SAN ANTONIO – A support system is key when it comes to a health and fitness journey. It takes like-minded people to give you motivation and that extra push to keep going. That’s exactly what you’ll find with F3 Alamo.
Fitness, faith and fellowship make up ‘F3′, an all-men workout group that began in North Carolina back in 2011. Since then it’s grown to 219 other regions including the Alamo city.
Its unique approach makes for a welcoming and encouraging environment among men from different walks of life. The classes start dark and early, usually before or as the sun rises. But there are no coaches or set programs. Instead, each class is led by someone from the group.
“Every day there’s a different leader, a different person in the group leads the workouts. And so depending on that person could be less or more intense, it could be a little bit more running, a little bit less running,” said Carlos Garcia, who’s been with F3 since it’s early months in San Antonio.
Like every participant, whether you come once or daily, Garcia goes by a nickname he earned on day one, ‘Stakeout’.
“This name now makes you part of this group and whatever you are outside, we’re going to help you get better together,” he said about the importance of the nickname. “You know, we go through our lives, we go to school, we get a job and start working, get a family... And this group allows people to sort of step out of that and build that camaraderie that a lot of us maybe haven’t had since we were little kids.”
You’re sure to break a sweat throughout the class but for many of the men, it’s the group that keeps them coming.
“[These men] they’re all pouring into you as you’re working out. And they would just say little nuggets of things that just you just take into your life and you embed within your own routines. And all of a sudden you look back and you’ve become such a better person and such a better man for yourself or your family, for your employer, you know, for your community. And I have like this group to thank,” explained Siro Gutierrez, one of the organizers for the local chapter.
Each workout ends with a circle of trust-- a place for the men to share anything from upcoming events and nutrition tips to prayers and life advice. Gutierrez said the group built on their relationships and connections and took them out into the community. They participate in events like food donation drives and the 9-11 ruck to honor those who died on September 11, 2001.
Check out the F3 Alamo website for details on their next class.
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