F3 Knoxville

“I can’t” = bullshit

Welcome and disclaimer

Warm-o-Rama
10 burpees
OMC Merkins

The THANG

Mosey to the softball field, pause for the 6, pinwheels and squats

Field of dreams audible to the outfield due to mush.
Home 10 burpees 10 Merkins run to first

1st base – BBS until relieved

2nd base – Dry docs

3rd base – Domo squats

Sitting in the stands
Reverse BC up the bleachers (feet first)
BC across the bleachers
BC down the bleachers head first (audible cause bleachers were we and slippery)

Mosey to the steps and bear crawl down

On the Dawn Wall
10 Burpees at the bottom
10 Dry docs at the top

Mosey towards the AO pause part way for the 6 Merkins and box jumps

Ab-o-Rama
Lego Batman has 9 abs
V-ups
Floor wipers
American Hammers

Name-o-Rama

BOM

“I can’t” = bullshit. Is it that you “can’t” or that you “won’t”.  Michael Jordan once said “I can accept failure, what I can’t accept is not trying.”  We as men of this world get caught up in the societal message that we aren’t good enough, someone is always better, we aren’t strong enough.  In the end it’s the same message “you can’t do it.”

And so many men buy into this mentality. They don’t care anymore, they don’t workout, and they sure as crap don’t get up early and post to F3. But some men here are just as guilty of the “I can’t” attitude. “I can’t go up that hill, I can’t do nor Merkins, I can’t go any harder, I can’t finish.” And those “I’s” turn into “my’s”. “My legs hurt, my arms hurt, my back hurts, etc.”

So, what is your goal? What is you mountain to overcome? Are your tired of being the 6? Does it bug you not to finish a run? Are you pissed you can’t do pull ups, Merkins, or sprints? Maybe it’s not physical, maybe it’s to be a better husband, dad, boss, employee, coworker.

Here’s the deal, maybe you need help, maybe you need support, encouragement, and love. Well, welcome to F3. And while I have mostly been talking about it physically, we also need the love, support, and encouragement spiritually. Jesus wants us to share our lives with Him, and not just the bad times when we really need Him but the good times too. And He will give us strength to do all the things we want to do.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength”

All things.  Not just the physical, the mental, the emotional, the spiritual, but ALL things through Him who gives me strength. We should all spend some time with Him, and ask about the things we “can” do and forget about the things we “can’t” do.

Flinstone 30s, Pyramids & Grinders

THE SCENE
30 and Breezy

F3 Welcome & Disclaimer

THE THANG
COP
– Running Squats x10 (8ct IC)
– Windmill Merkins x10 (IC)
– Reverse Lunges x12 each leg (IC)
– Arm Circles Forward x12 (IC)
– Arm Circles Backward x12 (IC)

Mosey to back side of the Asylum
– Stop at front parking lot, ATMs & Flutter Kicks x25 (4ct)

Flintstone’s 30s
Every man select a rock (or two)
Individual 30’s on the back hill with rock (going up and down by 5s from x5 to x25 at the top and bottom)
– Double-hand Arm Overhead Press at top x5
– Dead Lifts or Sumo Squats at the bottom x25 (w/ rock)

Mosey to field on Northshore side of the Asylum at the base of Grinch Hill.  Once there, partner up.

Battle Buddy Pyramid
Battle Buddy 1 runs to second cone and does 2 exercises while Battle Buddy 2 does shuttle runs to first cone.  Rinse and repeat.

Each person will do two sets of the exercises in the following order: x5, x10, x15, x10, x5.  We had 2 Rounds:
Rd 1
– Burpees
– Dry Docks

Rd 2
– Narrow Squats
– Wide Merkins

Mosey to SP

Grinders
Battle Buddy bear crawls to the cone and does 2 reps while Battel Buddy 2 is doing squats then runs back.  Switch.

Each round increase by 2 reps until each man does a total of 10 reps.
– Rd 1 = Diamond Merkins
– Rd 2 = Side Lunges (both legs = 1 rep)

COT
Number off and Name-O-Rama (31 PAX, 2 FNGs)

BOM
Character vs. Reputation

“Character is the distinctive qualities that make a man who he truly is deep down inside. Your character is made up of all the qualities that have been deeply ingrained in your mind and spirit. It is your character that determines how you respond to life’s challenges and irritations, to both your victories and defeats. Your reputation is what others think of you; your character is what you truly are. Reputations can be manipulated; character can only be developed. While you have some control over how others see you, you have total control over your true character. The specific character traits that you develop, and live by, determine what kind of man you are.”
– Bohdi Sanders, Men of the Code: Living as a Superior Man

Wearing the F3 means something.  It means you are CHOOSING to be a man who pursues more than the status quo.  That you ACCEPT responsibility to REJECT passivity and LEAD.  You live by a code, I am Third…God, Others, Me.  Character is built through adversity.  Each morning we get out and work hard pushing ourselves and each other to get better physically, mentally and spiritually.  With each workout our character is shaped a little more.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Romans 8:3-5

MOLESKIN
It was chilly, breezy morning, but we kept moving.  We carried rocks, ran hills, bear crawled, did burpees…all giving 100% with a smile.  It was an honor and blessing to lead this morning.  And just think…we get to do it all again next week!

A visit with Fat Amy

**The name “Fat Amy” is used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

The Scene: 53 degrees and calm

F3 Intro and Disclaimer

Warm-O-Rama
Imperial Walkers x 15 IC
Russian Rockette x 15 IC
Windmills x 15 IC
Cherry Pickers x 10 IC
SSH x 15 IC
Mountain Climbers x 15 IC
Plank Jacks x 15 IC
Squat x 15 IC
BurpeeCircle x PAX count

The THANG
Fat Amy:
50 Squats
– 10 Burpees
40 BBS
– 10 Burpees
Lunge to Cone, Sprint Back
– 10 Burpees
20 Star Jacks
– 10 Burpees
Bear Crawl to Cone, Sprint Back
– 10 Burpees
20 Star Jacks
– 10 Burpees
Lunge to Cone, Sprint Back
– 10 Burpees
40 BBS
– 10 Burpees
50 Squats

Dora’cides (Partner Up!)
Suicides – Incremental Burpees for each cone (1,2 & 3)
150 Merkins (Audible as we were running out of time!)
200 Jumping Squats (touch ground)
300 BBS

MARY
Flutter Kick
Marge / Homers
Shoulder Blasters

WORD
Intensity is important, but for short duration.  Forget the hour long meetings, hour long back-breaker workouts – strive for 10-20 minutes of high intensity every hour and make those moments count.  Do this in your “service” – to God, country, family, friends, and service for those who you don’t know, and yourself.

Chalk Games

The Scene: 40 and clear

F3 welcome and disclaimer

Warm-o-Rama
10 IC forward arm circles
10 IC reverse arm circles
20 IC x 4ct Merkins
Mosey to hockey rink and BB up

The THANG
Hopscotch
1st round
burpees
1 partner does 20 SSH and 20 LBC while other completes the burpee hopscotch
Switch
When both finish take a lap

2nd round
Carolina dry docks/bear crawl
Domo squats
Switch
When both finish take a lap

Mosey to Pee Rocks
AMRAP
20 x Clean and press
20 x Squats
20 x Curls
20 x Tris
While partner sprints across the parking spots

3 rounds of Pinwheels (aka shuffle press in a circle)
Partner does Rocky Balboa until Pinwheel is complete

Ab-o-rama
Pickle pounders
BBS
American Hammers

BOM

This past fall I read a book by John Eldridge called “Fathered by God” and it spoke of how many men seek their strength from a woman instead of seeking it from God. By doing this it leads us to begin to resent the woman because the strength we as men need is not something we can obtain from her. That is something we must obtain from God. I’m sure I was partially doing this to my wife as well, but ever since reading that I have been trying to get my strength from God, F3 being a part of that, and providing my strength to her. You know what? It has helped our relationship and our family.

Tomorrow my wife goes in for surgery, and the last time she went in for surgery was about 4 years ago when she had an unplanned operation for an eptopic pregnancy. I didn’t realize the severity of the operation until the doctor came out and said “ok the chances she won’t make it, or that there will be complications are slim, but there is a possibility she could not return”. As I sat in the waiting room my mind raced, we had a 2 year old son at home, she was a stay at home mom, which means she did everything for him and me, and at that time the woman I had been gaining my strength from might not come back to me. I was freaked the fudge out, and I was a weak weak man.

As we approach this surgery tomorrow, I know we are in a different place, I’m giving her my strength instead of taking my strength from here and I know in my heart God is watching over her. However, I’m still a weak man. We now have 2 wonderful children and a 9 week old puppy at the house, her recovery time is 4-6 weeks and I’m scared of the wheels falling off the bus . I don’t struggle with the thought of losing my wife on this one, because that is in God’s hands. But daily I struggle with not being the husband she needs or the father my kids need.

I also know all of us here are all struggling with something or another, injuries, illness, divorce, death of a loved one, depression, loss of a job, possible move, etc. What we need to do is turn it to God. This is when God wants us to turn it to Him. It says so in:

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me “My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong”

I am a weak man. But I am strong because I know God is with me, and my M. I know he will watch over her, protect her, and bring her out of this better than before.

Leg (and calf) Day

The scene:  60 and clear with a small breeze.

F3 Welcome and Disclaimer

Warm-o-rama:

SSH IC x 8

Tempo Squat IC x 8

OYO Stretches

Tha Thang:

Mosey to hockey rink

  • 3 man DORA grinder. Battle buddy into groups of 3.
    • BB1: CMU Squats at one end
    • BB2: CMU Calf Raises at other end
    • BB3: CMU Lunges between BB1 & BB2
    • Swap out DORA style when lunging BB reaches each end for group total of 200 Squats, 400 Calf Raises
  • Wall Squats
    • 2 leg x 1 minute
    • Alternating 1 leg x 2 minutes
  • Monkey Humpers IC x 10

Mosey to Big Hill:

  • 8’s: 4ct Mountain Climbers at top;  Burpees at bottom
    • Flapjack between Forward & Bernie Sanders each trip up the hill

MARY:

Flutter Kicks IC x 20

Hello Dolly IC x 20

American Hammer IC x 20

Chinese Channel Changers x 2 mins

Count-off & Name-O-Rama

BOM:

Shared an excerpt from a book by Rosaria Butterfield, a one-time LGBT activist, and now a born-again Christian and mother of 4.  She tells the story of a time she was asked to tone down her message and stop calling sin a “sin”, but rather to just say that it’s her personal opinion.  Her answer:

“I responded by letting them know that I am not smart enough to have this opinion, but that this is the position the inspired and inerrant Word of God upholds.  It comes to me from the historic Christian church…through the pages of Scripture, and so on down to me.  I told her that changing my message would involve denying the plain meaning of Scripture, the testimony of the church, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and the gospel.  But to the postmodern mind…her request seems reasonable enough:  just own this position of mine as a personal point of view.  But claiming something that is a universal truth to be a mere matter of personal preference is a lie by omission.”

I shared with the PAX that this is something I struggle with each and every day.  Too often, I take the easy way out when discussing biblical truths and couch them as my own personal opinion during a difficult conversation.  Our challenge as we continue to put God first this year and ourselves last is to stand on our faith…even when it’s uncomfortable…and not take the easy way out by claiming “it’s just my opinion”.  As Christians we should be confident in sharing our beliefs as well as the truths they are based in.