Our Fellowship is paramount; don’t fall prey to rating yourself against others! We are all individual cogs in the F3 Wheel. Each of us is on one of Nature’s unique paths. Embrace this path and love life. It has ups and downs.
Photo Finish
Where & When: 7am at The Rising AO at Wets Windsor Community Park
Who: 11 pax – Photo Finish (Q), Scar-U, Red Coat, Cruiser, Dick Clark, TrailBlazer, Dos Equis, Brisket, Mountie and Black Hole and Sham-wow (on the zoom).
Written by Photo Finish:
This morning’s theme:
Photo Finish’s youth: Traditional Photography as taught to him by his grandfather, William Goldenberg.
a). 0700 Disclaimer: Good morning and Welcome to our F3 Princeton group exercise. The three F’s comprising F3 are: Fitness, Fellowship, Faith. The five principles that govern us are:
1) Free of Charge;
2) Open to all men;
3) Held outdoors, rain or shine, heat or cold; (I can’t wait for January)
4) Be led by men who participate in the workout in a rotating fashion, with no training or certification; and
5) Ends with a Circle of Trust.
We are here this morning because we receive benefits that keeps us coming back. We are here as non-professionals. This is my first “Q”. We know the routine liability disclaimer by heart:
One – I am not a professional;
Two – You assume all liability for participating in exercises with the group;
Three – In consideration of this liability, you will adjust your level of effort and routines to best match your capabilities and skills;
Four – if you agree, say, “Aye”. Thank you. If we had any lawyers among us, they would point out, of course, that a verbal agreement without a written document may be judged by a Court as inadequate. Nonetheless, let us get going.
b) 0705 Let us warm up: our warm-a-rama.
In photography this is the Planning stage: What’s our objective? Our equipment? What film speed? In our warmup, our objective is plain: get the body in motion.
Warm up exercises
The first exercise is:
1) Arm Circles left. 30 seconds;
2) Arm circles right. 30 seconds;
Next exercise is Deep knee bends to 15.
Merkins count to 50: (wait in plank or semi-plank till the last of the PAX concludes the merkins).
Touch toes to 10 Left arm to right foot; right arm to left foot (5 each).
Mosey around the parking lot. At your own speed. Wait for the others to complete their mosey in a Plank, Full or with knees.
c) 0710 Now that we are warmed, we will gather our photo equipment and head out. But first just a couple of standard exercises:
Leg Lifts 15
Deep knee bends 15
d) 0715. Let’s mosey to the Tennis Courts. Q will head directly there; PAX will run twice around this lot and then head to the Court. Slower runners can join me (Scar walks with me).
At the Court: We need to address and dispose of the most annoying exercise (at least from my point of view).
A. The dreaded Burpee. Five: done deliberately to get the most out of them. Challenge your body. Remember we are not competing against one another. But, remember, we are always encouraging one another.
1) Five Burpees
2) Now, some boat/canoes our stomachs will thank us.
This is a boat (cramped); this is a canoe (extended). Boat/Canoe (repeat) 25-30.
3) Our push-up theme re-emerges: Merkin! Position! Exercise! Goal: just 25 (as we did 50 previously). Halt. Continue up to 50 and plank, full or on knees, till the PAX completes (don’t believe we did that).
4) Body weight knee bends (squats) 20 followed by Single leg knee bends (squats – holding on to the fence for support) 5-10. Hold the fence for the single leg squats.
a. Full squats: 20;
b. Single squats 5-10; return to
c. Full squats: 20; return to
d. Single leg squats 5-10.
0720 Mosey to the outdoor gym (parcourse equipment). PAX: Sprint back and forth in these Courts for 2-3 sets (back and forth), then mosey to meet me. Partner up.
We will do Two rounds each of Chin Ups and Triceps push-ups.
For chin ups: 1) have partner positioned to help you once you have completed the chip ups unassisted.
2) After chip-ups, do a set of triceps push-ups; then, a second chin up attempt.
Goal: 15-20 triceps; 1-5 chin ups.
0730 Mosey to base of Green Helmet.
PAX go around on path to left; Q will meet you there.
At Hill: backward jog up hill. 10 pushups on top; jog down; Plank until PAX reforms. Bear climb up 10 pushups on top, jog down.
0740 Mosey around Park. Put a fast film in your camera and sprint around the park and Wind up at the SOCCER field.
1st & 10: 100-yard field marked at 10-yard increments. We will do a 1st & 10 to the 50-yard line.
a. Perform 10 Merkins, 1 Burpee (11’s) at the 10,
b. Sprint the remaining 90 (or 40 – halfway) yards.
c. Recover jog back to the 20. (best estimate / follow the leader)
d. Perform 9 Merkins, 2 Burpees, sprint the remaining 80 yards, recover jog to the 30. Repeat until all 100 yards and 11’s have been completed. Plank/core exercise until remaining PAX complete.
Perhaps just to the 50 yard line –
10 Merkins; 1 Burpee, sprint to 50; jog back to 20 yard line:
9 Merkins; 2 Burpees; sprint to 50, jog back to 30 yard line;
8 merkins; 3 burpees, Sprint to 50, jog to 40 yard line:
7 Merkins, 4 burpees; sprint to 50, jog back to 0 yard line:
8 merkins and 5 burpees. Halt (Plank until the Pax all arrive).
In memory of Dick Bardo, the Marine who convinced me to join the navy, we have a bit of Drill Instructors: On the Q’s command, rapidly transition through any combination of standing (“On your feet!”), holding 6″ (“On your six!”), high plank (“On your face!”), and Merkins (“Down/Up”). Speed, order, and duration are completely at the Q’s discretion, with the goal being to test the pax’s reaction time and/or keep them in an uncomfortable position (esp. 6 inches or down part of Merkin). Inspired by a certain Marine at the Spring 2016 F3 Mud Run and best executed with a gruff, barking orders style.
“On your face! …On your six! …On your face! …On your six! …On your feet! On your face! Down! Up! Down! Up! Down! [painful delay] Up!” 2-4 minutes; perhaps to 5 but unlikely.
0750 Conclusion exercise
At the conclusion of our photo-shoot we need to gather our equipment and head back. At the conclusion of our F3 session, we cannot leave without another boat canoe! On our backs (sixes) This is a boat; this is a canoe… if Q can do it so can you! Repetitive: boat/canoe. Continue until 0755.
(Additional fill-in exercises to 0755, as needed):
High knees in rhythm; 30 seconds
Big Boy Sit ups – 1 minute
Leg raises – 1 minute
Incline Plank left arm 30 seconds; right arm 30 seconds.
Count-a-rama
Name-a-Rama
Group notices (Dos Equis); others.
Circle of Trust
Let us meditate. As photographers, we have developed a fine print: Our print is a successful set of exercises. Thank you for allowing me to conduct my first Q. I hear three “Respects” after I speak in Name-a-Rama. This reflects my calendar age. However, our “real age” is our biological age. We get a sense of our biological age by being a member of the F3 Nation. Absent exercise, one may silently age without notice. Nature then makes her final call, often without notice. Your Q, a former marathon runner, clearly sees how he has aged. Each of you can walk as fast as Q can jog. So be it. The realization of this biological age reinforces my goals to make the most of each day; be a good companion to my wife; and, be a good citizen of this great country.
May our individual F3 participations help reinforce our own personal goals.
There are recent shifts in our political landscape this past week. These shifts are good. We need to move forward as a nation and confront the challenges of Covid-19; the challenges of our economic depression; and, the challenge of integrating the two different worlds (societies) that currently co-exist in our country. We need to learn to coexist and perhaps, even, to accept one another. The alternative must be avoided. The basic foundation for moving forward is our Constitution. My memory is quite faulty; however, I do vividly recall my Oath to support the Constitution. This was sworn back in 1964. Interesting, my graduation at Cornell, later that afternoon, has long faded from my memory. Wherever we interact: at the Local, County, State or National level, may we bounce proposed actions off the Constitution’s guidance.
With that we give thanks for our good fortunes and we say, Amen.