F3 Knoxville

Tag: Pusher

Work Hard then Slow Down

THE SCENE: Sunny, not too warm but humid after rain earlier in the day
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 side straddle hops in cadence

10 windmills

10 baby arm circles each way

Little of this and that

10 rockettes

5 burpees

THA-THANG:

Mosey to Grinch’s Hill

7/1’s

7 merkins up top

1 jump squats at bottom

Until get to 1 at top and 7 at bottom

 

Mosey to parking lot for Doras (battle buddy up)

100 bird dogs (5 each leg, demonstrate touch opposite leg and knee from on ground – switch side every 10)

100 squats

60 hand release merkins

 

Mosey to the Coliseum – Takeoff on baseball

Have to go 1st, do exercise come back home, go to 2nd…etc.

1st base – 20 flutter kicks

2nd base – 20 major merkins? (almost like diver bombers, but back over knees then out over hands)

3rd base – 20 Bobby Hurleys

Circle all the way around to home and do 5 burpees and then LBCs until the 6 comes in.

 

Mosey to top of Pickett’s Charge/Coliseum

Reverse Pickett’s Charge suicide

Run down to 1st tier – 10 imperial walkers – each leg is 1

Run down to 2nd tier – 5 prisoner getups

MARY:
Came back to AO right on time
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Use the TAGS on right-side to record PAX (BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOURSELF) in attendance. Be sure to select the AO in CATEGORY above TAGS and then delete these notes!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Spoke on not rushing and taking time and slowing down to do things right and stress out less. Shared the following quote:

“Sometimes I think there are only two instructions we need to follow to develop and deepen our spiritual life: slow down and let go.” – Oriah Mountain Dreamer

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Thunderstrucks Mom. She has chosen to stop with blood transfusions. Prayers for him and his whole family as they face the possible loss.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.

Superficial Cracks

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy, low 60s, beautiful, but breezy as heck!!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

-SSH x 20 (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct), in cadence, maintain position…

– Hamstring stretches, sky reaches

– 20 Grady Corns (4-ct), in cadence

– Little of this and that

– Tempo Squats, 4-ct, IC

THA-THANG:
MOSEY to Amphitheater.

  • JINXY’S FOUR AND A QUARTER. Start at bottom of hill, run to top of slope and do 25 reps of an exercise, return to starting position.  R&R 4 times, totaling 100 of the exercise.
    • Round 1: Carolina Dry Docks
    • Round 2: Lunges (single count)
    • Round 3: Imperial Walkers (single count)

MOSEY to FIELD Below Colosseum.

RECTANGLE of DEATH!!

Blue cones on Corners, Orange Cones on sides (one side has blue cone in middle).  Sheets will tell you what to do and how to get to next Blue Cone.  Rinse and Repeat.  First one done yell RECOVER.

Corner 1: Do 20 Iron Mikes (10 each leg). Suicide using orange cones to next blue cone.

Corner 2: Do 20 Plank Jacks, Bear Crawl to next Blue Cone

Corner 3: Do 20 Big Boy Situps, Bernie to Blue Cone ½ way down.

½ Way Cone: Do 10 Burpees, Bernie to next Blue cone

Corner 4: 20 Dive Bombers , EL CAPITAN to next Blue Cone

RINSE AND REPEAT (didn’t quite get 2x around)

Mosey to Area 51. Check for cars with undressed people inside.

Totem Pole.  Start at 10, do all the exercises, then run to CONE, do 10 SSH, and return. Then start at 9, etc.  Only got about 1/2 way done with this.

  • 10 Burpees
  • 9 Mountain Climbers (4-ct)
  • 8 Diamond Merkins
  • 7 Box Cutters
  • 6 American Hammers (4-ct)
  • 5 Imperial Squat Walkers (4-ct)
  • 4 Hand Release Merkins
  • 3 Bobby Hurleys
  • 2 Squats
  • 1 Star Gazers (10 seconds).  Rabbits R&R

RUN UP HILL.  WATCH FOR BEES. Mosey to AO

MARY:
Steam led the PAX in some ab work while the QIC picked up the Six.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I hope you all read Judge Judy’s newsletter that came out this week.  Its title was Cracks in the Foundation, and alluded to some situations both in F3 and outside of it that have resulted in fractures within groups and between individuals.  We recently experienced a little bit of that here, at our very own AO.  So for my Word, I just wanted to reiterate what I feel is F3’s absolutely greatest attribute: it’s ability to inspire us all to be better men through SHARING.  Sharing of the Suck from the workout, Sharing in the responsibilities of being Q, etc., and Sharing of life experiences in the Circle that others may learn from or be inspired by.

We often use the term “Lock Shields” in F3.  Think about that for a second.  What does that look like, literally?  I have this image from Lord of the Rings of a bunch of warriors facing a common enemy, and each one of them standing shoulder to shoulder with their shields up.  If it was just one dude, he’d get surrounded, overwhelmed.  But it’s a bunch of bad hombres that are aligned in a common purpose, that being to protect each other and protect what’s behind them by being an integral part of that wall.  If there’s a crack, if there’s a gap in the wall, then everyone is in deep doo doo.  So we have our differences.  We have our differences in Faith, Politics, what kind of workouts we want to do out here, and maybe even differences in how we think F3 should operate.  That’s fine!  If everyone agreed on everything, life would be boring.  And probably those guys in the days of the Roman Empire standing next to each other didn’t see eye to eye during the course of their daily lives.  But the 45 minutes we have out here are not for solving all our differences about those things.  It’s about working hard physically, improving ourselves, supporting our brothers, and being inspired to bring positivity, leadership, and GOODNESS, dagnappit, outside of the Circle.  When we’re out here, we lay our differences aside.  When we’re out here, I’m continually trying to figure out ways to better serve you so that you can serve others.  And I hope that’s all of our mindsets.  But whatever cracks in our foundation we have are superficial, and can be overcome with Grace and empathy and understanding.  And Boys, from the bottom of my heart, it’s an honor and a privilege to come out here and lock shields with each and every one of you.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Steam and his fiancee and their venture down a new path, prayers of thanks that Lillydipper’s daughter got a job that she really wanted, prayers for Pusher and his family as his daughter deals with heartbreak.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Escape from Haw Ridge coming up!

My Team Lost!

THE SCENE: Partly cloudy skies, temp in lower 60s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 5 Burpees, 10 Mountain Climbers, 4 Burpees, 10 Windmills, 3 Burpees, 10 Twisties, 2 Burpees, 10 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward, 1 Burpee, Little of This and That
THA-THANG:

Mosey toward stop sign at northeastern end of the admin bldg.  We will stop at the guard rail to do 15 merkins.  Then we will mosey northwest on the perimeter trail and stop when it meets the trail that parallels Lyons Bend.  We will stop to do 20 American Hammers.

Next we will run up Roadshow Run doing the following:

  • At top of first set of steps do 10 Diamond Merkins then run back to trailhead.
  • Run to top of second set of steps and do 10 Diamond Merkins.  Then run back to trailhead.
  • Run to the top of the last set of steps and do 10 Diamond Merkins.  Then circle back down Roadshow Run to pick up the six.

Next we will do a counterclockwise circle, stopping to do the following exercises

  • At bottom of the steps leading to Bat Cave do 20 Carolina Dry Docks
  • At grove area near the summit of Mt. Everest do 5 Burpees
  • At top of Mt. Everest do 20 Flutter Kicks, 4 ct.
  • At Bat Cave do 20 Star Jumps
  • Rinse and Repeat two more times.

Mosey to the stop sign at the northeastern corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will be following a path and stopping at cones on the way.  The path will go on sidewalk, then to steps of Admin Bldg, then back on sidewalk to roadway that leads to coliseum, then on that roadway north back to stop sign.  We will run on this path except where indicated below.  We will stop at cones to do the following exercises:

  • Cone 1 at end of sidewalk:  20 Hello Dollies
  • Cone 2 on steps of Admin Bldg:  20 Calf Raises
  • Cone 3 at start of other sidewalk that goes to coliseum roadway:  20 Merkins
  • Cone 4 at parking area by coliseum roadway:  20 Jump Squat then Bernie Sanders to Cone 5
  • Cone 5 by stop sign an Northeastern corner of Admin Bldg:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Rinse and repeat two more times

Mosey back to AO

MARY:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Reverse Big Boys.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
17 men, no FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My Team Lost!

Being a sports fan is fantastic.  It has been so nice to see fans back in stadiums this year versus seeing those doggone pictures of fans they would put in the seats last year during Covid.  The roar of the crowd helps makes sports what it is.  And, I am a sports fanatic.  There is nothing wrong with that . . . unless I make sports my false idol.  God states in Exodus 20:3 that “You shall have no other Gods before me.”  I think there are many who make sports their God and sometimes I am guilty of it. Think of the amount of time people spend focusing on a sport like football or basketball versus focusing on God.  And think of how much emotion people put into sports versus worship.  Again, I am guilty.  My friend Pele can tell you one of the most frequent statements I make when my Baylor Bears are losing:  “I hate life!”  I say it in fun, but I must admit that I am guilty of feeling kind of like that when my alma mater loses.  Heck, my weekend was almost ruined when both Baylor and Tennessee lost on the same day during March Madness this year.  Only my son Bennett’s engagement to his fiancé, Sarah, saved me from going into a despondent funk.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t go nuts for our favorite sports teams.  That is actually a beautiful thing and I think God sees it that way.  But when people are so consumed by it that their lives become lopsided . . . and, when people are willing to give hush money to others just so that their favorite college can win . . . that is going too far.

As an athlete, sports has taught me so much:  the thrill of competition; the ecstasy of winning; how to put my team and teammates above myself; how to practice, practice, and practice to become become better at a task; how to serve with others in unison for a common cause; how to sacrifice; and, how to lose.  Because sports is about both winning and losing.  I thank sports for what it has taught me.  But sports, I will not make you my idol.  I will put no idols before God.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers of thanks for 3rd birthday of Pusher’s grandson and Jetlag’s son.  Prayers for Swimmie’s grandfather who is having surgery for cancer.  Prayers for the people in Ukraine in the war there.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Starting new F3 site at Kingston in April.

Control the Controllables

THE SCENE: The fakest fake gloom possible
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER DONE
WARM-O-RAMA:
32 SSH to celebrate the Vols win, cherry pickers, this and that, rockettes, and stretch to get ready to run.
THA-THANG:

  • BB with crouching tiger merkins and inchworm-merkin-squat
  • BB with Apollo Onos and American Hammers / V-sit OH claps
  • Bear Crawl fun!
  • BB with Criss-Cross Squats and Lunges
  • BB with Butterfly Big Boys and Sprints
  • BB up with some Burpee action

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
A dozen HIMs getting better
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Things at work have gotten chippy.  My office works with 100+ units and we’re always the end of the line, so when others upstream don’t do their part, it’s our problem to fix.  When other’s don’t pull their weight, we have to make up the slack.  With that, resentment can build and things that shouldn’t be said get said.  It’s helpful to remember the wisdom to “control the controllables”.  Attitude.  Action.  Effort.  I can choose to let things upset me, or choose to keep a positive outlook.  I can choose to participate in the negativity, or choose more positive actions.  I can choose to lower my quality of work, or I can choose to perform at my highest level.

You can’t control much of anything that goes on around you.  But, you can control your Attitude, Action, and Effort.

Life is an Adventure

THE SCENE: Perfect.  Low 60s and plenty o’ sun!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Check
WARM-O-RAMA:

– 20 SSH (4ct, IC)

– 20 Moroccan Nightclubs (4 ct, IC)

– 10 Windmills (4 ct, IC)

– 10 Tempo squats

– 10 Grady Corns (4 ct, IC)

-Leg Stretches

THA-THANG:
We repeated some of the exercise stations from CSAUP so that the guys who missed could experience it a bit, and to recreate the nightmare for those that did attend. 🙂

MOSEY to Area 51

PRISON YARD (AREA 51)

OBJECTIVE: Your adventures have gotten off to an inauspicious beginning.  You have been charged with a crime! You must serve your punishment by doing hard labor.

  • Do 10 PRISONER GET UPS in the parking lot

 

  • BEAR CRAWL to Wall of building, do 10 PRISONER CELL MERKIN BURPEES (PCMBs).

 

  • EL CAPITAN back to parking lot. RINSE AND REPEAT.

 

MOSEY to Gravel Parking Lot

ENDURANCE TRAINING

OBJECTIVE: After that short little mosey, I can hear you panting like a She-Dragon in Labor! You are already out of breath, and you call yourself a HIM?? To achieve ultimate HIM-dom, you must train to IMPROVE YOUR ENDURANCE!

Do a SEABISCUIT! Run one lap around the parking lot (staying outside of the cones) and then do:

  • 10 Merkins
  • 20 Big Boy Situps
  • 30 Squats

Run TWO laps, Repeat the exercises

Run THREE laps, Repeat the exercises

Mosey to AO, stopping twice to do some American Hammers and LBCs.

PRINCESS’S TOWER (SPACE NEEDLE)

OBJECTIVE: You must rescue the princess trapped in the Tower, but first you must slay the dragon that guards her!

EXERCISES:

  • Do a WELSH DRAGON*

SAVE the Princess! RUN to top of tower (Space Needle), do 20 SQUATS at each turn of the stairs. Touch the picture of the princess and return to bottom.

MARY:
No time for good ol’ Mary.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 plus two dogs plus one 2.0, plus one ex Nan’taan
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Life is not a problem to be solved, but an adventure to be lived!

  • John Eldredge, Wild at Heart.

When I was young I read every Choose Your Own Adventure book I could get my hands on.  For a kid who had a very active imagination, but was also constrained by little things like school, chores, going to Grandma’s house every Sunday, “rules”, avoiding getting beat up by a big brother, and on and on…. I usually didn’t get to live out those wild dreams that were always in my head.  And being a scrawny little runt who was always the smallest kid in class and in our neighborhood gang, I was far from looking the part of the noble hero or the brave adventurer.  The books were a wonderful diversion.  You could pretend you were a swashbuckling pirate on the high seas, an astronaut on a far-away planet, a wizard infiltrating the castle of frost giants, or a treasure hunter looking for a lost artifact in a distant land. And the books made you feel like you had a little bit of control, but in the end, you usually died anyway. Kind of like what happened in CSAUP. 😉  But then as you grow up, you gradually start to lose a bit of that magic.  Life gets in the way.  Bills, jobs, responsibilities.  Like little Jackie Paper, painted wings and giants rings make way for other toys.  And one day it happens… and you stop frolicking with a magic dragon in a land called Honnalee.

But every once in awhile, it’s great to revisit those places of imagination and dreams.  And that’s why I loved helping to create the CSAUP story line.  Yeah, I got to torture all of you guys who participated… but it was fun to bring just a little bit of magic and adventure to a morning that was completely stupid and utterly pointless.  I hope you all enjoyed it too.  And if you missed it… Take a visit back to Honnalee.  pick up one of your old Choose Your Own Adventure books and go through it again.  But every time you slay the dragon of save the princess, or find the treasure… you owe me 20 burpees!

MOLESKIN:

Prayers for Ukraine, CRISPR’s work environment, Pusher’s daughter’s band trip to Florida

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None