What makes "A Good F3 Workout"?
The question of what makes an F3 workout good crosses my mind almost every day before I am scheduled to Q one. I think about past workouts with new silly exercises that don’t always feel like exercise, or workouts with the staple exercises with tons of repetitions that always do feel like exercise. I think about the really creative workouts with music, trivia, pushing cars up hills and I think about the simple workouts like I offer since I just don’t have a mind for the creative stuff. Then I think about the WIBs (Workouts In a Box) where the routine is known before you start and you just go out and get it done.
What I ultimately conclude every time is that what makes a workout good for me is one that allows camaraderie to develop during the workout. I could argue that any F3 workout is a good workout but I don’t think that’s it. I’ve been to workouts where I’ve felt left out and I’ve been to workouts where I’ve seen other guys feel left out. I may write more about that another day but not today.
Whether the workout is creative or boring, difficult or easy, I really enjoy the time I get to invest in learning about the other guys that have chosen to get up that day and make themselves better. I am certainly competitive and like to push myself hard, but I don’t need an F3 workout to do that. A good F3 workout, in my opinion, is one where everyone stays together to a great extent. It gives the guys who just need some time with other guys, or who may not be ready or able to push hard just yet, an opportunity to workout alongside guys who barely break a sweat running 6 minute miles or banging out 20 pull-ups. I’ve heard it described in many ways; “you versus you”, “iron sharpens iron”, or “something for everybody”.
So what’s the point of writing a backblast that starts with this semi-philosophical discussion that doesn’t fully explore the tangential questions that one may ask? I guess it’s because of the conversation I had with Blackbeard during breakfast following today’s workout. He got me thinking about what F3 is to me and what it is for others. I can’t speak for others on this topic. Dave Redding and Tim Whitmire started F3 but they didn’t define what it meant to everyone. They defined what it meant to them and offered up some great thoughts for others to ponder. In this short essay, I just offer up one man’s perspective on a more focused aspect of F3 – the workout. So what was the workout today?
It’s a workout I resort to when I don’t invest the time to create a new one. It’s the one that keeps everyone together for one hour (except for the minute or so when we run a 1/8 mile loop between sets and everyone chooses their own pace). It’s the workout where each man chooses whether he will focus on good form or if he will skip a rep or two. It’s the workout where you get to hear what’s on the mind of the guy next to you (to the extent that he is willing to share). It’s the one where you get to hear silly jokes. It’s the one that offers up an opportunity to build camaraderie. It’s the one that reminds me why I keep coming back to F3 workouts…even if it’s just one day a week for now.
THE THANG:
ROUND 1 – 5 burpees, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 2 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 3 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 4 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, , 20 dry docks,1/8 mile run
ROUND 5 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, , 20 dry docks, 25 squats, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 6 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, , 20 dry docks, 25 squats, 1 minute elbow plank, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 7 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, , 20 dry docks, 25 squats, 1 minute elbow plank, 35 mason twist, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 8 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, , 20 dry docks, 25 squats, 1 minute elbow plank, 35 mason twist, 40 shoulder presses in peoples chair, 1/8 mile run
ROUND 9 – 5 burpees, 10 ‘mericans, 15 LBCs, , 20 dry docks, 25 squats, 1 minute elbow plank, 35 mason twist, 40 shoulder presses in peoples chair, 50 side straddle hops, 1/8 mile run
MOLESKIN:
We stayed together. We talked about who's been to a major golf tournament and pro athlete hydration practices. We talked about college mascots, "the 6" and double entendres (in that order). We talked about appropriate names for exercises as well as names that may send FNGs running. We laughed a lot and we got in a lot of good exercise. It was a good F3 workout.
Professor