F3 Knoxville

Tag: Steam

Respond

THE SCENE: Blue skies, temp in low 80s.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Motivators, starting with seven.  10 twisties.  10 Cherry Pickers.  10 Windmills.  Michael Phelps and a Little of This and That.

THA-THANG:

Mosey to the southeastern corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will stop to do 20 Dead Bugs (4 count) and 20 Flutter Kicks (4 count).

Mosey to the parking lot that is east of the Utility Bldg.  We will do Doras.  While one partner runs to the other end of the parking lot and does 10 Merkins, the other partner works on the exercises.  Partners then switch.  Here are the exercise the partners do as a team:

  • 100 Iron Mikes (both legs = 1)
  • 100 Box Cutters
  • 100 Big Boy Sit-ups
  • 100 Bicycle Kicks (four count)

Mosey to the perimeter trail by the gate at Northshore and head north on the trail to the shady area past the Utility Bldg.  We will stop to do 20 Jump Squats and 40 Baby Crunches.

Next we will run north and then west on the perimeter trail.  We will run for 4 lights and lunge for one light, continuing that process until we reach the area where the trail splits.  We will stop there to do 20 Hello Dollies.

Next, we will run up Roadshow Run.  Men should do 10 calve raises at each set of steps and do 5 Burpees after each set of steps.  Those getting to the Bat Cave first should do Baby Crunches until the six arrives.

Slow Mosey and then Bernie to big tree that is northwest of Admin Bldg.  Then, sprint to parking lot.  Then slow mosey back to AO.

MARY:
10 Squats, 20 Leg Raises.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
15 men with an FNG whom we dubbed “Woodstop.”  His hospital name is Mac Whipple and he is the son of Rooney.

CIRCLE OF TRUTH:

RESPOND

In F3 we talk about having each other’s back. We talk about connecting with our brothers in time of need.  To me, that is one of the beautiful things about F3.  I consider you guys my brothers and I know that if I am down, I could call on you and you would respond. I hope each of you know that you can call on us if you are in trouble and we will try to figure out a way to help.  I want to say something about this, however, as I don’t want anyone to have false expectations about what your brothers can give.

As a therapist, I have seen clients of mine make the mistake of making faulty presumptions about what good people can give them.  I have seen patients get injured, lose jobs that they were at for years, have life changes that put them in a bad place.  Certainly, after life altering injuries, these folks can use friends.  Some of these patients get mighty depressed . . . in their depression they may get hopeless . . . and, in their hopelessness they may get cynical.  I hear some of them say that they thought they had friends, but after their lives took a spiral downward, they found they had no friends.  They complain of no longer getting phone calls or visits from others.  They start thinking of people as selfish and cold.

While I believe that there are some self-interested and cold people out there, I also believe that those who say they have no friends, those who say people are disinterested, are themselves a major part of the problem.  They themselves are not responding to the people reaching out to them.  I have seen this difficulty occur not only with some patients in my practice but amongst a few brothers in F3.  When I reach out to brothers in a time of crisis or pain, how AM I RESPONDING to them?  That becomes critical if my brothers are going to help me.

First, when in need we should realize that our friends have lives of their own.  They are managing their jobs, their families, and lives that may be just as difficult as our own.  They cannot be there for us 24/7.  Respect that. Set up a time to meet with your friend.  Respect that he or she may be busy and may only have an hour or two for you.  Don’t always expect them to call on you.  They have other people to think about.  Call on them.  I remember living in Dallas and calling on my pastor at a time of great difficulty. He was a very fine man, someone I truly admired.  But, I also realized his time was limited.  We set up some time on a Tuesday night to speak to each other at a place of his convenience.  That hour I spent with him has stuck to my ribs to this very day.  I am so thankful for it.

Second, we need to realize how we are coming across to the people we call on.  Are we listening to what they have to say to us or are we just moving on with our own agenda?  Those we call on need to know that they are being responded to.  Why should they give their time to someone who shuns their advice, their coming to see us, their friendship?  If you’re depressed, you don’t need to be jumping for joy when they speak to you.  But, thank them for their time with us.  And, if you want them to continue to be there for you, listen to what they say.

Finally, show an interest in them.  I ask some of those complaining patients how their “friends” are doing.  They often don’t know.  When in need, it is natural to focus on ourselves, but don’t exclude others by taking no interest in them.  No matter how wounded we are, we can still care for others.  Heck, our pets DEMAND that we show interest in them.  I remember times when I was so sad or mad that I didn’t want to be bothered by anyone or anything.  Along would come Ol Jasper Dog, placing his paw on my knee and demanding to be petted.  I would think, you should be rubbing my head fella.  But, scratching his head or belly for a few minutes, I was usually feeling better.  The act of reaching out itself helps to cure us.

Finally, remember that while your friends have their own lives and cannot be in two places at once, God can be everywhere at once.  Call on your friends but also call on God.  He is Ever Present in our time of need.
MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pop A Top’s friend whose wife recently passed away; for the future mother-in-law of Steam whose cancer is now in remission but who is having a difficult time with radiation; for Pusher in his travels to the Philippines where he will visit for his father’s 85th birthday; and prayers of praise that Mr. Jinxy’s automobile accident related lawsuit settled.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence on July 2 at JUCO.

Leading Ultimate Frisburpee

THE SCENE: April showers bring May flowers… and sweat. But what do Mayflowers bring?
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER – Not a Professional
WARM-O-RAMA:
The first exercise is… Mosey to the track. Partner up as we’re heading there. Extra person find a group with two good runners because today will include a lot of running in it.

Warmup in the End Zone aka “the 0-Yard” per Anchorman.
1. Lunges with a twist across
2. Finger walk – to walk (aka Inch Worm)
3. Over over under under (switch halfway)
4. High knees
5. Butt kickers
6. Side lunges with a skip (switch halfway)
7. Tennessee Rocking Chair

Final warmup lap around the track to the opposite end zone. Today we are going to be playing / doing a variant of a routine on the F3 Exicon known as “ultimate frisburpee”

THA-THANG:
We need to do a throwing warmup so everyone has a chance to get touches on the disc.

First we’ll be doing a game of hot potato – toss the disc to a fellow pax while everyone in the circle does squats. When the timer is up the person left with the disc (or who last was supposed to catch it) calls an exercise not named SSH or a SSH variant. Then we’ll do 15 reps of that exercise. Every time the disc is dropped or not caught, the PAX will do a decreasing number of burpees starting from 5, then 4, 3…

Find your partner and pick even or odd (group of 3 just figure this out).

Field size based on # of PAX (odd number rounding down to give a PAX “rest” as he will be doing alternating flutter kicks and pickle pointers in sets of 10 each with a 10 count rest after each set of two exercises)
4 (2v2) – A single 5 yard x 5 yard square for the goal aka Hot Box
6 (3v3) – A single 5 yard x 5 yard square for the goal aka Hot Box
8 (4v4) – 5 yard deep end zones, 40 yard long x 30 yard wide field
10 (5v5) – 10 yard deep end zones, 50 yard long x 30 yard wide field
12 (6v6) – 15 yard deep end zones, 60 yard long x 35 yard wide field
14 (7v7) – 20 yard deep end zones, 70 yard long x 40 yard wide field

The routine is simple: Similar to ultimate frisbee but with penalty burpees. On the 1st turnover, 5 burpees for all PAX. On the 2nd turnover, 4 burpees. On the 3rd, 3 burpees. On the 4th turnover, 2 burpess. On the 5th turnover, 1 burpee. If neither team has scored, the remainder of the point is played like regular ultimate frisbee. Burpee count resets after every point. You do not have to wait for all PAX to finish burpees to begin playing (i.e., it is advantageous to finish your burpees faster). Usually played for about 20 minutes. A PAX favorite in F3 Hampton Roads.

Our variant will be waiting for PAX to finish burpees (to give us a break and let everyone not run into each other since it was light-ish at first but eventually was fine to play). Also, after every point every PAX on the team that scores will do 5 squats and 5 merkins while the team that did not score walks to their end zone.

We ran out of time but it was super fun for everybody (& skins won).

MARY:
Ain’t nobody got time for that.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12 men having too much fun for an F3 beatdown!
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The decision to lead (a Q or anything else)- what factors come down to it? What factors do you consider when making any decision? What should you consider? I think there are 3, but we’ll focus on the first one:

Qualifications
Ability
Desire

So I’m going to read verses on authority of those with the right qualifications. See where you fit in and see how you can properly exercise and submit to that authority in your life today:
“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” –‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:3-4‬ ‭ESV‬‬
“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;”
“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” –‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭5:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” –‭‭John‬ ‭15:13‬ ‭ESV‬‬

So, today step into the role you’ve been given to lead – as an official of the government (which is established by God), as an elder in a church, as a husband and a father in your home, and as a friend to a brother who you’re walking with daily. God will be glorified and pleased.

MOLESKIN:
Ultimate used to be an idol in my life. I gave it up for almost 3 years and now I’m playing again. It’s still a lot of fun but with a lot more freedom than I used to. It held me captive and now it is really as the verse says:

17 Now the Lord[a] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” –2 Corinthians 3:17

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence July 2 at JUCO. See Slack for more info!

Speedway Launch

THE SCENE: Upper 50s, a beautiful morning to launch

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER


WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x 20; Windmill x10; Toe Merkins x10; Tie Fighter x10 (F/B); Tempo Squat x10; Dancing Bear x10

THA-THANG:

Bear Crawl Inch Worm: Partner up and form two lines holding plank, partners at end Bear Crawl to front of line, when both make it to the front the next pair starts.

Bear Brawl: 5 Burpees on each side of small soccer field. Partners take turns putting pressure on shoulders while the other Bear Crawls. Go back and forth 3 times.

Mosey to next field

Squat Totem: Lunge from cone to cone, increase reps by 5 at each cone, 6 total cones

Mosey to another field

Wheelbarrow with partner halfway then switch positions to go the other half. Partner carry halfway then switch for other half. Did this twice.

Mosey to hill at back of fields

11s with Merkins and Big Boys, Bear Crawl up the hill, Mosey down

Mosey to shovel flag

Afterburner:
Overhead Claps IC x50

Seal Claps IC x25

Grady Corn IC x25

MARY:
F3 is not about any one person so we did PAX Roulette

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
21 HIM

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Whenever I talk to someone about F3, I always say that it is so much more than a workout. It is truly about all three Fs, Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith.

That first F is the magnet. Every man standing here started coming because they had some fitness goal in mind. Some of us may be elite athletes but most are just men that want to be healthy for our families. My goal when I started was being able to do simple things, like walking up the stairs, without being winded.

That second F is the glue. I knew that I needed others to hold me accountable for me to actually work out. What I didn’t know or expect, is that I needed manly friendships. I thought I was good on friends, but those relationships, for the most part, were only surface deep. Now I have so many men that I can go to when I need help, a listening ear, or just someone to vent my frustration with. The value of the second F is immeasurable.

That third F is the dynamite. F3 defines faith as believing in something greater than yourself. Full disclosure, for me, that is my belief in Jesus Christ. I believe that He lived a sinless life, died on the cross to save us from sin, and rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of God. The thing is though, that those are just words if my actions don’t line up with them. My belief must change the way I treat others, it must influence my decisions, and it should guide my actions. So whatever your faith is make sure it is doing those same things for you because we all are meant to be putting others in front of ourselves.

MOLESKIN:
Excited to see where Speedway goes from here! Thank you to all those that came from other AOs to the launch!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence on 7/2 at JUCO, there will be no beatdown at Speedway that day.

Tabata and Hills

THE SCENE: mid 70s, partly sunny, humid as heck after the storms
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:

-30 Split Jacks (4-ct), 15 each leg, in cadence

– 10 Windmills (4-ct), in cadence

– 10 Plank Jacks

– 20 Grady Corns (4-ct), in cadence

  • 10 Steave Earles, (4-ct), in cadence
  • 10 LBCs small and wide (4-ct), forward and backward in cadence

Run to tree down the road, 5 squat jumps, Bernie back

THA-THANG:

TABATA 1 (20 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest, 4 rounds = 2 minutes per exercise x 5 exercises = 10 minutes per round)

  • Plank Jacks
  • Mountain Climbers
  • Catalina wine mixers
  • Bottle Openers

RUN DOWN STAIRS, OVER TO BASE OF SUMMIT, UP SUMMIT, BACK TO BAT HOUSE.  At EACH “CORNER” DO 15 SMURF JACKS

TABATA 2

  • American Hammers
  • Gas Pumps
  • Wide Flutter Kicks

RUN LOOP, DO 15 BOBBY HURLEYS

TABATA 3

  • High Knees
  • Squats
  • Lunges

RUN LOOP, DO 15 DESONSTRUCTED BURPEES

MARY:
No time for Mary today.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong. Pop a top not tagged.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Fellows, it’s been a difficult past couple of weeks for our AO.  We recently, had to part ways with a brother, and that’s just not something we ever want to do.   I have to admit I lost a lot of sleep over it.  And the situation made me consider the fine line between holding someone accountable versus judging someone.  We try to do the former in F3, but stay away from the latter, but sometimes that’s a tough distinction.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines accountability as an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one’s actions, while judgmental is defined as “characterized by a tendency to judge harshly”.  After thinking about it a little more, I came up with sort of my own definition of these terms… accountability is holding someone responsible for norms, traditions, rules, etc. that are broadly accepted by a group, while being judgmental is passing judgment on whether someone measures up to your own PERSONAL ideas or notions.

As I’ve expressed in Slack, I feel it’s VERY important to refrain from publicly passing judgment on our fellow brothers, because when you do so it inevitably causes rifts.  Disagreement is fine, but if you have something you object to, I think it’s always best to have a private discussion about it.

Before parting ways, the former member of our group first passed judgment on our AO in terms of how we uphold the Second F (Fellowship), then passed judgment on an individual in terms of his interpretation of the Bible and his message, and finally, in a parting message to me, passed judgment on me (and, more broadly, our entire group) in challenging our religious beliefs, patriotism, and leadership.

Although I’m not perfect about it, I try to refrain from passing judgment on others.  I have my own belief system, and sure, I appreciate seeing qualities in others that follow a similar system, but I try not to denigrate or think ill of those who have other beliefs.  But let’s face it… we all judge others, and on a pretty regular basis.  It’s part of our DNA, as far I’m concerned.  But there’s a difference in making that determination of judgment internally, and publically attempting to coerce others to conform to your perception of how things should be.  The latter is something that I feel we need to avoid in F3, which was intentionally formed as a very inclusionary group of men.  If you were here a few Saturday’s ago, we had a Guest Q from Chattanooga that emphasized F3s core mission: to plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.  That’s it.  There are certain components to every F3 workout, and one of those is the Word, followed by the Ball of Man.  I can honestly say that I have personally disagreed with at least a small portion of just about every Word, but also that is OVERHELMED by the amount of wisdom and perspective that I have received.

In closing, I found a couple of statements that I thought really hit the nail on the head when it comes to being Judgmental :

Judgment is the basis for separation, which is the ego’s goal. When we judge a brother or sister, be it in thought or action, we create a sense of separation.

You will save yourself and others years of stress, anger, disappointment and resentment if you allow your brothers and sisters to follow their own hearts. If your brothers and sisters know that they can come to you for advice without criticism and judgment attached to it, you will forever be their sounding board. However, if you end up judging and criticizing their efforts and decisions they will put up walls every time you question or try to advise them.

– James Blanchard Cisneros, Author of You Have Chosen to Remember: A
Journey from Perception to Knowledge, Peace of Mind and Joy, p. 91-92

Born in Geneva, Switzerland. He grew up in Caracas, Venezuela and obtained his B.S. and MBA degrees in the United States. James states “My grandfather served in WWII as a colonel in the United States Marines, my father was a Vietnam Army veteran. After the Vietnam experience, my father wanted to break the cycle and protect us from a future draft. So he arranged for my brother and myself to be born in Geneva, Switzerland (a neutral nation), so that we could choose to refrain from the next conflict if that was our choice.”

James 4:11-12

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Romans 16:17 

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.

MOLESKIN:
Great to see Sparkler out there, and Pop a Top killed it in his second workout.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Speedway launch Saturday at 6 am, Convergence July 2!

Cards Around Asylum

THE SCENE: Hot (89F), sunny afternoon, a few clouds in the sky, slight breeze.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Side-straddle Hop (20 4 ct), 8 4 ct. windmills (slow, stretch), 10 4 ct. baby arm circles (forward & backwards each), Michael Phelps, & Merkins (10 4 ct.).

THA-THANG:

After a mosey down to the greenway, the group made their way around the park by drawing cards. Number cards indicated how many lights to run and and how many of the exercise we would do when we arrived at the light. If the card drawn is a face card, the PAX would immediately do 10 of an exercise as follows: King – Merkins, Queen – Squats, Jack – Big Boys. If the card drawn was a one eyed Jack or the Queen of Spades then everyone did 10 Burpees. Otherwise, the suit dictated what kind of exercise we would do as follows:

  • Spades – arm exercise
  • Hearts – leg exercise
  • Diamonds – Core exercise
  • Clubs – Cardio exercise

The card drawer chooses the specific exercise to do once we reached the designated light.

MARY:
Arrived to the AO with no time remaining.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Welcome to Pop-a-Top (Jeremy) who showed up looking for an evening workout!

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
You don’t rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. F3 is continues because it is a great system. Let’s all (definitely including me in this) invest to make the system work well.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New AO starts in Seymour this Saturday.