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:

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.

ThunderBunny Beatdown (aka LrThe’s Awakening)

AO: pain-train
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Wolfpack, The Banker, G-string, Sooie, Bean Burger (Fairview, TN), Cheeks, Timber, Siri, Pitmaster, FLO, El Capitan
FNGs: None
COUNT: 11
CONDITIONS:
clear skies, low 60s, almost Yosemite

WARMUP:
– Downward dog + cobra + sprinter-stretch merkins 3x both sides, PE stretch
– BAC + BacBACs + Turkish Moroccan Night Clubs: 12x
– Willie Mays Hays OYO
– PAX collected coupons (one each) and returned to sidewalk

THE THANG:

Part 1: ThunderBurpees

– All PAX circle up, play song “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.
– SSH throughout – burpee every time you hear the word “Thunder”. :skull_and_crossbones:

Part 2: Sudoku Murder Bunny Special

SOUNDTRACK: Weezer Blue Album

Downloaded two easy sudoku puzzles from internet, printed on 11×14″ sheets, laminated, supplied dry erase markers + paper towels

Split up into two teams.

Six stations. One PAX from each team per station, lined up along sidewalk.

Station #1: Plank, work on a sudoku puzzle

Station #2: Murder bunny to cone with coupon, carry on shoulder back. (All PAX rotate to next station when he returns.)

Station #3: floor-to-ceilings with coupon

Station #4: straight-arm squats with coupon

Station #5: sky thrusters on back with coupon

Station #6*: wild card! options include…

1. 6x hops + elevated elbow-to-knees over coupon (3x per side)
2. bench press on back with coupon
3. American hammers with coupon
4. Speed step-ups on coupon
5. Curls with coupon

Rotated until PAX (almost?) solved the puzzles.

Bonus Round at 6:10 AM: in lieu of sudoku, each team tried to name all 25 AO’s in F3 Nashville while rotating through the reps.

MOLESKINE:

Shared how grateful I am for the fellowship of the PAX and encouraged those who may be nervous about Q’ing to reach out for help/advice – it is worth it. Such a joy to lead y’all this morning!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Check Slack for September updates (including 9/11 and 9/14 anniversary convergences) coming soon!

COT:

Countorama, Nameorama, shared requests, and closed in prayer.

Special shout-out to Wolfpack for the delicious & courageous LupusBrewpus rebound this morning!

We are grateful for you & hope that your kitchen counters recover from any & all coffee-related trauma.

:el-capitan:

Silent Q

AO: pain-train
Q: Cheeks
PAX: G-string, Timber, Cheeks, Wolfpack, DintyMoore, Bean Burger (Fairview, TN), El Capitan
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS:
Getting darker as Winter comes

WARMUP:
20 SSH
16 Baby Arm Circles
16 Backs
16 Moroccan Night Clubs
Lat Stretch on Your Own

THE THANG:
Dora:
5 Sets
25 Kettlebell Swings
15 Deadlifts
15 Low Merkins
75yrd dash and back

Mary:
20 WW1
25 LBC
16 American Hammers in cadence
Back Stretch (I believe we all needed that)
10 Alternating V-ups
1 Minute Plank
Ring of Fire to 3 and back
20 Carolina Dry Docks
10 Burpees

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– Arrington Vineyards August 17th 11:30-2. Check Franklin General feed for more info
– F3 Dads swim party. Check Franklin General feed for more info
– Fairview AO starting up

COT:
Prayer request for El Capitan as he and his family move.

Prayers for Bean Burger (Fairview, TN) as he fosters growth and fellowship with the great men of Fairview.

Thank you gentlemen for allowing me to lead! I appreciate each and every one of you! Let’s go be lights in the world and serve our communities!

Treasure hunt

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: Grape, Tebow, Tea Party, El Capitan, Pearl (Jonathan Halter), Lady Liberty, Timber, Sooie, The Banker, Sparrow, Ex-Pat, Malibu, Evee (2.0), Bumble bee (2.0), Iowa (2.0), Samwise (2.0), Blackhawk (2.0), Noble Virus (Franklin)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 19
19 PAX got together to celebrate YHC’s 41st birthday. 19 and 41 are both prime numbers.

CONDITIONS: dusky and damp with a slice of invigoration

WOR: 41 SSH

THANG:
1 body builder burpee every minute (or so) for 41 total. Lots of movement in between.

As we went we reviewed the F3 mission and the-knoll’s unique expression of that:
“The Bellevue AOs are neighborhood workouts that accelerate F3 Nashville’s mission by equipping men to lead their lives and families with strength and integrity.”
We do this by creating opportunities for men to:
– get physically fit,
– choose fellowship over isolation
– engage with and live from their hearts
– and grow as virtuous leaders

YHC invited several PAX to share why they keep posting. Feeling glad and tender to hear the feedback.

MOLESKIN:
– Appreciate everyone coming to celebrate and work together. Was great to see the Franklin PAX visit.
– What I shared today would not have been possible without the COT we’ve built over the last year. Appreciate all the men (and kids) that have shared intentionally from their hearts to build this safe container.
– What I shared today I was able to articulate with greater clarity than ever thanks to the narrative focused trauma care (storywork) I’ve done with Mark H. from thesoulreserve.com/ and the work I did with Dr. Jake Smith Jr. via the goplumline.com/ heart group. It’s built on the work I’ve done through many thecrucibleproject.org/ and www.edgeventure.org/ groups before that and many conversations with my God, my wife and trusted friends and allies.
– I think there is a war being waged for the hearts of men (and women) and the assault of darkness starts in our childhood. As adults we can excavate our stories for the hidden treasure of truth and help our families do the same.

Announcements
– Gullivers travels continues
– F3 Fairview launches Sept 5th see #1stF for more details
– F3 Franklin has a family get together at Arrington Vineyards this Saturday
– Check slack for more

COT:
“”What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we also fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are, because otherwise we run the risk of losing track of who we truly and fully are and little by little come to accept instead the highly edited version which we put forth in hope that the world will find it more acceptable than the real thing. It is important to tell our secrets too because it makes it easier, for other people to tell us a secret or two of their own.” – Frederick Buechner”
“”It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.” -Prov 25:2″
When I was 13, after my parents divorce had settled, my dad pulled me aside in the parking lot of my mom’s apartment and said to me: “Since I’m not around anymore, you are now the man of the house. It’s your responsibility to take care of your mom and sister.”

This message filled me with a sense of pride, terror and confusion. And as the years went by I was asked–and many times forced–into roles that I had no business being in as a teenager. My parents used me to communicate to each other and I became the mediator of our family. I was the “middle man” but I was still a boy … I was a “middle boy”.

What I see now is that this all led me to internalize several dark lies about myself. By living from those lies I was able to build some skills that actually made me “successful” in school, career and other ventures. I was driven from the shadows of my subconscious to prove myself to the world around me. This way of life had a deep cost though, as I’ve come to find out.

My lie is that I’m flawed and incapable. That I’m unworthy of care. When something goes wrong I think it’s my fault and I should have prevented it. And I’m alone to figure it out.

When I feel this I …
– abdicate my roles and responsibilities
– take ownership of others’ problems
– seek validation through helping others
– sedate myself with food

Then I roll over and surrender to my inner critic who points to all this as proof that I’m unworthy of living my own life, not to mention incapable. Then, I double down in my drivenness to prove that wrong and the whole process starts over again.

I’ve been doing this for 31 years and it’s costing me the joyful, adventurous experience of a life well lived. I constantly battle the effects of stress on my body and mind. I’m detached from my loved ones. and I’m missing out on moments with my wife and my boys that I will never get back.

HOWEVER, these lies are not true.

What’s true is…
– I am precious
– I’m wanted
– I’m a delight
– I am a worthy prince

I’m a devoted and faithful husband, father and friend. My companions experience kindness, wisdom and partnership that leads them to freedom and breakthrough.

I am a worthy prince, so I can…
– receive Gods love and care for me
– govern what’s been entrusted to me
– delight in and support those in my care
– love my allies and enemies alike
– mobilize and encourage groups and families to accelerate in maturity

I can embrace teamwork and find joy in fellowship. I can smile as I gaze into the mystery ahead and move into it with power and confidence. I can ask for what I want and need and allow others to do what they are going to do. I can take care of myself. I can stop assigning others the role of validating me and my existence – I am worthy and valued and I can receive God’s love and care for me. I can practice forgiveness and receive forgiveness and I can live my life to the very last drop.

YHC encouraged the PAX to take the next step in their own personal journey to living out of the “secret of who [they] fully and truly are.”

Stay curious my friends,
-m*

Sandlot to celebrate Bumble bees 9th birthday

AO: the-knoll
Q: morning stār
PAX: AAA, Timber, The Banker, Malibu, Sooie, El Capitan, morning stār, Buble bee (2.0; Q), Iowa (2.0), Samwise (2.0), Tonks (2.0), Fish buscuit (2.0), Smoltz (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
CONDITIONS: starting to get dark and cool

WARMUP: motivators from 9 down

THE THANG:
Split into teams and play baseball.
– strike out = 3 pushups
– bench warmers alternate between step ups and erkins
– modify up as desired

MOLESKINE:
– Appreciare the PAX encouragement of Bumble bee in his first Q and his 9th birthday.
– Really cool to see how much he’s picked up from participating and watching us do this every week for a year.
– The “task master” part of me wanted to put more pressure on him to make the BD a certain way … thankfully I was able to be aware of that and ease back and let him make it his own and adjust as needed.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– round 2 of birthday Q on Thursday
– 1 year anniversary of the brig in Franklin tomorrow
– See slack for the rest

COT:
– Bumble bee shared that he’s noticed that because he sees myself and his mom taking care of our bodies in how we move/exercise and how we eat it inspires him to do the same. Message to the dads: your actions have a deep impact on how your kids grow and how they see what could be done.
– Ended in personal reflection on a gratitude and a need followed by a prayer.

Hanging with the dudes

AO: pain-train
Q: Sooie
PAX: Cheeks, El Capitan, Siri, Sooie, Sparrow, Timber, Wolfpack
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS: muggy as an August in Nashville with a few pleasant breezes

WARMUP:
head to toe stretching
BAC
BBAC
WMH OYO
mosey to 9-square coliseum

THE THANG: HANGING OUT!
Partner up for modified Dora.
Partner 1 jogs/runs/sprints 1 lap of the 0.25 mile loop.
Partner 2 dead hangs.
Then switch.
4 times for 1 mile for each PAX.
If you drop from the bar, 5 reps of the following depending on what lap you’re on.
1 – Burpees
2 – American Hammers
3 – imperial Walkers
4 – Lunges

Mosey back to pain-train. Each partner does 2 sets of 5 Nordic Curls. End with Ring of fire (compound interest) to 5. Recovery breathwork for 3 minutes.

MOLESKINE:
Good to be back at the pain-train after a brief hiatus. Reminder/encouragement to live with intentionality for something greater than ourselves and beyond the tyranny of the urgent.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
gullivers-travels-challenge! Visit other AO’s. Make new friends! Meet friends you didn’t know you knew!

COT:
Prayers spoken and lifted. Enjoyed some of that wonderful Lupus Brewpus :wolf: :coffee: :tm:! Mumblechattered about crocs and Stanley cups.

National Parks Road Trip Tabata!

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Sparrow, AAA, Papa Bear, Timber, Wolfpack, morning stār, The Merchant, Pebbles, Tea Party, G-string, Sooie, El Capitan, Bookworm, Fishbiscuit, Tonks, Bumblebee, Eevee
FNGs: 1 Eevee
COUNT: 17
CONDITIONS: Muggy mid-70s

WARMUP:

– Bacs + bacbacs 15x
– Downward dog + cobra + plank leg stretch
– Willie mays hays OYO
– Imperial Walkers 15x
– Motivators to 5

THE THANG:

National Parks Road Trip Tabata
(1:45 on, 30 sec. rest, rotate)

It’s good to backpack with a buddy- pair up to visit the Parks together.

1. (Joshua Tree) Hangs Monkey bars
2. (Acadia) Tandem leg-lift thrusters: lie on backs with linked arms, lift & kick sky with both feet
3. (Black Canyon) Dips
4. (Arches) Lieutenant Dans with 18lb. cases
5. (Denali) Coupon floor-to-ceiling (49lb. Case + 29 lb. case + boulders for 2.0’s)
6. (Sequoia) WW2s with axe throws
7. (Everglades) Swing presses
8. (Death Valley) Line touch moseys

Repeat circuit 2x

MOLESKINE:

The National Parks have been called America’s Best Idea. There are few natural places in the world more glorious than the Parks. Visiting one causes you to feel a sense of smallness, wonder, and gratitude for the opportunity to just be “here.”

Some of my favorite memories with my family growing up are at the Parks, especially as our family business began creating National Parks artwork + products.

I encourage each of y’all to go visit the Parks when the opportunity arises & make memories with those you love. Cherish this American heritage that has been preserved for you & your children to enjoy.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Check Slack for the latest F3 news & updates.

COT:

Countorama & Nameorama (welcome @Eevee!)

Ended with the Lord’s Prayer & gave thanks to our Father in Heaven for our health & the fellowship of the PAX. It was a joy getting stronger together today.

Thank you Sooie for the Brewie!

:el-capitan:

Adding new routines to the repertoire

AO: pain-train
Q: SalPal
PAX: Timber, The Banker, FLO, El Capitan, Pitmaster, G-string, Cheeks
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Refreshingly brisk

WARMUP: mosey+ assorted routines

THE THANG: fun to fields behind middle School. Set up 9 cones in a line, ~10 yards apart.

Modified suicides: bearcrawl to 1st cone, 9 burpees, run back, 10 Lt. Dan’s. Repeat, going out an additional cone and down one burpee until you get to the last come with 1 burpee.

Killed time at the end with proper suicides, mosey, and Merkins.

MOLESKINE: Do hard things.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Night Movez, GEODIS run.

COT: This country, Ms pregnancy, gratitude for physical health.