Seven men shunned the fartsack to get better in all three Fs this morning at Soul to Sole. We covered 3.16 miles while alternating the 60lb sandbag amongst us.
The men were encouraged to share what’s on their minds this morning. With men’s mental health being prominent in the news, YHC felt it necessary to remind the men to lean on their brothers to carry their burdens. None of us should walk the road of life alone. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 reminds us “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.”
So when you are down, raise your hand for help. When you are up, extend your hand to a brother that might need to be lifted up. Don’t walk alone. We’re in this together.
Dirty dozen went back to basics this morning at Alcatraz. Here what we did:
10 Low Slow Squats (IC)
15 Side Straddle Hops (IC)
15 Seal Jacks (IC)
10 Imperial Walkers (IC)
String of Pearls around the park
DORA – 100 Merkins, 200 Squats, 300 LBCs
Mosey to “Breather Hill”
10 Burpees
Down the hill and back
20 Wide Arm Merkins
Down the hill and back
30 Calf Raises
Down the hill and back
40 MNCs
Down the hill and back
40 Overhead Press
Down the hill and back
30 Jump Ropes
Down the hill and back
20 Diamond Merkins
Down the hill and back
10 Prison Cells
Down the hill and back
Mosey back to AO
10 Flutters (IC)
10 American Hammers (IC)
10 Freddies (IC)
10 Hello Dollies (IC)
3.16 miles total
NMM
The Mission of F3 Nation is to “plant, grow, and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership.” Fitness brings the guys in, but fellowship keeps them coming back. I know I can count on my brothers in the best and worst of times. Through F3, I found what so many lack: true friends. Faith and living third through service unlocks our leadership capabilities. I’m a better man when I serve others.
Our core principles are simple:
It’s free. All it costs is your effort.
It’s open to all men. Full stop. All means all.
It’s outdoors, rain or shine. The elements make you durable.
It’s led on a rotating fashion by your peers. No certifications necessary. When you lead, we follow.
Finally, it ends in a COT. The COT is what separates us from workout groups. In the COT, it doesn’t matter if you were the fastest or if you had the best form, all that matters is that you care for the guy next to you. I think our world could use a lot more COT.
The Credo of F3 is “leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him.” We pick up the six at every workout, but it doesn’t stop there. These men will walk beside you when you’re high on the mountain or low in the valley. We are there for each other physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. These men are there when it matter – always.
The mission, credo, and core principles are simple and if we follow them, we can change the world, one man at a time. So strap in, hold on, and enjoy the ride. If you stick with it, you’ll be the man your family and community deserves. And you might have a little fun on the ride!
WARMUP: Run to the bottom of the first hill on Hubert Graham.
Wind Mills, Low Slow Squats, More Wind Mills
10 Burpees
THE THANG:
NUR 1/2 way back up the hill
Fixed Leg Lunges x 10ea leg
Run back down for 100 Calf Raises
NUR 1/2 way back up
Dips on the guardrail until failure. BTW, Senator took charity on the rest of us and stopped once we failed but he had some left. So, as a group, we did more.
Run around the back of the school to the parking lot on the far right side.
Bear crawl from island to island with 10 Diamond Merkins every other parking space line.
Mike Tysons on the curb until failure.
Crawl bear back to the starting point with 10 Mountain Climbers every other line.
Sprint to the entrance of the playground, 5 Burpees, sprint back. As I mentioned to the PAX, this is where I almost splashed, at my own Q.
LBC’s to failure.
This is where I had a moment of transparency with the PAX. You see, if I were here by myself, I would have absolutely quit on myself and not done what I had written down. I told the PAX what was written and with that spoken, we did it and it wasn’t that bad. We sprinted (or ran) back to the playground entrance.
Sucking wind, we did a long set of heels to Heaven but the legs never came down.
Run to the front lot for a set of suicides with a few Burpees at the end for good measure.
MARY: Performed throughout.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: D2DB…quit delaying and sign up. Tell your friends, too.
COT: It happened.
WARMUP: 8min run. Some went off campus while some went around the school.
Moroccan Night Clubs, Wind Mills, Squats, Imperial Walkers
THE THANG: Bear crawl ~75yds to the coupons in the truck. Grab a coupon of your choice. Choices included 60lb sand bag, 45lb ruck, 35lb kettle bell and cinder blocks. With your coupon:
1min Upright Rows then 10sec rest
1min Curls then 10sec rest
1min Bent-Over Rows then 10sec rest
1min 4-count Curls then 10sec rest
Run to Trailhead Park
10 Pull-Ups
10 Knees to Chest on the bar
10 V-Ups on the ground
5 Burpees
REPEAT
Run back to the coupons at the school
Partner 1: 10 Man Makers
Partner 2: Mountain Climbers
Flapjack
REPEAT
Partner 1: 10 Big Boy Sit Ups with Coupon
Partner 2: Plank Jacks
No time to repeat
MARY: Incorporated into the workout.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Newsletter.
COT: You should’ve been there.
I rarely stray from NaFo for a workout, so it was nice to travel to another site today. Since I was on unfamiliar ground, I asked the group if they wanted a Deck of Cards of a EMOM workout, they chose the deck of cards. Always come prepared 😉
WARMUP: Mosey around the parking lot, SSH, Moroccan NCs, Windmills and Cherry Pickers
THE THANG: Deck of Cards where Spades were sprints across the width of the parking lot (it was further than first expected). Diamonds where diamond merkins. Clubs where bear crawls the number of parking spaces. Hearts were American Hammers. Jokers were 20 burpees. After each PAX in the circle pulled a card, everyone ran a lap around the parking lot. We got through 4 rounds of everyone pulling a card. There were a lot of hearts and diamonds and thankfully not many spades but we did pull the King of Spades for 13 sprints back and forth across the parking lot right at the end. We ended up with about 2.3 mi during the session. Finished the last minute with SSH.
MARY: None as we had lots of American Hammers during The Thang.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Christmas Eve Convergence, 8 Blocks for Shield Locks.
COT: What happens in COT stays in COT.
It was a privilege to spend an hour under ruck with three HIM this morning. Conditions were fair (45 and rain), but the conversation was worth it. Here’s what we did:
Ruck 1.2 miles to Harris Teeter lot and about 1.4 to the gas station bathroom (Spider-Man can elaborate).
Round 1
25 Ruck Curls
25 Squats
25 Hammers
Loop the lot
Round 2
25 Overhead Presses
25 Swings
25 Skull Crushers
Loop the lot
Round 3
30 Ruck Rows
50 Flutters with Press
25 Sit-ups to Press
Ruck back
3 Miles Total
NMM
Days like today remind us of the value of friendship. Today would have sucked if I were left alone in the Gloom. I would’ve probably quit early or stayed in bed had it not been for a commitment to the men waiting on me. When things get tough and you want to quit, how will you ACT?
Are you Accountable – can you be relied upon?
Are you Committed – will you finish what you start?
Can you be Trusted – does the team know you have their back?
We are known not but what we say, but what we do/how we ACT. These men keep me on track. They help me ACT right. And I’m thankful for them.
Welcome/disclaimer
Warmup: SSH (I/C 15x), Windmills (I/C 10x). Imperial walkers (I/C 15x), Moroccan Nightclubs (I/C 10x), Mountain Climbers (I/C 15x), right arm high, left arm high
Ruckers dismissed with Olaf. Pax count off by threes; pax split up and will rotate between
JWOW Q:
Partner up for a Jack Webb. Mode of transportation is a partner push across the field (crowd pleaser).
1 Big Boy Sit-Up – Partner 1 pushes partner 2 across the field
4 Merkins – Partner 2 pushed partner 1 across the field
The goal was to get to 10 Big Boy Sit-Ups and 40 Merkins.
Grout Q:
1. 5 EA Burpee
2. 10 EA LBC
3. 15 EA CDD
4. 20 EA Lunges
5. 25 EA American Hammers
6. 30 EA Shoulder Taps
7. 35 EA Flutters
8. 40 EA Mountain Climbers
9. 45 EA Squats
Run to top of hill and back.
Complete # 1 thru # 8 and run to top of hill Ann’s back.
Continue dropping the last exercise.
HarryCarry Q:
At the middle school’s loop, start at the bottom of the loop and do exercise noted (listed below). Run to the short brick wall at other end of loop, jump the wall, continue running up the loop. Stop at flag poles and do Bobby Hurleys (15 oyo). The proceed to run back to bottom of the loop; do the noted exercise there and repeat with the run/wall jump/run/bobby’s etc.
Smurf jacks (20 OYO)
Squats (20 OYO)
Monkey Humpers (20 OYO)
Lunges (20 OYO)
Lunges (10 each leg OYO)
Sumo Squats (20 OYO)
At 07:25 Pax reconvened at field.
Six-count burpees (I/C 6x)
End. COT
THE THANG:
Moseyed up the Massey St Hill to the parking lot.
Counted off into 3 groups to engage in a DORA style workout.
50 Merkins, 100 BBs, & 150 squats per pax in your team. As the group completes the exercise, a pax runs down the hill and back. Swap out till all reps are done.
Moseyed over to the parking lot behind Springs Global on McCammon St for another DORA style. Maintaining the same group,
25 half burpees (down to merkin and back up stopping at the squat position as 1 rep), 50 Mike Tyson’s, 100 LBCs. 1 pax from each group runs to the end of the parking lot and back. Swap out till reps are completed.
Headed over to the parking lot with the big wall by Pike for some wall sits and merkins. Lined up on the wall, and from the outside in, each pax would do 10 merkins then back on to the wall. Once we got to the center, repeat going back to the ends.
Headed over to COT to wrap up with 10 burpees OYO
MARY: had a little lamb?
ANNOUNCEMENTS: NEWSLETTER
WARMUP: The first lap behind the pacer (YHC) served as the warmup with three stops for exercises along the way.
THE THANG: The route today was a figure eight on the map — out the lot up to Skipper for a right turn at the Pharmacy (fka bank) down 160 to a right turn on Main street, down hill to a left turn on Railroad Ave left turn at Print Shop across the connector to Munroe White down the hill to Academy back to Main Street and Memorial Park.
Each time pax get to Print Shop it’s 10x Perfect Merkins (= Hand release Merkin with Shoulder tap at the top)
Each time pax get to Pharmacy lot it’s 20x Squats + 30x Plank jacks.
All pax got at least 3 laps for 3.3+ miles each.
MARY: Rebel led some Mary as the pax reconvened at the lot.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Whetstone revival at Hanging with Stang today (if you’re reading this you either made it or didn’t), Beers for Beetus, read your newsletter
COT: Pax pushed hard today, esp after lap 1 during which there was much mumblechatter. It’s cold out but not too cold for these HIMs!
Tesla and Shady were kings — crushed it, nowhere in sight!
16 pax owned Main St Fort Mill during first lap…should’ve had a camera recording the scene for a hype vid
Themes of Grace, Disgrace, Expectations and Shame running across my radar in recent days/weeks. Stirring interview with Marcus Mumford included his living for a long time “under layers and layers of shame.” Reflections on that article and his recent songs continue to draw me deeper. Check it out and reflect on your own experience — https://www.gq.com/story/gq-hype-marcus-mumford
Thanks for the invite Jekyll! Missed you!
Always an honor, pax! Thanks for pushing yourself and me today!