The 2014 CrossFit Open is just a few weeks away. What does it mean to be part of the Open? The Open is composed of 5 workouts set over 5 weeks. You will have 5 days to complete each workout and send in your results under our Gym’s profile. The Open is for those of you ready and willing to test their fitness against others across the globe. It’s an opportunity for you to gain an appreciation for your strengths, weaknesses and mental toughness.

The first Open workout will be released on Thursday, Feb. 27. The fifth and final Open workout will be released five weeks later on Thursday, March 27. Athletes will have from Thursday evening until Monday evening to do the workout and submit their scores.

It is recommended that only athletes comfortable with RX weights and movements sign up. There will be a chance every week for our entire community to experience each workout as it will be part of our normal programming. There will be scaling options of course! On the fence about signing up? Ask a coach to see if it is right for you.

The workouts will be on each Friday at the gym. The 6:30pm class will be put on hold for these 5 weeks as this time will give those athletes who’ve signed up for the Open a chance to complete the workout with a judge. If you are not interested in officially signing up please plan on attending and supporting those athletes who are. Please come and hang out, judge, cheer and make the atmosphere all around awesome for those competing.

Interested? Sign up HERE.

Raise your hands if you want six pack abs.Everyone? Go ahead and put your hand down.

First, let’s acknowledge that asking this question on a CrossFit blog is ironic. No one in CrossFit talks about wanting six pack abs. Or eight pack abs. Or ab definition. It’s part of the (awesome) CrossFit culture to eschew modern fitness goals like “get six pack abs fast” and “lose weight and tone up”.

However, one look at the top CrossFitters will tell you that CrossFit & abs go together. CrossFit and great arms go together. CrossFit and great legs go together. We don’t chase aesthetics, but the method of training that we follow (ironically!) produces the aesthetics our peers (ineffectively!) chase.

Why is that? Why does the program that never talks about aesthetics seem to produce the best look? Two reasons.

1) Crossfit uses potent movements done at a high intensity. The lifts that you see in CrossFit all use your abs. Heavy Back Squat? Using your abs to keep your torso upright. Kipping Pull Ups? Using your abs and glutes to produce a powerful kip. Burpess? Oh, even burpees use your abs to get you up from the ground. Each of these movements can create a stronger response than your typical crunch or sit up.

2) Performance goals are more fun than aesthetic goals. The goal “six pack abs” is painfully dull. The goal “complete Fran in under 5 minutes” is challenging, engaging, and fun. When a person is engaged in their goal, they are more likely to actively pursue it.  Working out with your friends, perfecting skills, and chasing performance is fun. Starving yourself and doing 1000 crunches is not fun. It’s not rocket science…people are more likely to continue doing things they consider to be fun, and they’re less likely to keep doing things that they consider dull.

At the end of the day, six pack abs aren’t the goal. Toned legs aren’t the goal. Bulging biceps aren’t the goal. Because (let’s be honest) those things don’t  matter. The goal is to be fit, healthy, and capable of living life to the fullest. CrossFit will get you there, and you may get a few bonus perks along the way, too!

Join us for a free Introduction to CrossFit this Saturday at 11am. These free sessions happen every 1st and 3rd Saturday or each month. During this session you can expect to:

• learn exactly what CrossFit is and is not
• see what differentiates our gym from other CF gyms
• go through a group warm-up
• learn new movements and how to scale movements properly
• partake in a beginner level workout
• have any and all questions about the gym or CrossFit methodology answered

Ready to hop into the Prep Course? The next one is this coming Monday, February 3rd. Before you become a full member you will have to either go through the group (8 sessions) or private (6 sessions) prep course. These classes are designed to foster confidence and coordination with the main movements you will see in regular classes. Everything from an air squat to the olympic lifts is covered with an experienced coach. Sign up for the next one by clicking HERE!

The 2014 CrossFit Open is just weeks away. What does it mean to be part of the Open? The Open is 5 workouts set over 5 weeks. You will have 5 days to complete each workout and send in your results under our Gym’s profile. The Open is for EVERYONE! Even if you have no desire to compete or are brand new to Crossfit – EVERYONE is able to participate in these weekly workouts. It’s an opportunity for you to gain an appreciation for your strengths, weaknesses and mental toughness.

The first Open workout will be released on Thursday, Feb. 27. The fifth and final Open workout will be released five weeks later on Thursday, March 27. Athletes will have from Thursday evening until Monday evening to do the workout and submit their scores.

It is recommended that only athletes comfortable with RX weights and movements sign up. There will be a chance every week for our entire community to experience each workout as it will be part of our normal programming. There will be scaling options of course! On the fence about signing up? Ask a coach to see if it is right for you.

We plan on making an event out of it on Friday evenings (this is still in the works), and might even team up with another gym. If you are not interested in officially signing up please plan on attending and supporting those athletes who are. With some loud cheering, music, and beer it’s bound to be a good time!

Please sign up HERE.

Function vs. Performance

There are some days where the workout on the board is split under the terms “Function” and “Performance”. So what do these mean and how do they apply to you as an athlete (because all of us are athletes whether you like it or not)?

Function – This training group’s goal is to maximize favorable adaptations with smaller amounts of input. What does that mean? You will normally see the term “Function” as designating a scaled version of the workout. The movements or loads involved are designed to not hold you up because of lack of technique, coordination, or muscular strength. The focus is on proven training protocols that will maximize strength development, body composition and will give good exposure to a variety of movements. You apply to the function group if your training age is very low (i.e. just started CrossFit, little to no experience with sport outside of CrossFit, deconditioned, lacking in neuromuscular coordination). Function means to maintain or increase fitness as it applies to the real world.

Performance – The performance group is just as it sounds. It is for those who have a good base level of fitness, have been involved with sport recently, or have been doing CrossFit for a while now and have a solid foundation of all the movements. This group is ready to test there fitness inside and outside of class. Performance is about applying your fitness. You will need a solid understanding of proper mechanics, a greater emphasis on applied mobility, and the consistency it will take to achieve your goals. Higher level gymnastics and attention do detail when breaking down the olympic lifts are two defining parts of performance.

So, which one are you?

This Saturday, and every Saturday from here on out, the 10am class will be a member’s only class. The programming will be be the same as any other classes during the week.

New to CrossFit? Want to try us out? Join us next Saturday, 1/18,  at 11am for our Intro to CrossFit class.

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Join us at the Truck Yard on lower Greenville Ave this Sunday afternoon at 2pm for some drinks and eats. The weather is supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny! Come meet other EDCFers and have an all around awesome time.