F3 Knoxville

Tag: Otis

The Men in The Arena


THE SCENE: Just cool enough. No wind. FNG (now known as “Title 9” was the first to show this morning, followed by Abscess & Hercules aka Tank the dog

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: FitnessFellowshipFaith
  • Name is Steam & I’ll be your QIC this morning!
  • A couple things before we begin:
    • Not a professional
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • Modify as you need but push yourself  and the men around you. They deserve to be pushed and motivated and so do you.

[ Name of the game for this morning is 1 foot in front of the other ]

WARM-O-RAMA:

☐ Motivators: 10 IC  

☐ Rockette: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Iron Mike: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Michel Phelps: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Windmill: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Merkins: 10 x 4 IC

THA-THANG:

(Mosey to Cardiac Hill) 

☐ Battle-Buddy Up

☐ You and your BB have 3 points of contact 

☐ Top – Curve 1 – Bottom

☐ Top: 15 BB sit-ups (hold feet) 

☐ Curve 1: 15 1-count buddy merkins (Hugh five)

☐ Bottom: 15 squats

(Sprint back up to the top and hold the plank)

☐ 10 down/up merkins All-Together 

( 10 count)

☐ Rinse & Repeat – same exercises – 10 reps of everything instead of 15 

(Curves led PAX in 10 up/down squats)

(10 count) 

(Mosey to path that goes towards dock) 

☐ 2 lines —> bear crawl to the dock

(COP – Change of Plans: Path/boards to dock were slippery —> Q modified for PAX —> Hold the Al Gore after 1st light post and 10 sea claps)

(Mosey on to the dock)

[ Quarter Pounder ]

☐ 25×4 flitter kicks 

☐ 25×4 LBCs

☐ 25×4 hello dolly’s

☐ 25×4 straight legged curls 

(Mosey to hill before Everest by way of:

—> Dock —> through grass to small pavilion by soccer fields —> up the hill on path towards Everest

@ Small Pavilion

  • New Battle Buddy
  • BB1: Wall-sit + overhead seal claps
  • BB2: Sprint to lightpost in the middle of exterior parking lot + 2 merkins (just 2 ain’t bad right?) + recover BB1
  • Rinse & Repeat 1

(10 count)

(mosey from small pavilion in 2 lined American Indian style)

.25 later —> merge into 1 big American Indian run mosey

☐ Bear crawl up the hill and over the top 

(Mosey to base of Everest) 

“I’m Up – He Sees Me – I’m Down”

☐ “I’m Down” command – 5 merkins and hold until the next command is given 

—> “I’m Up!” Command = sprint up Everest

☐ All the way to the top

(Sandy is planted at the top of Everest behind tree at the top middle)

(Battle buddy Sandy Run to AO)

—> Sandy being carried in front by 2 PAX for 10 seconds (modified to 25 seconds later) and then recovering to the back

PAX rush past Haslam rock and stop at the small (sort of) hill right below Saturday AO parking lot

  • Sandy Toss + 5 up/down merkins up the hill to the parking lot
    • 2 PAX chuck Sandy as far as possible up the hill, all PAX sprint to it and execute 5 up/down merkins until everyone is at the top

MARY:
– 2 rounds of Boat/Canoe

– Cashed out the day with ATMs

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
16 PAX + 1 FNG = 17 total HIM

Cheatsheet, Mr Jinxy, Curves, FNG —> Title 9, Lulu, Waffle House, Otis, Crawdad, Abscess, Jumbo, Choir Boy, Hawk, LillyDipper, Brick, Snag, Swimmies

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Man in the Arena does not quit, although he may be knocked down and falter from the original path at times, he’s in the arena and must learn to get back up again and again and again. This is the way.

MOLESKIN:

 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

               – Teddy Roosevelt

☐ In the ring of life sometimes it can feel like we’re on our knees crying out for freedom and all we can do is look up right? 

☐ Song by Anthony Hamilton “Freedom” — some of the lyrics go like this: “Felt like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. Pressure to break or retreat at every turn. Facing the feat that the truth I discovered. No telling how all this will work out, but I’ve come too far to turn back now. I’m looking for freedom, looking for freedom. And to find it cost everything I have.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. 1st F3 Knoxville Truebadours Q101/GrowSchool Convergence: Saturday, February 29th, 2020 – Asylum AO. More info to be pushed out in weekly emails + GroupMe soon

2. F3 Morristown Launch: Saturday, April 4th, 2020. Clown car(s) will be assembling to go support the launch on 4/4. Be on the lookout for opportunities between now and then to go post at some “test-Qs” at their new AO in the coming weeks/months.

Keep the Faith & Fight the Good Fight!

Finger-saver

THE SCENE: 22 degrees… Not quite as windy as yesterday. Occasional snowflakes spotted. Not oversensitive millennials in the park (too early in the day for that). Actual flakes of snow from the sky.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
40-something SSH IC (until the last tardy PAX joined the circle…)
10x Burpees OYO to get the blood pumping
15x TN Rocking Chair IC
10x Hindurkins IC
16x Cossack Squats IC
20x LBAC IC each way
20x Overhead Claps

THA-THANG:
Mosey toward Everest.
At the low stone retaining wall beside the upper parking lot, hop up and back down at each wall segment.

20 BBS at the intersection

Climb up and back down twice at the chest-high retaining wall

Arrive at the bottom of Everest.
Climb a mountain of reps first:
10x 4-count HR Merkins IC
20x Squat Jumps IC
30x CDD OYO
40x LBCs
50x SSH IC

Run up Everest, with a little Bernie thrown in for good measure.

Descend rep mountain:
50x 4-ct Mountain Climbers
40x Squats IC
30x Merkins OYO
20x Lunges each leg OYO
10x 8-ct Body Builders OYO

Head back down Everest. 20 BBS at the bottom

Mosey back to the AO, stopping once for 20 more BBS
MARY:
40x Flutter Kicks IC
20x LBCs
20x American Hammer
15x Side Crunch (each side)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 PAX today… No FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Read from My Utmost for His Highest: https://utmost.org/called-by-god/

MOLESKIN:
Normally a CMUesday would have been on the docket… But low 20s is a bit tough on the fingers to be gripping frozen concrete. Hopefully the more standard fare was sufficient for today…
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Abscess Turning 50 Makes for a Tough Q

THE SCENE: 50s, calm, cool, collected

  • No FNGs

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith
  • Name is Steam and I’ll be your Q IC this morning
  • 1) I’m not a professional (depends who you ask)
  • 2) You’re here on your own volition (unless someone is forcing you to be here – then come see me afterwards) – thank you for choosing to be here this morning
  • 3) Modify as you need BUT push yourself and the men around you – we came here to work, so let’s work.


WARM-O-RAMA:

In Honor of Abscess’s 50th:

  • SSH (Side-Straddle Hop): 50 x 4 in cadence
  • Baby Arm Circles: 25 x 4 forward & 25 x 4 backwards in cadence
  • Tempo Squat: 25 x 4 in cadence
  • Tempo Merkins: 25 x 4 in cadence

THA-THANG:

  • PAX moseys to playground outside AO
  • Battle buddies assemble

[ There & Back & Back Again ]

  • BB1: 25 incline merkins on a bench
  • BB2: run to pavilion and execute 25 step-ups/box jumps (GOOD FORM = Extending legs all the way up) + runs back to recover BB1
  • R & R – each BB executes both stations twice
  • Lady Warriors of FIA enter the playground – F3 migrates to the pavilion

[ The Power of 4 (sucks) ]

  • Each HIM finds a nice table under the pavilion
  • Short Side #1 = 25 pull-ups
  • Long Side #1 = 25 incline merkins
  • Short Side #2 = 25 pull-ups
  • Long Side #2 = 25 decline merkins
  • PAX wall-sits until 6 is up
    • From the wall-sit position: @Waxjob gives a 50 count
    • Q leads PAX in downward vertebrae stretch
      • 1 vertebrae at a time going down and touching the ground, and 1 vertebrae at a time coming back up
  • PAX moseys back to AO

[ 4 Corners // Asylum 200 ]

  • Corner 1 of AO parking lot = 25 down/up merkins as a group
    • Mosey to Corner 2
  • Corner 2 of AO parking lot = 25 down/up dry docks as a group
    • Mosey to corner 3
  • Corner 3 of AO parking lot = 25 up/down squats as a group
    • Mosey to corner 4
  • Corner 4 of AO parking lot = 25 half-burpees IC as a group
    • 4-count led by Q (no merkin)
    • 5 counts were initiated by Q after 10 reps or 15 – this was a freaking smoke session
  • PAX gets a breather
  • Rinse & Repeat 4 Corners but backwards
    • Bernie Sanders from corner to corner for 2nd round

[ PAX moseys back to playground ]

[ Quarter Pounder ]

  • 5 dips
  • 5 incline merkins on the bench
  • 5 decline merkins on the bench
  • 5 box jumps
  • 5 Big Boy Sit-Ups with legs on the bench

[ PAX moseys to curb right outside the playground ]

  • 50 Irish Tap Dancers in honor of Abscess’s 50th
    • 50 4 counts take longer than originally thought = character building fun

[ PAX moseys back to AO ]

[ Toe the Line ]

  • PAX do down & backs across AO parking lot
    • Skip-jumps down + 5 half burpees at the end – Skip-jumps back
    • Karaoke down + 5 half burpees at the end – karaoke down
    • Jog down + 25 x 4 calf raises
  • Circle it Up

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 PAX – No FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

“Faith – someone who has believed in another person // fundamental believing in another person”

MOLESKIN:

(Matthew 8:5-13) – “Faith of a Centurion”

 

  • “If I believe really hard…Jesus will do this”
  • “I have to live in this moment believing in this person/people”

These are things I’ve told myself and maybe you have at some point too.

A challenge I’ve set for myself this week is what would it look like to have the faith of a muster seed // or faith like that of the centurion in Matthew 8.

Going back to “Faith – someone who has believed in another person // fundamental believing in another person” – for F3 for instance, I have faith that when I come out here, whether I’m leading or following, at least 1 HIM will be here in the gloom with me, pushing me to be a better version, and expecting me to do the same. I have faith in the Q to lead. I believe that. 

TPQs (Thought Provoking Questions)

  • Where do I lack the faith of a centurion?
  • What people/institutions/things do I fundamentally have faith in?
  • Who has faith in me?

Ties in with Proverbs 27:17 “As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another” —> having faith in one another to Keep the Faith & Fight the Good Fight

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Make sure Abscess knows you didn’t suffer in vain this morning. Welcome him gladly into the RESPECT club, and be sure to post THIS Saturday at the Asylum for his 50th birthday Q.

Iron. Sharpens. Iron.

Slaughter tours the Asylum

THE SCENE: A crisp 65 degrees, beautiful weather for my tour of the AO
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x 10; Cherry Pickers (slow) x 7; Overhead Clap x 25; Moroccan Nightclub x 25.

THA-THANG:
Inaugural “Flight of the Blue Falcon”

  • Given two 8x12x16 (XL) CMUs, two PAX held the CMUs overhead while the rest of the group ran away for a 10-count.  At the end of the counting, “drop” was called and the herd executed AMRAP of an exercise designated by a block-holder (burpees, merkins, squats, pickle pounders, smurf jacks, etc) until the blocks caught up and were passed off.  Upon exchange, the new CMU holders designated the next exercise and began 10-count while everyone else ran away.  Rinse and repeat, with a goal of showing the Q the ins and outs of the AO (Everest, Cardiac Hill, etc) until time was up.

MARY:
Arrived back at the AO with about 5 minutes to spare, completed flutter kicks x 25, tempo squats x 20, then overhead claps/moroccan nightclubs until time was up (lost count in the midst of the mumble-chatter).

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
1 Peter 5 v. 6&7 say “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  Talked about what it means to cast anxieties on Him, and that it means to cut the cord and leave it there, not reel it back in like a crank-bait.  Shared a story about a flight with my M, when she got very nervous during a turbulent flight.  Being the “good husband” that I thought I was being, I told her not to worry, that it would be ok.  Of course, that didn’t help, and she looked at me, panicked, and said “how do you know?”.  My too-quick and too-honest response was “I don’t, but I can’t fly the damn plane, so there’s nothing I can do about it…”  This is a good reminder that as men, we need to be honest, but we need to do so with love.
MOLESKIN:
The Asylum bunch was fun, but way too courteous.  I should have explained the “blue falcon” concept better at the beginning, because they were asking “who wants the block?” instead of just handing it off to the next vict.. er, uh, participant.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Keep an eye on the Q calendar, me and “my friends” as Mermaid called them, will be making appearances at more AOs to spread the love.

Celebrating 2 birthdays better than 1

THE SCENE: Low 40s with extra gloom
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, 4ct, IC x 49
THA-THANG:
In celebration of the Q’s birthday (49) and High Heels’ birthday (54), the following exercises were performed as follows:  7 sets of 7 exercises (49 total), with 6 sets of 9 exercises (54 total) sandwiched in between each set of of 7.

  • At the AO, line up on curb for Rocky Balboas, sprint to other side for Merkins, run back, rinse and repeat.
  • Mosey to the Cloud for box jumps and dips
  • Mosey to Baby Everest with Squat Jumps at the bottom and Hello Dollys (4ct) at the top.
  • Mosey to the Pavalon for table rows and calf raises.
  • Mosey to the bottom of Cardiac.  Run to the top of Cardiac with 9 man makers somewhere (choice of the Pax) in between.
  • Mosey back to the AO.

MARY:
Howling monkeys, with each Pax doing one monkey humper in turn with the other pax holding position around the circle till 49 is reached.  Then do it again till 54 is reached.  Now, on the 6 for hands of time, counting to 49 and then to 54.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Revisiting the Q’s BOM from last year, it focused on getting out of my comfort zone and trusting God more.  (Phil. 4:13 and think about Paul’s level of discomfort with his mission).  Taking stock of last year, I’m disappointed in the difficulty I showed to trust God with decisions that might get me out of my comfort zone.  I need to do better.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: