Each morning, men of all ages come together to rehearse, elevate one another and build personal skills to excel as leaders in their communities as part of the F3 Muletown organization, one of many locations nationwide.
With the three F’s—Fitness, Fellowship, and Faith—men from across the region participated in a workout at Columbia’s Riverwalk Park on Saturday, pushing themselves to the limit as part of the Columbia chapter of the F3 Foundation, a nonprofit organization.
With over 3,200 of these workouts taking place worldwide each week, F3 Muletown in south-central Tennessee continues to grow with daily workouts across town.
In Tennessee, the group hosts dozens of workouts across the state daily, from Tom Lee Park in Memphis to Sevier Park in Nashville and Court Stadium in Kingsport.
The exercises are held outdoors in the rain or in the sun all seasons.
Peer-led morning practice begins at 5am on weekdays and 6am on Saturdays, and amid constant banter of friendly foreplay and joke-sharing, F3 Muletown participants encourage each other to work harder, faster and become the strongest they can be.
Don’t leave a man behind
The motto of the organization: Do not leave a man behind, and do not leave a man where you find him.
To build camaraderie, participants are given nicknames like 2Buc, Lone Star, and Dark Knight.
It was launched in November 2021 by Chad Klein, product manager and new resident of Columbia, who saw the program as an opportunity to strengthen the community. F3 Muletown is widely regarded as the fastest growing branch of the group in the region.
“We just jumped completely, and we had a huge presence,” Klein said.
The group is held together by about a dozen men who attend each of the regular F3 Muletown workouts. Membership includes chaplains, business owners, and employees of Morey Regional Medical Center.
“If I have to downplay it, it’s about leadership development, and that is achieved through community service,” Klein said. “It gives men a chance to lead, take responsibility and find ways to elevate the community from volunteering 5km to feeding the family. We are all here to make sure we pay each other.”
F3 Muletown guys build their inner strength and physical strength through push-ups, sit-ups, group runs and even the mule kick, an exercise movement in which the participant props themselves above the ground on all fours and then lifts their lower half into the air by kicking the ground.
circle of trust
First organized in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2011, the group has experienced continuous expansion throughout the United States and abroad. The name F3 stands for decency, fellowship, and faith – the last of which is not defined as not a particular religion or religious system, but simply a belief that its participants believe in something greater than themselves.
All exercises are held outdoors and are free of charge, open to any man wishing to participate. The sessions are peer-led and conclude with a circle of trust, a time when participants open their hearts and share their deepest internal conflicts and fears in a safe, judgment-free zone.
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With the organization introducing a women’s option, which is not currently launched in Colombia, Klein said keeping the organization all-male provides a safe space for its participants to share their thoughts and feelings during each meeting’s trust session.
“We want men to be transparent and honest about what they are struggling with,” Klein said.
The partnership group in F3 for women is called FiA, which stands for Females in Business.
Solitude can destroy
F3 is founded on the principle that solitude will destroy man and that every man needs real relationships with other men, who work to be powerful fathers, husbands and leaders to reach their full potential.
Columbia resident Robert Rogers led the group exercise during Saturday’s packed meeting, encouraging F3 Muletown members to step up when they see someone in need before moving on to the group’s circle of confidence.
“Just find out what they need and do it,” Rogers told the group. “Looking at faith, I think we’re talking about action. We all know iron sharpens until someone else sharpens. We can all hold each other accountable, not just in training.”
After joining F3 two years ago, Rogers said he lost about 30 pounds.
“I just needed something to motivate me,” Rogers told the Daily Herald. “I needed it to get in shape, but then I realized I wouldn’t go back to it for fitness. I kept coming back because it was fun and a place for fellowship.”
support source
Eric Cobb has been involved in F3 for the past three years and has now taken a leadership role within the statewide organization, coordinating operations in Columbia, Spring Hill, Murfreesboro, Nolensville, Nashville, Memphis and Chattanooga.
“It’s a lot more than just a fitness kit,” Cobb said. “You can have a great workout, but you come with these guys, and it doesn’t matter what your fitness level is. They work alongside you and push you to grow. You become a close-knit brotherhood in life.”
At 4:30 a.m., as Cobb and his wife were leaving their Spring Hill home to travel so she could undergo a double mastectomy, after being diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, four F3 members met them outside and exchanged words of encouragement and prayer as they began. their journey.
“It’s a lot more than just an exercise set,” Cobb said. “A lot of guys go by on their own. They don’t have any friendships and close relationships, and that helps open that path.”
Whether it’s a divorce or supporting a young couple building a family, Cope said F3 is there to support its members.
“Every man needs a two-o-nine group,” Cobb said. “It’s not the guys you hang out with at the bar at 2 a.m., it’s the guys who if you have an emergency at 2 a.m., you pick up the phone and call them, you know they’ll be there.”
“I’ve lived in Spring Hill for eight or nine years, and I don’t know anyone. And I couldn’t move the sofa if I wanted to. And to deal with this group of guys, I have a phone book full of them now. I’ve really grown through F3 as a person and as a leader. I wouldn’t be The person I am today without her.”
Contact Mike Kristen at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MikeChristenCDH and Instagram @atmichaelmarco. Please consider supporting his work and the work of other Daily Herald journalists by subscribing to the publication.
