F3 Knoxville

JUCOnapolis 500

THE SCENE:  Perfect Morning
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER: Fitness, Fellowship, Faith, Free, Modify, Not Professional, Own Volition, Social Distance, Phone

WARM-O-RAMA:
Cherry Pickers IC, Harry Rockettes IC; Grady Corns in Squat IC, Projectivator IC
THA-THANG:

Indianapolis 500 may have been cancelled this week but the JUCOnaplis 500 was a GO!

Quick mosey to Coupon Pile – stopping for 20 Merkins halfway.   Grabbed a coupon and started tabata timer – 10 AMRAP exercises for 50 seconds each with 10 second recovery between exercises for a nice 500 second push.  Did Walkover Merkins, Swings, Curls, Goblet Squats, Tricep Extensions, Heavy Freddy Mercuries, Overhead Press, Rocky Balboas, Bench Press and Squat Thrusters.   Dropped the coupons and headed over to the parking lot for our time trials.

Lined up on the curb across the parking lot.   Ready / Set / Go!   5 Burpees – Sprint to other side of Parking Lot; 5 Burpees; Bernie Back; 5 Burpees; and line up in the order you finish.

Now that we had our pole positions set it was time for the race.   Everyone ran the first lap (0.4 mi) without stopping at the pit (pain) stops.   At the start of the the second lap the pit (pain) were now open.  When you came to an open cone with no one at it you would stop and do the exercise on the ground then get up and start running again.  Ended up modifying to have two at each cone to make sure we didn’t run too much.  There were 10 cones with 50 reps at each cone.  10 exercises were Merkins, SSH, Flutter Kicks, Iron Mikes, Box Cutters, Single Leg Calf raises, Plank Jacks, Hello Dolly, Overhead Claps in Squat, and Mountain Climbers.

Mosey back to the AO; with a tire squealing JAILBREAK at the end.

MARY:
No time for Mary
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 HIMS in attendance
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Here is my best effort to put several rambling thoughts into one message for the day.   We talk about it often in F3 that we are all called to be HIMs (High Impact Men).    While we all got the Man part down…even clean shaven.   I know for me personally I can struggle with the first part – HIGH IMPACT.    When I reflect on my life, I often question am I making the high impact I am called to.   While I know I am far from perfect, I can make myself feel pretty good when I think about serving and impact those closest to me.  My family, my friends, co-workers, church community and next door neighbors (or at least those I know and like).     Where I have struggled in being a HIM is serving those that have nothing to give me in return.

You read from Matthew 5 and 6 – Jesus sermon on the mount and in Matthew 5:46-47 – Jesus says….If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?   Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others?  Do not even pagans do that?

Those are hard words to speak, to hear, to digest.  Because I know if I am honest with myself they expose the realities of my sinful nature.   But they are in red letters, Jesus is calling us to be different, to be set apart.   Mark 10:45   For even the Son of Man came to serve, not be served and to give his life as a ransom for many.   Jesus during his entire life was serving and ultimately gave his life to people who had nothing to give in return.

I can click on the link to donate money or hand out a $20 dollar bill here and there to the cause of the day and try to convince myself I am doing my part to help those in need but I know that in that moment that small token of generosity, while the right thing to do isn’t really a sacrifice.    Once again if I am honest how often am I willing to sacrifice myself, my time, my comfort, my needs, for those in true need, the orphans, widows, foreigners, poor.   That is the part of my life where I have been feeling God pull at me to make a change.   I am far from a finished product but want to be a doer of the Word, not just one who hears (James 1:22).  One who without hesitation knows the right thing to do and does it.   (James 4:17)

I stand here today thankful for many things.   Thankful for men around this circle who are constantly speaking truth and challenging one other to be the men God called us to be.   Men who are challenging each other to spend more time in scripture and prayer.   Men who are encouraging self reflection and repentance.  Men who are challenging one another to step up and help those in need.   Men who are living on mission day in and day out in the forgotten places and looking for others to join them.   I know I wouldn’t have done it on my own, I am too selfish.   But luckily, I have found you all and I have chosen to not do life alone.   

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Coffeeteria at DD still on even if GUMP isn’t here.

March Slaughterhouse

THE SCENE: Dark and gloomy, high chance of smoke
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

S.S.H. x 10 IC;  Cherry Picker x 5 IC;  OHC x 10 IC

THA-THANG:
Mosey to the “new” parking lot, brief stations in the first corner, split into 4 groups of 3 for the main event.  4 corners of the lot, each has 2 exercises x20 reps to complete.  After completing corner reps, run 3/4 of a lap to next station, moving as a group.  AMRAP.  Each group completed at least 2 full 4-corner laps.

  • Corner 1:  diamond walk ; 10kg bushwhacker (lunge while swinging a 10kg kettle bell in front of the face)
  • Corner 2:  burpees ; smurf jacks
  • Corner 3:  CMU pullovers ; CMU BBS
  • Corner 4:  broad jumps ; 4ct American Hammers
  • Mosey back to AO

MARY:
Roughly 2 minutes remained upon arrival back to AO, just enough time for 50 Overhead claps, in cadence.  Judging by the grumbling, this was the correct recipe.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
This was a tough one men.  I knew walking in that I would struggle to hold it together, and almost didn’t make it through the first paragraph of the poem.  My grandfather cut a poem out of a newspaper sometime in the 1940’s or early 50’s, titled “Thoroughbred Man” that he gave to my dad circa 1953.  My dad carried it in his wallet for 50+ years, to the point that he had to laminate it with a new typed copy just to preserve it.  He passed it on to me in 2002 before my first trip into a warzone.  Years later, I had it emblazoned on a plaque for him to put up on his wall.  He passed away in January 2015 after struggling through dementia and alzheimers’ for several years.  That was the longest day of my life, standing watch at his bedside for 20 hours, praying and talking to him.  I had siblings rushing in from as far away as Colorado.  About an hour after the last of us got to spend some 1 on 1 time with him, we all held him as he breathed his last, then his stubborn heart (if you knew him, you’d understand) went on for another 5 minutes.  I didn’t have the composure to share all of this in the BOM, so here it is.  I prayed for him.  I wanted more time with him, but I also knew that it would only prolong his suffering.  I prayed for God to take him.  After I took the plaque down off his wall, it stayed hidden, in a closet.  When I moved I put it up in my workshop, but still didn’t see it often.  I spent a lot of time embarrassed and ashamed of the man that I had become.  I wasn’t living up to what I was responsible for.  F3 has changed that in me.  Laziness, fear, and anxiety are afterthoughts now.  The plaque is in a spot where I see it daily, where it should be, as a reminder of how I need to live for my family.  It reads:

Am I the thoroughbred man, I want my laddie to be:

In the days that are now his future, Do I want him to be like me?

Nature’s put my mark on his features, I’m putting my stamp on his soul.

Can I help my boy reach the highlands, If I strive for a lesser goal?

’tis a sobering thought for fathers, aye a sobering thought for me;

As my boy sets on life’s ocean, shall he chart his course by me?

Shall he think the thoughts that I think; shall he say the things that I say;

Shall he live the life that I live; when I come to the end of my way?

To our boys is the task of the future, we’ll soon leave the world in their care.

As a father, I’ll help or hinder my boy’s life burdens to bear.

For this law is not to be broken, ’tis almighty God’s wonderful plan-

I must be a thoroughbred father, if I’d sire a thoroughbred man.

HIMs, we can’t be perfect.  But, we can do better than we are.  If you have to think twice about doing something, odds are it is sinful.  If you are about to do something that you wouldn’t want your wife, kids, or God to see you do, stop.  If you don’t want your son to grow up to be like you, change.  And, if you wouldn’t want your daughter to bring you home to meet you, sins and all, do something about it.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
JUCO is hosting convergence on 3/28/20, put it on your calendars and get out there!  Mermaid and myself will be heading up a pre-ruck from 0600-0700 before the beatdown, full smokey plus the third leg.

Death by Squat Thrusters

THE SCENE: A mild, dry, low 50 degree morning.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 in cadence Bat Wings: Arm circles forward/arm circles backward/seal claps/overhead claps
10 wind mill
10 burpees
10 tempo squats
.25-.5 mile mosey to warm up

THA-THANG:

150 Squat Thrusters for time
Complete the F3 Knoxville February Challenge
Record times, Mermaid will update all times on the website
Exercises in 4 corners, perform exercise, and rotate until time is called
Corner 1 Around the world Merkins, BBS, Squats
Corner 2 Werkins, LBC’s, Lunges
Corner 3 Diamond Merkins, American Hammers, Calf Raises (40)
Corner 4 Curls, tri ext, OH Press with coupon.
20 of each exercise

MARY:
No mary, ab exercises were included in the workout.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Paraphrase the Prodigal son
Luke 15:  11-32
God will run to and and take you back even when you squander your opportunity.
He wants a relationship with you, and he will take you with your warts, and transgressions.

MOLESKIN:
Prayer Requests:
Pool Boy-His friend Linda has Lymphoma
Rosetta’s coworker Zachary committed suicide
Spotter & Gump’s mom is having surgery today related to the return of her breast cancer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Bring food on Friday for the Wesley House.
OTB workout at Catholic High School on Thursday 2/27 5:30 AM
Q 101 workout at the Asylum on Saturday 2/29 7:00AM
Convergence at JUCO 3/28

 

Gritty Tenderness

THE SCENE:

45 degrees, a little drizzly, before sun-up. Just like the gritty like it.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Was 30 seconds late to q-ing my own q… Oh the shame. Wanted to get the packaging tape gun to tape the cheatsheet to my forearm. Didn’t end up using it.

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH
  • Cherry Pickers
  • Windmills
  • High Knees with Burpees

The Thang: Lots, Walls, Rails and Rocks

Starting in a line facing the wall but on the opposite of the parking lot from the wall.
All the traveling exercises progress towards the wall. Unless otherwise specified all exercises are 4 count.

  • 5 Burpee Broad Jumps
  • 5 Merkins
  • 5 Frog Jumps
  • 5 Diamon Merkins
  • 5 Inch Worms
  • 5 Werkins
  • 5 Lunges
  • 5 Plank Jacks
  • 5 Imperial Squat Walkers
  • 5 Pickle Pounders
  • 5 Broad Jumps
  • 5 Shoulder Taps
  • 5 Reverse Lunges
  • 5 Peter Parkers
  • 5 Bear Crawls
  • 5 Plank to Elbows
  • 5 Crab Walks
  • 5 Mtn Climbers
  • 5 R Bear Crawl
  • 5 Parker Climbers

At the Wall – Everyone get a CMU

  • 5 Curls
  • 5 Step Ups
  • 5 Presses
  • 5 Rocky Balboas
  • 5 Triceps
  • 5 Step Ups
  • 5 Thrusters
  • 5 Step Ups
  • 5 CMU Burpees

Bear crawl in a line up to Guard Rail. At the Rail

  • 10 Dips
  • 10 Dirkens
  • 10 Irkens
  • 10 Pick Pounders – Inclined
  • 10 Dips
  • 10 Dirkens
  • 10 Irkens
  • 10 Reverse Pickle Pounders (aka – Baby Makers)

Pick up two rocks

  • 10 Baby Arm Circles
  • 10 Seal Claps
  • 10 Overhead Seal Claps
  • 10 Baby Arm Circles Backwards
  • 10 Thors
  • 10 Star Toe Touches
  • 10 Dead Bugs

Mosey back to far corner of Parking Lot to start sequence again but this time with added Mosey to next Island destination as we Zig Zag through the parking lot Islands

  • 5 Burpee Broad Jumps
  • 5 Merkins
  • 5 Frog Jumps
  • 5 Diamon Merkins
  • 5 Inch Worms
  • 5 Werkins
  • 5 Lunges
  • 5 Plank Jacks
  • 5 Imperial Squat Walkers
  • 5 Pickle Pounders
  • 5 Broad Jumps
  • 5 Shoulder Taps
  • 5 Reverse Lunges
  • 5 Peter Parkers
  • 5 Bear Crawls
  • 5 Plank to Elbows
  • 5 Crab Walks

Finish off with 15 Burpees with CMUs at the Wall.

MARY:

50 Freddy Mercuries

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Grit & Tenderness – Grit by itself does not make a man. The Holy Spirit in us calls us higher. It calls us to a more complex and mature “High Impact Man”. A man that contains not only Grit but also tenderness and sensitivity. Sometimes these “goals”, “values” seem to be at odds with each other. How can I be a man of grit if I’m tender all the time and super sensitive to everything and everyone? How can I perform and compete in this EXTREMELY competitive and stressful – dog eat dog – extremely judgmental world if I’m not 100% Grit? It might just be impossible without the infinite spirit of God within us helping us. Today allow Him to reign you in when your Grit is too tough on others. Today allow Him to give you the grit to show up when you said you would and do what you said you were going to.

You are off to a great start – Your grit got you here before the sun in the cold and wet to push your body. Now don’t forget that counter-intuitive sensitivity you are to have towards others. Others might mislabel you as ALL grit or A**hole. Conversely others may mislabel you 100% weak and a push over. Do not listen to the labels. You know you are an infinitely more complex human being possessing endless amounts of gritty strength from the Lord of Hosts, and an infinite resource of tenderness to draw upon.

Lean on Jesus – He will help show the world how His amazing men can perplex the world with the combination of two contrasts.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
    • 2-27-2020 This Thursday – New AO Christening at the Vatican – OTB – @ 5:30 –

The Vatican – F3 AO

9245 Fox Lonas Rd NW, Knoxville, TN 37923

    • This Saturday – F3Knoxville TRUEbadours: February 29

Growschool/Q101 next Saturday

F3Knoxville TRUEbadours: February 29
If you have not yet Qd and are interested but not sure how or you just want to fine tune your abilities Check this out. Our first F3 Knoxville Truebadours Convergence Q (Q101 + GrowSchool) will happen on Saturday, February 29th 7:00a, at the Asylum AO. Steam along with other F3Knox HIMs will be leading the charge. If you have questions please reach out to Steam or Abscess.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/10CRLbXnehi2RDX1Ep3mnOUtBpp8OLIV0J7nulIvlNQM/edit?usp=sharing

  • March 28, 2020 F3 Knoxville Convergence @ JUCO

Ice Rescue!

THE SCENE:  A brisk 22 degrees.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER:  Administered
WARM-O-RAMA:
Finkle Swings OYO
Moroccan Nightclubs x 10 IC
Seal squats x 10 IC
Merkins x 10 IC
Projectivator x 12 IC

Slow mosey to the retaining wall.  Half of PAX go down the fence line, half stay up on the retaining wall.  Both groups do exercises in cadence.  On the fence – dips.  On the wall – squats.  Switchero.

Move to the guardrail.  Half do tempo derkins.  Half do mountain climbers.  Switchero.

THA THANG:

Mosey to Jucomanjaro.  We’re going on a rescue mission, men!  Imagine that Jucomanjaro is an icy mountain and at the top is a frozen lake.  We just received word that a husband and wife have fallen through the ice and need rescue!

Team DORA… Divide into two teams.  One team attempts to scale the icy mountain (runs a set duration, then turns back to meet the other team), while the other team prepares for the rescue mission (performs exercises).  Upon meeting, they switch roles.

…about half way through the workout, one team will make it to the top of Jucomanjaro, where they will find two posts (the couple needing rescue from the ice).  They use the remainder of their time to move these posts down the hill.  At the alarm, they run down and switch roles with the other team…

Each round is 5 exercises and the reps build on each other (e.g. Round 1 = 1 burpee, Round 2 = 1 burpee + 2 iron mikes, Round 3 = 1 burpee + 2 iron mikes + 3 imperial squawkers…)

Round 1:
Team 1 runs 1.5 minutes then turns back.  Team 2 does exercises.
1 Burpee
2 Iron Mikes
3 Imperial Squawkers (4 CT)
4 Clap Merkins
5 Mountain Climbers (4 CT)
BEAR CRAWL until you meet the other team – then SWITCH roles.

Round 2:
Team 1 runs 2.5 minutes then turns back. Team 2 does exercises.
6 Heals to Heaven (4 CT)
7 BBS
8 Parker Merkins
9 Bobby Hurleys
10 Carolina Dry Docks
BEAR CRAWL until you meet the other team – then SWITCH roles.

Round 3:
Team 1 runs 3.5 minutes then turns back.  Team 2 does exercises.
11 Twinkle Toes (single count)
12 Flutter kicks (4 CT)
13 Wide Merkins
14 LBCs (4 CT)
15 Pickle pounders (4 CT)
BEAR CRAWL until you meet the other team – then SWITCH roles.

Round 4:
Team 1 runs 4.5 minutes then turns back. Team 2 does exercises.
16 Merkins
17 Squats
18 Hello Dolly (4 CT)
19 Rosalitas (4 CT)
20 SSH (4 CT)
BEAR CRAWL until you meet the other team – then SWITCH roles.

Back to the shovel flag!

MARY:

No time!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

22 HIMs 

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
We had two representations of two very real people, Larry and Chrissy Watters.  Larry and Chrissy live in Nova Scotia, in a cabin on a lake.  One winter when the lake had frozen over, they drove their ATV out onto the ice.  The ice cracked under the weight, the front end of the ATV went through, and they rolled into the water.  Fighting for their lives, they tried over and over to climb out but they couldn’t quite get themselves out of the freezing water.  For 10 minutes they tried but made no progress.  The ice water was sucking the life from their bodies.  Freezing to death, they said their last goodbyes to each other and embraced.  Then Chrissy remembered and said to her husband, “Larry, your Leatherman!!”.  Larry had a Leatherman in his pocket!  He took it out, stabbed the ice the ice with it, drug himself out, then got his wife out – they survived!

Can you relate to Larry and Chrissy Watters while they were in the ice water?  Is there something that is sucking away your vitality – and, like Larry and Chrissy, you have tried over and over and over to get out – and nothing seems to work?

  • …a job that sucks, but you endure it out of obligation or because of momentum. But you get no joy from it and it is sucking away the best of you.
  • …an important relationship that has soured – or is just complacent? It feels like it is sucking your life away.
  • …a dependence on alcohol?  If it is numbing you as a father, husband, or friend – then it is sucking your life away.
  • …pornography? You can’t stop yourself from looking at fake images of fake women – and it is impacting how you relate to your wife – and IT. IS. SUCKING. YOUR. LIFE. AWAY.
  • …or maybe it’s a dream that has gone unfulfilled.  It would be a great thing for you – if only it would happen.  And it is all the waiting and heartbreak that seems to be sucking your vitality from you…

Maybe you need different perspective on your challenge and a change to your strategy ([Chrissy] “…your Leatherman!”)  By that I mean, maybe you need to explain your situation to a trusted friend and ask him, “what is something that I can do to make progress on this?”  If he’s a good and wise friend, his answer might be hard for you to swallow – but you need to listen closely.  His solution to your problem might be, “to get out of debt, you need to sell your house that you never should of bought because you can’t afford it”, or “to overcome your addiction to pornography, you need to get rid of every screen in your home and get a flip phone”, or “if you dream of a big family and haven’t been successful in getting pregnant, maybe it’s time to consider adoption”.

If you haven’t gained any ground on something that is challenging you and limiting the life that you are living, maybe its time for you to enlist a friend for their perspective and insights.

The godly give good advice to their friends (Proverbs 12:26)

Let a righteous man strike me — it is a kindness; let him rebuke me — it is oil for my head; let my head not refuse it.” (Psalm 141:5)

“Faithful are the wounds of a friend…” Proverbs 27:6

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Dart Gun’s father, Dave, and his ongoing battle with cancer (specifically medications).  Continued prayers for Spotter’s mother and her battle with cancer.  Prayers for Curveball’s family – they lost his nephew 8 years ago and the anniversary of that tragedy is hard.  Praise and prayers for Slappy – his oldest daughter is a teenager!

T Claps for Spotter, the Co-Q today!  This could not have happened without you, brother!

Hat tips to those who inspired the Q and Word today – Drifter for his crazy and hilarious-sounding Q at the Bombshelter a few weeks back and Pool Boy for his JUCO Word a couple of weeks ago, “Press on!”

Here’s a short story of Larry and Chrissy Watters;

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
OTB Bootcamp at All Saints next Thursday!  This is a try-out for a potential new Cedar Bluff-based AO.  Contact Mermaid for details.

Save the date!  March 28th, 7:00am.  CONVERGENCE AT JUCO, BABY!