Colorado men's group works to connect and uplift men during male loneliness epidemic

A Gallup poll found that one in four American men under 35 feels lonely. A growing men's group with chapters across the country, including in Colorado, is hoping to encourage men to connect and serve their communities, amid the so-called "male loneliness epidemic."

Wednesday and Friday mornings, a group of men gather in a Castle Pines park for a workout that they say strengthens so much more than their bodies.

F3 workouts have become sacred to Brandon Tiemann.

"When you sleep in, you regret it, so it feels good to get out here and suffer with men alongside you," said Tiemann.

Eighteen months ago, he was in a rut.

"I was overweight and not really enjoying life. I was kind of depressed and missing out on fellowship and connection with other men, and I got drawn in because I wanted to shed a few pounds," said Tiemann.

Today, he's lost more than 20 pounds and gained lifelong friends.

"My cholesterol is better. My overall health has improved. You know, my wife and my family are saying, 'Hey, we see lots of positive improvements.' And it's just been a tremendous benefit to my overall health, emotional, psychological, physical, you name it, it's been [a] really positive impact," said Tiemann.

F3 stands for fitness, fellowship and faith. The national organization has chapters across the country and is growing.

"It's just a group of men supporting each other on a daily basis," said Tiemann.

"We're not in a religious organization. It's not any specific religious faith. But what it deals with more is understanding that there's a bigger world outside of us, and that we're called to, as men, to step up and serve and to engage with our communities," said F3 member Rob Hazlehurst.

They aim to inspire men to become leaders in their community by holding free outdoor workouts, led in a rotating fashion.

"We start at six in the morning, so it's still dark when we start, and we work out for about 45 minutes," Hazlehurst said.

Men are given a nickname, and each workout ends in a circle of trust.

"Opening up about things going on in everyone's lives, personal things are going on, people that, things that people would like support on, announcements, all of those kinds of things happen during that circle of trust," Hazlehurst said. "The men who are going through difficult times feel supported. They can share their concerns. They feel uplifted. So it's a very powerful time."

Outside of the workouts, F3 creates space for social and service activities.

"Fitness is the hook that pulls men in, but it's really about the leadership piece of it, and really helping men to live purposeful lives and engage their purpose actively and in whatever context suits them," said Tiemann. "Help them to be a better citizen in their community, more engaged, more involved, whether it's in their families, in their kids' schools, their businesses, whatever that is."

MSU professor and men's health expert Dr. Steve Rissman says spaces like this are important, with many men reporting feeling lonely. One government study says there are health impacts of that loneliness.

"That sense of loneliness, a sense of isolation, and that inability to talk about things," Rissman said. "Our connection with our deeper self, that a lot of men are really lacking."

At their loneliest, Rissman says some men turn to violence, directed at themselves or others, or join radical groups.

"If that group gives them attention, it's easy to be sucked in by that, and unfortunately, it sends some men down that very dark road," Rissman said.

Rissman says loneliness is not new for men, but now, as men's roles in society change, it can lead to more questions.

"How do we also allow men to show up fully as men?" Rissman said.

That's why Rissman says it's important men feel a sense of purpose, belonging and connection to other men.

"They want somebody to mentor them and to see who they are," Rissman said. "I think it's about a deeper connection to something and the deeper connection to purpose."

For these men, F3 is that space.

"It's an amazing experience to have guys that you can, you can lean on and trust with, you know, everything that's going on in your life, and know that they've got your back," said Tiemann.

You can find an F3 workout to join seven days a week anywhere across the country.