March 30th, 2016 By Man Down

10 men left the comfort of their cozy fartsacks and entered the chilled gloom of the Dawg House this AM. Some might call them foolish. Others may say they are just crazy. But by 6:15am these men would call themselves…better. In a little better physical shape. A little better connected to some other brothers. And maybe even a little better equipped to love their families and impact their communities.

This was my first visit to this expansive AO and I had heard that the options for pain were aplenty, so I arrived 30 minutes early to jog the terrain a bit. Made a loop around the school (right around .75 miles) and found stairs, tires (small and friggin’ humungous ones!), walls, benches, pallets, bricks, cinder blocks, and LOTS of room to run around! With a few ideas in my head I was ready for action! As I strolled back over to the meeting place, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my amigo Mexicano, El Toro, had driven all the way over from The Precinct to join us (next time text me amigo and I’ll wait for ya)! 8 more pax emerged, disclaimer was given, and we were off!

• Mosey over to JMR’s front courtyard with some high-knees and butt-kickers along the way.
• Circle up (in a true circle no less!) for Side Straddle Hops, Imperial Storm Troopers, Cotton Pickers, Windmills, Wacky Jacks (just for you, Pharaoh), and Toe Touches.
• Mosey over to benches for 20 Jump Ups.
• Mosey around to maintenance entrance and grab a cinder block. 3 burpee penalty if your block touches the ground (Toro squeaked out of this penalty as it wasn’t added till after he dropped his block after only one set!). CB Curls, Overhead Press, Triceps Extensions, Chest Press, Pullover, Curls, Overhead Press, Curls, Squats, Calf Raises, Curls. I think that was about it. Put the blocks back and mosey down the gravel road till about halfway around.
• Partner up – P1 AMRAP ‘Mericans while P2 sprints to gate and back. Flapjack. Repeato with P1 holding Plank.
• Indian Run down the back side of the school all the way to the other side. Air Squats while waiting for the 6.
• Partner up – P1 AMRAP Jump Squats while P2 sprints up the stairs and back. Flapjack.
• Mosey up the stairs and to the football field entrance for a very short Mary. Only time for 2 exercises – Pharaoh’s favorite, The Squirm (don’t let him tell you different) and Man Down’s favorite, Crunchy Frog (with wasabi!)

Men, thank you for the privilege to come out and lead you this morning. For those of you who are new to this F3 craziness, welcome! As you will soon see, this is about MUCH more than just fitness, but if you keep coming out you WILL get fit too! And thanks to those of you who have been praying for me and my family lately. We have definitely experienced God’s grace abounding to us during this season. As I said this morning, Hebrews 4:16 has been an anchor verse for me personally: “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” I encourage you to meditate on this verse and apply it to your own life. Until next time, Man Down out!

The Dawg House, The Precinct