Eighteen PAX – consisting of current and former Churham site Q’s and a few O.G.’s – converged at TBL for a workout built around the concept of the Q. The goal was to review some core universal concepts, share local best practices, and to overall better calibrate as leaders within the region. The workout was evenly split up into three 20-minute segments – each with a different Q – and in each segment different Q concepts were addressed.

SECTION 1 – Beano Q – ‘What Does it Mean to Be a Q, F3 Trivia, and Safety

The group reviewed the concept of the ‘Q’ as voluntary leader of each workout and as the person ultimately responsible for the outcome of each workout (shared leadership over time among all PAX)

SAFETY MINDSET – *Starts at beginning of workout*

1. Identify FNG’s (Friendly New Guys) – Ask the larger group each morning if there are any FNG’s.
2. DISCLAIMER – ‘This is a free, peer-led workout, and none of us are experts. Each attendee is working out at their own risk. Please be mindful of your own level of fitness, and feel free to make modifications to any exercises as necessary.’ This may enhance PAX comfort to appropriately modify/take a break when necessary.
3. CONDUCT A WARM-UP – It’s important to give all PAX time to warm up their muscles and joints. Think about the workout content, and be sure to conduct exercises that will warm up all parts of the body being used. This significantly reduces the risk of injury for many.

F3 Trivia – Circle of Pain

Beano quizzed the collective site Q’s on both the local region and larger F3 Nation. Each PAX was given a question and also picked a card from a deck of cards. For correct answers, PAX completed an exercise for the number of reps on the card. For incorrect answers, the number of reps was doubled. The following questions were asked:

1. How many different, active AO’s are currently listed on the F3 Churham website? (Ans: 37, with clarity that The Moose is posted twice due to rotating location)
2. When was the first official workout conducted by the national founders of F3? (Ans: 1/11/11 at Alexander Graham Middle School in Charlotte, NC)
3. What is the mission of F3? (Ans: To plant, grow and serve small workout groups for men for the invigoration of male community leadership)
4. Who originally founded F3 Durham/F3 Chapel Hill? (Ans: Durham -Riggs in 2012; Chapel Hill Adolphus in 2013)
5. What are the five core principles of an F3 Workout? (Ans: free of charge, always outside regardless of weather conditions, open to all men, led by workout participants w/ no formal training in a rotating fashion, and always ends with a Circle of Trust (CoT)
6. A man who posts to an F3 workout for the first time is called what? (Ans: FNG – Friendly New Guy)
7. What is it called when a man commits to post for a workout but fails to show up? (Ans: Fartsack)
8. What is the term for when an AO/site consistently begins to have a significantly high number of PAX show up each week? (Ans: Problematic Site – when 18 or more PAX consistently are posting to a weekly workout, it is likely time to start thinking about about expansion to start a new site. At 18 or more, it becomes difficult for the Q in charge to manage the group and the ability to connect with all PAX becomes significantly more difficult)
9. What is the F3 credo? (Ans: “Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him.”)
10. What is the term for when a Q writes down his planned workout on a piece of paper/notepad and brings it to his workout for reference? (Ans: Weinke, named after former Carolina Panthers QB, Chris Weinke. He was very poor at remembering plays and would often have them written on a wristband almost all the way up his arm for reference.)
11. What does the acronym ‘SYITG’ mean? This is often seen on Slack as part of the pre-blast for a workout (ANS: See You In The Gloom)

SECTION 2 – ShakeIt Q – Facilitation and Counting

• A couple common challenges for those newer to Q’ing is the facilitation of the workout to a larger group and counting during exercises. “How exactly do I start the next exercise?” “What exactly do I say to transition?” “One, two, three….One, two, two……One…..One……One, two…..What???” The only thing you can do to get better when first starting is to practice. No one is ever perfect to begin with, and who cares if you mess up a few times. ShakeIt gave the following great tips.
• WHEN CALLING THE NEXT EXERCISE AS Q
  1. “The next exercise is ………..!” PAX will repeat the exercise out loud.
  2. “Starting position move!” This alerts the PAX that they need to be in the starting position, as the exercise is about to commence.
  3. Say the type of count that will be used, such as, “In cadence, single count, on your own (OYO) are the most common count options called). The most popular of which is, “In cadence.” This type of counting keeps the PAX together and rhythm as a group during the workout.
  4. Upon completion of the last rep of an exercise, the Q will inflect his voice higher on the count. This signifies to the group that the this is the last rep of a set.
  5. Once a set is completed, say “Recover!” to the group to signify that they can assume a resting position for a few seconds of recovery before the next exercise is called.
  6. Do not forget to periodically take brief breaks during a work. This is usually done by the Q assigning an attending PAX to give the group a “10-count.” The assigned PAX will then count down from 10 to 1 to time that period of recovery. The incorporation or lack of incorporation of these recovery periods is really up to the discretion of the Q and his interpretation of how the group is progressing through the workout.
• COUNT TO THE MOVE…DON’T MOVE TO THE COUNT!
  • This was a very valuable tip shared by ShakeIt with the attendees. Counting that is way too fast during the execution of complex exercises (Ex: alternating lunges, burpees, manmakers, side lunges) can quickly lead to poor form in execution and subsequently an increased risk of injury. When planning a workout, the Q should think about the exercises they will use, and in addition the style/speed of count necessary to properly execute those exercises to avoid injury. Burpees cannot be completed properly in a 1,2,3,1 cadence count. Think about maybe extending the cadence count out to a 6-count or an 8-count.
  • Think about possible modifications for more difficult exercises. If you can’t think of anything, at the moment, throw it out to attending PAX for suggestions.
  • Be prepared to demonstrate any exercise you call. “If you can’t do it, don’t Q it!”
• ShakeIt did a nice job during a Rock Pile Circle of Pain demonstrating good counting and providing demonstrations of the exercises he called. Best of all, he ‘shared the Q’ and gave all PAX in attendance an opportunity to practice calling an exercise and to lead counting for each exercise set.

SECTION 3 – Subprime Q – F3 Churham – Feeling of Welcome for All

Subprime began the third section of the workout with a classic Usain Bolt field circuit. It only required one sandbag and the width of the soccer field. Those two items enabled him to facilitate a great beat down, individually customized to the fitness level of each PAX. The PAX at the front of the line would call an exercise for all others to complete AMRAP (as many reps as possible), before heading across the width of the field running (and back) with the sandbag. Upon return, the runner would call for PAX to recover, then move to the back of the line. Each PAX in the line took a turn calling an exercise and then running.

After Usain Bolt, Subprime discussed some of the Core Concepts of F3 Nation/Churham:

• Pick up the Six – Never leave a man behind – Once the front running PAX complete an exercise/run, they should mosey back to the last man and accompany him in completing the exercise. On runs and during traveling workouts, always keep an eye on the last man. THIS IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL PAX AND NOT JUST THE Q. Many times the Q may be zoned out due to leading the PAX, so it is okay for other PAX to alert him that there is a need to slow down the pace in order to keep the group together.
• Be friendly. One of the greatest parts of joining F3 is the 2nd F (fellowship). It is impressive to reflect on the personal/professional accomplishments of the men to your left and right each morning. An inspiring story/word form someone else is a great way to start the day. Energy is contagious. Iron sharpens iron.

Subprime closed out with SIX MINUTES OF MARY – Flutter kicks and LBC’s.

CIRCLE OF TRUST (CoT) – Every F3 workout closes with a CoT.

Beano shared a quote for the day from Maya Angelou –

“People don’t remember what you say. They don’t remember what you do. They remember how you make them feel.”

As Churham site Q’s, let’s continue doing a great job driving new PAX to lead (whatever this may look like for each individual AO). Lead by example through your actions. Make others feel welcome, whether it’s their 1st or 100th post. There are now ~700 PAX in Churham. Let’s continue pushing each other and all newcomers to take on new challenges each day in an effort to become better men in our community. AYE!