CrossFit = Serious.

Not really. Well, most of the time.

Have a wonderful rest of your Labor Day weekend. Need to workout? Laugh!

Watch this:



By the way I'm glad none of your laughs sound like animals.

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There may or may not be a workout Monday evening. Give me a call or send me a text. RAINSTORM XXV results and summary will be posted soon. Great job to everyone who came out!

A thought and a "Jackie" breakdown

"When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are your ones telling you they still love you and care."

- Randy Pausch

That's why I'm always on your case. That's why I want you watching your peers in the gym. We are a community and we only grow when we grow together.

See you Saturday for RAINSTORM. Our gym. High Noon. Be there.

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"JACKIE"
for time:
1000m row
50 thrusters, 45lbs
30 pullups

The beauty of this workout is that each movement is a classic example of core-to-extremity work.

• Rowing has a specific cadence: "legs, arms/ arms, legs". Obviously there's a lot more to it, but this is these are the basics. Driving hard with the legs through the heels, momentum shoots backward. The posterior chain and hip move simultaneously to increase the hip angle, adding to the momentum. The movement is finished by engaging the rhomboid muscles between the shoulder blades allowing the arms to pull the handle to (and through!) the body to complete a powerful stroke. Simply reverse the mini-movements and you have the catch. Rinse, wash, repeat and you are rowing.
  
• A Thruster is the same beast. Whereas each part of Rowing are pulls, Thrusters are pushes. Split apart the thruster is a front squat + a push press. Guess what cue I use for cadence? "Legs, arms/ arms, legs". Starting in a proper stance and rack position with the bar resting on the body (chest/deltoids), descend into a squat. From the hole (hip crease falls below the top of the patella), driving hard with the legs through the heels, momentum shoots upward. The posterior chain and hip move simultaneously to increase the hip angle, adding to the momentum. (Those two sentences should sound familiar). Shoulders activate, the bar leaves the body, arms punch toward the sky until full lockout with the bar traveling in the frontal plane. BAM! You done did thrusted. Reverse this beautiful little movement and you're back in position ready to do it again!
• When we say "Pullup" we mean CrossFit's generic version: the kipping pullup. It should've been explained to you already why this is such a much more efficient version and why you should do more. If it hasn't COME SEE ME! As humans we can generate plenty of momentum moving forward and back, left and right. It's going up and down that's difficult. We have to fight this thing called gravity. For our kipping pullup (gymnastic, frog/Annie-style, AFT/OPT/rotary/circular/butterfly/whathaveyou, the Mikey) we get a swing going by opening and closing our hips and shoulders. We manipulate and redirect the momentum to shoot us upward until our chin gets over hand-level, or until your chest hits the bar if you're that damn good. Repeat until you rip your hands.

"Jackie" was meant to be a 'girls workout', but is difficult from the technique standpoint (AND I'M A FORM NAZI!). Find it easy? Go three rounds for time. Try it.

No class today

Apologies for the last minuteness of this post, but Adrian got into a car accident on his way home from work this evening and won't be able to teach tonight's 7pm class. The good news is that he's fine, but some other folks were badly injured. So our thoughts are with them.

Thanks for your patience and sorry for any inconvenience to members who couldn't get into the gym tonight.

-Tammy

Tuna Stuffed Avocados

I always wanted to write up recipes on the blog and I always forget to when I'm actually at the computer. NOT ANYMORE (=

I don't remember where I got this idea from, but I think it was a magazine like Men's Bullsh!t or something.

Avocado & Tuna

Easy peasy lemon squeezie. Get an avocado of your choosing- firm, squishy, whathaveyou- and slice it in half lengthwise. Remove the pit and toss it away. Drain a can (or if you prefer, the new fancy packages) of tuna and stuff the avocado until it makes a mound. I'll usually take a bite of the avocado to create a bigger hole. Once you've applied enough tuna, sprinkle some fresh lemon juice on top of everything, as well as a crank or two from a pepper grinder. BAM! You've got a Paleo snack/meal!

RAINSTORM XXIV

No subtitle this time.

as many rounds as possible in 25 minutes:
400m run
30 kb swings
15 dive bomber pushups

Brady 5
Brandon 2
Dafna 3
Dorian 5
Jason 5
Linda 5
Marc 4
Michael 3
Mike 3

Great job everyone. A BIG CONGRATULATIONS goes to Linda for finally getting her kipping pullup today!

Camraderie

One thing you have to love about CrossFit is the camraderie it develops. Strangers show up to a gym where they are told what to do (usually by me!) and then go through the hardship that is a CrossFit workout- sweating, grunting, hurting, throwing up, etc. You go through the WOD for yourself, but not by yourself . You get stronger, faster, more confident, and more comfortable with your gymmates. It reminds me of movies or tv shows about the military. The growth you develop as a person because of shared labor, seeing yourself and others "fail forward". It's pretty cool and it shows that you increase a lot more than just the 10 General Physical Skills.

So a big thanks to you all for making the gym such a great place to be.

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It's weird how the official WODs and CF affiliate programming usually match up. Today's WOD is "Helen". We did that Monday when the official WOD was "Tabata Something Else". We did "Tabata This!" that Saturday prior. Last Friday's official WOD was 50-40-30-20-10 ring dips and pullups. We did 30 muscle-ups for time OR 120 dips and 120 pullups the day before. Is Foundation CrossFit ahead of the curve?! Maybe, maybe not, but this goes to show that Coach Glassman is the dude.

"Annie"

For those who've never done the workout before "Annie" is

50-40-30-20-10 reps for time:
double-unders
sit-ups

Yesterday Ashley, Linda and Mike blasted through it. Next time I'd like to see everyone do it as fast as Speal does it in this video [WMV]. Check out his sit-up speed! As Marc would say, it's RIDONCULOUS.

named after this little lady; another CrossFit posterchild

RAINSTORM XXIII: Tabata This!

Five reasons everyone who came out to the RAINSTORM rocked it Saturday:

1. We did "Tabata This!" in 90 degree weather!
2. A lot of new folk came in and destroyed expectations.
3. The experienced folk PR'ed.
4. We did "Tabata This!" in 90 degree weather!
5. Emerald City Smoothie afterwards!!!

Sadly, no one brought a camera (myself included). It's alright though, because those were there knew the level of awesomeness we were at!

Darcy 39

Dru 44

Elizabeth 39

Gough 40

Jason M. 53

Jason N. 57

Marc 39

Mike 34

Minh 45

Nate 43

Ris 40

Tang 30

Tim 41

Tony 54

We ran the workout with a music mix. It's a hip hop mix that you can download or stream here. Get it on an mp3 player, a cd or even your phone. That way you can "Tabata This!" anywhere you please!

Tracklisting:

Motown 25 (feat. Royce Da 5'9) - Elzhi

Say Goodbye to Love (Remix feat. Lupe Fiasco) - Kenna

Fix Up, Look Sharp - Dizzee Rascal

Spaz - N*E*R*D

Alive - The Plague

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It was hot up here in Washington! Make sure you stay hydrated throughout the day with water and proper amounts of vitamins and minerals. Eat fresh food! Ask Nate and Elizabeth for some of their lettuce! It's amazing, trust me dudes.

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A big congrats to Michael Phelps for winning his 8th Olympic Gold and surpassing the long-standing record Mark Spitz had. Go ahead wit yo bad self!

AND he only started lifting weights after the Athens games

Yang Wei

I, for one, believe that CrossFit has made a broader spectrum of people appreciate how difficult some sports and activites can be. Our programming has incorporated many elements from each of those thing. One major modality being gymnastics.

Yang Wei of China wins the gold medal for the Individual All-Around.

If you watched the event (or even the Men's Team All-Around) then you've seen Wei's badassery in action. He was totally the Men's Gymnastics MVP if there was such a thing! Too bad Paul Hamm wasn't there. It would've made for some crazy rivalry.

Tabata Time!

This is a quick reminder that this Saturday, August 16th, our weekly free workout series RAINSTORM will be the "Tabata This!" WOD at 12pm. Please let me know if you'd like to come by. We are also now taking pre-orders for t-shirts. Come by the gym to sign up!

VIDEO!

• Tabata Squats [WMV]
  
• Tabata Pushups [WMV]
• Tabata Something Else (it's a similar WOD):
  
  

Class schedules will be changing soon. Please talk to Andrew so we can accommodate you!

A million thank yous to all of you for supporting us. We hope that you are all enjoying your summers! Go crazy, it's almost over!

Bravehearts

ATTENTION: We will not have any classes on Fridays until further notice.

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We will have another of our free workouts known as RAINSTORM this weekend, 8/9 @ 12pm!

Remember to bring your war paint and your kilts!

Sunny

When the weather actually gets nice in our lovely state, it's good to get outside soak up some sun and get active! If you're not in the gym make sure you're running, biking, walking, hiking, and playing sports!

try a beach workout!

While we can, everyone should attempt to run the outside loop of Greenlake Park (which is approx. 5k/3.3mi) for time. Post your times to the FCF Workout Log.

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On the main site today there's a link to the CrossFit strength guru Mark Rippetoe's letter to the NCSA resigning his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certification. Long story short, this goes to show that just like everywhere else the fitness & health industry has been inundated with a lot of bull, lowering the standards for us all.

Read / Download it here.

Recent News

Kettlebell-Cam

Anyone interested in editing videos for our gym? I have buttloads of raw footage that needs to be edited together into something coherent. For those interested please email info@foundationcrossfit.com with the subject "Video".

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No RAINSTORM this weekend. Instead you should support fellow WA affiliate Rainier CrossFit by heading out and watching their 3rd Annual Mt. Rainier Strongest Man & Woman @ The Old Cannery (Furniture Warehouse) in Sumner, WA starting at 10am.


More info here.

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Banya 5 has reopened after the annual closure. The spa looks great and the Parilka should be at proper temperatures (200°+!) in about a week. Be sure to check out their specials. A Foundation CrossFit package might come about soon...

Click here for the official site.

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It's sad to hear about someone passing, especially one from the fitness & health community. I've worked with him and he was very passionate about helping others.

Rest in Peace Cory Hamilton

We'll have a workout in his honor on Monday, August 4th.