Illegal Takeover

AO: the-knoll
Q: The Banker
PAX: Sooie, Pebbles, Parka-Eh, Wolfpack, Timber, morning stār, G-string, Ex-Pat, Rubix, Bumblebee, Pele
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
CONDITIONS: Pristine

WARMUP: Mosey to baseball park with a few stops to do BAC’s and Good mornings.

THE THANG: 11’s Burpees one end, squat jumps/lunges MOT, Donkey Kicks on other end

2 each Wall sits and rotating one leg extension (one min total)

Mosey back and took a pit stop in front of El Cap’s home to do some big boys in his honor.

MOLESKINE: Talked about Pele and his ability when things got hard or pressure was intense to remember his Why. He’d think back to when he was a boy and playing barefoot. That joy allowed him to play free. May we always build our foundation on that joy that allows you to love freely!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: May push-up challenge

COT: prayers for all!

Black Dots

AO: iiipillars
Q: Young Pawn
PAX: Black Lung, Grape, Pep, Haggis, gov’t mule, YumYum, t-cell, Go Fish, Teva, Formica, Swiffer, Pipe Dream, Full Monty
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: Damp

WARMUP: SSHs, arm circles, Hillbillys, Imperial Walkers, and a mosey to the track. Then, a 4 minute plank to show that iiipillars has what it takes to match middle-tooth.

THE THANG: Two rounds of a 45s on, 15s upper body circuit punctuated by a lap of the track and followed by 3 minutes of Mary.

MOLESKINE: Thanks to Haggis for coming in clutch with the Rivian:tm: speaker. Playlist is https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WgqmsQUOJzhmFHyl6s9FJ?si=5e29fd2502af44b9 if anyone needs a backup. iiipillars boasts a really delightful group of HIMs, I look forward to being back.

COT:
:coffee:️ Coffee provided by the imitable princessaurora on his way to Mammoth Cave.
🧎‍♂️‍➡️ Prayers offered for three with cancer, Haggis job interview, and other requests spoken and unspoken.

Hear us when we call, O God of our righteousness, have mercy on us and hear our prayer.

:baby_symbol::chess_pawn:

OTB Party Pace Run

AO: offthebooks
Q: Chunks , Natural Ice, Grape
PAX: Natural Ice, Grape
FNGs: None
COUNT: 3
CONDITIONS: Warm and No Rain

WARMUP:

THE THANG:
4.6 Mile Party Pace run discussing life and other stuff

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT:

Backyard Bootcamp

AO: offthebooks
Q: Wolfpack , Siri
PAX: Siri
FNGs: None
COUNT: 2
CONDITIONS: Wet and warm

WARMUP: stretch OYO

THE THANG:
Ring pull ups. 5 sets.
5 reps
4 reps
3 reps
2 reps
1 reps

Tabata 20 second work 10 second rest
Round 1
Merkins x2
Squats x2
Scapular Merkins x2
Mountain Climbers x2

Round 2
Merkins x2
Iron Mikes x2
Scapular Merkins x2
Side Lunges x2

Hill Sprints x4

5 minutes of Mary

MOLESKINE: pulls are hard

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pain Train launch on Friday!

COT: Good vibes for the work week ahead

Respectapalooza

AO: westeros
Q: CubCadet
PAX: DintyMoore, Vector, Tim the Toolman, Pep, Hair Band, Red Skull
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS: Wet and windy with a hint of electricity in the air. And then, at 5:30, the skies cleared…

WARMUP: Mosey to the school pick-up and drop-off circle. Mumblechatter reflected on how nice it was to just be 5 men over 50 hanging out. And then DintyMoore and Hair Band joined us, late. Mix of SSH, Arm circles F / B, seal claps, WMH, GM, IW and HK. Pax sufficiently warmed up.

THE THANG: Belated celebration of Cinco-de-Mayo, with Pep getting the right answer on the history of the holiday. Hint, has nothing to do with Mexican Independence or the Alamo.

C – Climbers, 35 reps each leg
I – Iron Mikes, 45 reps each leg
N – (High) Nees, 55 reps each leg
C – Crunches, 65 four count
O – Overhead Claps, 75 reps

Between each letter, pax did a lap of the traffic circle. Last lap was done French retreat style, backwards (aka Bernie).

Mixed in some squats and chair on wall, then mosey to front steps. Did two sets of stair climbs doing incline merkins every other step. Mosey back to start for 8 minutes of Mary, round robin, 25 reps each exercise.

Entertainment provided by an 80’s pop rock mix (Squeeze, Phil Collins, Huey Lewis), yeah really old stuff. It was a recycle, because I didn’t remember I was Q until 10:35 last night.

MOLESKINE: Gratitude for opportunity to work out together on a day when most thought the weather wouldn’t cooperate.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: pain-train kicks off in Bellevue this weekend. No bomber And for those, like me, who missed it, westeros has a new AOQ. Thanks to Chunks for his leadership, and to bluemule for stepping up to lead.

COT: Prayers for Hair Band visit home to Mom, his company and his new endeavors at church. Prayers for Pep to get another project at work. I’m probably forgetting something. Sorry. Oh, and thank you, Lord, for letting the Respects win one hands down, no ties / no debate.

May the 4th Be With You

AO: the-castle
Q: Sunshine
PAX: Splitter, Salami, hambone, Chunks, Dilbert, Pep, Cowboy, Cash Cab
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: Warm and muggy

WARMUP: Imperial Walkers, SSH, Good Mornings

THE THANG: Star Wars themed beatdown with all 6 episodes of the original saga represented. 1 station for each movie. Exercises were performed at each station, and travel to the next station were bear crawls while transporting the coupon.

Episode I – The Phantom Menace
– Jar Jar Goofballs – x15 (2=1)
– Podracer Steering Wheels – x10 (2=1)
– Droid Army Getups – x10
Episode II – Attack of the Clones
– Kaminoan Canoe Crunches – x10 each side
– Clone Army Body Builders – x10
– Curls for Padmes – x20
Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
– “Do It” Seal Claps – x20
– Youngling Yeets – x15
– High Ground High Jumps -x15
Episode IV – A New Hope
– Blue Milk Mixers – x10
– Tusken Raider Presses – x15
– X-Wing Crunches – x10 each side
Episode V – Empire Strikes Back
– Skywalker Prom Dates – x20
– Dagobah Squats – x20
– Luke Curls (alt. Luke Lawnmowers) – x10 each side
Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
– Slave Leia’s – x15 each side
– Ewok Humpers – x20
– Palpatine Presses – x15
Repeat until Mary
Mary: Dealer’s Choice

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT:

Kings of hearts

AO: cruelhall
Q: Accounts Receivable
PAX: Accounts Receivable, Pedialyte, Matador, EZ-Go, Topanga, Winona, Donkey Hammer, Mista mista, Pound Puppy, Soft Serve
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: soggy

WARMUP: Side straddle hops, Willie mays, slow merkins, good mornings

THE THANG:
Run baseball loop and grab blocks
Head to pavilion.

DECK OF CARDS
Clubs = Burpees
Spades = Merkins
Diamonds = WW1s
Hearts = Curl to thruster
(Aces were high)
Face cards were 10 reps
All others by their value

Return blocks and run baseball loop back
MOLESKINE:
Cultivate an attitude of gratefulness and thankfulness. Choosing joy despite our circumstances.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT:

Sometimes hugs say more than words / 1 year knollaversary!

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār , El Capitan
PAX: Ex-Pat, Wolfpack, The Merchant, El Capitan, FLO, The Banker, Timber, Lunch Lady, Ranger, morning stār, Pebbles, Parka-Eh, Birdman (2.0), Rubiks (2.0), Smoltz (2.0), Mozart (2.0), Bumble bee (2.0), Link (2.0), Retro (2.0), 2 fun new kids yet to be named
FNGs: 2 Retro (2.0), 2 fun new kids yet to be named
COUNT: 21
CONDITIONS: delightful

WARMUP:
– mosey around the backstop as a group while signing “happy anniversary to the knoll”
– SSH x12, joint warmups x 12 (neck, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles)

THE THANG:
Split into 2 teams, then again to get 4 teams.

Part 1: minute to win it
Each team performed given exercises at own pace for 1 min. Add up team total at the end.
Exercises: merkins, squats, lt. dans

Timber’s team won the first two. Lots of fun mumble chatter about legitimacy of this.

Mosey around the backstop and sing “happy anniversary to the knoll” again.

Hand off Q to El Capitan.

Part 2: Fun and Games
Form back into original 2 teams.

Round 1: frisbee
Round 2: soccer
Round 3: Calvin ball … 2 adults and 2 kids from each team split off to do human wheelbarrow to the tree and back while the rest played soccer and frisbee (all at once)

Stopped Calvin ball early to bring in the six because “we leave no man behind”.

COT:
– count-o-roma and name-o-roma
– YHC read “The Rabbit Listened” and talked about how this kids book gives him a wonderful example of how to BE with those around him that are hurting or upset.
– We poured drinks and YCH toasted (with a shot of olive oil).

“May we all continue to learn to live from our hearts.
May we all continue to get physically fit.
May we all continue to choose fellowship over isolation.
May we all continue to give this away and invite others into this space.
Blessing to all of you present, and all of those that will join us in the next year!”
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Lunch Lady and YHC informal fasting club, reach out to one of us if you’re interested. It’s for those that want to explore fasting (from physical health or spiritual perspective) or those that are already fasting and could use encouragement/mutual edification.
– may-you-pull-up challenge starting next Monday. Goal is to see how much you can improve your pull up max over 4 weeks. Most improved gets a beer or coffee on Hair Band.
– pain-train official launch next week! Bring your coupons (cinder blocks so they can get branded).
– Ex-Pat is leading a book study on Falling Upward by Richard Rohr starting May 14th. This is especially for men in their late 30s or 40s and feeling a shift in their outlook on life; open to all though. Reach out to him directly if interested.
– Check slack for others …

MOLESKINE:
– Great to see new and old friends today!
– Backstory on the Rabbit Listened: we got this book via Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library (free books for kids though age 5). When I first read it I was deeply moved. My typical reaction to something going wrong around me is to find blame (who did it?) and then to fix it. This reaction has done a lot of harm to my relationships, especially with my M (wife) and 2.0s (kids). The Rabbit listened gave such a clear picture of how I could BE with those around me that are hurting or upset.
– I choke up and tear up each time I read it. I want to be the rabbit and I also am grateful for all those in my life that have chosen to BE with me in the beautiful mess of my broken humanity.
– About 6 months ago I traveled to California to spend with with my dad, step mom and my sister. They were all going through really hard times. When I prayed and considered how to BE on that trip, I realized that God was inviting me to sit and listen like the Rabbit. I took that book on my trip and it helped me recenter and practice this skill.
– Here’s the book being read: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBjAWkog9n0&ab_channel=BuddySonStorytime

Continue to practice BEING with others my brothers,
-m*

May The Twoth Be With You… did that work?

AO: greenmachine
Q: Cowboy
PAX: Focker, Chunks, Black Lung, Betty Ford, moneyshot, Grape, NFT, Works for a Guy, t-cell, FeelTheBerns, Jumpstart (DR from Arkansas) , Humper F3 Knoxville,, Derik Deluca (Nutty Professor)
FNGs: 1 Derik Deluca (Nutty Professor)
COUNT: 13
CONDITIONS: The Best; Not too hot Not too cold, just right

WARMUP: SSHG, Good Mornings, WMH, Slow Squats, Marine Merkins (Demo)
Mosey to the Lipscomb amphitheater with a brief stop for pullups.
THE THANG: 50s 100s Lightening Round
Partner Up: Round 1: 50 DIDs: between you
Partner 1 box jumps up the steps x2
Partner 2 The exercise
Flip Flop
Round 2: 100 Palm Squats, Z chairs, Lunges P1 Runs P2 exercise
Round 3 Lightening Round AMRAP P1 Jumps x1 P2 Exercise FF
Mosey Back with the Indigenous Peoples Run to Star Deck
Mary: PAX dealer’s choice.

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Natural Ice Games Night Saturday 5/4; Brews Day Tuesday 5/7 12 South Tap Room 4:30

COT: Prayers and Done

Spontanous Work from the Well, Together

AO: 2ndf
Q: morning stār , Wolfpack
PAX: Wolfpack, morning stār
FNGs: None
COUNT: 2
CONDITIONS: just the right level of ambient noise and accountability for good productivity.

WARMUP: hug and quick catch up

THE THANG: pomodoro style …
2 sets of:
– 25 min focused work time
– 5 to 10 min walk around the block w/ intentional conversation

MOLESKINE:
– this seems like a good 2ndF thing to do for PAX that work from home in west Nashville
– we’ll do this again … maybe add lunch
– could potentially be a spot to invite potential FNGs to that work from home but haven’t made it to a workout
– if you’re interested in something like this reply to this post or send Wolfpack or me a DM