F3 Knoxville

Tag: Swimmies

Eat This Bread, Drink This Cup

THE SCENE: Sunny, temp in low 80s
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
20 Side Straddle Hops, 10 Mountain Climbers, Plank Stretches, 7 Tennessee Rocking Chairs, 10 Iron Mikes, 7 Cherry Pickers, 7 Twisties, 10 Little Baby Arm Circles Forward and 10 Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Stop Sign at Northeastern Corner of Admin Bldg then mosey to shade of large conifer tree.  We will do 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to small parking lot on north side of park roadway, then go on trail that leads north toward Lyons Bend.  We will stop at rock pile.  Each man grabs a CMU weight boulder to do the following:

  • 25 Overhead Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Triceps
  • 25 Rows

After putting the boulders in the rock pile we will head north and then west on the trail doing “Run Ten Tens”.  We will run forward ten light posts, then do ten Merkins and ten Big Boy Situps.  We will do this until we get to the park roadway as it approaches the gate at Lyons Bend.

Next, we will Mosey further west on the trail until we come to another rock pile that is at the intersection of the trail we are on and the trail coming down close to Roadshow Run.  Each man grabs a CMU weight boulder to do the following:

  • 25 Overhead Presses
  • 25 Curls
  • 25 Triceps
  • 25 Rows

After placing the boulders back in the rock pile we will run west and then south on the Perimeter Trail until we get to the bottom of Mt. Everest.  We will serpentine from the trail to three different trees on Mt. Everest.  We will do two burpees in the shade of the first tree, run back to the trail, run to the second tree to do two burpees in the shade, then run back to the trail, and finally run to the shade of the third tree to do two burpees.

Mosey back to the perimeter trail and south until we get to the fence that blocks further movement on the trail.  We will then run up the mulch trail until we reach a cone on the trail.  We will do 25 Hello Dollies, 25 Flutter Kicks, and 25 Freddie Mercury’s then run about 40 yards up the mulch trail to another cone to do 5 Burpees.  We will then run back to the first cone and rinse and repeat the above two more times.

Mosey to the little grove of trees at the bottom of the summit of Everest.  We will do 20 Baby Crunches, then run up the summit to the flat grassy area to do 20 Carolina Dry Docks, then run to the Bat Cave to do 20 Sky Jumps.

Next, we will run north to the large tree near the administration bldg roadway.  We will run around the tree and back to the AO.

Next we will run down the stairs by the Bat Cave, run toward Mt. Everest, and go back up the summit. We will then head back to the AO.

MARY:
Stretches
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
We had 17 men and one FNG, Karter Moore, whom we named “Decal”.  Some of our men rucked today.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I have been watching the Tour de France the past few weeks. The bikers in the tour bike over 100 miles per day in frequently mountainous terrain.  They burn so many calories that they sometimes must eat food while riding their bikes.  That food can make the difference between winning and losing the race.  If they do not have enough food they will not have the strength to compete with the other riders.

I was thinking about that when taking communion at church this past Sunday.  When we take in the bread of communion, Christ proclaims to us, “This is my body given for you. When you eat it, do this in remembrance of me.”  And when we take the wine at communion, Christ proclaims to us, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, when you drink it, in remembrance of me.”  What Christ is essentially saying is, like one of our communion songs says:

Eat this bread, drink this cup, come to me and never be hungry.
Eat this bread, drink this cup, trust in me and you will not thirst.

God wants us to know that there is something much more important than food that can sustain us. And so, week by week, I, with other brothers and sisters, who just like me are imperfect individuals who stumble, remember that I still have a God who loves me.  And I eat that bread and drink that wine, realizing that people all over the world are doing the same.  Are we more deserving than others?  No, we come because we are unworthy.  But it nourishes us.  It nourishes me.  It gives me the strength to carry on, hoping that it may shine a little light on my soul that I can then shine on others.  For that, I am thankful.

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Brick and his family, for Junk and his injury, for Glamper’s manager of work, and a prayer of praise for Lilydipper’s recovery from shoulder replacement and hip replacement surgery.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
We will have a 2nd F gathering at the home of Abacus on July 29. The F3 “In the Nude” workout will be on the morning of July 29.  The F3 Dad’s camp will be on the weekend of August 11-13.  And the 3rd F camp at Doe River Gorge will be the weekend of September 22-24.

Children of God

THE SCENE: Insert info about the weather, etc.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:
Run half way around parking lot and Bernie Sanders the other half, Motivators starting with 7, 10 Mountain Climbers, 10 Tempo Merkins, 7 Cherry Pickers, 7 Windmills, Little of This and That.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to the roadway that head toward the Admin Bldg.  We will stop to do 20 Rocky Balboas and 20 American Hammers.

Mosey to the Stop Sign at the Northeastern Corner of the Admin Bldg.  We will be heading along the road that semi-circles around the Admin Bldg.  We will stop at each cone to do the exercises listed and then move to the next cone according to the directions given.  Here are the exercises at each cone.

  • Cone 1:  10 Burpees.  Bear Crawl to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Hello Dollies (4 ct). Bernie Sanders to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3:  20 Diamond Merkins.  Sprint to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  Go down stairs by Bat Cave then head south and run up summit of Everest to roadway and Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  50 Baby Crunches.  Karaoke Right to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6:  20 Bobby Hurleys.  Karaoke Left to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7:  20 Imperial Walkers (4 ct).  Sprint to Cone 8.
  • Cone 8:  20 Smurf Jacks, 20 Big Boy Sit-ups, 20 Merkins, 20 Squat Jumps, 20 Flutter Kicks (4 ct), 20 Shoulder Taps, 20 Iron Mikes, 20 Bicycle Kicks, Rinse and Repeat.

Run down Mt. Everest and back up again.

At incline at top of Mt. Everest we will do Sevens starting with One Star Jump on the roadway and Six Burpees where incline flattens.

Mosey to small parking lot below and south of Coliseum. We will do Doras with partners changing after one partner has run upstairs, south, and back down road to parking lot. The other partner does exercise. Each set of partners will do the following exercises as a team:

  • 100 Dead Bugs (4 ct)
  • 100 Imperial Walkers (4 ct)

Mosey to Coliseum.  We will run counterclockwise around the loop.  Starting at 6 o’clock we will do 20 Squats.  We will do 20 squats at 3 o’clock.  We will run up and down stairs of the Admin Bldg. at 12 o’clock.  We will do 20 squats at 9 o’clock.  We will stop at 6 o’clock where we started

Mosey to AO via the route past Haslam Rock.

MARY:
Absominals.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
We had 12 men with no FNGs.  It was great to have Lebowski back with us.  We were also honored to have Sanctions visiting us from Franklin, TN.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
My best friend growing up was a fellow named Neil Deutsch.  We were next door neighbors in Dallas, Texas when I was age 3.  I cried the day Neil and his family moved to Memphis, TN.  Neil and I had just finished 3rd grade.  But, we stayed in contact.  Sometimes I would go to Memphis to visit him and sometimes he would come to Dallas to visit me.  The two of us decided to go to the same University – Baylor University – after completing high school.  Neil decided to go even though he was Jewish.  Baylor actually was one of the less expensive universities in Texas that Neil could attend as an out of state resident as it had great alumni support which drew down tuition.  Neil has remained a best friend to me.  I was best man at his wedding and he was best man at mine.  Pele got to meet Neil when both of them attended the wedding of my son, Bennett (aka Puddle).

Going back to our preschool years, Neil and I did all kinds of things together.  I remember playing “guns” at his house with his Uncle Steve who was about ten years our elder.  Whoever was “it” went to hide in the house and also got to possess Neil’s toy machine gun that sounded awesome when you pulled the trigger.  The pursuers had to count and then come hunting.  They had the lesser guns but also were allowed to possess one hand grenade (the grenades were actually boxing gloves).  Uncle Steve made sure everyone played fairly.

On Saturday mornings Neil and I would sit in front of the TV set with our cowboy hats on and watch westerns. We filled his dad’s shot glasses with Red Kool Aid and called it “Red Eye”, slugging the shots down like true cowboys.  We might also go outside and climb fences.  One of our favorite places to climb was a fence between my house and another neighbor’s.  It was a high spot and Neil and I liked to see who could pee the furthest from the top of the fence.

Now best friends do fight when they are young boys and Neil and I had our fights. Since I was about ten months older and was taller by nature than Neil, I always won the fights . . . that is until we had our great great fight of Religion.

Like I said, Neil was Jewish.  I was Christian.  One fine day we were playing on the See-Saw in my back yard and started talking about religion.  I, as a Christian, claimed that Jesus was the Son of God.  Neil, being Jewish, and not being as familiar about the son of God business, claimed that Moses was the son of God.  Well, I flat out told him he was wrong and he flat out told me I was wrong.  The conversation got more heated while we went up and down on the See-Saw, which was on of those flat board like structures.  When I was down on the ground and Neil was high up in the air on the other side of the See-Saw, I, in my anger, decided to scoot off the seat of that See-Saw.  When I did, there was absolutely no weight to hold Neil up in the air.  He came crashing down with a great Kerbannnnggg!

That boy who had never beat me in a fight was mighty angry and if he were David he would have certainly slew Goliath.  He came running after me and grabbed after me by pulling on my shorts.  I fell to the ground with my shorts down and my buttocks exposed.  What did Neil do?  He bit my butt!! He bit hard!! I ran to the house crying and screaming, with Neil following me, in tears himself.

Imagine my mother, hearing both of these boys crying and telling her what happened.  And then this Christian woman was asked by each of us, “Who is the son of God?”  My mother looked at me and looked at Neil, each with teary eyes and questioning faces.  She paused and then put her arms around both of us.  Her answer to us?   “We are all the children of God.”

Gents, take comfort in that.  Isn’t it good to know that each of us, no matter what our backgrounds or beliefs are the Children of God?

MOLESKIN: 
Prayers for safe travel for Sanctions as he had on with his trip to North Carolina today.  Prayers for Dung Beetle who is in the process of looking for a new job.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Convergence at Shamrock on July 8.  Be on lookout for special Ruck opportunities that will be announced on Slack.

Gladiator Bear

THE SCENE: Beautiful morning with the BSIA.  60 degrees, sunny, low humidity.  Aahhhhh….
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

Performed adequately.
WARM-O-RAMA:

-Motivators (5-count, descending)

– 10 Rockettes (4-ct, IC)

– 10 Tempo Merkins (4-ct, IC)

– BAC forward and backward (4-ct, IC)

– Bolt 45s

– 10 Cherry Pickers (4-ct, IC)

– Little of this and that

THA-THANG:

MOSEY up Baby Everest to trail that leads to Lyons View entrance

Nickel/Dime Quarters!

Run 1 light do 5 reps, run 2 lights do 10 reps, run 5 lights do 25 reps.  Stop at base of Everest.  Exercises:

  1. MTN CLIMBERS (4-ct)     2. MERKINS  3.  FROGGY JUMPS

BASE OF EVEREST:

BERNIE up Everest until you hit failure.  When you do, do the Failure Ritual of Shame: 20 Merkins/20 Big Boys/20 Squats.  Run up the Summit to the road.  LBCs until the 6 catches up.

MOSEY to Small “Dora” parking lot.

5/10/15s: Get a battle buddy, while one BB jogs back and forth in the bullpen, the other runs up to the stop sign to do two exercises 5x.  Switch off.  Next time 10x, then 15x.   3 Rounds:

ROUND 1:  PETER PARKERS/BOTTLE OPENERS (both 2-ct)

ROUND 2: BIG BOY SITUPS/GAS PUMPS

ROUND 3: BOBBY HURLEYS/IMPERIAL WALKERS (2-ct) (We didn’t finish the “15” round of this last one)

MOSEY TO FIELD BELOW:

ULTIMATE FRISBEE! Divide into two teams.  Rules:

  • Frisbee hits the ground, team that drops it does 2 Deconstructed Burpees. The other team CANNOT START until those are done.
  • Score a touchdown, Scoring team does 5 CHEERLEADERS while losing team does 5 DECONSTRUCTED BURPEES and runs to the other side to receive kickoff
  • WINNER of contest gets a 20 second WALK MOSEY Head start back to the AO. When losers catch them, AYG back to the AO.

MARY:
American Hammers, Hommer/Marge
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
14 Strong + a poochie (Tank)
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

I’ve watched two very different shows recently that highlighted some of the same key attributes of leadership that I’d like to talk about today a little bit.  I’ve never considered myself a particularly strong leader, more of a leader by example, but I’ve been trying to improve my leadership skills here and there, and by seeing examples of how it can be done helps give me some pointers.

The first example is a show called BEAR, about a chef who has absolutely climbed the ladder globally, and was working at one of the best restaurants in the world when his brother dies, leaving him a run down Italian beef joint in downtown Chicago that is nearly bankrupt.  All the other workers there are blue-collar types who have worked there for years, and even though he’s “family”, they think of him as a snob, an outsider, and a disruptor.  The way he leads the group to try to get the restaurant back on its feet is impressive, and I wanted to mention a few things specifically.

  • Right off the bat he calls everyone “Chef” as a sign of respect. Everyone is in the same boat, everyone equal.
  • He observes and sees each worker’s strengths and gives them the freedom to pursue their passions within the confines of the restaurant. One guy really loves baking and making desserts, and he allows him to pursue that passion.
  • He does the dirty work. Literally. He’s on his hands and knees scrubbing the floor after everyone else has gone home.

Then there’s a scene in the movie Gladiator, when Russell Crowe’s character, who is an ex-commander of the Roman army that has been wrongfully imprisoned and trapped in the world of the gladiators, is released into the Colosseum in Rome with other criminals to be slaughtered for entertainment by a much better-armed group of gladiators.  His leadership qualities immediately kick in.

  • Before the battle begins, he asks who else has served in the military. A few nod, and he asks for their help.  Makes them feel important.
  • Right before combat, he tells his group to stick together and cooperate. It will give them a better chance to survive.
  • He is one of the first to engage the enemy group. He organizes and inspires his fellow gladiators and they end up winning the battle.

Some commonalities between the two scenarios.

  1. Give others belief in themselves and their unique abilities. Find out what makes them tick, what their skills and passions are, and recognize and encourage them.
  2. Lead from the front. When it’s time to get your hands dirty, be the first to stick them deep in the mud.
  3. When it’s crunch time, whether during a crisis in the kitchen or if you find yourself in a life and death battle in a gladiator arena, step up. Give others confidence.

MOLESKIN:
Insert any personal comments, notes, devotion content, etc.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Asylum cleanup next Saturday 9 am!

“You’re Not Handsome Enough to Be Blindside” and other rude things PAX say

THE SCENE: Gagging, I mean gorgeous.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

An unnamed, smart-mouthed PAX besmirched the good name of Krystal.

WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH, Grady Corns, Tempo Squats — All IC x12 (also known as a sackful)
THA-THANG:
A number of hot, steamy, onion-scented exercises were performed. These included:

  • Bermuda Triangle: Squats, Squat Jumps, and UGA Cheerleaders at the corners; lunge between. A sackful of each exercise. Rinse and repeat x3.
  • Bermuda Triangle: Box Cutters, BBS, and Flutter Kicks at the corners; bear crawl between. A sackful of each exercise. Rinse and repeat x3.
  • 12s (*ahem* also known as a sackful): american hammers at top of the world, step-ups at bathhouse pavalon — recover was called before finishing, because sometimes it’s wiser to stop

MARY:
Nah
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
12, of course
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Do your best, pay attention to details, have a great attitude.
MOLESKIN:
There were some sad clowns playing pickleball outside of the posted hours.

Also, two HIMs who I’ve worked out with almost every week for years—who have a profession in common—just met each other today. Good reminder to break your routine every once in a while.

 

EVERYTHING IS AWESOMEEEEEEEE

THE SCENE:

  • Overcast
  • 60s
  • BSIA was hiding this morning.

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: Fitness – Fellowship – Faith 
  • My name is Steam and I’ll be your Q this morning 
  • A few things before we begin: 
    • I’m not a professional 
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • You know your injuries if you have any so if you need to modify anything we do today feel free to do so, but push yourselves and the men around you. They deserve it and so do you. 
  • FNGs?

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH: 10×4
  • Squat: 10×4 
  • Merkin: 10×4 
  • Rockette: 10×4 
  • Imperial Walker: 10×4 

THA-THANG:

(Mosey to the rock pile by the gates)

(1) Quarter Pounder

  • 4 rounds of the quarter pounder: 25 reps 91 ct) of an X with a rock, than take a lap around the lot
    • R1: 25 curls 
    • R2: 25 chest presses 
    • R3: 25 rows 
    • R4: 25 squats
  • Circle up 

(Mosey to the Pavilion)

— Warm o Rama #2 — 

Why? Because just like Legos, w’re building something together this morning. 

  • Mountain Climber: 10×4 
  • Baby Arm Circles: 10×4 (F)
  • Baby Arm Circles: 10×4 (B)
  • Carolina Dry Dock: 10×4
  • Calf Raise: 10×4 

(Mosey to the New Pavilion)

(2) The Double Trouble

  • 2 rounds – 5 Xs – all 20 reps (1ct) – rinse and repeat 1x
  • The Xs for both rounds 
    • Incline Merkins
    • Dips 
    • Squats 
    • Box Jumps 
    • Pull-ups
  • Circle Up

— Warm o Rama #3 — 

Why? Because we’re STILL building something together this morning.

  • SSH: 5×4
  • Squat: 5×4
  • Merkin: 5×4
  • Rockette: 5×4
  • Imperial Walker: 5×4
  • Mountain Climber: 5×4
  • Baby Arm Circles: 5×4 (F)
  • Baby Arm Circles: 5×4 (B)
  • Carolina Dry Docks: 5×4 
  • Calf Raises: 5×4

— RIP / fellowship walk to The Island —

(3) The FP

  • Get into teams of 4

MARY:

SWS (Stretching With Steam) + 1 lap around the parking lot

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

Count-Off: 19

Name-o-Rama: Matlock, Crispr, Crawdad, Veggie, Jumbo, Dung Beetle, Brick, Short Sale, Turtle, Musk, LuLu, Waffle House, Swimmies, Cheatsheet, Pusher, Pele, Abacus, Choir Boy, Steam

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

Lego Movie Takeaways From This Past Week 

I was watching The Lego Movie this week (no shame) – and surprisingly, or maybe not surprisingly, I took a lot from it. Man I used to love Legos. And I still do, but haven’t bought any in a while. But there were two specific things I wanted to share this morning, from the movie. 

(1) A quote that invites a powerful mental shift — “You don’t have to be the bad guy. You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you are capable of amazing things.”

  • I think there are a ton of people in our lives that need to hear this, more than we think. 
  • Take the word “bad” out and replace it with what fits — “Hey you don’t have to be the lonely guy anymore.” “You don’t have to be the addicted guy.” “You are the most talented, most interesting, and most extraordinary person in the universe. And you capable of amazing things.” 
  • Maybe they’re not the most talented or interesting or extraordinary person to you, but to the Creator of the universe? Absolutely they are. And they need to know it.
  • There’s a whole generation of people walking around like Emmet from The Lego Movie – thinking they’re just a normal, boring, uninteresting, life form that’s taking up space. That because of nature or nurture don’t know that God above uniquely created them to be capable of doing amazing things. 
  • I mean think of the power that something like this might have on a person? To intentionally say this to them? “Hey I know you’re this person, or you were this person, but you don’t have to be anymore. You were created to be talented, interesting, and extraordinary. And you’ve been created to do amazing things”………wow. Now that’s the power of helping someone unlock some things. 

(2) What are you building?

  • I think a lot of times life can be a lot like Legos – there’s an infinite number of pieces out there, all with different connectors and functions, and intentionally-designed characteristics.
  • And we’re all building something. Even if you don’t think you are, or if you can’t see it yet, you’re building something. So what did you build this week? And what can you build next week?

Final — We have a great opportunity to take everything we do in F3 – and engage in a intentional and relationally-driven weekend together this fall – something called Forg3 – a weekend retreat created by F3 men, for F3 men. And I’d love to just  invite you into this space with us this fall, as we head to DRG September 22nd – 24th, to focus on why our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd F efforts are so important in the context of community as we continually pursue high impact manhood. 

To find out more about Forg3 2023 and how to get plugged in and register – click here!