David Redding (DRedd): F3 and the Culture of Showing Up

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Episode Show Notes

David Redding, known as Dredd, is one of the founders of F3, a fitness, fellowship, and faith movement built around free, peer-led outdoor workouts for men. On this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast, Dredd joins Tom to talk about how F3 works from the inside, the culture and vocabulary that has grown up around it, and why leadership and fitness end up being the same conversation once you get men outside and moving together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is David \"Dredd\" Redding?

David Redding, known by his F3 nickname Dredd, is one of the people who helped start F3, a fitness, fellowship, and faith movement built around free outdoor workouts for men.

What is F3?

F3 stands for fitness, fellowship, and faith. It is a network of small, free, peer-led outdoor workout groups for men that has spread into communities across the country.

What does the F3 term \"the Q\" mean?

The Q is the term F3 uses for whoever is leading a given workout. Leading, or \"cueing,\" a workout for the first time is considered a milestone in F3 culture, since standing in front of a group and directing them is very different from being one of the group.

What does \"splashing Merlot\" mean in F3 culture?

It is F3 slang for the possibility of throwing up during a hard workout, used half-jokingly to warn newcomers that the workouts can be intense, especially for their first one.

Where can I listen to the full conversation?

Press play above, or find this episode of the Tom Rowland Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

Why I Wanted Dredd On the Show

Dredd was on my initial guest list when I started this podcast. Fishing, leadership, and fitness are three things I talk about constantly on this show, and F3 sits right at the intersection of leadership and fitness in a way I wanted to understand better, straight from one of the people who helped build it.

What Happens the First Time You Show Up

Dredd walks through what F3 calls the first bell — showing up to your first workout — and how shocking that can be if you have not been active. The way F3 uses that shared discomfort to build something bigger than a workout is worth hearing him explain directly.

From Follower to Leader

The second bell in F3 culture is the first time you lead, or cue, a workout yourself. Dredd talks about why that moment matters so much in F3, and how leading a group you were just part of changes how you see leadership.

Final Thoughts From Me

This conversation covered more fitness and leadership philosophy than almost any other episode I have done, and Dredd made all of it practical rather than abstract. Press play above to hear the rest.

People & Brands Mentioned

David \"Dredd\" Redding, F3.

About David \"Dredd\" Redding

David Redding, known as Dredd, is one of the founders of F3, a fitness, fellowship, and faith movement built around free, peer-led outdoor workouts for men.

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Episode Transcript

[Verbatim excerpt from the full episode transcript on file in Google Drive (doc 1h__WTKlNbPbC9EnPH7hYUBP2sYxxIip0hrKbJP01nlw, EP 92 per Deepgram Nova-2 transcription, 18,235 words total). Full transcript not fully embedded here due to length; excerpt below is verbatim from the opening of the episode.]\n\nSpeaker 1: So the first spell is when you show up. And when you show up to your first workout, we like to say, you know, it's probably gonna be shocking to you if you haven't been working out. The workouts are generally pretty hard. We have an expression, we call it splashing Merlot, which means you might throw up. I mean, it's hard enough, and you've been on the couch long enough that you might do so. And that feeling of exhaustion and being overwhelmed will last for a while, then you're gonna get in better shape. And when you do, somebody's gonna ask you to lead. That's a basic principle, it's a core principle that we're led from within. And when you do that, that's called the second bell, when you lead for the first time, or cue. So for us, the leader is called the cue. So when you cue for the first time, cue workout for the first time, you're gonna have another frightening experience because you're gonna find out that standing in front of 15 or 16 men and telling them what to do is a lot different than being one of the 15 or 16 men and being told what to do. And for a lot of our guys, that's their first opportunity to lead, to truly lead. I'm David Redding, and this is the Tom Roland podcast. Speaker 0: Another great episode today. I've been wanting to get this episode for a long time. This particular individual was on my initial list as I started this podcast. If you're a listener to this podcast, you know that, as well as fishing, leadership and fitness are two things that we talk about a lot on this podcast. If you know what F3 is, then buckle up, get ready. It's gonna be a great podcast with one of the people who started it. Dredd, David Redding is one of the guys that started it.

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