You can take the Boy from Love Circle Hill, but you can’t take the Love Circle Hill Out of the Boy

AO: the-knoll
Q: SalPal
PAX: Étouffée, Pebbles, El Capitan, morning stār, Half Lyfe, Timber, Gold Digger(sp?), Bumblebee
FNGs: None
COUNT: 9
CONDITIONS: Moist

WARMUP: Quick mosey to the nearby hill

THE THANG: Two interval sets:
30 seconds, 5 burpees, bernie up hill, 5 Lt Dans, Mosey down hill
1:45, then altogether 10 burpees, bernie up, squat jumps, mosey, plank hold to time.

7s:
– Big Boy Situps + WW Merkins
– Iron Mikes + Jump Squats
– Mountain Climbers + Donkey Kicks

Plank Circuit to Close

MOLESKINE:
“I’m sweating a little bit.” – Pebbles
Also Bumblebee did a front flip.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
– See Nantan announcement on Slack re: convergences.

COT:
– Prayers for Healing for Jay (Matt’s colleague) and Josh (friend of the Knoll).

Come on out Thursday for some fun and games!

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:

Races

AO: the-knoll
Q: Pebbles
PAX: morning stār, Timber, AAA, Étouffée, BumbleBee, Smoltz, Gold Digger
FNGs: None
COUNT: 8
CONDITIONS: Warm and Humid

WARMUP:
Side straddle hops
Inch worms
Don Quixote’s
Mosey around the neighborhood with pushups and squats mixed in

THE THANG:
Relay races! Form into two teams and race to the cone and back. Those not moving held plank or squat. MOT:
Bear crawl
Crab walk
Duck walk
Burpee broad jump
Bear crawl
Run

Played a game of Irish Ball which is Ultimate Frisbee rules played with a ball instead.

MOLESKINE: Thank you Gold digger for sharing

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

COT: prayed us out

Mosquito!

AO: the-knoll
Q: Pebbles
PAX: Malibu, Half Lyfe, AAA, Derby, Timber, Étouffée, El Capitan, morning stār, Sparrow, Stubs, Tebow, Smoltz, Bookworm, Gabby Cat, Foxy, Bumblebee, Creek Runner
FNGs: None
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Muggy, long grass, mosquitos

WARMUP:
Bacs
Bac Bacs
Inch Worms
Slow Squats
Mosey around backstop

THE THANG:
Partner DORA – partner runs around back stop while the other performs exercise
1. Hand release Merkins x 200
2. Iron Mike’s x 200
3. Dips x 200
4. Squats x 200

11s on the hill – Carolina Dry Docks and Lunges

Mary – flutter kicks

MOLESKINE:
I was out for two weeks in Orlando. It was hotter than the surface of the sun, carrying backpacks and kids all day. It was a great ruck workout.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The STRUGGLE is this weekend. Sign up on Slack to participate.

COT: Prayed us out

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

Derby’s First Race

AO: the-knoll
Q: Derby
PAX: El Capitan, AAA, G-string, Timber, Malibu, morning stār, Sooie, Stubs, Ex-Pat, Papa Bear, Étouffée, FLO, Tebow, @rubix @golddigger @bumbleebee, @Gecko
FNGs: 1 @Gecko
COUNT: 18
CONDITIONS: Perfect

WARMUP: Baby Arm Circles, Big Arm Circles, Back Backs, Moroccan Night Clubs, Shoulder Press, Willie Mays Hayes, SSH

Mosey down the street to loosen up

THE THANG: Pair up DORA – One Runner/One Worker

Set 1 (Accumulating w/ Partner):
200 Merkins
200 Lunges (1 is 1)
200 WWII’s
*Early finishers go back to Merkin’s

Mosey down the street to “catch our breath”

Set 2 (Holds awaiting partner):
2x Low Plank
2x Butterfly Kicks
2x Squat

Ended w/ 5 minute Mary: Berpees, Heel Taps, J-Lo’s, Leg Lifts, V-ups, etc.

MOLESKINE: Reminder not to get caught up in life and lose focus on family. There are plenty of distractions out there that attempt to drive that wedge and sometimes it takes us stepping back to reprioritize what matters most.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Farm campout the last weekend of May. Reach out to morning stār for further details.

COT: Closed out w/ short prayer for families adjustment to Summer.

Thank you for the opportunity to lead the workout this morning!

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