“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Ancient Proverb.

Mainstream, commercial workout culture (perhaps even much of our society…) thrives on the first part of this proverb. Fitness “gurus” flash their credentials and expertise, lure people in, then hook them by doling out a bit of “fish” each day. The masses go home, find themselves getting hungry again, and so return to get another bit of fish the next day. And this cycle continues, again and again. Don’t get me wrong, my intention is not to disparage these folks. They provide a hugely valuable service and let’s be honest, a great many folks need this type of thing to get in the game. Bottom line, though, the folks doing the leading want to keep leading and keep the followers following, coz the big money profit is all in the comeback. Keep’em on the line and keep’em paying, so fine!

But what happens when the leader stops leading or when the business folds, or when people lose their taste for fish? The followers, well, they typically just fizzle out and quit. Or get lost and flounder. Or get swept up in the currents until they find themselves in the lure of another fitness guru who promises to bring them to the promised land of health, fitness and well being. But these are all just temporary solutions, each day folks living hand to mouth, workout to workout.

Contrast that to the F3 Mission Statement. If you go to the front page of any F3 site, right off the top, you will find the following: “F3 is a national network of free, peer led workouts for men. We plant, grow, and serve these groups to invigorate male community leadership.” The profit in the comeback is not in dollars and cents…it’s in the form of fellowship and brotherhood. And the mission isn’t about creating followers. The mission is about creating leaders. From the get go, new guys are mentored and given the tools and the keys to lead. Leadership is encouraged. It is freely granted. It is, indeed, ultimately expected.

Small incremental changes, over time, lead to bigger changes. Small fish in small ponds, become bigger fish…then move on to bigger ponds, and continue to grow. A new guy who starts coming out to workouts develops confidence and receives encouragement…then steps up to lead a workout…and then lead more workouts…then invites other guys to come out and mentors them…then they may step up and lead a 2ndF event, or a 3rdF event…they may step up to Q a site…develop a new AO…maybe go out and develop a new region. Through it all, the motivation and drive no longer just comes from a “leader,” but it starts to come from within. It becomes a part of you.

At the same time, this newfound sense of leadership and accountability grows stronger and broader. It’s no longer just about fitness. It’s about mind and perspective. It’s about beliefs and sense of self. It becomes about family, friendship, network…it becomes about community. It becomes about life. And that’s what it is all about. Brothers, we are not here just to be fed 45 minutes of toil and sweat. We are here to change our lives and the lives of those around us. We are fishers of men. And we are the leaders of this day and every day to come.

INTRO

One of the biggest challenges with Q’ing often is coming up with a new or different workout game plan each time out. I often try, if possible, to form a plan that fits the vibe of an AO or its PAX. Sometimes I will put together more than one game plan for a specific AO, then decide the night before or even the morning of, which one to use. For my Q at The Cougar back in June, I actually came up with three different plans before finally going with one that came to me the night prior. Today’s workout is actually a re-worked version of one of those original three plans.

Greetings/fist bumps

One minute warning…and the PAX keep coming

Love seeing good friends new and old

0530. Let’s go.

WARM UP

Circle up at the upper Parking Lot

• SSH, x25 IC

Mosey to the far end of the oval shaped Kiss ‘n Go loop in front of Parkwood Elementary. I believe the PAX have been calling this loop The Almond. The West half of the loop forms a semi circle around the front parking lot, while the East half forms a semi circle around a tree lined green space. The loop is intersected by a road down the center of the loop. According to Google Maps, circumnavigating this entire loop is roughly .2 miles long.

MAIN EVENT  

Had the PAX circle up. Introduced the workout for this morning: “The 5280, aka The Sh*t Mile.” I have renamed the .2 mile almond loop in front of the school The Current. We will be using different, alternating modes of travel and completing 5 laps around The Current for a total of one mile. At the intersections – there are two per loop, one to the north and one to the south – we will circle up and perform the following exercises as a group:

• Merkins, x10, SC
• WWIIs, x10, SC
• BW Squats, x10 SC

Each loop will consist of two modes of travel. The loop is divided into quarters. We will alternate modes of travel after every quarter loop. Example: 1st Mode of Travel (1/4 loop). Stop for Group PT at 1st Intersection (as detailed above). 2nd Mode of Travel (1/4 loop). Back to 1st Mode of Travel (1/4 loop). Stop for Group PT at 2nd Intersection. 2nd Mode of Travel (1/4 loop) back to Starting Point.

• Loop One: 1st: Run; 2nd: Bernie (Backwards) Run.
• Loop Two: 1st: Bear Crawl; 2nd: Duck Walk.
• Loop Three: 1st: Partner A Buddy Carry; 2nd: Partner B Buddy Carry.
• Loop Four: 1st: Lunge Walk; 2nd: Reverse Lunge Walk.
• Loop Five: 1st: Broad Jump Traveling Burpee; 2nd: Run/Bernie Run

**Notes: (A) The Group PT session at the 2nd Intersection of Loop Three, YHC chose to increase the rep count for the three exercises to 15 as a way to reward the group who opted to modify the Partner Buddy Carry. Total reps for each of the three exercises = 105; (B) For our final loop (Loop Five), YHC called an audible to switch from Broad Jump Burpee to Bernie Run for the 3rd Quarter as we were running short on time. Final run was back to the Warm Up location for…

Mary

• V-Ups, x30, SC
• Heels to Heaven, x30, IC
• Box Cutters, x20, IC

0615. Time Called. Awesome group! Strong work, brothers!

COT/BOM

Announcements

• WeedNFeed: Shared a thought about reaching out to guys, especially during the holiday season, and inviting them out to a workout, or more importantly, to engage in fellowship. As men, we tend to hide our thoughts and feelings, and many often choose to silently struggle alone, rather than reaching out for help and support. Don’t wait. Take the initiative. You may the one that makes all the difference.
• Floyd: His M is spearheading a Toys For Tots drive. Please contribute/donate a toy (child appropriate, non-violent). Donations accepted through the end of this month.
• Grunge: Hillsborough is hosting their inaugural CSAUP, The Wolf, on 1/5/2019. Meet up/launch: 0600 @ Duck & Weave (Weaver Street Market off Hillsborough Road). T-Shirt presale is live. Check Slack for details/link to Mudgear order online.
• ET: Prayer request for his daughter who moved out to Utah this Fall for school.

Name-o-Rama

BOM

YHC took us out in prayer. Gave thanks for the beautiful morning and for the great many blessings we have to enjoy each and every day. Thankful for the fellowship and brotherhood of F3. We ask that you help us to keep our hearts and our minds in the right place and always remember the reason for the holiday season. Prayers for ET’s daughter who is out in UT for school. May she be granted strength, peace, and guidance during her season of challenge – that she will be given light that will enable her to emerge stronger. We ask for guidance – direct us to those brothers who may be struggling alone and who are in need of support and fellowship now – that we may bring them into the fold, that they may know true brotherhood. That they may know you. Let us go forth and do your will, and succeed in all that you desire for us, and love our family, our friends, our neighbors with all our hearts, minds, and strength. Amen.

Thank you again, brothers of The Piranha! Great morning. So grateful to the get the opportunity to get some work done and fellowship in the gloom. T-Claps and kudos to the Site Qs and to the brothers of South Durham for the awesome growth and expansion. This is a great AO with a great group of PAX. Safe travels, be well, and be safe this Thanksgiving weekend. Until next time, aye!