F3 Knoxville

Tag: Pluto

Be a Knife

  • THE SCENE: Mid to high 50s nice
    F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
    WARM-O-RAMA:
  • 10 baby arm circles in cadence
  • 10 reverse baby arm circles in cadence
  • 10 imperial walkers in cadence
  • 10 mountain climbers in cadence
  • 10 more mountain climbers in cadence
  • 25 SSH in cadence
  • mosey to top lot at start of greenway
    THA-THANG:
    Lap around the asylum stopping every 400m to perform 3 exercises then 6 calls exercise to do while the rest finishes
  • 5 hand release merkins
  • 10 Big Boys
  • 15 squats
  • Pax Choice

MARY:
Cat Gut led us in some Boat/canoe and then Waffle House hit us with some ATMs
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
20 Pax at the Asylum
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The world is pushing cancel culture and throwing terms like toxic masculinity out there both of which are toxic and detrimental to our way of life. The world wants us Men to be like spoons, non-threatening and easy to administer the easy stuff. F3s mission is to reinvigorate male community leadership by planting small peer-led workout groups. We are called to be knives, sharp precise and protective. We are called to cut away detrimental aspects of our lives and those around us. We are called to protect our loved ones. We are called to be sharp in every aspect of our lives. Be a Knife!

Back in the Saddle

THE SCENE
28 and Clear

COP
Run to lower front parking lot
SSH x35 IC
Merkins (4ct) x10 IC
Imperial Squat Walkers x10 IC
Baby Arm Circles Fwd x12 IC
Baby Arm Circles Bkwd x12 IC
Run to HGTV Area

THA-THANG
Tree Trunks
– Squats x10
– Fwd & Bkwd lunges (same leg then switch) x10 each leg
– Side Lunges x10 each leg
– Jump Squats x10

Rinse and repeat

Run to parking area under the HGTV Area

Countdown
Partner up. One person performs the routine while the other jump ropes.

Routine:
One man runs to far cone perform x20 reps, run back to first cone perform x15 reps, run to the second farthest cone and perform x10 reps, run back to first cone perform x5 reps. Partners does jump rope while waiting.

Exercises:
1. Diamond Merkins
2. Dry Docks
3. BBS
4. Squats
5. Wide Merkins

Mosey to playground (The Cloud)
* Stop on the way at the parking lot, do 5 Wolverines

Bench 11’s
11’s on benches: Bench Squats and Dips

Run to end of parking lot, do 5 Wolverines, run back to the playground and do LBCs while waiting in the six.

Run to lower parking lot at far entrance to the trail. Take the trail to the SP, do Route 66 along the way.

Route 66
Run the trail stopping at each light pole to do merkins. Start with one rep and add step at each light pole until you get to the end.

At the SP, circle up for MARY

MARY
American Hammers (4ct) – x20 IC
Superman Swims (4ct) – x12 IC
Box Cutters (4ct) – x15IC
Superman Swims (4ct) – x12 IC
Flutter Kicks (4ct) – x15 IC

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
23 PAX

COT/BOM

“For this is the will of God,
that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
Live as people who are free,
not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,
but living as servants of God.”

1 Peter‬ ‭2:15-16 ESV

Honor – Adherence to what is right or to a conventional standard of conduct

“Honorable men refuse to wallow in the small and the bitter.
Honorable men refuse to hate life because something once went wrong.
Honorable men don’t build monuments to their disappointments, nor do they let others brand them and curse them to their destruction.
Honorable men seek out the highest definition of their lives, the nobler meaning granted by heritage, by their ancestors’ dreams and their parents’ hopes.
Honorable men cry out to God until curses are broken and a grander purpose is achieved.
Honorable men don’t settle for lives of regret.”

Stephen Mansfield, Mansfield’s Book of Manly Men

As we push ourselves physically each week it is important to remember that we must also be pushing ourselves mentally, emotionally and spiritually…to grow as HIMs. Physical fitness is important, but character, virtue, integrity and leadership are paramount. Our world is starving for men with these characteristics. Men of honor who live beyond themselves. Men who are life-givers, not life-takers. I believe there is a direct correlation between strenuous physical exercise and the strenuous pursuit to live a life of honor, integrity and impact. Both take effort and focus. Both take intentionality, consistency and daily commitment. Both are met with resistance from the status quo and our own passivity. Both can’t be pursued alone and require me to surround myself with like-minded men who inspire, encourage and challenge me along the
journey.

Each morning in the gloom we have an opportunity to experience AND be these things for the men on our left and right. Iron sharpen iron. This is what it means to wear the “F3”.

 

Another Rain Q

THE SCENE: For the 4th Charmin Q in a row, we’ve got rain.  At least it’s warm.  Shorts and T-shirt warm.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Pretty basic.  SSH x 25 (4 ct), IC; ISW x 20, IC; BAC, forward and backwards.
THA-THANG:
It’s raining, of course, so that means Pavalon.  We’re all about Tabata this morning.  At least there’s music.  We’ve got 8 different exercises, 8 cycles for each exercise before moving on to the next.  1 cycle=20 seconds on, 10 second rest.  The exercises

  • Bobby Hurleys
  • Merkins
  • Flutter Kicks and Hello Dollies on alternate cycles
  • Forward Lunges and Side Lunges on alternate cycles
  • Table Rows (8 cycles were rough!)
  • American Hammers
  • Calf Raises
  • Mountain Climbers

Did I mention there was a topical playlist?  There was!  See Moleskin for the songs and artists.  Waffle House was the first to note the theme, at song #3.

MARY:
Post Tabata, we wall sat for a bit, doing some Thunderclaps, since we were listening to Thunderstruck.  Then we finished strong with the Howling Monkey.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 strong!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addressed the criticism he faced (from well meaning Christian ministers) for pushing for civil rights advancement too fast rather than letting things happen “in their own time.”  His response:  The notion that time itself heals all wounds is a myth.  Time is neutral.  The passage of time can be used constructively or destructively; by people of ill will as well as good will.  “We must come to see that huma progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability.  It comes through the tireless efforts and persistent work of men willing to be co-workers with God [i.e. HIMS!]. . . We must use time creatively, and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.”
MOLESKIN:
Playlist for the morning: 1) Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones; 2) Riders on the Storm, The Doors; 3) Who’ll Stop the Rain, CCR; 4) I Love a Rainy Night, Eddie Rabbit; 5) Rock You Like a Hurricane, Scorpions; 6) Here Comes the Rain Again, Eurythmics; 7) Feels Like Rain, Buddy Guy; 8) Thunderstruck, AC/DC.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Supply drive for Safe Haven is coming up.  Get ready!!!

 

They that wait upon their partner

THE SCENE: Clear, upper 30s, nice view of the moon. Not too many cool mornings like this left this season!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH x25 IC
Cherry Pickers x5 IC
Cobra Burpees x5 OYO
Windmills x10 IC

THA-THANG:

Everyone grab 2 CMUs each and farmer carry to the Cloud

Today’s workout is Ruck-Friendly. We have 8 stations, each with a Workout and a Wait. Each Workout has a Ruck and Slick option.
Battle Buddy up, spread out, and attack the stations. While one partner does Workout, other partner holds the Wait. Then switch.
Once both partners have done the Workout, farmer carry to the next station.

Stations:
Knees to Chest (from plank position, feet in swing, pull knees to chest)
Ruck: x20 / Slick: x25
Wait: CMU Rifle Hold

Weighted Squats x15
Ruck: Ruck on, hold 1 block / Slick: Hold 2 blocks
Wait: Canoe

8-ct Body Builders
Ruck: x8 / Slick x10
Wait: Al Gore

Step-ups x10 each leg. Use one CMU on bench to add step height.
Ruck: Ruck on / Slick: Hold block
Wait: Plank

Curls x25
Ruck: Curl CMU or ruck / Slick: Curl CMU
Wait: Rifle Hold

Bench Lunge x5 each leg.
Ruck: Wear ruck / Slick: Hold block
Wait: Canoe

Merkins
Ruck: x15 / Slick x25
Wait: Al Gore

Swings
Ruck: Swing CMU or ruck / Slick: Swing CMU
Wait: Plank

After completing circuit, farmer carry out to the end of the parking lot and back, then repeat circuit.

After second circuit, time’s up! Return CMUs to the pile

MARY:
Out of time today.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 strong this morning!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The wait portion of this morning’s Thang reminded me of Isaiah 40:39:
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.

Obviously, we didn’t gain new strength waiting on our partner this morning, at least not in the short term. But “waiting” in this sense is not about sitting around and twiddling your thumbs until something happens. It’s trusting, hoping, listening, watching for Him to speak or move, and then obeying. In this, you will find you have the strength you need to do all things through Christ.

MOLESKIN:
Good luck to Lebowski on the GORUCK Basic in Asheville this weekend! Hopefully today was some prep for the welcome party…
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Thanks for supporting Street Hope TN this month!

Grainger County Christmas Story

THE SCENE: Clear skies, temps in high 20’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Run around the parking lot to get warm; 20 Side-Straddle Hops; 10 Burpees; 10 Cherry Pickers; 10 Rockettes; 7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward
THA-THANG:
Mosey to start of the Dragon Tail.  We will run up dragon tail stopping at every other light to do 10 of the following exercises (one exercise for each run up).  After reaching the top, run on trail to road, back down to lower parking lot, and back to the start of the Dragon Tail to do the next exercise.  Here are the exercises:

  • Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)
  • Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Jump Squats
  • Merkins

Mosey to stop sign that is on the northeastern corner of the admin bldg.  We will be moving in a route with signs giving the directions for exercises along the way and where we go next.  The signs will be numbered and by cones.

  • Cone 1:  Do 10 Burpees.  Then bear crawl on sidewalk heading south to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  Do 15 Dive Bombers.  Then lunge on sidewalk south to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  Do 10 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1).  Then run to Cone 4 at porch of Admin Bldg.
  • Cone 4:  Do 20 Calf Raises on stairs and 20 Hello Dollies (4 ct.) on porch. Then run south on trail and back north on trail to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  Run down steps to parking lot below Coliseum.  Then run south up parking lot, around to southern end of Coliseum and north to Cone 6 which is by marble bench area of Coliseum.
  • Cone 6:  Do 20 Bench Dips.  Then run to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7:  Do 40 Baby Crunches.  Then run to Cone 8 which is on street near to the admin stop sign where we started.
  • Cone 8:  Do 20 Carolina Dry Docks.
  • Rinse and Repeat.

As a group we will take a 30 second gander at Beautiful Eastern TN below us.  Then we will mosey to parking lot with CMUs.

Each man grabs a CMU and teams up with a brother.  We will do Doras. While one man runs to pavilion and does 10 Picnic Table Pull-ups, the other does the exercises with the CMU.  Then partners switch. Each team will do the following exercises:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows
  • 100 Squats

Put CMUs back and mosey to start of mini-cardiac.  Bernie up mini-cardiac to park sign, then sprint the rest of the way to the AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
28 men with one FNG:  John Case.  He is now named Lamont.  He is the father of member Mickey.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
In my work as a therapist I heard a mighty fine Christmas story from one of my patients and decided to share it to you here in February.  My patient lives in a mountainous area in Grainger County, Tennessee.  Some of you may have heard of Grainger County tomatoes.  Most are grown in the valley of the county but some areas of the county can be pretty rugged.  Here’s a little demographic news for you in regards to Grainger County.  It is 94% white, 3.3% Hispanic, and probably less than 1% Black.  If you are a black man, you may not want to get stuck alone in Grainger County.  The patient I am talking about is a middle-aged white woman and she would tell you that.

She also told me about an African-American truck driver who was driving on a winding highway through the area she lived in on Christmas Eve.  As you may recall, Christmas Eve is the day we got that snow that gave us all a White Christmas.  The highway the man was driving on was curvy and slick.  Unfortunately, his 18 wheeler went off the side of the road and landed in a deep ditch.  There was no way to get that truck out easily.  It was going to take more than one large wrecker truck to get the truck out.  It being Christmas, that would take well over 24 hours.

The truck had valuable cargo and the driver was required to stay with his truck until it could be towed.  So this African-American truck driver was stuck on Christmas Eve miles from his home – in one of the most rugged areas of “redneck country”.  In Grainger County, if you aren’t driving a pickup truck with a gun rack inside your back window, “you probably ain’t from around these parts.”  The necessary clothing for a man is a pair of jeans with a can of snuff in your back pocket.

News can spread pretty fast in a rural county and the news of the sidelined truck came to my patient quickly.  She was frankly worried about this African-American truckdriver stuck in her neck of the woods.  She was concerned someone might try to start some trouble with him.  She wanted to go out to his truck to check on him but was worried about doing so until her husband got home.  He did later that day and they went out to the area where the truck was located.

What they found was a number of “neighbors” already congregated by the truck.  They also found these same “redneck” neighbors had brought the African-American truckdriver some hot dinner, hot coffee, and baked goods to snack on through the evening.  People from all over were coming to make the driver feel as comfortable as he could.  They even brought blankets but he had those in his cabin which he was able to keep warm through keeping the engine on.  They offered for him to come to their homes but he had to stay with his truck.  By the next morning the driver had hot breakfast and gifts of goodies and Christmas cards.  When the truck was finally pulled out of the ditch, the driver went home with more hot food and goodies that were brought to him at lunch and dinner time on Christmas Day.

My patient went to sleep on Christmas night feeling wonderful about the residents of Grainger County.  Whatever their beliefs and prejudices’, they had made an African-American stranger feel blessed and welcome.  It was a Christmas that I am sure he will never forget.  And, my patient, who has had a difficult year, sang “Joy to the World” a little louder on Christmas day.  The air smelled mighty fresh in Grainger County and the stars shone brighter for the rest of 2020.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for the disenfranchised; for caregivers who are taking care of others and that they would have patience in that difficult task; for Ribbed and his wife, Sarah, after the surgery to remove the tumor by her spine; for Abacus’ mother who will need surgery on her leg; for those in F3 who have lost loved ones this year.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Reward at Coffeeteria!