Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
Before sunrise, on a cold winter morning, a group of men gathered at the Lehi Sports Park to do something intentionally hard. They lift cinder blocks, run in the dark, shout encouragement, and end every workout standing shoulder to shoulder in a circle of trust.
The group is F3, short for Fitness, Fellowship and Faith, a free, peer-led men’s workout organization that has been growing in the area. Founded in 2011 in Charlotte, North Carolina, F3 is a national movement with workouts in more than 46 states and over 3,400 scheduled each week.
Lehi officially became an independent F3 region on January 1st, a milestone, local leader Ted Arnoldus said, reflecting steady, word-of-mouth growth. Typical workouts draw between seven and 15 men, intentionally small to foster connection.
The group meets at Wines Park on Monday and Wednesday mornings, Holbrook Farms Park on Thursdays, and the Lehi Sports Complex on Saturdays. Weekday workouts start at 5:30 a.m., while Saturdays begin at 7 a.m. The early hours are intentional, ensuring the workout is over before most participants head to work.
“The workout gets men here, but the brotherhood is what keeps them coming back,” said Arnoldus, known within the F3 organization as the Naantan. “Our goal isn’t just fitness. It’s helping men become better leaders in their families, workplaces, and communities.”
F3 operates on five core principles: it is always free, open to all men, held outdoors rain or shine, led by peers on a rotating basis, and always ends in a circle of trust. No two workouts are the same, and leadership rotates weekly. Participants use only what they bring, most often a single cinder block, gloves, a headlamp, and a willingness to show up.
Arnoldus said F3 is not only a way for men to attend to their physical health but also their mental health. “A lot of men don’t realize how isolated they are until they experience real brotherhood. F3 gives them that,” he said.
“It’s about brotherhood,” said Chris “E-Boy” Adams, who has been attending F3 workouts for nearly four years. “We do what we call ‘pick up the six.’ If someone’s behind, we stop and wait. Leave no man behind.”
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For some, F3 arrives at a critical moment. John Baker, known in the group as “Jugs,” said he first showed up after months of unemployment.
“I came for fitness, but what hooked me was the circle of trust,” Baker said. “Men carry a lot, and this gives us a place to put it down.”
Kevin Gulledge nicknamed “Ginger Beard,” said most men don’t make friends easily as adults, but doing hard things together can forge that bond. “This isn’t just about fitness. It’s about realizing the people around you are carrying a lot and choosing to carry it together,” he said. “Men tend to suffer in silence, but when we suffer together, we open up. F3 gives us a place to do that.”
Men of all ages participate, from high school students to men in their 50s and beyond.
Gulledge’s son, high school senior Dallin Gulledge, said he began attending with his father and now leads similar workouts for students as part of a school capstone project. “Doing hard things together builds confidence,” he said.
For those attending for the first time, the experience can be intimidating, but welcoming. Justin Hanson, who recently participated in his first F3 workout, said the group quickly put him at ease.
“It was tough, and the early morning isn’t my favorite,” Hanson said with a laugh, “but everyone was encouraging. I could see myself coming back.”
For many, F3 has become more than a workout. It’s a place to belong, before the sun comes up, in the cold, doing hard things together.
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