ISO Crazy

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Sooie, Half Lyfe, morning stār, Pebbles, El Capitan, Derby, Tebow, The Banker, Timber, Papa Bear, Bumblebee (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Smoltz (2.0), Mushi (2.0), Gabby Cat (2.0), Foxy (2.0), Shakira
FNGs: 1 Shakira
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: 74 degrees sounds pleasant right? Wrong! Gills were required to breathe the 2:1 water/ air mixture.

WARMUP:
Head to toe mobility
BAC
BBAC
Low slow squats
Slow merkins
SSH (23 :goat:)

THE THANG:
Timber brings 0530 with him as he comes running onto the playground. I abdicate responsibility for any injuries one might endure over the coming 45 minutes by stating the non-professional capacity in which I will be leading, thusly shielding myself from a potential torrent of litigation.
We warm up.
Spoiler alert: it’s quite hot already. Nonetheless, we awaken our muscles from head to toe with Yes/No/Maybes, Baby Arm Circles, Back BACS, Low slow squats, low slow merkins, and SSH.

Now onto the thang: “ISO Crazy”
We partner up and establish four stations of isometric exercises. Between the stations the PAX perform:
– 10 planche merkins,
– 10 groiners,
– 10 jump squats.
The isometric exercises:
1. dead hangs,
2. fingertip plank,
3. tree/pole/wall sit,
4. hollow hold
are held until failure of one of the partners. The pairs are numbered off 1-4 and begin their respective isometric according to their number. 25 minutes of growling, grunting, grueling agony ensue. My plan, on paper, seemed to be but a gentle tempering of the mortal frame. The reality though was a gauntlet of pain.
The clock strikes 0600 and we’ve had enough. Time for games! Capture the flag! The 2.0’s demand that they take on the adults and we capitulate to this request. However, the first round the adults can only move by hopping on one foot. The 2.0’s score. Second round the adults must move by hopping on both feet. Half Lyfe leaps a flying tackle toward a 2.0 but misses his target and the 2.0’s score yet again. Chafed and chastened, the adults cast off all encumbrances and unleash their full footed fury. A wall of men prevent the 2.0’s from reaching the flag. Midfield, I reach the flag. Wheeling around with it firmly in my clutches, I let loose all reserves of energy and sprint toward our goal line! The adults score and 0614 strikes indicating the end of regulation gameplay. 2.0’s are victorious 2 to 1.

MOLESKINE:
I reflected on Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 and the importance of sharing our burdens. Coffee and fellowship is thoroughly enjoyed

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The Knoll closed this Thursday (6/26) to participate in the convergence at greenmachine.
Special beatdown on July 1st at the knoll. You wont want to miss it!
4th of July convergence at handsomizer…on July 4th
Check slack for all other announcements.

COT:
Prayers offered. Coffee and chocolate milk enjoyed. Thanks El Capitan !

Buddy EMOM

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Half Lyfe, morning stār, Sparrow, Timber, El Capitan, Smoltz (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS: low 60s & dry :pinched_fingers:

WARMUP:

– Downdog – Cobra – Sprinters Stretch w/ slow-mo merkins
– Back stretches
– Baby arm circles / BacBacs 10x in cadence
– Cherry Pickers 10x in cadence
– Motivators to 5

THE THANG:

Buddy EMOM

Partner up & choose a station. You & your partner will be performing 10 rounds (5 rounds per person) of each exercise, beginning every minute 45 seconds

Rest / soviet shakes with any extra time you have left.

After 10 rounds are complete, you will mosey with your buddy to the stop sign & back.

Rotate to next station & begin new set when all PAX are ready.

Stations are:

Arms
Superman merkins x10
Hangs until partner finishes

Legs
Monkey Humpers x20
Spiccolis until partner finishes

Core
V-Ups x15
Plank until partner finishes

Took a final mosey down Goodpasture & returned by 6:15

MOLESKINE:

In the season of Father’s Day, I encouraged the PAX to seek to draw near to their kids & not let the mistakes of their own dads control them. We have a choice to draw near or keep away. Draw near & reach out to other men for encouragement & fellowship.

Closed out with the Lord’s Prayer.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Check 2ndf on Slack for details on Nerf Night w/ Wolfpack & co. Looks like another game night with Firefox is coming up too!

Keep an eye on the Slack for special announcements coming soon as well.

COT:

Countorama, Nameorama, coffeteria enjoyed.

It was a pleasure leading y’all this morning!

:el-capitan:

Butterfly Tag & Tabata War

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Half Lyfe, AAA, Papa Bear, Pitmaster, Derby, morning stār, Stubs, Sparrow, El Capitan, Tebow, Étouffée, Sooie, @Sandlot (2.0), @IceBox (2.0), @FishBiscuit (2.0), @Tonks (2.0), @Eagle (2.0), @Bookworm (2.0), @CreekRunner (2.0), @Bumblebee (2.0), @GabbyCat (2.0), @Foxy (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Very foggy! Low 60s

WARMUP:

Climber stretches with some added back + quad work. So nice.

Took a mosey to the old Anderson house & back.

THE THANG:

Part 1 – Butterfly Tag

Mosey to lit cones in field.

Two pax are IT, trying to tag everyone else.

All PAX must perform “flying motion” while evading taggers (BACS, raise-the-roofs, Moroccan Night Clubs, etc.).

If tagged, you become a cocoon & perform 10x Lotus squats (arms clasped straight above head) before returning to game.

Game ends when 3 minute timer buzzes. Repeat with new taggers.

Part 2 – TABATA WAR

Mosey to flood table.

Count off into two teams.

4 identical Tabata stations for both teams, opposite sides of flood table.

Stations are:

Step-Ups
Bird Dogs
Elevated Merkins
LBC’s

30 seconds on, 15 seconds to rotate.

Deck of cards, shuffled & split on the flood table.

After a full round of exercises are complete, two pax will meet at the table to play a game of War. Best 3 out of 5.

Loser must flick the spinner of doom & their team will perform whatever the pointer lands on:

5 burpees
Sprint to backstop, mosey back
10 Lt. Dans
15 Carolina Dry Docks

Winners stay loose with Soviet Shakes

Played 5 rounds… Team #1 was victorious (3-2)!

MOLESKINE:

My girls & I experienced the joy of the Lord serving at a special VBS last week. Encouraged the PAX to look for opportunities to serve in your community & church alongside your kids. It is so worth it!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Check Slack & stay tuned for 4th of July Convergence! :flag:

COT:

Countorama, Nameorama, coffeteria enjoyed.

It was a pleasure to lead y’all this morning!

:el-capitan:

Micro Murph

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Derby, Half Lyfe, AAA, Sooie, Sparrow, morning stār, Gold Digger, Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), All Star (2.0), Ninja (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 12
CONDITIONS: Cool. Humid. Spring.

WARMUP:
Get loose!
Head nods/shakes/circles in cadence
Shoulder rolls in cadence
BAC
BBAC
Low slow squats
plank knee tapping
Low plank -> high plank -> finger tip plank

THE THANG:
Micro Murph EMOM style.
EMOM 1 pull-up, 2 merkins, 3 Jump Squats, 20 yard sprint (30x). Focus on power and form!

Cooldown mosey
Mary

MOLESKINE:
Focus on the basics.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Check slack

COT:
Prayers offered. Sooie Brewie down the hatch.

Among Us! IRL

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Pitmaster, Tebow, morning stār, Derby, El Capitan, Half Lyfe, Ex-Pat, Sooie, Tonks (2.0), Fish Biscuit (2.0), Eagle (2.0), Bumblebee (2.0), Rubicks (2.0), Gabby Cat (2.0), Foxy (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 15
CONDITIONS:
On the rain-lashed knoll, beneath a sky of iron-wrought clouds, the sodden grasses cling to our boots like the tendrils of some voidborn beast. The air, thick with mist, melds garb to flesh in the cool, sunless, morning light.

WARMUP:
As the chrono strikes 0530, our band of 12—soon to be 15—gathers. I, the Q, begin by clearly stating the non-professional capacity in which I will be leading thus deflecting all potential lawsuits of disgruntled PAX.

We rouse the frame for the tasks ahead:
• Side Straddle Hops: 12, counted in cadence
• Baby Arm Circles: 12 forward, 12 reverse, in cadence, loosening shoulders.

Lo! Silhouettes pierce the mist— Tebow, Pitmaster, and Eagle, our tardy kin, swell our ranks to 15. We trek among the three beacons outlining the tasks to undertake a live, knoll rendition of Among Us.

THE THANG:
Three stations, ~80 yards apart in a triangular constellation, bear tasks to test our mettle. Each demands 260 collective reps, with a limit of 10 per PAX per visit:
• STATION 1: Pull-Ups/Swing Rows
• STATION 2: Dips
• STATION 3: Step-Ups, (2=1)
Papers drawn from the Q’s helm decree fates: 13 bear “C” for Crewmate, scattered to Beacons 1, 2, or 3; 2 bear “I” for Imposters cloaked in guile. The quest is clear: Crewmates must complete all station reps to triumph. Imposters must snuff out the crew with a silent tap to foot or shoulder, their treachery veiled by false labor.
The fallen enter a spectral limbo, holding a plank where they have fallen ‘til a passing crewmate spies them, then cycling a torturous mantra—10 Merkins, 20 WW2 Sit-Ups, 30 Squats—until the quest’s end. Emergency councils, summoned by SSH when any PAX begins hopping and all join, convene at the site of the fallen to banish a suspected Imposter.

The Clash:
I, first to fall, am tapped by an Imposter’s stealthy touch en route to Station 1. Planking in the wet grass, I await discovery. Tebow, true witness, finds me, but the crew, blinded by doubt, casts him out in a council. We two share the spectral cycle—10, 20, 30, a grinding hymn. Another falls, a second council banishes a crewmate in error. Four now haunt Station 1’s limbo. Yet a third strike reveals an Imposter—TONKS, unmasked by suspicious deeds! With one imposter left and nine crewmates standing, the stations’ tallies dwindle—10 reps remain at each. As 0600 chimes, the crew completes the final reps, claiming victory o’er the Imposters deceit.

The Pursuit’s End:
With tasks fulfilled, we turn to primal chases—games of Infection and Toilet Tag, fleet-footed sprints across the knoll until 0615 seals our labor.

MOLESKINE:
Outdo one another in showing honor.
-Romans 12:10

We take time to honor one another. Prayer requests offered.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Check slack

COT:
Enjoyed the more laid back pace of Summer sipping Mtn. Mojo and Choco milk whilst the 2.0’s frolicked amongst the playground.

Derby’s 2nd Race

AO: the-knoll
Q: Derby
PAX: morning stār, Half Lyfe, AAA, Ex-Pat, Sooie, Pitmaster, @GoldDigger, @Bumblebee (2.0), @Birdman (2.0), @Allstart (2.0), @Eagle (2.0), @Ninja (2.0), @Rubics (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 14
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP: 5 Good Mornings, Baby Arm Circles, Big Arm Circles, Back Backs, Willie Mays Hayes, SSH

THE THANG: EMOM – Merkin Mania

Mosey down the street (10 burpees halfway)

0-5 Minutes: 10 Merkins w/ 20 Crunches
6-10 Minutes: 10 Merkins w/ 30 sec Butterfly Kicks
Mosey down the street (10 burpees halfway)

11-15 Minutes: 10 Merkins w/ 20 Lunges (1 is 1)
16-20 Minutes: 10 Merkins w/ 30 sec Freddie Mercuries
Mosey down the street (10 burpees halfway)

21-25 Minutes: 10 Merkins w/ 20 Jump Squats
26-30 Minutes: 10 Merkins w/ 30 sec WWII’s

Wrapped up w/ Merkin Burnout

MOLESKINE: Both beatdowns were loosely reflective of the first I attended at The Knoll and Pain Train. Used those to reflect on my appreciation for F3 and the incredible Men I’ve met in this journey.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Thank you Sooie for the brew! Congrats on setting what we believe is The Knoll Merkin record of 375 Merkins!

Family Campout last weekend of May. See morning stār for further details.

COT: Safe travels to those hitting the road this weekend.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead this morning!

-Derby

Partner Up

AO: the-knoll
Q: Timber
PAX: morning stār, Malibu, Timber, AAA, Pitmaster, G-string, Étouffée, Stubs, Gold Digger, Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: 70 degrees, partly clouded, just right for a sweat

WARMUP: Mosey (covered F3 mission, 5 core principles, Credo here), SSH, Slow Merkins, Slow Squats, BACs/back BACs/shoulder raises, Don Quixotes, good mornings

THE THANG: Partner up
1.Stations X 3: 40 sec on, 20 off
a. Pull-ups / plank
b. Stepups / Merkins
c. Bulgarian split squats / dips
d. Knee raises / mountain climbers

2. DORA (Hero style): walk hands out to plank and execute merkin, walk hands back. 50 reps. One partner does exercise, other runs ~100 yards

3. Vacuum Cleaner (3, 2, 1 rep sets): wheelbarrow position, walk 3 steps, do 3 merkins, walk 3 steps back; do set of 2, set of 1

MOLESKINE: G-string went beast mode and ended the DORA early for everyone, thanks to Étouffée for bringing some great coffee

ANNOUNCEMENTS: farm camp out with family the last weekend of May – see morning stār for more details!

COT: every drop of sweat is a deposit in something bigger than fitness – it’s a deposit into our discipline, integrity, and commitment into becoming better men. This time together isn’t just about reps and sets. It’s about accountability, resilience, and choosing discipline over ease.

Prayer intentions were given, and prayed for. Thanks for joining me this morning, men!
-Timber

(B)Easter Egg Hunt 2025

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Wolfpack, Derby, Papa Bear, AAA, Sooie, El Capitan, Ex-Pat, morning stār, Pebbles, Timber, Half Lyfe, G-string, Pitmaster, Étouffée, @GoldDigger, @Rubix (2.0), @Schmaltz (2.0), @Bumblebee (2.0), @Grizzly (TBD)
FNGs: 1 @Grizzly (TBD)
COUNT: 19
CONDITIONS:

Mid-50s, lovely sunlit clouds at 6:15

TUNES:

Young & Heavy

WARMUP:

Climb routine
Back stretches
Willie mays hays
Good mornings!

THE THANG:

– Circle up around the lamp in field
– 22 eggs to find in playground, each with an exercise & follow-up hold exercise
– Each PAX will search for an egg with the lamp, all PAX will perform the exercise upon opening & perform hold exercise while next PAX searches.
– Wash, rinse, repeat

Ended with MARY: a 3-round Ring of Fire & American Hammers

MOLESKINE:

Life is constantly changing & you change and grow as a man each passing year. I asked the PAX to take some time to reflect, with a moment of silence, on one aspect of change in their lives and one aspect that has stayed constant. I then asked everyone to think of one person (spouse, mentor, friend) who has been a source of strength & stability in their lives. Ended with a prayer of thanksgiving for these individuals.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

– Tax Day got moved to November 3rd(?!)
– Check slack for upcoming Night Moves & extra free workouts!

COT:

Countorama, Nameorama, coffeteria.

It was a pleasure leading y’all this morning, men!

I’m ready for a nap. :yawning_face: :el-capitan:

Memory Game Part Deux!

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Pitmaster, Sparrow, morning stār, Sooie, Half Lyfe, Stubs, El Capitan, @Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: :cold_face:

TUNES: “Lost in the Dream” by War on Drugs

WARMUP:

Climb stretch routine (1.5x speed)
Joint work!
Overhead presses
Seal claps
Moroccan Night Clubs
Motivators to 7

THE THANG:

18 pairs of cards, each with a workout written on them.

PAX will circle around cards & take turns drawing.
If the cards drawn don’t match, all PAX will perform both card’s exercises 5x

If cards do match, no exercise is performed & the drawer can draw again.

Repeat until all cards are matched

Exercises:

happy crunchy frogs
Bulgarian split squats (2 is 1)
Mountain climbers (2 is 1)
Dips
SSH (4 count)
Cherry Pickers
Step Ups (2 is 1)
Flutter kicks (4 is 1)
Elevated Merkins
Burpees
Sky Thrusters
Broken Bicycle
Yerkins (clap merkins)
Lunges (2 is 1)
WW1 Snow Angel
hacky sacks (4 is 1)
Ukrainian hammers
Don Quixotes (4 count)

Welcome the New Year with 25 pull-ups! (Deduct the number of matched cards you found from your total).

MOLESKINE:

Shared how I really enjoyed the Q workout on Tuesday & was excited to create a Volume 2 for today. Sometimes the formula works when you’re Q’ing multiple times – take what works, tweak it a bit, and share it with the PAX!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

LeanPax starts soon!

TClaps to morning stār for writing up a letter to our local government leaders in favor of adding ADA-compliant playground equipment to the-knoll! Thanks also to Stubs for bringing it to our attention. :muscle:

COT:

Nameorama, Countorama, prayers of gratitude lifted up, and :el-capitan: :coffee: enjoyed.

Simplify

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: morning stār, Sparrow, Stubs, El Capitan, FLO, Half Lyfe, Papa Bear, Pebbles, Pitmaster, Sooie, @Bumblebee (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS: damp & foggy; mid-50s

WARMUP:

10 minutes of Pilates Warrior Flow with speed cardio mixed in (mountain climbers, scissor kicks)

THE THANG:

Part 1: Held a 90-30-Run around the Flood Table

Workouts included:
1. Elevated merkins
2. dips
3. Step-ups
4. Elevated shoulder taps
5. Elevated crunches

Work for 90 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, run to backstop & back as a group.

Discussed the F3 Mission Statement, Credo, and what F3 means to us as men during the rest breaks.

Part 2: Light Battle

Split into two teams / three light-up cones per side

Object of game is to change color of all three lights of other team first by hitting the (hard-to-push) buttons.

If you are tagged (two hand touch) by a defender, you must return to your side’s end zone & perform 5 Lt. Dan’s before returning to game.

MOLESKINE:

December is an extremely busy month. I’m grateful for the opportunity to simplify with a straight-forward workout & focus on stretching (something I haven’t had time to do in weeks!). I encouraged the Pax to remember the Advent season with the word “Immanuel” (God with us). The birth of Jesus & His Presence with us through the Holy Spirit is a great comfort in the chaos.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

LeanPax starts in January. Enjoy those treats while you can. 😀

COT: Countorama, Nameorama, and ended with Mountain Mojo + Mochas.

I’m grateful for y’all! :el-capitan: