Head Coach Josh explains the strength goals for the upcoming training cycle.

Head Coach Josh gives us some great progression options to get really proficient at our Push Ups and Dips.

Head Coach Josh introduces our Push-Up and Dip program. It’s very minimal volume but, when done consistently, will yield amazing results.

Head Coach Josh explains the difference in our types of Workouts – Practice and Competition – and how to approach each.

In this introductory video, Coach Matt explains why we give preference to variance for athletes with busy work and family lives.

Bottom line: Variance Maximizes Results.

“Finishing Last” is an editorial series by Christina Crumpecker, MD. Check out Christi’s Featured Athlete profile here. 

Finishing Last: Reasons Why I Can’t Go to CrossFit Today

I’m the girl who spent months stuck in Fundamentals classes. I’m the one who took week-long “breaks” from the gym.

I had every excuse in the book for not making it to CrossFit Memorial Hill for regular classes. And it’s not that I didn’t want to go or didn’t like the place; there just always seemed to be something getting in the way. So I wrote a list of that stuff and made plans for how to address it. That has helped me turn the corner and get myself in to the gym. Maybe you’ll see something familiar here.  Maybe you have something to add. Maybe you’ve never been affected by any of these reasons for not making it to CrossFit, and if so, good for you!

But I think most of us have at least one reason in common for not walking in the door today…

8. Shoes and shakes and wrist wraps

Why does everybody have so much stuff? Because they’ve been at this for a while and know (or are figuring out) what they need to get the most out of their workout.

Do you need all that stuff to start CrossFit? Nope.

I’ve been going for months in the same beat-up pair of running shoes. They serve me just fine for now. As does plain water for hydration. It took me a while, but I did come around to a mostly Paleo eating plan—after asking lots of questions and a bunch of dietary trial-and-error. I got interested in wrist wraps after a coach let me borrow his for a workout when I recognized that this was a weak point for me.  Ask questions about the equipment people are using. They are more than happy to tell you what works for them and where they found it.  Gradually you’ll figure out what you need to support your body’s needs.

But you don’t need anything special to start.

Nor do you need to eat a particular way or drink anything special (even the Kool Aid). You just need to show up.

In our final of the 5-part Nutrition series, we look at Zone. Zone is the official nutrition plan taught at the Level-1 seminars by CrossFit.

In a nutshell, Zone applies our rules of macros into a very codified system of weighing and measuring. It takes the guesswork out of understanding macros and, after a bit of practice, you can begin to eyeball an appropriately proportioned meal.

Here’s what we’re looking at for Zone “blocks”

• 1 Protein block = 7g
• 1 Carb block = 9g
• 1 Fat block = 1.5g

For some sample meals and foods, we recommend  you check out this list.

“Finishing Last” is an editorial series by Christina Crumpecker, MD. Check out Christi’s Featured Athlete profile here. 

Finishing Last: Reasons Why I Can’t Go to CrossFit Today

I’m the girl who spent months stuck in Fundamentals classes. I’m the one who took week-long “breaks” from the gym.

I had every excuse in the book for not making it to CrossFit Memorial Hill for regular classes. And it’s not that I didn’t want to go or didn’t like the place; there just always seemed to be something getting in the way. So I wrote a list of that stuff and made plans for how to address it. That has helped me turn the corner and get myself in to the gym. Maybe you’ll see something familiar here.  Maybe you have something to add. Maybe you’ve never been affected by any of these reasons for not making it to CrossFit, and if so, good for you!

But I think most of us have at least one reason in common for not walking in the door today…

7. I’m scared to try (and fail)

True story: even before I had my most recent knee surgery, I couldn’t do a box jump. Or I should say, I wouldn’t. I mentally just could not get myself there. For right now, I have a physical excuse that prevents me from trying, but not for much longer. I’m going to be the girl who practices jumping to a single plate, then two stacked plates…until I finally get there.

It may take me a while. But now I’m looking forward to trying.

It’s a goal I have set for myself for this year, and slowly moving that direction is one of the things that brings me in the gym every week. I didn’t always feel this way. Going to CrossFit seemed like an overwhelming opportunity to embarrass myself—from not knowing which one is the slam ball, to dropping an empty barbell on the floor my first day, to still not knowing what hang power clean (is that even a thing?) means exactly. Not knowing how to get my body to do it correctly even if I know what it is.

But I’ve learned that you can ask anybody and they’re happy to tell you, even show you.

And you will see people constantly try and “fail” at CrossFit –a new snatch PR, a string of double unders, a higher box jump. This is a perfectly acceptable and even embraced part of the culture. It’s working your weakness. The only way to get better is to keep trying.

Sabrena gives us the low down in Nutrition Week Day 4 on MyPlate. For those that don’t know, MyPlate has replaced the Food Guide Pyramid as the official dietary guidelines of the USDA.

We’ll take a look at how MyPlate fits into our rules on Macronutrients and calorie intake as well as how it differs from other philosophies we’ve explored so far.

References:

• http://choosemyplate.gov
• https://www.supertracker.usda.gov