A year ago, I joined this weird cult thing called F3. I was getting coffee at Lowe's, lamenting my recent failed attempt to get back in shape that ended with severe plantar fasciitis that left me all but crippled.

As I was filling my cup, a nice man approached me and introduced himself as "Punch Card." Weird, but ok, whatever. He then proceeded to tell me all about this free workout I could be a part of. When I protested and told him of my recent running failure, he said, "That's ok, you don't have to run." Before I could come up with another lame excuse for why I wanted to stay fat and miserable, he handed me off to another member of the cult named "Pivot." I don't know if it was his trendy workout getup or his flowy locks of hair, but before I knew it, I had exchanged phone numbers with the guy, and he had sent me links to the F3 website and the AO sheet so I could see when and where the workouts were. Thinking I would never go, I politely excused myself and went on with my day.

Something was nagging at me, though. It was something I couldn't explain at first, but as one day turned into two and then into three, I couldn't answer one question: what was so special about this F3 thing that a complete stranger felt compelled to approach me and try to get me to come? I mean, if it really is free, what motivation could he have had to gain me as a "client"? Realizing that my curiosity was going to get the better of me, I decided I would go. The following day, I showed up and met a whole group of guys with funny names and was told I would be getting my own funny name after the workout. I decided to lay down some ground rules by stating I couldn't run because of my feet. It was then that a beast of a man going by the name "Bronx Bomber" very politely informed me that I would be staying with him and swinging a kettlebell. Not wanting to piss off this very angry-looking man, I acquiesced.

Next to my wedding day and the birth of my children, that was the most significant and impactful day of my life. I quickly caught the bug and went all in on my health and wellness; and of course, kettlebells. I received the honorary name of "Tweety Bird" after making the mistake of telling the group I enjoyed bird watching and have been swinging my way to solid functional strength and cardiovascular health ever since. When I started a year ago, I could barely press a 35lb kettlebell and at one point had to press my 36oz water bottle just to complete the workout after being so fatigued. As time wore on, I began to get noticeably stronger. I was doing things I couldn't do before, like lifting my kids over my head at the pool to send them flying into the water. My knees, ankles, and shoulders stopped hurting all the time as I began rapidly losing weight with the combination of the body transformation program and consistent rigorous kettlebell workouts. My wife and kids noticed I had more energy and wasn't grouchy all the time. I started to feel good in my own body again. Most recently, I have been able to complete most of an extremely taxing workout with two 70lb bells. Let that sink in; a year ago, I struggled to raise 35lbs over my head. Today I can do 140lbs.

This is not a brag on myself (although it does feel pretty damn good to type it out), but it is meant as both a heartfelt thank you to F3 Nation as well as an encouragement and exhortation to others that might be in my position, or maybe Punch Card's position. If you need to make changes in your life for long-term happiness and health, do it. It works. If not, I bet you know somebody who does. So with that, I say thank you from the bottom of my heart to my F3 brothers who have sweated, grunted, cursed, and laughed in all types of the gloom with me for the last year. You have helped me and impacted me more than any of you could ever know.

-Tweety Bird