F3 Knoxville

Connect-Respect-Befriend

THE SCENE:   Scattered clouds, 75 degrees, 81% humidity, beautiful sunrise.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x25, Cherry pickers x15, Little baby arm circles forward/reverse x12, Spiderman crawl 20 yards, Samson lunges 20 yards, 1000 yard mosey to locate 6 stations in Tha-Thang.
THA-THANG:
Hill work at softball field: Sixes 1BBS at bottom, 5 ascents up hill; 2 BBS at bottom, 4 ascents up hill, 3 BBS at bottom, 3 ascents up hill.  (Abbreviated workout to get to the 6 Station Workout.)

  • Mosey back to Station 1:  Perform merkins x12, CMU hop x12, Dry docks x12, BBS x12.
  • Run 0.2 miles past each station, pick up CMU at Station 1, mosey to Station 2.
  • Station 2:  With CMU perform dead lifts x12/arm, bent rows x18, overhead presses x12.
  • Run 0.2 miles past each station, pick up CMU at Station 2, mosey to Station 3.
  • Station 3:  Perform burpees x6; curb toe touches x48, SSH (4 count) x12.
  • Run 0.2 miles past each station, pick up CMU at Station 3, mosey to Station 4.
  • Station 4:  With CMU perform squats x18, upright rows x12, swings x12, curls x12.
  • Run 0.2 miles past each station, pick up CMU at Station 4, mosey to Station 5.
  • Station 5:  Perform merkins x12, CMU hop x12, Dry docks x12, BBS x12, burpees x6; curb toe touches x48, SSH (4 count) x12.
  • Run 0.2 miles past each station, pick up CMU at Station 5, mosey to Station 6.
  • Station 6:  With CMU perform dead lifts x12/arm, bent rows x18, overhead presses x12, squats x18, upright rows x12, swings x12, curls x12.

Repeat the circuit as time allows

MARY:
Box cutters, flutter kicks, Hello Dolly’s, and back scratchers in cadence for the final 4 minutes.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Total of 14 including FNG – Emeril (Roland Decicco).  Welcome!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Don and I started at Alcoa, Inc in 1974.  Don as a mechanic.  Me as a mechanical engineer.  Our paths didn’t really cross until 18 years later when he was a union member and I was a management member of the contracting out committee.  We made an immediate connection when I found out his nephew, Jason, was a boy that I had couched at Maryville Little League for 2 to 3 years.  Jason was killed in a car accident when he was 18 in 1993 and the connection between Don and I became stronger.  We would often talk about Jason by offering small remembrances.  From our connection we grew to respect each other, to understand each others position as we tried to forge work agreements and paths forward.  In the early 2000’s Don and I again worked together on craft training and apprentice training issues.  The relationship remained strong until my retirement in 2009.

In 2012 I accepted a position with an alliance of Alcoa with Ma’aden in Saudi Arabia, called Ma’aden Aluminium.  My first 6 months found me primarily in an office building in Khobar, KSA in the Eastern Province.  Each day a small, bashful, unassuming man would come into my office around 3:00 pm to get the trash.  Toward the end of the first week I rose from my desk when he entered and offered to shake hands.  He really didn’t know what to do.  I told him my name is “Bob” and I spelled it for him.  I asked him his name.  He softly spoke his name but I had to ask him to say it a little louder.  He did.  Together we spelled “Bishnu.”  I proceeded to write his name on the lower right corner of my 4′ x 8′ dry erase board.  We shook hands again and he left.  Through the next 5-1/2 months Bishnu’s name remained on that board even though much was written and erased as plans and ideas were captured on it.  I also tried to make a point of standing up each time he came in to empty my trash.  We had connected and I wanted to give him recognition – perhaps a little respect.  About midway through my time in the central office Bishnu came in, walked over to the board, pointed and said, “My name!”  Yes, I said, and I will always remember you.  This young man from Bangladesh had obtained a little self worth from some simple gestures I had directed at him but perhaps the most meaningful was seeing his name on my board.  When I vacated that office to spend the balance of my KSA time at the $20 billion work site, I erased everything on that board except the letters B-I-s-h-n-u.  I don’t know what ever happened to him and I doubt I ever will.  I do continue to remember him.

In 2016 and 2017 I performed a little part time work at Alcoa/Arconic and once again found myself connecting with Don.  He was my go to mechanic for questions and information relative to several utilities issues.  Gone was the Union/Management tensions of the past and we talked about that.  We talked of our initial connection and how it grew into a relationship where we could understand each others position and objectives.  We knew that a good friendship had formed over the many years.

How much better would our small piece of this world be if we just put some emphasis on really connecting with one another?  Occasionally, it might be brought up after one of the far too many mass shootings.  (One is far too many).  Lets put our phones up, get off of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and get serious about connecting so that we can complete the chain to respect and then friendship.  We need to start sometime and there is no better time than now.

There is more to the Don story.  I’m so glad we had the discussion in 2016 and expressed appreciation for the friendship we had formed.  If we hadn’t then, it would be too late today.  A week ago Wednesday, Don was about five houses from home when his car left the road and he ran into a house in his neighborhood.  Don suffered a heart attack and died.  Rest in peace, my friend.  I won’ forget you.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Drifter move is Saturday.

Lost the Handle!

THE SCENE: Probably 75 or 90 or so.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Cherry Pickers x10 IC
SSH x25 IC
Hindurkins x10 IC
Rockettes x15 IC
Cossack Squats x16 IC (8 each leg)
Inchworm (walk hands out past head as far as possible, hold, walk back up) x5 or so
.
THA-THANG:
Head up to the Grinder and pair up for Broken Wheelbarrow.
6 cones set up about 7yd apart.
Broken wheelbarrow is missing a handle – partner holds just one leg, the other one just flops around…
5 merkins (still broken wheelbarrow) at each cone, swap legs at third cone.
After 6 cones, swap position with partner and head back.

At the pavalon:
20 Box Jumps
10 Hand Release Derkins

Split into 5 groups for 4 rotating stations, running group bumps to next station.
Stations alternate exercises until bumped:
10 Dips/Chest-Ups at the Scrapyard
15 Monkey Humpers/Pickle Pounders at Crowd Pleasers Corner
20 Merkins/Squat Jumps halfway up the hill
25 Mtn Climbers/BBS
Finished 2 rounds plus a mosey recovery lap.

MARY:
Flutter Kicks x15 IC, hot swap on-the-fly to Slutter Kicks x15.
Left-Right-Middle LBCs x15 IC
Shoulder Taps for the last 20s or so.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
18 PAX today! Looks like everybody but Woodshack came out…
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
It was touch-and-go whether I would make it this morning with my wonky eye from yesterday. A song kept going through my head, so we had a singing word today:

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one

MOLESKIN:
Broken Wheelbarrow is a tough one but a keeper. Takes so much more core!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Let’s help Drifter move next week – Right after Coffeeteria!.

BS Kraken

THE SCENE: Upper 60’s and Clear Skies
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Side Straddle Hops@20
Arms Circles B/F@15
Cherry Pickers@15
Tuck Jump (10)
High Knees (1 min)
Flutter Squat (4 Count) 10
Leg Thrust (10)
Dry Docks (10)
Run to  Mt. Krumpet

THA-THANG: (The Kraken)

Grab a battle buddy and do 10 reps at each station.  Run clockwise around the circle to the next station.

10 Partner Burpee
10  Side Straddle Hops
10 Partner Merkin
10 Tuck Jumps
10 Iron Boys
Bear Crawl / Crawl Bear
10 Big Boys
10 Flutter Squats
10 Leg Thrust
10 Dry Docks

(2 Times around the Kraken)

MARY:
Ring of fire Merkin and Side Plank (L/R), 30 Big Boys, 1 Minute of LBC’s
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
(12 Total) Butterfingers, Backspin, Drifter, Fins, Flash, Geisha, Hammy, Moses, Pinocchio, Snorkel, Squeaker Woodshack
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Individual work is the work of the world, the small steps are the big picture, and when we insist on our own aliveness we stake a claim for everyone’s. Furthermore, not honoring ourselves is fatefully tied up with not honoring others, who suffer from our passivity and detachment, and who are inspired by our conviction and commitment.

Not-engaged means checked out, but actively-disengaged means you’re busy acting out your unhappiness and dispiritedness, and spreading the virus among your colleagues, family and friends, to say nothing of the body-politic of which you’re a cell. What it means is that if you’re part of a rowing team out on a river, one of the team-members is rowing his or her heart out, five are just taking in the scenery, and two are actively trying to sink the boat.

The psychologist Ira Progoff once said that each of our lives is like a well, and that we’re meant to go down deeply enough into our own wells that we eventually reach the stream that’s the source of all the wells. And there, we hear the call that leads us back out into the world to test our bright swords in real combat—to save lives, teach love, change minds, educate, minister.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/passion/201505/the-1-rule-how-inspire-passion-in-others

Good livin at The Burbs

THE SCENE: Beautiful morning – moderate humidity

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

THA-THANG:

Partnered up with a battle buddy – 1 sandbag per team. Alternated sandbag carries between battle buddies until we arrived at the school. 20 Ruck Merkins, 20 Ruck Squats. From there, we made our way over to the Bearden track. On the way, Partner 1 would carry the sandbag while Partner 2 did 10 Ruck Merkins and 10 Ruck Squats. Partner 2 would then catch Partner 1, take the sandbag, and continue rucking while Partner 1 would then do the merkins and squats. Rinse, repeat until we made it to the track. At the track, we did 4 sets of the following exercises (15 reps for each). After each set, we ran a lap around the track.

  • Ruck Curls
  • Flutter Kicks (4 ct) with Ruck Overhead
  • Overhead Presses
  • Lunges or Squats (Ruck on)
  • Bent-over Sandbag Rows

Made our way back to the AO alternating sandbag carries between battle buddies. Stopped a couple times for 15 Ruck Merkins and 15 Ruck Squats. Once back to the AO, one last set of ruck curls, flutter kicks, presses, lunges, and sandbag rows. Flutter Kicks for the last 45 seconds to finish.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

15 strong this morning!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I felt scattered during my BOM and didn’t put in the time that I should have last night to prepare a strong word for the PAX.

I’m constantly reminded just how thankful I am for the men that God has put in my life each morning that I get to be surrounded by F3 brothers. I would never get up at 4 am to go suffer through brutal workouts without the encouragement, support, and accountability provided by my brothers. And while the physical push is great each morning, there is a much greater impact that the men of F3 make outside the 5:30 – 6:15 am timeframe (or 4:50 am on some days). When the men of F3 Knoxville catch wind that a fellow brother is struggling with something or going through a tough season in his life, it’s incredible to witness the love and support that they provide for him. That’s what being a part of the PAX is all about.

I’d Call That a Bargain

THE SCENE: 62 degrees F, 95% humidity, clear skies.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x21; Cherry Pickers x12; Little Baby Arm Circles x15 (forward and backward)

Samson’s x10 with 3 second hold followed by parking lot jog (repeat)
THA-THANG:
Stating at the grinder:

  • Merkins x12; BBS x12; Dry docks x12; Dips x24; Step ups x12 per leg
  • Bear Crawl 25 yards to CMU’s
  • With CMU’s: Dead lifts x12 per arm; Bent Rows x12; Upright Rows x12; Squats x12; Swings x12; Curls x12
  • Run 175 yards to road; Burpees x6; run 175 yards to CMU’s
  • Lunge 25 yards to Pavilion
  • (Repeat Above As Time Allows)

Everyone completed 3+ reps

MARY:
Assorted leg lifts with box cutters and flutter kicks added.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 PAX present
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
The music today was from Who’s Next, an August 1971 album by the Who.  The workout title comes from the Bargain track.  Many people believed Townshend was writing about pursuing a woman.  The lyrics are below:

Bargain

I’d gladly lose me to find you
I’d gladly give up all I had
To find you I’d suffer anything and be glad

I’d pay any price just to get you
I’d work all my life and I will
To win you I’d stand naked, stoned and stabbed

I’d call that a bargain
The best I ever had
The best I ever had

I’d gladly lose me to find you
I’d gladly give up all I got
To catch you I’m gonna run and never stop

I’d pay any price just to win you
Surrender my good life for bad
To find you I’m gonna drown an unsung man

I’d call that a bargain
The best I ever had
The best I ever had

I sit looking ’round
I look at my face in the mirror
I know I’m worth nothing without you
And like one and one don’t make two
One and one make one
And I’m looking for that free ride to me
I’m looking for you

I’d gladly lose me to find you
I’d gladly give up all I got
To catch you I’m gonna run and never stop

I’d pay any price just to win you
Surrender my good life for bad
To find you I’m gonna drown an unsung man

I’d call that a bargain
The best I ever had
The best I ever had

Songwriter: Peter Dennis Blandfor Townshend

When asked about the song and the inspiration for it, Pete Townshend stated, “The song is simply about losing one’s self ego as a devotee of Meher Baba. I constantly try to lose myself and find him. I’m not very successful, I’m afraid, but this song expresses how much of a bargain it would be to lose everything in order to be at one with God.”

I look at the words differently.

I’d gladly lose me to find you
I’d gladly give up all I had
To find you I’d suffer anything and be glad

I’d pay any price just to get you
I’d work all my life and I will
To win you I’d stand naked, stoned and stabbed

I’d gladly lose me to find you
I’d gladly give up all I got
To catch you I’m gonna run and never stop

I’d pay any price just to win you
Surrender my good life for bad
To find you I’m gonna drown an unsung man

Although using different words, this is what Jesus said … and did for me.  All He asks is “Follow me.”

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Insert information about upcoming events, 2nd or 3rd F opportunities, and any other announcements.