Warm-up • The Happy Jack – 4 IC 4 rounds • Mountain Man Pooper 20 – IC • Hairy Rocketts 20 – IC • Moroccan Night Club 40 – IC • Low Lateral Skater – 10 IC
The Thang: Mosey around the block stop on grass opposite of the church • The Pump Jack – partner up one partner does 5 merkins the other holds plank switch and complete until failure, then walking lunge around group until the final group fails. • Heels to Heaven – 25IC • Flutter Kicks – 25 IC Mosey to AO • The Sketch – 10 IC • Rockett Dips – 50 OYO • Squat Walk Rocketts parking line to parking line • Toy soldier set 50, 25, 15 3rd F: Aiming for the Top Chairman Lap • Diamond Merkins – 10 IC • Iron Mike – 10 IC • The American Hammer – 30 IC • Number-rama • Name-a-rama • COT
Message: Excerpt from Bob Richards A Heart of a Champion book Aiming for the Top
Why do they keep aiming for the top, taxing their bodies, minds and spirits to the ultimate? Why do men try to accomplish the impossible, risking life and limb itself in order to attain peaks? Man is endowed with an instinctive impulse to get to the top. Many people tell me that the only reason businessmen work is for money. I don’t believe it. I think many of them are trying to accomplish something tremendous with their lives. The scientific mind keeps reaching out, grasping for new ideas in a continuing search for new truths. Deep in the heart of every person are great goals that he wants to accomplish. In some people it is a burning desire, an obsession. Man cannot be content, no matter how high he has gone he wants to go higher, no matter how much distance he has traveled he wants to go longer, no matter how fast he has gone he wants to go faster.
Qualities to reach the top Self-control Most of the great champions in the world learn to hold their emotions in check; they have a certain amount of emotional stability. At least 50% of success depends on the mind; what you think, your goals, your faith, your determination, and the creative imagination of your mind.
Every problem that man has could be solved if only man would think. You’ve got to aim for the top. Many people limit themselves by the failure to comprehend what they could really do. They had a little goal they wanted to accomplish, but it wasn’t really big enough to challenge them, nor great enough to pull out the deepest within them. You never know what potential you’ve got within you until you reach out for the highest.
9 PAX and 1 FNG conquered the fartsack this morning and made it to this morning’s rainy murky Gloom, in order to work on our foundation. Semi, Rooty, Spreader, Waterboy, Dunkin, Turtle, Ruxpin, Gecko, MacDaddy, and FNG
Warm- Up SSH Cherry Pickers Butts Kicks 1 Min OYO
The Thang
Step off from GritMil, Indian run to Avenue Methodist Church parking lot. Runner from back sprints ahead holding a large dice, then when in front of pack, HIM pass the dise back to last man, then run, rinse, and repeat.
Arrival at church parking lot, HIM split into teams of 2. Runners and Crunchers. Runners roll dice for core exercises, and then take off for a lap around the church. Crunchers do rolled exercise until the 6 is in. Rabbit runners will join crunchers until the 6 is in, then switch sides, run, rinse, and repeat.
Several moseys around the church parking lot followed by various dice rolled core exercises.
American Hammers Plank Jacks Shoulder Taps Freddie Mercury’s LBC’s Big Boys
Break for Third F
Matthew 7:24-29
24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts on them, will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and its collapse was great.”
Here in Matthew 7, Jesus speaks of the parable of the two houses. One was built on the rock, and the other was built on the sand. When a huge storm came, both houses were hit with the same storm, but the one built on the rock never moved, and the one built on the sand was wrecked and destroyed.
The builders of these houses, built their homes with the same materials, the same quality, and the same specs, except for the foundation on what they were built on. The foundation is what made the difference in this situation. In comparison, it takes hard work to build your house on a good foundation, and it is very easy to build your house on the sand.
The house build on the rock represents the individual who loves Christ and follows him. They invest their lives in the pursuit of Christlikeness. 1 Corinthians 1:11 says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
The house built on the sand represents the foolish builder who looks the part, and is polished on the outside. However, he deceived himself thinking that everything would be okay when trials would come his way. He had nothing to anchor him down, he heard God’s word, but never put it into practice or lived it out. There was no true evidence that this individual grounded himself in the teaching and principles of Jest Christ.
So gentlemen, we are all guaranteed to have a severe storm come into our lives. In fact, God says that we will endure trials, but when it comes, will we be grounded in Him? The only way we will not budge is if we have built of lives on our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
So, let’s take a step back today, and look at our foundation. Let’s do an inspection of our life, and see where we are at. Where are our priorities, are we just hearing God’s word, or are we living it out in our life?
James 1:12 says, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Mosey Back to the Gritmil via Indian Run for Name-O-Roma/COT
DEATH BY BURPEE” – This is a test of mental toughness…. You against you and you can only cheat yourself. Do your best as we want to see an improvement when we revisit this again after the burpee challenge in August
Minute 1 – 1 burpee
Minute 2 – 2 burpees
Minute 3 – 3 burpees
Minute 4 – 4 burpees
(To 20 total if you can last)
If you fail to make the amount of burpees in a minute, you are done!
***** Keep your total in your head and I’ll mark you down
3rd F – LT Brian Murphy (podcast to follow)
CHILDISH GAMES
6 corners – you run to a corner and someone rolls the dice. If it lands on your corner number, you stretch….. everyone else must partake in the workout (must run to corners 1-6 and be in there before dice stop)
1 min for the losers who guessed wrong or have no luck.
On Saturday 7/16 (yes, that’s right…if there’s no Backblast, it didn’t happen) 24 PAX won THAT FIRST BATTLE over the fartsack and posted for a new variation of the Bearmuda Triangle (keep reading below).
WARM-O-RAMA
SSH – 10 IC
Bolt 45 (keep moving) – IC
“Lanco Special” – IC (YHC can’t remember what its called but he picked it up at Lanco, so…
ISW – 18 IC
THE THANG
Mosey around the block to County Building parking lot for YHC’s Bearmuda Highs, a variation of its close cousin, the Bearmuda Triangle, only this one keeps moving locations.
3 Cones, 50′ apart in a triangle
1st Set of Cones (1st Triangle)
Bearcrawl to Cone #2, 1 Burpee
Bearcrawl to Cone #3, 2 Burpees
Bearcrawl to Cone #1, 3 Burpees
Mosey to Library Parking Lot (Oops! Don’t forget the cones!)
2nd Set of Cones (2nd Triangle)
Crawlbear to Cone #2, 4 Hand-Release Burpees
Crawlbear to Cone #3, 5 Hand-Release Burpees
Crawlbear to Cone #1, 6 Hand-Release Burpees
Mosey to School Parking Lot (Take the cones with you!)
PAX took a quick breather here for 3rdF (See below), before returning to the Bearmuda Triangle
3rd Set of Cones (3rd Triangle)
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #2, 7 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #3, 8 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #1, 9 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Final round had to be done half & half: Bearcrawl/Crawlbear & Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Total Burpees = 45
PAX formed into 2 groups, lined up for parallel Snake Runs back to the AO.
Meanwhile back at the AO…PAX planked feet up around the circular planter for what turned out to be a “turrible” (think Sir Charles) round of the Wheel of Derkin, YHC Omaha’d this as it was taking forever to get all the way around the circle–we started going both directions. This took us from the Bearmuda Triangle to Bearmuda Highs because after all the Bearcrawls, Burpees and running, the Wheel of Derkin made the PAX a bit delirious (and gave us a cheap buzz).
Finally, a short round of Mary: Held feet at 6″, followed by 18 Gas Pumpers IC.
We talk about leadership, especially in men’s circles and in circles where we speak of “iron sharpening iron” (Prov. 27:17); we often borrow ideas, thoughts, & principles that express values that are prevalent in the military, where leadership is developed around potentially life/death situations.
After having served nearly 12 yrs in the Army National Guard I’ve seen some of the best leaders, but I’ve also seen some of the absolute worst (those familiar with Band of Brothers, think of Sobel). Personally, I’ve been both a good leader and a failed leader in my time in the military. I can say that even those failed experiences sharpened my ability to lead. It’s crucial that we continually learn from those experiences, from those who failed to lead well, and most importantly from those who did lead us well. We should not only borrow from their examples and teaching, but strive to live out the good examples.
Some of greatest military leaders come from the special operations realm. They have the most grueling assessments, evaluations, and training just to be picked to join their ranks–then the real training begins. There’s a lot of leadership training, and it’s the mental toughness that seems to count the most. When my nephew was going through Ranger School I told him a few times to “never give up what you want most (becoming a Ranger) for what you want in the moment (rest, relief, relaxation, food, etc.). We ALL do that too easily, too often! In fact, it’s the easy road!
Here’s four of the most important and valuable lessons one operator shared from his training and experiences in special ops that I think all leaders should adopt/develop:
1) ADAPTABILITY: Readiness for change. That’s why we’re “disrupters” as F3 HIM. We’ve declared in varied ways that we’ll not settle for the status quo. We’re following the lead of others who’ve brought about change, we’re following after an amazing servant-leader Savior who disrupted the status quo and brought about change, and we’re striving to be leaders who do the same. In order to do that, we must first train ourselves to be adaptable. Status quo kills! Jesus spoke of this when He said you can’t put new wine into old wineskins (Mt. 9:14-17)
2) EMOTIONAL STABILITY: This involves being able to make good decisions under pressure. Proverbs is chocked full of wisdom to help us develop the capacity to stay objective and deliver a high level of performance regardless of what we’re feeling. Important to us? Yes! But crucial to gaining, earning, keeping, and honoring the respect of those we lead! Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”
3) PERSPECTIVE: Leaders have to be able to carry on when the world seems to have turned against them. We have to keep our troubles in PROPER perspective so that we do not lose sight of what needs to be accomplished. In a world full of lone rangers, keep in mind that “in an abundance of counselors there is victory” (Prov. 11:14b). And “Without consultation, plans are frustrated” (Prov. 15:22). We must train our perspective, and often other eyes/wisdom/counsel is crucial to helping us see properly.
4) TENACITY: This goes well with the acronym we hear a lot – DFQ! What defines tenacity is never giving up! ILLUST.: In the 1912 Olympics, Jim Thorpe, an American Indian from OK represented the U.S. in track & field. On the morning of his competitions, his shoes were stolen. Jim ended up finding two shoes in the garbage. Those are the shoes he wore — one was too big, so he had to wear an extra pair of socks (different shoes and different socks!). Wearing those shoes, Jim won 2 Gold Medals that day. A perfect reminder of tenacity and that you don’t have to resign to the excuses that have held you back.
So, these are 4 valuable tools every HIM should develop consistently: ADAPTABILITY. EMOTIONAL STABILITY. PERSPECTIVE. TENACITY.
Bear Crawl Baseball – Bear Crawl to 1st 50 Bobby Hurleys, Bear Crawl to 2nd 25 Merkins, Bear Crawl to 3rd 25 Big Boys, Bear Crawl to Home 50 Gas Pumpers(all exercises OYO)
3rd F
Normally, I talk about stress, anxiety, or some other mental health concerns going on in my life right now. But I am going to bring up something that my cousin who is a nurse in Chicago posted on July 4th evening as she was working in the hospital where those victims were sent. Her friends were texting her about donating blood. When was the last time you have donated? I donate and there will be a time when I need blood on an operating table or ER. We can help save lives of someone who has the same Type as you! I am not affiliated with any donation center but looked up the Blood Bank of Delmarva and they have the following donation events coming up:
Crooked Hammock Brewery(Lewes, DE) – 7/18 and 7/28 12:00-5:00
Georgetown Cheer – 7/20 12:00-6:00
Seaford Volunteer Fire Dept – 7/21 1:00-6:00
Big Oyster Brewery – 7/26 12:00-5:00
Milford Elks Lodge – 8/1 12:00-6:00
You never know when your life might be dependable on the donation of someone else’s blood.
Bridge of Hate – One pax will then be lifted and passed down the line of the pax that are laying on the ground. When the pax that was being passed down the line gets to the front he lays next to the last man and the man at the rear of the line then gets passed down, so forth and so on.
Curls for Girls with Coupons from home plate to right field
Mosey to Park next to Presbyterian Church (stopping along the way for 15 Monkey Humpers I/C)
The Thang
Pax divided into groups of three somewhat equally sized HIM. Exercise #1: Three Amigos-groups squatted back to back and walked 75 yards stopping every 25 for 10 Merkins. If the group broke their squat the completed 10 Burpees. Exercise #2: 6 Rounds of Daft Punk, also known as the Around the World Lunge (I/C). Exercise #3: 6 Pretzel Merkins each arm. Exercise #4: Bolt 45. Exercise #5: War Hammer. Exercise #6: Groups did Empty Wheelbarrow (third HIM duck walked) changing position every 25 yards until everyone had been in each position. Exercise #7: 20 Stump Hugger (I/C). Exercise #8: Suicides (25 yards, 50 yards and 75 yards). Mosey back to the Circle to close with Number Rama, Name O Rama, naming of 2 FNGs, announcements and prayer requests. Followed up with coffeeteria @ Dunkin Donuts.
Third F
In following with 2 weeks ago being the 6 year Manniversary and Cowbell talking about his first beatdown with F3, this weekend marks my 2nd Manniversary. Quattro had be getting on me to come out for some time but for one reason or another I wouldn’t make it. July 4, 2020 I decided after my morning 5k that I was going out. Being warned upon arrival by Gump that I picked a bad week to show up because, “Fireplex really brings it!” Fireplex introduced me to the Bolt 45s and then ran us to the school where he kicked my butt with his “BLIMPS.” Fortunately for me, he forgot the I came before the M in BLIMPS. That means I only had to do 30 Merkins 4 times instead of 40 Merkins 4 times. I got through the first two sets, but the third one was killing me. I remember Quattro and 2 other HIM after finishing all their Merkins came back and finished mine with me. Quattro even pushed me to do 7 at a time instead of the 5 that I thought was already all I could do. After the BLIMPS, we Moseyed back to the Circle. Along the way I had to walk. The rest of the PAX circled back and picked up the 6. Then there are the Third Fs. This group makes us better men spiritually, as a husband, as a father, as a child and as a citizen. Every message speaks to one, all or a combo of those topics. No one gets left behind and no one is left where they are when they show up for the first time. This group is always moving in a positive direction1