The Open is a wrap!!! Programming Updates and News

First of all, I want to thank all of you for making our first Intramural Open a huge success. When Steve and I were first discussing the idea of this we had no idea we would have nearly our entire membership involved in one way or another. I am absolutely thrilled with the turnout we had each week. I have been a part of the gym since the beginning and this was by far the most fun I have had so far. Congratulations to everyone who competed in their first Open and all of you have competed previously….we made it. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! I love all of my gym family…you guys are the best!!!

The Open is always fun but its time to dial back the conditioning a bit and start hitting some big weights again. Next week we will start some new strength cycles and be breaking down some skills and be working on certain progressions so that we can be more prepared for The Open next year. This doesn’t mean we won’t have any long conditioning days but it will be much more balanced the next couple of months.

I want you all to check the goal board when you come in next week. Are you doing everything you can to reach those goals you put up? Are you showing up to the gym enough times a week to make those goals a reality? If the answer is no. Then it is not too late. Get right back on track you still have plenty of time to reach those goals before the end of the year. Please let me know if you have any questions or need advice on how to meet your goals. I want you to reach those just as much as I want to reach my own goals.

Now that the Open is over look at our event board and pick something else to shoot for. Run a 5k, run in an obstacle race, compete in a local CrossFit competition. If you have anything that you would like to add to the board just let me know and I will add it to the list.

News and Notes:

*The New You Challenge program is about half way finished and they are all doing GREAT!!! Many of them will be hopefully joining us in regular classes once the program is finished so please introduce yourself and make them feel welcome when you run into them.

*We are discussing running another 6 week session of Olympic Weightlifting Barbell classes and a Spring Kids CrossFit class in the next month or so. Please ask any questions if you or your kids would be interested in either of those programs. If you know any other kids that would be interested in Kids CrossFit please pass along the information once we start advertising for it.

*In the summer we are hoping to be doing the Athletic Performance Training classes for Jr High and High School students again and another Summer Session of Kids CrossFit.

Lots of exciting things coming up! Happy training guys and gals!!!!!!

 

 

Programming Blog

I bet most of you have noticed a change in the programming recently. We have not been doing the traditional 30-40 minutes of strength work then one Met-Con workout at the end of class. The reason for this is…..The Open is coming up. The Open has generally tested our engines in the past so we have been doing multiple WOD’s a day with little rest to really work on our conditioning moving sub-maximal loads over a longer period of time. Last year was the first year The Open had a strength test in it and I doubt it will be the last time we see a strength event mixed in. For that reason, we will still be working on strength but it will more than likely be on the clock so we can get used to lifting while under fatigue. I just wanted to check in with everyone and let them know why they were seeing this change in the programming. After The Open has finished up you will probably see more of the traditional programming with more strength mixed in during the first part of the class.

We have kicked off the year in a great way. Most classes are packed and people are seeing progress so lets keep this going throughout the year. I love seeing everyone in here and enjoying themselves while getting fit. We have a lot of new members so please make them feel welcome and introduce yourself to people that you do not know. Our first Couch to CrossFit class is more than halfway through and will be hopefully joining us once they are done with that program. I would love to see everyone sign up for The Open this year and have a great time being a part of the global CrossFit community as well as our own gym community. We will again be having the Friday Night Lights Events during The Open this year. Let’s pack the place every Friday cheering each other on during the workouts and just have a good time. Let’s keep the momentum going this month guys….Happy Training!!!!!!

 

Cody Galbreath

Goal Setting Tips

It’s that time of year again. Time to break out that pad of paper and jot down your 2016 goals. If you did not see the post Steve made in our CrossFit 217 members page on facebook we will have a new whiteboard in the gym for everyone to write some short/medium/long term goals down. Hopefully, seeing these everyday will keep us motivated and on track to hitting our goals. This whiteboard should be up by the end of the week so I figured I would give you some goal setting tips so you can think about what your goals are so you can add them once the board is up.

1. Set small attainable goals.
If you set a series of small goals you will be happier throughout the year when you hit these goals rather than trying to reach for one long term goal all year long and only being happy that one time you hit that goal. If your goal is to lose 50 lbs during the year then set a series of small goals like losing a pound per week until your at 50 total pounds. In your head that is more manageable than looking at the big number of 50lbs. Also, if your losing a pound/week you are more than likely setting better lifestyle habits that you can keep long term rather than losing weight faster and then likely putting it back on.

2. Reevaluate your goals throughout the year.
Every time you hit a goal you should reevaluate and decided what you want to do with it now. How many times have you hit a weight loss goal and become satisfied and a month later your right back where you started? It works the same with goals in the gym. I’ve seen many people hit a milestone like getting a muscle up or pull up then stop practicing muscle ups and pull ups and then POOF they are gone. Don’t be satisfied when you hit your goals. Reevaluate the goal and decide what you want to do next.

3. Set behavioral goals and not outcome goals.
Outcome-I want to lose 50lbs.
-I want to add 10lbs of muscle.
-I want to eat healthier.
-I want to run a 5K/Marathon.
Behavior-Get in the gym 4 times a week.
-Run 4 days a week. (Start small and work up-5 mins then 10 mins then 15…etc)
-Make an effort every week to prep meals for the week or at least a few days at a time.
-Eat out only once a week.
-Cut back on soda/juice.
I am not saying not to have outcome goals at all but ask yourself how you will get to that outcome and set a behavioral goal that will help get you to those outcomes. Most of the time if you just set outcome goals with no plan on how to get to that outcome they just seem out of reach and you will forget about them in a few months and give up.

4. Don’t focus on your failures.
If you get off track hop back on. Don’t ever give up. More than likely you will get off track a bit throughout the year. Things happen but don’t let it spiral out of control. Realize your off track and then get back to hitting those behavioral goals that will get you going back in the right direction.

5. Surround yourself with a good support group.
Try to get your family/friends on board. Their goals don’t have to mimic yours but they should be supportive of your goals rather than derailing them. Try to get them involved or at least have them hold yourself accountable. We all need help at times and when your surrounded by a strong supportive community you will be more likely to meet your goals.

I want to help all of you meet your 2016 goals so if you have any questions or if I could help with any of this please don’t hesitate to ask me. Happy New Year everyone!!!! Lets kick a** this year!

Cody Galbreath

September Programming

Announcements

1) Olympic Weightlifting class is coming back!!!!!! This class will be offered for 6 weeks on Saturday mornings from 8am-9am.

2) Kids classes will start 9/19/15. This class will be offered for 6 weeks on Saturday mornings from 10am-10:45am.

***Sign up today and please spread the word to other friends and family members that may be interested. Thanks!!!

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing Labor Day weekend. With us being closed for Labor day we have a short training week this week so its a good time to schedule a deload week. We have a had a few hard weeks in a row testing maxes and we had some harder workouts so we will back off a little bit this week. That means we will be keeping the percentages down, doing higher rep maxes and doing more body weight and gymnastic skills this week. After this deload week we will be stepping it back up for the rest of the month.

We have the Olympic weightlifting classes coming back this month so we will stick to once/week Oly programming for the normal crossfit classes. This would be a great time to sign up for the Oly classes to get more practice in. These lifts are very hard to learn and perfect practice makes perfect. I was very pleased with how much progress my regular Oly class members made while attending these classes last time we offered them. I can’t wait to start these back up as Olympic Weightlifting is a passion of mine and is what really attracted me to CrossFit in the first place. I will see you all there.

Now for the rest of the programming for the regular crossfit classes. We just tested maxes recently for Back Squat, Sumo Deadlift, Deadlift, and the Push Press. We will now be working at certain percentages for some of these lifts rather than working for a certain “rep max”. We will continue with the Front Squat cycle that we are in right now with the drop sets worked in at the end. Also, we are working on the Strict Press now that we are through testing the Push Press. We will start switching up the Deadlift and Sumo Deadlift for strength by doing non touch n go reps and ending by doing a max touch n go set. You will continue to see some monostrucural conditioning days (rowing/running/sled…etc intervals). We need to start ramping up our conditioning and this is a great way to do this because you can keep the intensity high with the scheduled rest periods. My suggestion… don’t skip these days if you really want to see improvements. If it looks like its too many miles or meters or rounds it can all be scaled if necessary. Show up and put in the work and you will be happy with the results.

HAPPY TRAINING!!!!!

 

Training through an Injury

I injured my knee May 15th. Since then, I have had to change everything about the way I train and workout. It has been frustrating and depressing at times, but I have had to refocus on staying positive and being active while the injury heals.

Here are some tips for working through an injury:

1. Rest:
Healing takes time. Be smart and don’t push it too much. Listen to the advice of doctors and coaches. It is easy to want to jump right back into it, but healing takes patience. Rest has been a struggle for me because I convince myself that I can do things that I shouldn’t right now. It is important to have good coaches and friends to keep you in line.

2. Focus on weaknesses:
Take the time you have now to attack some of the weaker movements not affected by your injury. Leg injury? Work on getting a strict pull-up! Now that you are limited, it is a perfect opportunity to address them. Focus on form because that can help prevent future injuries.

3. Importance of nutrition:
Healing from an injury can take time, but eating healthy can help speed up the recovery. Also, with injuries, you are not able to do as much or workout as hard, so it is important to adjust your diet to avoid gaining unhealthy weight.

4. Test all movements and range of motion before grabbing the barbell:
Don’t jump the gun and try to come back where you left off. You are bound to hurt yourself again. Start slow and gradually work your way back. Test the movements of a lift without weight first to see if you experience pain before grabbing a barbell with some weight.

5. Do not create other injuries:
From my personal injury, I was favoring my right knee a lot and that was causing the tendonitis in my left knee to flare up and cause pain. Use light enough weight where you are not favoring certain areas to cause imbalances. Using light weight with more reps is a good alternative. This is the time to focus on form and making improvements.

Injuries happen, but how you deal with it emotionally and physically makes all the difference. Stay positive. Be smart. Listen to your body. You will be back in no time.

A few things I have learned being an “almost 50” CrossFit athlete

~You will feel younger.

Not at first…at first you might be thinking “what the hell was I thinking”, but eventually as your body adapts you are going to find the fountain of youth. Well, that may be an exaggeration, but for me it’s been exactly that. I started CrossFit to get in better shape and to overcome some muscle imbalances I got from marathon training. I thought I felt pretty good when I started. Now, almost 2 years later, I get up most morning feeling like I could whip the world. Do you know what that is worth? It will take a little time and it will also require that you listen to your body. Rest when you feel like you need it. Work around injuries, but don’t try to plow through them. Feed your body good food so it has what it needs for fuel. If you are eating the typical America diet, do yourself a favor and do some research on protein needed for your body weight and carb timing/cycling. If you do these things and show up to the gym and put in the work consistently, you are going to feel younger. Your body will begin to function as it was made to function, more like it did when you were a younger person.

 

~It’s important to learn to lose your ego and the drive to RX everything.

Most of us learn early on that you have to lose the ego. Don’t compare yourself to ANYONE else. If you see someone who is just a little better/faster/stronger than you, sure you can try to keep up during a WOD for motivation, but the bottom line is this…are YOU getting better? In order to know if you are improving, log your times/weights in Wodhopper (our workout tracking system) before you leave the gym. This is crucial. The more you see improvement, the more motivated you will be. You don’t want to get a PR and not even know it.
About the RX….Most WOD’s are written for people strong than “most” of us. Take a look at the WOD and try to determine what the WOD is trying to do. Is this a fast paced WOD written to really get your heart rate up and keep it there? If so, you want to select weights that you can keep moving at a good pace with, without losing form and taking a chance on hurting yourself. Is this a WOD that is commanding a heavy deadlift or complex that should be slower/steadier? When in doubt, ask your coach. This is another reason to be sure you log everything in Wodhopper. Your coach may tell you to use a percentage of a one rep max, or your previous 8 rep max or something of the like. There is no shame in using less weight or even doing fewer reps than prescribed to scale for your ability on a given day.

 

~The people and the gym will become very important to you.

When I started CrossFit, I started in the 5:30 am class. I did this because from previous experience over my lifetime, I knew that if I did not work out first thing in the morning, it was not going to happen. In every form of exercise I have done before I did not enjoy the program or activity enough to be able to force myself to do it very often if I didn’t do it upon waking. Lucky for me, I was disciplined enough to get up at the crack of dawn and kept myself relatively fit over my lifetime. After a short time at CrossFit 217 I realized I no longer had that problem. I no longer had to work out first thing in order to get it done. I look forward to going every day. I really look forward to it. The gym is one of my happy places. When my hands are on the bar and I’m working hard I don’t have time to worry about the stresses of the day. What a great way to reduce stress and escape from the world for a while!
The coaches and fellow athletes at the gym are a huge part of my success, and they will be an integral part of your success, too. We are all like-minded. We are all there getting stronger together and let’s face it, CrossFit hands you your butt on a regular basis. We are all in there struggling and celebrating and getting better together. The loudest cheers are for the last to finish. That happens in no other sport, but ours!

 
I will close with this. CrossFit is an important part of my life. Data supports the theory that fitness improves our quality of life as we age. I see people in their 50’s on oxygen, people in their 60’s with crippling osteoporosis and the problems only get worse as the age group goes up. It is possible to sustain a higher quality of life through fitness. We don’t know what health issues we will face in our lives, but I know one thing. Fit people are harder to kill! I am going to do everything in my power to be active and enjoy my life well into my “golden” years and be harder to kill. How about you?
I have learned so much more, and will share in some later blog posts.

 

Keep kickin’ butt my friends.
Jami

Benefits of Personal Training/Skill Sessions

Everyone can benefit from scheduling Personal Training or Skill Sessions. Obviously, this means additional income for me so why wouldn’t I say that right? This is true, but I would like for everyone to be the best version of their selves as they want to be. This can be achieved by having a more specific plan of attack for accessory and skill work. I’m not asking that everyone meet with me multiple times a week and go through your training package in a couple weeks unless that is what you would like to do. That’s why we have set an expiration date of 6 months after purchase date for your training packages. That way you can just meet with me once a week or maybe once every couple weeks if that is what you would like. Depending on what you want to work on we can meet and give you certain “Homework” to be completed on your own for a certain time period then meet again later to change things around and give new things to work on. Below are a few reasons why I think everyone could benefit from these packages.
1) Individualized Accessory Work
I try to program accessory work during the normal CrossFit classes but everyone has their own weaknesses that they need to be working on. The accessory work during class are normally just what the majority of our members need to work on. If you have your own sessions we can create a more specific plan of attack to address your exact weaknesses. Also, some of you may already be strong from working out in the past in a normal gym setting but need additional conditioning work and then some of you may be the opposite where you used to run before CrossFit but may have never lifted at all. If this is the case we can give some extra work to be completed on your own or during open gym times to become a more balanced CrossFitter.

2) One on One Attention
Technique flaws- Let’s be honest, as much as myself or our other coaches try to get around to everyone during a normal class we don’t always have as much time as we would like to address certain flaws. Therefore, we have to correct the biggest mistakes we see but can’t always drill the little things that I would like to. When we have our larger classes there are times that I don’t even see all the lifts that everyone takes that day. With these sessions you would get more attention and can really hammer down the little things that will make a BIG difference. You could schedule these sessions to work on the more skillful lifts (Snatch, Clean & Jerk, etc) or the more difficult gymnastic movements (Muscle ups, Handstands/Handstand walks, Double Unders, etc).

3) Personal Training Packages
These sessions would be an hour long and probably better suited for those who want to do additional strength work, complete extra conditioning work or a little bit of both. We can do small group training if you and someone else have the same things they want to work on. All of these sessions would have to be completed together but they would be at a discounted rate since it would not be considered one-on-one training. These packages would also be perfect for those non-CrossFit members who would like to do some personal training.
4) 30 minute Skill Session Packages
These sessions would be great for those who want to do more specific accessory work, drill technique on certain lifts that you are struggling with and going through progressions on more skillful movements.
Our pricing information for personal training can be found here: https://crossfit217.com/get-started/pricing/    If you would like to schedule a personal training appointment or would like to discuss options in person, please call 246-5943 or email [email protected] to make an appointment.
Cody Galbreath

3 Steps for Long-Term Health and Wellness Success

Do you ever feel like your health and wellness is a constant roller coaster ride of successes and failures? Here are the three things you need to enjoy a sustained life of health and wellness:
1. A Crew
Think about any lifelong pursuit – family, career, travel, friendship, health – none of which exist in a vacuum. As social creatures we thrive and grow in a group setting. Nature shows us that isolation is counterproductive to a rich, fulfilling life. Why then, when it comes to our own health do we go to the gym alone, put in some earbuds, and lift weights solo? There will inevitably be slip-ups as health is a lifelong pursuit. The difference is: when you slip up, will you have a crew to lift you up, joke about all the junk food you ate over the weekend, and get you back on the horse on Monday? Bottom line, you need a training crew.

2. A Plan
Too often I see people wander aimlessly through gyms with no end goal or game plan in mind. This is by no fault of their own of course; the fitness industry has for decades been much less concerned with results than setting a low enough price point in hopes that you forget you’re being charged and never come to the gym. We give you a workout plan every day at CrossFit to take the guess work out of what to do at the gym. So assemble your crew, set goals, and develop a results-focused plan. Better yet, set a goal of competing in an event. For example, pick a 5k, an obstacle course race, or a local CrossFit competition.

3. A Mindset
Do you want to be healthy and fit for the next 30 days or the next 30 years? I assume you answered the latter. I can’t stress this enough: STOP allowing short term, self-doubt peddling “experts” dictate your LIFELONG PURSUIT OF HEALTH. It takes patience and a proper mindest to achieve incremental, sustainable, lifelong change. Improving one percent at a time is not nearly as cool as “Drop 2 Sizes in 2 Weeks” and “3 Exercises for Bigger Biceps NOW,” but it’s honest long-term approach. As a coach, every rep I prescribe, every day you come in the door is wrought with accountability for your next 30 years. I promise things will not always be easy and you will slip up. It’s all good though. You know this going in and you have your people and your plan to get you back on track.

Are you ready to join our crew? Call us at 217-246-5080 or email [email protected] to get started with our one-on-one fundamentals course. https://crossfit217.com/get-started/

Steve Yoder

August Programming Focus & Announcements

July has past and August is here already. We saw a lot of PR’s in July so congratulations to all of you. In August, we will be programming more skills and drills for the olympic weightlifting movements and working with light weights to correct technique flaws. You will also see a lot of gymnastics skills programmed into this month (handstand holds/walks, muscle ups, rope climbs, toes to bars, pull ups, etc). If you do not have these skills its not a problem as you will doing progressions or a scaled version of the skill. Towards the end of the month we will be retesting our 1RM Back and Front Squats so try to keep making it here on our squat days so you will be prepared to PR at the end of the month. We just finished focusing on the sumo deadlift so be prepared to start pulling with the traditional stance this month.  The Push Press cycle is also approaching a 1RM test in a couple weeks. Keep showing up and putting in the work and the PR’s will keep rolling in.

The Saturday morning CrossFit class was held at the Charleston High School track a couple weeks ago and we had a great turnout and people seemed to enjoy it so we will be trying to get out of the gym at least once a month and meet somewhere for class for a little change of scenery. This would be a great time for any family member or friend that is interested in CrossFit to try out a free class so invite them along with you.

The Athletic Performance Training class for Jr. High and High School kids and the younger kids classes is ending this month as school is going to be starting back up. I have truly enjoyed working with all of the kids and introducing them to weightlifting. We will be offering more kids classes once we figure out some details. We will make an announcement when we figure this out so be on the lookout and if you know anyone else that may be interested let them know.

Olympic weightlifting class will be making a return in the next month or two as well. We are just trying to figure out the details so be looking for an announcement for that some time this month. Those classes will be perfect if you are new to the Snatch and Clean and Jerk. It will be a full hour of breaking down those movements and doing accessory work that will help with those lifts. I look forward to starting these classes again as most of you know those lifts are a passion of mine. I hope to see a lot of you in those classes!

Get in here and TRAIN HARD!

-Cody Galbreath