February 2013

Halfway through the month…not too late for a healthy new habit!

Two weeks left in the month. That’s plenty of time to make progress toward your goals.
Overwhelmed? Start with a smaller goal.
That “workout four times a week” goal starts with one workout. Or even start with just 5 squats…something so tiny you can’t quit it.
Floss. Just one tooth to start.
And if you get derailed… miss one workout… eat one bad meal… miss one day of flossing… GET BACK ON TRACK the next day! Don’t keep backsliding.
Here’s another post from my new favorite blog Zen Habits, on how to stick to habits and habits that form habits. Don’t write February off. Remember our positive-thinking HAPPY February challenge? You’ve still got two weeks to become a happier person. Enjoy the journey!

D-Cap, Nate K, Matt M, Dan W & Vicente hanging out for Mardi Gras

Workout of the Day (WOD) – Benchmark Friday

A. Close-grip bench press: 15min to find 1 rep max
B. “Cindy”:
As many rounds & reps as possible in 20 min of:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

And coming tomorrow… Partner WOD

Partner “McGhee”:
Alternating movements with your partner, complete as many rounds & reps as possible in 30 minutes of –
5 deadlifts 275/185#
13 push-ups
9 box jumps 24/20

FRI 02.15.13 Animal Warm-Up aaaand Benchmark Friday Read More »

Approaching Your WODs

by Uran
As CrossFit beginners, we’ve all been there. You’re hitting the gym regularly, and feeling pretty damn good about yourself. You SHOULD be! Making good on your commitment to train consistently is great, and it’s something even the most elite athletes struggle with from time to time.
But now that you’ve got your training schedule in place, and you’re showing up for your WODs on a regular basis, it’s time to start drilling down into what’s going on during your workouts. Once you’ve learned the movements, safe technique, and the proper range of motion, you can really begin to think about your intensity.
Learning to make the most of your workouts is something that takes practice if you’re new to CrossFit, so start thinking about it early.
Are you scaling appropriately to reach the desired level of intensity for that particular workout?
If the workout is designed to be done at a sprint, choose weights/modifications that can accommodate that kind of pace.
If the programming calls for a heavy weightlifting day, challenge yourself there as well.
And if you don’t know the purpose of the workout, you can always ask a coach. All of the CFM coaches can help you figure out how to approach a workout, so don’t be afraid to ask.
It took me years of trial and error to figure out how to approach WODs with the right level of intensity on my own because I didn’t know how to ask for guidance. It will always be a bit of a learning process as you continue to progress and get stronger, but thinking about it early and taking the advice of your coaches will get you there much more quickly!

The Mardi Gras WOD crew

Workout of the Day (WOD)… for real this time

A. As many rounds & reps as possible in 20min:
10 handstand push ups
2 rope climbs
20 walking lunges
B. accumulate 3min each of L side plank & R side plank

And coming tomorrow…BENCHMARK FRIDAY

A. Close-grip bench press: 15min to find 1 rep max
B. “Cindy”:
As many rounds & reps as possible in 20 min of:
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

02.14.13 Happy Valentine’s Day! Read More »

Sorry for the mistake in today’s blog.

Give Lis a few Jell-O shots and she skips over one whole day of programming! Today is actually back squats, then burpees and double or single unders (jump rope)… tomorrow’s WOD is the rope climbs, handstand push ups and lunges (and Friday is Cindy & bench press).

Bring a Friend Days coming next month!

Many have been asking when you can bring a friend to try out a CrossFit class… well here are the answers:
Option 1) they can email us or call 678.223.3308 to schedule a free intro session.
Option 2) Guest passes: if you are a Silver member, you get one guest pass a month. Gold members get two. That means you can bring a guest along to class once or twice a month. In order to keep the focus on our regular CFM students, we ask that you email us to confirm the day/time you’d like to bring your guest is appropriate for a newcomer. Hint: we don’t recommend visitors come to workouts with complex movements, since our coaches are focused on teaching the CFM students in class. We also limit visitors at busier classes.
Option 3) Bring a Friend Days! Every quarter, CFM plans three days in a row of beginner/guest friendly workouts, when you’re welcome to bring that friend, roommate, coworker, etc, who’s been wondering about this CrossFit thing you’re up to. Our next Bring a Friend Days are Thurs, Fri & Sat, March 7, 8, & 9. You’re invited to bring a guest along with you to any classes. We ask that you act as their host/hostess and show them the ropes in class, as well as

Thanks for a great Mardi Gras!

Thanks to everyone who attended and pitched in to make CFM’s Mardi Gras WOD a blast! We couldn’t have had all that fun without Cassie’s creative warm-up, Lynn’s jello shots and Lindsay’s decorations. Thanks to everyone who brought friends and came out to play!

Workout of the Day (WOD)

A. Back Squat: 5-5-5-5, every 3min
B. As many rounds & reps as possible in 8min:
8 burpees
35 double unders (sub 100 singles)

And coming tomorrow…

A. As many rounds & reps as possible in 20min:
10 handstand push ups
2 rope climbs
20 walking lunges
B. accumulate 3min each of L side plank & R side plank

WED 02.13.13 WOD Update! Read More »

How’s your HAPPY FEBRUARY going?

Earlier this month, I challenged you all to think positively this month. Practice chasing negative thoughts from your mind and you’ll be surprised at how much happier you’ll be! A good friend of mine shared this Zen Habits blog with me and I enjoy reading it regularly now. Here’s his great post from last week with some advice the author offers his kids. I wish the same for all of you/us!

Rowing class tonight at 7!

Every Tuesday, Uran leads a rowing class in the front room at 7pm. Please RSVP in advance, because only 5 SPOTS are available. Here’s tonight’s rowing workout:
Pyramid Workout
Keeping a steady stroke rating of 25-27 spm (strokes per minute) for all but the last piece (piece is rowing talk for an interval or distance…in this case, “the last piece” is the final 500m max effort):
500m, rest 2:00
750m, rest 2:00
1000m, rest 2:00
1500m, rest 2:00
1000m, rest 2:00
750m, rest 2:00
500m max effort (28-30 spm)

And here’s a great video from Concept2 (okay, a good video… very informative, but I’d like to add some dancing WB frogs or maybe give the narrator a wise guy gangster accent like in the cartoons) with some rowing form tips. Uran can teach you all this AND MORE!!!

Mardi Gras WOD tonight at 8!

Join us tonight as we celebrate Mardi Gras at the 8pm class. This class doesn’t count toward your weekly visits AND it’s open to the public/beginner friendly, so bring a friend. Wear your Mardi Gras yellow, green and/or purple to earn some beads & masks!
Bridget, Lynn and Nina have arranged for some post-WOD refreshments. I won’t give specifics but there might be spiked jello, king cake, a special cash-out and an after-party down the street at Front Page News (it’s a New Orleans Cafe. You know they’ll do it right). If you attended the holiday party, you’ll remember what an amazing jello chef Lynn is. Don’t miss it… we’ll be doing a special WOD to celebrate:
Every minute on the minute for 20 minutes:
Odd rounds – 5 burpee bead tosses
Even rounds – 3 dance-atop-a box jumps (anti-dancers can do 5 squats atop the box instead)

All other classes will do the boring ole regular WOD, listed below…

Laissez les bon temps rouler! (aka LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL)

Workout of the Day (aka regular ole boring WOD)

A. Power Clean: 3-3-3-3-3-3-3, every 3min
B. 5 rounds for time:
12 toes-to-bar
10 wall balls 20/14#

And coming tomorrow…

A. As many rounds & reps as possible in 20min:
10 handstand push ups
2 rope climbs
20 walking lunges
B. accumulate 3min each of L side bridge & R side bridge

02.12.13 Mardi Gras WOD tonight! Read More »

Record your workouts

Last week we announced you can track your workouts through Zen Planner online (use the login you got when you started at CFM) or using their iPhone app.
Tracking your workouts will help you make quicker progress in the gym and helps your coaches help you.
If every time we back squat, you have no record of the weight used last time we squatted, you’ll spend your first few sets guessing at a good starting weight. Instead, track those numbers so you know exactly what you did last time and we can hopefully add a little weight next time around.
Note: new students are different. We’ll use your first few workouts to determine your starting weights for lifts and modifications for other movements.
Want to get better at pullups? When you approach your coach to ask for help, we might take a look at your training records (which we can see through Zen Planner…so cool!) and be able to recommend some additional work to complement what you’re doing in the gym. Or we might see that perhaps the reason you’re struggling with pull ups is that you avoid them every time they come up in a workout. Hint: today. pull ups. be here.
It’s also important to take a few minutes before class to review the workout of the day and your past results at similar workouts to decide what your starting weight will be or what modifications you might make. Your coach in class will always help with this, but checking your numbers during class can eat up valuable training time.
Come prepared and track your progress! It makes a big difference!

Olympic Lifting Seminar with Travis Cooper

Sunday, March 10th, Travis Cooper will be joining us for a six-hour seminar (9a-4p with an hour break for lunch) to teach us the finer points of the snatch and clean & jerk. Travis has competed and coached at the national & world levels. He is now a member of Team MDUSA and aspires to compete in the 2016 Olympics.
Register now! This seminar is limited to 24 athletes (8 spaces are already full!). Athletes and coaches of all levels will benefit from this course.

$75.00 – CFM Members
$85.00 – CFM Guests

Visit the FB event page for the seminar timeline and more info about Travis.

Workout of the Day

A. As many rounds & reps as possible in 15 minutes of:
1 chest-to-bar (CTB) pull up
1 box jumps (24/20)
2 CTB pull ups
2 box jumps
3 CTB chin ups
3 box jumps
… And so on, each round increasing by one rep until time expires.

Score= total reps

B1. Three rounds: Powell Raise 8-10, 30sec rest
Dumbbell External Rotation 8-10, 60sec rest

And coming tomorrow…

A. Power Clean 3-3-3-3-3-3-3, every 3min
B. 5 rounds for time:
12 toes-to-bar
10 wall balls 20/14#

MON 02.11.13 Read More »

Olympic Lifting Seminar with Travis Cooper

Sunday, March 10th, Travis Cooper will be joining us for a six-hour seminar (9a-4p with an hour break for lunch) to teach us the finer points of the snatch and clean & jerk. Travis has competed and coached at the national & world levels. He is now a member of Team MDUSA and aspires to compete in the 2016 Olympics.
Register now! This seminar is limited to 24 athletes. Athletes and coaches of all levels will benefit from this course.

$75.00 – CFM Members
$85.00 – CFM Guests

Visit the FB event page for the seminar timeline and more info about Travis.

Lis & Dan make good on their lost SuperBowl bet and do 50 burpees (notice Dan actually does 51) as a triumphant Nate heckles around them. Nate was nice enough to provide background music for the festivities. Dan made good on his prediction of a 2:30 finish time and was nice enough to drag Lis out super fast, way off her pace, to a 2:42ish finish. Both would later regret this blistering pace and lack of a warm-up.

Quarterly Progress Checks:

This week, we’re retesting several benchmark workouts and setting new goals for the next three months. Who will you be by early May? Set your intention now.

Workout of the Day

A. CrossFit Total:
1 rep max of –
Back squat
Strict press
Deadlift
B. 1 minute AirDyne test for max calories

And coming tomorrow…

Partner WOD at all classes!
Choose between –
A. 5k row: you and your partner alternate as you wish. Each partner must row at least 2000 meters.
B. TabataISH: you and your partner each complete 8 rounds – :20 max reps of air squats, push ups, sit ups, pull ups. While Partner A works, Partner B rests. Count all reps for total score.

FRI 02.07.13 CrossFit Total! Read More »

CrossFit Games Open

by Coach Dyer
The CrossFit Games Open is less than a month away. If you think you might be the kind of person who likes to have fun, sign up.

Dates: March 6 to April 7
Cost: $20
What is it?: CrossFit HQ will announce 1 workout on Wednesday March 6th and you have until Sunday evening to complete the workout in front of a judge and upload your score. This will happen for 5 consecutive weeks with a new workout each week. Your score(s) will give you a worldwide and regional ranking – so, you can finally go head-to-head against your friends who live outside of Atlanta or who train at another gym.
Where?: We’ll complete (and judge and validate your scores) all workouts here at CFM each week. If you have to travel one of these weeks, you can still do the WOD at any other participating CrossFit affiliate.

Check out CFM’s own Matt C showing off dem CrossFit skills last weekend at a bachelor party in South Florida. (Yes, they’re calling him Rex in the video… this is apparently his middle name and college alter-ego… AND his new whiteboard name)

Quarterly Progress Checks:

This week, we’re retesting several benchmark workouts and setting new goals for the next three months. Who will you be by early May? Set your intention now.

Workout of the Day

A. 1 Rep Max Weighted Pull Up(or 5 sets of 3 slooooow negatives)
B. For time:
250m row
15 kb swings 2/1.5pd
25 burpees
15 kb swings 2/1.5pd
250m row

And coming tomorrow…

A. CrossFit Total:
1 rep max of –
Back squat
Strict press
Deadlift
B. 1 minute AirDyne test for max calories

THURS 02.07.13 The CrossFit Games Open is a month away! Read More »

Noon yoga starts today!

Beth is back teaching yoga, now on Wednesdays at noon in the front room.
Yoga can help with many ailments/complaints I regularly hear about from CFM students: you’re achy, sore, tight, inflexible, unable to concentrate, stressed out, unable to relax…
Yoga is INCLUDED in your CFM membership. It doesn’t even count as one of your weekly classes, so give it a try! We even have some spare mats you can use.
In addition to Beth’s Wednesday noon class, Monica also teaches a yoga class Thursdays at 8:15p at CFM.

Last Friday’s noon class doing their best flying squirrel imitations for Coach Woody. If you’ve never attended Animal Warm-Up Friday, you are missing out. Big time.

Quarterly Progress Checks:

This week, we’re retesting several benchmark workouts and setting new goals for the next three months. Who will you be by early May? Set your intention now.

Workout of the Day

As many rounds as possible in 20min of:
20 Thrusters 135/95
20 Pullups
20 Burpees

And coming tomorrow…

A. 1Rep Max Weighted Pull Up (or 5 sets of 3 slooooow negatives)
B. For time:
250m row
15 kb swings 2/1.5pd
25 burpees
15 kb swings 2/1.5pd
250m row

WED 02.05.13 Noon yoga today Read More »

Striking a Balance

by Uran
This past weekend I attended CFM’s Ayurveda Workshop with Anna Russ. Boy oh boy, am I glad I did. One of my goals this year is to find some balance in my life.
I confess: I have a bad habit of being an “all or nothing” kind of person, and unfortunately, it has led to some unhealthy decisions. If I can only make it to the gym once this week, why go at all? If I can’t have a perfectly paleo meal when I’m eating out with my friends, why not just blow it out with something completely unhealthy? I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth, and this mentality has created a lot of additional and unnecessary stress in my life.
So, I’ve decided to stop it. I’ve committed to quit beating myself up about every little thing that falls short of perfection, because that is unrealistic, unattainable, and the opposite of good goal-setting.
Instead, I’ve vowed to focus on the wins in my life. While I made some good progress on my own in January, this workshop helped me reinforce this goal for February as well. It gave me some steps to understanding who I am and learning how to work with, rather than against, myself to find balance and live in the present moment. And finally, it reminded me that self-care is a lifelong process.
As we move into CFM’s February Challenge on Positive Thinking, think about if you’re struggling to find balance in your own life. For those of you who are, what will you do to center yourselves and regain your equilibrium?

Congrats on all your January Goals & Achievements! Add your new goals to the board in the box this week. Congrats to Casey on listing our first February accomplishment on the board: SHE DID ALL 10 PULL UPS IN THE BASELINE RX’ED FOR THE FIRST TIME!

Quarterly Progress Checks:

This week, we’re retesting several benchmark workouts and setting new goals for the next three months. Who will you be by early May? Set your intention now.

This week’s benchmarks

Your first session of the week: Goal-setting & baseline retest, then daily WOD…

As promised, for those of you who don’t remember your old Baseline score (RECORD YOUR STATS!), here are whiteboard pics from the last two Quarterly Check-Ins.
August 2012:

November 2012:

Workout of the Day

Olympic Total:
1 rep max of Snatch, then
1 rep max of Clean & Jerk

And coming tomorrow…

As many rounds as possible in 20min of:
20 Thrusters 135/95
20 Pullups
20 Burpees

TUES 02.05.12 Quarterly Progress Checks continue… Read More »

Workout Tracking is here:

How often do you record your workout results?

1. Download the Zen Planner app on your smartphone
2. Every day, before leaving the gym, record your workout result
3. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Anything worth doing is worth recording.

Quarterly Progress Checks:

This week, we’re retesting several benchmark workouts and setting new goals for the next three months. Who will you be by early May? Set your intention now.