What do men in tights, early mornings, and silly-sounding exercises have in common?
Leadership!
That may not have been your first guess, but the men of F3 are on a mission to invigorate male community leadership.
Complaining about problems is easy. Finding solutions and making a difference, well that takes work. F3 started in January 2011 to address the growing problem of lack of leadership in our communities. From a single workout location to nearly 4,500 locations a decade later the impact this volunteer organization has on its communities is HUGE!
What is F3?
Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith or simply F3 to the men who make up F3. The best part, our “club” is open to all men.
Seriously, if you played capture the flag as a kid or hide and go seek you have the skill set needed to join our group.
F3 has a few rules, the biggest is our group is open to all men. Why only men? Our goal is solving the problem of lack of male community leadership. Just as men could not solve for a lack of female community leadership, women cannot solve for a lack of male community leadership.
Moreover, F3 gives guys a chance to be guys.
In the early morning hours, we call it “the gloom”, all men are equal. Your day job has no bearing on how guys treat you when you’re running sprints in the parking lot or doing “side straddle hops” (aka jumping jacks). That’s what’s awesome! A CEO can be next to an entry level guy having a conversation about how much all these Big Boy Sit-ups really suck. Sharing experiences brings people together!
Let’s jump a bit more into the model.
Fitness
Fitness is like a magnet. Every guy wants to get back into shape. Maybe it’s lose that 10 extra pounds or not have skinny guy and fat guy pants in your closet. Right?
Whatever your goal or no goal, F3 offers guys the common ground of a bootcamp style workout that is led by a volunteer man of F3. The men of F3 lead workouts in a rotating manner. That means today I may lead a workout. And the next workout will be led by another member of F3. We don’t get paid, we’re not trained, and we only suggest guys follow along. We also suggest guys modify the exercise as necessary.
Sometime during a man’s first workout with F3 he realizes this is different than the CrossFit gym or the YMCA. It’s better and worse at the same time. And despite being 5 AM, the guys working out are talking to one another, encouraging one another, and truly care for their F3 brothers.
At that moment, a man begins to realize this is something cool and likely will mentally commit to coming back.
Then the real magic begins…
Fellowship
At the end of every workout we form a “ball of man” which is another silly word for a big circle. We give our names, our age, and our F3 name.
What F3 name?
Each man is bestowed an F3 name at his first workout. Most often these are silly names that have to do with a man’s occupation. My F3 name is Abacus. I’m an accountant. Some guys get really embarrassing names. Here’s to you Mama’s Boy. His wife made him come out to F3. He embraced the name and it’s fun!
Our names allow us to separate from our “normal” identity and be one of the guys!
In my view fellowship is more important though because it’s the sense of community that so many men are missing. IMO this creates the lack of male leadership. It’s easier to go home sit on the couch, play video games, drink beer in the man cave, than it is to engage with other men. Something shifts in us after we graduate high school or college and we drift away from our friends.
F3 gives men a chance to make friends and change that narrative!
Many of my best friends as an adult are a direct result of F3. I started inviting guys to F3 who I barely knew and over time we developed awesome friendships.
Faith
Look Faith is a touchy subject in our political correct world. We were created by a power greater than ourselves. There is a power and force in the universe larger than me. I can’t control everything. That’s what Faith looks like inside of F3.
At the end of the workout the man leading the workout, he’s called the “Q”, will lead the group in something spiritual. It could be a prayer, a meditation, a moment of silence. We’re not out spreading God’s word. We’re bringing a moment of peace to men in the morning.
How Does this Impact Leadership?
Naturally, bringing together high energy, high impact men, they want to solve problems. During COVID a local food bank lost all their teenage volunteers when the “world shut down”. F3 stepped up and made sure the food bank could deliver food to those in need. Our group has been leading on that cause for nearly 4 years!!!
We lead from the front. Unlike elected officials we figure out how we can make a difference and then we go do it. We recruit fellow F3 members to help. Our goal is to raise money, donated items, and otherwise to lift up those who need to be lifted.
Want To Become a High Impact Man?
You’re in luck! We are open to all men. Our workouts are FREE, rain or shine, and a ton of fun! Check out our calendar for a workout in your area.
About Me
Abacus joined F3 Louisville in September 2017. Six months after I joined F3 my wife was diagnosed with cancer. The men of F3 rallied around me and my family. Not only have I met my best friends through F3, I have competed in Tough Mudder events (yes the electric shock sucks!) and run several ultra marathons with my F3 brothers. This group is truly amazing!
F3 Louisville 