Today is my one year anniversary with F3 (Fitness, Fellowship, Faith). One year ago I got up at 5:00 a.m., drove over to Drost Park in Maryville, IL, and walked up to four guys standing around a flag. I asked, "Is this what you call F3?" They introduced themselves as Ankles, Squid, Roscoe and Bambi and were glad to see me. Ankles had invited me with an email. Actually, he wrote: "Maybe some of the younger men of your congregation would like F3." I thought, "I'm not recommending anything until I check it out myself. You never know, this could be some kind of cult!"
These guys did all sorts of exercises for thirty-five minutes: burpees, pushups, jumping jacks, bear crawls, sit-ups, planks, crab walks... And they had funny names for everything like Bobby Hurleys, Abe Vigodas, and Merkins. Half the time they used concrete blocks for Face Scrapers, Curls for the Girls, and CPRs. And you can forget four sets of ten reps!!! No, this is more like 20 reps, or 30, or maybe a 100 for three or four sets. Or maybe we'll just walk the bike trail for a mile holding the concrete block over our heads (Rifle Carry). There have been ladies out walking and calling their husbands on their cell-phones about these F3 kooks!
I went to three workouts and thought my heart was going to blow up, so I told them I better quit. I didn't want to die out there in the park! (They always make sure someone has a cell phone just in case they have to call 911.) But then I started doing the workouts on my own at home and learned to listen to my heart so I didn't over do it. They ALWAYS STRESSED: Push yourself, but don't hurt yourself. Get one percent better. Modify the exercise but not the effort. After a week of working out on my own, I went back, and I've been going ever since. I started F3 weighing 201 lbs. Today I weigh 184 lbs. At first I could only do about 75% of the exercises. Now I'm up to 95%.
After the first workout they asked me about myself, my family and work. I told them this "O-Dark-Thirty" stuff reminded me of my days as a paperboy. So I got my F3 name: Paperboy. Over the last year I have met so many great guys in F3. We always end each morning with COT (Circle of Trust). For about five minutes the leader (we all take turns) shares a quote or thought, and we take prayer requests. F3 is not associated with any religion. It's like Alcoholic Anonymous where they expect you to believe in something greater than yourself, but most of the guys I've met are Christians. Afterwards we often have Coffeeteria, where we talk a little before heading off to work. Every once in a while we might have a breakfast or cookout. We also have had clothing drives and fund raisers for good causes.
The best compliment I can give F3 is that I wish I would have thought of it. It's a great idea to help men be the men God wants them to be. If you would like to know more about F3 check out www.f3nation.com and www.f3cityofstlouis.com.
Here's a little intro video:
https://youtu.be/rGo03Y1ZZ3I
