F3 Knoxville

Tag: Pusher

Pickett’s Charges

THE SCENE: Beautiful day at the Asylum, temps in the mid-60s and sunny
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

15 Side Straddle Hops

5 Cherry Pickers

10 windmills

10 baby arm circles each way

Little bit of this and that

THA-THANG:

Mosey down towards west of park, turn on mulch path and go down to culdasack.

10 Rocky Balboas in cadence

15 curb dips own

Mosey to Dora landing.

On own do 10 star jumps, 10 plank jacks and then do wall sit until everyone completes and Q releases you.

Mosey down path set that winds over to the base of Pickett’s Charge.

1st go through do following at each tier, starting at the bottom

1 burpie

2 merkins

3 squats

4 LBCs

Then run full loop back to bottom of Pickett’s and repeat, except that the exercise amounts now double each time…so:

2, 4, 8,16, 32…. Burpies

4,8,16,32,64….merkins

6,12,24,48,96…squats

8,16,32,64,128… LBCs

MARY:
Some stretching after the hard work
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 men
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

My son has recently had 2 friends his age pass away. One due to a car wreck, one due to cancer. It just doesn’t seem fair, but at the same time it reiterates the point that we are all lucky to still be here and we are not promised one more breath in this life. We are all lucky to be able to stand here, beat ourselves up for 45 minutes and hang out afterwards.

This summer take advantage of what little time you may have left. Try something you have wanted to try. See something you have wanted to see, Go somewhere you have wanted to go. Just take advantage.

I have long regretted not traveling more when I was younger. I figure why not take advantage now. Next week I will set forth across the country and back for more than 3 weeks. It is exciting, yet I am anxious now as I prepare to leave. It will be great though, I will see things I have longed to see for a long time and will be giving my daughter something she can carry with her the rest of her life. Think what you may want to accomplish before it is too late and I encourage you to take advantage.

MOLESKIN:
This was tough, the jump to the 32 burpie level may be too much, may try doing it pyramid style if done again and start counting back down after the 8 burpie go ’round.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Asylum Volunteer workday will be June 10th, more info coming soon. Hardship Hill May 29, Asylum PM obstacle work on Wed, May 10. Forg3 F3 Retreat coming up this fall.

Murph Prep / 2 For Tuesday

F3 Q  – 5.2.23

  • Asylum PM 
  • 5:45pm – 6:30pm
    • Pre-ruck / Shield Lock at 5:10pm

[ The Scene ] 

  • 60s
  • Windy 
  • Sunny

[ Welcome/Disclaimer ]

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith 
  • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning 
  • A few things before we begin: 
    • I’m not a professional 
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • You know your injuries if you have any so if you need to modify anything we do today feel free to do so, but push yourselves and the men around you. They deserve it and so do you. 
  • FNGs?

The cool thing about today? It’s 2 For Tuesday ON May 2nd. So let’s roll. So let’s roll. 

[ Warm o Rama ] 

  • SSH: 5×4
    • 5 merkins 
  • SSH: 10×4
    • 5 merkins 
  • SSH: 15×4
    • 5 merkins 

(Rinse + Repeat — 2FT!)

[ The Thang ] 

— Mosey to the Coliseum — 

(1) Murph Practice — May’s Metric Workout

  • Murph 
    • 1 mile run 
    • 300 push-ups
    • 200 squats
    • 100 pull-ups
    • 1 mile run
    • All with a 20lb weighted vest
  • TOC (Top Of Coliseum)
    • 5, 10, 15 model — all on a 1-count
      • 5 shoulder presses (in place of pull-ups — hitting the lats)
      • 10 merkins 
      • 15 squats 
      • Sprint, not mosey, sprint around the circle as fast as you can 
      • Rinse and repeat once 
    • 10, 10, 10 model — all on a 1 count
      • 10 dry docks
      • 10 merkins 
      • 10 squats 
      • Sprint, not mosey, sprint around the circle as fast as you can 
      • Rinse and repeat once
    • 10, 20, 30 model — all on a 1-count
      • 10 shoulder presses 
      • 20 merkins 
      • 30 squats 
      • Sprint, not mosey, sprint around the circle as fast as you can
      • Rinse and repeat once 

— Mosey to the picnic tables beside the Coliseum —

(2) There And Back Again

  • Points of contact: picnic table + far bench on the hill
  • Ping Pong Model
    • 5 pull-ups on the table / 5 merkins on the bench
    • 10 pull-ups on the table / 10 merkins on the bench
    • 15 pull-ups on the table / 15 merkins on the bench
    • 20 pull-ups on the table / 20 merkins on the bench

(3) Enough Upper, Focus on Lower

  • Points of Contact: picnic table + wall at the Coliseum
  • Ping Pong Model
    • 10 squats / 10 squats
    • 20 squats / 20 squats
    • 30 squats / 30 squats

— Mosey back to the AO — 

[ Mary ] 

Breathe

[ COT ]

  • # off — 9 
  • Name o Rama 
  • FNGs
  • Word — Tear Up The Planks – God Wants What’s Underneath

No doubt I now grew very pale; — but I talked more fluently, and with a heightened voice. Yet the sound increased — and what could I do? It was a low, dull, quick sound — much such a sound as a watch makes when enveloped in cotton. I gasped for breath — and yet the officers heard it not. I talked more quickly — more vehemently; but the noise steadily increased. I arose and argued about trifles, in a high key and with violent gesticulations; but the noise steadily increased. Why would they not be gone? I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men — but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed — I raved — I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder — louder — louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! — no, no! They heard! — they suspected! — they knew! — they were making a mockery of my horror! — this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! Anything was more tolerable than this derision! I could bear those hypocritical smiles no longer! I felt that I must scream or die! — and now — again! — hark! louder! louder! louder! louder! —

“Villains!” I shrieked, “dissemble no more! I admit the deed! — tear up the planks! — here, here! — it is the beating of his hideous heart!”

  • The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

— RD’s talk at the Fellowship men’s retreat – he spoke on this idea of “tearing up the planks.”

— More recently, I’m learning a lot about flooring. We’re going to have to replace our wood floors at some point this year, and unfortunately, due to some water damage from the dishwasher and fridge, the subfloor is now damaged in some places too, which means we’ll have to replace that. Ah, the joys of home ownership. 

— All that being said, when we first realized some of the planks were warped and twisting up, and probably needed to just be taken off and covered, we tried to get them to lay flat again, or covered them with a rug.

— If you think about your life like a floor, you have a couple of components

    • Planks (floor) top level
    • Subfloor is underneath
    • Whatever is under the subfloor 

— My journey in vulnerability over the past year or so has increased tremendously, and to be honest, more rapidly than I am comfortable with — but I don’t think we’re called to be comfortable in this life. It’s in the uncomfortable places that growth happens. 

— Maybe this is true for you – it definitely it for me. Here’s what happens a lot of times: something really tough or hard happens in our life, maybe that we’ve done or caused, or maybe that someone else has, and we want to stow it underneath the surface so no one can see it. And we nail that plank down super hard – with self-denial, disassociation, coping mechanisms, distractions – these are some of the nails we use to do this. 

— This is a good fix – it’s safe for the time being, it’s underneath the surface where no one can see it. But up top on the surface, man! That floor looks good. Polished, put together, everything’s cool! 

— But unfortunately like in my case with my house — what’s not addressed and brought out of the darkness and into the light, can damage the subfloor over time. It can be maddening – just like in The Tell-Tale Heart. How does everyone not see this?! Surely they’re on to me and know what I’m struggling with! But unfortunately, our culture have become masters in the art and tactics of camouflage. 

— Over time, that plank needs to be ripped up and dealt with, and addressed — but what’s true in my life is that anytime I get the sense that the plank I don’t want to come up starts to come up, I grab some of those nails (self-denial, disassociation, coping mechanisms, distractions) and nail that sucker back harder than the first time, or the most recent time that is. 

— “I’m not ready to tear that plank up yet! I don’t want to go there. It’s too painful. I’m the only one that deals with this. No one would understand or be empathetic.” These are all lies. 

— But God is not just interested in how you look from the outside, he wants what’s underneath.

— You know what a good homeowner does? They don’t just pay attention to what’s on the surface in their home, they deeply care about what’s going on underneath. God is the best homeowner – because in reality He does own the home (our lives). And over the course of our lives there is a sometimes gentle and sometimes more urgent invitation to tear up the planks. He wants what’s underneath. Those places that are really hard to go sometimes. And His deep care and love for us wasn’t enough, he puts people and things in our life, just like F3 and our community of men, to help in this process.

The journey of vulnerability and tearing up the planks is not easy nor is it comfortable, but it is good, very good. 

 

Tossin’ the frisbee and keeping our heads up

THE SCENE: Beatiful afternoon, in the 60s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Standard disclaimer with no FNGs
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH IC – 25
Windmills – 9 IC
Baby Arm Circle – thumps up – 9 4ct IC
Baby Arm Circle – thumps down  – 9 4ct IC
Cherry Pickers – 4ct IC – 9
Grady Corns – IC 20
5 Merkins OYO

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Rock Pile
Divide into 2 teams, Team one throws frisbee as close tocone as possible – if not within ~ 6 feet, run to cone and do 4 burpees.  No burpees if close to cone. The other team does squats while waiting. Team 2 gives it a try
Grab a rock- 25 Curls, 25 press, 25 rows R and Repeat
Mosey to Near Everest
Repeat frisbee challenge.  Double and triple burpee challenges given and accepted. (Team 1 lost both challenges)
Mosey to base of everest: 3 sets of exercise, Merkins, Hello Dolly, Plank Jacks.  With each set, do exercise 5 Ct, run to stump, run back, do 10 CT, run to stump, 25 CT, run to stump.  Go to next exercise
Throw frisbee up everest, alternating running and walking to the frisbee after each throw
Mosey to front of Admin bldg.  3 sets of exercise, star jump, Imp Walkers, Hand release Merkins, 5 at top, run 1/4 around loop, 10 reps, run to halfway piont, 15 reps, run back to admin, go to next exercise.  Team 1 goes CCW, Team 2 goes CW
Mosey back to AO
5 Merkins OYO

MARY:
none
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Keep you head up. Keep you head up physically and mentally. Keep your head out of  your phone when walking – look around. Many people are injured just walking while looking at their phone, sometimes walking in front of traffic. Keep you head up while driving. Distracted driving has killed over 3200 people in the US in 2021. Set a good example for your children. 5 seconds texting at 55 mph is the equivelent of eyes off road for one football field length.  I onces rear ended (lightly) someone while looking at my phone (turned out to be an off duty cop). Mentally keep your head up. We’re going to make mistakes, its a part of learning. Keep your head up when you fail, learn from it and move on. You are not learning if you are not making mistakes. Do not get to a point where you are afraid to take on risks and get out of your comfort zone, you will not grow.  A true HIM is constantly learning and getting out of his comfort zone.

MOLESKIN:
Pray for the students taking the T-caps, for Swimmies’ mom and for Pusher’s son
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Friday lunch at CAVA, May 29 HHOCR

Talk Less, Smile More

THE SCENE: Started off a bit misty, but turned out to be cloudy and downright pleasant, around 65 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3, Fitness, Fellowship and Faith. F3 is a free workout program designed to improve fitness, share some camaraderie, and foster male leadership in the community.  I’m Pele and I will be your Q today.  I am not a professional, and I do not know your fitness level or injury history.  Please push yourself, but modify the workout as necessary to avoid making any existing injuries worse.  The goal is to get better together!


WARM-O-RAMA:

– Motivators (5-ct, descending)

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence

– Michael Phelps

– 10 Tempo Seal Claps (4-ct), in Cadence

– 10 Tempo Overhead Claps (4-ct), in Cadence

-10 Steve Earle’s (4-ct), in Cadence

– OYO leg stretching

THA-THANG:

MOSEY to Small parking lot south of Colosseum.

  • Do each group of exercises, running a loop after each group is completed, for a total of 5 times around the lot. Can be done in any order.  Exercise groups are:
  1. AB BLASTER:
    • 20x: LBCs, BBSs, American Hammers (2-ct), Dead Bugs (2-ct)
  2. ARM BLASTER:
    • 20x: Merkins, Carolina Dry Docks, Bottle Openers (2-ct), Shoulder Taps (2-ct)
  3. LEG BLASTER:
    • 20x: Bobby Hurleys, Iron Mikes (2-ct), Froggie Jumps, Squats.
  4. CARDIO BLASTER:
    • 20x: SSH (2-ct), High Knees (2-ct), Butt Kickers (2-ct), Mountain Climbers (2-ct), Smurf Jacks
  5. STRETCH BLASTER:
    • 10 x: Cherry Pickers (4-ct), Windmills (4-ct), Grady Corns (4-ct)

Mosey to Road by Roundabout.

  • 5 sets of 30 seconds, AMRAP, 10 second break, BERNIE up to Curb at end of each set:
    • PLANK JACKS, LUNGES

MOSEY to roadway leading up to AO.

  • PARTNER PYRAMIDS! Partner up with like speed. Start ½ way between flag and tree. One partner runs towards flag, other partner runs towards stop sign or tree and back.   Meet at center point and   do the following exercises in REPS of 15.  Then switch directions.
    • LAP 1 Patty-cake Planks (2-ct)
    • LAP 2 Patty-cake Planks, LBCs
    • LAP 3 Patty-cake Planks, LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct)
    • LAP 4 Patty-cake Planks, LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurleys
    • LAP 5 LBCs, Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurleys
    • LAP 6 Mtn Climbers (2-ct), Bobby Hurley s
    • LAP 7 Bobby Hurleys

(we got about 1/2 way through this before running out of time.)
MARY:
Nope
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
7 sweaty dudes
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Early in the musical HAMILTON, Alexander Hamilton introduces himself to his hero (and future killer), Aaron Burr.  He’s nervous, trying to make a good impression, etc. is kind of hyper, talking passionately, and he’s sort of running off at the mouth a bit.  Aaron Burr stops him and gives him some advice.  “TALK LESS.  SMILE MORE.  DON’T TELL THEM WHAT YOU’RE AGAINST OR WHAT YOU’RE FOR.”

I constantly go back and forth with this concept in my head.  I’ve heard athletes, politicians, movie stars, all sorts of public figures say some version of “I’m going to speak my mind and I don’t give a BLEEP what you think about it.” And they get applauded for it.  Yeah, you go girl.  That’s right, tell them what you think and don’t let anybody tell you you’re wrong.

Well, the knife cuts both ways sometimes.  I was recently in a pretty intense discussion about some deep topics with a friend of mine. I was pretty dang sure that I was on the right side of the argument.  I was dropping knowledge bombs left and right.  Boom. There’s another one, Boom!  Big one coming, BOOM!  Shock and Awe kind of stuff.  And became more and more frustrated and angry that my friend wasn’t agreeing with me or seeing things the same way.  Afterwards, it really bothered me NOT that he didn’t agree with me so much, but that I had been so hard on my friend for not agreeing in the World According to Pele.  I went back to him and apologized, and those lyrics from Hamilton ran through my head.  Talk less. Smile more. Hmmm… maybe I should do that.

This probably isn’t a news flash to you, but people aren’t always going to agree with you.  And when that happens (not if, but when), don’t be like me, and don’t let your emotions get the best of you.  Give THEM an opportunity to explain what their point of view is and be patient, don’t interrupt them at every step pointing out what you think are the flaws of their argument.  TALK LESS.  And at the end of it, even if you never reach an agreement, shake their hand and say you respect their position.  SMILE MORE.  Like the Avett Brothers song says, No Hard Feelings.  Love Thy Neighbor (even when they’re wrong, hee hee).  Friendships are worth more than a fight about who’s right and who’s wrong.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for various PAX, their families and friends
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

Get Rid of It

THE SCENE: Beautiful day, temp in 50s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
25 Side Straddle Hops, 30 Second Squat, 15 Iron Mikes, 30 Second Plank, 10 Rockettes, 7 Twistees, 5 Rocking Chairs, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the parking lot on the other side of the playground.  We will Bear Crawl for 10 paces then lunge for 20 paces and alternate between that pattern to the end of the parking lot.

Mosey to the Lily Pad.  We will line up on the south curb.  We will then run to each large light post and do 10 Hello Dollies, the run to the next light post and do 10 more Hello Dollies, etc. until we reach the south curb of the parking lot.  We will Bernie Sanders back, stopping at each light to do 10 Big Boy Sit-ups.

Mosey to the perimeter trail just south of the Lily Pad Pavilion.  We will run south and then west for 10 lights. Whoever gets to the tenth light first will circle back to the six.  When reaching the six, then all men do 10 Merkins.  We will continue this pattern until we have reached the open area near the transformers.

Each man will pick a boulder from the boulder pile.  We will do the first exercise listed below with the boulders, then set them down to run to an area about fifty yards away, then run back to do the same exercise, then run to the picnic tables to do 15 bench dips.  Then run back to the boulders to do the next exercise and repeat the same running pattern.  Here are the exercises:

  • 15 Overhead Presses
  • 15 Curls
  • 15 Chest Thrusts
  • 15 Rows
  • 15 Squats with Boulder at Chest

We will mosey back to the Pavilion by running ten lights and circling back to six, then stopping to 10 Merkins.

We will return to the south curb of the Lily Pad.  There we will Sprint again to each light to do 10 Lunges then run to the next light until we get to the north curb.  On the way back we will Bernie to each light and do 10 Backwards Lunges until we reach the South Curb.

Mosey to the curb by the roadway that heads back to the AO.  We will do 20 Bench Dips.

Mosey to the Parking Lot that is south of the Playground. We will Hop for 10 paces and run for 20 paces to the end of the parking lot.

Mosey to the AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 men, no FNGs.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM

Get Rid of It

Have any of you ever known any hoarders?  A hoarder is someone that keeps all kinds of things that they could easily give away or throw away.  They will have piles of things that they haven’t used laying all over their house, taking up space.  I formerly had a client I saw in my therapy practice whose mother was a hoarder.  Her parent’s house had piles of junk that took up space all over the house.  The house was difficult to walk through.  My client was upset about it but became more upset when her father’s problematic lungs worsened.  The clutter in the house was only worsening his breathing issues.  My client, her husband, and siblings purchased a used trailer home.  They cleaned the entire house of the clutter and since her mother did not want anything to be thrown away, they put everything they cleaned into the trailer home that was located on the property so that their mother could “find her precious things” if she needed them.  Within a year my client’s mother was already cluttering her home with new junk.

I bring this up because we, as human beings, often clutter our minds with useless junk.  That junk can come in the form of a multitude of things such as sinful thoughts (e.g. envy, improper lust), of past regrets that we cannot let go of (e.g., some sin we committed long ago), of old harmful messages that we heard when we were younger (e.g., you are a poor student, you will never make it in life), of mental “shoulds” that leave us feeling worthless or at least below par (e.g, I should make more money, I should spend more time making my yard perfect even though I hardly have time for it), and of harmful comparisons we make between ourselves and others (e.g, I never stack up).  This garbage clutters are minds and leads to poor health, just like the physical clutter led to poor health for my client’s father AND mother.  Some of the clutter comes in the form of false myths we have about God such as “I can’t pray to God because he wouldn’t like me” or “God looks down on me.”  We have got to get rid of that trash.  Give all that clutter to God.  He is willing to be your trash man.  Do you think a loving God wants you to be weighed down by all that trash?  Do you think He wants you to be hurt by that crap?  Do you think he wants you to live in a miserable lie?  Give it up.  Ask God to take it from you.

My challenge to you this week is to think of one thing impacting you mentally that you need to throw away.  Write it down and throw it in the trash or burn in if you want to.  Ask God for help in keeping it off your mind.  God is willing to take it from you.

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Matlock’s nephew, John, who has been having seizures.  Doctors will possibly doing surgery on brain.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Knoxwork, a community of people of different worship communities involved together to help the City of Knoxville are having an annual meeting at the Knoxville Coliseum this Tuesday at 7 pm.  All are invited.