December 26th, 2011, by Jennie · 3 Comments
This recipe is so easy and delicious that I make it for my family over and over again!
Ingredients
1-1/4 tsp paprika
1 T salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp ground cayenne
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 T olive oil
1 (3lb) beef tip roast (hint, look for the roast with the netting around it)
Directions
Mix all seasonings and olive oil in a small bowl. Allow mixture to settle for 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with foil, place roast on foil, and coat all sides with mixture.
Roast 1 hour and 20 minutes at 350 degrees, or until internal temperature reads at least 145 degrees.
Let sit 15 minutes before slicing, or until you get too hungry to wait any longer. Once sliced, pour pan drippings back onto meat before serving.
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December 25th, 2011, by Jennie · 2 Comments
We had a great turnout for our Christmas Eve WOD, and what a great way to get ready to spend quality time with your families!? 
In teams of 3, complete:
15:00 AMRAP of:
3 power cleans
6 push-ups
9 air squats
5:00 REST
15:00 AMRAP of:
5 pull-ups
10 burpees
Only one person could be working at a time and once you started a round you had to complete it individually.
I have to give a big shout out to my girl Sammi - she did all her sets of pull-ups unbroken! WOO HOO! Another big shout goes out to Special J. She has finally made a triumphant return to the Fort and this was her 2nd WOD since she's been back. At one point she was staring off into space and leaning against the wall, but deep inside I think she was LOVING her workout.
Our winning team was Sammi, Josh and Mark!
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December 24th, 2011, by Jennie · 4 Comments
Boy, talk about a fun Friday! We started our day off with a great WOD and a HUGE 9AM class! 18 of us all crammed into the Fort to do this little WOD:
8 Rounds for max Reps:
:30 Russian KB Swings (24/16)
:30 Rest
:30 DB Push Press
:30 Rest
Every year the number of holiday visitors grows and grows. This is a true testament to how great the Fort is....people come from all over the country to spend time with family and while they're here they can feel right at home working out with the amazing people at the Fort. Big thanks to all our members for being so welcoming, and to our visitors for coming and spending time with us! Hope to see you again next year!
The Friday WOD was fun, but not NEARLY as fun as the Friday evening festivities! We warmed up our singing voices, practiced our dance moves and headed out to Karaoke at the Last Chance Saloon. We had an even bigger turnout this time and it was amazing! The highlight of the night was definitely o
ur new friend Pam. She was a stunning performer who left us all speechless and giggling. These events aren't just for people who sing - they're for everyone to come out and have fun! I'm going to try and find a place that has Karaoke on Saturday nights for our January outing.
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December 23rd, 2011, by Jennie · Comments Off
I want to thank the 7PM class for being my sanity break. Yesterday all I heard for 6 hours was "wa, wa, wa!". Brady has been working on 3 new teeth in the last week, and I was going out of my mind. Thank you guys for letting me tell you about my amazingly hard day with the baby - you guys were either TRAPPED and forced to listen because we were warming up, or you all REALLY DO care. I'd like to believe it's the latter.
The workout yesterday was tiny bit intimidating on the whiteboard:
1000m row
then
5 rounds
5 power cleans (60/40kg)
10 box jumps (30/24")
then
800m run
The scaling options didn't help much either - the A's were still rowing and running the same distances, but their rounds of power cleans and box jumps were cut back to 3. Hmm.....800m run? 1000m row? Those things scare people, but it was great to see everyone pushing themselves and going through it! Sometimes in the gym there comes a time when you just have to suck it up and do the stuff that scares you!
Just in case you think Nicole's rowing workouts are only making her better at rowing, you're dead wrong. Believe it or not, Nicole had the fastest prescribed time of the day yesterday for the ladies AND the men! She has been rowing 20-30,000 meters a week and that has given her endurance that is enviable. Great work yesterday everyone!
Big shout goes out to Kat, Jeanine and Chelsea who all finished ramp-up yesterday. Glad to have you as part of the Fort family! Keep your eyes peeled for Ms. Kat....she can already do unassisted pull-ups!
HAPPY DAY! The new sweatshirts have arrived!!! Also, if you'd like to join us, we are going out to do a little karaoke tonight. Dinner at the Vine in Grayslake at 7PM followed by Karaoke at The Last Chance Saloon at 9PM. Karaoke starts at 9PM, but I made a reservation for a group of tables under my name at 8:30PM. Hope to see you, and your singing voices, there!
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December 22nd, 2011, by Jennie · 1 Comment
In life, there are times to use a kleenex, and times to blow your nose on your sleeve....a time for talking quietly and a time for shouting....a time for strict sit-ups, and a time for anchoring your feet! Yesterday was one of those times. (that didn't make much sense, did it?)
4 Rounds of:
3 Snatches (85% of 1RM)
15 Pull-ups
30 Anchored Sit-ups
Why do we like anchored sit-ups? Well, they change the movement just slightly. With your feet weighted down, it allows you to "pull" on the dumbbells with the tops of your feet. This makes the sit-ups a little less abs heavy and a little more hip flexor heavy. Why do we care about hip flexors? Simply put, because they are the boss of EVERYTHING. Your hip flexors help you jump, run, sit criss-cross-apple-sauce, and even swing a kettle bell. Trust me....you WANT strong and explosive hip flexors!
I heard some exciting news - Nick Elkin got his first muscle-up! WOO HOO! If you've met Nick, then you can appreciate how hard a bodyweight movement like this would be for him. Nick's a badass and he's super strong....like on his own planet strong. I can remember when Nick first started at the Fort. He was a self proclaimed "power lifter" and he told me he needed to get in better shape. He could move lots of weight....once or twice.....but he couldn't do pull-ups and his engine was severely lacking. These days he's doing prescribed workouts, dominating pull-ups, and now my little guy is all grown up and has a muscle-up! Sniff.....sniff.....they grow up so fast!
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December 21st, 2011, by Jennie · Comments Off
Yep, "more fitter"...that's how you say it. I would know, I own a GYM. DUH!
We repeated a WOD from early October and the improvements were pretty amazing!
3 Sets for Max Reps/Calories of:
1:00 Row (calories)
:20 Rest
1:00 Burpees
:20 Rest
1:00 Push Press (40/30)
3:20 Rest
With a workout like this, the work periods are short enough so that you can work continuously throughout the entire time. Let's be honest, the 20 second rest is just enough so that you can rotate to the next station.
I worked at the same station with Heather and I have to say she did AMAZING! With the CrossFit Open right around the corner, I'd watch out for her to do some impressive things!
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December 19th, 2011, by Jennie · 2 Comments
I don't know why it took me so long to get this recipe up on the blog, but here it is....my world famous paleo chili! You'll love it's delicious bacon flavor and its' filling, meaty goodness. Enjoy!
1lb ground pork sausage
12 pieces of bacon (bite size pieces)
3 stalks celery (chopped)
1 medium red onion (chopped)
5 cloves garlic (minced)
3T chili powder
1T ground cumin
1T ancho chili powder
2tsp Italian seasoning
1T smoked paprika
1c beef broth
29oz petite diced tomatoes (drained)
29oz tomato sauce
1 poblano pepper (chopped, remove seeds to desired level of spiciness)
In large pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crisp, stirring occasionally. Once the bacon is browned, add the garlic, onions, pepper, chili powder, cumin, chipotle chili powder, italian seasoning, and smoked paprika and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook until the vegetables are tender and seasonings are aromatic.
Add the beef and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once beef is broken up and beginning to brown, add the pork. Break up with wooden spoon like the beef, and brown, until no longer pink, roughly 4 minutes. Stir in the beef broth. Toss together, then add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Transfer to crock pot, and cook for many, many hours until delicious. You can crack the lid slightly to let the chili thicken. Salt and pepper to taste.
(if you don't have a pan big enough, I'll brown the meat separate from the veggies and bacon, and then just throw it all in the crock pot together.)
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