues until every man on the team has carried the cone one time.  The following are the exercises to be performed at each cone:

  • Cone 1:  30 Burpees, 50 Plank Jacks, 50 Merkins, 50 Big Boy Sit-Ups, 50 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1) 50 Overhead Presses with CMU
  • Cone 2:  30 Mountain Climbers (four count), 50 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1), 50 Jump Squats, 50 Dive Bombers, 50 Hello Dollies, 50 Curls with CMU.

Mosey to beginning of Serpentine Sidewalk where it intersects with street.  Each team will still carry their CMU.  We will do 14’s on Serpentine Sidewalk until it reaches the perimeter trail. We will lunge for one light then run for four light, repeating that sequence until we reach the perimeter trail.  We will then, as a group, do 20 Imperial Walkers (four count).

Mosey to beginning of cardiac hill, each team carrying CMU.  We will go up cardiac hill doing the following exercises at the following areas:

  • Corner 1: 20 American Hammers (four count)
  • Corner 2: 20 Leg Kicks (four count)
  • Corner 3: 20 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  20 Bench Lifts

Mosey to CMU pile.  Drop off CMU’s.  Mosey to Pavilion.  We will do elevens starting with one Picnic Table Pull Up and ten Box Jumps.  We will then do a one minute squat with backs against wall.  Next, we will do sevens starting with one decline merkin and six bench lifts.

Mosey back to AO sprinting up mini-cardiac.

MARY:

Insert information about any additional post-THANG work (if applicable).
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Use the TAGS on right-side to record PAX (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOURSELF) in attendance. Be sure to select the AO in CATEGORY above TAGS and then delete these notes!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

1 Chronicles 29:11  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.

I sometimes consider God’s majesty and it is awe-inspiring.  This creation of His, the expansiveness of it, the fact that our galaxy is a mere spec amidst other galaxies, the infinity of space and of time.  We look with our most powerful telescopes to incredible distances and God has created this and so much more.  When one considers God from this perspective He is certainly powerful but also may seem distance.  There’s that song by Julie Gold that Bette Midler made popular:  God is Watching Us From a Distance.  It is good to think of a God who has created this world, who sees all, who is in control of everything.

But it is also good to know that God is close.  God is not only ever powerful, He is ever present.  I can dig down into the rich, deep earth, cup it in my hands and smell God’s presence.  I can pluck a daffodil and examine it in minute detail, knowing God is present in every cell.  We have a God who is close.  We have a God who wants us to know Him.  God whispers in our ear and says, guess what, you are mine.  He whispers in your ear and says, Ratchet, I know every hair on your head.  He whispers, Abscess, talk to me, give me your heartache and give me your joy.  He whispers, Crawdad, I was there the day you were born and will be with you always.  We are each His creation and He loves each one of us.  We have an Amazing God.

Psalm 139: 1-6

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from afar.
 You search out my path and my lying down
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
 Even before a word is on my tongue,
    behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
 You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is high; I cannot attain it.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pinto, for Cheatsheet’s friend, and prayer of praise for Crawdad’s son, Carson.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coffeeteria!

Away in a Manger

THE SCENE: Overcast and cool, low 40s.  Nice sunset beyond the clouds, but quickly got dark.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Got it right this time! 🙂
WARM-O-RAMA:

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

– 10 Lunges (lungeus interruptus halfway through due to PAX losing count, resulting in 5 Burpees)

-20 Grady Corns (4-ct), in cadence

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

– 10 BACs forward and backward

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to Big Parking Lot for CANDY CANES! (Hat tip to Cap’n Crunch!). Run to each station, do the exercise, and run back. The six stations are:
    • 20 Dive Bombers
    • 20 Iron Mikes (2-ct)
    • 20 BBS
    • 20 Star Jumps
    • 20 Squat Jumps
    • 20 LBCs
  • Mosey to Cardiac:
    • Cardiac Suicides. Run to first bend, 5 BODY BUILDERS, run back. Run to second bend, 10 BODY BUILDERS, run back.  Run to top, 15 BODY BUILDERS.
  • Mosey to CMU pile
    • DORAs 100 of each exercise while partner runs with CMU over his head to the end of parking lot and back.
      • Overhead Presses
      • Curls
      • Squats
      • Rows
      • Triceps (didn’t finish these…)
    • Mosey to AO

MARY:
20 Hello Dollies, + 5 punishment burpees for messing up the count… again…

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 Strong, no FNGs

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

(From Luke 2) So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

One of things that I love about the Christmas story and the life of Jesus is the circumstances under which he was brought into this world, and how he left it.  He came into it in the most humble conditions, and placed in a manger.

Definition of a MANGER: a long open box or trough for horses or cattle to eat from. The son of God came into this world basically in a soup bowl for livestock, and left this world on a cross, after being betrayed, humiliated and tortured.

This was not some gilded king, born in wealth and comfort, and who died gloriously.  This was a child born to a poor family who was sent by God to live among us and who died for our sins.

John 3:16: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

If we had the CEO for Crossfit or some other exercise program show up out of the blue in a limo, dressed in a fur coat, with leather gloves and wing-tipped shoes tell us to do 100 burpees, crawl in the mud, and run up and down a huge hill a few times, we’d probably tell him to stick it where the sun don’t shine.  But when it’s an idiot like me, who is out here doing it with you, with snot running down my face and bloody shins and freezing cold hands, you nod, get your mind right, and get it done.  I love that Jesus was one of US, not one of THEM.  I love that the life he lead and the teachings he passed on came from a place of humanity and poverty, not power and wealth.  I think of the billionaire politicians that are supposed to be our leaders and it’s hard sometimes to relate to them and to accept what they say and how they want us to act.  But I will follow Jesus as my Q any day of the week.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for several members of the PAX who are suffering this holiday season due to the death of loved ones or illness. We pray for comfort and recovery.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Polar Bear Plunge on Jan. 1, New Year’s party at Tank’s house Jan. 3, Ski Trip Feb 7-9.

The Answer

THE SCENE: Temp about 36 degrees with snow.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
25 Side-Straddle Hops, HIgh knees run to end of parking lot and Bernie Sanders back, 62
Brady Corns, 10 Cherry Pickers, 10 Rockettes.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Dragon Tail.  We will do Route 66 up the Dragon Tail and come back down after each exercise.  Here are the exercises:

  • Squat Jumps
  • Diamond Merkins
  • Iron Mikes

Mosey to Pavilion.  We will do elevens.  The first set of elevens will be with Decline Merkins and Bench Dips.  The second set of elevens with be with Bench Jumps and Picnic Table Pull Ups.

Mosey to CMU pile.  Team up into pairs of two.  Each team grabs CMU.  We will do Doras with one man doing Bernie Sanders to other side of parking lot, doing shin lifts, and sprinting back.  Meanwhile his partner starts on the list of exercises.  Then partners switch.  These are the Dora exercises:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows

Mosey back to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Seven men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Our technology, our science, it supposedly makes life easier.  We get answers to our questions by clicking on Google or speaking to Alexa, and get feedback at the bat of an eye.  We can gather more information in 10 minutes through Google now than I could find in a full year back in the days of paging through encyclopedias at my local library.  But, are men more satisfied now then men who lived in the 1960s. . . 1860’s. . . 1760’s . . . or 2000 years ago?  We search for answers, listen to the news, watch experts pontificating on television, hear folks calling in on radio talk shows . . . and are left unsatisfied.  As Faulkner proclaimed, it is all “sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

2000 years ago God sent His son to give to us what has always been the answer:

John 1:  1-5.  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

In this season of Christmas, let us ponder on life’s true meaning.  Let us take the time to stare into the darkness and come to see the light.  Let us celebrate the answer to our longing that God gave and gives to us through a child born in a lowly manger.  That child, that man, that God says to us:

Eat this Bread, drink this Cup.  Come to Me and never be hungry.  Eat this Bread, drink this Cup.  Trust in Me and you will not thirst.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pinto, for his wife, Tessa, and prayers that they will get the best of medical teams to work with Pinto.  Prayers for others in Pinto’s family including Hooker and Mr. Jinxy.  Prayer for friend of Doubtfire who recently lost his brother.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Polar Bear Plunge on New Years Day!

God Hears our Laments

THE SCENE: Nice evening, temps in 50’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Tempo Squats, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, 10 Shin Lifts on Curb of parking lot.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Southern Ball Fields Parking Lot.  We will do suicides running to each of five cones in parking lot.  At end of suicide run each man will do following exercises:

  • 15 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1)
  • 20 Big Boy Sit Ups
  • 15 Hand Release Merkins
  • 20 Hello Dollies (four count)
  • Rinse and Repeat exercises only.

Mosey to perimeter trail just past Southern Ball Fields Pavilion.  We will run for ten lights and stop to do the following exercises after each ten lights:

  • 5 Hand Release Merkins
  • 10 Squat Jumps
  • 20 Big Boys
  • 30 Squats

When we reach Serpentine Sidewalk we will stop.  We then will do 14’s on Serpentine Sidewalk, bear crawling one light and running for four, repeating that pattern until we get to roadway.

Mosey to CMU Pile.  Each man grabs CMU.  We will do 20 Overhead Presses, 20 Curls and 20 Rows in Cadence.

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Psalm 142:  1-2
1 With my voice I cry out to the LORD; with my voice I plead for mercy to the LORD. 
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 

In our lives we need to guard against being overly negative.  We should have grateful hearts and be thankful for what God has given us.  But that does not mean that God doesn’t want us to complain to him.  He is our loving father.  Just as each of us who are fathers want to hear from our children if they are troubled, God wants to hear from us when we are sad, angry, confused, bitter, disappointed, overwhelmed, or desolated.  Go ahead and complain to God.  For goodness sake, about a third of the Psalms in the bible are laments!  In fact, just go to the Psalms if you want to learn how to complain.  Life presents us with challenges that are difficult to overcome.  God gives us life. Go ahead and complain to the Big Guy when you are upset with him and want to complain about the doggone life he has created.  I think of that great scene from Forest Gump when Lieutenant Dan, who lost his legs in the war of Vietnam, curses and screams at God, facing the storm on Forest’s boat, Bubba Gump.  Here are some of Lieutenant Dan’s words to God: “You think this is a storm!  C’mon you Son of a Bitch.  It’s time for a show down.  You and me.  Come and get me!”  Lieutenant Dan was certainly being open with God in that scene.  He was angry, bitter, desolated.  But Lieutenant Dan changes after that incredible scene.  He is kinder, tender even.  We see him thank Forest for hanging in there with him and ask for his forgiveness.  We see the lieutenant jump with joy into the same ocean that had presented the terrible storm only days before.  In Forrest Gump’s words, “He never said so.  But, I think Lieutenant Dan made his peace with God.”

If you want to see how to complain to God, look at the Psalms.  You will see complaints about being forsaken, about feeling abandoned, about feeling destitute.  You will also see recognition that God is there through it all, to protect, comfort and assist.  And so, David, who in various Psalms complains of the Lord forsaking him can also say in Psalm 22:

2 The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies. 
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me; 
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 
When in trouble, when overwhelmed, look to the Psalms.  Read them while you talk to the Lord of your own tribulations.  Go ahead and complain to Him.  But also listen closely for His answer.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Sparkler’s friend, Randy, who died on Sunday, and for his family.  Prayers for Butter’s sister.  Prayers for Pinto who will have back surgery in early December.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence at Truck Stop and 3rd F at Two Rivers Church on December 7.

Thankful

THE SCENE: Rainy, temp in 50’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
10 Pinto Twists, 20 Side-Straddle Hops, 10 Tempo Merkins, 10 Windmills, 10 Rockettes, Michael Phelps.
THA-THANG:
We met at Pavilion at Northern Ball Fields due to rain.  We stayed at Pavilion after the Warm-O-Rama to do Totem Pole with the following exercises, 30 seconds each exercise, five times each exercise:

  • Burpees
  • Squats
  • Picnic Table Pull-ups
  • Star Jumps
  • Big Boy Sit-ups

Mosey to CMU pile.  Each man gets CMU and puts it by curb on parking lot.  We will do the following exercises, then, after each exercise, bear crawl two parking spaces, lunge two parking spaces, and Bernie the remainder of the parking lot to the curb. Sprint back to other curb and do the next exercise, then repeat the trek across the parking lot.  Here are the exercises with the CMU’s:

  • 25 Overhead Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Rows
  • 25 Squats with CMU at chest.
  • 25 Incline Merkins with hands on CMU
  • 25 Decline Merkins with feet on CMU

Return CMU’s to pile.  We will then sprint back and forth across the parking lot.  We will go back and forth four times.

Mosey back to Pavilion.

MARY:
2 minute squat with back to wall.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Seven men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
I Chronicles 16:34 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

As Thanksgiving approaches I want to say how thankful I am to have F3 brothers like you in my life.  As men, we need the bond of other men in our lives.  I have a wonderful wife, wonderful family, wonderful co-workers.  But I need to walk among solid men, men who strive to be HIM’s, men who challenge me, men who push me, men whom I can talk to in confidence, men who I admire, men whom I feel a unique bond with.  F3 has added something to my life.  I feel it each week, feel it in my step, feel it when I get together with you guys, whether for workouts, Coffeeteria, or a beer.  And, my wife sees this change in me.  She loves it that I go to F3.  She loves it that I am in community with such good, spiritual men.

So, I give thanks for you guys.  And, I look forward to giving you Hell at Brolympics!!

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Junk’s wife, Messi’s wife, Thunderstruck’s mother, Chaucer, and Butter’s son.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Brolympics this Saturday, 6:45 am at Asylum.