December Newsletter

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.

 

DECEMBER EVENT
Saturday, Dec. 6th 10am — Ugly Sweater Workout

Bring your ugliest Holiday Sweater, an unopened children’s toy, and a friend for a fun workout and partnership with the KC Ugly Sweater Christmas Party to benefit Operation Breakthrough
Spots are limited. ==> RESERVE YOUR’S HERE by going to Saturday, Dec. 6th 10am “The Hill Bootcamp”

COACH’S CORNER

From all your coaches at The Hill, Happy Thanksgiving! In case you missed it, check out Matt’s Holiday Survival Guide. 

BETTER KNOW A COACH: David

 

FEATURED ATHLETE: Emma Vacas

Shhhh….Super Sneak Peak — Iron Hill
Monday, December 15th at 6:45pm

In 2015 we will debut Iron Hill; a women-specific strength and conditioning program focusing on strength training for general fitness, core stability, and developing a strong, lean physique with our very own Coach Al! To give you a taste of what’s to come in 2015, Al will host a free trial session on December 15th at 6:45 pm. Email Al at alamp13@gmail.com with any questions and to reserve a spot.

 

 

 

 

 

ATTN Employers: Hire more CrossFitters!

Having had the unique opportunity to assemble and lead many diverse teams of employees and volunteers, I’ve come to this seemingly obvious conclusion: CrossFitters make the best employees.  Here’s how:CFMH 2

  1. Checked Ego – Embedded deep in the DNA of a CrossFitter is a desire to work on one’s weaknesses. So you can back squat 500 pounds? Great, go run a 5k. On any given day CrossFitters willingly walk into their gym knowing they’ll face weaknesses head-on and come out a little better on the other side.
  2. Attention to detail – “Move your hands out 2 inches.” “Your left foot needs to land 1/8 of a second before your right.” The perfection of human movement exists in the minutia. And CrossFitters love it. As they develop as athletes their attunement to fine detail grows dramatically.
  3. Welcomes correction – Imagine chatting with an employee about a project that was adequate, but not great. You lay on some tough, but constructive criticism. Your employee is extremely grateful, if not ecstatic about your tough love. This is the relationship that CrossFitters develop with their coaches everyday. We welcome and crave the correction of the watchful eye of our coach.
  4. Social outlet – I love efficiency. I was drawn to the idea that I could work out and develop rich friendships all in an hour a day. It’s great. As professional adults, it becomes increasingly difficult to find new, meaningful interaction. This happens all the time and iCFMH 1s encouraged at the CrossFit gym.
  5. Stress management – Think about this: CrossFit will likely be the most challenging thing your employee does on any particular day. Imagine everything in the office being perceived as manageable and attainable? CrossFitters routinely practice new and developing skills; often times experiencing frustration and joy once the skill is mastered. I promise you “Fran” is more of a mental hurdle than anything you could throw at an employee.
  6. Lower healthcare costs – This is obvious. Lifestyle diseases have drastically surpassed all others in loss of healthcare dollars for companies. Seriously. What we’re doing IS NOT WORKING. Yet, every CF gym in the world has over a dozen stories of life-altering improvements in health. Get with it, employers.
  7. Pursuit of virtuosity – CrossFitters celebrate. Your training partner gets a personal best and you guys share in the joy. Shortly after the celebration is over, the PR’ing CrossFitter wants another 5 pounds next week. The pursuit is never over.
  8. Punctual – Class starts and ends at exactly the same time, everyday. CrossFitters practice and plan for punctuality every single day. Not only for themselves, but for the good of their class.
  9. Sharp – I was chatting with one of my clinical Psych professors one day and she explained to me that, despite our refusal to accept it, our brains CFMH 3operate much like a dog in a backyard. It’s wired since birth to take the same route around the outside of the yard, ultimately wearing down the grass to where there’s only dirt along the dog’s chosen path. The brain needs intervention if we’re to create new synapses, stay sharp, and stave off depression. Many therapists will prescribe their clients take random routes to work as a way of exercising their brain & interrupting the “dog path.” CrossFit is full of new & functional movement. The brain must be engaged and sharp to practice and learn these new movements.
  10.  Networked – Looking around my most recent class I saw: 2 physicians, 2 pharmacists, 3 attorneys, 1 CPA, 1 pharmacy school student, 2 law students, and 1 educational administrator. The CrossFit gym is not only a place where people get really fit, but it’s a well-connected group of like-minded, motivated individuals. Quit sending your employees to happy hours and useless luncheons and send them somewhere that is more efficient in it’s ability to yield physical and professional results.  Interested in chatting more? Shoot me an email: matt@crossfitmemorialhill.com

November Member Newsletter

REFERRALS!!!

You guys have been killing it with the referrals! Some of your fellow members are saving over $200/year with the referral program and are well on their way to a free membership. With the holidays coming up, think about throwing a referral card (worth $25!!!) in a card (or 10) for a co-worker, family, or friend. Remember, the referral program is good for both CrossFit and Bootcamp memberships. Thanks, guys!

UPCOMING EVENTS

November is shaping up to be an exciting month at CrossFit Memorial Hill! Check out this month’s events:

November 11th — Veterans’ Day
To honor our Vets, CrossFit Memorial Hill signed up as a host site for the nationwide “3 Wise Men Tribute.” The tribute is to raise money for the 3 Wise Men Foundation which serves to raise awareness and prevention for combat veteran suicide. Everyone will be doing the Tribute WOD on this day, but we’d love for you sign up, donate, and spread the word about this important issue. Please click on the graphic below to learn more and register. As a commitment to this great cause, CFMH will match the gym’s total donations up to $250. Thanks Vets!
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November 15th – 6pm Location TBD — CrossFit Memorial Hill Turns 2!
A great kick-off to the holiday party season, The Hill anniversary parties are always a blast. Save the date!!!

COACH’S CORNER

Coach’s corner takes a turn for the nerdy in a series on diversifying your training and volume for maximum results. Do you like these? Click here to subscribe to our channel.

BETTER KNOW A COACH – JAMIE THOMAS

In a new series, “Better Know a Coach,” Jamie chats about his first experience with CrossFit, live music, pomade, comic books, and his inspiration. Please excuse the muffled sound as there were some weight slamming in the background, but it’s definitely worth a watch. Thanks for being a great coach, James!

 

FEATURED ATHLETE – KYLEE SPRENGELFAKS

1) How did you find CrossFit? What were you doing prior? One of the box owners in Lawrence pushed me to try it when I lived there, but I resisted because I didn’t want to “get bulky” and I thought it was a fad. I played softball at a very high level growing up and volleyball in college. Two months after moving to Kansas City and my failed attempt at trying to define myself as a runner (hahaha…) I finally conceded and gave it a try. Holy crap, I didn’t realize how out shape I was. Two things hooked me instantly – One: the no-bulls**t, no-frill approach to working out and variety in the programming. Two: the community. It has an awesomely similar feeling to being on a sports team. I found my home here at CFMH in August of last year. LOVE YOU ALL! ::wink:::

2) What are you up to when you’re not crushing it in the gym? It doesn’t really matter to me what I’m doing, so long as I’m in good company. I like to try new restaurants and explore different parts of the city. I’ll go to/watch pretty much any professional sports game and you will find me repping all my Chicago teams. Except the White Sox, ew. I also love a good Netflix binge with wine and cheese.

3) It’s no secret you love weightlifting. I mean, you just snatched 160#. Was this always the case? What do you like so much about it? Haha.. I’ve always been more of the power/strength athlete. Softball and volleyball both required that quick, explosive type of movement. I found my interest in weightlifting through CrossFit. There’s something to be said about the feeling you get from lifting something heavy from the ground to over your head… Maybe it’s just me, but it yields a much more satisfying feeling than, say, testing how many burpees you can do in a minute. I also appreciate that it’s just as much about speed and hitting positions (technique) as it is about strength. Its practice requires constant fine-tuning.

4) Favorite training song? Dirty, filthy, offensive hip-hop.

5) Cheat meal? Nachos, bruh… Or waffle fries.

 

 

 

 

CrossFit Memorial Hill Referral Program

 

No question — you guys are the best group of fun, hard-working, dedicated, welcoming CrossFitters on the planet. We’re amazed daily at the support and love you show to each other.

For that reason, we’re looking to you guys to grow.  Instead of spending money outside to bring people in, we wanted to give you guys the opportunity to save on YOUR membership while bringing new faces in the door. Here’s how the program works:

1. You give a friend a $25 gift card (on us) to CrossFit Memorial Hill.
2. They sign up for a free class here.
3.  If they like it, they get $25 off their first month.
4. If they become an unlimited member, you get $10 off every month they renew.
5. Repeat.
6. You continue to get $10 off per member you refer for the life of your’s & their memberships. If you have 5 friends join, YOUR MEMBERSHIP IS FREE.

October Member Newsletter

Upcoming EventsScreen Shot 2014-09-30 at 12.53.18 PM

Happy Hour! Meet us and your fellow athletes at Teocali on Friday, October 17th from 5:30pm-7:30pm.

New Schedule and More Classes!

Beginning October 6th, we will add more CrossFit classes, expand Barbell Club programming, and add a Bootcamp program. Head over to our Class Schedule to see the changes. Check out this video for more details on the great things to come.

Coach’s Corner

In this episode, I look at the top 3 diet mistakes made by CrossFitters looking to slim down or lose body fat. Good news, they’re easy to tweak!

Featured Athlete: Eric Rodenberg

Eric blowin’ it up with the Endurance crew

After moving to Kansas City last December for his wife’s schooling, Eric was looking to step up his physical activity from jogging and the occasional push-up. Eric was first exposed to CrossFit through the academy for the Missouri Highway Patrol and knew that was the edge he needed. Since beginning a full-time CrossFit training regimen at CrossFit Memorial Hill, Eric has seen incredible gains in both strength and stamina.  According to Eric, “I have enjoyed every second of it. Everyone at the gym has been great and really welcoming.”

Due to his hectic schedule as a Highway Patrolman, you’ll have the pleasure of seeing Eric at any number of class times. The most impactful part of Eric’s training is his consistency, effort, and pursuit of improvement. Eric’s strength gains have been dramatic and noticeable to all of his coaches.  He truly is an image of a lifelong pursuit of fitness. Great work, Eric. We’re all incredibly proud of you!

 

Referral Program

Give the gift of fitness! Several of you have already taken advantage of the CrossFit Memorial Hill Referral Program and you’re well on your way to that free membership. A quick reminder on how it works — give a friend a referral card and they get $25 off their 1st month (for existing CF’ers) or $25 off the Fundamentals program.  You get $10 off every month that they’re an unlimited member pre-tax which means it’s actually more than a $10 savings to you every month. PLUS, if you have 5 referrals using an unlimited CrossFit membership, YOUR’S IS FREE.

Class additions and improvements

Check out the awesome additions and offerings at CrossFit Memorial Hill beginning October 6th!

1. The Hill Bootcamp – 5;45 pm Monday – Thursday
2. Addition of 4:45 pm CrossFit Class
3. 7:00am CrossFit
4. Monthly Events
5. Expanded Barbell Programming & move to 5:45pm
6. Floating coaches and trainer development

 

Free CrossFit, Fundamentals, and Specialty Classes

More Free Classes

We’re excited to announce the beginning of our new Fundamentals program and additional opportunities to try CrossFit for FREE! Many of you have attended our Free Saturday Community Classes over the last couple years and now we’d like to give you the opportunity to take your fitness to the next level. Click here to learn more about CrossFit Fundamentals and to schedule your free trial.

 

Specialty Classes

Building on the baseline fitness provided by CrossFit, our specialty classes help our members excel in other areas of fitness. On any given weekend in the Spring and Fall,  you’ll see members of The Hill Endurance team pounding the pavement all around KC. 5k’s, 10k’s, 1/2 Marathons, and Ironmen — you name it, they do it.

The Hill Endurance Triathlon at the Jackson County Tri.
The Hill Endurance Triathlon at the Jackson County Tri.

While some like to head outside and pound the pavement, others like to stay in and pound some weight, which is why we offer The Hill Barbell — a specialty class focused exclusively on Weightlifting and getting as strong as possible.  This class is open to lifters at any experience level who are interested in perfecting their technique. Find out more about our programs here.

The Hill Barbell crew posing after a morning lifting session.
The Hill Barbell crew posing after a morning lifting session.

Fundamentals

At CrossFit Memorial Hill, our mission is to safely and effectively get people in the best shape of their life. CrossFit Fundamentals is the first step on that journey. This program replaces CrossFit 101 as an intro program for all new athletes. Fundamentals is a one month, 12 class program that is focused on top-notch coaching and giving you a great workout. It is structured just like our CrossFit program, but with more hands-on coaching to allow both beginners and experienced athletes get the most out of the class.  The best part of Fundamentals? You’ll be going through it with other athletes who will encourage you, keep you accountable, and become some of your closest friends. Schedule your free trial today.

The CrossFit Memorial Hill Community showing support for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
The CrossFit Memorial Hill Community showing support for Breast Cancer Awareness month.

 

Member Updates

Construction

On behalf of all the coaches at CrossFit Memorial Hill, we’d like to extend a huge thank you for your patience and understanding as we wrap up construction and space improvements. The last phase will be to clean up and replace the cinder blocks where the ramp was removed, which shouldn’t affect the existing class schedule. We’re all very excited for the usable space we’ve gained and to roll out some additional class & program offerings as a result. Stay tuned!

Saturday Class & Open Gym

As some of you have heard, last Saturday was our last Free Community Class. New members will now now have more opportunities to try CrossFit free (see the Fundamentals section below). We did this for a couple reasons.

First, we received a lot of feedback from you saying that you’d like to stick around after the 9am class to work on some skills, but it was an inconvenience to leave for an hour and come back for 11am open gym. We’ve believed since day 1 that our existing members should have precedence over new business, which is why we’ve opened Saturday Open Gym to a 2-hour session from 10:00-12:00. Our hope is that this will allow you to get in the additional skill work you want or to get in, get out, and get on with your weekend.

Secondly, since transitioning to Wodify, we’ve been able to gather some great data on how people find us, when they join, and what classes they want to see. By an overwhelming margin, our new athletes did not find us through the Free Saturday Class but rather through YOUR referrals. We’d be remiss not to extend gratitude for those referrals which is why we’re rolling out a program to express our gratitude:

 

CrossFit Memorial Hill Referral Program

It’s simple: If you know someone that you think would be a great addition to the CFMH community, ask your coach for a gift card. This card is worth $25 to whomever you give it to be used toward their 1st month (if they’re already a CrossFitter) or to our new CrossFit Fundamentals (see below) program. As a thank you, for each month that your referral is active, we’ll give you a $10 credit to use however you want: apparel, crack FitAid, or even toward your membership dues. Even better, if you have 5 of your friends that renew each month based on your referral card — your membership is FREE. Here’s the breakdown:

1 Active Member = $10/month
2 Active Members = $20/month
3 Active Members = $30/month
4 Active Members = $40/month
5 Active Members = Your membership is free! You read that correctly — FREE. 

 

CrossFit Fundamentals

CrossFit Fundamentals is a new, month long, introduction to CrossFit for all new members or any existing members who would like to revisit some of the essentials in a small class environment. After extensive research and planning, we’ve arrived at what we believe to be the most comprehensive, sustainable, and safe introduction to any training protocol.

This is a 12 class, one month program that looks much more like our regular CrossFit classes, but with a holistic focus on training, education, lifestyle, and diet. Classes will be structured to include a strength/skill plus a conditioning workout to provide a challenge to those with minimal training experience and those with extensive strength and conditioning backgrounds alike.

This is a great opportunity for your friends to see what CrossFit really looks like. Their first CrossFit Fundamentals class is free so they can try it out for themselves.

CrossFit Fundamentals athletes can begin at any time, with their first class free. Beginning in September, class times are: Tuesday & Thursday at 6:45pm and Saturday at 10am.

 

 

August Member Newsletter

1. Upcoming Events

The Hill Happy Hour!

  • When: Friday, August 8th 5:30pm-7:30pm (6pm class will be cancelled).
  • Where: Tower Tavern, 401 E 31st St, Kansas City, MO 64108
  • The Hill will provide some appetizers to share, drinks are on you.

Movement and Mobility Seminar

This seminar will focus on safe and proper movement patterns and positions, how to recognize them, and mobility practices to achieve positioning.

2. Coach’s Corner

Looking to get that first pull-up? Your challenge is to change the focus of your scaling options to maximize your reps and work toward that pull-up.

 

 

3. The Other 23

We are super excited to announce the first episode of our new series, “The Other 23.” In this series we’ll be exploring simple ways to maximize the hour that you work so hard in the gym in your 23 hours outside the gym. We’ll be looking at mobility, diet, sleep, work, standing, and any other topic you’d like to see covered.

In this first episode, we look at your life at work, mainly as it relates to sitting.

 

4. Featured Athlete(s)!

Mandy and Christopher Beltz

Team Beltz!

It seems fitting that we met at a gym in Kansas City almost 5 years ago and then got married back in 2011. In the short years that we’ve been together we’ve become inseparable and have combined our love of working out to include the other. We’ve been involved in some aspect of fitness since we were kids: Christopher has a background in weightlifting and cycling, and Mandy has a background in weightlifting and endurance running. We’ve completed organized bike rides, half and full marathons, and adventures races; all the while supporting and cheering on one another or tackling them as a team. We love the outdoors and anything that challenges our physical abilities. When we stumbled upon CrossFit, we knew that this was something we had to do. We knew that this was going to be the next level in our fitness that would push us even further than we had before and would challenge us on every level. Taken from a quote from Mandy, “CrossFit can make me feel in 20 minutes the same as I do running 4 hours in a marathon.” Needless to say, it has become our new passion, and we love the challenges it provides us. We are grateful to be a part of CrossFit Memorial Hill and love our new-found family there! Thank you to all that help and push us to be better. 

Coach’s note:
Mandy and Christopher exemplify the very core of CrossFit: working hard, having fun, and never shying away from weaknesses. From day 1, their attitude has been unwaveringly positive in achieving new goals and acquiring new skills. Never will you hear “I can’t”, but you’ll be sure to hear “I will, one day.” The entire coaching staff is honored to have the Beltz’ in class and they’re positive attitude is absolutely contagious. Congrats, guys!

 

5. The Hill Gives Back with Sweat Angels

July_5Wow, guys! Your response to #SweatAngels has been absolutely incredible. As of today CrossFit Memorial Hill, along with your help, has donated over 150 meals to veterans receiving services through Veteran Homestead. We’re excited to see where next month takes us and what you guys are capable of!

 

 

The Hill Gives Back

July_5We’re excited to announce that we have partnered with Sweat Angels, an organization that allows you give back while getting fit. Each and every visit to the box equals a tangible charitable outcome and is promoted via Facebook by our amazing members.

This month we are supporting real life heroes by helping veterans and their families. Every 2 check-ins provides a meal for veterans in need as they reclaim their lives and revive their futures.

Veteran Homestead Inc., is an independent, non-profit organization that provides housing and care to U.S. Armed Services Veterans who are elderly, disabled or diagnosed with a terminal illness. For every 2 check-ins you make, we provide a meal.