I don’t always workout hard, but when I do, I prefer F3

But, my F3 curiosity was greater than my scaredness.

What is this F3? What are these names people get? How has Andrew Dunn gone from journalist to chiseled model? Who are these F3ers tweeting at me? Who are these sweaty dudes I see drinking coffee with each other at Brueggers and Starbucks early in the morning?

My F3 start time was 5:30 am at Freedom Park.

I set my alarm for 5:05 am. I put on some new Lululemon shorts that I got for Christmas, but hadn’t worn because they have that awkward underwear netting. Ate a cinnamon raisin english muffin with peanut butter. Jumped in the car.

Side note: I drank 3 beers the previous night at the new Uptown Duckworth’s. Since I’m intelligent, I went with Founder’s “All Day IPA” instead of something hoppier (F3 + hangover = no way).

I pulled into the Freedom Park gravel lot at 5:24 am. I awkwardly stayed in the car for 2 minutes because I had social anxiety and didn’t want too much pre-workout chit chat.

Then the workout began. Running. Pushups. Dips. Pull ups. Jumping. Lunges. Squats. Sprinting. Bear crawls. All over Freedom Park.

What did I think? I LOVED F3. Here’s why:

Timing. Work out began promptly at 5:30. I loved that it started right on time. I hate things that start late. 45 minutes sharp. You can do anything for 45 minutes.

Challenge Yourself. I couldn’t do one of the hill runs because I thought I was going to pass out. So, like a sissy, I didn’t do as many as others. You can calibrate based on how much of a sissy you are. 

Feels Human. I can’t exactly explain this, but because you’re not in a gym and it’s informal and you’re using nature and it’s early. Feels amazing. Actually, I felt like an animal.

On Edge. Because you don’t know what exactly the workout will entail, you’re constantly on edge. 

Weird Soreness. I woke up the next day (okay, the next 3 days) and was sore in weird places. Loved this feeling. It’s an awesome workout (the complete opposite of my 27 minute routine).

No Judgement. The leader said “Run to the speed bump, then do 5 merkins..” I interrupted, “What’s a merkin?” I felt dumb, but nobody really cared and they chuckled. It’s a pushup. 

Fitness Range. My group of 12 wasn’t all super jacked dudes. Everyone had different levels of fitness/strength, but you could tell that everybody wanted to get after it to the best of their ability. It felt like we were a team, not just individuals.

Fellowship. Call me cheesy, but I felt it. Seriously.

So, what’s my name? Copperfield. I used to do table magic in a tuxedo when I was 8 years old at the Ocean Grill in Vero Beach, FL. Yes, I still have skills. The best name I’ve heard so far is a guy from Charlotte who was named “Farm to Table.” Get it, since he’s from here? Cracked me up.

Agenda Pro Tips:

• Wear gloves. You do bear crawls and grab stuff, so wear gloves.
• Coffee after. Some dudes were grabbing coffee after, I should have made time for this.
• Leader changes. Each session has a different leader, so don’t get comfortable.