Warm-a-Rama 20 Seal Jack i/c 20 plank jack i/c 10 hip circles each direction oyo Side shuffle around circle switching facing direction halfway 20 seal waves i/c 20 Imperial walkers i/c 10 screaming lunges per side oyo
On the 25th of Merkin Madness March 14 HIM posted for a merkin filled beatdown!
Warm-O-Rama
Side Straddle Hops (20 I/C)
Cherry Pickers (15 I/C)
Dancing Bears (10 I/C)
Windmill (15 I/C)
Goofball (15 I/C)
Warrior Run (10 Merkins each time the flag was passed) long route to the Middle School
The Thang
nSet #1 – PAX lined up on the sidewalk and did 10 Navy Seal Burpees then made a Jail Break to the far sidewalk. PAX performed 10 more Navy Seal Burpees and made another Jail Break to the beginning sidewalk where they finished up with 10 more Navy Seal Burpees. Then did AMRAP Flutter Kicks for the 6. Set #2 – PAX lined up on the sidewalk and did 50 LBC then Bear Crawled to the next sidewalk. PAX performed 50 more LBC and Bear Crawled back to the beginning sidewalk where they finished up with 50 more LBC. Held Low Plank for the 6. A new exercise was introduced, the Burpee-Jack. PAX then executed 10 Burupee-Jacks and did a Mosey back to the Circle for COT.
Third F
Has anyone heard of Wally Pipp? I hadn’t either until I read a book written by Cal Ripken Jr. titled “Just Show Up.” In the book Cal Ripken tells a story of whenever he would talk to his dad about maybe the need of sitting a game out, taking a day off, to rest and or recuperate his dad would tell him it was his choice but to remember Wally Pipp. Wally Pipp played first base for the New York Yankees and was a good ball player. One day Wally told his coach he needed a day off. They young player that stood in for Wally played great! The coach decided to play the hot player until he cooled down. The man that stepped on for Wally Pipp went on to play 2130 games without missing a game. That’s right, the guy off the bench was Lou Gehrig. When we decide to take a day off from anything we do such as work, F3 and our spiritual life, we must consider what could happen. Who will step up while we are out? What will we miss while we are out? What will take a foot-hold in my life? Two Thursdays ago this story was brought to mind due to some choices I made. My Thursday morning routine is to get up, run a few miles then head to the CHOP for a beatdown. Wednesday night I went for an evening run and when the alarm went off Thursday morning I decided to skip the run, go back to sleep then go to the beatdown. When the alarm went off for the beatdown, I decided to continue to rest. 20 minutes later I was out of bed and headed to the CHOP. Upon arriving I began to stretch out and then saw @fireplex getting out of his truck with a paper in his hand. I thought to myself how glad I was that I don’t screen shot the Q list because there was no way I would have shown up knowing he was on Q that morning. Turned out I got a great beatdown and an appropriate word! What I would have missed had I not just shown up!
Warm-a-Rama Side shuffle around circle, switch directions halfway 15 seal jacks i/c 10 screaming lunges per leg oyo 15 seal waves i/c 10 mountain man pooper i/c High knees around circle, switch to butt kickers halfway
3rd F Play The Man • Devotional
Will Power!
Mosey to field by the church
Ultimate frisbee 3 bombjacks for team with dropped disc Scored exercises were; Screaming lunges Diamond merkins Merkins Frog burpees Burpees Flutter kicks
Mosey back to the circle 25 gas pumpers i/c, slowed tempo from 15-20
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Cherry Pickers – 15 IC
Hydraulic Squats – 10 (6 Count)
The Thang
Round #1 – Karaoke around the circle switching directions at halfway and complete 10 hand release merkins. Round #2 – Nur around the circle and complete 20 LBC’’s. Round #3 – ass kickers around the circle and complete Aiken legs – 10 squats, 10 box jumps, 10 lunges (5 each Leg), 10 Mike Tyson’s (5 each Leg). Round #4 – high knees around the circle and complete ATM’s – 10 alternating “merkin” shoulder taps, 10 tempo merkins, and 10 fast merkins. Round # 5 – Lieutenant Dan around the circle and complete 10 four count mountain climbers. Round #6 – Toy Soldier march around the circle and complete a set of 11’s. 1 big boy to 1 merkin, two big boys to 2 merkins ascending to 11 of each. Round #7 – mosey 10 laps around the circle and complete ascending Burp & Merks up to 10 merkins. The twist is we are going to repeat each of the previous exercises before starting the next lap around the circle.
F3 Message – 01/07/23
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
When I’m on the road and staying in a motel, I’m often leaving pretty early that day for the responsibilities I have. But by the time I return late that night, something amazing has happened. The bed is made and I didn’t make it! I’ve got new, clean towels! I didn’t find them. Everything’s straightened and neat. I even get these cool little soaps now that are in the bathroom! The Room Fairy has been there! Now, I know that not because I’ve seen the maid (actually I haven’t), but because I can see the results of her work all over the place. I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “God All Over Your Day.” He is, you know. It’s not unlike that maid scenario. You may not see the one who made the difference, but you can sure see the difference that He made, if you’re looking for it. If you’ve ever been to one of those church meetings where they ask people to share their favorite verses, you’ve probably heard somebody mention our word for today from the Word of God. It’s a lot of people’s favorite verse. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Notice what’s the opposite of trusting in the Lord with all your heart: trying to figure it out for yourself, doing what you think is best – leaning on your own understanding. Now comes a formula for finding out what God wants you to do in any given situation. Well, we need that. Verse 6 says, “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” Now, God says, “If you want to know My heart for you, acknowledge Me in every situation you’re in.” You know what acknowledge means. Have you ever been in a new place or a roomful of people and you’ve gone totally un-greeted, un-noticed? Well, you were saying to yourself, “Hey, I wish someone would acknowledge me. I wish someone would notice I’m here.” See, God knows that feeling. He shows up all through our day, and we often never notice Him. We don’t acknowledge Him. The other day I was really blessed in a place not normally associated with blessing-the dentist’s office. I was in the waiting room and I saw an old friend with his wife-they’re both in their 90’s. He’s working very hard to care for his wife because her health is deteriorating. Because it had been raining when they came in, my friend asked the dentist if he could help him get his wife out to the car. My dentist came back in, really touched by what had happened in those two minutes-so touched that he brought it up two more times. He said, “When I went out with George and his wife, it wasn’t raining. And George said, ‘Isn’t it great that the Lord stopped the rain long enough for us to get out to the car?’ Then he just looked heavenward and said, ‘Thanks, Father.'” Now that’s acknowledging Him. That’s noticing God’s working in the details of your day. And that’s where praise comes from, where joy comes from, where a victorious attitude comes from in the toughest of times. But you have to go into your day looking for God at work. If you don’t, you’ll miss God and you’ll miss the joy. But if you do train your heart to go on a daily God-hunt (God-sightings, you know), you’ll experience what the great preacher Charles Spurgeon talked about when he said, “He who looks for providences (or God-actions) will never lack a providence to observe.” If you haven’t been seeing God a lot lately, it’s because you haven’t been looking. You may have been focused on your circumstances, or other people, or yourself or what’s stressing you out. You’ve missed the fingerprints of God all over your day. The little mercies, the small miracles, the interventions, the protection, the encouraging surprises, the bad things that didn’t happen. I know there’s never a day where He doesn’t show up because the Bible says His “mercies are new every morning!” In those transformed motel rooms, I seldom see the maid, but I see the results of her work. In the little and big moments of your day, you may not see God, but you can see the results of His work on your behalf because you’re His much-loved child. You’ll see God all over your day if you’re looking for Him.
22 HIM beat the fartsack and braved the crisp air this morning! Quattro, Sink-O, Whirlybird, Pick, Lunchable, Bolt, Splinter, Singlet, Wood, Biddie, Hoss, Woodstock, Bunt, Semi, TRex, Ruxpin, Chattahoochee, Chaufer, Chappie, Probe, FirePlex, and Yukon.
Warm-O-Rama
25 Side Straddle Hops (in cadence)
15 Windmill (in cadence)
20 Mountain Climbers (in cadence)
15 Cherry Pickers (in cadence)
15 Dancing Bears (in cadence)
15 Side Straddle Hops (in cadence)-to please a late arrival
Twin Patriot Run to St. Michael’s Catholic Church
The Thang (Trees Galore)
Set #1 – 25 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 2nd tree. 20 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 3rd tree. 15 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 4th tree. 10 Merkins then Bear Crawl to 5th tree. 5 Merkins then plank for the 6.
Set #2 – Toy Soldier Set (50/25/15) then Jail Break to end tree. Toy Soldier Set (40/20/12) then Jail Break to opposite end tree. Toy Soldier Set (30/10/9) then hold 6″ for 6.
Set #3 – 25 Squats then Walking Lunges to 2nd tree. 20 Squats then Walking Lunges to 3rd tree. 15 Squats then Walking Lunges to 4th tree. 10 Squats then Walking Lunges to 5th tree. 5 Squats then Al Gore for 6.
Sharing of the Third F
Set #4 – 10 Burpees then Nur to middle tree. 8 Burpees then Nur to end tree. 6 Burpees then Nur to middle tree. 4 Burpees then Nur to end tree. 2 Burpees then plank for 6.
Mosey back to Circle
Set #5 – 25 Flutter Kicks (in cadence). 20 Gas Pumpers (in cadence). 15 Hello Dollys (in cadence). 15 4 Count Freddies (in cadence)
Number-Rama, Name-O-Rama, COT
Third F – Character
Everyone has Character. Everyone is a Character. We can be a character and still have a good character. Character is not necessarily what we think of ourselves but what others think of us. What kind of character do we have? What are we doing to contribute positively in society, our houses, our jobs, etc? What do people think of when they hear our names or see us walk in a room? I have watched Lunchable from birth for 16 plus years and I know his good character. I grew up with Quattro, yes he is a character, but he has a great character. I don’t know everyone in this group as well as I know Quattro, but what I see of this group of men is that character runs deep in each of us! We have kids (ours and others) looking at us for an example, men in this group see what we do, folks outside this group are definitely watching us, folks in our workplaces and places of worship, family members. How are we living our lives and what do people see when they see us? Woodstock contributed: Character is what do you do when no one is watching. What kinds of websites do we visit when we are alone? Good points, Woodstock! I appreciate the help brother.
Warm-Up- Side straddle hops , Cherry Pickers, Moroccan Nightclubs
The Thing!
Mosey to the courthouse- Split into 2 groups. From starting point one at a time, Alligator Merkin to the staircase. Bunny Hop up each step, squats on each step coming down, then jail break back to starting point. While waiting for group member to return all other members doing 50 American Hammers, 20 Big Boys, 50 LBC’s.
Patriot Run to the School.
11’s- Start at line with 10 Merkins and 1 Burpee. Mosey to next line and do 9 Merkins and 2 Burpees. So on until reach 1 Merkin and 10 Burpees.
Patriot Run back to Courthouse
Get back into groups. Bear Crawl to steps, Merkin up each step, Run down next set and back to group. While waiting for group member to return all other members doing 50 American Hammers, 20 Big Boys, 50 LBC’s.
Mosey Back to Start Point
3rd F– Story, A young couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, the young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is not very clean,” she said. ” She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.” Her husband looked on, but remained silent. Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comment. About a month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?” The husband said, “I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.”
And so it is with life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
“Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” Matthew 7:3
Our perspective of other as well as the world varies according to how clean we keep our windows.
Doodle, Pick, Bolt, Woodstock, SinkO, @quattro, Schwartz, Peddles, Bunt, Wood, @semi, @trex, @ruxpin, @toy-soldier, @chattahoochee, Chauffer, @chappie, Probe, @fireplex, Bubba, and @yukon posted for a Hurricane of Pain on a moist Saturday morning beat down.
Warm-O Rama
20 Side Straddle Hops-in cadence
20 Cherry Pickers-in cadence
20 Mountain Climbers-in cadence
20 Windmills-in cadence
Mosey to Georgetown Middle School front lawn
The Thang (partner up)
Phase 1: Partner #1 does AMRAP Mountain Climber while partner #2 Jail Breaks to next sidewalk and completes 10 Burpees. Partner #2 then does AMRAP Mountain Climber while partner #2 Jail Breaks to sidewalk and completes 10 Burpees. Hold Plank for the 6.
Phase 2: Partner #1 does AMRAP LBC while partner #2 Bear Crawls to next sidewalk and completes 10 Iron Mikes. Partner #2 then does AMRAP LBC while partner #1 Bear Crawls to sidewalk and completes 10 Iron Mikes. Hold 6″ for the 6.
Phase 3: Partner #1 does AMRAP Jump Rope while partner #2 Duck Walks to next sidewalk and completes 20 Merkins. Partner #2 then does AMRAP Jump Rope while Partner #1 Duck Walks to sidewalk and completes 20 Merkins. Hold 6″ for the 6.
Phase #4: Partner #1 does AMRAP Side Straddle Hops while partner #2 Crab Crawls to last sidewalk and completes 20 Gas Pumpers. Partner #2 then does AMRAP Side Straddle Hops while partner #1 Crab Crawls to sidewalk and completes 20 Gas Pumpers. Plank for the 6.
For a little breather we Mosey’d around the front lawn on the sidewalk following Bunt’s lead then circled up for the Third F.
We then reversed the exercises to get back to the other side of the lawn.
For a little breather we Mosey’d around the front lawn on the sidewalk again following Fireplex’s lead.
As a unit NUR to third sidewalk. AMRAP Squats for 6.
As a unit Jail break to second sidewalk and standing long jump to first sidewalk. AMRAP Squats for 6.
As a unit Side Shuffle to third sidewalk. Al Gore for 6.
As a unit Side Shuffle to first sidewalk. Al Gore for 6.
Mosey back to circle (long way…of course) for Number Rama, Name-O Rama and Circle of Trust.
Third F
The Right Thing is often the Hard Thing. In F3 we often say, “Do the hard things!” More often than not the hard thing is the right thing. David had been annointed as the King of Israel as King Saul had stepped out of God’s favor. It came to pass that as King Saul was searching for David in order to kill him David was hiding in a certain cave. King Saul entered the cave to relieve himself. David’s men told him he should kill Saul and claim his kingdom. David did not follow the instruction of his men, but waited on God’s timing to inherit the throne. The easy thing to do would have been to kill Saul while he was unsuspecting and in no position to defend himself and take the kingdom. We too are faced with taking the easy road or the right (hard) road. When faced with decisions in our day-to-day we can choose the easy (wrong) thing or the right (hard) thing.
DEATH BY BURPEE” – This is a test of mental toughness…. You against you and you can only cheat yourself. Do your best as we want to see an improvement when we revisit this again after the burpee challenge in August
Minute 1 – 1 burpee
Minute 2 – 2 burpees
Minute 3 – 3 burpees
Minute 4 – 4 burpees
(To 20 total if you can last)
If you fail to make the amount of burpees in a minute, you are done!
***** Keep your total in your head and I’ll mark you down
3rd F – LT Brian Murphy (podcast to follow)
CHILDISH GAMES
6 corners – you run to a corner and someone rolls the dice. If it lands on your corner number, you stretch….. everyone else must partake in the workout (must run to corners 1-6 and be in there before dice stop)
1 min for the losers who guessed wrong or have no luck.
On Saturday 7/16 (yes, that’s right…if there’s no Backblast, it didn’t happen) 24 PAX won THAT FIRST BATTLE over the fartsack and posted for a new variation of the Bearmuda Triangle (keep reading below).
WARM-O-RAMA
SSH – 10 IC
Bolt 45 (keep moving) – IC
“Lanco Special” – IC (YHC can’t remember what its called but he picked it up at Lanco, so…
ISW – 18 IC
THE THANG
Mosey around the block to County Building parking lot for YHC’s Bearmuda Highs, a variation of its close cousin, the Bearmuda Triangle, only this one keeps moving locations.
3 Cones, 50′ apart in a triangle
1st Set of Cones (1st Triangle)
Bearcrawl to Cone #2, 1 Burpee
Bearcrawl to Cone #3, 2 Burpees
Bearcrawl to Cone #1, 3 Burpees
Mosey to Library Parking Lot (Oops! Don’t forget the cones!)
2nd Set of Cones (2nd Triangle)
Crawlbear to Cone #2, 4 Hand-Release Burpees
Crawlbear to Cone #3, 5 Hand-Release Burpees
Crawlbear to Cone #1, 6 Hand-Release Burpees
Mosey to School Parking Lot (Take the cones with you!)
PAX took a quick breather here for 3rdF (See below), before returning to the Bearmuda Triangle
3rd Set of Cones (3rd Triangle)
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #2, 7 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #3, 8 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Bearcrawl/Crawlbear to Cone #1, 9 Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Final round had to be done half & half: Bearcrawl/Crawlbear & Burpees/Hand-Release Burpees
Total Burpees = 45
PAX formed into 2 groups, lined up for parallel Snake Runs back to the AO.
Meanwhile back at the AO…PAX planked feet up around the circular planter for what turned out to be a “turrible” (think Sir Charles) round of the Wheel of Derkin, YHC Omaha’d this as it was taking forever to get all the way around the circle–we started going both directions. This took us from the Bearmuda Triangle to Bearmuda Highs because after all the Bearcrawls, Burpees and running, the Wheel of Derkin made the PAX a bit delirious (and gave us a cheap buzz).
Finally, a short round of Mary: Held feet at 6″, followed by 18 Gas Pumpers IC.
We talk about leadership, especially in men’s circles and in circles where we speak of “iron sharpening iron” (Prov. 27:17); we often borrow ideas, thoughts, & principles that express values that are prevalent in the military, where leadership is developed around potentially life/death situations.
After having served nearly 12 yrs in the Army National Guard I’ve seen some of the best leaders, but I’ve also seen some of the absolute worst (those familiar with Band of Brothers, think of Sobel). Personally, I’ve been both a good leader and a failed leader in my time in the military. I can say that even those failed experiences sharpened my ability to lead. It’s crucial that we continually learn from those experiences, from those who failed to lead well, and most importantly from those who did lead us well. We should not only borrow from their examples and teaching, but strive to live out the good examples.
Some of greatest military leaders come from the special operations realm. They have the most grueling assessments, evaluations, and training just to be picked to join their ranks–then the real training begins. There’s a lot of leadership training, and it’s the mental toughness that seems to count the most. When my nephew was going through Ranger School I told him a few times to “never give up what you want most (becoming a Ranger) for what you want in the moment (rest, relief, relaxation, food, etc.). We ALL do that too easily, too often! In fact, it’s the easy road!
Here’s four of the most important and valuable lessons one operator shared from his training and experiences in special ops that I think all leaders should adopt/develop:
1) ADAPTABILITY: Readiness for change. That’s why we’re “disrupters” as F3 HIM. We’ve declared in varied ways that we’ll not settle for the status quo. We’re following the lead of others who’ve brought about change, we’re following after an amazing servant-leader Savior who disrupted the status quo and brought about change, and we’re striving to be leaders who do the same. In order to do that, we must first train ourselves to be adaptable. Status quo kills! Jesus spoke of this when He said you can’t put new wine into old wineskins (Mt. 9:14-17)
2) EMOTIONAL STABILITY: This involves being able to make good decisions under pressure. Proverbs is chocked full of wisdom to help us develop the capacity to stay objective and deliver a high level of performance regardless of what we’re feeling. Important to us? Yes! But crucial to gaining, earning, keeping, and honoring the respect of those we lead! Proverbs 16:32 says, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.”
3) PERSPECTIVE: Leaders have to be able to carry on when the world seems to have turned against them. We have to keep our troubles in PROPER perspective so that we do not lose sight of what needs to be accomplished. In a world full of lone rangers, keep in mind that “in an abundance of counselors there is victory” (Prov. 11:14b). And “Without consultation, plans are frustrated” (Prov. 15:22). We must train our perspective, and often other eyes/wisdom/counsel is crucial to helping us see properly.
4) TENACITY: This goes well with the acronym we hear a lot – DFQ! What defines tenacity is never giving up! ILLUST.: In the 1912 Olympics, Jim Thorpe, an American Indian from OK represented the U.S. in track & field. On the morning of his competitions, his shoes were stolen. Jim ended up finding two shoes in the garbage. Those are the shoes he wore — one was too big, so he had to wear an extra pair of socks (different shoes and different socks!). Wearing those shoes, Jim won 2 Gold Medals that day. A perfect reminder of tenacity and that you don’t have to resign to the excuses that have held you back.
So, these are 4 valuable tools every HIM should develop consistently: ADAPTABILITY. EMOTIONAL STABILITY. PERSPECTIVE. TENACITY.
Mosey to Park next to Presbyterian Church (stopping along the way for 15 Monkey Humpers I/C)
The Thang
Pax divided into groups of three somewhat equally sized HIM. Exercise #1: Three Amigos-groups squatted back to back and walked 75 yards stopping every 25 for 10 Merkins. If the group broke their squat the completed 10 Burpees. Exercise #2: 6 Rounds of Daft Punk, also known as the Around the World Lunge (I/C). Exercise #3: 6 Pretzel Merkins each arm. Exercise #4: Bolt 45. Exercise #5: War Hammer. Exercise #6: Groups did Empty Wheelbarrow (third HIM duck walked) changing position every 25 yards until everyone had been in each position. Exercise #7: 20 Stump Hugger (I/C). Exercise #8: Suicides (25 yards, 50 yards and 75 yards). Mosey back to the Circle to close with Number Rama, Name O Rama, naming of 2 FNGs, announcements and prayer requests. Followed up with coffeeteria @ Dunkin Donuts.
Third F
In following with 2 weeks ago being the 6 year Manniversary and Cowbell talking about his first beatdown with F3, this weekend marks my 2nd Manniversary. Quattro had be getting on me to come out for some time but for one reason or another I wouldn’t make it. July 4, 2020 I decided after my morning 5k that I was going out. Being warned upon arrival by Gump that I picked a bad week to show up because, “Fireplex really brings it!” Fireplex introduced me to the Bolt 45s and then ran us to the school where he kicked my butt with his “BLIMPS.” Fortunately for me, he forgot the I came before the M in BLIMPS. That means I only had to do 30 Merkins 4 times instead of 40 Merkins 4 times. I got through the first two sets, but the third one was killing me. I remember Quattro and 2 other HIM after finishing all their Merkins came back and finished mine with me. Quattro even pushed me to do 7 at a time instead of the 5 that I thought was already all I could do. After the BLIMPS, we Moseyed back to the Circle. Along the way I had to walk. The rest of the PAX circled back and picked up the 6. Then there are the Third Fs. This group makes us better men spiritually, as a husband, as a father, as a child and as a citizen. Every message speaks to one, all or a combo of those topics. No one gets left behind and no one is left where they are when they show up for the first time. This group is always moving in a positive direction1