So....did the whole WORLD decide to take yesterday as a rest day? Was Wild Bill's programming just too much for you kids this week? Talk to me goose!

The workout yesterday started with some heavy back squats. Under Bill's watchful eye, we saw some EXCELLENT squats yesterday. Every now and then, we as coaches learn some fun trick for you kids to try, and the latest squat form drills we have been working on really seem to be helping. I have also started making people take off their shoes while they squat. You see, with squishy shoes, it allows you to "fall off" the side of your shoe, with all the weight on the inside of your foot. Just TRY and do that without your shoes on, buddy!

The metcon was a fun combination of thrusters, push-ups and broad jumps. Lean Jeanne wasn't so sure she could actually jump the prescribed 5 feet, but she was LEAPING 5 feet + every single time! Great job girlfriend!

We are only one short day away from Fortapalooza. I'm SO EXCITED that I can  hardly contain myself! Can everyone do me a huge favor? Please start doing your stay-away-rain dances for me. Thanks. One thing that I'd like to point out about Fortapalooza is the parking arrangements. Please PLEASE don't park on the grass along the driveway. If you would kindly pull all the way up the driveway, and down into one of the horse pastures, that would be best. We have Mr. Z's approval to park in the pastures in order to spare his perfect lawn.

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Fortapalooza 2010 THIS Saturday - June 12th at 1:00pm. It's time for FUN! Bring yourself, bring the family, just come to this once a year celebration. Come dressed to play. Don't forget your baithing suits and towels. There is going to be sand volleyball, swimming and even a workout that will involve a hill sprint!

We are asking that you bring a paleo side dish to share and and your beverage of choice for the day! Please bring some lawn chairs. We will need them for sitting around the bonfire.

See you all there! You do NOT want to miss this!

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There were long pauses as people strolled into the Fort yesterday and saw the workout. It was fun and amazing, but you had some choices to make. Each round would require you to either row, run, or do double unders....but you had to do each movement at least once. The workout looked like this:

21 barrier hop burpees
21 body rows
200m row OR 200m run OR 50 DU's
15 barrier hop burpees
15 body rows
400m row OR 400m run OR 100 DU's
9 barrier hop burpees
9 body rows
800m row OR 800m run OR 200 DU's

Yeah, I guess that IS confusing, isn't it....Our fastest time of the day came from Zachamole. He chose to run, row and then DU. Believe it or not, 200 DU's is faster than an 800m row for him! Good work!

Something truly wonderful and amazing happened yesterday at the 9AM class - Kinsy got 3 unassisted pull-ups! She has been kicking some serious butt with the blue and red bands, and during our weighted pull-up work, she rocked some unassisted pull-ups! Most people start by getting ONE pull-up....unless you're Kinsy. She wasn't messing around with that single pull-up stuff. Great job! Welcome to the Got Pull-Ups club!

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Hi kids! Sorry for the delayed posting. Crazy day yesterday, and I didn't get a chance to put up a post.

ANYWHO.....

The Tuesday evening workout was Karen - 150 wall ball shots for time. Don't underestimate the awesome powers of Karen. She's an evil B. (sorry to use harsh letters) Wild Bill is always thinking, and he had a revelation about this workout. What if you break it up onto 5 sets of 30, and strategically plan your rest? (scratching chin) Know what happens? People PR like their hair is on fire!

We saw some blazing fast new times from everyone. Brian S beat his old time by over 2 minutes, and Brandon H. PR'd by 4 minutes! Among our PR's were Hero Mike, Earl, Josh T, Zachamole, Pete, Craig, Bethy, Tommy Mo, Heath, Brandon, Ryan Z, and Jessica. Ryan Z took the top spot on the record board by finishing in 5:30, only 4 seconds ahead of Pete, and 6 seconds ahead of Zachamole! The next time this workout comes up in the programming, I'd like my top 5 guys to come duke it out, and do this workout TOGETHER. You'll of course be required to be shirtless. I'm just sayin'.....

Here's another new face around the Fort - this is Amanda.

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The instructions for yesterday's workout were quite simple: jump high, go heavy.

Our strength work was heavy sets of 3 on overhead squats. I'm happy to announce that Katherine OWNED her overhead squats yesterday. We have a few other newcomers who are going to be rockstars in no time! Among them are Andy and Hannah. Great job yesterday you guys!

The metcon was from Wild Bill's laboratory, and it was a doozey. It was a 10:00 AMRAP of heavy hang cleans, and high box jumps. Most people laughed and joked when they saw that the hang cleans were prescribed at 70kg's for the men and 50kg's for the ladies. Is this heavy? Yep. But ya know what? It was an AMRAP, and maybe Wild Bill wanted you to go heavy and get fewer rounds.

Once people saw that the box jumps were 34" for men, and 28" for the ladies, they almost ran for the door. All we ask is that you go a little higher than what you usually use for your box jumps. These should be high enough that you can't just rep through them lickety split, you should have to stand and reset your feet between attempts. If you're Hannah, you have to make sure your forearm comes in COMPLETE contact with the box on your second to last box jump of the workout. Hope your arm is ok!

Schedule note: We will now be offering an 8AM class on Tuesdays and Fridays. Hooray! This morning was our first class, and there were 5 people at 8AM, and still 12 people at 9AM. Needless to say, these 8AM class times are probably going to fill up fast! Once we see that we can continuously fill up both morning slots, we'll make more 8AM class times available.

Is everyone signed up to come to Fortapalooza? Cross your fingers and your toes that the rain stays out of the forecast for the weekend. We need some good weather! The party will be on, rain or shine! We'll be supplying a roasted pig, corn on the cob (I know, corn is a grain), and a fruit platter. If you would be so kind as to bring a dish to pass, that would be splendid! We'll have a special take home gift for all our CrossForters who attend!

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Is it just me, or does the general public avoid anything fitness related like it's the plague? Unless it's an infomercialized, this-thing-does-the-work-for-you kind of contraption, people just don't seem interested. And while I hate to bash on stuff, I just have to say it publicly; shoes with a squishy bottom are NOT a good workout for your butt and legs. Know what IS a good workout for your butt and legs? HEAVY FRONT SQUATS. The fact that you walked an extra 10 miles today just to try out your squishy shoes is the reason your butt and legs are sore...not because these shoes are magic.

"Jennie, why are you so mad today? Tell us what set you on this tirade!?"

I can't even tell you how many times people have seen our name - CrossFit Fire - and pronounced it "CrossFire". I've absolutely had it! CrossFIT Fire! The word FIT is sneaky, I realize this, but it is conveniently placed right between the words Cross and Fire. Grrrrr....

SERIOUSLY.

Want to know my theory? It's a wild one, so bear with me. My theory is that since people don't make fitness a part of their lives, their brains just skip right over the word "Fit". It isn't even part of their vocabulary. It's as if they just saw something scribbled in Arabic.

I realize that what we do at the Fort is seen as "extreme". We lift weights, do pull-ups, and lay down on the floor when we're done with our workouts. We drop stuff, jump on stuff, and climb ropes. Our workouts defy logic, in that they are usually less than 15 minutes long, but make you feel like you just did the hardest workout of your life. When it comes down to it, none of that stuff really matters so long as you like what you're doing, and you continue to see results; am I right? My sole purpose for unlocking the doors each morning and flipping on the lights isn't just to get you in shape for your big vacation; it's to make fitness part of your lives permanently.

Here's my big "what if" for the day. What if there were no drive-thru's at fast food restaurants? AND what if you had to park no less than 100 feet away? Do you think the consumption of fast food in the United States would decline significantly? I think it would. Our whole country is so damn comfortable, that they can't even be bothered to get off their fannies long enough to stand in line and order their food. They just sit in their cars, stuffing their faces with breakfast sandwiches, double cheeseburgers and Double Stacks. "no, no....don't get up....I'll just place your food directly into your mouth for you."

From this day forward, let's all take a CrossFit Fire vow to ALWAYS make fitness part of our lives. I know your friends and family roll their eyes every time you talk about CrossFit, but they'll come around eventually. They only roll their eyes because they don't understand that what we do at the Fort is about so much more than just a workout. It really is about a whole new lifestyle!

Here's the vow:

(raise your chin above the pull-up bar and repeat after me)

I, (state your name), do hereby solemnly swear to always make fitness a part of my life. I will not circle the mall for 27 minutes trying to find the closest parking spot. I will not push around a grocery cart if the only thing I am purchasing is a pound of ground beef and a banana. I will feed my family with food that is good for them, not convenient. I will take the stairs instead of the elevator, and call TIME as I burst out of the stairwell. I will push myself to be faster and stronger. I will not cry when my hands tear, I will not be discouraged when I fail a rep. I will only allow these things to motivate me even more.

All this I swear on a stack of bumper plates.

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We decided to forego our normal Team Saturday so that we could get a little Fight Gone Bad action. Bill and I arrived at the Fort extra early so we could get everything set up, and by 9:00 the people were pouring in. In just over 50 minutes, we put 36 of our amazing CrossForters through this workout. Biggest Saturday EVER!

Thank you to everyone who helped set-up, clean-up, count and motivate. It was an absolute blast! We even got a surprise visit from Super Dave! It was SO GOOD to see you!

I couldn't be more proud of everyone and their performance today. We forced a few unwilling participants to go RX'd, but in the end everyone was glad they did it. We saw some amazing new PR's, and some inspiring first timers. Even our old buddy Giles came back to play! As Special J put it, it wasn't Fight Gone Bad, it was "Fight Gone Well."

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