push ups

Congrats to Stuart and his new fiancé Amber (top) & Liz and her new fiancé Justin!

Today’s schedule

7a: All Levels CrossFit- Rebecca
8a: Open Gym- Rebecca
5p: All Levels CrossFit & Open Gym- Ben
6p: All Levels CrossFit & Open Gym- Ben

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A1. Strict Press: 3 at 70%, 3 at 80%, 3 at 90%
A2. Dips: 3 x 10 (1 min rest)
B. Open WOD 11.5: AS many rounds & reps as possible in 20 minutes:
5 Power Cleans 145/100#
10 Toes to Bar
15 Wall Balls 20/14#

And coming tomorrow…

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE! CFM will be closed for the holidays 12/24 & 12/25.

Holiday travel workout

Bodyweight Fran:
21-15-9
Squats
Push ups

Advanced: do jump squats & plyo push ups

MON 12.23.13 CrossFit Love! Read More »

Pick up hoodies today!

If you pre-ordered a blue zip-up hoodie, you can pick it up at the box on the check-in desk (look for your name on the tag). We ordered a limited amount of additional hoodies, so snag one while you can for $40. Last year’s hoodies are also on sale now for $30. Bundle up in CFM gear!

See you tonight at the holiday party!

Get to the box today for the 12 Days of CrossFitMas workout, then join us tonight for our annual CrossFitMas holiday party! The party kicks off at 7p with tunes from DJ POB & some grub from DBA Barbecue. Bring a friend and an appetizer or dessert (or beverage) to share. We’ll be enjoying holiday cheer at the box until 10, then take the party elsewhere. Happy Holidays!

Carlos!

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Cassie
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Cassie
8a: Open Gym- Tirzah
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy

Workout of the Day (WOD)

12 Days of CrossFitMas
Perform the workout like the lyrics to the 12 Days of Christmas. In other words, one burpee, then two handstand push ups and one burpee, then three abmat situps and two handstand push ups and one burpee, then four lateral wall ball throws and three abmat situps and two handstand push ups and one burpee, then five wall balls and four throws and three situps and two HSPU and one burpee… and so on.
1- Burpee
2- Handstand Push Ups
3- Abmat situps
4- Lateral med ball throws (2 ea side)
5- Wall balls
6- OH walking lunges (3 ea leg)
7- Russian kettlebell swings
8- KB snatch (4 ea arm)
9- Goblet squats
10- Pull ups
11- Toes to bar
12- Box jumps

And coming tomorrow…

Partner Chipper
Buy in: partner carry down and back in parking lot
Then, complete these reps split up between partners however you choose:
10 burpees
20 bear complex 95/65
10 burpees
30 pull ups
10 burpees
40 toes to bar or v-situps
10 burpees
50 wall balls
10 burpees
60 push ups
10 burpees
100 double unders or 300 singles
Cash out: wheelbarrow carry

Holiday Travel Workout

Warm up: 50 jumping jacks
Then, accumulate 4 minutes in a plank hold (time spent resting doesn’t count!)
Then, spend 10 minutes stretching/mobilizing

FRI 12.13.13 Hoodies are in! Read More »

No more burpee penalty!

Effective immediately, we’re eliminating the 25-burpee penalty for being late to class.
During the holidays, and every day, we realize there are enough barriers standing in the way of you making it to the box. So if you’re running a few minutes late, we don’t want a few burpees to be the last thing that keeps you away.
BUT, we’re all adults, so if you do arrive late to class, you’ll be responsible for warming up on your own. For your safety, you won’t be permitted to hop into class cold…take time to raise your core body temp and prepare your muscles and central nervous system for the upcoming workout.
If you’re more than 10 minutes late, it will be up to the coach to decide whether you can still join that class time, or if you need to wait for the next one.
We’ll still be assessing the 25-burpee penalty if you fail to sign in for class, so be sure to check in at the computer up front (or sign the notepad if the website is down).
So here’s your holiday surprise from CFM: no more late burpees & CrossFitMas on Friday night! Come play!

Ian & Raul get in the holiday spirit!

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
8a: Open Gym – Tirzah
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: Open Gym- Jim
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
7p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
8p: Open Gym- Lis

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A. Snatch balance: 3-3-3
B. Complete 10 rounds for time:
3 Ground to Overhead (use 70% of Clean & jerk 1-rep max)
10 Hollow Rocks

And coming tomorrow…

A. Back squat: 5 @ 65%, 5 @ 75%, 5 @ 85%
B. Complete 5 rounds:
Handstand Hold – 30 seconds
Handstand Push Ups – Max Reps
Static Pull Up Hold – 30 seconds
Strict Pull Ups – Max Reps
Hold Top of Dip – 30 seconds
Dips – Max Reps
*Perform isometric hold for 30 seconds, kick or drop down, shake out
your hands, take a few breaths and perform max reps of prescribed
exercise.
*Score is three numbers – max HSPU total for all rounds, max strict pull ups, max dips

Holiday Travel Workout

Run 1 mile
100 push ups
100 squats
Run 1 mile

TUES 12.10.13 Burpee penalty cancelled! Read More »

Mentally Strong People

By Coach Beka
Most of our focus in the CFM community, naturally, is about physical strength, goal setting, nutrition, sleep quality, etc.
When I came across this article, I realized we don’t hear as much about mental and emotional well-being. While many of us our great at goal setting, we have to have the components to go after those goals.
Would you consider yourself a mentally strong, confident person?
I LOVED the 13 tips this post discusses. Maybe it’s time to do some self evaluation and set your goals for 2014! I know I have a couple on this list that are a work in progress. 🙂
Share your thoughts in the comments!

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Tirzah
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Tirzah
8a: Open Gym- Tirzah
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy

Workout of the Day (WOD)

“Angie” – complete for time:
100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats

And coming tomorrow…

In Teams of 2-3, for time:
Buy in: 50 star jumps
80 push press 85/55
80 leg throws
80 box jumps
80 Russian kettlebell swings 70/53
80 walking lunges
Cash out: 50 jumping jacks

Holiday Travel Workout

Run a mile – Every minute, stop and do 10 squats, the next minute, stop and do 10 push ups, the next minute, stop and do 10 situps. Repeat until you complete the mile.

FRI 12.6.13 Mental Strength Read More »

Part 2: Homeostasis & exercise

by Instructor Training Program member Uran
In Part 2 of the Homeostasis blog series, we discussed the effect of diet on your body’s ability to regulate the metabolic condition. When your body fails to respond appropriately to your nutritional consumption, your metabolic systems shift out of balance, which can lead to all sorts of endocrine disorders. Today, we’re talking about something fun…
Something all of us in the CFM community share: a love of exercise.
Exercise, in all its forms, has a largely positive effect on the body. When you work out, you expend energy which sets off a series of reactions to try and maintain homeostasis. Your body knows it needs to get more oxygen to create new energy and sustain the increased activity level, and it does this in two ways.
First, your breathing rate increases to allow you to introduce oxygen to the bloodstream at a faster rate. Second, the increase of oxygen in the bloodstream prompts your heart to beat faster in order to deliver all that extra oxygen to your cells.
Why is this awesome?
By getting more oxygen into your lungs and then into your bloodstream, you exercise your heart, which in turn allows it to beat slower and with less effort. In the same way that repeated exercise in the gym relates to improved performance, repeated exercise for your heart causes it to work more efficiently and have more time to relax, thus lowering your blood pressure. So, come in, break a sweat, and feel even better about it than you already do.
And don’t forget that food and sleep are also major factors in helping your body maintain the stable condition it wants to be in. Help yourself out and give your body the tools to succeed.

Kerry and Tripp on wall balls and roll outs!

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
8a: Open Gym- Tirzah
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: Open Gym- Lis
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7p: All Levels CrossFit- Cassie
8p: Open Gym- Cassie
8:15p: Yoga- Samantha

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A1. Dumbbell external rotation: 3 sets of 10 (ea arm)
A2. Ring rows (2-second pause at top): 3 set of 10, rest :30
B. Back squat: 3 at 70% of one-rep max, 3 @ 80%, 3 @ 90% (3:00 rest between sets)
C. 10 minutes max effort: Row for meters, AirDyne for calories, jump rope singles or double unders

And coming tomorrow…

“Angie” – complete for time:
100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats

Holiday Travel Workout

100 burpees for time

THURS 12.5.13 Homeostasis & Exercise Read More »

Indulge a little too much yesterday?

Many people are waking up this morning feeling a little puffy, groggy, achy, hungover, etc, etc…So here are some ideas to help you get out of the post-Thanksgiving funk:
1. Get back on track with a healthy breakfast!
2. Get moving – do our holiday travel WOD or get to the box for the noon class today. Or just go for a walk, do some yoga, play with your dog/family, etc.
3. Drink more water – hydrating will help flush toxins from your system and reenergize you. Ever seen a plant wilt when it needs watering… we need it too!
4. Seasonal allergies? There are lots of natural remedies for seasonal allergies – try drinking the juice of one lemon mixed with warm water before bed & upon waking. Rinse your nasal passages with a neti-pot. And CUT OUT DAIRY (that’s the single biggest thing that eased my allergies and digestive problems. TRY IT!)
Burpees!

Weekend Schedule:

Friday – 12n Hero WOD with Tirzah
Saturday – 10a Team WOD with Carlos
Sunday – 12n CrossFit with Carlos
1-2p Open Gym with Carlos
6p Yoga with Monica

Workout of the Day (WOD)

“Tommy V”
21 thrusters 115/80#
12 rope climb
15 thruster
9 rope climb
9 thruster
6 rope climb

And coming tomorrow…

In teams of 4, complete 4 rounds*
Teammate 1 starts on wall climbs, then moves to power cleans. Teammate 2 can’t start wall climbs until Teammate 1 moves to power cleans. Teammate 3 must wait until Teammate 2 moves to power cleans to start wall climbs, and so on.
3 wall climbs
10 power cleans 95/65
20 box jumps 24/20
30 sit ups
40 double unders (or 120 singles)

Holiday Travel Workout

As many rounds & reps as possible in 15 minutes:
5 push ups
10 sit ups
15 squats

FRI 11.29.13 Seasonal detox Read More »

No excuse not to exercise!

Every year Americans complain about the weight they put on over the holidays.
CROSSFIT MIDTOWN: LET’S NOT BE THOSE PEOPLE!!!
We know the holidays can be hectic with travel, family visits, holiday parties, end-of-year stress at work, and just chaos in general. And we know the cold weather makes you want to cuddle up in sweatpants and WHO REALLY CARES IF I PUT ON A FEW POUNDS SINCE IT’S COVERED UP IN LAYERS???
I do. I care. I want you all to be as fit on January 1 as you are now, the week before Thanksgiving.
So in addition to the regular workout of the day (WOD) posted on the blog (the one we’ll do in class at the gym each day), our holiday gift to you*, CFMers, is 30 days of Holiday Travel Workouts… every day, M-F, for the rest of the year, we’ll be posting a Holiday Travel Workout for you to do on the road…in the hotel gym…in Nana’s living room…back home on your old stomping grounds…WHEREVER!
Post a pic or video of your travel workout to Instagram and tag @crossfitmidtown. On Monday, January 6th, we’ll pick the best one and award the winner a $50 pro shop gift certificate.
Cha. Ching.
*Our holiday gift to you is actually the bitchin’ CrossFitMas party we’re throwing here in the gym on Friday, December 13th (7-10p). Don’t miss it
Congrats to CFM students Tripp & Hannah who got engaged last week!

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
8a: Open Gym- Tirzah
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: Open Gym- Jim
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Ben
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Ben
7p: All Levels CrossFit- Tirzah
8p: Open Gym- Tirzah

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A. Back squat work ups 5 sets of 5
B. As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes:
7 overhead squats (50% 1 rep max)
7 burpees
7 push ups

And coming tomorrow…

A. Clean & Jerk: 2-2-2
B. 4 rounds for time:
2 handstand push ups – (Rx+: deficit HSPU. Hands on parallettes or additional plates)
4 muscle ups (Scaled: jumping muscle up or 4 dips, 4 pull ups each round)
6 hang squat cleans, 185/135

Holiday Travel Workout

Run/walk for 30 minutes Every 3 minutes, stop and do 10 push ups.

MON 11.25.13 Holiday Travel Workouts Read More »

Recovery time

by Coach AmyThere’s a lot of talk these days about the power of staying present, but is it really that easy?
We’re so attached to our devices:
we tune out the world as we run/shop/sleep with music…
we’re constantly burying our faces in Facebook/email/Candy Crush…
we check our iPad/iPhone/smart device the minute there is silence surrounding us.
But when you take a moment to be quiet, you can tune in to a lot of important stuff that we choose to ignore, like aches and pains.
I tell our students all the time: PAIN IS NOT NORMAL!
It’s not something you just suck up and push through. It is your body’s way of telling you SOMETHING IS WRONG!!!
Lately I see a lot of ignoring and pushing through in the classes I teach, and while you know your body and your limits better than I, I still know that by your 10th workout/class in a row, it’s probably time for a break.
There is such a thing as overtraining. And here’s the thing:
You may be 20-something now, youth on your side, your whole life ahead of you and you may continue to push through those days when your body is advising you otherwise.
But what about when you’re 40-something and not able to heal as fast or still suffer from a 20-year-old injury and now your mobility is limited and you hurt all the time?
Or when you’re 60-something and can’t run and play and pick up your grandkids because your rotator cuffs and lower back are so beat up you can barely bend over and pick up your socks?
Train hard but train smart; you want to live a full and active life for a long time.
So the next time you find yourself in silence, take a moment. Tune in.
And then grab that electronic device and check out this post Lis shared awhile back on making training sustainable.
Take time for recovery: foam roll, mobilize, take rest days, SLEEP, and if the pain lingers, see a professional like a doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist to address the issue.
DO IT!
Wes’s daughter Addison helping Dad & Joe keep track of rounds on their Saturday partner workout a few weekends ago.

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
8a: Open Gym- Tirzah
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
4p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Amy

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A. Goat work: Ten minutes to work on a skill of your choice
B. “Jackie”:
For time –
1000m row
50 thrusters 45/35#
30 pull ups

And coming tomorrow…

Partner WOD: Fight Gone Bad Bodyweight
In teams of 2, complete 3 rounds each:
Partner A: 1-min max reps while Partner B rests, then
Partner B: 1-min max reps while Partner A rests.
Then go on to next movement, rotating until both partners have done three rounds max reps of all movements
1-min max push ups
1-min max sit ups
1-min max air squats
1-min max calories rowed

FRI 11.15.13 Rest is good! Read More »

Five Open Gym Tips

by Coach Dyer
With LOTS more Open Gym time added to the CrossFit Midtown schedule in November, Dyer wrote up some tips on how to make the most of all the new gym access you’ll have. Good luck!
We have a bunch of free open gym times now. Here are five habits I’ve observed from people who get the most out of open gym sessions (these aren’t rules for attending, just suggestions to get most out of your time):
1. They get to work right away. When there’s no coach telling you that it’s time to start warming up, it’s tempting to sit around on the foam roller for 15 minutes. Don’t do that. Be ready to start warming up as soon as open gym begins (if not sooner).
2. They plan their warm-up in advance and move with purpose. Run, row, etc. and use the warm-up movements that you’ve learned in class. Keep moving through the warmups with purpose to get to your workout. Ask the coach on duty if you want specific warm-ups for certain things, but be ready to tell the coach what you’re doing for your workout.
3. They know what workout or strength/skill work they want to do in advance. If you show up with no idea what you want to do, you’re 10 times more likely to screw around when you arrive or mess up your warmup. You don’t necessarily need to have an entire workout planned – saying that you just want to work on your clean and jerk or muscle-up is OK – but, the more detail you have the more you’ll get out of the session.
4. They talk to the coach. Coaches are there to help and really want to help. Tell them what you want to do and if you have any questions ask. Just don’t burn all your time talking about kipping progression theory
5. They don’t plan to do too much. The session is only an hour. So, you won’t have time to warm-up, take your snatch, clean and jerk to maximum, get in 5 sets of squats, work on your rope climbs and do Cindy all in the same session. Use the classes as a template for what can be accomplished in an hour and plan accordingly.

Reminder no 8p Beginner class tonight & no 8:15 yoga. Join the Glow Stick WOD at 7p and stay for the Halloween party at 8!

Last year’s Halloween WOD

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Tirzah/Lis
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Beka
7p: GLOW STICK WOD- Cassie
8p: CFMakeover Awards & Finals Party

Workout of the Day (WOD)

Partner “Cindy”
As many rounds & reps as possible in 20 minutes:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
OR, if you insist on working solo:
“Chelsea”*:
Every minute on the minute for 30 minutes:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
*Modify reps or number of rounds as needed.

And coming tomorrow…

A. Every min on the min for 8 mins:
4 ea single leg step ups (knee high)
B. Every min on the min for 8 mins:
4 ea single arm press
C. Every min on the min for 8 mins:
:30 max box jumps

THURS 10.31.13 Happy Halloweeeeeeen! Read More »

REMINDER:

Open Gym schedule starts NOV 1 (that’s Friday). We’re super excited you all are chomping at the bit to get in for Open Gym time though!

Halloween Party is tomorrow

The 8p CrossFit class & 8:15p Yoga class will both be cancelled so we can celebrate all the CFMakeover prize winners! Join us at 7p for a GLOW STICK partner WOD (all levels welcome… BRING A FRIEND!) and stay for some not-paleo beverages. The Thursday night 7p class doesn’t count against your weekly class limits, so you can still get an extra workout in tomorrow, Fri or Sat. Get after it!

Congrats on all the October PRs

Here’s a few more videos from Friday afternoon classes CRUSHING CrossFit Total. Post to the comments if you set a PR last week, so we can all celebrate with you. Way to go!

Regina’s back squat PR!

P-Lane’s back squat PR!

Kelli’s press PR! (sorry girl, I barely caught this one!)

Greg’s deadlift PR!

Ben’s deadlift PR!

Today’s schedule

6a: All Levels CrossFit- Rebecca
7a: All Levels CrossFit- Rebecca
12n: All Levels CrossFit- Ben
5p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
6p: All Levels CrossFit- Lis
7p: All Levels CrossFit- Raul
8p: Open Gym – Raul

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A. 3 rounds: Max strict pull ups or ring rows, rest 3 min*
*CFMakeover challengers, use set 1 as your re-test/finals result.
B. As many rounds & reps as possible in 15 minutes*:
20 double unders (or 60 singles)
10 burpee broad jumps (jump your height…we’ll premark the floor)
5 handstand push ups
*CFMakeover challengers, use same modifications as you did for prelims.

And coming tomorrow…

Partner “Cindy”
As many rounds & reps as possible in 20 minutes:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
OR, if you insist on working solo:
“Chelsea”:
Every minute on the minute for 30 minutes:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

WED 10.30.13 More CrossFit Total PR videos! Read More »