Spokane's Most Complete Strength/Conditioning & Athletic Training Facility (509)328-3198

NEW SITE IS UP

2011-12-09T16:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas Party December 3rd

2011-11-22T10:57:00.000-08:00

Our annual Christmas party is almost here. Make sure you save the date for December 3rd at 6pm. Bring a side to share and a gift for secret santa(limit is $20) There will be some wine provided, but if you have a favorite you would like to bring and share, feel free! Attire is anything but sweaty gym clothes:) Dan and Sheri will be hosting at their house. There is a flyer at the gym with directions and details.

Attn. Coaches

2011-11-17T15:44:00.000-08:00

USA Weightlifting

Sports Performance Coach Level 1 Certification

At CrossFit Spokane

Sat/Sun December 3-4

Registration deadline is Monday November 21

A Good Trainer?

2011-11-16T14:33:00.000-08:00

What makes a good coach or training facility?

The market is flooded with gyms, personal trainers, and fitness and nutrition products. So how is one to know what they are getting when they begin training with a coach, trainer or at a gym? Basically, it comes down to the experience of the coach or trainer which will more often than not dictate the quality.

Not so good

Experience come from many contact hours with a lot of people, in various settings, using a variety of movements and equipment over the course of many years. You could find a trainer or coach with every certification and/or degree under the sun, but they may not know their ass from their elbow when it comes to instructing movements, being personable to the client, effectively coaching a group of people or even knowing the “why” of the exercises you are doing. Here is a test, ask them why they are having you do a certain movement, why is it done in this particular way and how it can be modified? "Because" is not a good answer.

UUHHH, not so good

While I was attending a Strength and Conditioning mentorship with Mike Boyle 2 years ago, I was introduced to the idea of “10,000 hours of practice”. There is a book written by Malcolm Gladwell called Outliers. In his book Malcolm says that it takes roughly 10,000 hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Just so you have some reference to the volume of experience and training that is, one would have to dedicate 15hrs a week for 12yrs, 20hrs a week for 9 ½ years, 30hrs a week for 6 years or 40hrs a week for 4.8yrs. In the fitness or strength and conditioning field a trainer may have a certification or even better a 4 year degree. How many hours of experience is that? A 2 day weekend certification 12-16hrs, a 4 year degree 120 classroom hour, 240 internship hours; we are up to 376hrs of experience; that leaves 9,624 hour left.

HOLLY CRAP, that's a big stone

So what is the point? The point is, are you getting what you paid for, hopefully experience and not just the shinny equipment. A great coach or trainer should have several “certs” but more importantly to you, experience.

Something to remember, a shinny new gym doesn’t correlate with good training, experience, knowledge or practice.

A perfect example of "Functional Stupidity", but a shinny gym.

If you like the post please leave a comment below

40lbs in 6 months

2011-11-15T13:59:00.000-08:00

Jeff first week

Jeff second month

I reluctantly joined Crossfit Spokane, “Crossfat” as I call it, after being encouraged by a co-worker who is sold on your program. I joined to get in better shape for water skiing. The results were evident; I had the best water ski season in 25 years. So why didn’t I stop participating in Crossfit once the water ski season began? That is the question I ask myself every night when I leave your gym exhausted and wringing wet. The answer is complicated, but lies in some combination of the results and the environment you have cultivated. It is almost addictive. I didn’t really think I was in that bad of shape when I joined, but before the first WOD was complete I knew otherwise. You guys have addressed my special needs and seem to really know how to balance between pushing to success without pushing someone overboard. Thank you, your staff and family for the knowledge and dedication. I have been working out at your gym now for six or seven months and have lost over 40 pounds. Now that we have worked off that weight I look forward to putting some of it back on in the form of muscle.

Thanks again, Jeff Van Leuven

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Jeff 40lbs lighter after 6 months

Get Stronger With Time Off

2011-11-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

For most people whom are eager to build muscle, get stronger, burn fat or what ever physical change they are striving for, will believe that more is always better; more reps, more intensity, more volume, more training days. However, this is not always the case. Sure you want to train hard, but you have to train smart.

Now there are many factors that going into an effective program that will illicit the most progress possible, but I want to touch on one factor that most people don't even think about or do until their bodies make them do it by way of injury and that is to Take Time Off. What I mean is schedule in or program in "Deload" weeks throughout the year.

What is a "Deload" week? It is a deliberate time off or away from the gym to allow your body (physiologically and psychologically) to recover from the hard training it has been going through. Have you ever been training hard for a long period of time and go away for a few days or a week (family, vacation...) to come back and feel stronger than before? Why not take advantage?

I would recommend a "Deload" week every 8-12 weeks of consistently training. If your messing around on a few machines or doing "Zumba Kick Boxing" at OZ fitness two days a week than this may not be necessary. If you're on a more intense and structured strength program this may be the trick to you breaking through the plateau.

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Winter Sports Conditioning Camp

(Get ready for Spring Sports)

Starting Now

M/W/F 630-730pm

This is a 2-3 day a week 1-1 ½ hr training session for middle school, high school and college athletes only. This program is for the athletes who are looking to make it to the next level: Varsity, All Conference, All State, College Starter, scholarship athlete, AFL/NFL… No weekend warriors or noncompetitive athletes allowed.

This is not your average weight room S&C program, this “Underground, Renegade, Dinosaur” style training. We utilize ropes, sleds, chains, bands, sandbags, body weight training, Olympic lifting, Strongman training… This program will make you bigger, stronger and more athletic, the kind of athlete that is noticed by coaches and is feared by competitors.

The other guys are doing the same old camps, weight room routines and conditioning programs; if you want to be a standout athlete and get to the next level, you need to do something different then your competition.

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Fat burning "Machine"

2011-11-12T11:26:00.001-08:00

"Cheese"

Wait, that's not "Paleo"

Ya, I know, but it tastes good and there are plenty of strong healthy people who eat cheese.

I love cheese and milk.

"PROOOTTTTEEEIIIIIN"

Want to jump start you metabolism for the day?

Try having about 15-20gms of protein and 16oz of water with in 30min of waking up. If you don't like breakfast or don't have time, make time for this and so it; it takes about 1 min. If you're not eating breakfast and your fat or out of shape then what you're currently doing is not working, so give it a try. You will give your body the nutrients it needs to perform well mentally and physically and you will begin to burn more fat.

Need more help and guidance? We can help you.

cfspokane@gmail.com

Monday, Halloween

2011-10-30T17:12:00.000-07:00

We will be closing early on halloween. SO, there will be one WOD in the afternoon at 4:30. Please come dressed up in your costumes! Even if you came saturday dressed up, that's okay, you have one more reason to dress up again! The morning 9am and noon classes will still be running as well.
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween WOD Saturday

2011-10-27T22:09:00.000-07:00

It is time once again for our annual halloween WOD! This saturday at 9 am show up in your costume and bring a healthy treat to share for after the wod. There will be some fun surprises this year!

Too Old

2011-10-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Do you use the excuse "I'm too old to train at CrossFit Spokane" or here is another common one "I'm not in shape enough". How many other excuses can you think of. Did you think about this; everyone needs to squat, lift, press, sit up, carry things and the longer you can do those things on your own the longer you'll be independent and not in a home for "old people". So sure, you may not be "in shape" or "too old", but you're not doing yourself any favors by not doing anything. We are excellent in modifying and tailoring workouts, movements and exercise to meet the needs of the individual; old or young, fit or not.

At CrossFit Spokane, we see a wide variety of people: young, old, over weight, skinny, athletic and clumsy. They all have one thing in common, they are ready to train, get healthy, get fit and get strong.

Your not too old or not in good enough shape. You just need to get moving.

509-325-3198

cfspokane@gmail.com

Great Nutrition

2011-10-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

No matter who you are or what your training goals are nutrition is going to be the foundation of your results and improvement, good or bad. A good solid nutrition program will yield greater result and a poor nutrition program will yield poor results regardless of how hard you train. You could have the best coach in the world with the best programing and mess all the effort up with bad nutrition. Nutrition is 80% of working out. One thing you can do is to think of food as a fuel and not for pleasure.

Need nutritional guidance we can help.

"If you want top fuel performance you need top fuel you can't just piss in the gas tank" Greg Glassman

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For anyone looking for some good ideas and great recipes we recommend theprehistoricpalate.com. There you will find great tasting and most importantly healthy meals with Ingredients and instructions for each meal. They are SO GOOD! It's hard to believe that its healthy and balance nutrition.

Spring Sports Conditioning

2011-10-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

Spring Sports Conditioning

We will begin our spring sports conditioning program on Oct 31, 2011 and go through Jan 6, 2012. If your a spring sport athlete and are not currently participating in another fall or winter sport this is your opportunity to better prepare yourself for the upcoming season. With our program you will have a better chance of remaining injury free, making the varsity team, having a more successful season or possibly getting that college scholarship. Having been a prior collegiate athlete and a strength coach I can't stress enough the importance of training in the off season, preseason and maintaining during the season. We can help.

509-328-3198

cfspokane@gmail.com

Functional kids

2011-10-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

"Functional" strength for your kids.

Make them carry their own pumpkin. How bad do they want the BIG one?

Video from the week

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The gym is awesome, we have a lot of motivated people, a high energy and a great training environment.

Jacked n' Tan Friday Fundraiser

2011-10-06T15:11:00.000-07:00

Come and Get Jacked n' Tan.

Friday night Fundraiser for Spokane Hope School.

Hope School is the area's only listening and spoken language preschool for children with hearing loss. The non-profit program offers a comprehensive, state-of-the-art preschool for families who want their deaf and hard of hearing children to learn to listen and talk.

Come support us with the fundraiser.

Friday 5:30pm

Beautifully Bronzed Airbrushing will be here to offer a greatly discounted full tan for $15 and all the proceeds will go to the school.

If your not into tanning we will be accepting donations as well for the Hope School.

We will have our Strongman workout for the guys, Beautifully Bronzed Tanning for the ladies and BBQ and fun for everyone, rain or shine.

Some of Our People

2011-10-01T20:23:00.000-07:00

Bret working on "Old Man" Grip strength

Chris is one of the hardest working athletes we have.

Evan, Killin it.

Sindy, is part of our "Top Secret" program. Being released in November.

"Just a little longer mom".

Our 9am class is very kid friendly.

Labor Day Foods to Avoid

2011-09-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Sean Croxton is a great resource for quality information when it comes to nutrition. Check out his video about common "Health Foods"to avoid.

We have a new weight lose program that will be beginning soon. The program is currently going through a trial period and will be open to the people who are very overweight and ready to make the lifestyle change. It will have 3 days a week of training, some "homework" as well as nutritional guidance from a dietitian.
One of our test subjects has lost almost 20lbs in the 1st month.

Not everyone will be accepted or be ready for this program.

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We will be closed for Labor day.

Strongman and Food

2011-08-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

We will be having another Summer Strongman BBQ this Friday.

530pm Show
600pm Workout
700pm Eat, Drink, Be Happy

We will provide burgers, dogs and some drink (beer), bring a side dish and any special meat and/or drink you would like.

All are welcome.

These are always a great time, see ya there.

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Video From The Week

This was the workout from last Thursday. Very Heavy.

Youth Sports Nutrition

2011-08-18T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sports Conditioning Soccer Game

Cassidy "The Worlds Greatest Intern" working hard on the "Zercher" Carry

Dylan always smiling and working hard.

Nutrition is the foundation to any successful athlete and most people simply don’t understand the importance let alone provide themselves or their children with the proper nutrition needed to maximize performance and recovery. Nutrition for young athletes doesn’t have to be complicated, however it is important. When it comes to nutrition and performance there are 3 main factors that will help your young athlete performance and success.

1 Healthy eating,

This is kind of a no brainer. Most people know that we should eat healthy and they probably have some concept of good vs bad foods. The bad part is that most people simply don’t make the wise choices and more importantly the wise choice for their children and hard training athletes. If you eat healthy they eat healthy.

2 Nutritional timing,

There is a lot of evidence that shows proper nutritional timing has a huge benefit to hard training athletes; your young athlete is no different; particularly pre and post nutrition. Pre nutrition should come 1-2 hrs prior to hard training or an athletic event and post nutrition should be immediately after. A good simple post workout drink is low fat chocolate milk. In addition, they should eat regularly balanced meals throughout the day; breakfast, lunch, dinner and some healthy snacks. Minimize the BAD FOOD.

3 Water

This is simple, DRINK WATER. It’s cheep, it’s necessary and you’ll perform better, recover better and feel better when your well hydrated. No sport drinks, WATER.

Nutrition is very important; it is the foundation of top athletic performance regardless of the age, level or ability. Why would you not provide your future star with optimal nutrition they need to succeed?

If you have any questions or would like more guidance with off season, preseason, in season, training or nutrition guidance for your athlete we can help.

CrossFit Spokane Strength and Conditioning

Videos From the Week

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Ny killing some heavy Box Squats

CNS Warm up/Workout

2011-08-10T19:56:00.000-07:00

Video From The Week

This is a great CNS warm up, Activation or workout depending on the weight used. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

5 rounds

1) 10 back Squats

2) 10 BS, 10 Muscle Snatch

3) 10 BS, 10 MS, 10 Back Extensions

4) 10 BS, 10 MS, 10 BE, Dumbbell Complex

5) 10 BS, 10 MS, 10 BE, Dumbbell Complex

Your Place To Train

2011-08-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

A Quote To Live By

2011-07-07T12:20:00.000-07:00

“There are two kinds of people in this world. The ninety-nines and the ones.

The Ninety-Nines...that’s what I call 'em. Ninety-nine out of a hundred people can't fathom what I do. They scratch their heads, can't believe my dedication to this great sport. Many don't even think this a sport or that I have a life. Never let others define your 'life' for you. This is what I have chosen. This is the road I've taken, with all the potholes, bumps, and turns. The Ninety-nines, they can't commit 100% to being their best, to step up one day and stand tall among the giants.

There are those who rely on luck, and those who don't know the meaning of the word.

I don't play the lottery. I don't have the winning ticket. Everything I have, I busted my ass for. The only thing I ever got handed to me are the genetics my old man passed down. From him, I learned the value of a work ethic and getting your hands dirty. To those who've always wanted more, stand with me. We are few and we must stand on the mountaintops to be heard. When the day is done, our voices will carry. It shall be a call to all those who have always dreamed of something greater.

There are those who tear down others to build themselves up and those who just build.

To the naysayers, I say your words will fall on deaf ears. To the doubters, take your misgivings elsewhere. To the envious, do not desire what we will achieve. I will beat back mediocrity with a fierce hand, will demolish conformity, so that when it's time to cash in my chips, I won't leave a legacy of regret, that I didn't go for mine. In each of us lies the power to start something... So to those of you out there who can hear, let me say again, who are you and will you stand with me?”

From ANIMALPAK.com

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It's Time to Get Training

509-328-3198

Serious Training

2011-07-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Videos of the week

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Stop Wasting Time

Get Started NOW!

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CALL- 509-328-3198

Email- cfspokane@gmail.com

Friday Night Sports Conditioning Program

2011-07-01T22:40:00.000-07:00

We had an AWESOME training night tonight. The energy was high, the work output was great and everyone had a great workout. We did a 5 station circuit "Strongman Style". 2min at each station w/ 1min rest between: Farmer carries, Stone load, Tire Flip, Sled Rope Pull, and Log Clean and Jerk. The warm up was focused on power and explosion, we did a newer dumbbell complex and some new plyo-box drills, again AWESOME.

We have many people call email and stop by to check out the Sports Conditioning Program over the last few weeks. Just to be clear this "IS NOT FOR EVERYONE" not only do you need to be an athlete, but you need to have the desire to "WORK" and "WIN". Some people want the win without the work and that's fine, but not here. I would rather train the worst athlete with the best work ethic than the best athlete whom is lazy. One day the worker will be on top, guaranteed.

If you have stopped by and thought this is too hard or this is not for me, than you're right, Peace and good luck. Only the dedicated will make it. Our athlete have already seen HUGE improvement in the last few weeks and they will be the ones with scholarships and championships.

Some videos to come. Stay tuned.

Mike

Some of our people

2011-06-30T17:32:00.000-07:00

Abby finishing with some extra "core" work.

Jeff has seen a 100% improvement in his squatting ability.

(The office can stop making fun of him now)

Julene working on hang cleans.

Laura has improved SSOOOOO much over the last few months. Very STRONG.

Dan impressed his doctor so much they had to do a double take at his last health check up to confirm the outstanding results.

Here he doesn't look too good:)

Video of the week

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Question about youth sports

2011-06-24T06:01:00.000-07:00

Question from the parent - I need to put together a summer plan for my 9 yr

old hockey team. Obviously I don’t want to look like a crazy

person, but it would be something that I think could be good

for my own kids as well. Is it too young?

My first reaction was to say “are you crazy”? Instead, slightly

tongue-in-cheek I developed the plan below.

Step 1- play another sport. Lacrosse is highly recommended as

it has similar skills to hockey although baseball is fine. This

does not mean another sport in addition to hockey. Summer is the

off season.

Step 2- Cancel all hockey camp registrations except 1 week.

Pick your favorite that has the largest number of y our friends

attending and go to that one. Ideally look for a camp that only

has you on the ice once a day. No need to get blisters. You won’t

get better in a week anyway.

Step 3- Cancel any summer hockey leagues you are scheduled for.

The best players in the world never play summer hockey and, they

never have. The only conceivable exception would be a weekly skill

session lasting one hour. Another exception would be “play”. If

ice is available and the kids can play, let them. Please remember

play means NO COACHES or COACHING.

Step 4- Reread steps 1-3. Acknowledge that the key problem in

youth sports is applying adult values to children’s activities.

Step 5- Go to the nearest bike shop. Get nice bikes for everyone

in the family

Step 6- Ride the bikes, not in a race. For fun. Maybe put a few

hockey cards in the spokes to make noise.

Step 7- Head to Walmart and buy fishing rods.

Step 8- Take the fishing rods to the nearest lake and fish.

Now That is an off-season plan for any nine year old.

Step 9- repeat steps 5-8 while continually rereading steps 1-3

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The best way to set your kids up for success next season is to have them participate in our Youth Fitness Program (CrossFit Kids). They will develop speed, agility, quickness, strength, power, endurance and coordination as well as take a mental break from their sport and return stronger healthier and mentaly ready.

We offer the youth program on Wednsday at 430pm and Saturday at 10am. The Saturday classes will be at various parks and splash pads as well as the gym throughout the Summer.

Only $50 per month for 2 days a week of fun.

Sign up your little athlete TODAY and get started.

509-328-3198

CFSpokane@gmail.com

Video of the week
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Not For Everyone

2011-06-18T05:11:00.000-07:00

Whats holding you back?

2011-06-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

I was sent this blog post and thought I should share with you. This pertains to everyone on many different levels and in many different areas of life. Enjoy and pass it on if you like it.

Mike

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All of us have goals. Goals like losing weight, earning more money, finding a life partner, setting up our business, achieving performance targets, being fitter, building better relationships, and so on. Some people seem to have no problem achieving their goals. Some, on the other hand, don’t seem to be able to make any progress.

I’ve a good amount of experience with goal achievement, having been actively setting goals since 10 years ago. I’ve experienced setbacks and successes in my goal pursuits. Running The Personal Excellence Blog (which is all about how to live in excellence and achieve our highest potential), I often receive reader mail seeking help for situations they are stuck in. I work with clients who are not getting results in life and want to turn things around. This has given me a lot of insights on what keeps people from success.

At the end of the day, if you find yourself stuck in your goals, it boils down to one (or some) of these 11 reasons:

1. You Procrastinate. You keep putting things off. You talk about how you want to do something but you don’t act on it. You are like the howling dog. I recently wrote the story of the howling dog at The Personal Excellence Blog. The story refers to this dog, who keeps howling because it’s sitting on a nail. However, he refuses to get up from the nail. Why? Because it’s not painful enough. You procrastinate on taking action because the situation is not painful enough for you yet. However, the times when it does become painful enough are often the times when it’s too late to do anything. Either you start taking action, or you forever lay in peace. Your call, I’ll leave it to you.

2. You underestimate your goal. Achieving a goal is about getting from point A to B. From point A, you create an action plan that gets you to point B. Sounds foolproof, except the action plan isn’t 100% valid. That’s because you’re setting the plan from point A. You haven’t even been to point B, so how do you even know if it’ll get you to B? At most it’ll be help to bring you closer to point B, but it’s not going to be 100% accurate. Almost all the time, people fail because they underestimate what it takes to achieve their goals. What should you do then? Over-commit your resources and review your progress constantly. (See Step #11 of 13 Strategies To Jumpstart Your Productivity). Adjust your plan of action and adapt accordingly.

3. You spend more time defending your problems than taking action. You complain how you are not getting XYZ results. When people try to give you suggestions, you spend more time justifying why their suggestions will not work and defending your lack of results than brainstorm with them on how to get out of your rut. Spend less time talking about your problems and use that time to think about solutions. Then act on them. You’ll get a lot more results this way, and you’ll be happier.

4. You’re too enclosed in your own world. You don’t venture out beyond your normal routine. You do the same things, talk to the same old friends, act the same way, circle around the same issues. It’s no wonder you stagnate. Open yourself up – take active steps to grow. Get to know more people – people who are driven, positive and focused. Get new, refreshing perspectives. Read new books. Add new blogs to your subscription. Ask for feedback on how you can improve. Read my other lifehack guestpost – 42 Practical Ways To Improve Yourself.

5. You’re not working smart. You do the same thing over and over, even when you don’t get results. You apply brute strength to your goals, without strategizing how you can apply this strength more effectively. If you are not getting what you want, it’s a signal it’s time to change what you have been doing. See how you can do this in a different, smarter, more effective way.Look at people who have achieved the same results before, and learn from them.

6. Avoidance (Fear). You avoid taking action because some of the things you have to do intimidate you. You rather delay the process as much as possible. Unfortunately, results are not going to come automatically from delaying. Results come to people who pay their dues, not people who avoid the work. The fear isn’t going to go away by waiting it out. Face the fear and do it anyway.

7. You’re easily distracted. You get distracted by things thrown in your way. Your attention gets diverted from your goals. Your ability to stay focused is instrumental to achieving your results. Be clear of what you want and stick to it. Don’t let anything (or anyone) distract you. These are the obstacles the universe sends your way to see how serious you are about getting what you want.

8. You over-complicate situations. Common among the neurotic perfectionists. If you are a neurotic perfectionist, you blow the situation out of proportion and create this mental image that’s so complicated that it’s no wonder you don’t get anything done. Things are usually simpler than you think – be conscious when you are adding unnecessarily complications for yourself. I wrote about this in detail in Why Being A Perfectionist May Not Be So Perfect.

9. You give up too easily. You give up before you even get anywhere. If you read “The Dip”, you’ll know all big goals comes with a dipping point – a chasm where it seems nothing you do is giving you results. It’s normal. This is the point that differentiates those who deserve the goal and those who are just taking a casual stab at it. I’ve a client who has a penchant for giving up in his goals early on. He realized soon that there’s no “easy” way out, and all goals have their own set of obstacles to be overcome. Persevere, press on, and it’s a matter of time before you reap the fruits of your labor.

10. You lose sight of your goals. You settle for less, forgetting the goals you once set. That’s bad because then you are just stifling yourself and making do with what you have – and this isn’t who you are meant to be. You have to first reconnect with your inner desires. If you cannot fail at all, what would you want to do? What are your biggest hopes and dreams for your future? What is the future you want to create for yourself? Reignite your vision and don’t ever lose sight of it. It’s your fuel to your success.Read more about goal-setting in Step #1 of 13 Strategies To Jumpstart Your Productivity.

11. You’re too stuck in your ways. You insist on doing things a certain way. You don’t open yourself up to new ideas. Guess what? You’ll remain stuck in your situation, too. Open yourself to new methods. Experiment. You can only improve if you are willing to try new things.

If you haven’t noticed, these 11 reasons are self-created problems – you can easily dismiss them just as you have created them. The more accurate title for this post should be “11 Reasons Why You Aren’t Successful – Yet“. Your goals are in your hands – you can achieve them as long as you strive for them. Address the 11 things blocking you from your success, and it’s a matter of time before you achieve results you seek.

This was originally posted on a blog called Life Hack on May 18, 2010.

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What's your excuse?

The Workers

2011-06-15T09:00:00.000-07:00

Eric is done after a hard workout.

Mike working on some core strength. The front lever.

Jeff launching the barbell during the "clean and throw" workout at the park.

Girls can climb rope. Angela makes her way up easily.

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What makes the difference in an athlete who is a All Conference, All State or All American and the average "OK" athlete? The biggest factor, especially as the level of play gets higher, is the amount of work they put in. Next time your at a game or practice take a closer look at the attitude, the motivation and the skill of the athletes and you should be able to pick out the "Workers". The "Workers" are the guys/gals who go the extra mile and put in the extra work after practice or on their own when they don't have to or more importantly when they don't want to. These people do it because they have to in order to be the best they can be at their sport; they are the best because they choose to be.

What are you doing to be the best you can be?

Go the "extra mile".

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If your an athlete who wants to be your best join our Sports Conditioning Program this Summer and make your next season your best.

Knee problems

2011-06-07T03:26:00.000-07:00

Here are the top ten remedies to prevent and/or treat knee pain and problems.

Train the Glutes

Strengthen the posterior chain

Strengthen Quads

Single leg work

Hip mobility

Ankle mobility

Maintain/Improve tissue quality

Maintain/Improve tissue length

Learn to absorb force

Improve diet and supplementation

(From Mike Robertson Bullet Proof Knees)

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At CrossFit Spokane, we can help you with any of these issues and get you on the right track and back to top physical performance.

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SUMMER SPORTS CONDITIONING CAMPS

Our (Mid/High/College) Summer Sports Conditioning starts on Monday 20th of June 630pm-730pm. This year we will have Three 4 week blocks of training (June 20 -July 17) and (July18- Aug 14) (Aug15-Sept 12).

Each week will have 2-3 days of Weight Training, Strength Training and Power Development (M,W,F) and 2-3 days of Speed, Agility and Conditioning (T,TH,Sat). 2 day,3 day or unlimited training options are available, depending on the athletes needs. Email or Call w/ questions or for your reservation.

Friday Night

2011-06-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Zach doing some Grip Work.

Jeff launching the barbell

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We had our biggest group yet for Friday Night Strength Power and Strongman Training and it was awesome.

We did some Linear and lateral training as well as mobility work for the warm up.

To prep ourselves for the "Power Training" for the workout we did 3 rounds of 5rep DL, 5rep per leg of stone-hold step up, 5-10 per leg single leg box jump and 15 ring rows. The single leg box jumps and step ups were to focus on more unilateral work (single leg) as apposed to bilateral (both legs). If you play a sport, at any level, you need to do some single leg work (unilateral training).

Think about it; we take off, jump, run, cut and sometimes land all on one leg.

The workout portion of the training was strictly "Power Training". We paired up and did 30 per person alternating barbell clean and throws for distance. No time, no hurry, just power development. The load was light to moderate M/ 95-115lbs W/45-75lbs.

We finished with some neck strengthening and grip strengthening work.

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If you do your "Own Thing" at your "Globo Gym or Garage" this would be a great addition and benefit to your program and performance.

NOTE:

No Whiners, Complainers or Know it all's;

We expect you to just work hard and do what is prescribed.

More video of the workout to come. Check Youtube, Facebook and Twitter

Strength and Power Tonight

2011-06-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Strength Power Strongman Training

Tonight at 530pm.

We will be doing several different movements tonight for our warm up and then we will head to the park down the road for a team barbell "Clean and Throw" to work on power and explosiveness.

It will be a lot of hard work and fun.

We'll have a video for you next week sometime.

If you want to stay current with what we have going on you can subscribe to our Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and/or News letter.

"FENDER" 2011

2011-05-26T20:35:00.001-07:00

Lythanial Fender

We have two days until "FENDER", are you ready are you willing to make the sacrifice and participate on your precious 3 day weekend. Lythanial Fender and many men and women have made the sacrifice, so you can have that 3 day weekend. The least you can do is come and support and remember these brave people for a few hours. Don't be "weak", anyone can do it.

This year we will be having a kids "FENDER" WOD, so bring the little ones and show them where this great nation came from and what kind of people got us here. Oh ya, and they can get outside and be active instead of in front of the TV or Game system. You can kill 3 birds with one stone, an appreciation for our country and it's military, a history lesson and some good hard exercise: what better way to spend time with the family.

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Show Time

9am-930am

Workout Time

10am

Food/Drink

1130am

This will be the first year that we are accepting donations in memory of Lythanial Fender.

100% will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project.

Friday Night Strength

2011-05-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Every Friday night 530pm we have an intense fun strength training workout. This is the one night and workout I really look forward to. We do a lot of lifts, movement and programing that we can't do at the regular training sessions. Start your Weekend right and LIFT.

If you need an extra day of heavy functional lifting to add to your current training program this is the time and place for you.

Who Does CrossFit

2011-05-06T12:36:00.000-07:00

Just a few of the people who train at CrossFit Spokane.

Farmer John.

Crystal is ready to go.

Dustin works hard every time.

Ralph is awesome.

Zach has made so much progress in the last few months it's scary and is ready for college basketball.

Video From The Week

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David doing floorpress and situp combo during our Friday night Open gym/Strongman.

Want to Burn Fat

2011-04-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

We will miss Jessie.

Girls having fun.

WOW, you mean I can actually get in shape, have fun and enjoy working out at a gym in Spokane.
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Here is a good article about the "Fat Burning Zone" from Mike Boyle. He is one of the best strength and conditioning coaches in the world and has a ton of knowledge. I had the opportunity to spend a week with him going through his "Mentorship" program at his facility in Massachusetts, it was a learning experience to say the least. Anyway, it's a cool article and makes a good point as to why our style of training is superior to your 'traditional" idea of working out and fitness (Big Box Gyms).

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Is There a Fat Burning Zone and Does It Matter?

If you’ve been reading this blog on a consistent basis you probably already know where I’m going with this one.

You guessed it. The Fat Burning Zone is another of the urban legends of fitness.

Does anyone think that when they are in the so-called fat burning zone that stored bodyfat melts off them like butter?

A little reality therapy is in order. The Fat Burning Zone is a big fat lie. Here’s the truth.

1- The “fat burning zone” supposedly describes a level of exercise that results in a larger number of the calories burned during exercise being derived from fat. This does not mean that stored bodyfat is the selective source. It only describes the relative percentage of utilization of three substrates, fat, carbohydrate and protein.

2- The fat burning zone actually describes what percentage of calories burned are derived from fat as an energy source.

Do you know when you are burning the most calories from fat? Sorry. The highest percentage of fat utilization is at rest. The more intense the exercise becomes, the more carbohydrate is used as a source.

Guess what. It doesn’t matter. The reality is that it’s about the number of calories burned, not the number of those calories that come from fat as a source. If the fat burning zone idea actually worked we could get extremely lean by simply sitting still.

Guess again. That doesn’t work, does it.

Confused, let’s use a mathematical example.

Lets assume that we have two identical exercisers who are going to exercise for twenty minutes. Exerciser one is doing a slow walk to stay “in the fat burning zone”. Exerciser two is going to run hard for twenty minutes. To keep the example simple we will assume that

exerciser one will derive forty percent of his or her calories from fat. Exerciser two will move out of the fat burning zone and only derive 20 percent of his or her calories from fat.

Exerciser one will walk at 3 miles per hour and will cover one mile in twenty minutes. This will result in a caloric expenditure of 100 calories with 40 calories coming from fat.

Exerciser two will run at 7.5 miles per hour and will cover 2.5 miles in twenty minutes. This will result in a caloric expenditure of 250 calories with 50 calories coming from fat.

Hmm, seems interesting. The exerciser in the “fat burning zone” burned less calories and less calories from fat in the same amount of time? The exerciser working harder and leaving the fat burning zone burned 2.5 times as many calories and, 10 more calories from fat.

I rest my case. Figures lie and liars figure. Stop worrying about burning fat and start worrying about working harder

Yours in strength,

Mike Boyle

http://www.FunctionalStrengthCoach3.com

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Work harder.

We can help you do that.

crossfitspokane@yahoo.com

509-328-3198

Some Pictures

2011-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

The Gym

A nice Sandbag run.

"I'm done"

"Just one more rep"

Great Over Head Squat.

The atmosphere and energy in the gym has been AWESOME. Thank You to all our members for working hard and making this the best place to train in Spokane.

We appreciate you.

"FENDER" is coming

2011-04-26T08:19:00.000-07:00

Lethanial Fender

"FENDER"

With a team of 4

2 mile run and ruck

300 Pull ups

300 KBS
300 Push-ups

300 Box Jumps

300 Wall Balls

(RULES)

-2 of the 4 man teams must carry the KB in a "Alice Pack" while running together.

-Only 2 of the 4 can do any of the "300 reps" at any given time (2 work 2 rest)

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We will be doing "FENDER"

Saturday May 28th 10 am

All are welcome, bring a team or just yourself.

There will be a Pot Luck BBQ after, Location TBD

More information to come

More about FENDER

KXLY NEWS Report from last year

Cryotherapy

2011-04-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Will an ice cold shower make you fitter or just miserable? Recently some of our gym members have been experimenting with cryotherapy as a means to aid in recovery and build mental toughness. Cold rinsing and ice baths are common among athletes who require speedy recoveries, they aid in reducing inflammation and muscle soreness.

While researching the subject I came across a very interesting article on the subject of hormesis, cryotherapy and fasting.( http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/06/hormesis.html ) Hormesis in a fitness context refers to enduring a certain physical stress which in turn makes you more resistant to other types of mild or acute stress.

We Crossfit types experience the benifits of Hormesis from our training all the time. Ever notice your Deadlift max go up after a cycle of hard met-con? That's hormesis in action! So why cold showers? The answer is non-shivering thermogenesis, and the possible benefits it can provide. In an effort to combat the stress of the cold, our bodies crank up our metabolic rates in order to normalize body heat, upping our BMR and increasing calorie expenditure. There is also some interesting research into the possible anabolic effects of post workout cold rinsing.

While cryotherapy and other concepts presented in the above article may not be for everyone, they could prove to be useful tools in helping you reach the next level of your training.

Strong workouts = Strong people

2011-03-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Jeff works on his ROM for his squat.

The box gives him a consistent target for several reps and limits the depth until he is comfortable and able to go lower with decent form.

Cheryl and Lindsey rest, hydrate and stretch after the workout.

Today we had about 20 people participate in the CrossFit Game Regional Qualifier WOD. Each week we will be doing the WOD for that week as a big group. If you can't make it or would like to be judged prior let us know so we can arrange for someone to judge.

Note: In order to keep everything legitimate, fair and without question, CrossFit Spokane will have to judge your WOD to validate your time/score; we will not validate without.

Videos from the week

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Mike doing a drop-set finisher with chains.

Log Press rope pull combo

Josh works on shouldering the stone.

The CF Games

2011-03-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

We will be a CrossFit Games Sectional judging affiliate. This week we will be doing a group "Games WOD" on Thursday 0930 and Saturday at 0900. If you are going to compete in the CrossFit Games this year this would be a good time for you to do the WOD with a group of people. Each week we will post the times and locaton of the "Games WOD" should anything change.

CrossFit-Games

CrossFit affiliates in good standing may register on the Games website to host and validate athletes’ workouts. After the workout is published each Tuesday at 17:00 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), affiliates will decide if they have the equipment, space, and judging capability to host and validate that week's workout. Affiliates may register any time before Sunday at 17:00 PDT. The earlier an affiliate registers, the easier it will be for athletes to plan that week's workout at their gym.

Athletes who want to compete at a registered affiliate need to do the following:

Find an affiliate (once the competition is live after March 15, the Affiliate Search function will be available).
Read and understand the affiliate's schedule and fee structure (if any) that may be found on the Affiliate's Public Profile online.
Perform the workout at the affiliate's gym in accordance with their policies.
Submit your performance result online, and designate the chosen affiliate as the host for your workout. (Once the competition is live after March 15, the Submit a Score function will be available.)

Once athletes submit their scores online, they are instantly added to the leaderboard. The result is marked unofficial until validated by the host affiliate. Affiliates receive notifications of athletes' submissions and are required to validate or reject their submissions.

Affiliates who opt in (register) agree to the following:

Provide the space, equipment, judging, and schedule to the athletes who will be competing at their gym.
Validate each athlete's score as quickly as possible. After each athlete submits their result on the Games site, a notification goes out to the affiliate to validate or reject the result. Notifications are posted on the affiliate's home page on the Games site and, optionally, sent via email.
Track athletes' results from their gym so that the result submitted by the athlete on the Games site can be verified for accuracy.
Provide judges to validate competitor performances. A judge may only validate a single competitor at a time. A judge must be able to determine the proper range of motion and hold athletes to those standards. The affiliate determines who is qualified to judge. The legitimacy of the judging is the responsibility of the registered affiliate.

Affiliates may opt in for as many of the weeks as they choose. However, there is no obligation to opt in for any of the weeks. There is no limit on how many affiliates may opt in on a given week, provided they meet the standards presented.

Scheduling, fees, and other requirements for Open competitors are at the discretion of affiliate owners. Registered affiliates can make their Open events available or unavailable to anyone as they see fit. Open competitors must comply with the affiliate’s schedule and format, including fees.

Affiliates found deliberately cheating or manipulating the system will be de-affiliated.

Save Money and Get Strong

2011-03-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

The "Usual Suspects"

Want to save money and get a great workout come checkout our Friday night open gym (strongman, ninja training, Olympic lifting and all around kick @$$ workout). CrossFit Spokane Members are free and nonmembers are only $49 for the month 2hrs of training every Friday night from 530pm-730pm.

Videos from the week

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Floor Press and Weighted sit up combo.

The floor press load is light enough to put out as much power as possible. If the load is too much, power in diminished and the intent of the movement is lost.

Just another variation to increase pull up power.

Janessa Dead lifts 315lbs at a body weight of 115lbs, with ease.

STRONG!

Fit Mama Class!

2011-03-02T16:44:00.000-08:00

New Fit Mama Class!
Tuesdays from 10-11am

For all you moms out there that just aren’t ready for the intensity of a regular Crossfit class, or maybe you just had a baby and are ready to start easing back into your regular workout routine, then this class is for you. Erin is going to be doing an hour long class with some basic movements and the best part is, you get to bring along your babies and even use them for resistance. Your little ones won’t even know how hard you're working, because they will be having so much fun! If you’re pregnant, this class would be a wonderful class for you too! Great opportunity to meet other moms and get out of the house:)

Criminal

2011-02-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

The Summer is coming which means kids camps will be sprouting up. If you are thinking about sending junior to a speed, agility and quickness camp, you may have not asked yourself one question; is this the best for junior? It's almost criminal that SAQ facilities charge the parents who send their children to these camps and program without knowing some basic facts. Bottom line, this may not be the best for your kids upcoming athletic season or future.

We will talk more about this in a future post, stay tuned. Sign up for our News Letter to receive the most current articles and information.

Video From The Week

Why Crossfit Has Ruined My Life

2011-02-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

I found this article and thought it sounded like myself and probably a lot of others out there in the Crossfit community. Enjoy!:)

Why CrossFit Ruined My Life.....by Cherie Chan of CrossFit Verve
Why CrossFit Ruined My Life:
Dedicated to Greg Glassman, the man that ruined my life.

My WHOLE life I searched for a fitness that I couldn’t explain. I was always active, always “healthy”. I was a vegetarian for 16 years, because it was “healthy”. I ran, biked, climbed, surfed and lived a relatively balanced and happy lifestyle. Then I found CrossFit and my life will never be the same....

Because of CrossFit, I will never eat Mung for dinner again (unless it's a cheat meal). Mung is a delicious mixture of re fried beans, peppers, onions, cheese, and salsa cooked in a crock pot on low. I used homemade tortilla chips for dipping, cuz they are healthier then the store bought ones, right?

Because of CrossFit, normal everyday people just don’t look the same. When you are constantly surrounded by CrossFitters your perception of human anatomy is skewed. Too skinny is weak and too strong is slow.

Because of CrossFit, I believe all people are capable of amazing physical feats, when they don’t produce, I take it personally and have no tolerance for laziness.

Because of CrossFit, I will never be alone. There will always be friends I should spend time with, athletes I need train and new people I want to get to know.

Because of CrossFit, I may look amazing naked, however,damned if I can fit into normal girl clothes. Put me in yoga pants and I’ll knock your socks off. Send me on a mission to find a dress, pair of jeans or a feminine top and I’ll come home defeated. My wardrobe will forever consist of 90% t’shirts.

Because of CrossFit, I will spend at least half of my waking days lurking on websites, watching, learning, getting pumped up and being inspired. CrossFit.com will be the first site I look at every morning and the last before bed. Why am I mesmerized by people working out. Damn you CrossFit.

Because of CrossFit, my hands will never be soft and silky. They will forever remain rough and coarse. They have become hands of capacity and are not for looks or ginger caressing.

Because of CrossFit, I will never be able to separate my health and fitness again. They will always be joined as one, interlocked in an intimate marriage of understanding. I have no excuses.

Because of CrossFit, people think I work out all day, deprive myself of sinful pleasures and am generally unfun (because their definition of fun has become so incompatible with mine)!

Because of CrossFit, I will never be satisfied with my fitness. There will always be something to achieve, something to try and something to “get better at”, nothing I can't do!

Has CrossFit ruined your life?

Your Progress

2011-02-22T22:36:00.001-08:00

John working hard on a single arm overhead sit-up.

If your not continually making progress year after year you might want to question your programing or workout routine. Have you been at the same weight or time on a specific movement or event? Granted the higher level of fitness and strength you are the smaller and slower the gains will be, but there should still be gains and improvements coming.

For the young/novice lifters, crossfitters or athletes the progress should be huge the first few months and years. Basically if you don't workout any activity done constantly will yield some improvement and any bone head can put something together and see improvement for an untrained person, but the real sign of a good program is improvement year after year regardless of the level. Our athletes are continually make huge gains year after year, so where are yours at?

Videos from the week

Brian knocking out 305lbs for 8 solid reps and he makes it look easy.

Tyler squating 225lbs for 30reps.

What To Do On Friday Night? OPEN GYM $49

2011-02-13T16:36:00.000-08:00

We have an open gym time on Friday nights from 530pm-730pm. This is perfect for those of you who want to do your own thing, train on your own or if you train elsewhere that may not be set up to do everything you want.

One night a week of "Functional Training", bands and chains or heavy odd object lifting would compliment just about any program, athlete or person serious about training. We have just about anything you would need, also we can offer you some guidance on what to use or how to best implement what we have into your personal program.

Open gym is Friday nights 530pm-730pm

$49 per month

How go you spend your Friday nights?

Personal Progress

2011-02-11T22:09:00.000-08:00

We are the BEST and most complete training facility in Spokane.

Motivated and intense

Our GU gals can do some amazing things. They are awesome to train and work with. Very coachable, as any good athlete should be. Thanks ladies we appreciate you.

Check out Zach, tonight is the first time EVER he has been able to touch his toes w/ the basic hurdle stretch.

Also we are are a few weeks away from him being able to dunk a basketball, he is ssooo close. Check back, we'll keep you posted.

John is simple amazing.

The progress he has made even astounds me. I swear we have added a least five-ten productive and active years to this mans life in just a few months of training with us. Just ask him. I wish I had videoed his first time in w/ us you would be amazed at where he is at today compared to then. He is a different person.

A Friday night at CrossFit Spokane (tonight).

The Right Formula

2011-02-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

Good full ROM.

How do you maximize your gains of strength and power or your lose of fat and inches; with balance? I don't mean standing on one leg or doing balance beam training, I mean finding the right formula or balance of exercise, rest/recovery and nutrition; each one of these within themselves has to be balanced as well. However, this would be ridiculously long if we were to get into the weeds too much, so just some general guidelines and ideas for you.

First, what is your goal or objective: fat lose, strength/power gain or a specific event or contest. This matters because it will lay the ground work for everything else mentioned.

Once you have decided your goal, nutrition is the single biggest factor and the base for which we work from; without sound nutrition you'll just be spinning your wheels and will waste time, energy, money and eventually get frustrated and potentially injured. Nutrition is also the hardest part for most people to figure out and stick with, so don’t get too frustrated.

The types of exercise do make a difference when it comes to reaching a specific goal. An easy way to figure how you should be training is to ask a competent professional or if you are doing it on your own you can find a similar person or athlete and train in a similar manner. I’m not saying do exactly what they are doing, but do similar movements and use the same energy systems they are. For example if you want to look like a marathon runner you should do mind-numbing amounts of aerobic training and spend the majority of your time in the oxidative pathway. If you would like to look more like a 400m sprinter or a professional basketball player you may want to spend more time doing anaerobic exercises with a little bit of aerobic training. And, if you want to look and perform like Pat and Tyler you use variety of training modalities (CrossFit).

Definitely a high level of focus and intensity. Awesome guys

Finally, we have rest and recovery; this is when we grow and improve physically. If you constantly train hard and don’t allow proper recovery you will fail; in one way, shape or form your body will make you stop training. You could see this in your performance, mental feeling, and soreness and if you’re not careful you will be forced to stop by injury. There is a fine line between the perfect amount and too much and in a perfect world with the perfect program you would skate that line and never go over.

Bottom line; be smart about your training and reaching your goals, if you have been doing the same thing for years with no improvement then I would ask you, “Why”. There is a formula right for you that have to be figured out in order for you to meet your health, fitness and performance goals. If your formula is off you won't get the result you want.

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Videos From the Week

Janessa getting 275 for 3 reps.

This is 25lbs more than her last ONE rep max and she did it 3 TIMES.

What is she doing?

M/W GU class warm up.

30sec at each station; Bear Crawls, 1/2 DOT Drill and Ring Rollouts

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Fight Gone Bad for St. Jude

Sat. Feb 26 2011 at 10am

(Location) CrossFit 509

You can Donate or register online Here

I would like to send some people to support this; it's for a great cause and good for our community, so if you are interested we have sponsorship/donation forms at the gym. Basically, you find someone to sponsor you to participate in the event. You could do a lump sum ($5, $10, $50...) or ($.25, $.50, $.75 or $1.00) for each point you get. If you have any questions ask Mike or call CF 509.

New Year New Space New Classes

2011-01-19T13:49:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of the new reception desk in the middle room. This area will serve as the main reception and office as well as stretching, cool down, mobility and extra work at the end of a workout. There will be a double door leading to the weight training area by the outlet you see in the picture above.

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Video of the week

The first CrossFit WOD for the GU students.

A Good Warm Up

2011-01-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

You should never underestimate the value of a good warm up. The warm up should serve a couple purposes:1) Raise the core temperature 2) Loosen and warm up muscles and joints through a full ROM 3) Stimulate and prepare the nervous system for the work ahead 4) Practice and work on the best form you can for the given movement.

This warm up would be a good addition to your own program and/or clients program (for gym owners). If you have any comments, suggestions or modifications please post them or email us.

crossfitspokane@yahoo.com

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Video from the week.

If you have a 10-25lb weight plate, you could have a good functional warm up.

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Up Coming Event

What -"Barley" WOD (workout will be posted at the gym and sent out in our News Letter (sign up)

When- Friday Jan. 14 (show up at 6:30pm)

Where- CrossFit Spokane

What to Bring- A minimum of 5 beers of your choice, workout clothes, water bottle and a DD

Who- Anyone is welcome (even rugby players) to come and cheer, but you must be 21 to play

Video from the last "Barley" WOD coming soon!

Shoulder & Hip stablity ideas

2011-01-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

Here are a few ways to use mini bands for a functional warm up. There is an equal amount of importance on joint mobility and stability. A joint with a lot of mobility and inadequate amount of stability is at risk of injury. Likewise, a joint with a lot of stability in the form of "tightness or ROM issues" is also at risk, typically because of improper alignment, posture or position from daily life or poor training habits.

These video's show some stability improvement ideas:

Any questions please feel free to email them to us at crossfitspokane@yahoo.com

Upper body stability ideas.

Lower body stability ideas: The "Monster walk".

We do a box pattern: 2x of 5 steps frontwards, left, right, backwards, in addition to some other preparatory movements.

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Bryan training for CWU football.

Being quick requires a balance of stable and mobile joints, if you want to perform at your max potential and stay injury free.

New Year Resolution's

2010-12-30T15:43:00.000-08:00

About 80% of America will have a New Year resolution, but very few will follow through with it till the end or even start. I'll bet a high percentage of those 80% will be either debt/budget stuff or health and fitness related (exercise, eat right, lose 15lbs...). We can't help you with your finances other than stopping you from waisting your money on "Big box" gyms with long term contracts and personal trainers who claim to have the "magic system" (D-bags).

We can help you lose weight, get strong and make the life-style change necessary to maintain a healthy active life. We have a few guidelines to follow if you chose to make health and fitness your New Year resolution; with or without our help.

Guidelines
1. Nutrition comes first.
-Pick an eating plan that you can stick with and FOLLOW IT. This is the foundation of a healthy life-style.

2. Come up with realistic training, fitness and weight lose goals (We can help you with this)
- Keep in mind, losing 2-3lbs of fat a week is a healthy rate to lose about 7000-10000 cal deficit per week.

3. Have fun!!!
-If you don't have fun or enjoy it you won't stick with it, so find something or someone your comfortable working with.

4. Recovery is key (Your muscles recover and grow when you sleep not when you train)

-Sleep 7-8hrs each night or ,if possible, try to take naps during the day (15-20min will recharge you)

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Videos from the week

Betty, kicking @$$ at the Hanging Power Clean.

This guy works HARD.

Are You Over Training

2010-12-24T14:23:00.000-08:00

Because of the potential high intensity and energy demands of the way hard charging athletes, weekend warriors or the "excited" novice lifter may train, it is important to pay attention to the recovery period; specifically the frequency and timing of "off days". There are many factors that go into the ratio of training and resting such as nutrition, sleep, stress, daily schedule and the volume, intensity and frequency of training. Without the correct balance of each one may find themselves in an "over trained"state, which is where you don't want to be. One way to combat the effects of over training is to schedule a "deload" week every 4-6 weeks (post for another time).

Basically, when you're over trained, your anabolic hormone levels (Testosterone, HGH...) decrease and your catabolic hormone levels (Cortisol) increase. This causes you to shutdown your anabolic state (growth /recovery) and places you into a catabolic state. Muscle growth comes to a halt, and possible muscle loss and or injury can occur.

If you don't give your body the rest it needs it will make you rest with a decrease in energy or injury.

One or more of the following conditions can cause over training:
1. Too much intensity by using too heavy of a load during training
2. Too much volume by doing a high number of exercises, sets, and repetitions
3. Too much too soon by increasing volume and/or loads faster than the body can adapt
4. Too great of a lactic acid load in the muscles too early in the training cycle
5. Insufficient rest and recovery between workouts

6. Training "to total failure" on too many sets and exercises

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Videos from the week

John working hard.

Sheri jumping some rope.

Bret and Talia warm up with 5 x 30sec shuttle run and 30sec flutter kicks.

Mobility

2010-12-22T13:25:00.000-08:00

Melani and Mike have a great time going through our baseline process.

If you are interested in getting started read here.

John came to us a few months ago and had all kinds of mobility issue, which stemmed from being a farmer and sitting on a tractor daily for long periods of time. He has come so far by just doing simple movement exercises; just a few days ago he was able to do a full workout which included 2x25 burpees. Not too bad for an "old timer"

Here is Mark doing a simple movement to improve shoulder mobility (Shoulder Pass Throughs).

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I can't over state the importance of a good warmup which includes simple mobility and corrective exercises within it. Doing a little each day will go along way for performance, recovery and injury prevention.

Each day we begin our workouts with various drills to correct and improve common movement pattern issues. More to come on what we do at CrossFit Spokane.

We have several programs to fit anyone.

Squat

2010-12-19T12:55:00.001-08:00

New CrossFitters

2010-12-18T07:47:00.000-08:00

Tools of any great gym.

Every gym should have serious training athletes.

Dan, working hard on some Turkish Get Ups.

Pregnant and still working hard.

Exercising during pregnancy is beneficial to momma and baby and shouldn't be overlooked. However take it slow and check with your doctor prior to starting

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NEW CROSSFITTER ALERT

There must be something in the water, we have several new CrossFitters on the way. Congratulations to Corina and Aaron, they have a new baby girl (picture soon).

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Update

We are experimenting with the site and will be adding more to it over the next few weeks, so keep checking back for updates. I have also began to work on a nutrition blog that will bring you the best recipes and articles from around the web to one place. This will make it easy to find healthy recipes, quick snacks and good info regarding the most important aspect of health, fitness and performance NUTRITION. If you have some great foods you would like to share you can send them to us and we will post them.

Christmas Party

2010-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

Friends and family are welcome

Saturday December 18th at 6pm

At the Caterina Winery Map

905 N Washington Street Spokane, WA 99201-3210

Snow

2010-11-30T20:46:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately we will not be having the 5:30am class on Wed. morning because of the snow. All other classes will be running as scheduled. Please be safe, drive careful and watch out for the "crazies" on the road.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-24T20:41:00.000-08:00

I wish all of you a blessed and safe Thanksgiving. We are so thankful to have all of you in our Crossfit Spokane family. And especially thankful for our wonderful trainers! Remember to have some of the indulgences you love to have this time of year, but to stop when you are satisfied. Then come in on Friday at noon to work it all off.

Next on the calender of events.....Christmas party at Caterina winery on December 18th at 6pm. It's going to be an awesome event:)

Saturday WOD

2010-10-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

We are having a Halloween WOD this Sat. at 9am with refreshments after, also there will be some prizes for costumes. This is for family and friends, so be sure to bring someone and show them what you do. We look forward to seeing you there.

Events

2010-10-13T15:38:00.000-07:00

Don't forget we have a women's only class.

If you are a women and interested in CrossFit, but are not sure if it's for you or maybe your a little intimidated then this class is for you.

CrossFit Spokane Women's climbing night. Thanks Jenni

A picture from our end of Summer Arbor Crest get together.

A shot from our women's only class. Looking good ladies.

We have two events coming up this month.

1. Fri Oct. 29th 6:30pm

CrossFit FTP is doing a food drive CrossFit competition, if you are interested let us know so we can get you registered. The cost to enter is 10 canned food items.

2. Saturday Oct. 30th 9am

We are having a Halloween costume workout and contest for the best costume. This is a family and friends event, so bring whomever you like. We will have some refreshments after the workout and judging.

(Check the Flyer in the gym)

Thank you to all our members, you guys are AWESOME.

Up next

2010-10-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

Pat "Killing It" as usual.

Sam is all smiles when it comes to training.

Crystal makes it look easy.

If you missed the wine tasting at Arbor Crest you missed out; we had beautiful weather, good friends and tasty wine. Don't worry we will have more get togethers. Our next one will be at the gym for our Halloween costume WOD/party/contest, check out the flyer at the gym for details (friends,family,kids welcome).

Hope to see you there it will be FUN.

Muscle Mistakes

2010-09-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

Arnold

Mike Metzer

Here is some good info from Joe Hashey CSCS at Synergy Athletics.

6 Muscle Killing Mistakes

1. TOO MUCH VOLUME. I’ve said it 1,000 times (read “

Turn Down The Volume“). More time in the gym DOES NOT equal more results. After your 5-15 minute warm up, mobility, soft tissue, etc – your actually training time should be 45-50 minutes of well planned out lifts.

2. LIVING BY 23/1 RULE. Spend an hour in the gym and then ignore your health for the other 23 hours in the day murders your muscles. Ever justify a huge meal of pizza, wings (insert any crappy food), because you “had a good workout today.” Probably not good enough if you are eating that….

3. DEATH BY ISOLATION. I remember a quote from another strength and conditioning specialist, Allen Hendricks, “Your body reacts to all that stress by having the anterior pituitary gland issue more growth hormone to compensate for the extra effort.”

So, if you are spending all day on the pec deck or performing concentration curls, your muscle growth will suffer! I prefer to have 50-60 percent of my lifts in a program at Synergy be compound movements. With the exception of addressing weaknesses, we occasionally have up to 90% of our movements fit into the compound category.

4. SACRIFICING MUSCLE TO CARDIO. Are your excess calories going towards cardio or rebuilding muscle? This muscle killer relates more to your personal goals – but if we are looking for overall muscle growth, excess cardio may be sucking up your calories and fatiguing your muscles before your next lift.

I still recommend performing regular conditioning, but cut it to 10-20 minutes, 2-3 times a week and use multiple muscle groups to help avoid over-fatigue. A lot of people don’t understand how to balance their fatigue/energy levels in a workout program!

5. STARVING YOUR MUSCLES. When you are done with a proper workout routine, your body needs glycogen to repair and grow muscles. If you don’t eat, don’t expect any growth!
Fix it by consuming a meal of both carbs and protein as soon as possible (I recommend within 30 minutes of completing workouts).

6. SUGARY DEATH. One of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan, says he hates it when people claim it is a sweet tooth: ”I have a bit of a sweet tooth” – “Oh, so you’re ordering it for your tooth, I see. Cuz it’s going straight to your ass. I think your tooth owes your ass an explanation.”

If you are spending your time eating sugary processed foods, then you are wasting calories that could be spent on nutrient dense foods.

There you have it! Usually I talk about muscle and strength building, but today are 6 ways to destroy what you you have worked so hard for in the gym – muscle growth.

"End of Summer" Get Together

2010-09-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

We would like to get everyone to get together this Sunday at Arbor Crest. There is a band playing swing music and of course wine.:) We would love to see all of you there. They start at 4:30 and goes until sunset. You could come earlier if you want to go to the tasting room, which closes at 4:30. Please leave a post or let us know at the gym if you plan on coming, if we get enough response we get a group discount and we can reserve a tent encase of bad weather.
If you haven't been there check out thier site... http://www.arborcrest.com/ It is a beautiful place!

Fight Gone Bad 5

2010-09-16T07:56:00.000-07:00

What Is It?
Fight Gone Bad began as a fundraising event in 2006. From those humble beginnings and with the support of the CrossFit community, we’ve proven what a small, totally committed group of people can accomplish. The first four editions of Fight Gone Bad have raised a combined total of more than $2 million.

Fight Gone Bad 5 opens its arms to benefit three charities this year: LIVESTRONG, Wounded Warrior Project and the CrossFit Foundation.

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CrossFit Coeur D'Alene will be putting on this years FGB5. I would like for CrossFit Spokane to assist and support them with this fundraiser event. If you are interested please let me know. I would like to give them an accurate head count, so they can plan for equipment and time needs. I will have a sign up sheet on the board if you are interested.

If you are someone who is in need of transportation or if you would like to car pool, we could organize some shared rides to their gym if need be.

These group events are always a lot of fun and a great way to support the CrossFit community.

Our goal for CrossFit Spokane is to raise $300.00 for this charity.

Fight Gone Bad 5

When

9AM
Saturday, September 25, 2010

Where

CrossFit Coeur D'Alene

1533 Northwest Blvd

Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814

If you can't make it for the workout you can help by donating at this link DONATE

September 11th

2010-09-10T17:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday September 11th

9am Team WOD

In memory of all those who perished; the passengers and the pilots on the United Air and AA flights, the workers in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and all the innocent bystanders. Our prayers go out to the friends and families of the deceased.

If I Knew

If I knew it would be the last time
That I'd see you fall asleep,
I would tuck you in more tightly
And pray the Lord, your soul to keep.

If I knew it would be the last time
That I see you walk out the door,
I would give you a hug and kiss
And call you back for one more.

If I knew it would be the last time
I'd hear your voice lifted up in praise,
I would video tape each action and word,
So I could play them back day after day.

If I knew it would be the last time,
I could spare an extra minute
To stop and say "I love you,"
Instead of assuming you would KNOW I do.

If I knew it would be the last time
I would be there to share your day,
Well I'm sure you'll have so many more,
So I can let just this one slip away.

For surely there's always tomorrow
To make up for an oversight,
And we always get a second chance
To make everything just right.

There will always be another day
To say "I love you,"
And certainly there's another chance
To say our "Anything I can do?"

But just in case I might be wrong,
And today is all I get,
I'd like to say how much I love you
And I hope we never forget.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone,
Young or old alike,
And today may be the last chance
You get to hold your loved one tight.

So if you're waiting for tomorrow,
Why not do it today?
For if tomorrow never comes,
You'll surely regret the day,

That you didn't take that extra time
For a smile, a hug, or a kiss
And you were too busy to grant someone,
What turned out to be their one last wish.

So hold your loved ones close today,
And whisper in their ear,
Tell them how much you love them
And that you'll always hold them dear

Take time to say "I'm sorry,"
"Please forgive me," "Thank you," or "It's okay."
And if tomorrow never comes,
You'll have no regrets about today.

Author Unknown

Strongman Training

2010-09-07T15:54:00.001-07:00

Some of our Strongman stuff: Stones, Log, Ropes, Kettlebells, HEAVY Dumbells (150lb), Sandbags, Yoke...

John working on the "Gun Show"

Liz getting in on some of the fun with the "Yoke and Kids" carry.

John working the 200lb stone.

Bret warming up with the log bench press.

Last week we broke out and were messing around with some of the Strongman equipment. If you want to change things up or work on your "functional strength" lifting odd objects and using Strongman equipment will help. Not to mention it's a lot of fun. Using a perfectly balanced barbell can get you strong, but this type of training has the potential to get you "Freaky" Strong; if you train with it and implement it the right way.

If you train with us (CrossFit Spokane) your in luck because we have everything you would ever need. If you don't just look for some of the objects around your gym listed in the first picture.

Here are top 10 indicators that you DON'T train at a serious or hardcore gym
(no particular order).

-There are more machines than free weights
-No chalk
-No music or worse Easy listening
-Sign "Don't drop the weights"
-Not one object heavier than 100lbs (not including the machines)
-1 or less lifting platform
-They have a "Cardio Room"
-TV's everywhere
-Nothing looks used
-They offer classes that have "Pump", "Blaster" or "Abs" in the name

If your gym has 3 or more you don't train at a serious or hardcore gym.
Come see us ASAP!

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NOTE
If you are a lady and are a little intimidated or not sure if what we do is right for you (it is right for you), we have a WOMENS only class Tues and Thurs nights.
Contact us for more info

Labor Day

2010-09-03T13:52:00.000-07:00

I hope you all have some fun plans for the Labor Day weekend. It looks like we will actually have a warm sunny one!! For Monday we will be doing one big "Labor Intensive" wod at 9am. I hope many of you can make it. It will be a fun one, as always.:)

Unhealthy Parents

2010-08-25T06:33:00.000-07:00

My girls.

The girls had a triathlon this past weekend at the Air Force base, which was a lot of fun for them. One thing I noticed while I was there is how many kids were competing as compared to the adult one just a few weeks earlier; there must have been 50 -60 kids as compared to the 20 or so at the adult one (which Angela won by the way). There were more than a few overweight parents cheering on their little athlete while sipping on a 500 cal "Latte". Next time you are at the park or play ground check out the parents vs the kids. What I think you"ll see is happy active kids with overweight parents sitting on the sideline setting the example. I guess my point is how can we expect the child weight, health, activity and type II diabetes problem to get better when the parents aren't even setting a good example.

Unhealthy parents don't make healthy kids.

If you have time watch the video he makes some good points.

Our youth fitness program is coming soon.

End of Summer Fun!

2010-08-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Well, I know, I don't even want to metion it, but summer is comming to an end. We need to get everyone together for some BBQ fun! No wod involved, just some good time of eating and playing.:) We will be letting you know when and where in the next couple days, so keep your eyes open.

Race Day

2010-08-16T13:10:00.001-07:00

Angela and Alyssa competed in the Wunder Women Triathlon in Medical Lake this Sunday.

They both did very well and had a great time racing. The bulk of their training was done at CrossFit Spokane with some biking and a little swimming here and there. Training with CrossFit Spokane will allow you do things you never thought possible.

Great Job Ladies!

Oh No, is he done?

BAMM!!! Not a chance.

Pat worked ridiculously hard during this workout. It was awesome.

Oly cert anyone?

2010-08-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

Snatch anyone?

We will be hosting a USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach Cert at CrossFit Spokane November 13 and 14th.

Click the link below for info and registration.

USAWeightlifting

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Video of the WEEK.

Mike working hard during our "Triple Threat Challenge"

It's a lot of fun.

You don't know "SQUAT"

2010-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Angela getting set for some squats.

Good full ROM, nice.

Fitness, Training and Friends

2010-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

Janessa "Check out these guns".

Leigh and Mike. Leigh is visiting from CrossFit 210 in San Antonio TX.

Owen Duff, World record holer for the 1 mile Bomb Suit Run.

http://www.crossfit.com/mt-archive2/005327.html

Ch 4 News "FENDER"

2010-05-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Funny

2010-02-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

Thouhgt this was kind of funny. Is it true?

Day One of the Vibram Five Fingers testing

2010-01-20T00:23:00.000-08:00

Well I started my trial run (no pun intended) of street/trail/park running using the Vibram Five Fingers shoes today. I won't be posting every single day that I run, but I want to hit some significant ones; starting with Day One. I will report on several things during my periodic postings: knees, heels, calves, thighs, time/distance, and the balls of the feet....and possibly any weird questions/looks that I might get:)

Well, today I went short and slow; it is, of course, only the first day and any new training/equipment demands gradual exposure to prevent injury. So today I started with a 15 sequence Tabata with the work period being executed at only 50%. I ran half on the streets and half on the sidewalk. Immediately I noticed that whether I thought about it or not, I was not allowing my heels to strike the ground with as much force as I thought I would (possibly verging on landing flat footed). The following is how I felt either during or by the end of the Tabata:

Knees: After years of running, sports, military related stress and having the pain in my knees go away since starting CrossFit, I was excited to find that there was no pain in the knees whatsoever.

Heels: Due to the thin sole of the Five Fingers and knowing how much we tend to strike first with our heels, I was surprised to find that my heels felt fine by the time I was done. This expected pain may have been eliminated from the need to not heel-strike from the get-go.

Calves: Although I was only going about 50% on the work portions, I expected my calves to tighten quickly. I was again surprised that my calves felt fine and still do even as I write this post.

Thighs: Again, since I wasn't going all out, I did not notice any difference with the upper portion of the legs.

Time/Distance: As stated above, I am starting slow and carefully; probably only went about a mile or so. Obviously there was no timed trial conducted (but I will be shortly for a comparison months from now).

Balls of Feet: Here is where I started to notice a difference about 400 meters into the run. Like mentioned before, I switched back and forth from running on the road and then onto the sidewalk. Because the road I was running on was very rough, I noticed that the balls of my feet quickly got a little sore. Wondering if this was from the different technique in form or from the surface, I would periodically jump up onto the sidewalk; which would prove to be much more comfortable. The difference, I concluded, is quite obvious and expected: the smoother the surface, the less pin-point directed pressure on the front of the foot.

Overall experience was fine. I felt that I was forced to pull the landing foot up and forward quicker and the soreness in the front of the foot wasn't really that bad; part of me understands that this might be from it only being the first day. I am excited to start some early morning runs by my house with my son, and gym mascot, Ben, on roads that are far less jagged. I am also pumped to do a run this weekend on a trail or in a park and see how it goes...my guess, very comfortable.

Other than today, I have been wearing them around the house just doing normal "house" things and I love how comfortable they are! It was weird at first having material encasing every single toe, but that goes away quickly.

Misc. looks/comments: None today...but give it time:) And Ben did give them a thorough sniffing inspection when I brought them home...hopefully I won't have to report on how "chew-proof" they are:)

You are what you eat...and drink.

2010-01-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

So, let me start off by first asking you all a question: are you doing absolutely everything possible to become stronger? I know I'm not. I want to state that clearly before I go on to explain how you can improve your strength outside the gym. I don't want to appear as a hypocrite. But instead I want to uncloak a "silent" muscle killer that will hinder your progress to build yourself into an unstoppable CrossFit machine. So what am I speaking of?

Alcohol

Now at this time I am wondering how many of our CrossFit rugby players, hockey players, fire breathers....well, actually quite a bit of you just clicked off the website:) I know, I know, anyone who enjoys a good beer from time to time just hates being told how bad it is in the fight to gain muscle and strength; heck, I'm one of them! I am cringing even as I write this! I think a good pale ale after a hard WOD is just heaven! But it is an enemy that we all have to be aware of. Perhaps I should have posted this way back before November; right before the holidays and vacations seem to come week after week until right after the New Year. But it's now 2010 and many of us (hopefully all of us) have started making CrossFit goals. To reach these goals we must look at all the ways that will lead us to victory. Obviously there are the methods within the gym. And we can never forget how excruciatingly important nutrition is, but something that I find among all the CrossFit boxes and people I talk with (once again, I'm including myself) is that I am always hearing this same little speech: "Well, I still have a few drinks here and there. I mean, come on! I still need to have fun in life, right?" True, we can indulge here and there, but something that I want everyone to reevaluate is just how much you may be "periodically indulging". We're always told that everything in moderation is okay, but when it comes to doing your best to become stronger and you feel you aren't, maybe even more alcohol moderation needs to take place?

So if you are serious about truly getting another 35 pounds onto your DL, or breaking that 550 mark on the CrossFit Total (basically becoming an even leaner, meaner, and spartan-ish CrossFitter) then I urge you to read the following and keep my "Alcohol Kills Progress" rambling in mind. Once again, I don't want to come off as a hypocrite. I love to have a few suds from time to time, but since starting CrossFit years ago, I have reduced the intake continuously. And I know that if I have a certain goal that I am having a hard time reaching, an event that I will be competing in, or just feel like I have hit a plateau, alcohol is one of the areas that I immediately eliminate. Here's why:

First, alcohol does limit your growth hormones and along with that the ability for you to build protein which is needed for building muscle and getting stronger. It's a general consensus that this ability to gain muscle is reduced by as much as 20%! Now that low number may not seem like very much now, but the next time you are fighting to get that 1 Rep Max DL off the ground or struggling as you are coming out of the bottom of a Back Squat, that extra 20% might have come in useful:)

Second, alcohol will start to lower your testosterone levels (while increasing estrogen levels). Testosterone is a major player in the muscle-building hormones that your body produces. After some research, I found that this level of testosterone can be lowered up to 25%!!! (If you are a frequent drinker, remember that number, 25%, next time you are struggling with a Shoulder Press)

Third, dehydration. Water is sooooo important for muscle growth but gets stripped from the body because the kidneys have to use lots of water to break down alcohol. Dehydration also will play a major role in your recovery. Depending on the amount that you drink, your training can suffer for days (which again means that more muscle building is reduced once again). Remember that your body is made up of about 70% water. That is obviously an indicator of how extremely important water is in every bodily function; it's only natural that if it's that important and we then take it away, bad things are about to happen (or you could say that GOOD things won't).

Fourth is your sleep. We all know how important sleep is for your body to build itself back up and recover properly. But lets face it, if you decide to go out late and fill your body with alcohol, your sleep suffers (one way is your Krebs cycle; the process your body goes through to turn nutrients into energy). And lets not forget that once again your training the next day(s) will suffer as you begin yawning in the middle of a second pull:)

And finally we have to look at the habits that you tend to have depending on how much you actually consume. Lets face it, if you get a little tipsy you tend to get a little hungry and really don't care as much what kind of food will satisfy that hunger:) Great! Now you're eating crap, late at night, and possibly the next morning! This, as anyone can see, is a recipe for disaster (I haven't even mentioned all the gluten in your average beer; in case you are a Paleo person).

So, like I mentioned before, many of us like to have a cold one from time to time, and I don't believe that this will kill your training. But if you tend to have "more than a few" every weekend and you really want to get serious when it comes to moving more weight, then I strongly urge you to either cut back or accept the fact that your efforts will not be as productive as they could be.

The Walk, the Pause and the Expression...and the Envy

2010-01-17T23:35:00.000-08:00

I have a secret to admit. I am jealous of every CrossFitter that is a member of our wonderful gym. Now I am sure that there are many attributes of all of you that I could envy and be in admiration of, but the one that I am speaking of right now is strictly limited to the programming that you are subjected to each and every time that you step foot in the gym. What is it? Let me paint a picture for you.

Being a trainer at CrossFit Spokane is great and has it's perks. Being a trainer does allow me some flexibility with when I can workout. Obviously I am not thrashing myself while I am training, but having a key to the facility allows me to show up early or stay late and provides the opportunity to workout whenever I can fit it in. Most of the time I can get it in during a class time when I am not training, but sometimes not. And if not, it is great mental training tool to conduct a CrossFit WOD completely by myself with nobody around to help push me. But as a head trainer that is responsible for 50% of the programming (and access to the other 50% of Mike's programming) I am confronted with the heart of my jealousy of you, the hard working CrossFitter.

One of the simple, yet entertaining, pleasures I get at the gym is at the very beginning of a class, usually even before it starts as each of you enters the gym a little early to start a personal warm-up for the next session. It's at this time that I enjoy watching the "steps" of everyone that comes in. It usually goes as follows:

First, the "Walk". The CrossFitter swings the door open with energy and enthusiasm. Depending on the time, the individual is either fresh from their home and ready to "get their pain on" early in the day or it might be that they have come from a long day at the stressful office; and now they are ready for a solid hour of vacation away from that commitment. Whichever the case, that entry through the door is strong; it is also full of excitement due to not having any idea what the white board will be directing for the day.

Second, the "Pause". This is where the CrossFitter stops their gait as they approach the white board and proceed with a very close examination of what it says. What happens next is the best part. The third step is usually a back and forth between it and the "Pause".

The "Expression"; my favorite part. As they read the the warm-up and then onto the skill based practice, followed by the main WOD, I dare not take my eyes off of their face. It's a weird change, depending on the person, that happens. It does not matter whether you are considered a fire breather, a beginner, etc, a change happens. Some might squint their eyes and tilt the head like a dog hearing a high pitched sound. Some starting nodding up and down as they immediately begin breaking the WOD down into a way that they know will bring them the best time, intensity and efficiency. And still others, and this is the golden ticket of expressions, will get the "deer in the headlights" look by eyes widening and the jaw dropping as they quietly question why they came in today to subject themselves to this. This stage is also usually accompanied by a low-key four letter word:) No matter what the reaction, everyone will finish reading the board and then continue on to change, switch footwear, and start their personal warm-up while mentally prepping themselves for what is to come. And this brings me to the main point of my rambling....the unexpected.

Since I personally form half of the programming that you do every day and know ahead of time what the other half will be, I am subjected to not having a very key ingredient which is known throughout the CrossFit world...expecting the unexpected. Why? I already know, to some extent, what I will be doing that day long before I drive to the gym. Now, this may seem as not a very big deal, especially because on the weeks I am not in charge of programming I only might have as little as a few hours before I workout where I know what I will be doing, but it doesn't compare to finding out only 10 minutes beforehand.

Now, there may be times when we will let you know if a Benchmark is coming so you can prepare the best in the days leading up to it so you can get the best possible PR, but this is rare. And I encourage you to love it! It's the one thing that I wish I could get back from long ago before I was a trainer. Why, you may ask? Because it is that "not knowing" that truly can get your adrenaline flowing, your energy spiking and your body ready for anything.

So I want to remind you of how empowering that feeling is; to walk into a place after a possibly "chill" day, read the white board WOD and within ten to fifteen minutes find yourself executing high intensity workouts. And believe me, this really is empowering. Think about what you subject yourself to when you train at CrossFit Spokane! Regardless of what level you are at, if you have to scale, if you don't score as high on the score board....it doesn't matter! You test your limits every single day! On the days you walk in and feel like you could move mountains or maybe just feel like crud, you execute what life (read that as 'white board' in this context) throws at you! And you do it!

So think where you can apply this acquired skill in everyday life! With possibly the exception of parenting, everything else in comparison should seem tame and mild (although as a recent uncle I know that better fitness can definitely improve that energy for corralling up those two year old kids...which might put every WOD to shame:).

Being prepared for such quick changes within your environment can allow you to approach the world's challenges with a much greater zest! Let me ask you a few questions, after CrossFitting for awhile, have you attacked snow shoveling in a different way (like utilizing a Deadlift posture and proper midline stabilization)? Have you used your squat and Deadlift skills to move odd objects like couches, trunks, boxes, box springs, etc? Have you utilized your overhead presses to play with kids, lift bags to high cupboards, etc? Have you gone black diamond skiing and found you can "push through the burn" better and longer than in years past? I know I have. And usually these everyday activities are not things you prep for as you go to bed the night before, instead they are the events throughout the day that you do without prior knowledge. They are the things that make up LIFE!

I was asked recently about what the WOD was going to be that following day. Now, every now and then I will actually tell people so they may get a better PR, but other than that, good luck getting it out of me:) In actuality I don't get the privilege of having everything so unexpected. Even when my programming brings up the movements that I am horrible at, I still get a slightly longer amount of time to prep for it. But I wish it wasn't so. I long for the anxiety that you get while walking into the gym. It is a precious gift that you get while being a member of CrossFit Spokane, whether you realize it or not. Relish in it; love it.

Extras:
-The new website is coming very soon! Once it is up we will be updating many of our videos so be camera ready!:) We know it has been taking some time, so thanks for being patient with us while we get all the last minute changes and details made:)
-Due to scheduling, not as many of our former "games" CrossFitters were able to register this year for the Sectionals for the CrossFit Games, but we do have a few already. Please enter if you are able to make it...guaranteed a good time!
-Please refresh yourself on the monthly challenge that is coming up in two weeks (posted on white board). Lets get a good showing!
-CrossFit Spokane's first Boot Camp is going great and we are really excited to have our new members ready to join the normal classes here in a couple of weeks! And we also have several people ready to join the next Boot Camp starting up in February! Can't wait!
-Also, I have just recently been graciously given the gift of the Vibram Five Fingers! Stay tuned for the the start of a month long testing of street/trail running (short to moderate distance) with these new shoes that take a different approach to footwear. Once started, I will keep a weekly journal on my findings using these shoes for running and post a conclusion upon completion. And to Matt A., don't even think about busting my chops...even if I end up loving and recommending them I will still give you a hard time for wearing them; Marines have to make fun of Airmen no matter what...it's an unwritten, unofficial rule we are taught at our Boot Camp:)

New Years Hours and Announcement of our 1st Boot Camp for Beginners!

2009-12-28T14:40:00.000-08:00

First off, we would like to congratulate John Fair on getting the best Christmas present in the gym...a baby girl! If you want any tips on raising girls, ask Mike and Angela....I think they have a few:)

Also, the gym hours for this week will be as follows:

Monday-Thursday: Normal (remember Thursday's last class is 5:30)
Friday (New Years Day): No classes until that evening which will be only the 5:30 and 6:30 classes.
Saturday: Normal (9 a.m.)
Sunday Titans: Normal (10 a.m.)

Also, remember that the CDA Polar Bear Plunge is this Friday morning at 11:30 at Sanders Beach. If you are thinking of going, let me know so we can join up with CDA CrossFit and plunge together! Tip: Bring something really thick and warm to stand on and several towels:)

And for anyone that is interested in getting a little workout in prior to that, there is the Hangover Handicap 5 Mile run in CDA staring at 9:30. Should be a good time (especially if you like to bring in the new year with "hydrating" the night before:)

We would also like to mention that there will be one schedule change starting on Tuesday the 5th. We will be temporarily cancelling the last class (6:30-7:30) in order to conduct one of our new Boot Camp classes. As of now, all other class times will stay the same during the four week long Boot Camp.

In our ongoing effort to constantly try and provide the best training to new members and existing ones, we will be conducting CrossFit Spokane's 1st 4 week, 12 session "Boot Camp" course for new members rather than our normal Fundamentals/Ramp-up course. We believe that this will be an even better introduction/transition into CrossFit than our normal course.

On that note, if you know anyone that is interested in joining our great gym, have them give us a call so they can reserve a spot for this first Boot Camp of 2010! As stated above, it will be starting on Tuesday the 5th.

We hope that everyone had a great Xmas holiday and attacks this new year with ferocity, new goals and even higher motivation than ever before!

Holiday Hours

2009-12-21T20:28:00.000-08:00

Santa swore off the cookies, started CrossFitting, went Paleo, and this is what happens!

In case you haven't seen it on the WOD board, this week's hours will be as follows:

Mon, Tues: Normal

Wed: A.M./Noon Classes - Normal; Evening Classes - 5:30 and 6:30 only!

Th, Fri: Closed

Saturday: Normal

Anyone up for a swim?

2009-12-15T17:47:00.000-08:00

Just a couple things to throw out there as we get closer to Christmas:

First off, congratulations to Lauren! She just got married this past Saturday and we wish you the best from all of us here at CrossFit Spokane!

Next, in case you haven't seen the fliers that Zach made for the upcoming Xmas party, here's the skinny. The gym Xmas party will be this Saturday the 19th @ 7 p.m. Check the WOD board for details and directions. Zach and Janelle have graciously allowed us to use their house as the location for Party Central! Thanks you guys!

And last, giving you plenty of time to get mentally prepared, I will be heading out to do the Polar Bear Plunge on New Years Day over in CDA in a couple of weeks and want to throw the invite out to everyone. Usually I meet up with some of the CrossFit CDA athletes, and we would love to have more people join us!

2009-12-11T10:52:00.000-08:00

This Saturday we will not have the gym open at our location. We are going up to CrossFit 509's gym to participate in a HERO WOD at ten a.m. Link to directions are here.

CrossFit 509 is hosting a fundraiser/memorial WOD this Saturday to support the families of the four Lakewood P.D. officers that were killed last week and 509 has invited us to participate. The WOD that we will do was made up by a friend of one of the fallen, who is also a Police Officer and CrossFitter.

So hopefully you all can make it out and join us! Have a great weekend!

Hero WOD this Saturday

2009-12-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

This Saturday the CrossFit community across the world will be conducting a memorial hero WOD in honor of the soldiers that lost their lives or were injured in the recent Ft. Hood attack. As you can see from below, it's quite the doozy. But please come in and show your support; remember the weights shown can/will be scaled as needed just like always:) The name comes from CrossFit Lumberjack which is located on Ft. Hood.

Lumberjack 20
20 Deadlifts (275lbs) /Run 400m
20 KB swings (2pood) /Run 400m
20 Overhead Squats (115lbs) /Run 400m
20 Burpees /Run 400m
20 Pullups (Chest to Bar) /Run 400m
20 Box jumps (24") /Run 400m
20 DB Squat Cleans (45lbs each) /Run 400m

NEWS and TIDBITS
-We still have just a little bit to finish up with on our new site, but it is getting really close to being online!
-Expect to be seeing another order form for some sweatshirts/long sleeves soon.
-Reminder that as the seasons change and it gets colder, it's easier to start drinking less and less water....so, make sure you are staying properly hydrated!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

We would like to wish all of our members a preemptive Happy Thanksgiving! We definitely can be thankful for our health, our gym, and all of you who help make it possible! We hope you all have a great holiday weekend and wish you safety on any travels you may have this week. As for our hours of operation for the rest of the week, they will be the following:

Monday-Wednesday: normal hours of operation

Thursday: closed (Mmmmm...turkey:)

Friday: only one class starting at noon

Saturday: normal 9 a.m. class

Sunday: closed

So come on out on Friday and work that Thanksgiving feast off!:)

Also, I will be doing some early morning hill sprints over on Doomsday hill on Thursday at 8 a.m. Not a gym sponsored WOD, but if anyone wants to join me, I would love to have company while I suffer:) Nothing quite jump starts the body like some early morning hill sprints:) There is a dirt parking lot at the bottom right by the bridge in case you are unfamiliar with that area.

2009-11-13T14:04:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been quite the week here inside the gym. Everyone has really been stepping it up. I've been seeing weights going up, but I have also been seeing some come down. Why can this sometimes be a good thing? Well, focusing on improving form and efficiency is always our number one goal; way more important than the time on the board that sometimes can distract us from what is most important. So, sometimes getting yourself to lower that weight and strive for perfection all over again is just what is needed. Thank you for receiving our suggestions to lower that weight a little and focus back on the basics. We know that it can be very hard to do....that darn competitive side starts getting in the way!

I also feel the need to mention how many PR's were achieved on Monday during the Benchmark "Jackie". Besides many PR's for the whole WOD itself, half a dozen people also got a PR on their solo 1k row time, while in the middle of a WOD! Very impressive! It may be time for a 1k row day!:)

*ANNOUNCEMENTS*

-A little late, but this week we celebrated the United States Marine Corps Birthday and also honored our veterans on Veterans Day. Thank you to all who have served our country and happy birthday Marines!

-Last weekend we ran a Fight Gone Bad and had two outstanding performances that need mentioning. In case you don't know, getting to the 400 mark in a FGB is quite an achievement and testament to elite fitness. Pat W. managed to get within a few reps with an impressive 396! Trust me, that 400 is history next time seeing as how we trashed his legs with heavy back squats the day before! And Tyler managed to pull off an amazing 423! Unbelievable! Form was mechanically sound and everything was Rx'd for both CrossFitters....great job guys!

-Another congrats goes out to Matt A. Matt just got back from successfully completing Jump Master School down in Georgia. He is now qualified to kick people out of an airplane:) May sound easy, but let me tell you that this course is considered one of the most stressful ones you can take. There is literally no place for even one single mistake. So congrats Matt!

So, trivia of the day...is this me or is it Jon?

Prior post comment

2009-11-11T21:56:00.000-08:00

Please don't go to this guy's site. He's an asshole trying to sell stuff that has nothing to do with what we do, nor did he ask. I think you will just because I said not to and you are curious. If you want maybe send him some hate mail or a virus or something.

Mike

Just so you know who he is this is his BIO and picture.

· Age: 25
· Gender: Male
· Astrological Sign: Leo
· Zodiac Year: Rat
· Industry: Investment Banking
· Occupation: nasabah
· Location: bangil : jawa timur : Indonesia

USAW Itinerary and some Halloween pics!

2009-11-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Scroll down to the Halloween post to view recently posted pics from the day. Also, remember that if you are looking at doing a WOD tomorrow, I'm running a 10 am class up at CrossFit 509 with their members and EVERY CrossFit Spokane member is encouraged to attend. I'll give you a guess what we might be doing. It sounds very similar to "Night Yawn Sad" :) See the post preceding this one for a link to directions to get there.

Here is the itinerary for the course this weekend.

USAW SPORTS PERFORMANCE COACH COURSE

Saturday November 7th
8:00am- 8:15am Introduction and Expectations
8:15am- 8:45am Safety Concerns in Weightlifting
8:45am -9:45am Basic Biomechanics of Weightlifting
9:45am- 10:00am Break
10:00am -10:30am Basic Teaching Principals
10:30am -11:00am Agilities, Plyometrics, Med.Ball and Conditioning
11:00am -11:30am Strength and Power Principles
11:30am-12:00pm Warm-up and Flexibility
12:00pm- 1:00pm Lunch
1:00pm - 1:45pm Basic Weightlifting Movements
1:45pm - 2:45pm SNATCH PROGRESSIONS: PRACTICAL
2:45pm - 3:45pm CLEAN & JERK PROGRESSIONS: PRACTICAL
3:45pm - 5:00pm Program Design and Rational

Sunday November 8th
9:00am - 10:00am Power Assistance Exercises
10:00am - 11:00am SNATCH and C&J TRAINING: PRACTICAL
11:00am-11:15am Break
11:15am-11:30am Exam Review
11:30am-12:40pm Exam

Participants are expected to dress properly for the practicals,

Notice! We will be having a Saturday Class, but at a different Gym!

2009-11-05T18:33:00.000-08:00

So folks, here's the deal. Due to us holding a USAW Course at the gym this weekend, we originally weren't going to be holding any classes. But as it turns out, CrossFit 509's owner who many of you already know, Kevin Steel, will be attending that course and would also have to close up his shop as well. So, to be able to still have a Saturday class for both his clients and ours, he is graciously allowing us to use his gym for our clients (which would allow his to be able to come in also).

I'll be up there for a joint gym WOD at 10 am on Saturday morning, so all CrossFit Spokane members should try and make it up for a "painfully" fun time with some fellow CrossFit community members

See link below for directions.

Also, I have been having some computers problems that have stalled my posting the Halloween pics, but I should have them up by tomorrow!

Directions

Halloween and Notice for gym closure this weekend

2009-11-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

The Crew, Halloween 09

Rowing, pulling, pushing....in the best of fashion

Ab Rollers...Lady Bug style:)

You Should have seen them doing Jumping Squats, with their wings they looked like they were about to take flight!

Speachless, I don't even know what to say about this one

The Lady Bug's were in full force!

The Run Away Bride getting her dress ready

Hip Extensions can be a real Killer!:)

Well we had a pretty good turnout this past Saturday for our Halloween WOD. Costumes were great; we had ladybugs, some "blast from the past" attire, cats, cheerleaders, ghosts, a run away bride and then there was the costume winner...me! Well actually it really wasn't me, but it was. I never realized how we each kinda have our own style when it comes to WOD attire, but Jon made me realize that I do. He showed up in running shoes, black socks, board shorts, gym shirt, trucker hat, Ipod on arm and coffee in hand....later he even went for a jog with my boy Ben. Everyone, myself included, was surprised that it really did look like me:) Great job Jon, enjoy that prize this winter!

We also want to give notice for this coming weekend. We will be closed for our normal operating hours because our gym is hosting a USAW Sports Performance Coaches Course that will run both Saturday and Sunday. So, I bet you all can guess what we're gonna say next...get out while the weather is still good and move something odd, heavy, and do it many times. Send us a pic to our yahoo account and we'll make ya famous the next blog post!:)

Some announcements!

2009-10-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

First off, we apologize for the decline in posts. We all have been really busy and are also in the process of having a new website put together so our focus has been on that; but we will be starting to get them going again! The new site should be up shortly and with all of the things it will offer it will definitely be constantly worked on bit by bit. Until then, we would like to share a few things that have been happening.

First, our very own Jenni Neiman has just recently gotten back from her Level One Trainer Course! Congrats Jenni!

Second, Gabe just found out he successfully passed the Bar exam...impressive Gabe!

Third, we want to remind you all that this Saturday we are holding a Halloween WOD, so come on in at the regular time wearing your costume and be prepared to do a WOD in it! Best costume gets a prize!

And last, if you have not filled out a Billing Agreement yet, make sure to get in and fill one out before Friday to ensure everything runs smoothly for November!

So, like mentioned earlier, we will be getting that new website up soon and getting back to more regular posting. Have a great holiday weekend and try to not eat too many of those non-Paleo treats!:)

Titans Class Cancellation and Halloween Notice!

2009-10-17T10:17:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow's Titans class will be canceled. We know this is last minute and apologize for any inconvenience.

Also, Halloween is in two weeks and we will be having a Halloween WOD (costume optional) that Saturday morning. Just wanted to give ya all some notice!

Something to think about

2009-09-27T13:45:00.000-07:00

"This one step - choosing a goal and sticking to it - changes everything." - Scott Reed

Something to think about as the new week is about to begin. Sometimes we all lose sight of our goals from time to time, get slightly impatient, or maybe don't even make goals (or make enough:). So this is just a reminder to sit down, look over/make your goal(s) list and get yourself energized if need be:) I only mention this because from time to time I lose sight of my own, and when I do and then get myself back on track it compels me to remind everyone else in case similar things are happening with them.

So remember, dare to fail. Dare to once again push yourself to a different boundary; one that might only be just a step further than the one that you are currently living at. The results that you achieve will be in direct proportion to how much effort, discipline and focus you apply.

Have a great rest of the weekend and we'll see y'all next week!:)

Also, make sure to congratulate Lindsey G. on getting her 1st Muscle-Up this past week! That is quite the achievement and is a memorable milestone in any CrossFitters training! Awesome!

Is there anything that is more impressive looking than an OHS? (Except maybe an Iron Cross:)

2009-09-16T20:48:00.000-07:00

Sorry Pat and Tyler, took three pics of that shot and each one had your faces blocked:)

What a perfect OHS!

Joe warming up for some OHS's

Tossing around stuff is FUN!!!! Judging from this pic I would guess that Lindsey is a good bowler:)?

Betty getting after the 'Red Devil'. Just like the 400 m, 3/4 BW Sled Drag, this can bring even the toughest to tears and whimpers!:)

You wanna know something great about CrossFit? (As if there wasn't enough things already:) It's training for GPP (General Physical Preparedness). Besides the functionality of our training that we can apply to everyday things or sports/activities that we already participate in, there is the periodic arrival of events/activities that we don't normally do or specifically train for. And lately I have been hearing quite a bit of them. True, nothing gets you better at that specific thing more than simply doing it. Same with exercises inside of a CrossFit gym. Nothing will make you better at pull-ups more than doing more pull-ups; everything else just helps them:) But what if you don't train specifically for it? How does your CrossFit training shine through? Or doesn't it? I think that we all can agree that it most certainly does! This quote by CrossFit founder Greg Glassman sums it up the best.

"People ask me, 'what do I do for abs? I tell them, stabilize the mid-line like a motherf***er, that's what you do." -Greg Glassman

Wait, that's not it, but that is a goodie:) Here's the one I'm referring to:

"We don’t have the agility of gymnasts, the power of weightlifters, or the endurance of marathoners, but we do have more agility, power, and endurance than any gymnast, weightlifter or marathoner. We do your stuff almost as good as you, you can’t do our stuff at all and we do stuff neither of us does way better than you can."

Geez, that pretty much sums it up:)

In the past week we have had members learning new sports and activities, climbing mountains (summit pics coming soon) and doing adventure races. Several people have mentioned to me how they now go out and hike/bike around and perform/recover much faster than they ever have before. Have most of them been specifically training for such events? No, but that is where the beauty of CrossFit shines through...we can still go out and do it; and usually do it quite well. If one of us goes out and runs one of the Northwest's upcoming half-marathons, can they complete it? Darn right! True that nothing would prepare them better than just focusing on running, but then they would pay the price that accompanies that; loss of power, strength, agility, etc. Another way of putting it is that this individual would sacrifice an overall level of fitness by solely focusing on only one aspect of fitness...i.e. they would overall become weaker:) If you are planning on some type of competition in the future and want to do as well as you can, definitely training in that area is a must. And even in that case CrossFit is STILL essential to your training...like icing on the cake:)

But the point of this post is to drive home how much better CrossFit prepares you for an unexpected "physical surprise". No sport specific training, no preparation, just wake up and do it! And the result is that CrossFit will provide every time. Tyler and Matt proved it this last weekend with a trip up Rainier. Jeff and I experienced it also as we tackled an adventure race over in Rathdrum. And I know of a certain group of gals that got their tennis on recently too:)

I like to sum up the fitness of an "average" CrossFitter in one word...versatile. Not everyone is winning marathons, setting Olympic lifting records or perfecting the uneven bars, but every CrossFitter is getting a taste of everything that fitness is about. Versatility rocks!

Versatile: capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc. - Dictionary.com

So what have you done this summer that proves this? Post it in the comments and let us know how things were! And whether you have/have not this summer, what are you thinking of tackling this coming winter? Snowboarding, snowshoeing, skating, etc. Pick something new and make it a goal to at least learn the basics of whatever new activity you choose. Put your CrossFit to use!

*NOTICE*

I will be heading over to Montana this weekend so the Sunday Titan's Class will be canceled. So, what is my recommendation anytime that the Titans class is canceled?...that's right, get out and lift something heavy and odd. Some pics of you doing it would be cool too:) The CrossFitter that sends in to us the most interesting odd object lift for this weekend will win! What will you win? You will get to make up your own WOD for the whole gym and it will be named after you (but we will go over it first to make sure it is not something insane like 2000 burpees for time! We know how twisted some of you are:) The Challenge is on!

Send pics to crossfitspokane@yahoo.com

Some pics from last weekend's sprint adventure race....this stuff is right up a CrossFitters alley.

What would any race be without a Kettlebell? Not fun, that's what!:) Jeff and Jason are up to trouble!:)

Them darn KBs sure make everything more interesting!

Jeff dragging the KB across the finish line!

I'm trying! But it is just sooooo heavy!

*Of course we all know that we didn't really race with KB's strapped to us, but if you even thought for a second that we MIGHT have, then you are definitely a sick and twisted die-hard CrossFitter!:)*