Lol, a little humor at Waterfall’s expense. Apparently our fearless leader suffered a foot injury from Roving RuckF3st Friday and put himself on the IR, so he could not make his Q. Word was put out but no one stepped up to Q (Somehow Chappie missed it on GroupMe). That left Chattahoochee and Chappie to fend for themselves. Tempted to go for a cup of Joe and just do some coffeeteria, instead we tag-teamed a Wienke-less workout and filled the hour with some beatdown at the hands of two, count ’em, two, respectables. (That is to say we’re both over 50 and might not remember every part of the beatdown but we’ll give it a shot.) Help me out Chattahoochee; here goes…
Warm-Up:
SSH – 18 IC
SJ – 20 IC
CP – 15 IC
WM – 18 IC
The Thang:
Mosey to side entrance steps of County Admin Building
1 PAX ran steps up and down, while other did Merkins. Kept switching out until reaching 100 Merkins combined.
Mosey to library
Lt. Dan, length of lot
Bearcrawl back
Lindsey Vonn parking lot lines, length of lot
Mosey to Georgetown Elementary
On the short steps:
100 Squats, bottom
10 Burpees, top
100 Squats, bottom
10 Hand Release Burpees, top
100 Squats, bottom
10 DerkinBurps, top (on the high wall!)
Total: 300 Squats/30 Burpees
Wosey to nearby curb, 30 Dips (Chattahoochee said 25 but YHC did 30, so they’re being counted)
Mosey to intersection of N. Margaret & W. Laurel Streets
4-Count Freddies – 25 IC
Mosey to intersection of Robinson & Laurel Streets
Toy Soldier Set
Double-time Mosey (not quite prison-break) to intersection of Elizabeth & W. Laurel Streets
…drawing a blank, again!
Mosey to wall @ County Bank
*discovered a new set of two-story steps on the way (for future reference, Q’s)
Aussie Mt. Climbers – 15 IC
20 OH Claps – OYO
Mosey to AO
Count-O-Rama
Name-O-Rama
Called it a day. Good stuff Chattahoochee, glad you posted brother! Waterfall, hope your foot heals up quickly so you get off the IR. Hang tough, see you soonsday.
All PAX: Keep EH’ing anybody and everybody you know in Georgetown.
Let’s own the mission: Plant, grow, and serve small workout groups of men for the invigoration of male community leadership. It won’t happen if wedon’t make it happen!
THE Thang- curtesy of Chappie’s chalk art -Slightly modified.
Each PAX pick a station
Stations-
Box Jumps
Slosh Pipe
Rapid Merkins–
Rapid LBC’s
Hair Burners – actually does smell like hair burning ….
Squat Press Lunge w/cindy
Upright Rows w/40lb. ruck
Burpees
Tire Flip
Dragon Crawl
Burpjacks – burpee with a bomb jack
Plank
Work Each station for 60 seconds , Q calls next and move to next station for 60 sec.
12 stations. After 4 stations all Pax go for Mosey around block. Return for 4 stations, mosey , last 4 then Mosey.
There may have been a few 10 counts in there somewhere.
QuickBreak for 3rd F message
Each PAX then chose a ‘favorite’ station and we finished with 30 seconds at each of those stations.
Plus some LBCs for the fun of it …..
Chappie was concerned about a ‘slow burn’ from Tuesday…….I tried to clear any concern.
3rd F (pulled from F3nation.com )
Disturbance To The Status-quo
Leaders influence movement to advantage
A leader is a person who can influence people to do things that they would not have done otherwise. Put another way, but for the influence of the leader, the things done by his followers would not happen. The leader is the agent, the impetus and the proximate cause of his followers’ movement toward the doing of those specific things that he identifies as advantageous. Without him, they would remain static and focused on maintaining the status quo. In the heart of man inertia will reign—absent a disruption.
The connection between movement and leadership is critical because it presupposes a need for movement, a recognition by the leader himself that the status quo is something less advantageous than some other place, a location the leader visualizes and then articulates to his followers. Only then can the leader begin to persuade them to follow him to the new place. He must describe it to them first because people will only overcome their inertia and follow someone if they believe that he knows where he is going. They won’t leave the known for the unknown, no matter how charismatic the leader is.
Because it induces movement, leadership causes Disruption
It wrenches people away from the place at which they were determined to remain. It causes them to question the foundation for their belief that their status quo was desirable and that stasis was in their best interest. It attacks the palpable (but false) sense of security that inertia provides. Like the agitator in a washing machine, leadership dislodges things long embedded in people’s emotional fabric, things that are impure and do not belong there but to which they had become accustomed—like a ketchup stain on their favorite shirt.
Being both Disruptive and agitating, leadership will naturally make people uncomfortable, at least until they begin to see for themselves that they are being led to a place of advantage.
If a man calls himself a leader but does not cause Disruption by initiating movement, then he is not practicing leadership. He might be doing something else, like managing or engaging in politics, but he is not leading. He is a leader in name only until people begin to follow him to an advantageous place that he has visualized and articulated to them. A leader influences movement to advantage.
A great leader’s legacy is built on love
The degree to which a leader is able to influence movement is dependent upon his level of skill. People will follow a leader when he is in the room. People will continue to follow a good leader when he has left the room. But only a great leader is able to influence movement to advantage even after he has died. That is a legacy leader, and he is a rare breed whose legacy is built upon love.
All great leaders aspire to leave a legacy. Leadership is a difficult skill to master, requiring desire, commitment and love. Having paid for that skill with blood, sweat and tears, great leaders have the natural inclination to pass on what they have learned and to be remembered for it. This yearning is what creates their legacy. It comes from the leader’s love for his followers and his sincere desire to see them obtain advantage.
A great leader accelerates throughout his life. He views leadership as a craft that must be honed through continual study and application. In the way that a lawyer or doctor practices his profession from the standpoint of service to his client or patient, the great leader’s focus is always upon his followers rather than himself. It is their best interests, not his, that motivates his actions. It is their advantage, not his, to which he initiates movement. This is only possible if, first and foremost, he loves them more than he loves himself.
The great leader knows that If his love is not great, than neither will be his leadership.
Today is 1 year that my M has been on a Life changing health journey. My wife was over 250lbs this time last year and now is down to 160lbs. Her commitment to changing her life for the better was not just for herself but for our 4 kids. She in turn was my motivation for my life change. I was 313lbs this time last year and now weigh 208.lbs. Our Pastor made a comment to us a couple weeks ago and said that he sees a difference in the way we love each other. Thinking on that makes sense because for us to be able to truly love our spouse we had to love our selves. Behind every strong man is a strong women, if were not for her being a strong women who knows where we would be.
The Thang 3
Mosey over to the Compass by the Over Falls Ship
10 MERKINS
10 WIDE MERKINS
10 DIAMOND MERKINS
10 STAGGERED MERKINS ( switch up ) 10 MORE
20 PLANK SHOULDER TAPS
10 LEFT LEG RAISED MERKINS
10 RIGHT LEG RAISED MERKINS
The Thang 4
Mosey to the Basketball courts
20 PRISION SQUATS
20 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
20 PRISON SQUATS
20 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
20 PRISON SQUATS
20 MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
HOLD PLANK TILL GROUP IS DONE
RINSE REPEAT 3 XS
FINISH LAST 60 SECs WITH FOREARM PLANK. ( Q had to do extra 15secs since I dropped ) VANILLA REMINDED ME IF YOU CANT DO IT DONT Q IT SO I HAD TO MAKE UP FOR IT !!!!
This Backblast has less to do with the workout itself than it does its title–YHC will get to the explanation of what that means, but in the meantime here’s the breakdown for the sake of recall and as a catalyst of remedy for those who lost THAT FIRST BATTLE to the Fartsack.
With a good number of Q’s in the rotation there is a longer break in action than what most QIC’s prefer, so YHC was actually disappointed in what turned out to be more of a slow burn than a memorable beatdown. I.e. it seemed like a wasted opportunity to leave one’s mark on the other PAX’s minds and bodies. Gotta hate it when that happens! Okay, here’s how it went down:
Warm-O-Rama:
SSH – 20 IC
Moroccan Night Clubs – 18 IC
Italian Night Clubs – 18 IC
Shell Picker, Shell Flipper, Cherry Pickers…WTB??? This somehow turned out to be some crazy, off-cadence, retarded form of the Windmill. Holy smokes, did YHC get inside of his own head for a brief moment! Thankful the PAX were gracious enough to give a good laugh from this total screwup, what else could they do? YHC has no idea What The Bombjackshe was doing!
Okay…
Cherry Pickers – 10 IC
Windmill – 18 IC
Imperial Walker – 18 IC
The Thang:
Living next door to the AO has its privileges — YHC was able to work his way around the parking lot the night before and go to work with some sidewalk chalk (to write different exercises on the asphalt). 13 different stations. 1 PAX ran from AO to Willow Street and back while PAX did exercise at given stations. Switch on the return and continue rotation til all 13 were visited by all PAX. Here’s what was written:
Run to Willow and back – Good hustle by all PAX!
Sledge Hammer Row
Box Jumps
Slosh Pipe
Rapido Merkins (18) – swap – Rapido LBC’s (36) rinse & repeat. Rapido = as fast as you can
Hair Burners (compliments to Flutie Flakes, I think)
Squat Press Lunge w/cindy
Upright Rows w/40lb. ruck
Burpees
Tire Flip
Dragon Crawl
Burpjacks (exactly what it sounds like)
Plank
Somewhere in the middle YHC had the privilege to share the following 3rd F message:
Last Wednesday for an off-the-cuff 3rdf, I’d mentioned a “secret to success” borrowed from Jack Hayford that Mark Batterson mentioned in his book “If.” The secret? “Make decisions against yourself.”
We’re already onto something here in the Gloom, because, fact is, if you’re here it’s because you already made a decision against yourself. You can see how this applies to leadership.
As a secret to success it is exactly what the Bible teaches in Romans 8:4, where it says, “walk not according to the flesh…” If you know someone who has 6-pack abs, they made a decision against themselves to go to the gym when, as Mark Batterson writes, “the rest of us went back for seconds.” (57)
Not only does this apply to workouts, but many other areas of life:
• My nephew, Aaron, who once again is in Ranger School has repeatedly made decisions against himself toward accomplishing his goal of becoming one of the army’s elite combat leaders. He’s in swamp phase once again. Go Aaron!
• Earning any type of degree, whether it be a BS, BA, MA, or a PhD brings with it memories of going to the library instead turning on the TV. Those who earned degrees or other credentials made decisions against themselves. The piece of paper on their wall is a key that opens doors.
• Successful (and I should say fruitful because Paul does add, “walk not after the flesh, but according to the spirit”) athletes, musicians, professionals, ministry leaders, etc. are successful and fruitful in large part because they made decisions against themselves–both when it came to right/wrong issues, and often times when it came to personal convictions.
This is key because some decisions we have to make against ourselves are not right and wrong, or black and white. Paul also wrote in 1 Cor. 10:23, “everything is permissible—but not everything is beneficial.” We need to understand, then, that often times “if we really want god’s best, we won’t just say no to what’s wrong. we’ll also say no to what’s second best.” (Batterson 58)
We have to prepare for times when we must recognize that we cannot settle for what we want in the moment in exchange for what we want most! The kind of success and fruitfulness this refers to is that which involves sacrifice beyond what most of us are willing to make.
F3 workouts provide a superb laboratory in which to train ourselves and each other for this kind of leadership:
Setting your alarm very early and posting in the Gloom (at O-Gawd-Thirty) for a workout which will push you past your limits…if that’s not making a decision against yourself, then what is?
Some are used to hitting that snooze button on the alarm, both literally & metaphorically speaking! When you’re not willing to make decisions against yourself, you’re kind of hitting the snooze button on success and fruitfulness in your spiritual life (temptation & sin), your family life, your work life, and in many other areas…you’re delaying doing the right thing—the hard thing—9 minutes at a time!
So, what do him do? As a general rule and practice, they are High Impact Men because they make decisions against themselves!
Well, that was the workout. A slow-burn, as mentioned, but a burn nonetheless.
Now allow YHC to explain the title of this Backblast; it’s more important than the workout itself. So…Keep Calm and Read on: Much Bigger Than We Are
If you follow what’s going on, either on F3Nation.com or F3MustardSeeds.com then you have at least some sense that F3 is Much Bigger Than We Are. We’re a Mustard Seed–pioneers!–and so we tend to think small, within the limits of our own line of sight. But we are Much Bigger Than We Are.
F3 is blowing up across the nation; we’re privileged to be a part of this explosion of men being rescued from Sadclown Syndrome and to rescue others from the same condition through Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith. Still, we tend not to see very far down the road from our own AO’s.
Each Tuesday Mustard Seed Nantaans from across the nation participate in a half-hour long conference call from 07:30 – 08:00. The call is about leadership and its where we encourage, challenge, build-up, and basically sharpen one another “as iron sharpens iron” (Prov. 27:17)
Yesterday’s call was different. It reminded me that while the fitness that brings men out, its the fellowship (the glue) that brings them back. We’ve been impacted by this incredible force in our lives, making us better leaders. But here’s how yesterday’s call was different:
Our call Q, Fountainhead (Columbia, SC), essentially began the call by telling us how hard a weekend it was for many of their PAX because F3 Gump had lost his 19-yr-old son this past Friday night in drowning accident. He talked about the camaraderie (2ndF) of other PAX that jumped into action to come along side Gump and his M. He’d also mentioned that Gump was a pastor there in Columbia.
Having lived in Columbia for nearly 3 years, I asked what Gump’s hospital name was. Since I’m also in ministry I figured I might at least know the pastor’s name.
I was utterly floored and speechless when Fountainhead told me Gump’s name was Scott Fleischer! Frankly, it was a punch in the gut. It still hurts; that’s why I’m writing because it helps to grieve rightly.
Here’s the thing. I didn’t know Scott from my time living in Columbia. I knew Scott and his M, Victoria and their 2.0’s Jack, Isabella, and Sam from my years pastoring in York, SC. Scott and I connected in York through ministry and immediately hit it off. Our families spent time together celebrating birthdays, eating dinners together, swimming, etc. Our kids (3 a piece) are practically the same ages. We got to know each other well before ministry took he and his family to Columbia. When I heard that Jack died on Friday my heart sank for Scott and his family. I’m so deeply grieved because Jack and my oldest 2.0, Zeke, were good buddies. “Running through the woods and playing laser tag” were my son’s fondest memories when I informed him yesterday of Jack’s death.
When Scott moved his family from York to Columbia, SC there was no F3, so I didn’t even know Scott was involved with F3. We’d lost contact with each other over the years. So you can imagine my shock just hearing his name when I’d inquired. Following the conference call I called Scott immediately. The phone rang only 1 time when he picked up and simply said, “Hi Todd!”
It was great to talk with Scott (F3 Gump). It was painful to find out how Jack died. Scott and I simply picked up where we’d left off, but this time we reconnected in a rather providential way (Godincidence) because of F3! I’m so glad I didn’t find this out later. This time we reconnected because we serve a God and Father “who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves have been comforted by God.”
Indeed we’re Much Bigger Than We Are. I’ve never lost a son, but I have suffered great loss in other ways and I have been comforted by God and by brothers in Christ at times when it was desperately needed. Scott and I grieved together as we spoke on the phone. I grieve for Scott and his family. We all grieve with the family over this heartbreaking loss. But, you see, as believers we “do not grieve as those who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). There’s so much more to this than meets the eye but we really are amazingly Much Bigger Than We Are. I know Scott personally, he’s truly a brother and has been since long before F3. But he’s also your brother. That’s F3, so please keep the Fleischer family in your prayers.
Well guys, if you’ve made it this far thanks for reading. I appreciate your patience.
5 Cones set up spaced out 2 parking spaces wide for Suicide Burpees .
Partner 1 starts the suicides drill while Partner 2 started the Merkins ( 200) to completion switching back and forward with Partner 1. Immediately switch to (200 )LBCs until completion Switching with Partner . Finished with (200) Prison Squats until Completion in same fashion.
Cone 1 – 1 Burpee
Cone 2 – 2 Burpee
Cone 3 – 3 Burpee
Cone 4 -4 Burpee
Cone 5- 5 Burpee
200 Merkins
200 LBCs
200 Prison Squats
Break for 3rd F
I spoke about how the sport of Wrestling taught me how to handle certain situations in my life. whether I win or lose taking those experiences and learning from them. I read 3 Quotes from a Legend in the sport and another Man who is becoming a legend in his own right. I explained what they meant to me and how I thought described us as HIM.
Pain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit. Give everything you got today for tomorrow may never come. -Dan Gable
The easiest thing to do in the world is pull the covers up over your head and go back to sleep. -Dan Gable
To get better you have to step out of your comfort zone. You cant do the same things you’ve always done and improve. – Jordan Burroughs
Thang 2-
Rapid Fire Coupon Set.
20 Curls IC
20 Tricep Extensions IC
20 Overhead Press IC
20 Bent Over Rows IC
20 Dips
15 1 leg dip Switched legs 15 more.
Finished with some MARY each HIM called out a Exercise until time was up.
27 June 2018, 7 HIM posted for my Back-2-Back beat downs and to watch a beautiful sunrise over the canal and fishing fleet
Warm-up 50 SSH, 25 cherry pickers, 25 windmills
TheThang- Mosey 1 lap inside tennis court, 1 lap karaoke switch sides at half way, half lap high knees, half lap toy soldiers.
Deck-of-death – Deck of cards each suite represents an exercise deal off 1 card at a time face value represents reps lots of spades seemed to of showed up during the beginning to create a little chatter
Diamonds- diamond merkins
Clubs- prisoner squats
Spades- big boy sit ups
Hearts- Bobby Hurleys
left 2 Jokers in the deck if joker showed up that was 5 burpees
With the message I asked each pax to tell the group what F3 meant to them lots of good input
warm up- tubthumper -chumbawamba. Every time he says “I get knocked down” you do a burpee. Follow Q doing SSH and marrocan night clubs in between.
Start upper body station at circle. All with cynder block as coupon. 10 irkins. 10 dirkins. 10 left side stagger merkins. 10 right side stagger merkins. 20 triceps extensions. 20 shoulder press. 20 curls.
Run .5 mile to middle school.
Ab station. 75 lbcs. 50 reverse crunch. 50 flutter kicks. 25 big boys.
Run .5 mile back to circle.
Rinse repeat.
3rd F. 2nd Corinthians 4:7-16. Definitely would recommend reading this again on your own and digesting it. So much good information.
Because time restriction did 1 more set of upper body station and ab station all at circle. Without the mile run.
Totals- 27 burpees in warm up! A lot of arm and ab stuff! And 2 mile run. Great push HIM!
Great push this morning, especially by those whose legs have been put to the test 3 days in a row this week!
Warm up-
SSH- 25
Arm circles forward – 15
Arm circles reverse- 15
Cherry pickers – 10
Prisoner squats – 10
Mountain climbers – 15
The Thang-
Mosey to Ace Parking Lot.
Line up on one end of lot.
25 ssh – single count
Sprint to 3/4 point
25 ssh. Bear crawl to end of lot.
25ssh. Mosey back to start. Plank for 6
25 merkins
Sprint to 3/4
25 merkins
Lt Dan to end
25 merkins
Mosey back to start. Plank
25 squats
Sprint to 3/4
25 squats
Bear crawl to end
25 squats
Mosey back to start. Plank
25 Big Boys
Sprint to 3/4
25 lbc
Lt dan to end
25 Big Boys
Mosey back to start. Plank.
3rd F –
Toy soldier set – 30lbcs, 20 etks each side, 10 …. or 15 Big Boys.
Mosey back to AO.
Round of Mary.
Hello dolly , leg climbs , box cutter, flutter kick, American hammer
COT
3rd F-
Present Tense
It was spring, But it was summer I wanted,
The warm days, And the great outdoors.
It was summer, But it was fall I wanted,
The colorful leaves, And the cool, dry air.
It was fall, But it was winter I wanted,
The beautiful snow, And the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, But it was spring I wanted,
The warmth, And the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, But it was adulthood I wanted,
The freedom, And the respect.
I was 20, But it was 30 I wanted,
To be mature, And sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, But it was 20 I wanted,
The youth, And the free spirit.
I was retired, But it was middle age I wanted,
The presence of mind, Without limitations.
My life was over.
But I never got what I wanted.
Jason Lehman
This poem has insight for all ages. But also touches heavily on the reality that we can often focus on what we don’t have , and miss what’s in front of us. This carries different meaning for each of us- depending on what you may be going through, your age, your health, firtness, family, friends, Job , business, etc.
I take it as a message of – you are right where you need to be. do not miss the blessings right now because you are solely wishing for what’s next. Live at the fullest now. See how you can impact and improve others lives where you are now and don’t wait for the next season. You’re life will be better for it. It’s ok to set goals, be driven towards achieving them, but go after them now and don’t wait for the next season, or tomorrow , or perfect timing to do it, because It won’t come. Now is the time. Live life the way it’s intended to be. And be an High Impact Man.
HIM seize the day- go after what they need, live life with anticipation of what’s coming, but dont allow themselves to be paralyzed today in false hopes That tomorrow will bring what they want.
The Thang 1: Chappie Challenge aka Scary Spice Circuit
Start: PAX lined up along sidewalk 1 on near side of school front yard.
Round 1: Bearcrawl to sidewalk 2, mosey back to start, complete 30 merkins OYO.
Round 2: Bearcrawl to sidewalk 2, Lt. Dans to sidewalk 3, mosey back to start, complete 20 merkins.
Round 3: Bearcrawl to sidewalk 2, Lt. Dans to sidewalk 3, Dragoncrawl to sidewalk 4, mosey back to start, complete 10 merkins.
The Thang 2: Quarter Pounder
Sprint 25 yards – 25 Merkins, Nur Back
Sprint 50 yards – 50 Prisoner Squats, Nur Back
Sprint 75 yards – 75 Mtn. Climbers, Nur Back
Sprint 100 yards – 100 LBCs, Nur Back
Break for 3rd F
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” -Edmund Burke
Read excerpt from Freed to Lead by OBT & Dredd
“There are many great Workout locations in F3Nation, but Charlotte’s Freedom Park was the first. It is where it all started. Not only is it a great place for a Workout, it also serve the community in a thousand different ways. The average man in F3Metro probably spends an average of 7 hours a week there in one capacity or another. Go there on a Saturday morning in the spring or fall and you will see the parking lots stuffed full of minivans and the fields overrun with kids playing soccer and baseball. There is so much sweet America there it will make your teeth hurt. When the world is running particularly amok, a day in Freedom is all a man needs to keep him focused on what we have here, what is worth protecting. The World may be afire, but we have Freedom, brothers. We have Freedom. Is it likewise in every park that is part of F3Nation? We imagine so. That is really why we do this, isn’t it?
One day after soccer, Dredd was walking toward his minivan with his daughters when the youngest one asked him why there were never any police officers at Freedom Park. He had never thought about it until that moment, but she was right. Except at the front gate (enforcing the no-left turn rule), he had never seen a police officer patrolling the park. So he answered, “They are probably at other places where they are needed.”
Which prompted her older sister (in her older sister voice) to say, “Yeah, we don’t need them here because we have the daddies.”
Little sister replied, Riggggght we have the daddies to keep us safe at Freedom. The police are at the parks without the daddies.” At that, Dredd kind of looked away so his daughters wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes, and he noticed that he could see about five other F3 guys within nine-iron distance, coaching soccer or cheering their kids on. And he knew there were another twenty F3 men that he couldn’t see from where he was standing. But there were there.
It occurred to Dredd that if the bad guys came to Freedom they might have thought it easy pickings because they would see no police on duty. But they would be mistaken. If evil came to Freedom it would have the daddies to contend with, and it would not stand a chance. While we might be outnumbered Brothers, we have locked our shields and will keep them locked in the heat of battle. We know that to be true.
Alone, we may go down fighting but we are still easily overcome. But we do not fight alone. We fight behind the Locked Shields of the Minivan Centurions. That shield wall will not be broken. That is Why We Are Here. We are F3.”
Mosey back to AO for Tha Thang 3: Captain Thor
1:4 ratio of big boys & American hammers, work to 10:40
