FLORENCE, Ky. — Men across Northern Kentucky are gathering before sunrise for free workouts.
This week, I stopped at South Fork Park in Florence for "Mark at the Park," where members of F3 Northern Kentucky meet several mornings each week for outdoor workouts led entirely by volunteers.
WATCH: Meet the men behind a free, volunteer-led workout in Northern Kentucky
Keith Johnson with F3 Northern Kentucky said the organization began in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2011 when a pair of former military members organized an outdoor workout that drew 35 men.
“It just kind of grew from there,” Johnson said. “We’re a worldwide organization now.”
Today, F3 Northern Kentucky operates nine workout locations — known within the group as “areas of operation” or AOs — throughout the region. South Fork Park is one of them, hosting workouts Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 5:30 a.m.
Johnson said the workouts vary depending on who is leading that day.
“It’s any kind of workout,” he said. “We do full body, we do cardio. This morning, the workout that I led was a full-body workout. We do just runs, we do just rucks. It all depends on who’s leading that day.”
The structure is intentionally flexible, allowing members to design workouts around different fitness styles and ability levels.
“Any man is free to come out — 18 and up to however old you are,” he said. “Any age level, any fitness level, we welcome anybody out here.”
Johnson said one of the men he regularly works out with is 92 years old, while others are still in their late teens.
Most workouts run from 5:30 to 6:15 a.m., though the organization also offers a handful of evening sessions.
Attendance can vary by location. Johnson said many workouts average around eight to 10 participants, while larger groups can draw 15 to 20 people. And perhaps the biggest selling point: there’s no fee to join the workouts.
Those interested can click here to find local workout locations and schedules.
You can also click here to learn more about the organization’s broader network of groups across the country and around the world. Other F3 groups run workouts in other parts of the Tri-State, including in Ohio.
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