F3 Knoxville

Circles in the Dry

THE SCENE: Constant rain and around 50 degrees
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

Grab a CMU and head to pavilion for 30 SSH on 4ct, Thai Fighters 10 R, 10 L, Cherry Picker x10, Tempo Merkin x10, Windmills x10, OH Clap and and Seal Clap 4ct x10
THA-THANG:
Since it was raining AGAIN… we decided to stay under cover and do the following:

Legs

  • 10 Apollo Ono
  • 10 CMU step up
  • 20 CMU Squats
  • 20 CMU Calf Raises
  • 5 laps around building

Chest/Back/Arms

  • 10  CMUOH Press
  • 10  CMU Lawn Mower Row
  • 20 CMU Curl
  • 20 Dips
  • 5 laps around building

Abs

  • 10 CMU 4CT Flutter
  • 10 CMU American Hammer
  • 20 Heel Touch
  • 20 LBC
  • 5 laps around building

Ended at a bit over 2 miles in the dry with trips around building. Ended up in time to circle up.

MARY:

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

2 Corinthians 9:8

And God will generously provide all you need.  Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Be grateful for what God has given us.  Watch the words that come out of our mouths.  Practice gratitude.
MOLESKIN:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

No CMU Left Behind

THE SCENE: Respectable. Meaning in the 50s. Also light drizzle occaisionally. Just enough to cool you down a bit, not enough to actually get wet.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

SSH x30 IC
TN Rocking Chair x15 IC
8-ct Magic Mikes x10 IC (Fwd lunge, return, rev. lunge same leg, hands on the ground, bring fwd leg back and up in the air, merkin, return to standing)
LBAC x20 each way IC
Grady Corns x20 IC
Crabettes x10 IC

THA-THANG:
Head over to the CMU pile. Each PAX grabs one and comes out to the corner of the parking lot.
5 reps of exercise on card, then back to the pile for another CMU, 10 reps, another CMU, 15 reps until all CMUs are gone.
After all CMUs are at the first corner, repeat at second corner, moving all CMUs to the second corner.
Exercises:
-Thrusters
-BBS
-Merky-Derky (Plank w/ hands on block, merkin, bear crawl until feet on block, derkin, crawl bear back. That’s one. Audibled to 5-10-10 instead of 15)
-Lawn mowers

That’s all 4 corners… However, the cards have 2 sides.
-One-hand OHP
-Pull-over get-ups (from your six, reach CMU overhead and touch ground. Bring CMU back up and past your knees, stand up)
-CMU Wine Mixers
-Would have done curls, but ran out of time!

MARY:
No time today.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
7 PAX for 21 CMUs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Proverbs 3:5-6
New International Version
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.

So… What’s on my heart today? Yesterday was tough. My wife’s mother, who is in the later stages of Alzheimer’s, moved into our house Saturday. Yesterday we ended up juggling care for her, work, school, shopping, home repair, dinner, and extended family drama. Lying in bed afterward (and honestly wishing at that point that I wasn’t on Q today), I wondered how many more of those days were to come, and how many I could take. This verse came to mind, reminding me again to keep actively putting my trust in Him, specifically both in heart and mind. I wish I could say I was in that place… But I know that’s where I need to be, and pray for strength to get there.

MOLESKIN:
PAX handled everything with aplomb today… Gotta step it up a bit next time!
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
None this week…

The Men in The Arena


THE SCENE:
 Just cool enough. No wind. FNG (now known as “Title 9” was the first to show this morning, followed by Abscess & Hercules aka Tank the dog

F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER

  • Welcome to F3: FitnessFellowshipFaith
  • Name is Steam & I’ll be your QIC this morning!
  • A couple things before we begin:
    • Not a professional
    • You’re here on your own volition
    • Modify as you need but push yourself  and the men around you. They deserve to be pushed and motivated and so do you.

[ Name of the game for this morning is 1 foot in front of the other ]

WARM-O-RAMA:

☐ Motivators: 10 IC  

☐ Rockette: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Iron Mike: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Michel Phelps: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Windmill: 10 x 4 IC 

☐ Merkins: 10 x 4 IC

THA-THANG:

(Mosey to Cardiac Hill) 

☐ Battle-Buddy Up

☐ You and your BB have 3 points of contact 

☐ Top – Curve 1 – Bottom

☐ Top: 15 BB sit-ups (hold feet) 

☐ Curve 1: 15 1-count buddy merkins (Hugh five)

☐ Bottom: 15 squats

(Sprint back up to the top and hold the plank)

☐ 10 down/up merkins All-Together 

( 10 count)

☐ Rinse & Repeat – same exercises – 10 reps of everything instead of 15 

(Curves led PAX in 10 up/down squats)

(10 count) 

(Mosey to path that goes towards dock) 

☐ 2 lines —> bear crawl to the dock

(COP – Change of Plans: Path/boards to dock were slippery —> Q modified for PAX —> Hold the Al Gore after 1st light post and 10 sea claps)

(Mosey on to the dock)

[ Quarter Pounder ]

☐ 25×4 flitter kicks 

☐ 25×4 LBCs

☐ 25×4 hello dolly’s

☐ 25×4 straight legged curls 

(Mosey to hill before Everest by way of:

—> Dock —> through grass to small pavilion by soccer fields —> up the hill on path towards Everest

@ Small Pavilion

  • New Battle Buddy
  • BB1: Wall-sit + overhead seal claps
  • BB2: Sprint to lightpost in the middle of exterior parking lot + 2 merkins (just 2 ain’t bad right?) + recover BB1
  • Rinse & Repeat 1

(10 count)

(mosey from small pavilion in 2 lined American Indian style)

.25 later —> merge into 1 big American Indian run mosey

☐ Bear crawl up the hill and over the top 

(Mosey to base of Everest) 

“I’m Up – He Sees Me – I’m Down”

☐ “I’m Down” command – 5 merkins and hold until the next command is given 

—> “I’m Up!” Command = sprint up Everest

☐ All the way to the top

(Sandy is planted at the top of Everest behind tree at the top middle)

(Battle buddy Sandy Run to AO)

—> Sandy being carried in front by 2 PAX for 10 seconds (modified to 25 seconds later) and then recovering to the back

PAX rush past Haslam rock and stop at the small (sort of) hill right below Saturday AO parking lot

  • Sandy Toss + 5 up/down merkins up the hill to the parking lot
    • 2 PAX chuck Sandy as far as possible up the hill, all PAX sprint to it and execute 5 up/down merkins until everyone is at the top

MARY:
– 2 rounds of Boat/Canoe

– Cashed out the day with ATMs

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
16 PAX + 1 FNG = 17 total HIM

Cheatsheet, Mr Jinxy, Curves, FNG —> Title 9, Lulu, Waffle House, Otis, Crawdad, Abscess, Jumbo, Choir Boy, Hawk, LillyDipper, Brick, Snag, Swimmies

CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:

The Man in the Arena does not quit, although he may be knocked down and falter from the original path at times, he’s in the arena and must learn to get back up again and again and again. This is the way.

MOLESKIN:

 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

               – Teddy Roosevelt

☐ In the ring of life sometimes it can feel like we’re on our knees crying out for freedom and all we can do is look up right? 

☐ Song by Anthony Hamilton “Freedom” — some of the lyrics go like this: “Felt like the weight of the world is on my shoulders. Pressure to break or retreat at every turn. Facing the feat that the truth I discovered. No telling how all this will work out, but I’ve come too far to turn back now. I’m looking for freedom, looking for freedom. And to find it cost everything I have.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1. 1st F3 Knoxville Truebadours Q101/GrowSchool Convergence: Saturday, February 29th, 2020 – Asylum AO. More info to be pushed out in weekly emails + GroupMe soon

2. F3 Morristown Launch: Saturday, April 4th, 2020. Clown car(s) will be assembling to go support the launch on 4/4. Be on the lookout for opportunities between now and then to go post at some “test-Qs” at their new AO in the coming weeks/months.

Keep the Faith & Fight the Good Fight!

Where Is Your Sting?

THE SCENE: Cloudy, mid thirties.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

25 Side Straddle Hops.  10 Burpees. 10 Iron Mikes.  10 Windmills.  10 Cherry Pickers.  7 Baby Arm Circles Forward and Backward.  7 Wide Arm Circles Forward and Backward.
THA-THANG:
Mosey to Stop Sign at Northeastern Corner of Admin Bldg.  We will have cones posted along the road that semicircles around the Admin Bldg.  Each cone will give directions regarding exercises and how to get to the next cone.

  • Cone 1:  20 Big Boy Sit-ups.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 2.
  • Cone 2:  20 Diamond Merkins.  Hop to Cone 3.
  • Cone 3.  20 Shoulder Taps (both shoulders = 1).  Gravevine with left foot in lead to Cone 4.
  • Cone 4:  20 Star Jumps.  Grapevine with right foot in lead to Cone 5.
  • Cone 5:  20 Squat Jumps.  Sprint to Cone 6.
  • Cone 6:  20 Flutter Kicks (four count).  Bear Crawl to Cone 7.
  • Cone 7.  20 Smurf Jacks.  Bernie Sanders to Cone 8
  • Cone 8.  20 Merkins, 40 Baby Crunches, 20 Hello Dollies (four count), 20 American Hammers (four count), 20 Bicycle Kicks (four count), 20 Bottle Openers (both hands = 1).

Mosey back to stop sign at Northeastern Corner of Admin Bldg., picking up cones and signs along the way.  We will squat for one minute to quietly contemplate the beauty of the scenery toward the lake.

Mosey to CMU pile.  Men will split into pairs.  One partner from each pair will grab a CMU.  We will do Doras with partner one sprinting to other end of parking lot, doing 10 shin lifts, and sprinting back while partner two starts working on the exercises.  Partners will then switch positions.  These are the exercises that each pair will accomplish:

  • 100 Overhead Presses
  • 100 Curls
  • 100 Rows
  • 100 Bell Ringers
  • 100 Merkins with feet on CMU

Mosey through entrance way gate to northern ball fields.  We will go the ball field that is closest to the entryway and congregate at one end of the marked soccer field in the outfield.  We will throw frisbee three times and race to the frisbee.  We will then race to end of the soccer field and back.  Those men who got the frisbee on the three prior throws will be competing to see who gets a free breakfast from the Q leader. Next, we will split into two teams.  Men will split up to play frisbee football.  Every time the frisbee hits the ground, not only does the possession of the frisbee change to the other team but all team members must do five burpees.  I must give my brother, Waffle House, credit for being the originator of this frisbee/burpee rule.

Mosey to AO.

MARY:
20 Flutter Kicks, Boat Canoe.
COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
Seventeen men with one FNG, a friend of Toto’s named Marty Mason.  His F3 name is now Tinder.
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’” (1 Corinthians 15:54-55)

Edward Abbey was a park ranger and writer.  As a park ranger for the National Park Service he worked in scarcely populated desert areas of Utah, including the Arches National Park and Canyonlands of Southeastern Utah.  In his book Desert Solitaire, he speaks in one chapter about being alone in a very rocky canyon area in Utah.  Although an experienced ranger, he got lost and was stuck on a rock precipice.  He could make a jump across the precipice to a cliff similar in height but which was in the direction he knew would get him home.  He didn’t know how to get back the way he came even though he had tried to track it.  He was running out of water.  His choice was to either die of thirst where he was or make a huge leap from the precipice to the cliff.  The fall if he failed to reach the cliff would be hundreds of feet and would certainly bring him to his death.  He made the choice to jump and, for some good minutes, started thinking about his life before he made the jump.

What would you think about if you were faced with such a situation?  You are about to make the jump that will either continue or end your life?  What thoughts run through your mind.  Would you think about family?  About things that brought you joy?  Actions or lack of action that you regretted?  Would you wish you could say or do some things you had not yet done in life?  Would you have faith that God would follow you through death if death were to occur?  And, on the chance that you might make the jump, would you see life in a different way afterwards?  Would there be things that you would want to accomplish or do that you had yet to attempt?

Abbey gave a very poignant description of his fear and grief before making the jump.  As a man who loved nature, he thought with appreciation yet longing about the beauty of the world all around him before making the death jump.  Obviously, he made it to the other side as he later wrote the book.

As a man I would have been very scared, just as Abbey was.  As a Christian, I hope I would take comfort in verses like the one in Corinthians above.  I hope I would appreciate my mortality and the gift that God has given us in our short lives here on Earth.  But, I also hope I would realize that my perishable body has been clothed with the imperishable armor of God, that my mortality has become immortality through Him.  Then, even knowing I might fall to my death, I could say, “Death, where is your victory, where is your sting?”

MOLESKIN:
Prayers for Pele’s shoulder as he took a mean fall and hurt it during the frisbee football game.  Pusher, a physical therapist, said he didn’t dislocate.  Prayers for our brother, Pinto, who is suffering through treatment of multiple myeloma cancer.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
New pull up bars that we raised money for will be going up.  We will have an AO launch in Morristown on April 4.

Finger-saver

THE SCENE: 22 degrees… Not quite as windy as yesterday. Occasional snowflakes spotted. Not oversensitive millennials in the park (too early in the day for that). Actual flakes of snow from the sky.
F3 WELCOME & DISCLAIMER
WARM-O-RAMA:

40-something SSH IC (until the last tardy PAX joined the circle…)
10x Burpees OYO to get the blood pumping
15x TN Rocking Chair IC
10x Hindurkins IC
16x Cossack Squats IC
20x LBAC IC each way
20x Overhead Claps

THA-THANG:
Mosey toward Everest.
At the low stone retaining wall beside the upper parking lot, hop up and back down at each wall segment.

20 BBS at the intersection

Climb up and back down twice at the chest-high retaining wall

Arrive at the bottom of Everest.
Climb a mountain of reps first:
10x 4-count HR Merkins IC
20x Squat Jumps IC
30x CDD OYO
40x LBCs
50x SSH IC

Run up Everest, with a little Bernie thrown in for good measure.

Descend rep mountain:
50x 4-ct Mountain Climbers
40x Squats IC
30x Merkins OYO
20x Lunges each leg OYO
10x 8-ct Body Builders OYO

Head back down Everest. 20 BBS at the bottom

Mosey back to the AO, stopping once for 20 more BBS
MARY:
40x Flutter Kicks IC
20x LBCs
20x American Hammer
15x Side Crunch (each side)

COUNT-OFF & NAME-O-RAMA
9 PAX today… No FNGs
CIRCLE OF TRUST/BOM:
Read from My Utmost for His Highest: https://utmost.org/called-by-god/

MOLESKIN:
Normally a CMUesday would have been on the docket… But low 20s is a bit tough on the fingers to be gripping frozen concrete. Hopefully the more standard fare was sufficient for today…
ANNOUNCEMENTS: