Newsletter

Good Morning,

The Hill Games have been a blast, don’t you think? Thank you for embracing our fun competition so whole-heartedly. The entire coaching staff has been very impressed by everyone’s dedication and enthusiasm. Keep up the hard work!

You may have noticed that Specialty Classes have taken a break during the Hill Games. We wanted to give everyone the opportunity to focus on the Open, and it’s paid off.

We will resume Specialty Classes the week after the Open (3/30-4/3) with an Open House week: you will be able to try out any number of Specialty Classes for free that entire week. As we prepare that week’s menu, we’d like your input.

To best serve you, we’ve put together this little surveyto see what type of Specialty Class would interest you the most. Please take two minute to fill out this survey. Your feedback will make certain that we do what’s best for you.

If you have any specific questions, please hit reply to this very email. I’m always happy to chat. Thank you.

Best,

Matt Scanlon

Announcements

Fundamentals classes are now offered in the morning!… We are now offering free trial and fundamentals classes at 7 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays (& Saturdays at 10 AM.) If you or a friend have been waiting for morning slots to open up at The Hill, now’s your chance! Sign up before classes fill up. 

New Paleo Grab’n’Go Lunches for you to enjoy… Check out these delicious homemade meals for only $7. Dishes include smoked turkey, smoked ham and flank steak. Great for any meal of the day!

Featured Athlete: Jay Fleer

We are proud to introduce you to this month’s Featured Athlete, Jay Fleer. Jay is a father, husband, police detective and CrossFit athlete. He is an incredibly hard worker and loves working out with his 6 AM workout family. Learn more about Jay in this video, at our blog and in this podcast.

The Hill Radio with Eduardo Quintero

On baloncesto, cupcaking and honing your competitive edge

Eduardo Quintero played point guard for the National Team of Mexico and professional basketball in Germany.  He will occasionally drop in as a ringer in recreational leagues, but for the most part, his competitive career is over. In today’s podcast we learn how Eduardo transitioned from elite athletics into CrossFit and how he still manages to stay on top of his game as a busy professional.

Fit 9 to 5: Your job is awesome, sitting is not

Do you suffer from low back pain? Is sitting all day at work cramping your style? In our brand new videos “Why standing desks?” and “How to set up your first standing desk”  Matt Scanlon explains how you can change your life for the better by getting on your feet and off your butt.

That’s all for now. Have a wonderful Tuesday and we’ll see you at The Hill soon!

Hello

Have you had a chance to check out our new website? It’s pretty sweet. We are working hard to be your one stop shop for all things health and fitness, make sure you follow our re-vamped Twitter feed as well. If there is ever anything you’d like to learn more about, please let us know in person or by replying to this email. In fact…

What topics or questions would you like to hear covered on The Hill Radio? To respond, hit reply to this email with your questions or topics or fill out this Google Form anonymously. We’ve covered all sorts of fun stuff and now we want to know what you want to know.

Have a great week and enjoy The Open this weekend!

Cheers,

The Hill Coaches

Announcements

Fundamentals classes are now offered in the morning!… We are now offering free trial and fundamentals classes at 7 AM on Tuesdays and Thursdays (& Saturdays at 10 AM.) If you or a friend have been waiting for morning slots to open up at The Hill, now’s your chance! Sign up before classes fill up. 

Free Mobility Class the last Saturday of every month from 11 AM – 12 PM… Bands, balls and stretches, oh my! Come work out all of your kinks and learn a ton of new ways to get loosey goosey.

You can now receive text message alerts from The Hill… Make sure your cell phone number is updated in Wodify to receive important alerts, announcements and updates via text.

New Paleo Grab’n’Go Lunches for you to enjoy… Check out these delicious homemade meals for only $7. Dishes include smoked turkey, smoked ham and flank steak. Great for any meal of the day!

Featured Athlete: Jay Fleer

We are proud to introduce you to this month’s Featured Athlete, Jay Fleer. Jay is a father, husband, police detective and CrossFit athlete. He is an incredibly hard worker and loves working out with his 6 AM workout family. Learn more about Jay in this video, at our blog and in a soon to be released podcast.

The Hill Games

We will run the Open Workout all day Friday, with special heats running that evening from 5-7 PM. Come cheer on your team, everyone is welcome!

The Hill Radio featuring Mark Nuss

On rolling around on the floor with your kids, smoking meat and putting others before yourself

Mark Nuss is a busy man: father, husband, banker, volunteer and CrossFit Athlete. In this week’s podcast we learn how and why he prioritizes his own health and wellness with a very hectic schedule.

Coach’s Corner

Do they really get up this way in Turkey? Turkish get ups are a great way to strengthen and mobilize your shoulders, if you do them right.

That’s all for now. Have a wonderful Tuesday and we’ll see you at The Hill soon!

Hello

The first week of the CrossFit Games Open is upon us and The Hill Games are in full swing! We look forward to seeing all the teams come out in full force.

We have a bit of a challenge for you: use the next five weeks as an opportunity to nail down your fit and healthy lifestyle. There is no better time than now to commit to the positive changes you’ve been waiting to make.

To whatever degree possible, plan your week around performing well at the Open Workouts. Eat well, get a lot of sleep, manage your stress levels, attend class regularly… you know, all those things you want to be doing anyway.

Now is the perfect time to take it to the next level because you have the support of your team backing you up! Help and encourage others the same way you want to be helped and encouraged and we are all sure to have a fabulous and fun Open Season.

Cheers,

The Hill Coaches

Announcements

From Matt Scanlon, to any dedicated runner or cyclist: For this year’s “Endurance Class” I’m looking for some runners and cyclists to lead a weekly long interval. The ride/runs will meet at The Hill at 10:30 AM every Saturday for 1 hour of long-interval work.

Ideally, we’d have 4 cyclists & 4 runners rotate Saturdays each month for the 3 month season. We’ll provide programming, you provide inspiration. Email me at matt@crossfitmemorialhill.com if you’re interested in leading a group.

It’s not too late to sign up for Accelerated Fat Loss… Class starts this Thursday, get it on all the fun and finally see the results you deserve. If you have any questions, email sabrenamerrill@gmail.com.

New Paleo Grab’n’Go Lunches for you to enjoy… Check out these delicious homemade meals for only $7. Dishes include smoked turkey, smoked ham and flank steak. Great for any meal of the day!

Note: Specialty classes will resume after the Open…

The Hill Games

We will run the Open Workout all day Friday, with special heats running that evening from 5-7 PM. Come cheer on your team, everyone is welcome!

The Hill Radio featuring Adam Lamb

On coaching youth soccer, bringing the best out of others and your local pub

Over the next few weeks you’re gonna hear a lot more podcasts featuring awesome members of our community. You’ll love our talk with Adam. Not only does he have brilliant thoughts on coaching and selflessness, he also has a sweet British accent!

Coach’s Corner

All right, fess up, are you guilty of performing sloppy wallballs from time to time? Coach Josh is here to tell you why you should clean up this fundamental movement to protect yourself, and improve your scores.

That’s all for now. Have a wonderful Tuesday and we’ll see you at The Hill soon!

EVENTS, EVENTS, EVENTS.

Seriously, now’s the time to really get involved with your fellow awesome-sauce members at The Hill. Here’s the run-down:

Saturday, January 31st Noon-1PM — Nutrition Lunch and Learn
This is a brief, casual seminar focused on nutrition, macro-nutrients, eating for performance, & eating for fat loss. This is NOT a how-to-cook-Paleo food lesson. If you’re interested in your nutrition this year, you need to be here. Reserve a spot NOW!

Saturday, February 14th, Noon-2PM — Partner Play Yoga with Sabrena and Lisa
This is their 3rd time hosting a partner yoga session and it is guaranteed to be a great time. You don’t need to be a yogi or have a partner to attend. This will be a great start to a fun-filled day with your sweetheart or a light-hearted first date with someone you just met on [insert dating app]. Join the Facebook group or, email Sabrena to reserve your spot.

Feb. 23rd – Mar 28th — The Hill Games
Join an intramural team for this year’s CrossFit Games Open. Your coaches and fellow members have all volunteered their time for 5 weeks to make this an open, free event. There will be three levels at which to compete, so EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE. For those that were around during the Open last year, you know how fun this will be. Join the Facebook group or email me to enter the draft.

FEATURED ATHLETE – Mark Nuss

Typically when the coaches all chat about who we’ll nominate for a month’s featured athlete, I’ll shoot that person an email & ask them some questions that I think pertain to them, their career, and family and how it all relates to The Hill. This month I’ve selfishly decided that, instead of letting Mark answer questions about himself, I’d attempt to take all the incredible things said by and about Mark and put them out there. But first, I’d like to let all who don’t know him get a feel for his attitude:

DOUBLE UNDER CHALLENGE

It’s time to get those Double-Unders! 2 weeks left in the challenge – upload a video to our Facebook page with you doing 10, 40, 100, or 150 unbroken double unders to get your name in a drawing for a free t-shirt or other awesome prize. If you’re in there for one level, you can move up to the next to get in there a 2nd time. If you got 150… let’s see 200.

Come have an awesome lunch, meet some awesome people, and learn a little more about a nutrition plan best suited for your goals! Chef Caleb & Jason from Evolve Paleo Chef will be at the Hill!

Evolve Personal Paleo Chef from Lifted Logic Kansas City Design on Vimeo.

When: January 31st, 2015 12:00pm-1:00pm

Where: CrossFit Memorial Hill 2535 Jefferson KCMO 64108

Who: This is open to both members and anyone else in the community who is interested in learning a little bit more about nutrition.

Cost: $10 (lunch is included)

Feb. 23rd – Mar. 28th

Purpose

#TheHill30

Every year leading up to this time, I’m asked if the gym will be doing any sort of “challenge.” I love challenges; physical, mental, professional, ect. In the instance of a nutrition “challenge,” people typically will do 30 days of a strict version of a diet: paleo, clean eating, zone, etc. I think these challenges have a great place for people who have never played around with clean eating. It’s a great opportunity to see how great you feel and how well you perform.

For myself and for The Hill, 2015 is the year of sustainability. We’ve stripped down all of our programming, products, coaching, and business administration to it’s most basic principles and asked ourselves: “What does this look like in 20 years?” How can we program and approach fitness in an integrated system that ushers our athletes into retirement strong, healthy, and able to enjoy a life of independence and wellness? What does a healthy workplace look like? How can we promote a sustainable nutrition practice? How do we give athletes the tools they need to succeed physically, mentally, and professionally?

Because of this, we’re putting out #TheHill30 on our Facebook Page all this month. Your coaches will each submit a short tip or nugget of information that they’ve learned from a challenge they’ve done or from spending thousands of hours coaching athletes. These are the things we’ve made habit over years or even decades. So, take what you want; throw away what you don’t. But, I strongly encourage each of you to take away something from this month that will build your wellness landscape for the next 20, 30, or 50 years.

The Hill-Cast

If you’ve yet to check out The Hill-Cast, do so RIGHT NOW. We sit down with your coaches and fellow athletes to chat nutrition, training, specialty programs, and what makes them tick.

Do you have a topic you’d like covered? Email: Kyle@crossfitmemorialhill.com and let him know!

Last Call for Specialty Classes!!!

In case you missed it the first time, check out the Specialty Class FAQ and follow the links to sign up.

Looking for a nutrition or training jump-start?

This year we’re expanding into personal training packages. This can be in the form of nutritional consultations, some specialty training, or just a good ole kick in the butt. A free 20 minute planning consultation is included when you get a 4- or 8- session package. Fill out the form here to get more info. 

Be cool in ’15

Remember the first time you stepped foot in CrossFit? Super intimidating, right? Well, now you’re a CrossFit badass that knows where the jump ropes and J-Cups are and how to do barbell math.

This time of year, we’ll see a bunch of new faces around the gym. Be cool to them. Introduce yourself, partner up with them, and…well…be cool. You guys are all incredible people to work with on a daily basis. Share that awesomeness.

Also, while you’re at it, pass along that referral card to a friend. Everyone has a resolution this year; let’s make this the year of results.

Thanks!

Happy Holidays!!!

From your entire coaching staff at CrossFit Memorial Hill we’d like to extend our warmest wishes for a joy-filled holiday season and a Happy Healthy New Year to you all. By now you’ve probably been contacted by coach Bri for your mailing address to get a gift sent out. If you haven’t arranged this, please email Brianna@CrossFitMemorialHill.com

The Hill-Cast

We’ve started Podcasting!!! Check us out for some awesome info and funny stories about CrossFit, our training history, coffee, nutrition, and putting meat into a Vita-Mix. Please subscribe and enjoy! New episode every Tuesday.

Better Know a Coach – Al

Programming in 2015

If you’re interested in any of these programs, please use the following links to sign up (this is for the entire 8 week program, not monthly):

The Hill Strength Club — 2 Programmed classes/week + 1 programmed Open Gym Monday & Wednesday @ 5:45 pm

Iron Hill Women’s Strength — 1 Programmed class/week + 1 programmed Open Gym Monday 6:45 pm & Wednesday 6:00 am

Welcome Back Sabrena!!!

If you haven’t yet had a chance to meet Sabrena, it’s time to change that!

Open Gym

After polling several of our members regarding Open Gym, I received common feedback: 1. I never know what to do, and 2. None of the times work for my unpredictable schedule. This year, we’re looking to solve both of those problems.

In 2015, we will open up 20 hours/week of staffed Open Gym time. This will be a time to come in and get some specific programming from a coach to work on your own or as a way to get a workout in around an unpredictable schedule. This time will only be open to CFMH members.

As of right now, these times look something like this:
Mon & Wed: 8a-noon
Tu & Thurs: 1p-4:45p
Fri: 1p-3p
Mon-Th: 6:45p-7:45p

This expanded Open Gym time will be included with any specialty programs (Iron Hill, The Hill Strength Club, etc.) for which you’re participating and will be an additional $10/month for anyone else on an Unlimited Group Membership. Saturday 10a-noon will not be included in the expanded times & will remain a part of your Group Membership at no additional cost.

Upcoming Events and Holiday Schedule

January 3rd, 2015 9:00AM — Kansas City’s Fittest comes to CrossFit Memorial Hill for the 9am WOD. Follow KC’s Fittest on Facebook for more updates. This event is free and open to the public.

Please check your class schedule, your Wodify app, or our Holiday Closings for any schedule changes.

A thank you.

It’s around the holidays that we begin to reflect on the previous year. It’s been a wild ride. It was in 2014 that I left a steady job, a retirement plan, healthcare, a bonus, PTO, and a 40 hour work week. It was a really scary decision that caused many restless nights and endless trepidation. My only regret during that time was how long it took me to turn to a community for support.

Whatever excitement and fear 2015 holds for you, my only hope is that you look around at your community for support. Every day you walk in the gym, you’re doing more than sweating with strangers. You’re experiencing life with other people. Take solace in the thought that everyone walks through the same door with just as much baggage as you.

Whatever your resolution for 2015, make it a shared one. Experience your health and wellness with like-minded friends who won’t judge or scoff at your goals. Lift each other up. Praise the positive. Give thanks.

Thanks for allowing myself and all your coaches at The Hill to be a part of your 2014.

Cheers to a new year!

Matt.

YOGA WITH JAIME!!!
Sundays at 11am starting in December
==>Go here to reserve your spot in the 8-week yoga session!!<==

Yoga is good for your snatch!! Are your shoulders or hips tight which inhibit your ability to gain full range of motion in certain CrossFit movements? Please join me on Sundays at 11am to move through a vinyasa flow that will help to improve overall flexibility and general mobility. Yoga is the perfect complement to the intensity and butt kicking we often put our bodies through during wods. Take the time to refocus and re-energize from your daily workouts by engaging in active recovery that will help bring your body back to full range of motion. I will work on proper alignment and positioning of a multitude of poses while also taking into consideration each participants mobility concerns. You will learn how to breathe more efficiently and develop a greater ability to balance. Think “Fran” lung and handstand push ups or pistols.  I  want this to be fun and interactive and a place where you can breathe, move and stay fit in a way that might be different that what you’re used to. All levels are encouraged! I look forward to seeing you all on your mat! Email jaimelytle3@gmail.com if you have any questions.