I owe a few of our Team Saturday champs a big apology. The black hole that is my to-do list keeps sucking my time and the Team Saturday blog post has been neglected. Not, puppy in a crate 22 hours a day with no water neglected...but it needs a little love.

THEREFORE. I hereby declare that this blog post is dedicated to our amazing Team Saturday champions of the last few weeks!

We have Ryan the Lion and Mark with their stunning New Year's Eve victory! They powered their way to victory in an AMrAP WOD of wall ball shots, kettlebell swings and HEAVY push presses. Well...heavy to us mere mortals.

AND THEN we have Sammi and Pete. They won Team Saturday way, way, way back in December too. Their victory came on a day with single arm kettlebell snatches, lateral hops and knees to elbows. One partner was holding a plate over their head while the other was working. And if you know anything about Pete and Sammi, you'll know that they can hold a plate over their heads for a long time. (Ok, I don't even know what that means)

Moving on to more recent champs, we have yesterday's winning team and the second place team that finished a mere 6 reps behind them - Josh and Neil (701) & RTL and Nick (695). I'm not really sure why Neil looks so unhappy....maybe it's because he's finally back to reality after his long vacation. We missed you Neil! This quartet of stud muffins battled for the belt yesterday in the pull-up, box jump, push press WOD. Great job you guys!

There is one more Team Saturday winning team that is still missing. I believe Sammi was on the winning team again last week, but I can't seem to find the picture! Don't worry though guys....as soon as I track it down I'll add it to the post.

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Every now and then a workout comes along that sets the new standard for "whiteboard groans". "Whiteboard groans" are the noise people make when they first glance at the board and see what the workout is. Usually named WODs have been the groan-getters, but yesterday was record setting!

100 kettlebell swings
80 wall ball shots
60 knees to elbows

Yep. One round of ALL THAT. Now before you get nervous, there are always scaling options at the Fort. As your coaches, it is our responsibility to ensure that you are taking on a work load that is appropriate for your current abilities. Scaling isn't "cheating" or "wimping out". It's simply adjusting the workout so that it is accessible to everyone, regardless of their athletic ability. Cuz let's be honest....My Mom probably shouldn't be doing the same number of kettlebell swings or wall ball shots as Pete. Even at a VERY light weight, this is going to be too many reps for someone like her and it opens a huge doorway to injury. Rhabdo is a scary and life threatening injury that can result from taking on too much work load too soon. Be smart. Scale smart. Live long and WOD!

(steps off soap box)

We are getting ready to place the order for the ladies Lululemon hoodies. If you have not already done so, please bring either $90 cash, or a check made out to cash to the Fort. We'll order these little beauties as soon as we have everyone's moola.

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Boy, if you thought clapping push-ups were hard, you should have been at the Fort yesterday! Our workout included "dynamic push-ups". You had the choice of either slapping your chest, clapping your hands, or driving up so your hands pop off the floor.

We had a bunch of people attempt these amazing push-ups. George got so high off the ground that he even got one FOOT off the floor. Drew did a great job with these too...which is totally shocking since he sucks at push-ups. (Ok, he's amazing!!!)

The workout was a 10:00 amrap of:
10 pull-ups
15 dynamic push-ups
20 anchored sit-ups

Kat did a great job with this workout. She's fresh out of ramp-up and she can already do unassisted pull-ups! Atta girl!

In case you missed it, there are a few upcoming events on the whiteboard. The first is our 3rd round of group karaoke at the Last Chance Saloon. Karaoke will be at 9PM this Saturday the 14th. There is also a sign up sheet for the snowshoeing outing. And since there is finally some of the fluffy white stuff on the ground, you should all be in the mood!

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I was looking at the picture of the whiteboard from yesterday and I realized that we might as well have just circled the WHOLE BOARD. Almost everyone got a new backsquat PR! Here are all the people who PR'd yesterday:

Trish, Nicole, Jamie, Ashley, Jack, Jamie, Karri, EJ, RTL, Catherine, Mike B, Heather, Steve, Sam, Kinsy, Jenni, Scott, Shaffer, Coral, Sammi, Bad Tiffany, Julie, Lori, B-Rad, BOA, Sarah, Ryan, Brad, Andy and Ron.

Quite honestly, there could have been more PR's, because there were a lot of people who didn't write their numbers on the board. To all of you who rode the PR train yesterday - congratulations!

The WOD yesterday was:

5 rounds for max reps
:30 clean & jerk (60/40kg)
:30 rest
:30 box jumps (24/20")
:30 rest

Ron finished his last class of ramp-up last night with this little workout and he did great!  While I was acting as Ron's spirit guide I also got to watch Andy and Brad do this together. The best part of getting to watch them partnered up is how much encouragement they offer to each other. Just when you think you can't jump on that box one.more.time....they're right there in your ear willing you to make your legs move!

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Guess who coached the morning classes yesterday - THIS GIRL! It's been a very long time since I had the pleasure of coaching in the AM, so this was quite the treat. The strength work yesterday was 2-3 press, followed by a single weighted pull-up. When I looked at the weights from the GYG I just had to shake my head. Next to Garth's name was the following set of numbers:

30kg - 51kg

Meaning, Garth got a 30kg pull up and then attempted a 51kg pull-up. You gotta love the confidence Garth has. I mean, our record board has Drew in the top spot with his 51kg pull-up...and Garth just decides he's going to go for it! Love ya Garth.

The WOD was:

10:00 AMRAP
15 knees to elbows
10 dumbbell renegade rows

These sneaky little rows were an amazingly good workout for your core. While they might appear to be all about arm strength, you guys quickly realized there was a good amount of midline stabilization going on!

I have to give a shout out to Kelly Miller. She has some pretty severe mobility limitations in one arm, but she still went through this workout like a trooper! I could see the effort written all over her face. Best part about Kelly - she has never ONCE complained that something was too hard. Keep up the good work Kelly!

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These little morsels are the most delicious yet horrifyingly ugly thing I have ever eaten. Hence, the name Yummy Uglies. If you're looking for a chocolatey treat without breaking the bank on your carbs, then this is the treat you've been waiting for!

Ingredients

1 bar (100g) 90% dark chocolate (Lindt)
8oz unsalted butter
3 T Heavy Whipping Cream
2T Honey
2tsp Vanilla extract

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat over VERY low heat until chocolate and butter are melted. Pour into ice cube trays (you'll need 2) and place in freezer until solidified.

They won't get real hard in the freezer because of all the saturated fat in them, but they'll stay nice and cold. When they're solidified, simply float the trays in a little warm water for about 3 minutes, and pop them out of the trays using a butter knife.

Each little morsel has 132 calories, 13g fat, 3.5g carbs and 0.7g protein.

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Can you believe our Fort has been around for 4 years?! Man, if there's anything worth celebrating, it's THAT!

Following our annual tradition we will once again be traveling down to Chicago to dine at Fogo De Chao. This is an all you can eat Brazilian Steak house. Mmmmmmmm....meat....

This event is open to all our members, and the special people in their lives. Date night! Please RSVP in the comments so we can get a head count.

Date: February 4th
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Fogo De Chao in Chicago

Last year we had a school bus to drive us downtown. We're looking into other transportation...possibly with a bathroom. (we will not discuss specific events which led to this necessity) I'll keep you posted on possible group transportation.

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