Northeast Tennessee

I feel the need, the need for burpees

Northeast Tennessee Johnson City Iron Horse (Founders Park)

Weather: 60 and absolutely gorgeous (not Penn-Seagal gorgeous but close)

 

24 PAX turned out on Memorial Day weekend for a Top Gun/Lone Survivor Q. Several of the PAX gathered at Pythagoras’ casa the night before to enjoy these cinematic classics so the rest of us deserved a taste.

 

COP – Rudy

Disclaimer

Prayer

 

Warm-up

TTT – 10 IC

Merkins – 10 IC

LBAC – 10 IC

LBAC Reverse – 10 IC

 

The Thang

Top Gun – Take my breath away

Starting at 5 EMOM burpees for 10min for a final set of 15 – This totaled 110 burpees for those who are counting

 

Top Gun – I feel the need, the need for speed

QIC had 7 cones setup approximately 20yrds apart the length of the park

Sprint (emphasis on fast) to the first cone, 5 merkins, sprint to the next, 5 merkins, and so on

Rinse and repeat back to the end where we started

 

Top Gun – The Showdown “Maverick vs Iceman”

PAX were asked to count off 1-2 to split up the group but apparently someone can’t follow instructions because Team Iceman ended up with 1 more PAX in their group.

Teams were split facing opposite ends of the park.

Everyone begins doing Mountain Climbers until QIC called “Go”

On go, first PAX on the respective team sprints to the cone and begins doing merkins

Once the first PAX begins his merkins, second PAX can sprint and join him

Continue until all PAX reached the other cone then the first PAX sprints back to the starting cone and begins flutter kicks with the same process as the first cycle until one team completed the showdown

Losing team was supposed to offer up a 5 burpee penalty but given that we were interrupted by burpee train #1, we finished the round and called it a tie.

 

Lone Survivor – No man left behind diamond

Cones were setup in a diamond approximately 25yrds apart

PAX partnered up based on size

Everyone bear crawl to the first cone

Carry your partner to the second cone

Army crawl to the next cone

Carry the opposite partner to the starting cone

Rinse and repeat

 

Lone Survivor – Last Man Standing Burpee Beat-down

Cones still in the diamond shape

Beginning at the first cone 1 burpee, second cone 2 burpees, third cone 3 burpees, and so on around and around until QIC called time

Noted a few PAX who made it to burpee #12 so here’s a breakdown for reference:

6 cones completed – 21 burpees

8 cones completed – 36 burpees

12 cones completed – 78 burpees

 

Lone Survivor – Man Down

PAX partnered up again

Partner 1 sprints approximately 40 yards to the cone and back while partner 2 planks then switch

When partner 2 returns partner 1 sprints again while partner 2 does flutter kicks

 

Finisher

Elevators with leg raises

Queen – BBS 20 OYO

Singlet – Frog extensions 10 IC

Queen – Merkins 20 OYO

Singlet – Butterfly sit-ups 15 OYO

 

COT

Countarama

Namearama

 

Oh my….burpee train #2 for the morning. What a finisher to some strong work by a great group of men.

 

Queen commented as we were walking out that there is an entire Alphabet and I can’t get past “B” for burpee. This is entirely inaccurate as demonstrated below:

 

A single burpee

Burpee

Couple of burpees

Duce burpees

Even more burpees

Few more burpees

Going to do more burpees

Handful of burpees

…you get the idea.

 

Welcome to FNG “Spineless” – Ron Benton – Memphis native who lives here now and heads up a group of surgical reps who provide “rods and screws” for spine surgery. Father of 3 girls and a Vols fan (glad to have at least one more!!)

 

Reminder of the Murph @ Arrowhead 6:30am on Monday

 

Convergence for the 1yr F3 Northeast TN Anniversary at Founders Park 7am June 10th. Anyone who is in town and does not show owes Donatello 200 burpees. He has assured us he will collect. I don’t think anyone wants to find out what that’s about so I would recommend you just post and avoid his charming personality at your front door June 11th. He may scare your kids or loved ones.

 

T-claps to Training Wheels for being named Male Athlete of the Year at his school. It’s very refreshing to see a young man with a great heart who represents the way he does. I was also notified he was awarded the superlative “Most Likely to Buy Donatello Breakfast after the Murph” which is just another example of the shameless act of giving participation trophies to our young people these days. Word is he was nominated for “Most Likely to Spill Merlot During the Murph” but didn’t receive enough votes.

 

Deep respect for Singlet and Queen for their military service as we reflect on Memorial Day. Thank you for your service to protect our freedoms!!

 

Moleskin

We are in a very interesting time in our nation. I believe some of the common threads, God and Country, that once defined our great nation are being pulled apart. It breaks my heart to see members of our society disrespecting military service men and woman or our police force. God is being removed from day-to-day culture more and more. As we reflect on Memorial Day and throughout the weekend, let’s take some time to pause and meditate on who we are and why we are.

 

For me, the who I am is simple…a broken sinner who found God’s grace at the foot of the cross which makes me a better father, husband, and American. I was reading AW Tozer’s Pursuit of God recently and was so moved by a chapter that explained the story of Abraham and Isaac in a way I have never heard before. Most of us think of this story as a message of great faith, which it certainly is. Abraham had great faith as he led his son up the mountain to follow God’s will and sacrifice his son. But this story is also about understanding where God belongs in our hearts. You see, Isaac had taken a place in Abraham’s heart reserved only for God. Isaac was the future, the fulfillment of the convenient, Abraham’s everything. God needed Abraham to recalibrate so he instructed him to sacrifice Isaac. Just before the knife fell, God gained his place back in Abraham’s heart. It’s a tough question but where is God in our hearts? Crowded out by other things? Placed in the box only reserved for those times when we need him? Or does he have our full hearts and everything in our being?

 

The why can be many things if we get very deep regarding our purpose, but as we think about Memorial Day, there’s only one why that comes to mind. Why am I able to worship freely, raise a family, have a career, and feel a degree of safety? Again, for me it’s simple….the roughly 677,000 service men and women who have died defending our country and the world since the Civil war and the countless others who served. They have sacrificed their comfort, their families, their health, and in many instances their lives to allow us to do what we do in this great nation each day. This weekend take some time to reflect and say thank you to anyone you know who has or currently serves in the Armed Forces. God bless them and their families for doing what must be done so that I can do what I desire.

 

Here’s a free download for the AW Tozer book if anyone is interested

https://sheffieldchapel.org/wp-content/uploads/pog.pdf 

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