F3 instills leadership among faith and fitness

It’s 38 degrees and raining heavily. It’s also 5:45 a.m. in early February, so even roosters are enjoying deep sleep. Yet intermittent shouts pierce the pre-dawn darkness with what can best be described as intense encouragement. 

The sounds are coming from the parking lot of Cahaba Elementary School, where a group of men ranging in age from 20-something to retired-something have gathered. With fitness levels as diverse as their life stages, the men are about one-third of the way through their biweekly outdoor workout, F3.  

A growing network of nearly 1,600 groups, F3 stands for Fitness, Fellowship and Faith, with faith being defined simply as “belief in something outside oneself.” With the intent to invigorate male leadership, the organization adheres to the credo, “Leave no man behind and leave no man where you found him.” 

Serving as regional leader since January, Stephen Perlis supports the 14 current groups in the Birmingham area, including Trussville. “For a majority of guys, it starts as a workout, but then it becomes a brotherhood and accountability group,” Perlis said. 

“This is a group of guys that are outside of your high school circle of friends. They’re not your wife’s friends or people from church,” said Aron Smith, who started and leads the Trussville-based group. “If you asked a guy to join a group for fellowship, he’s not very likely to participate. But that’s probably the greatest transformational piece to the F3 workout.” 

Trussville native Taylor Denard agreed: “It goes beyond the accountability of showing up just because someone else does. You really open yourself up to others — especially with physical limitations — because you’re not going to be able to do everything. And it then begins to teach you as a person that you need to be more open in other areas of your whole life.” 

“It’s one of the most encouraging environments I’ve ever been involved in. When somebody first comes, it’s difficult. But we want to let him know we’ve all been there,” F3 participant Jay Savage said. 

Because all workouts are peer-led, leadership development occurs as participants volunteer to facilitate one of the sessions.  

“The expectation is that sooner or later, you’re going to lead the workout. You gain confidence each time you lead, which helps you lead within your family or workplace,” said Nate Preg, who worked with Smith to establish the group in Trussville. 

“Stepping up to lead when you feel like you don’t have anything to offer has been a big lesson. We see other guys and see that they’re more physically fit and think they have it better together. But realizing that you have your unique gifts and abilities, offering your uniqueness and leading through that is something that I’ve learned,” Denard said. 

The groups meet regardless of weather conditions. “It’s a lesson in perseverance. All the circumstances that are going to happen during the day didn’t dictate whether we met. We worked out in the rain and it was fun. And as grown men, you don’t get to do that a whole lot,” Savage said. 

Just like “Maverick” and “Goose” in “Top Gun,” first timers receive their own F3 nickname. Somewhere within the gray area that lies between fun and hazing, monikers are granted after the rookies share something about themselves. 

“I do not recommend sharing information about your favorite sports team before you’ve been given your nickname,” said Smith, whose nickname “Breach” is a nod to his work in securities.

Fellowship among the men also occurs on a larger scale when multiple groups gather. On May 4, the 14 existing Birmingham-area groups will converge upon Homewood Central Park in celebration of the second anniversary of F3’s introduction to the local area. Additional opportunities for fellowship and faith experiences will also be added to the weekend agenda as the date nears. Details of the celebration will be made available at F3birmingham.com. 

F3nation.com lists workout locations, dates and times of all registered groups throughout the country. Since no payment is required, there is no need to register before showing up.