Tag: 3rdF

3rd F meetups are service and faith related where faith is believing the world is bigger than just yourself

  • Bridge – 9/14/24

    12 dudes got it done this morning!

    Warmorama:
    We kicked things off with a few warm-up laps around the blacktop, followed by:

    •   Side Straddle Hops (SSH)
•   Copperhead Squats
•   Deadman Hangs
•   Merkins
•   LBCs
•   Stretches

    The Thang:
    Grabbed our Cindys and moseyed over to the basketball court.

    Round 1:
    5 rounds of Cindy work:

    •   Swings
•   Presses
•   Rows
•   Curls
•   Triceps Extensions

    Then, we ran a lap.

    Round 2:
    Passed the baton to Purple Rain, who led another 5 rounds:

    •   Thrusters
•   Block Merkins
•   Reverse Lunges
•   Skull Crushers

    Heist jumped in with a surprise set of 11s: Burpees and Squats. Things got spicy!

    Round 3:
    Wrapped up with some more Cindy work.

    Triple Check:
    Swoop led a quick triple check of Merkins and LBCs.

    Finished up by putting the blocks away, then a little Broga to cool down. Time!

    COT:
    We circled up for Numbers/Names. Big Herm took us out with a strong prayer, especially lifting up Tank as he prepares for the next chapter in 80 days.

    Moleskin:
    Grateful to all the guys who came out for a solid beatdown. Enjoyed some much-needed 2nd F at the Cumberland Restaurant afterward!

    IronSharpensIron

  • 17 Mountain Men

    First bootcamp of Windy Gap 2024 pulled together a handsome 17-PAX (including 7 FNG’s!) to the pre-dawn Carolina mountain gloom. These men of God answered the call to do something hard, to start their day with a transformative dose of the Daily Red Pill, and draw on one another’s strength to achieve victory over the flesh. Here’s how these HIM’s honored our Creator:

    The THANG: 

    WARMERAMA:

    • Assemble on the dark Basketball Court
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • Nancy Kerrigans IC ea side
    • Copperhead Squats IC
    • x5 Burpees OYO
    • Mosey over to the road in the lamplight
    • Don Quixotes IC
    • The Opus IC
    • Werkins IC
    • Diamonds IC
    • WWII’s IC
    • Flutters High & Low IC
    • LBC’s IC
    • REVIEW THE 5 CORE PRINCIPLES 

    COP #1: 

    • FIFTIES – x50 reps of variable exercises with a 30-50 yard mosey between stops
    • Merkins, Monkey Humpers, Squats, Dips, Lunges

    COP #2:

    • THE HILL – get up the steep grassy hill in Bear Crawl, with alternate lunge if needed
    • Front runners go back for the SIX, then Elbow Plank to REVIEW THE F3 CREDO

    COP #3:

    • LIGHT POLE ALLY
    • x15 Squats at each light back down to the bridge

    COP #4:

    • CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
    • Partner up and while one partner starts BERNIE, the other completes x3 BURPEES then sprints to catch partner and switch

    COP #5:

    • WALLORAMA
    • Hoedowns IC
    • Donkey Locks IC
    • Milkers IC
    • BTTW for Hip Slappers IC

    Mosey BTTVSF:

    • Circle up for 5min of MARY
    • Am Hammers IC
    • Rosalita Dips IC
    • Boat/Canoe until time

    COT:

    • Counterama # 17
    • Namerama
    • Announcerama (see Below)
    • YHC took the PAX out in Prayer

    NMS:  This is YHC’s 4th annual meeting on the mountain with God and close to 400 brothers. This being the 49th year of the Windy Gap men’s retreat, the mountaintop weekend embraces men in a place of need for renewal. Every year the F3 workouts have attracted more brothers, and always entertains a healthy percentage of FNG’s.  With at least 5 HIM’s over 50-70 years of age, the bootcamp followed a pattern of easily modifiable reps and shorter distances while maintaining a respectable challenge for all fitness levels. It was especially awesome to celebrate the return of Liberace and a number of other men from the Recovery Program who work as wait staff at camp. TClaps to these guys for breaking away from the status quo! Round two tomorrow at 0600 and hope to see some more of our veterans out who chose to retreat in their bunks this morning!  Yours AYE! ~DTH

  • Make an Impact at The Bridge

    Make an Impact at The Bridge

    This post is about two things:

    Men who make an impact.

    Men who take the lead, not for themselves, but on behalf of others.

    If either of those topics interests you, read on.

    The Bridge is a ministry-driven school in Buckingham, Virginia, about an hour or so west of Richmond. There, men who are transitioning from being incarcerated to being free (again) spend about a year learning a variety of trades (e.g., welding, HVAC, carpentry, mechanical skills, and so forth) so that, when they are released, they have sufficient skills and structure to be (we hope) independent, well-functioning members of our society. Succeeding with one guy is a win. In short, this is a step on a second chance at life. The men are all selected by the judicial system based on their behavior while in prison. They are challenged – many have drug, alcohol, or other addictions. If these men do not adhere to the standards, they are sent back to prison to complete their sentence. In short, it’s not a guarantee, and it’s not a cake walk. In any case, if you believe in St. Jude (the patron Saint of Lost Causes) or the story of St. Dismas, perhaps that’s enough inspiration for you to give a few hours of your time and energy to support these men on the occasional Saturday morning. Or, if you are looking to meet other F3 men and enjoy the Second F of the drive out and back, hop in the Clown Car and make an impact. I believe you will learn from this experience, and I believe you will help others grow as well.

    Our F3 brothers in Charlottesville manage this effort. F3RVA takes on a fraction of the commitment. Back in the day, we used to claim 12 Q’s a year (one per month). That was a challenge for one person to organize. So, we have changed it up. We now have 7 volunteer leaders, that’s 7 of your F3RVA brothers (ahem, F3RVA and F3Amelia), who have committed to leading (or organizing other men to lead) 2 times per year each. That’s 14 Saturdays. Quite an impact.

    In addition, if you would like to join this group of Leaders and share the challenge of Leadership, there are 52 weeks in a year. Plenty of good places still available. The more, the merrier. We can always do more.

    Here’s our list of Leaders. Everyone of them has my respect.

    State Farm: Goyne Park / Chester
    Heist: Alamo / Western Chesterfield
    Whitesnake: Gridiron / Strange’s Nursery
    Hardywood: Amelia / Jetersville / Appomattox
    Corned Beef: DaVille
    The Yankee Aggressor: City Proper
    UpChuck: Westhoe / Tuckahoe / Who You Calling a Hoe?

    As I noted previously, there are holes to fill on the map. It would be awesome to have a Leader pick up the challenge on behalf of the Stratford Hills / Midlo area. You have an entire region behind you.

    This weekend, we launch. Saturday, August 31, State Farm has the Q, and Broadway is riding shotgun. Two studs taking on this opportunity (even while they are building The Iron Bridge!). YHC sees your impact, and it’s impressive. Thank you. Nice work.

    On September 14, we have another Leader ready to grab the mantle and make an impact. Heist will be leading the crew. Thank you, as well. And, thank you to the guys planning to join him.

    To everyone else, your nano / local Leader (the guys listed above) will be organizing a small team two times per year. Jump in the car and go. For those who work out on Saturdays, this takes about an hour longer than your normal Saturday morning commitment, with a usual return by 10:30 or so. You are guaranteed to make an impact, learn about yourself, and have the worst cup of coffee (styrofoam cup, super weak coffee, all free of charge!) in support of a great cause.

    Oh, and a few guys have asked me about going to a place surrounded by a fence. If you have not been to a prison, detention facility, jail, halfway house, glamour slammer, or similar, this is not GITMO or Folsom. No shackles, no iron bars, no razor wire, no gangs, no prison guards, and no jump suits. This is a farm with a rail fence. The guys often workout in jeans (we bring them workout clothes and F3 shirts). There are one or two guys with radios. These guys look forward to seeing you. They love this, and they put out the effort to make it a success.

    YHC thanks you in advance for your time, energy, and impact.

    Let’s do this!

  • My Q? Snuff Q? + the debut of Rev

    Blame the Russians! Some how, I signed up to Q, but the Q sheet appeared open for the Forge, so Snuff signed up ready to rock! Anyway, Snuff kicked it over to me at 5:29:59. No problem. Let’s go.

    Warmorama by flagpoles: Provided F3 mission statement, core principles, and disclaimer.
    Exercises were: SSH/Deadman hangs/CHs/Ukranians soldiers/DQ/merkins/LBCs/APDs/flutters/ and Rosco’s Mom stretches (my fav!)


    COP 1: 11s using the amphitheater stairs. 1 squat to start. Box jump or lunge up. 10 erkins at top. Continue on 2/9,3/8……10/1. Al Gore for six. 20 second count.

    COP 2: Mosey to the field gate. Locked. Mosey back to the wall for a Pigskin inspired COP. 4 rounds of hoedowns/milkers/donkey kicks sandwiched with 5 burpees each round. Did my best “OYO” impersonation of the man/myth/legend himself. Not as good as the real thing. Respect Respect Respect Sir!

    COP 3: Mosey back to front of school. Triple check. Runner goes down about 75 yards towards field and back. Team rotating between carolina dry docks and flutters.

    BTTF for three minutes of cool down stretches.

    Numbers/Names and Rev!: I asked our newest Pax member Raymond (69 y/o African American built like Pigskin) to come to the center of the COT to provide an introduction and get his new name. Paraphrasing here (trying my best to capture the moment)

    First and most important, I am born again. I saw this group last week praying (referring to the COT) and I asked myself “are those guys praying?” I knew these guys were the type of men I wanted to be around, so I got here at 5:05 a.m this morning (I wasn’t going to miss it). This country needs leadership more than ever. God and liberty (some reference to founding fathers and Patrick Henry’s “give me liberty or give me death” speech). This country and our communities, now more than ever, need to be lead by men who are devoted to Jesus Christ. I will be back.

    And…that’s how we got “Rev.”

    Announcements:

    1. Ruck event on August 25. 2.0 friendly. 7 am launch from Byrd Park Pump house. See DTH.
    2. Labor Day (9/2) convergence. 7 am at the new AO Nuchols Farm Elementary.
    3. 9/21 convergence 7 am. Dog Pile

    Prayers:

    1. Tragic car accident off Buford road last night in front of Lastcall’s home.
    2. Pray for DTH church members and their new journey with Christ.
    3. Prayers for the kids back to school next week.

    Thanks for letting me lead dudes!

    Heist

  • Breaking Bread – Please, No More Lasagna. We Want Ham and Potatoes!

    9 guests, one worker, and one guest join in Personhood to celebrate the latest edition of Breaking Bread. Conditions were 70 and sunny. According to the sweet older lady who YHC has seen several times over the years, the following might have been served.

    Baked ham, King’s Hawaiian rolls, Dad’s Mashed Potatoes (🥔 Upchuck’s version), and green beans (UpChuck’s version).

    Many thank you’s were expressed for F3, whether lasagna or this evening’s dinner. Those folks love them some F3 (as does Sharon, the new Barbara).

    No numbers, no names, but a gentleman, out of nowhere, said a wonderful blessing.

    If you haven’t done Breaking Bread, grab a pal, whip up a menu, scratch together a couple of dishes, and insist on being part of serving the dinner (do not let Sharon tell you to just go home). Chat with the residents, learn a bit, and push yourself (don’t hurt yourself) in a non-workout context. It’s a reward to learn how much we are given in life.

    YHC thanks his M., Carrie, for her help (though YHC candidly claims credit for the green beans, potatoes, and rolls).

    UpChuck spits the bit.

  • We Men Get Away

    14 holy river rollers escaped their sleeping bags to honor a beautiful Charles City sunrise with a ride on the DTH pain train. The three FNG’s were not disappointed with the following 45min Thang:

    WARMERAMA: 

    • Circle up around the Shovel Flag
    • Welcome & Disclaimer
    • Variable IC Reps to get the muscles warm top to bottom

    COP #1: 

    • SHE HATE ME
    • Traverse a long stretch of paved driveway by completing sets of 20 lunges, stopping between sets to complete x10 Groiners & x10 Merkins

    COP #2:

    • THE WILT
    • Run twice around the field doing x50 reps of the given exercise at corners
    • LBC’s, SSH’s, Flutter Kicks, Squats

    COP #3:

    • OVER UNDERS
    • PAX line up in the field in plank, with last man taking turns jumping over then crawling under each planking PAX

    COP #4:

    • Moseyrama around the driveway loop to collect a frisbee from the truck
    • FRISBEE FARTLEK
    • Throw frisbee, first man to frisbee calls x20 reps of an exercise, then gets to throw next
    • Merkins, V-ups, Squats, WWII’s, Burpees

    COP #5:

    • Mosey down to the river and form up at the base of the ridiculously steep incline
    • HILL REPEATS
    • x20 Incline Mericans
    • Run up to the top of the hill
    • x20 Donkey Kicks 
    • Run back down
    • Bear Crawl to the top
    • Run back down
    • Sprint AYG BTTF 

    COT:

    • Counterama # 14
    • Namerama
    • Announcerama (see Below)
    • YHC took the PAX out in Prayer

    NMS:  Sunrise and seventy with a gentle river breeze and an eager PAX ready to roll in the dewy lawn, let’s GO! This was maybe the fourth F3 “The River” beatdown for the annual WEAG men’s getaway, and a few F3 regulars welcomed back some of last year’s FNG’s, as well as a few new ones. Chaplain’s 2.0 Armadillo was given the long-awaited opportunity for renaming – as a young man who can outpace most adults on a long run, welcome PACER! We nearly lost Slapstick early on, gassed with just the warmerama, but the loving accountability of the F3 Credo held him in the pocket for the duration of the bootcamp. Also almost had a Merlot Splash from Slider but YHC was not fully honored as he was able to hold it together. It was an honor to lead as always brothers. Living Third, DTH

    Prayer Requests:

    • Traveling mercies for Trig heading to Germany and Broadway leaving for on a missions trip to Kosovo later today

  • Pork, Pasta, Puddin’

    YHC put his 2.0 to work to provide a meal for some very grateful folks.  Rumor has it, it was a success.  Here’s what was served:

    • Black Pepper Crusted Pork Tenderloin
    • Pasta Salad
    • Banana Pudding
    • Tea & Lemonade

    Numberama, Nameorama, COT

    MOLESKIN

    YHC’s 2.0 is working on her kitchen game and is also required to serve the community.  Boom, Breaking Bread offers a perfect opportunity.  Always a pleasure to give back.

  • Hamming It Up for Humanity: A Hearty Night at Daily Planet


    This evening, at the respite center sponsored by Daily Planet, three culinary crusaders, known in the streets as Oyster, Boberry, and yours truly, embarked on a mission not just to fill stomachs but to warm hearts.

    Armed with a Honey Baked Ham, courtesy of Boberry, we served not only love by a feast, complemented by loaded baked potatoes, green bean casserole, and the fluffiest Hawaiian rolls this side of paradise. As we laid out the feast, the room filled with an aroma so enticing that it could make a grown man weep with joy.

    Our 11 guests were treated to a spread that would make the Easter Bunny hop with envy, washing down each delectable bite with the sweetest of teas, and capping the evening with slices of peach and pumpkin pie that whispered, “this is what dreams are made of.”

    Let’s not forget the previous night’s hero, EF Hutton, whose porkloin and banana pudding extravaganza still had everyone buzzing. The bar was set high, but like the dedicated food maestros we are, we rose to the occasion, serving up a meal that will surely be the talk of the town until next Easter and beyond.

    A hearty round of applause goes to Oyster and Boberry, without whom this banquet for the soul wouldn’t have been possible. Their generosity shone brighter than the North Star, guiding our guests through a gustatory galaxy of delight.

    In the spirit of sharing and caring, I encourage everyone to consider “Breaking bread in their birthday month.” It’s a chance to spread love, share a meal, and touch lives in the most delicious way possible. Let’s keep this tradition alive and turn every birthday into an opportunity to serve, celebrate, and savor the joy of giving.

    To those who’ve yet to don the apron of altruism, what are you waiting for? Your birthday bash could be the next big hit at the Daily Planet, where every meal is a masterpiece and every act of kindness echoes in the hearts of those we serve.

  • Breaking Bread: NYE Reflection

    Spending New Year’s Eve contributing to breaking bread for individuals that need love, kindness, and support the most this holiday season was significant for me since I spent a majority of this year on the receiving end of that same kindness with a sick child. 

    2023 was a year that was nothing short of the bring you to your knees type of humility that life will serve up to you from time to time. In my case, it was when my 2 month old daughter, Liv, was diagnosed with high grade glioma brain cancer on 1/13/23. 

    Along with that diagnosis came the overwhelming support and kindness of family, friends, and strangers as we found ourselves on the receiving end of the same love, kindness, and support that was expressed this evening. At the end of the day, not having to worry about what to feed yourself (or the kids) was a relief and a huge comfort when switching between hospital and home stays.

    We lost count of the amount of meal trains and baked goods that individuals and families chose to bring to us, but what it did was instill a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude for how much impact small gestures of kindness and a warm meal can have on someone in need or enduring hardship. 

    With the year coming to a close and with it, a much healthier one year old girl, we find ourselves shifting from a place of needing support to one of giving back, paying it forward, and being the enabler of that support for others in the same way that this support was provided to us.

    I’m grateful for the opportunity to be a small part of the F3 contributions to breaking bread this year and to close out a tough year by providing others with comfort and support in the form of a warm meal. 

  • Breaking Bread: Heist and Wildcat

    Wildcat and Heist, fitness warriors with hearts as strong as their bodies, decided to bring a unique twist to their usual workout routine. Instead of doing burpees, they lifted the spirits of those less fortunate. Armed with pizzas, cookies, and salads, they marched to a respite center, ready to spread joy.

    As they arrived, the aroma of warm pizza caught the attention of the homeless individuals. Wildcat and Heist, clad in their fitness gear, began distributing the food with genuine smiles. The contrast of indulgent cookies and healthy salads offered something for everyone.

    Antoniette, initially skeptical, soon found herself drawn to the warmth radiating from Wildcat and Heist. Their kindness and genuine concern touched her heart. She joined the communal gathering, savoring a slice of pizza and engaging in uplifting conversations.

    Laughter echoed through the respite center as the fitness warriors shared stories of triumph and resilience. The act of kindness not only nourished bodies but also nurtured a sense of community. Wildcat and Heist, with their burpee-free approach, became catalysts for a collective uplift.

    As the night unfolded, everyone felt a renewed sense of hope. Antoniette, once wary, was now part of the shared joy. The fitness warriors had not only brought physical sustenance but had also created a space where everyone felt seen and valued.

    In the end, amidst the shared moments and simple pleasures, Wildcat and Heist proved that true strength lies not just in challenging workouts like burpees but in the ability to uplift others and build a community where everyone, regardless of their circumstances, can find happiness.