Feats of Strength

Here is a video of Ben doing 30 muscle ups for time. 

He set a new gym record today with a time of 7:47!  

If you don't have a muscle up yet keep working on your pull-ups and ring dips. 

 Combine the two with a little technique and voila!  Success!

New Classes begin April 21st

Hi there!  We will be offering 3 new classes starting Monday April 21st.  New classes will be added to the schedule Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 5:30.  

New schedule effective April 21st.

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 7:00 am

Tuesday & Thursday 10:00 am

Monday, Wednesday & Friday at 5:30 pm

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday at 6:30 pm

Saturday 8:30 am & 10:00 am

Hope to see you there!  Thanks to all the new people who joined us for class this week for the first time.  Erika, Casey, Tiffany & Cristina all did a great job with the workouts!  

The weather outside is frightful

We had to stay inside today due to the snow falling outside.  

It is March 29th right?

Workout was:

with a running clock

1 minute at each station 

rest 3 minutes between rounds

row for calories

wall ball

kettlebell swings

slam ball

Can you say March 29th!  Do you know how much our your diet is derived from corn?  Here is a preview of a documentary airing on PBS called King Corn.  It is an entertaining and fascinating look at the American food system and how corn has come to dominate almost every facet of the modern food chain.  It starts with two college students planting a single acre of corn and following its path from seed to dinner plate.  Take the time to see it if you dare!  

It's an eye opener!

King Corn - coming to PBS

Here is another link to an article by author Michael Pollan about corn and it's prevalence in our food system.

We are what we eat

Two is better than one

Today we did a partner workout and took it outside.  This was a fun one!  Congratulations to Casey and Cristina on doing such a great job with their first group workout!

Workout was:

1000 meter row

med ball partner passes around the block

100 dumbbell snatches

overhead walks 4 trips

50 ring rows

100 wall ball

you share the reps with your partner and only one of you can work at a time

L-sits

Walking kettlebell swings

Congratulations to Meg and Katje who both got their first l-sit hold today!  

1 leg deadlifts

Katje demonstrating the gladiator

Tonight we took our time with the skill portion of the workout.

we introduced the dumbbell clean and then:

3 rounds at your own pace

windmills

1 leg deadlift

l-sits

hamstring pull-ins on the rings

walking swings

WOD

500 meter row

10 kettlebell clean and press (each side)

20 hand to hand kettlebell swings

Here is a link from Mighty Foods about Dove Vivi a new pizzeria on the Eastside.  

They've been getting a lot of press about their delicious pies.  They highlight fresh local ingredients on their menu and offer vegetarian and vegan options.  Mighty Foods is another great site to check for recipes and healthy cooking tips.  

Cindy revisited

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 squats

Tonight we warmed up with some kettlebell drills.  For workout we did the benchmark workout Cindy.  It's been about 4 weeks since we last did this one there was a lot of improvement in performance.  Way to go!

Workout was:

how many rounds in 20 minutes

5 pull-ups

10 push-ups

15 squats

Fractured Helen

Today in class we warmed up with windmills, 1 leg deadlifts, and turkish get-ups.  For workout we did fractured Helen.  Rest is programmed in so you can put out a max effort on each round.

Workout was:

Fractured Helen

3 rounds

run 450 meters

21 kettlebell swings

12 pull-ups

 Looking to breath a little new life into your diet?  Here are 10 foods that mark the arrival of spring and just may lead you to discover a new favorite.  Remember variety is the spice of life.

Top 10 spring vegetables

Women of Crossfit

Here are some pics from our Thursday morning class.  Thanks to Stephanie for visiting with us while she was in town on vacation.  She did a great job with the workouts.  

With so many women working on their first kipping pull-up I thought you'd enjoy watching this video of Helen from CrossFit Santa Cruz.  Watching them really drives me to improve my skills and endurance.  The workout is 3 rounds of 400 meter run, 21 kettlebell swings with the 16k and 12 pull-ups.  Happy viewing!

What's your score?

Pets can have an impact on your activity level

We are so fortunate to live in Portland where we have access to parks, trails and endless choices for outdoor activities. (when the weather cooperates)  Here are two links worth checking out.  The first is a commentary on the importance of neighborhoods on fitness.  

It's My Neighbors Fault I'm Fat

The ability to walk to services, schools, shopping and restaurants as well as access to good public transportation has unmeasurable value to the quality of life.  Walkable neighborhoods support the local economy, encourages interaction between neighbors and is truly the best way to acheive the greener lifestyle that is so currently in fashion.  Portland is full of compact neighborhoods that supports all these ideals.   Walkscore.com is a website that takes your address and calculates a score from 1-100 that gauges the walkability of your neighborhood.

Spring Fever

Thanks to everyone for coming out to workout on such a beautiful Saturday.  This was the largest 8:30 am class we've had.   Both classes did the same workout today.

The ladder got a little trickier today with some backwards drills. We also warmed up with some med ball passes around the block.  

We all worked on kipping pull-ups/band pull-ups, ring dips and we tried kettlebell chops.  Katja astounded us all with her beautiful box jumps!  Julie I hope you enjoyed the bike ride!  Remember, pace yourself!  

Workout was:

40 seconds on/ 20 seconds off

4 rounds

dumbbell push press

d-ball squats

push-ups

box jumps

hand to hand swings

renegade lunge

Here is a review of the book "Eat This, Not That!"  from the NY Times. Bon appetit!

The worst foods in America

2 minutes of pain, 3 minutes of rest

Tonight we warmed up with ring rows, jackknifes, knees to elbows and ring push-ups.  Everyone did a great job, this was a tough one.  

Workout was:

 

5 rounds

1 minute of rowing for calories

1 minute of dumbbell thrusters

rest 3 minutes between rounds

Our local Burgerville has been recognized as a modern alternative to traditional fast food.  Mighty Foods is another great blog that offers healthy recipes and reviews.  Check it out!

Trend: healthy fast food

Flip, catch and squat

Tonight we warmed up with ladder drills and then we took our time working on some skills.  Workout was a short metcon.

3 rounds

5 Windmills (each side)

5-1 legged kettlebell deadlift (each leg)

handstand push-ups

10 flip catch and squat

l-sits

mini metcon

row 500 meters

25 jumping pull-ups

25 ball slams

For the first time we tried the flip, catch and squat otherwise known as the wallball substitute.  You start with a mini swing as you flip the kettlebell upside down, catch the kettlebell in a full squat, then as you come out of the squat you throw the kettlebell back into a swing.  This one will get your heart rate up in no time!