Breanne had her baby on the 11th.
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Happy Cooking!

Did the snow keep you away from the Fort last night? The good news about that storm last night is that there's finally some powdery goodness on the ground so that our snowshoeing event, planned for January 21st won’t be cancelled! WAHOO!

Yesterday was a deadlifting kinda day! We worked with deadlifts in the strength and the WOD.

The WOD was:
3 rounds for time:
10 deadlifts (60% SRM)
500m row
4:00 rest

Did this WOD leave your back aching? Deadlifting by pulling back without engaging your posterior chain (hips/glutes) can stress your lower back. It’s important to start the movement by pushing through your heels, then push your hips forward once the bar reaches knee level, finish the lift by squeezing your glutes as hard as you can.

I want to give a shout out to John, a new member who just tested out of ramp-up. He is über strong and lightning fast. He killed the WOD yesterday and actually left un-winded! Three cheers for newbies rocking it…hip, hip, hooray!

Boy, if you thought clapping push-ups were hard, you should have been at the Fort yesterday! Our workout included "dynamic push-ups". You had the choice of either slapping your chest, clapping your hands, or driving up so your hands pop off the floor.

We had a bunch of people attempt these amazing push-ups. George got so high off the ground that he even got one FOOT off the floor. Drew did a great job with these too...which is totally shocking since he sucks at push-ups. (Ok, he's amazing!!!)

The workout was a 10:00 amrap of:
10 pull-ups
15 dynamic push-ups
20 anchored sit-ups

Kat did a great job with this workout. She's fresh out of ramp-up and she can already do unassisted pull-ups! Atta girl!

In case you missed it, there are a few upcoming events on the whiteboard. The first is our 3rd round of group karaoke at the Last Chance Saloon. Karaoke will be at 9PM this Saturday the 14th. There is also a sign up sheet for the snowshoeing outing. And since there is finally some of the fluffy white stuff on the ground, you should all be in the mood!

I was looking at the picture of the whiteboard from yesterday and I realized that we might as well have just circled the WHOLE BOARD. Almost everyone got a new backsquat PR! Here are all the people who PR'd yesterday:

Trish, Nicole, Jamie, Ashley, Jack, Jamie, Karri, EJ, RTL, Catherine, Mike B, Heather, Steve, Sam, Kinsy, Jenni, Scott, Shaffer, Coral, Sammi, Bad Tiffany, Julie, Lori, B-Rad, BOA, Sarah, Ryan, Brad, Andy and Ron.

Quite honestly, there could have been more PR's, because there were a lot of people who didn't write their numbers on the board. To all of you who rode the PR train yesterday - congratulations!

The WOD yesterday was:

5 rounds for max reps
:30 clean & jerk (60/40kg)
:30 rest
:30 box jumps (24/20")
:30 rest

Ron finished his last class of ramp-up last night with this little workout and he did great!  While I was acting as Ron's spirit guide I also got to watch Andy and Brad do this together. The best part of getting to watch them partnered up is how much encouragement they offer to each other. Just when you think you can't jump on that box one.more.time....they're right there in your ear willing you to make your legs move!

Guess who coached the morning classes yesterday - THIS GIRL! It's been a very long time since I had the pleasure of coaching in the AM, so this was quite the treat. The strength work yesterday was 2-3 press, followed by a single weighted pull-up. When I looked at the weights from the GYG I just had to shake my head. Next to Garth's name was the following set of numbers:

30kg - 51kg

Meaning, Garth got a 30kg pull up and then attempted a 51kg pull-up. You gotta love the confidence Garth has. I mean, our record board has Drew in the top spot with his 51kg pull-up...and Garth just decides he's going to go for it! Love ya Garth.

The WOD was:

10:00 AMRAP
15 knees to elbows
10 dumbbell renegade rows

These sneaky little rows were an amazingly good workout for your core. While they might appear to be all about arm strength, you guys quickly realized there was a good amount of midline stabilization going on!

I have to give a shout out to Kelly Miller. She has some pretty severe mobility limitations in one arm, but she still went through this workout like a trooper! I could see the effort written all over her face. Best part about Kelly - she has never ONCE complained that something was too hard. Keep up the good work Kelly!

These little morsels are the most delicious yet horrifyingly ugly thing I have ever eaten. Hence, the name Yummy Uglies. If you're looking for a chocolatey treat without breaking the bank on your carbs, then this is the treat you've been waiting for!

Ingredients

1 bar (100g) 90% dark chocolate (Lindt)
8oz unsalted butter
3 T Heavy Whipping Cream
2T Honey
2tsp Vanilla extract

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and heat over VERY low heat until chocolate and butter are melted. Pour into ice cube trays (you'll need 2) and place in freezer until solidified.

They won't get real hard in the freezer because of all the saturated fat in them, but they'll stay nice and cold. When they're solidified, simply float the trays in a little warm water for about 3 minutes, and pop them out of the trays using a butter knife.

Each little morsel has 132 calories, 13g fat, 3.5g carbs and 0.7g protein.

Can you believe our Fort has been around for 4 years?! Man, if there's anything worth celebrating, it's THAT!

Following our annual tradition we will once again be traveling down to Chicago to dine at Fogo De Chao. This is an all you can eat Brazilian Steak house. Mmmmmmmm....meat....

This event is open to all our members, and the special people in their lives. Date night! Please RSVP in the comments so we can get a head count.

Date: February 4th
Time: 6:30pm
Place: Fogo De Chao in Chicago

Last year we had a school bus to drive us downtown. We're looking into other transportation...possibly with a bathroom. (we will not discuss specific events which led to this necessity) I'll keep you posted on possible group transportation.