Men’s F3 workout group launches Chicago chapter

By Miriam Finder Annenberg | Staff Writer

This September, a new type of weekly morning workout will come to The

Chicago Bean in Millennium Park. F3 will offer New Eastside men a weekly

opportunity to get in shape, cultivate new friendships and realize their full potential through their three Fs mission—fitness, fellowship and faith.

Cofounder Tim Whitmire says fitness and fellowship are self-explanatory,

but the group uses a definition of faith different from religion. “It’s a belief

in something outside yourself,” he says. “Once a guy gets in shape and he

develops a network of friends, all [of a] sudden, there’s this desire to impact the

world.”

Beginning as a small group in Charlotte, North Carolina, F3 has expanded to nearly 700 groups throughout the U.S., proving the staying power of its

mission, as well as its effectiveness at getting participants into shape.

Cofounders Tim Whitmire and David Redding started the organization when

their previous workout group grew too large and shut down. “We looked at each other and said, ‘that’s crazy,’” Whitmire says. “We wanted to get

more guys out here.” Recognizing the group was more than just an opportunity to get in shape—it also provided much-needed camaraderie—they invited a group of guys to a workout in a middle school parking lot.

It was New Year’s Day 2011 and Whitmire recalls many were still feeling the effects of the night before, but the group survived and F3 was born.

Through its expansion, F3 creates a network of like-minded men in cities

throughout the country. For each new launch, a team of F3 veterans flies to

the new location, leading three initial workouts before handing over the reins

to local leaders.

The first F3 workout will take place Saturday, September 29, at 7 a.m., The

Chicago Bean in Millennium Park. In addition to the workouts in Millennium Park, F3 is launching workouts near Evanston and in Naperville. For more information, visit www.f3nation.com