F3 Knoxville

Tag: Mr Jinxy

Dirty Dozen Dropping Sweat

THE SCENE: Sunny and humid, temps in 70’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 5 Burpees, 10 Cherry Pickers, Michael Phelps, Little of This and Little of That
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the driveway that heads to the northern wall of the admin bldg.  There will be bricks by a large tree near he drive way.  We will pair up in teams of two and do Doras.  While one partner works on the following exercises, the other partner will run with a set of bricks to the curb, do ten mini man makers, then run back and exchange the bricks with his partner who will do the same.  Here are the exercises each team will do:

  • 100 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 100 Merkins
  • 200 Baby Crunches

Mosey to gate at the Lyons Bend entrance.  Take perimeter trail east.  Stop once at first light.  We will do 20 American Hammers in cadence.

Mosey east on perimeter trail to cone that will be located close to a large Mimosa tree.  We will do a Route 66 going eleven lights, stopping at each one.  We will do each of the following exercises starting with the first and doing it once at first light, twice at second, etc. until we do 11 of that exercise at 11th light.  Those who get there first will sweep others back to start and we will begin the next exercise.  Here are the exercises:

  • Squat jumps
  • Dive bombers
  • Imperial Walkers (four count)
  • Shoulder taps (tapping each shoulder counts as one)

Mosey to Playground

We will do bench jumps.  We will do ten, then rest for 20 seconds.  We will do five sets of ten with the 20 second break.

Mosey to Pavilion.  We will do 25 Picnic Table Pull-ups.  We will then do squat by wall for one minute.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
Plank Stretches.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The following message is not fully from me.  Rather, it stems from a conversation with a friend of mine named Tony Kuykendall.  Tony observed that in our age of social media, whether on Facebook, Group Me, Twitter, or whatever, we wonder how many people are following our messages.  We follow other’s messages by giving them the Like signal, coloring in a heart, showing a happy face, a thumbs up, or some other sign saying we listened and took notice.  We may follow peoples’ messages on social media each day.  My friend Tony observed that the Bible is certainly a form of social media.  It has been written and distributed socially so that people may read it and follow God.  Tony wondered how many times we actually follow God’s word each day.  Certainly, God wants us to “follow’ Him.

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”

God wants us to follow Him because he knows that we need Him to live within the light.  When we follow Him, good things happen.  We move along in our lives and often miss out on the light.  We seek the light through our own means and often fail to listen to that higher power calling us.  Where is God calling you to follow?  What path does he want for you?  Where does God want to take you.  We can sense that there is something missing in our lives if we do it alone, something greater we need to fulfill us.  We get glimpses of something greater by showing up in the gloom each day to work out with our brothers in F3.   We didn’t want to listen to our crazy friends that rooked us into coming out here.  Yet, by coming we have found something special, something invigorating, something good for us.  In our busy lives we often don’t want to take the time to listen to God.  But if we do so, we find something special, something invigorating, something good for us.  It is that which we need.  So, listen, take time to focus on Him and what he is calling you to do.  Follow Him.

MOLESKIN:
Hotspur and his family needs a prayer as his mother-in-law died recently.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 Knoxville Anniversary and Olympics on November 3.  Launching of F3 in Cleveland, TN on November 10.

Our Shield, Our Protector

THE SCENE:  Sunny and warm, mid-eighties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Mans, Plank Stretches, 10 Cherry Pickers, 20 Quick Wing Claps
THA-THANG:
Mosey to shade of tree by stop sign at Northeast corner of Admin Bldg.  20 Box Cutters.

Mosey to shaded grassy area near driveway that goes to northern side of Admin Bldg.

Go to four cones that form large square in grassy area by long driveway.

  • Corner 1:  20 Big Boy Sit ups.  Then Bernie Sanders to Corner 2.
  • Corner 2:  20 Squat Jumps.  Then Bear Crawl to Corner 3.
  • Corner 3:  20 Dive Bombers.  Then Sprint to Corner 4.
  • Corner 4:  20 Star Jumps.  Then Lunge to Corner 1
  • Rinse and Repeat

Mosey back to the long driveway leading to northern side of Admin Bldg.

We will do suicides.  We will always Bear Crawl to first cone while doing the suicides and sprint to remaining three cones.  Each time we return back to the starting point, we will do 25 Little Baby Crunches.

Rinse and Repeat.

Next, do suicides without bear crawls and baby crunches, sprinting to first cone and back, second cone and back, third cone and back, fourth cone and back then continuing to third cone and back, second cone and back and first cone and back.

Mosey to roadway that is on east side of admin bldg.  Go down steps on east side of roadway opposite the sidewalk that goes to the admin bldg.  

We will do thirties, starting with 5 bench dips at the bottom of the steps.  We will run up the steps and then up the sidewalk to the steps of the admin bldg.  There we will do 25 decline merkins.  We then sprint back to the benches where we did the dips.  We do 10 bench dips, then sprint back to the admin bldg to do 20 decline merkins.  We continue this pattern until we have done 25 bench dips and 5 merkins.

Mosey to grassy area on east side of admin bldg.   Do 20 American Hammers

Mosey to AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Twelve men, no FNG’s.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

When you were young, did you have a father that you admired, that protected you, that you knew found favor in you and you knew would be there for you if in stress?  Did you see that father as big, powerful, strong and mighty when you were a little boy?  Did you like those special times when you got to sleep by him in his bed, just because he was awesome and big and you felt safer being close to him?  Some of us had that in our dads.  Some of us are fathers to children who look up to us and trust in us for protection.

As grown adults, we still have that need for the strength of a father who is big and powerful.  I would say we have that childlike need but the need is not childlike as all adults have that need.  We, as strong men, know that we cannot always go it alone.  We need someone more powerful than us, who will “kick ass” to get to us when we are in trouble, defying all odds to do so.  We have that in our God, our creator, our FATHER.  I love the following verses from Psalms 18 (verses 2 – 19) because they portray not only a wonderful image of just how strong our Father is but how strong his passion is for just one of his children.

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;[a]
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.

7 Then the earth reeled and rocked;
    the foundations also of the mountains trembled
    and quaked, because he was angry.
8 Smoke went up from his nostrils,[b]
    and devouring fire from his mouth;
    glowing coals flamed forth from him.
9 He bowed the heavens and came down;
    thick darkness was under his feet.
10 He rode on a cherub and flew;
    he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him,
    thick clouds dark with water.
12 Out of the brightness before him
    hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
    and the Most High uttered his voice,
    hailstones and coals of fire.
14 And he sent out his arrows and scattered them;
    he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
15 Then the channels of the sea were seen,
    and the foundations of the world were laid bare
at your rebuke, O Lord,
    at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

16 He sent from on high, he took me;
    he drew me out of many waters.
17 He rescued me from my strong enemy
    and from those who hated me,
    for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
    but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
    he rescued me, because he delighted in me.

 

BB – Asylum PM Candy Corns!

THE SCENE:Overcast and a bit Humid
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH 25 IC

Arm Circles – thumbs up IC

Arm Circles- thumbs down IC

Cherry Pickers IC

THA-THANG:
Insert information about the workout.

  • Select Partner- Pair up
  • Mosey down the steps by the Bat Cave to HWY 66
  • 10 Merkins OYO
  • Bataan Death March  up RTE 66 – One Pair starts with 3 burpees while rest of group runs, first Pair catches up with group, tags another pair. Complete until all have been tagged 2X.
  • Mosey to large open field below brick bldg.
  • In pairs – Vacuum Cleaners across field (alternate bearcrawls), at end (- 25 yards), 10 Derkins, switch, Vacuum Cleaner back across field or bearcrawl – 10 Derkins (alt Merkins)
  • Imperial Walker Back across, 15 BB slap situps with partner,step lunge across field on return, 15 more BB slap situps
  • Bernie Sanders back across – 25 LBC, return Bernie Sanders, 25 more LBC
  • Lt Dan back across (1 squat,1 Left leg lung, 1 rt leg lunge, add one to each until reach other side) – 10 plank jacks then return with more Lt Dans
  • Rinse and Repeat 1 x
  • Mosey (corrected  to Charge!) up hill to benches
  • 10 Bench drops + 10 Elevated Merkins, rinse/repeat 1 x
  • Mosey to Rock pile, 15 curls with friendly rock
  • Mosey to Bat Cave

MARY:
Insert information about any additional post-THANG work (if applicable).
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

8 PAX and 1 FNG – FOF (Andy Ferguson)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
God provides our community – don’t be afraid to ask for help when you or loved ones face difficult times. Use the community resources God provides. As a F3 leader, step up and provide support when called.
MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

Cash Songs and Kids’ Games

THE SCENE: High 80s, humid as all get out.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
– 20 SSH (IC), 10 Windmills (4 ct, IC) 20 baby to big arm circles, forward and backward (IC), 20 Imperial Squat Walkers (4-ct, IC).  Almost had to repeat this last exercise because the PAX forgot how to count.

THA-THANG:
Moseyed to the new field below the Admin Building where the Ring of Fire was set up.  The 8 stations were as follows:

  • Little Baby Crunches
  • Bobby Hurleys
  • Captain Thors
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Diamond Merkins
  • Iron Mikes
  • E2Ks
  • Hand-release Merkins

Break up into pairs, start at different stations.  60 seconds at each station with 20 second break in between.  The twist was that we also played Duck Duck Goose around the ring.  Each pair, in turns, would run up the hill to a set of trees and return back to the circle, counting off “Duck Duck GOOSE” to designate the next pair to run.  (There was a burpee penalty for not doing this that was poorly enforced.) After all groups ran the hill, brief recovery, then rinse and repeat.  We planned for a third circuit but ran out of time.

MARY:
Moseyed to AO and did the following exercises.

– Homer/Marge, pickle pounders, box cutters, Hello Dollies, Squats

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 strong!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM

In a recent Sports Illustrated article, Clayton Kershaw, the best pitcher of the modern era, feels that every time he fails, he views it as a tiny affront to the God who gave him so much talent. He thinks often of his favorite verse, Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.”  The heaviest load he carries isn’t the weight of fans’ expectations, it’s that he believes he has been given a gift that he doesn’t deserve, and that if he doesn’t succeed he is squandering God’s gift. Some other relevant verses include:

PROVERBS 16:3 : Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

EPHESIANS 6:7 Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man.

I’ve felt this same way to some degree. If I failed, which I did often, I was letting down my team, myself, and God.  Why do we work hard?  Many times it’s to please someone else.  Yes, we all need to make sure our bosses are happy with our performance, our companions (teammates, family members, etc.) are taken care of and satisfied with us… But we shouldn’t forget that there is virtue in doing something to the best of your ability for the Lord. But what happens when we fail? Are we failing God?  There is nothing in those Bible passages above that mentions failing.  To fail is human, and to accept our imperfections and thank the Lord for the opportunity to succeed through hard work is what is important.  F3 is a good example. We are out here working hard, there are no human masters here judging us or forcing us to go through 45 minutes of hell.  We do it for ourselves, and our brothers, and I believe, for our Lord, to celebrate our life and health and to improve the tool that is our body that was given to us by his loving hand.

MOLESKIN:
The Q lost his phone during the workout, and even though they were told to go on home, every single member of the group stayed late to help him find it, even climbing up and down more hills to the Ring of Fire course.  I’m not sure if they were tears of gratitude or rivulets of sweat on my cheeks at this act of brotherhood, but I’ll go with the latter. Yeah. It was SWEAT, dang it!!  Many thanks s to Swimmies for running ahead and finding it at one of the stations.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
F3 anniversary Olympics coming up!  And Happy Birthday Jinxy!

A Hard Rain Is Gonna Fall

THE SCENE:  Thunderstorms, plenty of rain and lightening.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
We had to make a mad dash to the northern ball fields pavilion as we were getting started, due to rain and lightening.  It was full of people so we made another dash to the outdoor chapel and worked out there.  We did plank stretches and then got to “Tha-thang”.
THA-THANG:
Totem poles doing each exercise for 30 seconds before going to the next one.  In round one we do the first exercise only.  In round 2 we do the first and second.  In round 3 we do the first, second and third.  We keep going until all five exercises are done.  Then we drop off the first exercise and do only exercises two through five.  Next we drop the second exercise and do only three through five.  We do this until only the fifth exercise is done.  The following are the exercises:

  • Burpees
  • American Hammers
  • Decline Merkins
  • Bench lifts
  • Squat Jacks

Next, we did four corners, performing 20 Little Baby Crunches at each corner.  We hopped from corner one to two, Bernie Sanders Sprinted from two to three, bear crawled from three to four, and sprinted from four to one.  Next we repeated the above routine except did 15 Big Boy Sit-Ups at each corner

Next we did another totem pole but this time with only four exercises.  They were:

  • Squat Jacks
  • Flutter Kicks
  • Hello Dollies
  • Mountain Climbers

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
We had ten men present including a Flying EH whom we named Nick.  We gave him the F3 name of Stormy.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 King James Version (KJV)

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

King James Version (KJV)

We tend to avoid thoughts of death.  We rather not think about it.  In many ways, we fear death.  And whether we fear death or not, we certainly don’t want to die and rarely think of our own deaths.  Yet, there can be advantages to thinking of our own mortality.

  1. We see how precious our time here on Earth is and it can motivate us to act more like HIM’s with the time we have here.  And we appreciate our mortality more.  As Bob Geldof says in one of his songs, Mortality is a cheap price we pay for existence.”
  2. We are forced to think of life beyond this existence.  We are forced to wonder about God, about His creation and whether God has plans for us beyond our lives here.
  3. We have a better understanding of our dependency on God.  We must trust in God, that God indeed does have plans for us.  As Henri Nouwen states, we come into this world as a dependent creature and leave life as a dependent creature.  And, if we can trust that God exists and that He has plans for us beyond our lives here, then . . .
  4. We fear death less.  We realize that, although Mortality is a cheap price we pay for existence” our existence is more than our lives here.  If we can trust in God, we need not fear death but welcome it.  Just as, when we were in the womb, we did not know what our lives outside of it would be like, we do not know what our lives beyond what we have on Earth will be.  But, with God, “Death, where is your sting?”  With God, as John Donne says, “Death, thou shalt die.”