Cherie Berry at The Forge

15 men started the day with enough elevator work to make Cherie Berry proud. Here’s what we did.
 
Warm Up

  • 10 Low Slow Squats (IC)
  • 10 Plank Jacks (IC)
  • 10 Mountain Climbers (IC)
  • 10 SSHs (IC)

 
The Thang
Mosey to upper triangle lot

  • Corner 1: 20 American Hammers
  • Corner 2: 20 American Hammers, 20 Carolina Dry Docks
  • Corner 3: 20 American Hammers, 20 Carolina Dry Docks, 20 Flutters

 
Mosey to lower HT lot

  • Add 1 Merkin per island (12 stops, 78 total)
  • Add 1 Squat per island (12 stops, 78 total)
  • Add 1 Big Boy per island (12 stops, 78 total)
  • Add 1 Calf Raise per island (12 stops, 78 total)
  • Add 1 Alternating Shoulder Tap per island (12 stops, 78 total)

 
Mosey to HT Wall

  • 10 Wall LBCs (IC)
  • 10 Wall Deep Lunges
  • 10 Australian Mountain Climbers (IC)

 
Mosey to upper triangle lot

  • Corner 1: 5 Burpees
  • Corner 2: 10 Burpees
  • Corner 3: 5 Burpees
  • COT: 10 Burpees

 
NMM
We never know what someone is going through. Could be divorce, a health scare, loss of a loved one, inability to pay rent, loss of a job, or mental, physical, or emotional stress. Sometimes life hits you hard and you just need someone to listen and support. That’s what F3 is all about. Sure, we could all get a good workout at Burn Bootcamp (shoutout to the coach across the parking lot yelling “encouragement” to her class). We might even have a bit of fellowship with our coworkers. But when life gets hard, most people lack a support system to help them get through it. F3 has been that support system for thousands of men worldwide. But that support system can only help if you share your burdens. Get to know the men around you in COT. Build those relationships that carry you in the hard times and celebrate with you in the good times. You never know when life will get hard, but it sure helps to have friends to get you through.
 
-IJ

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Everything and All of Them Smokin Workout

Warm-Up:
SSH x 25
Imperial Walkers x 15 (IC)
Moroccan Night Clubs x 20 (IC)
Windmills x 10 (IC)
Strawberry Pickers x 10 (IC)
Cheese Shredder

Block 1: Load & Move:
AMRAP (5 minutes) x 2 Rounds:
Sandbag Clean to Shoulder x 10
Ruck/Weighted Vest Walking Lunges x 20 steps
Kettlebell Swings x 20
Bear Crawl (ruck on) – 25 yards

Block 2: Grinder Circuit:
3 Rounds:
Sandbag Squats x 20
Kettlebell Renegade Rows x 10 each arm
Ruck Push-Ups x 20
Kettlebell Curls x 20
Plank Jacks (ruck on) x 20
Rest: 60 seconds between rounds

Mary:
Flutter Kicks until time was up (IC)

Announcements: Read your newsletter

COT: Prayers and Praises

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Around Fort Mill

WARMUP: yessir
THE THANG: I copied Double D’s trick of using playing cards but none under 8 reps, around WEP beatdown and some Fort Mill History etc.. We ran the WEP with short pain stations Merkins, Lunges, Hammers, Planks, SSHs
MARY: ended with 5 min where everyone picked their favorite exercise.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: yup
COT: indeed

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Mental Health Battle

Warm-Up:
Mosey lap around AO
SSH – 20 IC
Imperial Walkers – 15 IC
Windmills – 10 IC
Strawberry Pickers – 10 IC
Mosey lap around AO with log

Main Thang:
Round 1: Cinder Strength

Perform 3 rounds: (10, 15, 20 reps)

Cinder Block Squat Press (Thruster)
Cinder Block Rows
Cinder Block Lunges (Rep per leg)
Cinder Block Curls
Cinder Block Flutter Kicks (with a press)

Recovery: Farmers Carry with Cinderblock on each hand to 50 yards and back between rounds.

Round 2: Log Run

First group runs with log to the 30 yard line and back while the others do burpees and then you switch.

F3 Discussion:

The Mental Health Battle

Objective

Sharpen awareness, reinforce brotherhood, and provide practical tools to manage mental strain—personally and as a group.

Lead-in: Mental health is not a trend—it’s a daily fight. Every man in the circle is carrying something: pressure, stress, expectations, or silent battles.

Key Point: You don’t have to be broken to be struggling.

Set the tone:

– Confidentiality is implied

– No fixing, just listening

– Respect the man speaking

Define the Battlefield

Mental health issues don’t usually show up labeled. They come disguised as:

– Irritability instead of anger issues

– Withdrawal instead of sadness

– Overworking instead of avoidance

– Silence instead of strength

Discussion Prompt:

“Where does stress show up in your life right now—work, home, or internally?”

The Lies vs. The Truth

Men tend to operate under outdated scripts:

Common Lies:

“I need to handle this alone.”

“Talking about it is weakness.”

“It’ll pass if I ignore it.”

“Other guys have it worse.”

Counter Truth:

Isolation compounds problems

Speaking up is controlled strength

Ignored issues grow roots

Comparison kills accountability

Discussion Prompt:

“Which lie have you personally bought into?”

Tools for the Fight

This is where you bring practical execution—F3 is about action.

1. The Check-In

One guy you trust

Once a week, no surface-level talk

2. Control the Inputs

Sleep, alcohol, social media

Garbage in = garbage out

3. Move Your Body

You already did this today—there’s a reason F3 works

4. Name It

Stress, anger, burnout—call it what it is

Undefined problems don’t get solved

5. Faith Component

Anchor yourself in something bigger

Scripture, prayer, or quiet time—discipline over emotion

Proverbs 12:25 – Anxiety weighs the heart down, but a good word lifts it up.

Discussion Prompt:

“Which of these are you currently neglecting?”

Closing: Lock It In

Final Challenge:

Identify one action you will take this week

Identify one man you will check on

Make it specific:

Not “I’ll do better”

Instead: “I’ll call John on Thursday” or “I’ll cut out late-night scrolling”

Close with this: Strength isn’t carrying everything alone—it’s knowing when to lock shields with the men beside you.

Go around:

One word describing your current state

One word describing where you want to be

Bottom Line

Mental health is maintenance, not emergency repair. Ignore it, and it owns you. Stay ahead of it, and you lead your life instead of reacting to it.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Read your newsletter
COT: Prayers and Praises

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Ladders and The Queen

WARMUP: ssh, iw, hillbilly walker, Moroccan night clubs, windmills, mosey

THE THANG:

start at goal line. Run to 10 – do the exercise – run back – do the burpee… run to 20….

Ladder:
10 – big boy situps
1- burpee
20 – merkin
2-burpee
30-mountain climber
3-burpee
40 – squat
4-burpee
50 – LBC
5- burpee

We made it up to 50…back down to 10 on the far side… back up to 50…and between 40 and 20 back on the near side

MARY: in the ladder
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
COT:
QSource – Q1.3 – Queen – what we put in our bodies – nutrition. You can’t or king your Queen. Meaning you cannot do enough fitness (king) to get to ignore nutrition. The sooner we accept this the sooner we can work on the balance. It is as much( if not more) a quality game as it is a numbers(calorie) game. AND factors like Sleep & Stress have proven physiological impacts on the what the body does with the food you give it.

Lay the bricks –
build positive habit through trial and error – one brick at a time. What works for 1 may not work for another.

Setup Accountability
-Standard
-enforcement
-consequence

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Neese’s was almost the death of us

WARMUP: Yes, IW; HW; some yoga.
Introduced the reverse burpee (you go down on your 6, lay on your back, and then return to standing for a jump). Stagecoach busted his wrist and YHC was tired of seeing him modify.
THE THANG:
Found a wall
10 stepups (each leg)
10 derkins
10 bulgarian split squats (each leg)
10 irkins
Found another wall (it was stupid high)
10 stepups (single leg) this was dumb
10 derkins this was also dumb but not as much

found a moderatle parking lot
10 mike tysons
bear crawl
10 curb alberts
crawl bear
10 mike tysons
lunge walk
10 curb alberts
reverse lunge walk
10 mike tysons
burpee broad jump
(the sprinklers came on and YHC didn’t want a complete mutiny)
mosey back to the dry side for
10 curb alberts

Mosey back by the wall and hit it again

A 60lb sandball was at COT
One man did an over the shoulder lift
Everyone else held a squat down and raised up when the ball hit the ground. Return to the held squat for the next guy to do a lift. 15 guys….
Rinse and Repeat with Split Squats and a reverse burpee

NMM:It’s nice to be motivated to workout, but falling in love with the process of acceleration is even better. That can survive a waning motivation. Or maybe it just is motivation itself?

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Hockey Gold

WARMUP: Quick run around the parking lot, back to COT area, circle up for the following:
– 20 SSH
– 10 Windmills
– 15 Imperial walkers
– 15 Moroccan night clubs
– 10 Strawberry pickers
Then run to the parking lot at Grace Presbyterian Church for the main event!
THE THANG:
In light of Happy Gilmore as well as the USA Men’s and Women’s Hockey teams winning Gold at the Olympics, I put together something fun yet challenging to improve our hockey #3S2T.
An NHL hockey rink is 200ft long x 85ft wide. The large parking lot in front of the church is a little larger – approx 240′ x 100′. Go big and train to compete, right? There were 8 cones set up around our rink, each with exercises and a mode of transportation to the next cone. Start at cone 1, do the exercise, move to the next. Happy Gilmore may not have been the best skater or shooter, but damn he was intense. No rest in between as Happy would want it
Note: DC = double count
Cones:
1. ICING CALL on the opponent! Puck dropped but they won it. SKATE to go on defense! >> Eric Heiden’s to #2. (aka lateral lunge runs).
2. On defense in the corner. Happy falls on the ice and can’t get up! >> 30 dying cockroaches (DC) and 20 hammers (DC) >> Bear crawl to #3 (approx 25 yds)
3. GET UP OFF THE ICE HAPPY!! In front of the net, blocking shots. >> 10 burpees. >> Strides to #4 (think of a run while skipping, knees up high).
4. Happy was a pugilist. In the opposite defensive corner of the rink. Work on your enforcer abilities! >> 20 planks w alternating punches (DC), 20 Cobra Kai’s (DC) (while holding a deep squat, alternate punching) >> GO ON OFFENSE!! >> Strides to #5 (opposite end corner of the parking lot)
5. We are wide open!! Pass me the puck!! Signal your teammates >> 40 SSH (DC) >> You got the puck, move to the net! >> Strides to # 6 (center rink, offensive side)
6. TAKE THE SHOT!! Practice your SLAPSHOT!! >> 30 Apolo Ohno’s w arm swings. >> Bear crawl to #7 (opposite corner, offensive side, approx 30 yds)
7. YOU SCORED!! Now taunt the LOSERS!! >> 30 monkey humpers, 20 dirty dogs (10 each leg). >> Mary Katherine Lunge to #8 (a lunge walk, while you are lunging, you are extending both arms overhead, like a touchdown signal).
8. CELEBRATE!! Raise Lord Stanley’s Cup!!! At center rink. With a cinderblock, 20 curls then 20 overhead presses. Did you know: The Stanley Cup weighs 35 lbs, and a cindy weighs 38 lbs.
Back to #1, and repeat.
Everyone got in 2 full rounds and started on a 3rd. Then we did an indian run back to COT for…

MARY: A little less than 2 minutes worth.

COT:
Announcements: Highlighted Bethel Men’s Shelter next week, Break the Dam run this weekend, litter pickup, and other items in the newsletter. GET INVOLVED!!
P&P: Alot lifted up.

Thanks for the opportunity to lead.
SYITG
-NASA

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Don’t Forget the Flowers!

WARMUP: Cohiba’s attempt at the F3 Mission flopped so we started with 10 burpees flower by SSH and some other moves. Then we set off on a field trip.
THE THANG: Pax covered 2 ish miles today with stops at Town Hall, Courtyard fka as Pike Electric, Millstone Park, Veterans Park, WEP playground. At each stop, pax took turns naming an exercise of choice and passing a Valentine to another pax. That pax got to draw one of 5 cards which led to the # of reps:

All hearts today
10 = 10 reps
Jack = 15 reps
Queen = plank while chosen pax shares Valentine’s Day wisdom learned the hardway (through Failure)
King = 20 reps
Ace = 25 reps

We moseyed home after the playground
MARY: yes, a few mins at the end
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Break the Dam, trash pickup
COT: prayers for health for several, job searches

A great morning of movement and fitness including many reps and many burpees. The pax were frisky and playful like a bunch of puppies, and the mumblechatter was strong throughout.

One of the many things I love about F3 is the multigenerational nature, and we had pax from 38-59 today. The span of age, geographic origins and backgrounds provided wide ranging experiences around the topic of romance and the Valentine’s Day holiday. Grateful for the enthusiasm, wisdom and humor everyone brought!

Parking lot Donuteeria was a success as well. Who’s gonna turn that into the norm?

Thanks for the invite JWOW and your solid leadership of our flagship AO!

#KeepPosting

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Cougars and Gold Diggers

Stole from Spike: https://f3thefort.com/2026/02/18/hill-sprints/

WARMUP: yea
THE THANG: see Spike’s stuff. I dropped many (NOT ALL) of the burpees by poplar demand
MARY: flutters
ANNOUNCEMENTS: lots in the newsletter
COT: was held….think about problems and conditions

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Hill Sprints

WARMUP:
Mosey up the hill towards the lot by White Street, stopping along the way for:
Side Straddle Hops, Squats, Peter Parker, Parker Peter, Up Dog, Down Dog, Walk the Dogs

THE THANG: Board of Pain at top of hill by the White Street
Do 10 reps of first exercise, run down hill for 2 burpees, run back up hill.
Repeat the pattern until last exercise has 20 burpees at the bottom of the hill.

1. Donkey Kicks / 2 burpees
2. Big Boys / 4 burpees
3. Bomb Jacks / 6 burpees
4. Merkins / 8 burpees
5. LBCs / 10 burpees
6. Jump Squats / 12 burpees
7. Shoulder Taps / 14 burpees
8. Apolo Ohno / 16 burpees
9. Calf Raises / 18 burpees
10. Overhead claps / 20 burpees
MARY:
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Dam to Dam, Break the Dam
COT: Prayers for healing, wellness of kids, family, community

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