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Gym Rules

Reminder about the Gym Rules… for you fellas who complain about the sausage party up in here, how can we get more females to join if you won’t put the toilet seat down? DO IT. Also, clean up after yourself…this includes mopping up, returning equipment, and disposing of cups/water bottles. We now have a recycle bin in the hallway. Please use it.

Hooverball trumps the Park WOD 🙂

The Sunday park WOD has been cancelled until further notice, so that we can move Hooverball up an hour to avoid the heat. Join us Sundays at 10 am for Hooverball in the park. It’s lots of fun. Don’t forget to bring water, sunscreen and a towel. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll do a short pre-Hooverball warm up WOD.
We’ll still be offering regular free WODs with lululemon howell mill. Details are coming soon.

July 4th Holiday Schedule

CFM will be closed on Wednesday, July 4th. The 6 and 7 am classes will also be cancelled on Thursday, July 5th. All other classes next week will be held as regularly scheduled.
We’ll post a no-equipment-needed WOD on Tuesday in case you wish to get moving on your own on the 4th.

BEAST MODE: Zack attacks his 1RM back squat during CrossFit Total while our Ohio visitor Alyson looks on.

Workout of the Day

1. 15 minutes to work to a heavy clean & jerk
2. Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes:
3 power clean 135/95
5 kettlebell swings 2/1.5 pood

Post-WOD mobility: Wall stretch, 2 min each side

THURS 6.28.12 Read More »

Welcome to Dale, Jared, John H, Lucinda, Mary Anne, Scott D and Tiffany!

Paleo Night

Thanks to everyone who joined us for Paleo Night last night at Urban Pl8. Our party of 14 enjoyed a delicious dinner: Summer heirloom tomato salad with avocado, red onion, green olives, basil, and garlic vinaigrette, Puerto Rican beef stuffed roasted red bell pepper with basil oil, grilled hangar steak with grilled asparagus, tomatoes, and Vidalia onion with sweet pepper relish, and Paleo chocolate pudding.
Paleo night is held the last Tuesday of every month, so mark your calendars now to join the CFM crew for the next one on July 31st!

July 4th Holiday Schedule

Athlete Profile – Drew Vabulas AKA VABS

Hometown: I call Atlanta home now.
Age: 30
Occupation: Jack of all trades at IBIS Inc.
When did you first start CrossFitting? 2010 with Sealfit
Favorite WOD: Grace
Least Favorite WOD: Anything with bodyweight
Three words to describe you: Loyal, Outgoing, Competitive
Tell us about your sports & fitness background: I played college and pro baseball, college football, and I am now a professional kickballer.
How did you first get exposed to CrossFit? Take us back to your first
WOD… what was it, and how did it feel? First WOD was 500 air squats for time with SealFit. Freaked me out, couldn’t workout for 3 days after.
What sort of changes have you seen in your body, health and fitness since starting CF (before/after)? I have seen a lot of changes. I was in the best shape of my life up until surgery. And now I am seeing more size being put on (muscle).
What sort of changes in your life have you experienced out of taking on something like CrossFit that were totally unexpected? Meeting some great friends, really understanding how to feed yourself and what you put in your body really effects your attitude, your looks, and how you feel.
Please share with us any favorite CrossFit/CFM moments: Any competition, when people get behind you (even who you are competing against) to see you succeed.
Any advice for people just getting started? Stick with it and listen. Form is everything.
What are your hobbies, interests and/or talents outside of CrossFit? Work, work, work.
What did you eat today? So far I have had 16 oz of chicken, an orange, and some lettuce.
Do you follow the paleo or primal lifestyle? What is your nutrition philosophy? PALEO! On the band wagon!

Bro sesh! L-R: Dan, Vabs, Matt

Workout of the Day

10 minutes handstand skill practice

3 Rounds, NOT FOR TIME:
20 kettlebell walking lunges
20 ring rows or supine ring pull ups
20 plyo push ups

CASH OUT: 100 hollow rocks

WED 6.27.12: Athlete Profile – VABS Read More »

Paleo Night is tonight at Urban Pl8

Tonight is Paleo Night. Please join us at Urban Pl8 for a delicious four-course paleo meal (just $25!).I’ve got the following peeps in to join us for dinner: Lis, Sam, John DeG +1, Kenley, Donice, Dan, Alison, Uran… anyone else? We can add more by 5pm, just let Lis know! Reservation is at 8:30. If you want to carpool, be at the gym at 8.

July 4th Holiday Schedule

SLEEP!

It’s come to my attention that many of you live in high-rise condos/apartments near the gym. These places all feature great views and beautiful tall windows. BUT, that also means a lot of ambient light from street lights and daytime sunlight comes in to disturb your sleep.
We all need seven to nine hours of sleep each night in a COOL, DARK room. And I mean pitch-black dark room… no light from alarm clocks, television, night lights, cell phones, street lights, sunshine, etc. Try blacking out those windows (garbage bags and tapestries do the trick just as well as expensive curtains) and turning the thermostat down a few degrees at night and note how much better you sleep.
Supplements like magnesium citrate (Natural Calm), GABA, melatonin and zinc can also enhance your sleep. Let Lis know if you’re having issues getting a good night’s sleep and we can do some troubleshooting.

Scott recovers post-Fran

Workout of the Day – Fight Gone Bad

Three Rounds, for max reps:
1 minute wall balls 20/14
1 minute sumo deadlift high pull 75/55
1 minute box jump 20″
1 minute push press 75/55
1 minute row (for calories)
1 minute rest

Add up all reps/calories for total score.

TUES 06.26.12 FIGHT GONE BAD Read More »

HOOVERBALL!

What a great showing for Hooverball yesterday! Congrats to the team of Fred, Jon, Cameron and Scott for winning the round robin tournament. Come on out next week for more fun Sunday at Piedmont Park!

Class Levels

Beginning this week, we’re enforcing class levels. Starting Tuesday, 6/26, the 7PM TUESDAY, 6PM WEDNESDAY and 5PM THURSDAY classes will be for Beginners. These classes will focus on fundamental movements and we’ll do a scaled or modified version of the daily WOD. If you are an advanced athlete, you’re welcome to attend this class for some “back to basics” work, or you can attend a different class that day or take a rest day.
Refer to the schedule on the website or email Lis with questions.

Paleo Night at Urban Pl8

Tomorrow is Paleo Night. Post in the comments if you want to join the CFM table at Urban Pl8 for a delicious four-course paleo meal for just $25. We’ll make an 8:30 reservation so people can head straight there after the 7pm class.

Workout of the Day – CrossFit Total

1 Rep Max Back Squat
1 Rep Max Strict Press
1 Rep Max Deadlift
Add up your three lifts for your score.

MON 06.25.12 CROSSFIT TOTAL Read More »

Good News:

Congrats to Dyer and Patrick on big snatch PRs yesterday. Patrick only beat his previous best by… oh, let’s see… 60 POUNDS! Atta boy. We love seeing new CrossFitters make huge gains as technique improves.
AND Dyer claimed the top spot on the leader board this morning with his new PR: a 1:33 500m row. Can anyone take him down? For those keeping score at home, Dyer is three for three on setting PRs when he delivers or makes coffee for Lis. LOOOOOVE the new coffee maker in the gym!

Piedmont Park Hooverball

Come out to the Piedmont Park sand volleyball courts on Sunday for HOOVERBALL at 11am. Don’t forget sunscreen and water. If you’ve never played before, we’ll teach you. It’s tons of fun. Let’s keep the momentum building from last weekend’s big turnout! We’ll go out for some lunch afterward.

GRIPS

Next week we’ll place an order for gymnastics grips from Again Faster. Many of you have complained about sore hands and calluses. Use of gloves or grips is a personal preference. I usually train bare-handed with some tape, but I like these grips for high rep pull-up/toes-to-bar/knees-to-elbows, or barbell/kettlebell work if my hands are already tender.
Shoot Lis an email if you’re interested in ordering a pair (check out the link above first for how to measure/determine your size). We may get a price break on quantity, but I’ll confirm once I know for sure…they’ll likely be in the $15-25 price range.

Class Levels

Beginning next week, we’ll be enforcing class levels. Starting Tuesday, 6/26, the 7PM TUESDAY, 6PM WEDNESDAY and 5PM THURSDAY classes will be for Beginners. These classes will focus on fundamental movements and we’ll do a scaled or modified version of the daily WOD. If you are an advanced athlete, you’re welcome to attend this class for some “back to basics” work, or you can attend a different class that day or take a rest day.
Refer to the schedule on the website or email Lis with questions.

Paleo Night at Urban Pl8

Next Tuesday is Paleo Night. Post in the comments if you want to join the CFM table at Urban Pl8 for a delicious four-course paleo meal for just $25. We’ll make an 8:30 reservation so people can head straight there after the 7pm class.

Snatches

Check out some snatches from yesterday’s 6pm class with Jon, Fred, Rocky, Vince, Foula, Rohan and Chang… As usual, the video quality is phenomenal:

Workout of the Day – Row & FRANDAYFRANDAYFRANDAY

Part 1: Max effort 500m Row
GET ON THE LEADER BOARD!

Part 2: Thrusters & Pull Ups
Three Rounds –
1 minute max thrusters 115/85
1 minute rest
1 minute max strict pull ups
1 minute rest

FRI 06.22.12 HAPPY FRANDAY! Read More »

Good News:

Welcome to Graham!
Great job to Marshall on his first class today, and to Tess on making it back for her second class. CONGRATS to Dyer on a new power snatch PR! Everyone is making HUGE progress at the Olympic lifts. Remember we’ll focus on these every Thursday.

GRIPS

Class Levels

Paleo Night at Urban Pl8

CrossFit Midtown is excited to become community partners with lululemon howell mill.

Workout of the Day – SNATCH

Part 1: Work to a heavy power snatch single (1 rep) in 10 minutes.
Part 2: Using 80% of Part 1 weight, perform three sets of power snatch clusters:
1.1.1
(1 rep, then rest 10 seconds, then 1 rep, then rest 10 seconds, then 1 last rep)
Rest two minutes between sets.
Beginner WOD: Snatch intro, skill work, practice

Here are some pretty awesome snatches:

THURS 6.21.12 Read More »

Good News!

Welcome to Crystal and Rohan!
And great job to Matt on his first muscle-ups yesterday… and 2nd, and 3rd, and 4th, and… well, he did ALL 12 in the WOD! Also, Sam hit a new personal record (PR) on his 3 rep max deadlift. Congrats!

T-shirts and tumblers

See Lis if you missed the Grand Opening Celebration and didn’t receive a tumbler AND/OR if you haven’t picked up your new member t-shirt yet. New shirts are also in at the Pro Shop… get an American Apparel track shirt (unisex) or a ladies racerback tank for $25 each!

Class Levels

Paleo Night at Urban Pl8

Next Tuesday is Paleo Night. Post in the comments if you want to join the CFM table for a delicious four-course paleo meal for just $25. We’ll make an 8:30 reservation so people can head straight there after the 7pm class.

CFM member Dr. Austin Cohen hooks Lis up with an adjustment after posting a 3:29 Fran time!

Workout of the Day – Triple B Tabata

A tabata is 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest for eight rounds.

Tabata row
Rest 1 minute
Tabata squats
Rest 1 minute
Tabata plank hold
Rest 1 minute
Tabata lateral hops

WED 06.19.12 Read More »

The Wobble

Thanks to Kenley for providing the video camera and Carlos for leading the dance! …and to everyone who joined in the dance!!! Here it is:

Paleo Night at Urban Pl8

Anna, KILLING her last pull-up/last rep of Fran as Matt checks her final time.

Workout of the Day

3×3 Deadlift
Six rounds for time:
6 burpee broad jumps
2 16yd bear crawl
2 muscle ups (sub 2 ring row, 2 MU transition, 2 ring dip)

TUES 06.19.12 Read More »

This weekend was a great success!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Fran Challenge, Grand Opening Celebration, Sunday’s Park WOD and/or Hooverball. Attendance for everything was even better than expected!

FRANTASIA

Over the next six weeks, we’ll be doing some specialized programming to ensure that your Fran time improves when we retest on Saturday, July 28th. When you plan your training schedule each week, I highly recommend making it in for Monday classes, when we’ll be working on front squats and/or thrusters, and Fridays…er, make that FRANdays, when the day’s WOD will be some version of Fran. We’ll also continue to have make up days in Saturday classes, when you can choose a WOD that you missed to make up.
We’re ordering Fran shirts this week, so if you’re in on the Challenge and haven’t given me your shirt size, do so ASAP.

Thanks to Carlos for organizing Hooverball again. We had 15 people rotating in to play. Tons of fun! (Pictured: Carlos, Mary Anne, Fred, Adam)

Workout of the Day

3×5 Front Squat (if you know your max, set 1 is at 60% of 1RM, set 2 is at 65% of 1RM, set 3 is at 70% of 1RM)

Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Reps of:
Double unders (sub singles 3:1… so 150-120-90-60-30)
Sit ups

Mon 06.18.12 Read More »

Grand Opening is TOMORROW

Saturday from 5 to 8, join us at CFM to celebrate our Grand Opening and get to know your fellow members a little better. We’ll have some food, drinks and a DJ, and some of us will be going out to dinner afterward over at Steamhouse Lounge, so please join us. The more, the merrier!

The Quest for 500…27 to go!

If you’ve visited the CFM Facebook or YouTube pages, you know someone had the freaking awesome idea to do a dance to celebrate for every 100 Facebook fans we get. We’re 27 fans away from 500, and hoping to hit the big 500 milestone BEFORE SATURDAY night so we can make one big dance video of party guests doing the WOBBLE at the Grand Opening. PLEASE spread the word on Facebook, ask your friends to LIKE our page (if you go to the CFM page and click SHARE, you can post a status update spreading the word), AND THEN, learn the Wobble for Saturday. Here’s that video again:

Fran Challenge Prelims (NEW HEATS)

Sat 10 & 11am are the main heats. We prefer you do Fran then, BUT if Saturday AM doesn’t work for you, we’ll be running additional heats on Friday at 5:30 and 7pm (arrive at 5:30 or 7 to warm up…WOD ~6/7:30).
The sign-up sheet is in the box, or you can sign up here. EMAIL LIS TO CONFIRM YOUR HEAT, DIVISION AND T-SHIRT SIZE!

Recovery Day

Today is a recovery day for those who have trained hard all week and/or are doing Fran tomorrow. This will still be a great training day to work on mobility, recovery and some gymnastics skills. If you’re super sore, take it a little easier today. Feeling good? Get after it: push a little harder on the row and the AMRAP.

A few reminders to help your soreness & recovery –

Take a rest day every two to three days. You can still work on mobility on these days.
Get 7-9 hours of sleep in a COOL, DARK room.
Supplement with fish oil and magnesium to reduce soreness/decrease inflammation (Natural Calm or a magnesium citrate supplement will also help you sleep and keep you regular. Epsom salts baths are another great way to aid recovery w magnesium…active ingredient: magnesium sulfate).
DO NOT take pain killers like ibuprofen which wreak havoc on your body and inhibit muscle growth.
Drink plenty of water.
Post-workout nutrition: eating plenty of protein (about a gram per pound of bodyweight) will drastically help recovery and muscle growth. This is especially important immediately post-workout. Use a clean protein supplement within 45 minutes of finishing a WOD. My favorite is the SFH Recovery formula, which we sell in the Pro Shop in chocolate, vanilla and natural flavors. John from SFH is here this weekend with some samples of post-WOD protein and fish oil so check it out!

SundaySundaySunday

Free Park WOD – Sun 10am. Meet at the Piedmont Park sand volleyball courts
HOOVERBALL! – Sun 11am on the sand volleyball, er, HOOVERBALL courts.

The mural is ALMOST finished. Thanks to our Melvin for helping to decorate the gym with your artwork!

Workout of the Day

Recovery Day
Start with 10 minute easy row

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
30 second Handstand hold
30 second Squat hold
30 second L-sit hold
30 second Chin over bar hold

Finish w 10 minutes mobility and foam rolling