F3 Knoxville

Give In To God

THE SCENE:  Sunny and humid, temps in 80’s.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

20 Side-straddle hops, 10 Iron Mikes (four count), 10 Windmills, 10 Twists, 10 Cherry Pickers
THA-THANG:
Mosey to stop sign at southeast corner of the Admin Bldg.  20 Hello Dollies.

Mosey to parking lot near Area 54.  20 American Hammers.

Mosey to Cones that will be in grass on others side of the street from parking lot near Area 54.  The cones will be set up in four corners.  We will be going to each cone by the following methods and doing the following exercises:

  • Cone 1:  20 Merkins.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Big Boy Sit Ups.  Grapevine, right foot in lead, to Cone 3
  • Cone 3:  20 Carolina Dry Docks.  Sprint to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4.  40 Baby Crunches.  Grapevine, left foot in lead, to Cone 1.+
  • Rinse and repeat two more times.

Mosey to shaded area on perimeter trail that is near the North Shore Gate Entrance to park.  20 Buzz Saws.

Mosey down perimeter trail to bottom of Mt. Everest.  20 Hello Dollies. 20 Merkins.  20 Big Boy Sit Ups.

Run up Mt. Everest to street in front of Admin Bldg.

We will run in a counter-clockwise square doing the following exercises at the following locations:

At Bat House:  Do 20 Star Jumps then run down steps.

At grassy area at bottom of steps:  20 Carolina Dry Docks then run to tree grove below summit of Mt. Everest.

At tree grove:  10 Burpees then run to top of Mt. Everest.

At top of Mt. Everest:  20 Big Boy Situps

Mosey to wall on other side of street from Admin Bldg parking lot.  We will pair up into two man teams.  While one partner does 20 dips at wall the other partner does merkins.  Then partners trade places.  Rinse and repeat.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Buzz Saws, 20 Pickle Pounders, 15 Shoulder Taps, 20 Merkins
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Eleven men, one FNG, Robert Land whom we dubbed “Hot Lips.”
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Give In To God

“Never give up.”  “When the going get’s tough, the tough get going.”  ” Go the extra mile.”  “Give 110%.” “When you think you have had enough, find that extra in reserve.”

These are phrases we can relate to in F3.  We are a group of men who encourage each other to push ourselves to our limits so that we can better ourselves in health and as members of society.  These are good phrases and they ring with truth.  To succeed in life we must push ourselves, even when the chips are down. To be true HIM’s we must also sometimes carry others with us along the way.

But as HIM’s who live in a world that has tainted views of what true success is, we must also think on these phrases with discernment.  We must realize that their are exceptions to every rule.  We must learn that it is important to have balance in our lives.  We must see that even Jesus took time to rest and pray.  And, in F3, we must remember that one of our often used phrases is, “Modify!”

As a psychologist, I see people who definitely need to listen to the “don’t give up” types of statements.  I see people quitting jobs just because they had a bad day at work, because a co-worker or boss said something negative to them, because they don’t like getting up on dark and cold mornings.”  This type of attitude leads to defeat, to failure, to depression.

But I have also seen people who are anxious, depressed and miserable because they think they have to hold everything together or else they are failures.  These people are not the “I give up types.”  But they are burning the candle at both ends, failing to “sharpen the saw”, and failing to turn to God and trust in Him at their greatest time of need.  I was watching a television show on Netflix with my wife on Saturday night.  Part of the show focused on an attorney who had been very successful at her job.  She also wanted to be a good mother.  She and her stay-at-home husband were doing the best they could to raise their young daughter and they had also recently adopted a nine-year-old boy who came from a very difficult background and had some behavioral issues because of it.  The attorney was trying to meet the needs of her family and the needs of the job.  She was getting further and further behind because of the many demands facing her.  She had her daughter getting angry at her for missing one of her school musicals (due to job necessities) and she had her employer and clients getting upset at her for making mistakes on the job that she had not made in the past.  She was reaching the breaking point.  In one scene, she has a panic attack in front of her husband, almost fainting, something that had never happened to her before.  Finally, in a critical scene of the show, leaders of the law firm let her know that she has been on track to become a partner in this highly successful firm.  Noting her recent mistakes, they ask her if she is willing to give 100% to the law firm.  She makes an important decision, one that the society she runs with would see as a mistake, as a sign of failure.  She decides to quit the firm.

I bring this up because there will be times in each of our lives when we must choose to give things up.  A great way to recognize this is when we see that we are taking on too much, when our life feels out of balance.  We are not failing when we make the decision to give up in such a case.  We are, rather, choosing something greater.  In the case of the female attorney in the show I mentioned, she chose to spend more time with family.  She could take on a job with less pay so that she could have a better relationship with her daughter and adopted son.

What can we do when we experience ourselves off kilter?  We can pray to God.  Too many times we try to handle things on our own without asking God for direction.  We can also talk to our friends.  God often speaks to us through friends.  In our prayers we may hear that we need to hang in their for a while, that things will slow down, that life will get back to balance.  But we may also hear that it is time to give something up.  We may also see that we have been trying to manage things without God without giving in to Him, allowing him to guide us, freeing ourselves up to give Him control.

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

Whiskey, Soft Beds, and Buttermilk

THE SCENE: Perfect. Low 70s, nice breeze, sunny

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER Check


WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH, 20 IC
  • Bolt 45s (15 top ½ squats, 15 bottom ½ squats, 15 full squats)
  • 5 PCMBs OYO
  • 10 Plank Jacks (4-ct, IC)
  • 10 Windmills (4-ct, IC)
  • Baby Arm Circles Forward (x10, 4 Ct, IC) and backward (x10, 4 Ct, IC)

THA-THANG:

  • Mosey to grassy field below Admin building.
  • RECTANGLE OF DEATH!!!! (Q was not too original with the name…) Cones set up in rectangle.
    • Run suicides on long sides, but Bernie Sanders back to baseline instead of turning around. Run to ¼, ½, ¾, and full length.
    • Short sides, Burpee Broad Jumps (3 jumps then a Burpee)
    • Do exercise listed at the corner. Do 5 reps of each exercise the first lap, then 10, then 15
      • Corner 1: Mountain Climbers (2-ct), Tempo Squats, Iron Mikes (both legs =1) (5x/10x/15x)
      • Corner 2: Hand Release Merkins, Carolina Dry Docks, and Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1) (5x/10x/15x)
      • Corner 3: Star Jumps, Smurf Jacks, Bobby Hurleys (5x/10x/15x)
      • Corner 4: Big Boy Situps, American Hammers (2-ct), and box cutters (4-ct) (5x/10x/15x)

Only did two laps… too many other fun things to do.  Plus these were hard as heck and Q was out of breath.

  • Mosey to CMU pile.
    • CMU Farmer Carries!
      • Line up on Curb. Take turns lugging two CMUs around perimeter of parking lot.  Rest of PAX will be running back and forth across parking lot doing merkins at one end and squats at the other.  5x/10x/15x, rinse and repeat.  Keep repeating until everyone has carried the CMUs.  Tank, Lillydipper, and maybe one other PAX I’m forgetting volunteered to team up and do an extra lap to keep company with the last person to carry the CMUs, exmplifying the sacrifice and No Man Left Behind philosophy of F3.  Tank did it while battling calf cramps.  Beast.
      • Hat tip to Judge Judy!
  • Get a partner. One partner runs straight normal, the other Bernie Sanders up Baby Cardiac.  Switch half way up.  At top do 10 patty-cake merkins.
  • Mosey to AO.

MARY:
No time.  Barely made it back to the AO.

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
13 strong! (J-Lo and Thunderstruck not tagged)

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I recently revisited the book Lonesome Dove, which truly is a Great American Novel, and has countless memorable quotes and words of wisdom in it. It’s a tale of an ambitious (but tragic) cattle drive undertaken by two ex-Rangers-turned-cattle-ranchers, Gus and Call, from Texas to Montana.  During the drive, a woman companion on the trip, Lorie, a gentle soul who has led a difficult life surrounded by men who take advantage of her, is abducted by Comanches and is treated brutally while she is prisoner.  She survives and is rescued, but has many scars, both physically and psychologically.  She decides she needs to strike out on her own and finally realize a dream of hers to travel to California and start a new life.  In a letter that Gus writes to Lorie when she sets off, he says: “You see, life in San Francisco is still just life. If you want any one thing too badly, it’s likely to turn out to be a disappointment. The only healthy way to live life is to learn to like all the little everyday things – like a sip of good whiskey in the evening, a soft bed, a glass of buttermilk, or a feisty gentleman like myself.”

The message is pretty clear… The grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence. If you’re always looking ahead, you will miss the enjoyment of the present.  If you are always chasing a dream, you will not realize the simple pleasures of the present that are Gifts from God.

    • Take pleasure in the simple things.  Life is what you make of it.
    • The trap we often fall into is looking at someone else’s situation and thinking that I wish I had what they have.  The reality is what they have may not be as good as it appears as we stand in our field looking across at theirs.
    • Phillipians 4:11-12 And I am not saying this because I feel neglected, for I have learned to be satisfied with what I have. I know what it is to be in need and what it is to have more than enough. I have learned this secret, so that anywhere, at any time, I am content, whether I am full or hungry, whether I have too much or too little.

MOLESKIN:
Several members of the PAX have friends and family members battling serious illnesses.  We are thinking of them and keeping them in our prayers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Nope.

13 Is A Lucky Number


THE SCENE: 60s, cool. Ice cool.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith!
  • My name is Steam and I am delighted to be your Q this morning!
  • I am not a professional and you are here on your own volition – which means no one is going to force you to do anything this morning – you have to make the choice to push yourself and those around you!
  • If you need to modify any of the exercises we do this morning feel free to do so.
  • Today is the 13th day of June and day what you will about the number 13 but I’m feeling pretty lucky, I hope you are too! Let’s keep the mumblechatter and morale high this Morningside !!!!


WARM-O-RAMA:

  • Cherry-Picker: 13×4 IC
  • SSH: 13×4 IC
  • Rockette: 13×4 IC
  • Imperial Walker: 13×4 IC
  • Torso Twist: 13×4 IC

.
THA-THANG:

Mosey to Market Square Pavilion

Swanson leads PAX in 10 1-count merkins by Eddie’s Health Shoppe on Union

Abort leads PAX in 10 1-count merkins by market square bell

    • Get in battle buddy teams
    • BB1: sprints down to splash pad
      • Executes 13 squats (1-count)
      • Sprints back to recover BB2
    • BB2: executes 13 4-count flutter kicks
    • Once both you AND your BB complete two evolutions of squats, recover right here in the squat position.
  • Mosey to Market Square parking garage
  • Tower of Power
    • 6 floors (all 1 count)
    • F1 = 13 merkins
    • F2 = 13 big boy sit-ups
    • F3 = 13 squats
    • F4 = 13 flutter kicks
    • F5 = 13 Apollo onos (at top)
    • F6 = 13 smurf jacks (at top)
  • Mosey back to AO

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 PAX
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

    • Goliath Must Fall
    • Fear Must Fall
    • “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
    • ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
    • https://www.bible.com/59/isa.43.1.esv
    • Who or what is your Goliath today and this week?

KEEP THE FAITH & FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!

2 For Tuesday: Character-Building Festivities

THE SCENE: SUPER cool, like 70s cool. Breezy baby.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith! My name is Steam & I’ll be your Q this evening. I am stoked to be back here Qing with you guys. I am not a professional and you are here on your own volition – which means that you chose to be here this evening, just like everyone else. Let’s rock!

WARM-O-RAMA:

Side-Straddle Hop (SSH): 11×4 in cadence

Steam: “We will be celebrating 2 For Tuesday this evening gents”

Side-Straddle Hop (SSH): 11×4 in cadence

Baby Arm Circles: 11×4 (forward) in cadence // 11×4 (backwards) in cadence

Baby Arm Circles: 11×4 (forward) in cadence // 11×4 (backwards) in cadence)

Cherry- Picker: 11×4 in cadence

Cherry-Picker: 11×4 in cadence

Imperial Walker: 11×4 in cadence

Imperial Walker: 11×4 in cadence

Let’s get on the mosey!
THA-THANG:
[The 2nd part of any 2 For Tuesday exercise can be substituted w/5 burpees if PAX chooses]

  • Mosey towards Cardiac Hill

 

  • Every stop sign PAX passes = 8 merkins (1-count)
    • 3 stop signs = 24 merkins

 

  • “Cardiac Hill 100”
    • 4 points of contact going down Cardiac Hill
    • (1) Top of Cardiac Hill (2) curve 1 on Cardiac (3) curve 2 on Cardiac (4) bottom of Cardiac
    • At all points of contact
      • 10 squats
      • 10 big boy sit-ups
      • 5 incline merkins (facing up Cardiac)
    • PAX holds the plank at the bottom of Cardiac

 

  • PAX American Indian runs to boarded walkway by the river
  • PAX forms battle buddies

 

  • 11s
    • Boardwalk overlooking the river: LBCs (4-count)
    • Left Down the boardwalk 20ish yards: Merkins (4-count)
      • 10 + 1
      • 9 + 2 and so on
    • High-Heels leads PAX in core work exercises until 6 recovers on the boardwalk overlooking the river

 

  • PAX duck-walks up a little hill into the grass about a football field away from the Lakeshore Chapel

 

  • The Slinky
    • PAX gets into 2-man battle buddy (BB) teams
    • Q gives command to run – stop (hold plank)
    • (1) 1st BB team runs until the command “down” is given
    • (2) 1st BB team drops down into a plank
    • (3) 2nd BB team sprints past 1st BB team until the command “down” is given
    • (4) 2nd BB team drops down past the 1st BB team in the plank position
    • (5) 3rd BB team sprints past the 1st and 2nd BB teams, until the command “down” is given
    • (6) 3rd BB team drops down past the 1st and 2nd BB teams, holding the plank position
    • Rinse & Repeat – starting with the 1st BB team – until all PAX reach the edge of the Lakeshore Chapel

 

  • Doubtfire verbalizes the fuel on the fire and PAX rushes through the field in back of the chapel, across the street under a tree
  • Q leads PAX in Monkey-Humpers, in front of soccer moms, kids, and God himself
    • 11×4 in cadence
    • [2 For Tuesday]
    • 11×4 in cadence
  • Q points to an object 40-50 yards away – PAX charges at it full-speed

 

  • PAX are facing a hill
  • Q instructs PAX to get in a decline big boy setup position on the hill
  • 11 1-count big boy sit-ups
  • [2 For Tuesday]
  • 11 1-count big boy sit-ups

 

  • PAX runs up the hill and recovers by two trees close to the road leading to the Asylum PM road
  • Q leads PAX in 11 1-count Pinto Squat-Jump Twists(?) (Jury is still out on the official name)
    • Starting position: PAX facing 1 direction
    • PAX squat –> jump up and twist –> landing facing the other direction = 1
  • [2 For Tuesday]
  • 11 1-count Pinto Squat-Jump Twists

 

  • Pax charges towards the final stop sign
  • PAX charges the final road/hill back up to the AO

 

  • handy.

MARY:

Total Time: 45:20

Distance: 2.2miles

Elevation Gain: 128ft.
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:
Giving Credit/Being Your Own God

I just got a new job, am moving into a new house, have a new relationship with a great girl – things are going great in my life right now. And I feel like I need to hear this more than anyone: I need to realize that my pride is a very dangerous thing and that I am blessed with these things because there is a God above who is working in my life and putting breath in my lungs – to serve Him. None of the seeming success in life that I seem to be a part of has anything to do with “me being the man” or “me crushing it” lately. It’s so easy for me to pat myself on the back and develop a false sense of “look what you did man, you’re doing great.” Sometimes as men I think it’s easy for us to fall prey to our own pride in our work or successes in life, etc, and not remember who woke us up this morning and spoke life into the blessings we enjoy. We were created for so much more than ourselves men! Our story is just a small small part in the great HIStory He’s telling through us.

Keep the Faith & Fight the Good Fight!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Prayer Requests (PRs): Steam’s new dating relationship – struggling/wanting to keep the Lord at the center and working on being a HIM in it.

D-Day Anniversary Memorial Beatdown

THE SCENE: 70s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Welcome to F3 men! Fitness – Fellowship – Faith. And welcome to the 75th anniversary of D-Day 21-gun salute. My name is Steam and I am honored to be your Q this morning. I am not a professional and you are here on your own volition this morning. You chose to be here – just like the man on your left and right did. If you need to modify any of the exercises we do this morning, feel free to do so – you know your body better than anyone else. HOWEVER – I encourage you to look across the street (points to the East TN Veterans Memorial site) and REMEMBER those who chose to run into open gunfire so you could be here this morning. When it gets tough in the next 45 minutes, when you’re hurting, or when your battle buddy is hurting – remember those who are worth remembering.

Everything we do this morning will be 21 reps either on a 4-count or 1-count

WARM-O-RAMA:

Side-Straddle Hop (SSH): 21×4 in cadence

Bend & Reach: 21×4 in cadence

Windmill: 21×4 in cadence

Merkin: 21×4 in cadence

Baby Arm Circles: 21×4 in cadence

THA-THANG:

  • Q aligns PAX shoulder to shoulder facing the Big Ball AO green space/field
  • “I’m Up – He Sees Me – I’m Down”
    • ^^ 3 commands ^^
      • I’m Up = sprint
      • He Sees Me = get down flat
      • I’m Down = Stay down flat until the I’m Up command is given
    • PAX sprints across field listening for the 3 commands
    • Simulates running towards an objective with enemy fire coming toward you
  • Rinse & Repeat back across – but with buddy drags/fireman carries

 

  • PAX mosey to Big Ball stairs
  • “Take The Hill”
    • Get in battle buddy teams
    • Teams bear crawl up the stairs until they reach a flat landing
    • Flat landing = 21 sit-ups each person
    • Rinse & Repeat until all PAX are at the top
  • Once at the top – PAX holds the plank for 21 seconds – 2x

 

  • PAX mosey to bridge to the left of the amphitheater stage
  • Hands interlocked behind heads – PAX lunges across bridge and moseys into the amphitheater, on the stage
  • Q leads PAX in 21 1-count SSHs on stage, sprint to the top of the amphitheater
  • Swanson leads 21 1-count SSHs, everyone sprints back down
  • PAX performs 21 1-count incline merkins on the stage – with the commands of “Up – Down”

 

  • Mosey to the edge of Big Ball AO field/World’s Fair Park field

 

  • Q instructs the PAX that the last part of this workout will be in silence after a quote and explanation of what’s to come

 

  • Q reads General Douglas MacArthur
  • It is my earnest hope – indeed the hope of all mankind – that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past – a world founded upon faith – and understanding – a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish for freedom, tolerance, and justice

  • Q: “Now we’re going to take this field, and we’re going to take it hard. We will sprint all the way across the field, across the street, to the front of the East TN Veterans Memorial Site. I will lead us in 21 1-count merkins and 21 1-count SSHs in silence once we are over there.

 

  • PAX takes the field – and takes it with a sense of urgency and purpose.
  • PAX executes silent exercises and walks into the center of the memorial.
  • Q prays over the site, the men, the PAX, and initiates the COT

MARY:
Time of Workout: 50:13

Mileage: 1.2 miles

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
10 PAX – no FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Soot called in from deployment in Kuwait to deliver the BOM this morning – talked about the character of those men who charged the beaches 75 years ago – tied it into the 3 Fs of F3 – specifically the importance of the third F – realizing that we were created for so much more and that there is a higher being that we serve. No matter what the “beach” looks like in front of you – no matter how daunting it looks – charge at it knowing He goes before you.