Month: January 2020

One More for Two – Four!

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DATE: 1/30/20

QIC: Chappie

While dreaming earlier this morning YHC was guided to another world. Time and time again when that happens, at sunrise YHC fights to stay asleep ’cause he doesn’t wan to leave the comfort of this place (name that tune). Nonetheless, it was time to rouse and post at The Grit Mill, for yet another beatdown in the name of #Two-Four…Kobe Bryant. Almost all the reps today were done with a Two-Four rep count simply to remember and honor one of the best ballers to ever play the game in our generation. The idea: Adopt the Mamba mentality which Kobe was so legendary for. Here’s how it want down:

WARM-O-RAMA

  • SSH – 24 IC
  • Squats – 24 IC
  • [Legit] Crab Flippers – 24 IC
  • Motivators – by the 10’s (Shout out to @sunspot and the Lanco PAX)
  • Calf Raises – 24 OYO

Alternating 2 baby sandbags (20-pounders) between one another, PAX Mosey’d to 4′ wall near east end of Gigante International Market parking lot. On this beautiful newly-discovered structure PAX did the following…

THE THANG:

  • Derkins – 24 OYO, Dragon Crawls – 24 Steps, MJB’s – 5 (return to wall)
    • Somebody mentioned going to Kobe’s first jersey number (8) to ease the pain. Lol! Nope!
  • Irkins – 24 OYO, Bear Crawl – 24 Steps, MJB’s – 10 (return to wall)
  • PC – 12 count 2x, Crawl Bear – 24 Steps, MJB’s – 15 (return to wall)
  • BTTW – 12 count 2x, Bear Crawl – 24 Steps, MJB’s – 20 (return to wall)
  • Iron Mikes – 12 OYO, Lt. Dan -24 Steps, MJB’s – “Two Four” (Return to parking lot)

3rdF BREATHER

This morning I’m sharing some thoughts adapted from Jocko Willink’s LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES & TACTICS. A portion of the book is about “The Power of Relationships” (48-51). In it he writes, “Leadership requires relationships. Good relationships with people above you, below you, and beside you…are critical for a strong team. The better the relationships, the more open and effective communication there is. The more communication there is, the stronger the team will be.”

He first talks about having a good relationship with those above you (i.e. your boss/bosses/managers, etc.) and gives this advice when it comes to building a trustworthy relationship with superiors:

▪ The first, most obvious way, (often overlooked) is PERFORMANCE. Your boss expects you to complete certain tasks. So COMPLETE THEM. On time. On budget. Without drama. Get the mission done.

▪ There will be things you might not be in 100% agreement with, do them anyway. It will always serve you well. If the boss wants you to fill out extra paperwork — Do it. If the boss wants you to cover a shift for someone else — You’ve got it! Does the boss want you to clean up an administrative mess that got spilled? — You’re on it! Even take on the nasty, low-reward missions that need executing — Get all over it.

▪ With each set of problems. Be the solution. With each problem you solved, the level of trust the boss has in you goes up.

▪ Over time, as you do what needs to get done, your boss/bosses will know that you’re the man who can be trusted to make things happen; you gain clout with the boss.

▪ Gaining clout with the boss allows you to give feedback or criticism of their plans if that becomes necessary (when time is right, and only when ego is set aside). So ultimately this leads back to one of the most powerful tools you could have as a leader and in the workplace — a good relationship with your boss. This will always lend itself to your team’s ability to BETTER accomplish the mission.

As followers of Christ, this ultimately (first) has everything to do with our relationship with God. God’s Word tells us,

“Whatever you do, do it heartily (with all of your heart), as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” (Col.3:23-24)

▪ Personal experience. Years ago only a couple of years after I’d joined the Army Nat’l Guard, I got stuck with KP duty (“kitchen police”) during Annual Training at Ft. Drum. I’d been in a few years by this point so quite frankly I felt that it was beneath me to pull KP duty, after all I was a high ranking PFC! KP sucked in a regular mess hall, but what was worse was that we were in the field. The next morning my Sergeants roused me from my fartsack at O-Gawd-Thirty and took me for about a 15 minute drive to the location of our field kitchen. As we traveled the road, images of M*A*S*H episodes were flashing through my mind as I bounced around on the dew-covered back seat of that 1/4 ton Jeep. But it was far from humorous–I was cursing under my breath for getting stuck with a duty that NO ONE EVER WANTED to get stuck with. I was mad as a hornet. As about a “3-yr-old” Christian, I knew the things I was saying under my breath were wrong. Plus, I dared not voice them aloud because I didn’t want to be insubordinate toward either of my Sergeants. Yet, God heard them! Then, about 5 minutes into the ride, the Lord spoke to my heart (His voice came alive in my heart by His Word being hidden there) and I heard that verse: “Whatever you do, work heartily at it, as for the Lord rather than for men…“

Those words hit my like a ton of bricks and changed my perspective and attitude in an instant. As I was dropped off I went to work on KP duty, which turned out to be about a 16 hr day. I did everything you can imagine and washed ever pan, and cleaned everything that didn’t move, etc. in that field kitchen. And I did it as if I were working for the Lord. Enjoyed it. Embraced the suck, if you will. By the end of that non-stop day, when my Sergeants came to pick me, the Mess Sergeant , along with the rest of the Mess crew said I’d done such a great job that they were begging for me to come back the next day. As much as I enjoyed my response was a quick “Uh, no thanks.” Yet two things happened: (1) I’d left a good impression on both the mess crew and with my Sergeants (my “bosses”), and, (2) I’d left a good testimony for serving my Lord — the ultimate pleasure in all of life is giving glory to His name!

Back at it…

Mosey return to AO, alternating baby sandbags between PAX.

Partial round of Mary:

  • LBC’s – 24 OYO (Courtesy YHC)
  • Dolly – 24 IC (Courtesy Ruxpin)
  • E2K – 24 Single Count (Courtesy Loose Wheel)
  • X’s & O’s – 24 OYO (Courtesy Waterfall)

COT/BOM:

  • Announcements: Planning on putting a Site-Q meeting together sometime in Feb to plan into the year a bit.
  • Prayers: For Waterfall, Felicia, and Dee Dee; for both Chauffeur’s and Doubtfire’s families; and for Papa Bears daughter sitting for her nursing boards near future.

Lots of 24 count reps to remember and honor Kobe Bryant. The Mamba Mentality gave us some good motivation to go beyond normal rep counts. The reminder to build relationships with those above us, based upon serving the Lord, gave us good motivation to go above and beyond even what is expected of us.

Always honored to bring the beatdown. Thanks for the opportunity HIM!

~Chappie, out!

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3

The Super Sheldon Cooper Mamba Style

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Date: 01/30/20

AO: CHOP, Milton DE

QIC: Fireplex

Warm up

SSH – 24 IC

Cherry Pickers – 24 IC

Bobby Hurley’s – 24 OYO

Bolt 48’s IC (4 Count) – 16 squats to halfway down.  16 squats halfway to full down.  16 full squats.

Windmills – 24 IC

Jiminy Crickets – 8 OYO

Mosey .5 miles to “Oh Hill No” by way of the Black “Mamba” Snake Run

The Thang

The Super Sheldon Cooper Mamba Style.  Inch worm or “Mamba Slither” up the hill, run down and complete 8 Burpees, 8 Squats, 8 Merkins & 8 Big Boys.  Plank for the 6.  Dragon Crawl up the hill, run down and complete 8 Burpees, 8 Squats, 8 Merkins & 8 Big Boys.  Plank for the 6.  Crawl Bear up the hill, Bear Crawl down and complete 8 Burpees, 8 Squats, 8 Merkins & 8 Big Boys.  Plank for the 6.  I had a few more “Mamba Hill Slithers” planned had time allowed.  Break for the F3 message.  See Message Below….

Mosey .5 miles back to CHOP by way of the Black “Mamba” Snake Run

F3 Message 01/30/20

CP CURRENT PAGE: VOICES | TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

Kobe Bryant’s death reminds us life is not fair

By Greg Laurie, CP Contributor (The Christian Post)

I could hardly believe the news this weekend: Kobe Bryant, the LA Lakers basketball superstar, had died in a helicopter accident near Los Angeles. Eight other people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, also perished in the crash.

How could a champion like Kobe, so vibrant and full of life, suddenly leave us?

Kobe Bryant was among the very best to play in the NBA. He played 20 seasons with the LA Lakers, won 5 championship rings and finished with 33,643 career points. At 41 years old, he was a living and breathing legend that even other NBA stars were star-struck by.

He even picked his own nickname, “Black Mamba,” after the fastest lethal snake in the world — and passed it on to his daughter Gianna, a budding basketball star, whom he called “Mambacita.”

The truth is, the vast majority of us didn’t know Kobe personally. Maybe we went to one of his games, but that was the extent of our relationship with him. Yet his death somehow has touched millions of Americans deeply. I believe it’s because it suddenly jolted us to the reality that life is not fair.

Why are people like Kobe and his daughter and the other passengers aboard that fateful flight taken while others will wake up tomorrow to face a new day?

There are no easy explanations, but here are three things we should keep in mind as we reflect on Kobe’s passing:

1.  Life Is Precious

I have a smartwatch. Periodically, I will get a message on it that simply says, “Breathe.” Funny thing is, I was breathing already, but it’s reminding me of something that I should never take for granted.

Every day is a gift. Every single heartbeat and every breath you take is a blessing. Don’t take it for granted. And don’t take your health or your family for granted either.

The Bible reminds us, “Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom” (Psalm 90:12 NLT).

Kobe was a very successful man with many beautiful things, but I am certain he would have traded it all for one more precious day of life. He was not given that choice.

2. Don’t Ask ‘Why?’ — Ask ‘Who?’

I remember the day 11 years ago when my wife and I heard the devastating news that our son Christopher had died in an automobile accident on his way to work. It was as if all the air was sucked out of the room and time stood still. I felt as though if words could kill you, I could have died on the spot that day.

In my time of pain and darkness, I called out to God, and He was there for me. The Bible says He is “the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).

Sometimes things happen in life that are unfair, and we will never get a satisfying answer for why they happened. At times such as these, I have learned that the right question to ask is not “Why?” but “Who?” Who do you turn to at a time like this?

You turn to God and ask Him for the strength you need to go on another day. And you cry and mourn.

The Bible says, “Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep” (Romans 12:15 NLT). Many people wept with us when our son Christopher died. Right now, Kobe’s family needs support and love.

We need to remember to pray for Kobe’s wife, Vanessa, and his children, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. Kobe is also survived by his father Joe and his mother Pam. I cannot imagine the devastation they are all feeling over the loss of both Kobe and Gianna. We must also remember to pray for the families of the seven others who died as well. Their names are:

●       John Altobelli, 56, Orange Coast College head baseball coach

●       Kerri Altobelli, John’s wife

●       Alyssa Altobelli, John and Kerri’s daughter, who was Gianna’s basketball teammate

●       Sarah Chester

●       Payton Chester, Sarah’s daughter and another basketball teammate

●       Christina Mauser, girls basketball coach at Mamba Sports Academy

●       Ara Zobayan, pilot

3. We Must Prepare

Death isn’t a respecter of people. It doesn’t care if you are rich or poor; religious or not; famous, infamous or unknown; or even the great Kobe Bryant, who had vast resources and money at his disposal. It knocks at every door, and sadly one day it will knock at your door and mine.

But death is not the end. The Bible talks about an afterlife — a concept even many people who are nonreligious believe in. Jesus spoke about it.

He said, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;  and whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).

It’s because of this hope of eternity that followers of Jesus do not “grieve like people who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). If we believe in and follow Jesus, we can rest assured that death will not get the final word but we will be in Heaven with Him.

Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist and a best-selling author. His books include “Hope for Hurting Hearts” and  “Johnny Cash: The Redemption of an American Icon.”

Respectfully Submitted,

Fireplex

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3

F3 HARRISBURG PA 1/30/2020: QUARTERS IN THE COLD

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BACKBLAST: 1/30/2020

Reservoir Park, Harrisburg PA

Thursday, 5:30 AM

2 PAX posted for the workout: Flintstone & HK Hershey Kiss (Q)

WARM-UP
Side Straddle Hops 16ic
Arms circles forward 8ic
Arms circles backwards 8 ic
Air squats 16ic

THE THANG: QUARTERS IN THE COLD (AKA TRAIN CHAIN)

Merkin Mile
4 rounds of
Quarter mile + 25 Merkins

4 rounds of
Burpee 4ic
Lunge 4ic
Merkin 4ix
WWII sit-ups 16ic

Merkin Mile
3 rounds of
Quarter mile + 25 Merkins
(time up before final ¼ mile)

483.22m * 7 = 3382.54m or approximately 2.11 miles

COT
Praise and gratitude for Flintstone’s recent health concerns turning out well
Praise and gratitude for Flintstone’s son’s health improving
Prayer for Flintstone’s Aunt-in-law (Linda) and her health concerns
Prayer for our prior FNGs to return and for new FNGs to continue showing up

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0

Kobe

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Date: January 28, 2020

QIC: Wildwing

WARM A RAMA: SSH x 20, Cherry Picker x 20, Goof Ball x 20, La La Leggy x 10, Joe Lewis x 20

The Thang:

Sixteen workout stations were set out in two lines 40 feet apart. Each station had a separate exercise that continued for 60 seconds. Pax would do Bobby Hurleys or a Fiddler Crab walk as they rotated to a new station.

Exercises included: box cutters, iron mikes dips, dirkins, lbc, wheel of merkins, groiners burpees, coupon jump, elf on shelf, bolt 45, windshield wipers, big boy, war hammers, Alabama ass kickers

Third F:

While PAX were on 6s doing bicycles, QIC recited Kobe Brant sayings such as: “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.” He also talked about leaving the game better than you found it. “When it comes time to leave, leave a legend.”

“Leaving the game better than you found it” echos the concept of seeking a “more perfect union.” So we closed the message by recalling Rear Admiral Black’s opening prayer at the Trump Impeachment trial: “Sovereign God, author of liberty … remember that Patriots reside on both sides of the aisle….Give all senators a civility built upon integrity that brings consistency in their beliefs and actions, we pray in your powerful name, Amen.

(A person can hope anyways.)

Number a Rama, Name a Rama, COT

Respectfully and hopefully submitted: Wildwing

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2

Parking Place Platinum Prius Party

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27 Jan 2020

Q : Flea

DISCLAIMER: Given

Warmup

SSH – 50
Imperial Walkers – 20
Hillbillies – 20
Cherry Pickers – 20
Sun Gods – 10 (Overhead/Sides/Front)
–> Straight into Morrocan Nightclubs – 10

The Thang:
Black Snake over to Community Center Parking Lot
Black Snake – Like a Last Man Sprint (Indian Run) except the PAX sprinting weaves through the other PAX .

–Once at the parking lot, PAX broke up into groups
1. Merkin Leap Frog (Completed Together)
While one PAX waited in the ready position the other did the allotted merkin(s) then took his position in front while his partner completed the next set. Total quantity of Merkins/PAX was 70.

–Groups then performed one of the two excercises
2. Forward then Backward
10 Merkins
Crab Walk to first parking lot “peninsula” (word we settled on to describe
break between parking sections
Bear Crawl to second parking lot “peninsula”
10 Air Squats
Crawl Bear to first parking lot “peninsula”
Crawl Bear to start
This group finished first both times and performed exercises of choice until second team was complete

3. Squatpocalypse
20 Air Squats -> Run Across Parking Lot and back
REPEATO 5x

–After both groups were complete they took a 30 count rest and switched exercises

4. Ladder Suicides
Upon completion of the second workout teams took a 20 count rest
and promptly executed suicides between lines ascending to the first parking “peninsula” and then descending back down to start.

Black Snake back to Flags
With a few minutes left YHC executed Ring of Fire: Flutter Kicks and 50 LBCs OYO.

Ended with Number-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, COT.

F3 WODs
Platinum : The rule of treating other men the way they want to be treated.
Prius: A symbolic act of Virtue that does not itself solve a Problem.

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3

Game of failure

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8 strong and two 2.0s posted today at Carmel High. YHC & Q Cleveland Rocks came up with a few games to rally (trick) the PAX into working out harder. Some of the games went off successfully, others failed. YHC promises to recover from this failure and keep moving forward as this is F3 and F3 is not a destination but a process to keep being better every day.

We started 1 minute late (failure)

The Warm Up: Armies, Armies Fast, Armies Faster (IC), Cherry Pickers (IC), Imperial Walkers (IC), Copper Head Squats (IC), Overhead presses (IC), Crab (IC) SSH while YHC grabs items from van that he forgot to bring (failure)

Game One: Pax splits into teams. Two pax pulls while bear crawling a third who is on moving pads holding a rope. At 20 yard line stop, 20 monkey humpers for the pullers and 20 merkins for the person being pulled. Fourth pax is jumping rope (failure as one rope was way too small for adults) while the three pax return. Game called in middle of second round as it just was not working (failure.)

Game Two: YHC left chalk in the car for the next game (failure). Mosey to YHC’s minivan (Failure that YHC has a minivan? YHC doesn’t think so as minivans are awesome!) Mosey to ping pong table for a single elimination tourney.

While two pax play best of 3 points other pax do:
* During point 1: Burpees
* During point 2: Side Straddle Hops
* During point 3: Al Gores

I won’t tell you who won but I will say YHC was very happy with the results. Final game went down to the third point and Burgundy (respect) went in for the kill with a huge windup shot that missed YHC’s side of the table.

Mosey to track. The night before YHC looked up ‘Best F3 workout ever’ and this came up:

5 burpees, run 1/8th mile.
5 burpees, 10 merkins, run 1/8th mile
5 burpees, 10 merkins, 15 LBCs, run 1/8th mile
5 burpees, 10 merkins, 15 LBCs, 20 plank jacks, run 1/8th mile
5 burpees, 10 merkins, 15 LBCs, 20 plank jacks, hold plank 1 min, run…

We finished it off with some last man sprints and finished on time.

Great COT / BOM prose from Psych.

YHC and Q: Cleveland Rocks

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2

MLK Library Laps

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Warm-up: (20) SSH IC, (20) Cherry Pickers IC, (20) Wind Mill IC, (20) Plank Jacks IC, (20) Shoulder Taps IC, (20) 4 Count Superman IC.

Take a lap around the library hitting every flight of steps. Meet at the Amphitheater seating area for a 6 pack of exercises.

10 WMD (10 wide merkin, 10 merkin, 10 diamond merkin)

20 Dips

20 Box Jumps

20 Lunges (rear leg elevated)

20 Reverse Crunches (bum on the bench; legs hanging over)

20 American Hammers (bum on the bench; legs hanging over)

Take a lap hitting every step. Wash, Rinse, Repeat x3.

Third F:

Before he was assassinated at age 39, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott, organized the 1963 March on Washington, advocated for civil disobedience and non-violent protest, and became one of the most influential figures in American history.

Fifty years after his death, here’s a look back at some of the civil rights leader’s most memorable speeches.

“I Have a Dream” – Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963

In his most famous speech, King stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and called for an end to racism in the United States before a crowd of more than 250,000 people.

“Our God is Marching On” – Selma, Alabama, March 25, 1965

Delivered after the historic marches from Selma to Montgomery, historians consider King’s triumphant deliverance of his “Our God is Marching On” speech to mark the end of the civil rights movement’s first phase focusing on legal and political rights. The movement would later focus on fighting for economic equality.

 “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence” – Riverside Church in New York City, April 4, 1967

Exactly one year before his assassination, King condemned the Vietnam War at a time when a majority of Americans still supported the effort. King was criticized for the speech, considered one of his most controversial, and lost supporters for being too political.

 “The Other America” – Stanford University, April 14, 1967

Just 10 days after declaring his opposition to the Vietnam War, King spoke to a crowd at Stanford University and advocated for economic and social equality. In his “Other America” speech, King described “two Americas” to highlight the growing poverty gap in the United States as a root of inequality. King gave a similar version of this speech at Michigan’s Grosse Pointe High School on March 14, 1968.

“I’ve been to the Mountaintop” – Memphis, Tennessee, April 3, 1968

In his final speech, King addressed a church filled with striking sanitation workers who were protesting their low pay and working conditions. King emphasized the importance of unity and nonviolent protest in the fight for justice, no matter how painful the struggle.

“Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop… And I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

Number-Rama, Name-O-Rama, COT

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2

BACKBLAST F3 HARRISBURG PA – 1/23/2020: TIGER SHUFFLE

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BACKBLAST: 1/23/20

Reservoir Park, Harrisburg PA

Thursday, 5:30 AM

1 PAX posted for a throwback Thursday workout: HK Hershey Kiss (Q)

WARM UP
Mosey around parking lot x 3

Plyometric Circuit x 4 each movement
-high knees – 60 reps in 10 yards
-butt kickers – 40 reps in 10 yards
-bounding skips – 10 reps in 10 yards
-walk toy soldiers – 10 reps in 10 yards
-Karioca – 5 reps in 10 yards (down & back)
-Tapioca – 40 reps in 10 yards (down & back)

THE THANG: TIGER SHUFFLE

Back when I was playing college ball,the 300 yard Tiger Shuttle (5×60 yard sprint for time) was the first indicator of which athletes stuck to the summer strength and conditioning program vs. which athletes slacked

17 years later, due to increasing age and decreasing speed, the Tiger Shuttle has become the Tiger Shuffle:

5×10 yard sprint shuttle – 30 second rest in plank
5×20 yard sprint shuttle – 60 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×30 yard sprint shuttle – 90 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×40 yard sprint shuttle – 120 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×50 yard sprint shuttle – 150 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×60 yard sprint shuttle – 180 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×60 yard sprint shuttle – 180 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×50 yard sprint shuttle – 150 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×40 yard sprint shuttle – 120 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×30 yard sprint shuttle – 90 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×20 yard sprint shuttle – 60 second rest (30 seconds in plank)
5×10 yard sprint shuttle – 30 second rest in plank

COOL DOWN
Decline Merkins 10ic
Big Boy Boat Situps (feet elevated on platofrm a la side of raft boat) x 10ic
Incline Merkins x 10ic
WWII sit-ups x 10ic

POT
-Growth of F3 Harrisburg PA that we’d see Diver, Chopper, Roaster, Sketchbook, Bass Clef, and other men coming out regularly

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2

A Roll of the Dice

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Name-O-Rama

DATE: 1/22/20

QIC: Chappie

Six PAX is never a good start to your day, unless, of course, you’re talking about 6 F3 PAX who won THAT FIRST BATTLE by unpartaking of the Fartsack and were lucky enough to post at the Primis AO in Lewes, DE.

No. One. Ever. Regrets. Posting. Post!

WARM-O-RAMA:

  • SSH – 18 IC
  • Moroccan NC’s – 10 IC
  • Italian NC’s – 10 IC
  • The Motivator (Shout out to the men of F3 Lanco, YHC borrowed this excellent warm-up exercise)
  • Calf Raises – 30 IC
  • Crab Flipper – 18 IC (Now Local & Legit: a variation of the Cherry Picker, PAX pick cherries…er, um…flip crabs on the 3-count near the left foot, then down the middle between feet, then on the 3-count near the right foot, continuing to alternate L, M, R, R, M, L throughout the exercise — it’s now local gentlemen…and good for warming up and stretching)

At this point PAX took the Shovel Flag for a short tour (.96 miles) Patriot Run.

PAX returned from Patriot Run to the Tennis courts where, low and behold, awaiting was a giant pair of dice and YHC’s Board of Pain…

Look at that pair!

PAX each took turns rolling the dice, accomplishing each exercise on the Board of Pain except SSH, Squats, Merkins, Sandbag Circle, and Dying Cockroaches. First lucky roll came from Ruxpin who kicked it off by rolling a 9: Flying Squirrels (25 of those suckers darn near whooped us!) But we continued.

The Q inserted 2 laps around the tennis court [for a breather]. First time around PAX did the Nur. Second time around PAX Side-shuffled.

YHC also gave the PAX a breather by sharing the following 3rdF:

Just a reminder of what this F3 thing–this Fitness, Fellowship, & Faith thing–is about…it’s all about LEADERSHIP! We’re here because we inherently desire to sharpen our ability to lead.

The F3 mission itself is to “PLANT, GROW, & SERVE SMALL WORKOUT GROUPS OF MEN FOR THE INVIGORATION OF MALE COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP.”

You’re all here because you’re a part of that mission, because you recognize on a personal level you’ve not arrived and you have room to grow in the area of leadership…be it in your home, your workplace, or the communities in which you serve.

We tend to think leadership is…

▪ A solo adventure, that we have to go it alone. We see ourselves standing atop the proverbial mountain directing our “troops” into battle.

▪ We tend to think it’s about our position and how to get to the next rung on the ladder.

▪ We tend to think leadership is about us (me, myself, and I)

▪ And…its none of these things at all! In fact, some of the greatest detriments to our ability to lead are actually our own egos, our push to rise to the top of the pecking order, or our desire for recognition.

Not having it all together (and worse yet, the trap that follows of ACTING like we do) we hide behind power and position. Afraid we will be found out… afraid that others (men especially) will see that we actually don’t have it all together, we end up taking stances in leadership that hinder, rather than help, our ability to lead. Then too often we end up forfeiting opportunities to master leadership by learning from our failures (we think we’re not allowed to fail).

We tend to assume “the bigger my ego, the more respect I’ll be able to demand, and the better my leadership.” But reality is that the biggest thing that needs to be put in check is, in fact, our egos.

I base these statements on the example we see in Christ: In Jesus is found the example of a servant leader who, though fully divine, took on humanity and the human experience. He did this to redeem us…

Think about that: God became a man, and at that, A SERVANT [LEADER], because there was something enormous at stake: Your life… eternally! So His plan of redeeming you included SERVANT LEADERSHIP.

That fact teaches several important factors which can transform our thinking about leadership:

#1: “Leadership is an action, not a position.” (Chris Brady) i.e. it’s what you do!

#2: “Leaders must ALWAYS operate with the understanding that they’re part of something bigger than themselves and their own personal interests.” (Jocko, EO p.76)

#3: “Leaders move people from where they are to where God wants them to be.”

In reference to what I’m sharing these next two are critical:

#4: “Leadership IS NOT about being the best; leadership is about making everyone else better.” (@bjj_world)

#5: “The bottom line in leadership ISN’T how far we advance ourselves; it’s how far we advance OTHERS.” (LTC Rick Frank)

Philippians 2:6ff talks about how Christ humbled Himself by coming down from heaven and becoming human–a bond-servant. God did that! So leadership is best expressed in humility and in the interest of others. These verses are stated as the example to follow and the attitude we’re supposed to have (Christ’s) after we read earlier in Phil. 2:3-4 “DO NOTHING FROM SELFISHNESS OR EMPTY CONCEIT, BUT WITH HUMILITY OF MIND LET EACH OF YOU REGARD ONE ANOTHER AS MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIMSELF; DO NOT MERELY LOOK OUT FOR YOUR OWN PERSONAL INTERESTS, BUT ALSO FOR THE INTERESTS OF OTHERS.” Have this attitude in yourselves.…” (Emphasis added) The attitude of Christ is what was then described.

Today, if you want to be a HIM, humble yourself and serve to make someone else better. Humble yourself and lead by advancing those around you!

PAX returned to taking a few lucky rolls of the dice and experiencing the Board of Pain before time was up.

COUNT-O-RAMA

NAME-O-RAMA

COT/BOM:

  • Announcements: Praise YHC’s nephew, Aaron, is home from deployment! PAX shared other AO’s, workout locations, with Chauffeur so he’d know where to post in the Gloom
  • Prayers: Chauffeur & Doubtfire (prayers for things going on on the home front); Prayers for all those still deployed, especially Aaron’s battle buddy, Cottle; Prayers for our F3 brother, Styx, experienced some recent serious heart issues.

Always thankful for the opportunity to borrow, create and execute a new Weinke. While we repeated several of the exercises, we didn’t make it through the whole Board of Pain. Perhaps another time…its just the luck of the roll. Until then…

~Chappie, out!

How’d you start your day?

Man. Up.
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Thursday, January 16, 2020 @ The Grit Mill

Q: Chairman PAX: Chappie, Chewtoy, Gump, Loose Wheel, Poppa Bear, Ruxpin, Waterfall, FNG Visitante

Warmup: 15 Cherry Pickers, 15 Moroccan Night Clubs, 15 Windmills, & To the song, Tubthumper by Chumbawumba, start with SSH at beginning of song, then every time they say, “I get knocked down, but i get up again” you do a burpee. While not doing burpees, you are continuously doing SSH. In the end, you will do about 27 burpees. Lap around library

The Thang: Toy Soldier Set 35 LBCs 25 E2Ks 15 Big Boys. Another lap around the library.

Bring Sally Up Merkin Challenge, Hold plank on bring Sally up and hold bottom position of merkin on bring Sally down.

Burpee mile: 48 burpees, 1 mile run. Done as 12 burpees, run 1/4 mile x 4. Last 12 burpees replaced with Burpos: low burpee. Starting position is bottom of a squat. Then reach hands out to ground, legs fire back into a plank, chest to the ground, pushup, draw legs back into a squat, final position is the bottom of a squat. No standing up for the duration of the reps.

F3 Message about being part of F3 and how great it is to see F3 First State growing with record #s posting. How forcing yourself to post is hardest and most important part. Once you post being around other HIM motivates us and we lift each other up during the workouts and in our family lives, jobs, etc.

Number-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, naming FNG, and COT.

Watch “F3 First State Grit Mill” on YouTube
https://youtu.be/seXjpjI-bwY

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