F3 Knoxville

Faithful to Us

THE SCENE: Sunny, temp in 30’s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Tempo Squats, 10 Windmills, 7 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 5 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward
THA-THANG:
Run to CMU pile.  Each man grabs CMU.  We will do the following exercises.  Between the listed exercises each man runs to the benches at the playground to do 10 bench jumps, then runs back.

  • 25 Overhead Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Rows

We then put CMUs back.

Mosey up cardiac and on trail to stop sign at intersection of park road and road to admin bldg.  We will do 20 American Hammers and 20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will do 10 Tempo Squats, 20 Bicycle Kicks and 30 Baby Crunches.  We then run up Everest to roadway by Admin Bldg.  We will do 20 Flutter Kicks.

Mosey to parking lot below stairs at Coliseum.  We will do Doras.  While one man does exercises the other runs upstairs, heads south at Coliseum, the comes back down the parking lot driveway.  Partners then switch.  Here are the exercises that each two man team performs:

  • 100 Plank Jacks
  • 100 Merkins
  • 100 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 100 Squat Jumps
  • 100 Imperial Walkers

Mosey down Picket’s Charge and back to Playground.  More Flutter Kicks until everyone arrives.

Mosey to outfield by baseball field closest to CMU parking lot.  We will split into two teams.  We will play soccer/ball shoot.  In this game there will be two large boxes at each end of the field.  Teams will kick soccer ball toward opponents end.  The shot at the box, however, must be made by man throwing ball to go inside the box.  The man cannot move when he picks the ball up.  If a team scores, that team will run to second base at the ballfield and back while the team that is scored on must run all the way to home plate and back.  Then game resumes.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
22 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
God is Faithful

The phrase “you gotta have faith” is one you have probably heard before.  I think that phrase often applies to having faith in ourselves, or having faith that things will work out, versus having faith in God.  Still, most of us have certainly heard of our need to have faith in God to get by in this world.  And, we do need to have faith in God.  Yet, we often fall short of being faithful:  in our trust of God, in our commitment to his desire for obedience, in living the loving and virtuous lifestyle that God expects from us.  Fortunately, we have a God who is faithful to us.  So much so that he was willing to, from the Christian standpoint, send his only Son to die for us on the cross.  It is nice to know that we have a God who is faithful to us, who is there for us.

That knowledge of his faithfulness keeps us strong.  I may have told some of you this story of my childhood.  I was about age 5 or 6 and I had acted rather poorly toward my mother earlier that day. It was getting towards evening and I came home to find the door locked.  No big deal, it was a policy to lock the door.  I rang the door bell.  No answer.  I knocked on the door.  No answer.  I ran around to the back of the house.  Door locked and no answer when I knocked.  I ran back up front and after ringing and knocking, I went to our large front window and peered in.  My mother was sitting on a chair in the living room.  How could she not come to me when I was ringing the doorbell and knocking so loud?  Had my mom stopped loving me because I had acted poorly that day?  I called out and she didn’t come.  I ran into the backyard and threw myself to the ground in tears.  Imagine Little Lilydipper, crying until the snot was draining in fissures from his nose.  I later heard my mom calling.  I took a while to get up.  She came to the backyard and found me in tears.  She asked me what was wrong and I told her the story of my persistent knocking and her failure to come to me.  She had been sitting at a chair sound asleep and had not heard me.  She thought she heard a child crying and that was what woke her up.

My mother took pity on me as I was obviously distraught.  So she sat with me, assured me that she would never leave me, would always have faith in me, that I would always be her special child, that I could count on her loving me forever.  She and I went to get a hamburger and ice cream at Goff’s Burgers that evening.  I loved that place because they had the best chili hamburgers in the world and amazing ice cream cones.  I sat there at Goff’s with a special feeling in my heart.  My mother would always be faithful to me.

Gents, we aren’t kids but it sure is good to know that God will always be faithful to us.  We can count on Him.  We may act poorly sometimes, we may upset him with our behavior. . . but we will always be His, we will always be special to Him.   You are His precious child.  Let that truth sink into you and give you that special feeling in your heart like I had that evening at good old Goff’s Hamburgers.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for those of Asian decent in our country because of the hatred that some have showed toward them; for the disenfranchised and folks who are not well and having to stay home; for Mr. Jinxy, Sarah, the wife of Ribbed, and Jan, the wife of Lillydipper; for Dung-Beetle who, as a minister, is working with so many in need, for those with Covid including the father of one of Mickey’s schoolmates, for those struggling with addiction, and that we may have discernment when watching the news as the news can be biased.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Beer ruck tonight at 6:00 pm!

Meditation on Mortality

THE SCENE: Cool
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Wake up
THA-THANG:
Shuffled a big loop stopping at each mile for 20 HR Merks and 20 Thrusters times two rounds. Hit all the favorite hills in the hood. After we shuffled up Lover’s did 10 pull-ups. Snaked back down through the parking lot and took the little off road bridge path back to start.

MARY:
2 rounds of 20 4-ct flutters and 20 chest presses.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
6
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
MOLESKIN:
5.75 miles. Did the PT stops 4 times for 160 each of HR Merks and Thrusters. The second round of HR Merks each time were  rough.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

The Sidewinder is born

THE SCENE:  Rain, but hey, at least it’s warm.  Plus we have a Pav-a-lon, so who cares.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Everybody get a coupon from the CMU pile and head for cover.  Pax does SSHs while the Q goes to get his own coupon.  BAC forward and back, IC; A little of this here and that over there; Windmills, IC, slowing the last 5 down to Abe Vigoda speed.  Finish up with 20 or so Imperial Squat Walkers.
THA-THANG:
Brick joins a bit late into the Warm, so we all accompany him to the CMU pile for his coupon, and run a lap of the AO back to cover.  Then the real work begins

  • 3 sets of 11s: Table Rows/Box Jumps; Dips/Monkey Humpers; Merkins/BBS
  • CMU Curls, IC, x 25 on the 4 ct;
  • Introducing the Sidewinder:  Stand the CMU up; Side plank supported on one elbow with the upper foot resting on the top of the CMU.  Get your hips off the ground.  Move the knee of the lower leg up to touch the elbow of your upper arm.  That’s one rep.  Do 10 of these.  Then switch sides, so the other elbow is on the ground and other foot is on the CMU.  10 more reps.
  • Start a variation of 7 of Diamonds. Instead of reps at each corner, do a lap around the building in the dry and then do the reps.  Start by bear crawling down the length of the building on one side; mosey to the next length and lunge down that side, back to the pavilion.  After each lap, do an exercise:
  • For the first 4 laps, 7 burpees;
  • Next 4 laps, 14 flutters (4 ct);
  • Next 4, 21 Pickle Pounders
  • Next 4, 28 Squats

MARY:
Turns out that 7 of diamonds thing takes a long time, so we cut it short after the burpees and one round of flutters.  Mary was more flutters with a CMU held overhead, followed by 21 Pickle Pounders.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
About 4 years ago, I posted at an F3 workout for the first time.  Edit was the Q.  I weighed about 30-35 pounds heavier than I do now.  I barely survived.  His BOM was “Consistency.”  Though I’ve been much more consistent in a lot of aspects of my life (particularly posting at F3), I’ve learned that consistency in all phases – my walk with God, my role as a father, husband and friend, in my professional life – requires constant effort.  We’ll fail for sure, but keep at it.  The payoff for the effort is worth it.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Rainbow’s friend John as he struggles with liver problems and for Jinxy as he recovers from his hip injury.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Keep bringing in napkins, trash bags and copy paper!!!

Love Thy Neighbor and Dora

THE SCENE: Breezy but nice…around 50 degrees at circle up
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x 25 on 4count, Tie Fighters L and R x 10 on 4count, Imperial Walkers x 10 4count, 10 4count Plank Jack, 10 4count Tempo Merkin, 6 Cherry Pickers….
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Field and Hill off the dragon and partner up for DORA’s

Split 50 BURPEES, 100 MERKINS, 150 FROGGY SQUATS while partner 2 runs up the hill for 5 single count SSH’S

Mosey to Overlook: One Right side bear crawl in between trees (6 Peter Parker’s at tree) all the way to center

On Left side Lunge in between trees (6 squats at tree) all the way to end…Mosey back to tail of the dragon

Caught Route 66 on the way down the dragon doing 4ct LBC’s on the way down.

Mosey back to the AO

MARY:
Time left for 20 4count American Hammers, 20 4count Hello Dolly’s, 20 4count Freddie Mercury, and cash out with some ATM’s
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Talked about Christ’s charge to us to Love our Neighbor:

“Do not waste time bothering whether you ‘love’ your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him.”

C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

To truly love is more than a feeling.  It’s an act.  Emotions come and go.  If we act out love, we become what Christ intended us to be.

 

 

Lighting the Arsenal’s Cannons

THE SCENE: Low/Mid 30’s with some sunshine
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
This is F3, Stands for Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith
It is a FREE workout
I am not a professional
You are here on your own volition
I have no knowledge of any injuries or your fitness considerations
It is your individual responsibility to be safe and to modify exercises if you need to, we all do it
WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 15 (IC)
  • LBAC – F/B – 10 (IC)
  • Air Squat – 10 (IC)
  • Merkin – 10 (IC)
  • BBS – 10 (IC)

Active Warm-O-Rama – Ring of Fire:

  • While Pax are still in circle have everyone alternating between plank and Al-Gore. 1 Pax will run to the center of the circle and burnie back. Once they return to the plank position the next Pax member goes. Rinse and repeat until all Pax have run to the center and back.

** Have Pax number off by 1s and 2s. 1s will go with Drifter to the Baseball Field and 2s will go with Moses to the Football Field.

THA-THANG:

Baseball Field: Bleacher Work
5 Minute AMRAP:

  • Step-ups – 10 each leg
  • Incline Merkins – 10 (4ct)
  • Dips – 10 (4ct)
  • Step-ups – 10 each leg
  • Decline Merkins – 10 (4ct)
  • Dips – 10 (4ct)

Mosey to Outfield:

  • Suicides – 30 seconds
  • LBC – 20 (4ct)
  • Suicides – 30 Seconds
  • BBS – 10 (4ct)

Rinse & repeat until other group is done

Football Field Work

Place cones at 10, 20, 30, and 40 yards. Pax will run to first cone, complete the exercise and run back. Then run to the 2nd cone complete the exercise, run back. 3rd cone exercise, run back. 4th cone exercise, run back. Rinse and repeat.
5 Minute AMRAP

Circuit 1: Legs

  • 1st cone 10 lunges in place
  • 2nd cone 5 burpees
  • 3rd cone 10 squats
  • 4th cone 5 burpees

Circuit 2: Abs

  • 1st cone 10 BBS
  • 2nd cone 10 American Hammers (count only one side)
  • 3rd cone 10 Hello Dolly (single count)
  • 4th cone 30 LBC

Suicides on cones 1-4 until 15 minutes is up.

Q2 and Q1 Groups flap jack and repeat circuits.

Merge Groups and mosey to Shovel Flag and present the flag

The shovel flag is one of the classic symbols of F3. No matter where you are within F3 Nation, the Shovel Flag is the one true physical link that connects us all. Just like we leave no man where we find them, the Shovel Flag is portable so that it can be carried forward and shared with others.

This shovel flag represents Respect: respect for country, respect for those who hae served and currently serve to protect our freedoms, and respect for the other AO’s across F3 Nation where similar flags are planted ever week

It represents Hard Work: it bears witness to the blood, sweat, and tears of the men of F3 who gather together at some obscene early hour to get better physically while finding new mental limits. Men getting stronger, fit, and conditioned to handle life’s challenges – most of which are not physical at all – Hard Work

This flag also represents the lives of men being changed. Men are moving from being passive participants in life, to being present. Present in our families, present in our places of work and worship, and present in our communities.

Mosey to SP (Smuggler leading the way carrying the flag)

MARY:

We returned with a little extra time to spare so we decided to push through a few more variations of Merkins!

  • Regular Merkin 10(IC)
  • Wide Merkin 10(IC)
  • Dimond Merkin 5(IC)
  • 6” Crunch 10(IC)
  • Gas Pumps 15(OYO)
  • Ankle Touches 20(IC)
  • LBC for time!

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
48 Pax! Included (2) 2.0s and (1) FNG – Welcome ‘That Guy’
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

F3 has always been and will always be more than a workout.  We definitely want to push ourselves and each other physically, but we also want to grow relationally and spiritually.  The PAX is unique in many ways, But the one that is most important to remember is that we are not out here to compete against each other, but collaborate together to grow as husbands, fathers, sons, employees, employers, friends, and neighbors.  We are bound together under a high power for a greater purpose. And I pray that this group of men will continue to lead they way in setting the example for others.

MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: