F3 Knoxville

Ladders and Sh@#ts

THE SCENE: Nice and cool.  Almost spitting snow.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Warm up burpee ladder:  10 4 ct SSH, IC; 2 burpees OYO; 10 BAC forward IC; 4 burpees OYO; 10 BAC backwards; 6 burpees OYO; 10 Imperial Walkers IC; 8 burpees OYO; 10 tempo squats IC; 10 burpees OYO.
THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to Circus Maximus for Merkin Ladder.  Run (not mosey, run!) 1/4 lap at a time, add 1 merkin at each stop up the ladder till you reach 10 merkins.  Then 1/4 lap back down the ladder to 1 merkin.
  • Mosey to Cardiac for the cardiac ladder:  10 SSH at the bottom, Bernie to the first curve; 10 SSH + 20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Bernie to the 2nd curve.  Repeat SSH and CCD, add 30 4 ct Freddy Mercurys.  Sprint to the top.  Repeat SSH, CCD, Freddy Mercurys.  Add 40 squats.
  • Mosey to bottom of Baby Everest for Jimmy’s (Jacob’s big brother) Ladder.  Run Baby Everest and do a Man Maker.  Add a Man Maker each time you run to the top, topping out at 7 Man Makers.

MARY:
Hurricane Hoedown ladder.  Sitting flutters with hands over head x 7; reclining flutters x7, regular flutters x7.  Repeat x6, then x5, etc. all the way down the ladder.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Even in dark days, there are things to be thankful for.  From Abraham Lincoln’s proclamation establishing a recurrent Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, at a time when our nation was more divided than it has ever been:  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Cheatsheet’s daughter
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Need supplies for the VA home, please!

25s

THE SCENE: 37 degrees and clear.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

We tried to do deconstructed SSHs but failed. 5 Cherry pickers, 25 Imperial Walkers , this and thats
THA-THANG:

Mosey around the park stopping occasionally for 25qty of these exercises (in no particular order)

pickle pounders, basketball court line touches, v-ups, Merkins , burpee’s, line jumpers, dips, inclines, crab jacks, plank jacks, American hammers, CMU curl and press, CMU American swings, shoulder taps, dry docks , LBCs…a couple more I forgot.

We did a few sprints and Bernie sanders along the way as well. Finished with some high knees, low knees and side shuffles at the tennis courts.

MARY:
Box cutters x25
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

11 pax

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Give your wife attention. Kiss your wife. Forgive her, tell her sorry first.
MOLESKIN:
Good size crowd today. The Q might have been a little wonky with a last-minute fill-in, but I think we got a sweat going
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None

Veteran’s Day Tribute

THE SCENE: Clear and cool (42f) – Beautiful morning
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Side straddle hops (I.C.) 25
  • Michael Phelps
  • Arm Bars
  • Baby Arm Circles (forward & back) from TIE fighter position

THA-THANG:

Props to CODE BROWN for  carrying The Colors for us throughout the Q!!

Mosey from AO to skunk hill – Honoring the U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima:

  • Up skunk hill – 11 Merkins – back down
  • Up skunk hill – 11 Merkins – back down
  • Up skunk hill – 19 Merkins – back down

Mosey from Skunk Hill to river walk – Honoring the U.S. Navy:
• Row Boat (I.C.) 11
• Drydock (I.C.) 11
• Hello Dolly (I.C.) 19

Mosey from boardwalk to chapel – Honoring U.S. Coast Guard:
• Captain Morgan (I.C.) 11 (Each side)
• Flounder Pounder (I.C.) 11
• Doggie Paddle (I.C.) 19

Mosey from chapel to cloud – Honoring U.S. Air Force:

  • Triceps dip (I.C.) 19
  • Dive bomber 11
  • Wind Mill (I.C.) 19

Bernie from cloud to AO / CMU pile – Honoring U.S. Army:
• CMU Curl (I.C.) 11
• CMU Squat (I.C.) 11
• CMU Bench Press (I.C.) 19

*Threw in 19 CMU overhead presses for good measure

MARY:

  • Box cutters (IC 20)
  • Mtn Climbers (IC 20)
  • Flutter kicks (IC 20)
  • Old Man Stretch

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
24 HIMS shared in a tribute to our armed forces by working our way around various Asylum landmarks and honoring our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Special shout out to the veterans in our group as well.

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
History lesson – 100th anniversary of Armistice day:
November 11th, 1918 marked the end of WWI – One year later on the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1919, (11/11/1919) the first National Holiday known then as Armistice Day was celebrated to commemorate the end of the first world war. Armistice Day remained so until 1954 when the name was changed to Veterans Day to be inclusive of all veterans who had come before and after WWI. That makes today, November 11th of 2019 the 100th anniversary of this national day of recognition of the brave men and women who have served in our armed forces. Over the course of that 100 years, millions of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have served and sacrificed for our freedom and to ensure the greater safety and wellbeing of the world as a whole. Today is a day to say thank you.

MOLESKIN:
CHALLENGE: At some point today, reach out to a friend, a colleague or even a stranger and simply thank them for their service. To keep it top of mind throughout the day, post an American Flag on the group me once you’ve done it.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Ai-CAN Legs and Bro-CAN-back Mountain

THE SCENE: 60ish and cloudy.  No rain yet!
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x20; Now grab 2 cans each from Charmin’s food drive box; Imperial Squat Walkers x 20; Tie fighters x 11 each way; line up on the baseline curb for some Rocky Balboas. All in cadence.
THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to the Cloud for some Aiken (or Ai-CAN) Legs:  20 squats, 20 box jumps, 20 Mary Katherines, 20 Rev. Lunges, rinse and repeat.  Stop midway for 10 burpees (10 burpees every time someone drops a can!)
  • Rest with Flutter kicks IC x 20.
  • Mosey to the Pavalon and partner up.  20 step ups on the tables while the partner wall sits with cans held out. Rotate out. Rinse and repeat.
  • Mosey to bottom of Baby Everest (or is it Little Cardiac??).  Vote to hold on to the cans for the remainder of the workout.
  • Bro-CAN Back Mountain:  Doras with your partner.  One partner Bernies up the hill (back pedal) and then runs down while the other is doing SSH or Moroccan Night Clubs (250 total for each exercise).
  • Back to the Cloud for Can Ups:  Grab a bench, plank position with cans in front of you.  Place one can up on bench from plank, then merkin, then other can up on bench, then merkin, then one can back down on ground, merkin, and other can back down on ground and merkin.  That’s 1.  Do 10 of those.
  • Mosey back to AO

MARY:
Code Brown led in some Canned Thors, then some Canned Dollies
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Food drive message: “Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, ‘Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”  John 6:8-10.  We never know what small thing will lead to big miracles.  Have faith and great things can happen from even the smallest gesture.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pacman and his wife as she goes to Vanderbilt for evaluation of eyesight issues.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  1. Last week for the food drive!  2) Brolympics on Nov. 9.  Sign up now!!

Healing The Wounded

THE SCENE: Humid, temp in low 70’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Plank Jacks, Plank arm and leg raises, 10 Cherry Pickers, Michael Phelps, Little of This and That.

THA-THANG:
Mosey to Southern Ball Fields Parking Lot.  Do 20 Hello Dollies, four count.

Mosey to perimeter trail near the Pavilion of the south ball fields.  We will do Nickel, Dime, Quarters (run one light do five of exercise, run two lights do ten, run five lights and do 25 of exercise) all the way to the beginning of Cardiac Hill.  These will be the exercises we will go through:

  • Star Jumps
  • Merkins
  • Big Boy Sit-ups
  • Squat Jumps
  • Dive Bombers
  • Imperial Walkers (four count)

At Cardiac Hill we will run up the hill, stopping at each of the turns and finally at the benches to do the following exercises:

  • Turn 1:  20 American Hammers
  • Turn 2:  20 Flutter Kicks
  • Turn 3:  20 Decline Merkins
  • Benches:  Bench Dips
  • Rinse and Repeat

Mosey to parking lot where we keep CMUs.

We will go around the parking lot, stopping at each corner to do exercises.  We go around the parking lot four times, doing the following exercises at each corner:

  • Corner 1:  20 Carolina Dry Docks, 20 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1), 20 Squats, 20 Diamond Merkins  (sprint to Corner 2)
  • Corner 2:  20 Mountain Climbers (four count), 20 Smurf Jacks, 20 Iron Mikes (four count) 10 Burpees (bear crawl to Corner 3)
  • Corner 3: (with CMUs) 20 Overhead Presses, 20 Curls, 20 Rows, 20 Coupon Swings (Bernie Sanders to Corner 4)
  • Corner 4:  20 Bicycle Kicks (four count), 20 Box Cutters, 30 Baby Crunches, 40 “Mississippi second count” Boat Canoe  (Lunge to Corner 1)

Mosey back to AO.

MARY:
30 Baby Crunches
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Ten Men, No FNGs.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
As HIMs, we desire to help others.  But how to we handle people that are difficult to help?  Who resist or slap down our offers of assistance with “yes buts”, turning their backs to you, snide remarks, or an attitude that says either that “people aren’t no damn good” or “to hell with you and your advice.”  In my last message I talked about the need to resist the urge to strike back with caustic words; the need to be patient with such people; and, the need to stay Strong with them hanging in there with them.

One thing that can help you is to try to understand where the person is coming from.  These are often folks who have been hurt in their pasts.  Because of that, they lack trust in others and also lack trust in themselves to overcome difficulties.  There is a song by Nick Cave that, I believe, captures well how past painful experience can lead to a tragic attitude of “people ain’t no damn good.”  Ironically, the name of the song is “People Ain’t No Good.”  I don’t think this is Nick Cave’s stance on life although I am sure that, like all of us, he has certainly felt this way.  Rather, it is the stance of the narrator of the song.

Throughout the song, the refrain is “people they ain’t no good.”  Then we find out more about the narrator.  We find out how he married his love under cherry trees and under blossoms they made their vows.  We hear how the sun would stream on the sheets of their bed, how they were awoken by the morning bird, how they would buy Sunday newspapers but never read a single word due to their love for one another.

But, then we hear about how the winter stripped the blossoms of their love.  How like a fist, the difficulties hit them.  How his wife drew the curtains, made of wedding veils, on the narrator.  And, so the narrator cries, “to our love send a coffin of wood. . . to our love a valentine of blood. . . to our love let all the jilted lovers cry “that people just ain’t no good.”

Then, we hear how others may have tried to help this narrator but how he (and, this is the gut-wrenching tragedy of the story) bitterly turned down their help.  Here are the tragic lines about the people who tried to help him:

It ain’t that in their hearts they’re bad
They can comfort you, some even try
They nurse you when you’re ill of health
They bury you when you go and die
It ain’t that in their hearts they’re bad
They’d stick by you if they could
But that’s just bullshit baby
People just ain’t no good
Through the song, we come to understand the stance of the narrator.  It is a tragic stance but we have empathy for him because we can understand the reason for his pain.  Let us, as HIMs, be patient, be loving, be kind, be strong.  Work to understand those who turn away our attempts at love.  Help those who are bitter to learn that, although all of us screw up, some people are pretty damned good.

MOLESKIN:
Prayer of thanks that Mr. Jinxy received good news from the cardiologist.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The REWARD at Panera!