It's almost as if Bill wrote yesterday's workout just so that I couldn't participate. Harumph!

7 rounds for time of:
7 burpees
7 broad jumps (7'/5')
7 box jumps (24/20")

See? It's just a list of the things I can't do. Add "7 minutes on mini-trampoline" to that list, and it'll be complete.

Even though I couldn't play yesterday, you guys did GREAT! We have some pretty amazing broad jumpers at the Fort. In fact, the GYG added a new record to the board for "longest broad jump". Brandon Harvey took the top spot for the early risers by leaping an amazing 98-1/2 inches! Nice work!

We had our most recent ramp-up-ers finish last night, and I'm so proud of you guys! Dan, Ashley and Paul - WELCOME TO THE FORT FAMILY!!

Ladies - don't forget that tonight is Warrior Women Wednesday! We'll be playing with kettle bells tonight and learning how to do Turkish Get-ups. Ooooooooh, fancy.

[Read more →]

Some people just like to be challenged. And if you're Tommy Mo, "Challenged" means "going heavy". While the rest of you were busy swinging your 24kg kettle bells, he went for the ole 32kg! Great job Tommy!

The workout yesterday was:
3 rounds of
10 toes to bar
15 pull-ups
20 KB swings (24/16kg)

This workout was a real grip burner! You were basically hanging onto something for the entire workout.

Toes to bar can be interesting, especially if you're somewhat new to the movement. I know Alicia was not madly in love with T2B at the beginning of the WOD, but by the end, she had her feet almost all the way up to the bar! Atta girl!

Another big "Atta girl" goes out to Special J for her triumphant return! We haven't seen her in a while, so when she walked through the door it was a WONDERFUL surprise! I'm thinking about re-naming her "Smart J". She has these studious glasses that she wears now.

ANNOUNCEMENT! We are planning the next paleo breakfast for Saturday, January 29th at 10AM. Come one, come all, as it's sure to be another spectacular spread of paleo goodies!

[Read more →]

How many times have you been asked over the last few days what your New Year's resolution is? 5? 10? I have been asked no less than 15 times by different people if I have any New Year's resolutions. Initially I told myself that resolutions are stupid, and don't apply to me. I am in a constant state of self-improvement, and I set goals for myself ALL YEAR LONG. There's no need to see a new date on my calendar just to set goals, right?

I have spent the last few days reflecting on where I'm at in my life, and the things I want to accomplish. This is the first time in my life that I can remember that almost ALL of my goals....are goals centered around other people. I would like to formally dedicate 2011 to YOU GUYS....my CrossForters. 2011 is the year of being the best coach I can be so that you can reach your goals.

My resolutions to you includes both things that I am going to do, and things that I am NOT going to do. I am going to leave behind some of the bullshit, as well as strive to incorporate new goodness. Feel free to add to my list of resolutions in the comments! I'd love to hear from you guys how you think we can improve the Fort and our coaching.

In 2011 I will:

Bring enthusiasm to every class I coach.
Grow our Fort to 200 members.
Continue planning regular outings so we never lose our amazing community.
Watch K-Star's MWOD series every day so I can pass along his knowledge.
Be relentless. I will demand full range of motion and good form.
Finish my paleo cookbook even if it kills me.
Keep CrossFit Fire a place where whole families can come and get in shape and have fun.
Organize more frequent clinics and discussions on specialty topics to help you guys.

In 2011 I will NO LONGER:

Let setting goals take a back burner.
Be afraid to over scale someone's workout.
Passively let someone stop showing up for a week without first hearing an explanation.
Let someone use injury as an excuse to stop training.
Only give half the information because I think it might be "boring".

[Read more →]

2010 was a great year for CrossFit Fire. Not only did we get all kinds of cool new toys, but we also saw a huge increase in our members! Thank you to each of you for helping Bill and I grow our business! Your love of the Fort is what has made it successful. Hugs to every one of you!

Our New Year's Eve workout was a repeat from black Friday. Some of you set big PR's even though we just did this workout a month ago!

21-15-9
box jumps (20")
burpees
ball slams (30/20lb)

The goal time for this workout was a meager 5:00 or less. If you had to scale in order to reach that goal, no problem! If you miss a box jump, no problem! If you get beat by Sam who MIGHT have still been drunk, no problem!

[Read more →]

Yesterday the 1,000 meter record board saw a LOT of re-arranging. Our workout yesterday incorporated an amazing 1,000 meter row to get things started, and you guys absolutely KILLED it! I'll admit, the rowing at the beginning was quite sneaky. Mark, who is visiting us from Tucson, remarked that this was the HARDEST workout he has ever had to do. Considering what a great athlete he is, Bill takes that as a compliment.

With 6:00 on the clock, row 1,000 meters and rest the remainder. AND THEN
6:00 AMRAP of:
15 overhead squats (60/40kg)
15 pull-ups

After making your legs nice and jello-ey, those overhead squats proved to be quite a challenge. Neil started out at the prescribed weight, but he quickly decided to remove a 5kg plate from either side. (I considered doing the same thing, so don't feel bad)

We had a fabulous surprise yesterday too! Jake and Holly stopped by for a visit! We miss you, Holly!

[Read more →]

As some of you know, my midwife has given me some STRICT workout guidelines. I'm allowed to do anything except...BOUNCING. Pretty harsh guidelines for a woman in my delicate condition, don't you think?

It's a good thing I was taking a rest day yesterday, because lateral hops DEFINITELY look like bouncing. Some of the classes did high box jumps, but the later classes hopped laterally over a paralette. Your WODFather wanted you to challenge yourself, so the idea was to choose height that was nice and tall.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
push-ups
sit-ups

At the beginning of each set, do 2 lateral hops over your paralette. Be careful on the way down though, as those paralettes can be sneaky. Sometimes they put themselves directly under your feet when you're  not looking. We had to lay to rest 3 of our beloved pieces of PVC after some unfortunately landings. Rest in peace.

[Read more →]

Does everyone know that Heather offers massage therapy at the Fort? It's real easy to get a fantastic massage. Just set up a time to meet with Heather, and she'll bring everything she needs to the upstairs office at the Fort. What could be more relaxing than getting a massage to the soothing sounds of people working out??

The workout yesterday was DT, which is a HEAVY workout.

5 rounds of:
12 deadlifts (70/50kg)
9 hang power cleans
6 jerks

As many of you now know, this workout is a grip stealer. You'll fly through your first three rounds with the greatest of ease, but somewhere in the middle of your 4th round your hands won't want to hang onto the bar anymore. OUCH. Poor Heather had a massage scheduled after her morning workout. Can you imagine her aching forearms?!

We saw some new additions to our men's record board. Ryan Z was SO CLOSE to taking the top spot with his amazing time of 8:27. Charlie knocked Zachamole off the board with his time of 10:02. Great job you guys! Some of our ladies set HUGE PR's on this workout! Kirsten went through at 30kg's (which is 5kg's heavier than last time) and she beat her old time by 2:00. Hannah went through this workout at 40kg's and finished WAY faster than her old time too! The best part was that right as she was finishing she had the bar on her shoulders and she says, "LAST ONE!" so I was ready for her to call time.

If you're lucky, maybe some day we'll capture the "Brian's here" dance on film. It's quite amazing.

[Read more →]