Isolated, never alone

AO: the-knoll
Q: Étouffée
PAX: Pebbles, Half Lyfe, Stubs, Sooie, G-string, Lady Liberty, Sparrow
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: just right

WARMUP: mosey to the stop sign
5 Burpees
10 slow squats
mosey back

THE THANG: (3) 10 minute AMRAP circuits, rotating exercises with partner

Round 1:
A) Sprint around backstop
B) 10 Pull-ups, 20 Push-ups, 20 Dips

Round 2:
A) 60 yards with sandbags
– 20 yards walking lunges
– 10 yards over-head walking lunges
– 30 yard mosey back
B) Plank

Round 3:
30 yards. Partner A down, B Back
– 10 yard wheelbarrow walk
– 20 yard partner carry
– 50 (split up) Big Boys

MOLESKINE: Isolated, but never alone. So often we may find ourselves in a state and/or temptation of being worn down or in isolation, discouragement. No matter how isolated we may feel, we are never truly alone. Not only is God with us, but there are so many others we are connected to seen or unseen. Our presence and our actions matter and affect others and ripple beyond – our family – our friends – our coworkers – our community – and beyond.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: biscuit ru

COT: nameorama, countorama, coffeteria, and sweet sweet olive oil enjoyed

4-Stop Neighborhood Burn

AO: the-knoll
Q: El Capitan
PAX: Siri, El Capitan, Malibu, Sooie, Stubs, Wolfpack, Papa Bear, Sparrow, Pebbles, Pitmaster, @FLO, @AAA, @Iowa (2.0)
FNGs: None
COUNT: 13
CONDITIONS: Just cold enough

WARMUP:

SSH x25
Bacs & BacBacs
Yes, No, Maybes
Willie Mays Hays
Down Dog
Runners stretch
Back Stretches
Butterfly with deep breathing exercise

THE THANG:

Part 1

Neighborhood Mosey with work at four stopping points.

At each stop: 10 burpees, 15 overhead presses, 20 crunches, 25 squats

Rest :60 after each burn + share the 5 core principles of F3 + mission & credo

Final stop: plank crawl along curb as a group from one lit lamppost to another

Part 2: Cooldown

>From curb, as a group, slow lunge up the hill.

We played three rounds of Bear Crawl Battle Royale (Iowa was the juggernaut!)

Round of MARY

MOLESKINE:

My family has been out with the flu the last week & a half and my wife, unfortunately, has had the worst round of it. It has been humbling as a father & a dad to take care of her and my girls while she’s been sick. I’ve felt incompetent and clueless at times but it’s also been a good experience to grow. I’ve enjoyed the increased time spent with my girls as we’ve recovered together. Embrace those moments of incompetence & grow from them! It’s a good reminder of how much teamwork parenting & running a house requires. :pray:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Joy & thanksgiving for Sparrow’s new little one and for his wife’s healthy delivery!

Mystery V-Q on Thursday!! :party_parrot: :olive:

COT:

Nameorama, Countorama, and coffeteria enjoyed.

Grateful for y’all!

:el-capitan:

Push/Pull Day

AO: the-knoll
Q: Half Lyfe
PAX: G-string, Puzzlah, Lady Liberty, Pebbles, Sooie, Stubs
FNGs: None
COUNT: 7
CONDITIONS: Calm, nice 30ish degrees.

WARMUP: SSH, WMH, BAC, BBAC, MDC, Overhead Press, Fast feet taps with down to push up and back up to fast feet taps (similar to football exercise). Mosey to get coupons. Did some karaokes and politicians during mosey.

THE THANG: 10 stations (5 push/pull). Rotated to each station and did 20 reps then once one round complete drop 5 and repeat. Once down to 5 continues with 5 reps until time was up.
1) Merkins
2) Swing row
3) Front Arm Lift with coupon
4) Bands for reverse down
5)Pull ups
6) Overhead press with dumbbells
7) Bicep Curls with coupon
8) Tricep Extension with coupon
9) Dips
10) Bent over rows with coupon

Mosey back to return coupons. Each PAX said something meaningful to them (inspirational, gratitude, motivational, health, etc)

Returned back to playground. Person that guessed number of rounds we would complete in workout got to skip 5 group burpees. Props to Puzzlah for guessing 7 rounds (correct number) and still doing burpees.

MOLESKINE: see above. Each pax can add if they want. Mine was gratitude for finding F3 and all those I have met and have pushed me to improve myself in Fitness/Fellowship/Faith.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT: count off, nameorama. Prayers offered up. Thank you Lady Liberty for the spoken prayer. Coffee!

We did this not because it is easy, but because we thought it would be easy.

AO: the-knoll
Q: Sooie
PAX: Half Lyfe, Pebbles, Sooie
FNGs: None
COUNT: 3
CONDITIONS: :cold_face: brrrr-ning up :cold_face:

WARMUP:
Good Morning OYO
Head circles
BAC
BBAC
Front Shoulder taps
Air presses
Motivators

THE THANG:
Circle up hold a low plank.
When first PAX collapses, all run to the tree line and back (~0.24 mile). PAX who gave up first does exercises. Remaining PAX resume plank competition. Repeat. Since there were only three of us, we did 3 full rounds. Pebbles was the overall victor with Half Lyfe in a close second.

After the plankapalooza we each did 30 DIDs.
Finished with Mary.

MOLESKINE:

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Leanpax
Pebbles has a cool F3 book he’s willing to lend after he finishes it.

COT:
Prayers spoken and offered. Great coffeeteria provided by Pebbles

Iron & Fire

AO: pain-train
Q: Sooie
PAX: Wolfpack, Half Lyfe, Siri, G-string, Cheeks, Sooie, Stubs, Pitmaster
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS:
Balmy 33 degrees.
Fire playlist courtesy of Wolfpack
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/51444TzeSN59drKik8lhkx?si=N_-BxdfGSyS3YU8lFSrdrA&pi=u-tGeq90oXQ7mj

WARMUP:
Loosen up OYO.
Circle up on our six and fire up the bellows: 30 breaths Wim Hoff style to the rhythm of “We Will Rock You”.
Hammer the Anvil: on the last breath transition to high plank. Exhale. AMRAP merkins on a single breath. TClaps to G-string for getting the most reps…probably like 100 or something.
Plank head, shoulders, knees, and toes 5x OYO
Plank jacks 5x in cadence

Mosey to get cinder blocks.

THE THANG:
BATTLE STATIONS!
– 15lb dumbbell farmer carry around the perimeter of the playground holding the dumbbell by the weight rather than the handle. After 1 lap, PAX rotate to next station.
– IYT MERKIN: plyo merkin with hands and feet leave my the ground. Arms make an “I”, then arms make a “Y”, then arms make a “T”
– SUPER IYT: superman position arms in “I” position gripping 5lb dumbbells. Move arms to “Y”, move arms to “T”, back to “Y”, back to “I”
– BLOCK THRUSTERS
– BLOCK TWISTS/HAMMERS
– BLOCK SWINGS
– BLOCK CURLS
– BLOCK CURL TO SHOULDER PRESS TO EXTENSION

All PAX completed each station. Mosey around the perimeter then repeat. Timer exercise for second round was 12lb dumbbell punches 20x.

MOLESKINE:
New years intentions have a better chance of success in the presence of community.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Leanpax
Hearing regarding ADA compliant equipment to Harpeth Knoll parks Thursday, January 9th. Thanks Stubs for putting this on our radar!

COT:
Prayers and requests lifted. Enjoyed the delicious :wolf: :coffee: for coffeeteria

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.

Short Card, Knoll Ed.

AO: the-knoll
Q: Malibu
PAX: Pebbles, AAA, Waffle, Timber, Stubs, Sparrow, Sooie, morning stār, Malibu, Bumblebee
FNGs: None
COUNT: 10
CONDITIONS: 27*, frosty, and motivated.

WARMUP: Mosey to stop sign, BAC+BBAC, slow squats, imperial walkers, something else I can’t remember rn, and stretching on own.

THE THANG: modified version of a workout from an earlier life: the Marine Corps Recon Short Card. The Knoll’s edition of this is: tabata (120s work, 60s rest) of each:
Squats
Mericans
Burpees
Crunches (dealers choice of WWI, WWII, baby crunches, or other)
Mountain climbers
Flutter kicks
Burpees again
Daisy pickers
Back extensions
American Hammers

MOLESKINE: sometimes life stretches you and diminishes your ability to create new things. A lesson from Marine Corps days in these situations: sometimes the value of habits isn’t in something new but in going through something that works. Grateful for this community to do the work in the dark, cold, and yet wonderful mornings together.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: lean pax coming up in January.

COT: Closing prayers for family and brothers, in the words of a great friend (Peace at Last, JH Newman).

Coffeeteria ftw, thanks to Pebbles for bringing the brew!

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:

Partner Murph

AO: the-knoll
Q: Pebbles
PAX: Sooie, Stubs, Timber, The Banker, Papa Bear, Étouffée, Siri
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Cold, frosty, 20deg

WARMUP:
Side Straddle Hops
Half mile mosey
Slow Merkins
Slow Squats

THE THANG:

Murph with a partner. 100 pull ups, 200 merkins, 300 squats total as a team. 1 partner ran 200meters while the other was working.

11s on the hill – Carolina Dry Docks & Iron Mikes

MOLESKINE:
I used to think a virtuous man impressed others with feats of strength on the battlefield. I’m realizing now that the real battle starts in the mind. It’s the struggle to get up with the alarm, choosing to do the right thing, push when things fee hard. These small acts of will are what make a man virtuous and strong.

Inspired by all of you who choose to wake up early and do something hard.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
LeanPax starting soon.

COT: Prayers offered

Keep it Simple

AO: the-knoll
Q: Wolfpack
PAX: Hair Band, El Capitan, Timber, Sooie, The Banker, FLO, Parka-Eh, Pitmaster, Pebbles, Papa Bear, Malibu, Half Lyfe, morning stār, Link, Bumblebee, Schmoltz, Goliath, Ace, Monkey, Dr.Kitty, Taz
FNGs: None
COUNT: 22
CONDITIONS: Little wet, but temp was right

WARMUP: Jog around the Knoll while the 2.0’s call out various movements to get those joints loose.

THE THANG:
Tabata: 30 seconds on 10 seconds rest. 4 exercises in a round. 4 rounds total:
– Merkins
– Mountain Climbers
– Squats
– High Knees

VCR
Split up into pairs. One PAX is the VHS and the other has the remote. If remote runs backwards, the VHS goes in slow motion. If remote runs forwards, the VHS goes fast. If the remote pauses, the VHS holds it’s current position in the exercise.

4 rounds of Squats
4 rounds of Merkins

5 minutes of Yoga then 10 minutes of Mary

MOLESKINE: Little bit of mumble chatter. Lots of 2.0’s today, which always makes it fun!

ANNOUNCEMENTS: morning stār on Q next week with so get ready for some cold cold ice plunges.

COT: In NoNoiseNovember I have reflected on some of the key writings I find important. I’ve found that these are broken out into three categories that really feed off of each other. So a reminder to PAX to make sure you have a FOUNDATION to build your ACTIONS off of so that you can push into the unknown and GROW. For me, I use the Tao Te Ching for my Foundation, The Four Agreements for Action and Emerson’s Self Reliance for Growth. Find what works for you and take the time to read and reflect