You got this.
So your buddy keeps talking about F3, and now he’s asking you to go?
Or maybe you’re just looking for a free workout that’s close to home?
Here's everything you need to know about F3 Southeast Michigan.
It's completely free. No Strings.
Yep, F3 is a free men’s workout. There is nothing to buy. No upsell, or contract to sign. There are no points or rewards. No affiliate program or multi-level pyramid with recruitment incentives. There is nothing to rent. No one to pay.
It’s just. Simply. Free.
Just a group of guys that comes together early in the morning to workout and help each other become better men for their families and community.
It's always outside - usually at a park.
We literally meet in the parking lots, fields, and playgrounds of schools, and churches and parks around Southeast Michigan. I gotta tell you, those places where your kids play baseball look completely different at 5:30 a.m.
A core principle of F3 is that the workouts are always held outdoors. Yep, we workout in sun, rain, snow, and wind – just dress for the weather. It’s dark, quiet, and wonderful outside before everyone wakes up. That’s why we call it “The Gloom.”
It starts at 5:15 or 5:30am, depending on the location. (But get used to doing things you thought were impossible.)
Ah, the biggest barrier to showing up. We know it sounds crazy (and it sounds weird saying this) but even if you have never been a morning person, you will come to genuinely love waking up early and getting a jump start on your day.
Not only that, this is time you get to yourself without emails, kids, spouses, and daily life creeping in. F3 is a break from all of that.
It's a 45 minute boot-camp style workout.
F3 is a peer-lead, non-professional boot camp-style workout. Every workout (or what we call a Beatdown) is different depending on who is leading. Typical exercises are running, pushups, jumping jacks, burpees, stuff like that — and occasionally doing something we call “Murder Bunnies” with a cinder block (called a coupon).
But I don’t want to freak you out, we will give you a “coupon” when you show up for your first Beatdown.
"Boot-camp style" doesn't mean anyone will yell at you.
So if you’re imagining a Drill Sergeant yelling at you to do pushups, you’ve got it all wrong. In fact, it’s pretty much the opposite of that.
The men of F3 SE Michigan will encourage you, and help you get stronger, whatever your ability, age, or fitness level. We have the saying “Leave no man behind, but leave no man where you found him.”
So no yelling. Just the occasional fist bump.
F3 is for all ages.
We don’t care if you’re in your 20s or 70s, you have a place here. If you find a certain part of the Beatdown too challenging (we all do, sometimes), we encourage you to “modify” as you need to. No matter your age, F3 will have you push yourself.
Besides, there are some 60 year olds in the group who put us all to shame. “Respect, Respect.”
But I can't do a <insert exercise>! I haven't worked out in years.
Wait, let me make sure I understand. You can’t do push ups? You’re not a runner? You’re about 50 lbs. overweight? You’ve never worked out in your life and you don’t know how? You’re maybe a little embarrassed by your physical condition? Perfect. You will fight right in, so why not start tomorrow morning? There will be other men there in the same boat as you.
No one will judge you on your shape — and they won’t try to overly motivate or shame you. They will just be working out alongside you during the Beatdown, offering words of encouragement, and, most likely, offer you some coffee afterwards to get to know you.
The 2nd F is "Fellowship."
F3 stands for Fitness, Fellowship & Faith®.
We’re more than just a fitness group. In fact, to many men, fellowship is the most important part of F3. It includes encouraging each other to get stronger, sharing coffee after the Beatdowns, helping each other, getting to know each other, and even getting together for social gatherings for fun outside of the F3 morning workouts. Simply stated, it’s becoming a part of a group where strangers become friends and brothers.
The 3rd F is "Faith."
The “Faith” thing can be a turn off to some men – so let’s unpack it a little. F3 is not a religious organization and has no affiliation with any denomination or place of worship. Men of ALL faiths, or no faith, are welcome. The “Faith” part means that we believe in something bigger than ourselves. In other words, regardless of your religion, or if you believe that universe stems from and revolves around God, you at least know that it doesn’t revolve around you, right? So, regardless of your spiritual or religious beliefs, you are welcome here.
We end in a circle of trust.
We end every workout with a “Circle of Trust” where the leader gets to share words of encouragement, positive thoughts, a prayer, a lesson learned, or whatever else is on his mind. Whatever is shared in the COT stays within the group.
Wouldn't women benefit from this, too?
You are absolutely right. This isn’t about misogyny, it’s about vulnerability. We think that to become better people, sometimes we need to be vulnerable. To be vulnerable, we need to feel safe. When it’s just us guys, it helps create that environment.
From what we understand, women might feel similarly. Which is where our sister organization, FiA, comes in.
How do I get started?
That’s the easy part—just find a Beatdown near you and show up. There’s no need to sign up and no paperwork to fill out or sign. Just bring a pair of work gloves and a bottle of water. When you first start, you may hear the leader (or as we call him, the “Q”) refer to the exercises with a bunch of “odd” names — but don’t fret, you will catch on quickly and the other guys will guide you through the Beatdown.
You got this, brother.
Have you checked out the national site yet?
Do I need to bring anything?
There are a couple items that we'd recommend.
Gloves
Your fingertips and palms will thank you. Leather or rubberized-palm work gloves are common. Think something between golf glove and ski glove.
Dress for the conditions
There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear. Wear layers. Wicking materials are recommended. And wash your gear after. It stinks.
Bring that fire
When your inner drive to improve outweighs the things that are holding you back, bring that desire to get better with you.
Don’t have everything you need? No worries. We’ve got you covered.
Whether you need a pair of gloves, or you’re close to coming out but you feel like there’s one last hurdle that’s holding you back, let us know. We care that you make it out here. Send us a message.
Like we said, you got this.
The only thing left to do is show up.
You can let us know you’re coming if you’d like, but you don’t need to. There are no reservations, memberships, fees, or anything we haven’t covered. You are welcome here.
See you in the gloom.
