My name is Drone, and I’ve been part of F3 in Jacksonville, FL for the last five years. I have three simple questions for the men of Athens:
- Do you need accountability?
- Do any men in your life currently hold you accountable?
- Who is the best person to hold you accountable?
I have some thoughts on the likely answers to these questions, but first – why accountability in the first place? The reality is that no matter how “together” and in control we men want to appear to be, we fall short of where we want to be in most areas of our life. Whether it’s physical fitness, being a husband to a wife, a father to a child, employee to an employer or vice versa…I could go on and on describing relationships in which grown men can mess up, couldn’t I?
We are all getting older, most of us are also getting heavier, and none of us is as good at this life thing as we thought we would be at this point. We all want to be better…so how do we get there?
Who needs accountability? EVERYONE. We are flawed. We all believe we have the discipline to achieve our potential, but the evidence is against us. It lies in the old fast food bag on the floor of your car, in the dusty treadmill and dumbbells sitting in your basement, and in the relationships where you’ve failed those to whom you have made promises.
We all have these examples of areas where we’ve fallen short of our goals or promises to ourselves and others – no one is immune. Why? No accountability.
Who holds you accountable? For grown men, the answer is usually NO ONE. Adult men present the toughest accountability challenge of any demographic. We are the largest of our species, making accountability from anyone physically smaller than us naturally difficult.
We often take on huge burdens and responsibilities in part to show everyone how much we can do. This too adds a barrier to accountability as, in our own minds, no one is in a position to call us onto the carpet.
Who is best suited to hold a grown man accountable? Other GROWN MEN! If nothing else, one grown man has the physical ability to hold another accountable merely by being his physical equal. The psychological impact of this is real.
Another grown man also shares the same responsibilities to his family, is vulnerable to the same temptations and traps as his peers. This gives him the ability to say to another man like no one else can, “I’ve been there, and you can do better”. From one man to another, it works.
Do you need this accountability to get in shape and to be the man you can be? I think it’s safe to say the last several months of COVID-induced isolation have convinced most of us that YES, we ALL do.
F3 is a FREE workout led by the men who attend the workouts (no professional trainers), and its members hold each other accountable. Workouts are early in the morning to get our physical fitness taken care of before our families rise, before our responsibilities for the day take over.
Decide it’s too early and you just want to sleep in? An F3 brother texts you at 8am, “Where were you?” Take a few more days off like you have been doing for years at the gym…and you’ll get more and more texts (and calls and tweets and emails) calling you onto the carpet.
Men everywhere are missing this key piece to healthy living: true male friends who struggle with the same issues. How many times has the gym called you to ask why you slept through that workout you promised yourself you’d do that morning?
F3 goes deeper than your waistline though. F3 groups from Atlanta to Nashville, across the Carolinas, through Georgia, to Texas and all the way out in Seattle and San Francisco have made an impact on the lives of the families of the men who participate and, most of all, on the men themselves. The list is long, but here are just a few examples…
- Giving those with special needs the opportunity to participate in races and fitness events with an F3 partner: https://speedforneed.org/
- Supporting Operation Enduring Warrior: https://youtu.be/tIP7sUdd5i8
- Helping with water rescues and cleanup after Hurricane Harvey: https://people.com/human-interest/hurricane-harvey-mens-workout-group-helps-mom-of-two/
The goal? Iron Sharpens Iron. F3 uses man-to-man accountability to strengthen each man for his own betterment and, in turn, the betterment of his family and community. With F3, men who are becoming physically, mentally and, in turn, spiritually stronger enter the world to take on the responsibilities of life and the needs around them.
ALL MEN 18 and over, of absolutely ALL fitness levels, are welcome. You DO NOT need to get in shape for F3. All men need fitness and, as we all know, most men are not fit. So if you’re not fit, you’ll be in good company! Even if you are fit…you probably can’t keep up with the F3 Nation brothers coming to lead these first workouts, so come test yourself!
After the workout, we’ll welcome you into our group and then bring coffee and biscuits to get to know you better. There is no cost for the workout…WE GIVE THIS AWAY. You can find everything you need to know at F3ClassicCity.com and email us at [email protected] with questions.
Please come give it a try. Welcome accountability into your life. Like fitness, we all need it. I, along with many of my F3 brothers, will see you just before the 7am workout starts, and we look forward to meeting you!
Drone