Ryan had an amazing idea. He thinks that if you have a top 5 spot on the record board for a named workout, that you should be automatically notified any time that workout comes up in the programming. That way, you're sure to be at the Fort to defend your record. He's a clever one, isn't he?

The strength work yesterday was weighted pull-ups. I'm proud to announce that we finally have enough girls doing unassisted pull-ups, that we have filled our "heaviest pull-up" board on both sides! There were some creative ways to hold the weights going on...my favorite was Heath's "backpack" using assistance bands and incremental plates. Good thinking!

As for the metcon,  we did Isabel. Isabel is 30 reps of snatch (60/40kg). Take the bar from the floor to overhead in one single motion each rep. You don't have to do full squats, but you DO have to lock out your elbows and knees at the same time in order to complete each rep.

Earl came in for the 9AM class, and set a new Fort record. He did this workout in 2:11! He then went on Facebook and talked all kinds of smack about how Pete could NEVER beat him. It was shocking to say the least. I mean, really. Who does that guy think HE IS?! Ok, none of that really happened, I made it all up. Pete came in for the evening class and did Isabel in 89 seconds. Yep. 1:29!

What could be better than doing a named workout with your BFF there to cheer you on? NOTHING. Get your friends into the Fort so you can share the joy of CrossFit with them!

Alicia cheers on Special J through all 30 reps!

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So....in case you ever thought you whipped yourself hard with the jump rope, you need to take a peek at poor Ivan's shins.

Yeah, that's about the worst double-unders beating I've ever seen. There have been times when someone will whack themselves pretty good a couple times in the back of the arm, and there are even the occasional shin whippings....but this is just unreal. Hopefully Ivan still has some feeling left in  his shins.

The workout started with some heavy jerks. You could opt for either the split jerk, or the standard push jerk - whatever you're most comfortable with. We saw some pretty impressive numbers! I know Charlie is a big strong man mountain, but he chose not to write his strength numbers on the board...he's sneaky like that. I overheard someone in the 7PM class shout "who's Earl!?" Apparently they noticed that he put 98kg's over his head 8 times. He's a big strong man mountain as well, but he's not ninja and stealthy like Charlie.

We had some visitors yesterday! Josh and Levi are visiting some family out in Harvard, so they'll be joining us a few times this week. They're visiting from BTB CrossFit in Atlanta, and they brought me a SWEET "Fran is my homegirl" shirt. Anyone who knows my relationship with Fran can see the irony.

Our other visitor was Clark. It's been a long long time since we've seen his smiling face, and he's extra smiley now that he's been to Disney and back.

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Happy Memorial Day! Thank you to everyone who came out to the 9AM group class yesterday. There were rumors that it was going to be a team workout, but it ended up being a normal class structure. For our strength work, we did sets of 5 with overhead squats. As we were putting away racks and warming up for the metcon, the thunder started rumbling and the sky turned black. Nervous glances were being exchanged, as this was the workout written on the board:

800m row
30 thrusters (60/40kg)
800m run

Yes, even though it was going to rain, the workout MUST go on. It wasn't a matter of IF you were going to get wet, it was only a matter of WHEN.

There were 4 heats of this workout, and heats 2 and 3 definitely got the most wet. Shirts were coming off, and shoes and socks were abandoned. It was a fun, wet workout!

Tommy Mo is singing in the rain!

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How many of you are guilty of accidentally (or intentionally) teaching a small child a bad habit? Are you the uncle that always makes fart jokes? Are you the goofy cousin that is always throwing things into the fire that don't belong? How about your language? Do the kids in your life need "ear muffs"?

Ever stop and wonder what kind of role model you are being for the kids in your life? I'm not just talking about YOUR children either. Almost all of us have kids in our life in one way or another. These kids see us and whether or not we realize it, these kids look to us to determine how they live their lives. From a very early age children can imitate pretty well.

We all know and love Super Jack. He's a spectacular little shirtless man who does burpees, push-ups, sit-ups, swings from the rings, rows and lifts weights. He even DROPS his weights and then shakes out his hands when he's done. Keep in mind that I didn't have to show him how to do any of those things. He learned just by watching and imitating.

See what I'm getting at?

By being part of the Fort, you are becoming a better role model to both children and adults alike. Set a good example by practicing what you preach, and by  making your health a priority. If you make time in your schedule to work out and eat right, there's a good chance that someone else will imitate that. Whether it's your sister who needs to lose a few pounds, a coworker who wants to get stronger, or a small child, you are ultimately responsible for setting a good example. BE CrossFit, even after you've left the Fort for the day. LIVE CrossFit, even when you're at a family function and everyone else is having brownies. LOVE CrossFit and what a positive impact it could have on those around you.

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There really is no other way to describe yesterday than to say it was AWESOME. We had amazing weather yet again, and a great turnout. Spending my Saturday morning with 30 of my CrossForters is a perfect way to start ANY weekend. I love youz guyz.

The workout Bill threw together was super fun. There was lots of running, lots of push-ups, lots of squats, and lots of sit-ups. Yeah, there was kind of lots of everything. You guys did great though! It was really amazing to look around and see everyone pushing so hard to help their teams! Great job everyone!

Memorial Day is a special day, and we have a shortened class schedule. I have a few private clients and an evening ramp-up, but other than those things, the only group class will be a 9AM class. Come one, come all....there will be no limit to the number of people who can come. Hope to see you all there!

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And just when you thought there couldn't possibly be ANOTHER reason to work out at the Fort, we are now offering free sun tanning during every single one of your runs! Hooray for nice weather!

The strength work yesterday was press, and we worked our way up to a single rep max. I'm happy to report that our record board got shuffled around quite a bit! We had new PR's from Dad, Pete, Jelli, Carrie, Earl, Hugo, Ivy, Ryan Z., Brandon H., Morgan, Bethy, Steph L., Jessica, Season and hero Mike. It was a BIG PR day! Congratulations to all of you!

The metcon included some of that free tanning mentioned earlier. We did 3 rounds of 400m run, sumo deadlift high pulls, and pull-ups. Turns out that's a pretty tricky combination! Our "ladies only" 6PM class handled it just fine. We had a group of 3 lovelies gutting out the workout before the big holiday weekend. Hannah, Alyson and Mary had the place all to themselves, and they did GREAT! Mary is finally back after having her beautiful baby 10 weeks ago, and she's already kicking some serious BUTT!

Hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

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Snatch balance again??? Yep. Snatch Balance. Again. Yesterday we worked our way up to a single rep max. Is this movement starting to feel good to you guys? From the coaching angle, things are starting to look good, but I always like to get some feedback. How do you feel about the snatch balance? It's relatively new to the Fort, but it definitely seems to be well received....or IS IT....

The metcon yesterday looked fun and amazing. I wish I could say that I got to do this one, but alas, my back is still giving me grief. The workout was a combined total of 6:00 of work, and 6:00 of rest. Much to the dismay of our new ramp-up graduates, we were using a movement that wasn't covered....the CLUSTER. It's exactly what it sounds like - a combination of a clean and a thruster. After "clustering" for a minute, everyone headed upstairs to row for a minute with a minute of rest in between.

Speaking of ramp-up graduates, is everyone introducing themselves to our new members? You can expect a pop quiz during mobility drills, and if you haven't introduced yourself to the newcomer, there will be some burpees involved.

Our GNH clusters in unison...

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