Elevens & the Deadly Dice

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Ex-Pat, AAA, morning stār, El Capitan, Malibu, Sooie, Lady Liberty, Pebbles, Timber, Stubs, Bumblebee (2.0), Schmoltz (2.0), TopGun (2.0), TheJudge (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: 60 degrees & foggy. Starlit overhead.
TUNES: Joyful eclectic playlist

WARMUP:
– Downdog + cobra
– 10x mountain climbers
– Bird Dogs (3x) each side, 3 sets
– Back stretches (the best)

THE THANG:
PART 1: ELEVENS
– Squat Jumps at top of road
– Butt-kickers down hill to road
– Plank Jacks on road curb
– High Knees back up hill.

Repeat until 11’s complete

PART 2: Deadly Dice

Circle up around flood table. One PAX rolls 12-sided die with regular die into bucket.

Regular die represents exercises:
– 1 (Burpees)
– 2 (Downward Dog Toe Taps 2=1)
– 3 (Dips)
– 4 (American Hammers 2=1)
– 5 (Hand-release merkins)
– 6 (Iron Mikes 2=1)

12-sided die represents the amount of reps.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

PART 3: Return of the Plank, Plank, Goose!
– Circle up in grass. One person is “it”. Goes around duck-duck-goose style. When he chooses a goose, he immediately does 10 SSH while the tagged runs around circle & tries to return to spot before tagger does.

Cool down mosey to coupon tree & back to playground.

MOLESKINE:
Encouraged the PAX to look outside themselves & seek opportunities to better serve their families & communities. It’s so easy to be primarily concerned with what matters to me – but true manliness is sacrificial, seeking the good of others for the glory of God.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Happy birthday, @Schmoltz!! Enjoy those birthday breakfast bagels in bed. :joy:
Fat Bear Week is next week, per Sooie! :bear:

COT: Lifted up prayer requests & held a moment of silence. Enjoyed a delicious moment of fellowship & :boar::coffee::tm: post-workout.

Grateful for y’all!

:el-capitan:

MOT CIRCUIT

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Timber, Ex-Pat, The Banker, AAA, El Capitan, morning stār, Sooie, Stubs, Pitmaster, Pebbles, Papa Bear, The Merchant, Bumblebee (2.0), Schmoltz (2.0), Eagle (2.0), TheJudge (2.0), TopGun (2.0)
FNGs: 1 TopGun (2.0)
COUNT: 17
CONDITIONS: mid-60s & blustery

WARMUP:
– Stretches (down dog, cobra, sprinter stretch, BACs & BacBACs x10
– Motivators 5x, run to backstop & back to playground

THE THANG:
PART 1: MOT CIRCUIT
– count off into two teams

Round #1:
– team 1 BEAR CRAWLS around perimeter of playground
– team 2 SKY THRUSTS until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Round #2:
– team 1 LIZARD CRAWLS around perimeter of playground
– Team 2 FREDDY MERCURY’S until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Round #3:
– team 1 GORILLA HOPS around perimeter of playground
– Team 2 “REVERSE” BURPEE (WW2 to jump) until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Round #4:
– team 1 CRAB WALK around perimeter of playground
– Team 2 IMPERIAL WALKERS until team 1 returns, then SWITCH

Part 2: MYSTERY MARY

Two sets of cardboard cards
One set has times (:45-2 min)
One set has CORE workouts
Lie cards face down in two groups, memory game style.
Pax circle up- 2.0s choose a time card + workout card.

Wash, rinse, repeat

Ended with a 1:45 round of Ring of Fire.

MOLESKINE:
“Love is a long road.” Our culture tends to view love as a feeling, something you fall into, experience passionately, etc. But real love is indeed a long road – one that is often defined much more by commitment & faithfulness than feeling. I encouraged the PAX to consider this viewpoint & look around their circle of influence to see who God has placed in their lives to serve for the long haul.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Check Slack for October updates coming soon!

COT: Lifted up G-string & his family at the passing of his great-grandmother, friends of the The Banker dealing with a cancer diagnose, and The Merchant’s purchase of his first home.

A prayer was lifted & coffee + chocolate milk enjoyed.

So grateful for y’all!
:el-capitan:

Funand games

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: Sooie, Stubs, Sparrow, Ex-Pat, Bumble bee (2.0 / Q), the Judge (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS:

WARMUP: pass the soccer ball around and squats

THE THANG:
Part 1:
2 v 2 soccer; those not playing exercise, winning team days in

Part 2:
Hide and seek tag

MARY: circle of fire with merkins

ANNOUNCEMENTS: big announcement coming in October at the knoll

COT: “courage” on 3

There are always some more cards to be dealt

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: Wolfpack, El Capitan, Ranger, Sooie, Tea Party, AAA, Malibu, morning stār, Papa Bear, Stubs, Sparrow, Bumble bee (2.0 / Q), Link (2.0), Samwise (2.0), Iowa (2.0), The Judge (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 16
CONDITIONS: mild and dark

WARMUP: motivators 1 to 8

THE THANG: deck of pain
– Hearts = SSH (4ct)
– Spades = t-claps (4ct)
– Clubs = Carolina dry docks
– Diamonds = sit ups
– Ace is 1 rep, J/Q/K are 12 reps
– Joker is 10 4ct flutter kicks

MARY: dealer’s choice

ANNOUNCEMENTS: chili cookoff coming in October

COT: ball of man and “kindness” on 3!

MOLESKIN: this is Bumble bee’s second full Q … he’s growing in confidence which is so great to see. Appreciate the PAX creating an encouraging environment for him to learn and grow.

Stay curious my friends,
-m*

Tea Time

AO: the-knoll
Q: Tea Party
PAX: AAA, El Capitan, morning stār, Sooie, Sparrow, Ex-pat, Bumblebee 2.0
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: dark and 60s?

WARMUP: Costa Rica style yoga/stretching ending with the Bretzel body twist

THE THANG: 2 rounds of 9 tea-themed circuits in 1 minute intervals
– premium oolong pull-ups
– Cardamom tea kettlebell swings
– rose hibiscus raise your knees (step-ups)
– Tima tea toe-touches
– Paris yea swing pulls
– ginseng oolong jog/sprint around back-stop
– Mint peach tea bench merkins
– Lichee black tea lunges/lt. dans
– Pure assam plank

Cool down: 1 perfect burpee

MOLESKINE: Embrace the little sparks God gave you in your life that bring you joy, like tea drinking does for me. Those things make a difference for each of us, don’t let them go out and grow dull.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 9/14 F3 10 year anniversary Sevier Park

COT: prayers for hvacs, pregnancies, and moving. Strong Ceylon black tea drink and onion flavored tea biscuits devoured

9.10 Mystery Workout

AO: the-knoll
Q: AAA
PAX: Sooie, El Capitan, Stubs, Sparrow, The Banker, Timber, G-string, morning stār, Malibu, Papa Bear, Bumblebee, Iowa, The Judge
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: mid 50s, damp grass.

WARMUP: -5 motivators
-10 lunges
-Baby arm circles and back BACs
-10 slow squats
-10 slow push ups
-mosey down to tree line and back

THE THANG: 8 rounds of a 2 minute AMRAP start with a 20 yard sprint/run, and then do 11 reps of designated exercise and then run back 20 yards and do another 11 reps until 2 minutes are up.
Round 1- 11 burpees
Round 2- 11 pushups
Round 3 – 11 air squat
Round 4- 11 mountain climbers
Round 5- 11 jumping jacks
Round 6- 11 jumping lunges
Round 7 – 11 Carolina dry dock
Round 8 – 11 tuck jumps

Finished with some Ultimate Frisbee

MOLESKINE: John 15:13
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

In remembering 9/11 tomorrow, let’s take a moment to think about and remember the ultimate acts of love shown by many on 9/11, and the many years after 9/11.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: 9/11 workout at capital steps 5:30 am, Brig workout at 5:30 am

COT:

Sometimes the workout you end up doing isn’t the workout you planned but that’s okay because your intentions for the planned workout weren’t where they should’ve been.

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: AAA, G-string, Lady Liberty, morning stār, Sooie, Sparrow, Timber, Dr Stogie, Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: :stars: 😎

WARMUP:
Good Mornings OYO
Imperial Walkers
BAC
BBAC
T-Ups
WMH (review mission/core principles/credo)
Loose caboose mosey

THE THANG:
Tabata! 21 rounds.
12 seconds work
48 seconds active recovery/planks
Cycle through Merkins, Jump Squats, Plank toe touches. (20:23 total time)

Ultimate Frisbee ~10 minutes. Epic plays were made by all the PAX.

Recovery breathwork

MOLESKINE:
This week the-knoll celebrates 1 year of being in the books. To commemorate it we did Tabata with 12 seconds on and a total workout time of 20:23 to commemorate the year we launched. I had planned a different beatdown, one that would’ve been harder and more self serving but ultimately felt it wasn’t the right time and my intentions weren’t in the right place. Instead we did a challenging workout that allowed some time for conversation as well. Reminded me that no matter what we do, let’s check our intentions and be mindful of why we do what we do.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
9/11 convergence at the Capitol Steps.
9/11 convergence at The Brig (F3 Franklin) grassland park if the Capitol Steps is too far a drive.
9/14 F3 Nashville 10 year anniversary Sevier Park.

COT:
Prayers lifted. Sooie Brewie enjoyed.

On the Books Anniversary

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: The Banker, morning stār, Sooie, Sparrow, Tea Party, Papa Bear, Pit Master, Dr. Stogie, Stubs, Eagle (2.0), The Judge (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: cool, starry, perfect

WARMUP:
Stretch OYO
Yes/No/maybe
BAC
BBAC
Overhead claps
Seal claps
Don Quixotes
Motivators (from 5)

THE THANG:
Split into 2 teams. Had 6 cones set up 15 yards apart. Each cone had a different exercise on it. Each team had to complete 200 reps of the exercise. The first team to finish the 200 reps captured the cone and added 25 reps to the next exercises.
1. Squats
2. Merkins
3. WW2’s
4. Monkey humpers
5. apollo ohno’s
6. Burpees

Next up a friendly game of capture the flag. Be warned Tea Party has some speed!

MOLESKINE:
“Outdo one another in showing honor”
Romans 12:10

I’ve been incredibly blessed to witness the transformations in the lives of the men at the knoll. Took time to recognize and honor the men both present and absent.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
9/11 convergence at the Capitol Steps
9/14 F3 Nashville 10 year anniversary

COT:
Prayers spoken and offered.

Hearts are for leg days

AO: the-knoll
Q: Malibu
PAX: AAA, El Capitan, G-string, Malibu, morning stār, Pitmaster, Sparrow, Stu Cook, The Banker, Timber, Stubs, Sooie, The Judge, BumbleBee
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: another spectacular 72*

WARMUP:
Malibu Special:
Mosey to the stop sign, circle up in the field, SSH, slow steady squats & Mericans, BAC+BBAC, stretching (dealers choice).

THE THANG:
Deck of cards:
:heart: Step Ups
:diamonds: North, South, or Sweet) Carolina Dry Dockers
:spades: Twists, 2=1
:clubs: Sit-up variation, dealers choice

The constant shuffling kept us guessing and played some mind games in the gloom.

MOLESKINE:
A quote board in my son’s classroom this year quotes an anonymous speaker: Everything is difficult, until it becomes easy.

Not because easy just happens, but through hard work. Facing difficulties head on and grinding through the hard work applies to faith as much it does fitness. In our fellowship at The Knoll, I experience how good and true this to come together, put in shared, hard work and leave a better man.

As we head into Labor Day, I reflect at the end of the day today on my gratitude for this group and the work we do together. Appreciate the chance to Q this week and see you all Tuesday. Have a great, holiday weekend!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Statistically impossible to get 80% of AO’s for Guliver’s travels. But you could try, it’s worth it.
9/11 convergence 0530 @ TN Capital steps.
Nashville F3 10th Anniversary coming up also.

El Cap needs help moving a couple of items. DM him for deets.

COT:
Prayers for the Judge’s brother, El Capitan in his move, and those intentions in the silence of our hearts.

It’s All in the Grind

AO: the-knoll
Q: Malibu
PAX: AAA, El Capitan, Ex-Pat, Malibu, morning stār, Papa Bear, Sooie, Stu Cook, The Banker, Timber, Wolfpack, BumbleBee, Smoltz, Samwise, Iowa
FNGs: None
COUNT: 15
CONDITIONS:
Spectacular morning- clear skies, full of hearts, can’t lose.

WARMUP:
Mosey to stop sign, circle up in field.
SSHx 20 with one amazing silent count of unified side straddle hopping in silent cadence.
Slow squat and push-ups, BAC and BBAC.
Mental prep for the Thang.

THE THANG:
An old coach taught me that professionals grind out the work. For today’s grinds, work steadily but not frantically:
(1) 20 minute grind: 6x hand release push ups, 1 or 2 pull ups/reverse pull ups, 6x Lt. Dans
(2) 15 minute grind: 30 seconds of WWI/WWII (user choice), 30 seconds of twists, 30 seconds of standing founders up and down.
(3) Final Grind: SooieBrew

MOLESKINE:
We need our bodies for life, work, and our vocations and men and fathers. Drawing from knowledge and training from a S&C coach Rob Shaul, that means we are professional athletes with particular, specific fitness demands. Our demands as- in my case a suburban dad- are perhaps different than other professional athletes but still there. We can best fulfill our individual callings in life when our bodies are capable of the mission before us.
Professionals are also willing to do the work when the tough gets going and relish the grind when it comes. Today’s workout gave us a time to set about our hard work steadily, not frantically but working through a long 20minutes and another 15minutes.
Being a professional athlete also demands a burden of constant fitnes. In my F3 journey I have found that this burden is best carried in the encouragement and presence of others, especially in The Gloom. Some days feel great, other days feel like a grind. Relish the grind! Put one foot in front of the other, and Just Keep Swimming! Cheers,

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Gallivants Travels ends this week.
September 11 Convergence at 0530 at TN Capitol Steps, plan for an hour.
F3 Nash decade anniversary coming up too.

COT
Prayers for presence, and peace amidst returning to school and work routines.