F3 is a group that strives to launch free workouts for men outdoors in any community that wants it for the purpose of invigorating male community leadership through fitness, fellowship, and faith and is actively looking for local men to join them.

“It’s really just fellowship and the best part of it is I’m home before my kids wake up. You don’t miss out on the family side. Be a better dad, a better father, a better husband, a better employee at your job,” said Cliff Rouse who goes by Chestnut in the group and is a credit manager for Triangle Chemical Company.

The five core F3 principals are that it’s free of charge, open to all men, held outdoors, peer-led, and ends with a circle of trust. F3 welcomes all men of all fitness levels to join their workouts and have no requirement for membership other than that participants show up at the appointed time and place and follow the workout leader.

The 5:30 am start time is a hurdle they hear often. “Once you get used to it you become accustomed to it. You get up and get in your car and actually look forward to it because you have the fellowship of the men there,” said Rouse.

F3 currently offers six days of workouts as follows:

• Monday - Kettlebell Workout at the Nature Center at 5:30 am. 

• Tuesday - Boot Camp Style Workout at Bill Fay Park at 5:30 am. 

• Wednesday - Running/Ruck Workout at Fairfield Splash Pad at 5:30 am. 

• Thursday - Boot Camp Style Workout at Bill Fay Park at 5:30 am. 

• Friday - Ruck Workout at Barnet Park at 5:30 am. 

• Saturday - Boot Camp Style Workout at Bill Fay Park at 7:00am. 

“The very first minute I felt supported and just they allow you if you are doing something you can’t do because you are physically unable, you modify it, and that’s okay and no one makes you feel bad about it. If anything they double down on the support,” said David Edwards who goes by Runt and is a commercial broker.

“Fitness is the magnet that draws everyone together but the fellowship is called the glue, you don’t want to let your brothers down if you don’t show up and you want to help your brothers become better men so you can be a better man yourself,” said Rouse.

As of September 29, Kinston’s F3 group has had 668 men post to a workout since launching on August 08, 2020. F3 had over 62 different men post at least one time and are averaging over 100 total posts a week attending a workout. 

“Kinston was hungry for it. Kinston had a lot of men who were needing both the fellowship and the fitness. Many of them were already participating in faith communities of various types. We’re not specifically Christian, open to men of any type of faith,” said Chris Jenkins who was given the name Goggles by his F3 peers. Jenkins is the executive pastor for Hope Restoration.