• When: 2017-12-12
  • QIC: Chedda
  • The PAX: Bulldog, Tater, Tattoo, Fast Casual, Double Fault, Strip Mall, Canseco, Buttermaker (respect), Thumbs Up (respect), Whiffle Ball (respect), Boo (respect), Wapner, Swanson, Granola (respect), Ken Doll, Muggy Tape, Gravedigger, Tardy, Kyrie, Quisenberry, Chedda


100 Reasons to Be Thankful

I posted to my first F3 workout in June of 2015. I wanted to hate it, but I didn’t. I didn’t love it either. It was fine, but I wasn’t hooked. It mostly just showed me how out of shape I was. I didn’t like that at all!

I attended my second F3 workout two days later in the rain and was mostly just mad to be up so early and soaking wet. By the end of that workout, though, I WAS hooked. Something happened during that 1-hour Snake Pit beatdown courtesy of Blah Blah that I can’t explain, but I haven’t looked back since. By October of that year I had done my VQ and even EH’d a few FNGs (and learned a weird new language). Over time I found myself traveling to different AOs and signing up to Q just about everywhere that would have me.

As the weeks turned into months and months turned into about two years, it hit me to try and figure out just how many workouts I had led. In early fall I counted them up and was just shy of 80. That seemed like a pretty good number… but not as good as 100. Right then and there I set a goal to get my number of Qs to 100 by the end of the year. Today marked the accomplishment of that goal. I couldn’t think of a better place for it all to go down than my original F3 home – Turning Point.

Those who attend my Qs regularly know I like setting up and following patterns – mainly because it makes the order easier to remember and means I don’t have to carry around a weinke. Today’s pattern was obviously based on the number 100. Each round of exercises had 100 total reps (20 reps of 5 individual exercises). The first exercise differed each round, but the other four stayed the same – meaning that at the end of five rounds we had completed 100 reps of each of the following exercises: Imperial Walkers, T-Plank Merkins, Squats and Burpees.

In order to accomplish this impressive task, the PAX needed to push themselves and one another. While modifications were made, there was never any time to rest or be lazy. Once we started, we went for it. Work was done by all and NOBODY appeared to have left much in the tank when we circled it up at the end.

For those who require even more details, here’s how it all went down…

WEATHER
mid-40s (just like YHC)

THE BEATDOWN
ROUND 1:
Circle up in front parking lot
SSH X 20 IC
BURPEES X 5 OYO

IMPERIAL WALKERS X 20 IC
BURPEES X 5 OYO

T-PLANK MERKINS X 20 IC
BURPEES X 5 OYO

SQUATS X 20 IC
BURPEES X 5 OYO

ROUND 2:
MOSEY to staff parking lot and line up on one side
FW RUN “there”
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

BW RUN “back”
IMPERIAL WALKERS X 20 each leg OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

FW RUN “there”
T-PLANK MERKINS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

BW RUN “back”
SQUATS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

ROUND 3:
MOSEY to the bottom of the hill
BW RUN up hill
PETER PARKERS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

FW RUN down hill
IMPERIAL WALKERS X 20 each leg OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

BW RUN up hill
T-PLANK MERKINS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

FW RUN down hill
SQUATS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

ROUND 4:
MOSEY around track for one lap and head up hill to upper blacktop
BEAR CRAWL X 20 IC “there”
BURPEES X 5 OYO

FW RUN “back”
IMPERIAL WALKERS X 20 each leg OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

FW RUN “there”
T-PLANK MERKINS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

FW RUN “back”
SQUATS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

ROUND 5:
MOSEY to bus loop
RUN around island
4-CT. FLUTTER KICKS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

RUN around island
IMPERIAL WALKERS X 20 each leg OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

RUN around island
T-PLANK MERKINS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

RUN around island
SQUATS X 20 OYO
BURPEES X 5 OYO

MOSEY to flag and…

RECOVER

REFLECTIONS
* I want to thank the men from other AOs who specifically posted to Tunring Point this morning to show their support. That meant a lot to me and exemplified Iron Sharpening Iron.

* I also want to thank those who couldn’t make it this morning but reached out with an encouraging word as well as the hundreds of F3 Lexington PAX who have motivated me since June 2015. You’ve all had a hand in making me a better (and stronger) man (who is definitely still a work in progress).

* Finally, I want to thank the Turning Point regulars who have led (and followed) me for the past two and a half years. I’ve made some amazing friendships and feel proud to be counted among your numbers.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
* 12/15 F3/FiA Christmas Party. Details: https://www.f3midlands.com/lexington-sc/preblast-4th-annual-f3fia-christmas-party
* 12/30 Cottonmouth. Preblast: https://www.f3midlands.com/lake-murray-sc/preblast-the-cottonmouth-little-mountain-edition-december-30-2017
* 1/1 New Year’s Day Convergence. Preblast: https://www.f3midlands.com/lexington-sc/preblast-new-years-day-convergence
* 1/6 Saluda launch. Preblast: https://www.f3midlands.com/other/preblast-f3-saluda-launch
* 1/27 GrowRuck Weekend. Details: http://f3nation.com/2017/10/25/growruck-08-sc-midlands-preblast/

PRAYER REQUESTS
* Tinkle’s newborn son Noah – health issues
* PRAISE – Swanson’s dad’s tests at Duke showed slightly smaller tumor/ keep praying for chemo to work and for continued healing
* Marriages
* Gravedigger’s dad – gets results from MRI today
* Mike from Buttermaker’s church – battling brain cancer

DEVO
“What’s the point?!”
I shared about my wife’s former pastor, a great man who really had a huge impact on her life – and therefore mine. She found out the other day that at age 60, with a wife, three kids, eleven grandkids and a hugely successful and impactful ministry (including ministering to young people, those suffering through drug and alcohol addiction and those battling depression and suicidal thoughts) – he took his own life after struggling in recent months with anxiety and depression. It’s a very sad and tragic (and surprising) story that shocked everybody who knew him.

I urged all the men there to take advantage of this fellowship we have through F3 and either honestly share their struggles or encourage somebody close to them to do so if they suspect an issue. We MUST NOT believe the lie that we are alone or that nobody would understand what we’re going through when we have struggles or doubts. Depression is a real thing for many and we can’t just “play the F3 game” by showing up for a workout, joking around, giving a bit of mumblechatter, doing some exercises and pretending everything is great if it’s not. We say it ALL THE TIME that F3 is “more than a workout,” and it’s proven itself to be over and over again But if we fail to take advantage of the support and brotherhood around us, we are missing out on the greatest impact we can receive – the opportunity to improve ourselves and be the men and leaders God created us to be. It’s not selfish to desire personal improvement. Rather, it’s critical. Maybe we don’t need to break down in tears during the COT (or maybe we do), but we can’t just have everything F3 offers available to us and continue to allow the stronghold of depression to rule our lives.

Furthermore, as we pray for marriages this morning, may we remember that while we are called to make a difference in our communities and our workplaces, we are first called to be leaders in our homes. If we do countless great works for others yet fail to serve our wives and children, what’s the point? If we’re not careful we run the risk of turning the term “F3” into a bad word in our homes because rather than be the catalyst for making us stronger men who tirelessly serve our families, it’ll become a symbol of the thing that consumes our time and attention and drives a wedge between us and our loved ones. I have failed often in this area over the past two and a half years, and my wife has (sometimes gently, sometimes not) called me out multiple times. She hasn’t ever asked me to STOP going to F3. She’s simply asked me to START being the husband and father she our kids deserve. That’s a conversation I hope we never have to have again.

I closed by thanking the men for their support, encouragement and accountability over the years. I confessed that there were times that I “played the game” by posting with a ton on my mind and burdens weighing me down and just faked my way through a workout. Thankfully, several guys noticed a difference and reached out to me. As I reflected on my way home, I realized that their care and concern are what brought me back to the fold and gave me the strength to push through the personal challenges in my life. It has since convinced me to be on the lookout for similar signs in others, so that I won’t allow a brother to “play the game” or slip through the cracks. It’s what “Iron Sharpening Iron” is all about.

In closing, may God receive all the glory as we live to honor Him by sharing the most challenging parts of our lives with one another, together laying our burdens down at His feet and praying for His provision of grace, peace, mercy and love. As we do this, may we be strengthened to serve others – first at home, then in the world around us.














Cheech,

I missed you out there today. It wasn’t the same without you. I didn’t laugh nearly as much as I would’ve if you were there awkwardly trying to hold my hand. Until we meet again, I’ll be carrying your memory in my heart and mind and doing my best to “Leave No Doubt” just like you did while you were with us.

– The Cheeseman