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.

Back to business

Hey guys guess who's back! While down in Vegas Marc, Mike and myself did some CrossFit inside the Polo Towers fitness facility and caused some havoc and a whole bunch of staring! I also visited Joe and Zach at CrossFit Las Vegas. They have a dope facility! It's big, spacious, and HOT AS AN OVEN! Vegas was averaging 105 degree weather when I was down there.

In my absence, the fambam at FCF still ran things (and rather smoothly). We even had our members run a RAINSTORM! with three different workouts: "Rubber Legs", "This One's For Grant", and the properly titled "Sprints".

Well Mike, Marc, Sheena, Sammee and myself didn't miss out on a RAINSTORM either:

If only Vegas really did work out this often...

Speaking of RAINSTORMS, keep watching the site for updates as this month is pretty booked with random events throughout Seattle.

Great job everyone, let's enjoy the rest of summer while we can!

Schedule this week

Andrew will be on vacation Thurs 7/24 through Tuesday 7/29 so the schedule looks like this:

Thurs 7/24 - 7pm class with Adrian and John Hovey
Fri 7/25 - 6pm class with John Hovey
Sat 7/26 - 12pm RAINSTORM (free workout) with the Foundation CrossFit All-Stars
Mon 7/28 - 7pm class with John Hovey
Tues 7/29 - 7pm class with John Hovey

Questions, comments and concerns can be sent to info@foundationcrossfit.com. You can also call Andrew if you'd like!

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We had our own version of last year's CrossFit games workout tonight:

1000m row
then 5 rds for time:
25 pullups
7 push presses, 95lbs (scaled down from the Rx'ed 135lbs)

Grant, Jason, John and Marco tackled this one!

FTL!

("For the Ladies")


Crossfit Glory Box Video from Ben Weger on Vimeo.

Look out for Seattle CrossFitter Nadia!

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I'll be on vacation from Thursday the 24th until Tuesday the 29th and will be visiting CrossFit Las Vegas. Speaking of which here's another awesome article by Mr. Kustes:

"More Information About Drinking Too Much"
Scott Kustes on 11 Jul 08

So after I published the last post on Overdoing The Sauce a few weeks ago, a friend sent me a link with a bit more information (Thanks Brian!). Now, it would’ve been nice to have had this before I hit Publish, but that’s what happens when you pick friends that can’t read your mind. So here are some facts with which you can impress your friends, courtesy of How Stuff Works:

• Alcohol in the bloodstream causes the pituitary gland to stop excreting vasopressin. This hormone tells the kidneys to reabsorb water for recirculation. Without it, you make trips to the restroom constantly. “According to studies, drinking about 250 milliliters of an alcoholic beverage causes the body to expel 800 to 1,000 milliliters of water; that’s four times as much liquid lost as gained.”
• Women have less acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and glutathione, both necessary for breaking down ethanol into acetate, making their hangovers worse, even after factoring in body weight differences.
• Alcohol inhibits the natural stimulant glutamine, hence you get drowsy. After you stop drinking, the body tries to catch up and produces more glutamine than normal. Because of that, you don’t sleep well.
• Alcohol irritates the cells lining the stomach along with increasing hydrochloric acid production. This can send a message to the brain that damage is being done (it is) and cause vomiting. Yeah, I’m sure some of you have been there and now you know why it happened.
• A few things that won’t cure your hangover: another drink, burnt toast, coffee, greasy food
• A few things that may help prevent a hangover: greasy food, water, painkillers, carbon-based OTC medicines
• A few things that can help cure your hangover: eggs, bananas, fruit juice, water, painkillers, carbon-based OTC medicines
• And the #1 hangover prevention tip: Don’t drink like you’re at a college frat party. Have a drink or two with your meal and enjoy the company. Basically, don’t get a hangover.

RAINSTORM XX: Hot BBQ!, Tabata This!

Quick workout today because we'd rather play in the sun!

bottom-to-bottom tabata squats

then once through for time:
20 pushups
~70m walking lunge
~70m sprint
20 burpees

Aileen, Tony, Eric, Adrian, John, Andrew, Elizabeth, Nate, Eric, Tiff & Mike!

We played catch with the 8 lbs medicine ball and threw the frisbee around after the workout. Would've had some volleyball and Hoverball games going, but we couldn't snag a court. Good times and expect Part Deux in August!

Sausages and meat cookies!

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Yesterday we had some folk come in because today didn't work with their schedules

TABATA THIS!
from the CrossFit.com FAQ: "Tabata Intervals ( 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest repeated 8 times) is applied in turn to the Squat, Rower, Pullups, Sit-ups, and Push-ups with a one minute rotation break between exercises. Each exercise is scored by the weakest number of reps (calories on the rower) in each of the eight intervals. During the one minute rotation time allowed the clock is not stopped but kept running. The score is the total of the scores from the five stations."

Dylan, Dorian, Jason, Dafna and Lauren

This weekend

Adrian and his long-cycle swings

• Friday (today) there is a 6pm class.
• Tomorrow there will be a workout @ Foundation CrossFit at 12pm
  
• Sunday there will be RAINSTORM XX: Hot BBQ! @ Alki Beach at 12pm. It's suppossed to be at a comfortable 76°F!

Contact Andrew's phone or email info@foundationcrossfit.com for anything you need!

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Also this weekend is the anniversary of Bruce Lee's death and Seattle is honoring him. There will be plenty of free events at the Seattle Art Museum and in the I-District as well as some screenings of his classic film, Enter the Dragon.

Thanks to Tammy via The Seattle P.I.:

The weekend celebration will include a showing of "Enter the Dragon" and an exhibit of about 35 items, such as movie posters, from his acting career. On Sunday at 11:30 a.m., his family and supporters will hold a public graveside memorial at Lake View Cemetery.

More details here.

"Helen"

3 rounds for time:
400m run
21 kettlebell swings, 24kg
12 pullups

"Helen" was one of the first CrossFit Challenges. Coach Dave Werner of CrossFit Seattle (known as CrossFit North at the time) and Coach Glassman grabbed some kettlebells and headed out to a track. The actual conversation went like this:

Coach Glassman: "Yo D-Dawg, what we finna do today? What the workout gon' be?! I wanna watch a movie that starts in less than an hour so let's make this quick."
Coach Werner: "Daaaang G. Why you always tryin' to put pressure on a brothah?! Pshh. Let's make them run and do pullups." [starts pumping his arms]
Coach Glassman: "AYO! AND let's make 'em swing dem kettlebells!"
Coach Werner: "Word- and have 'em do it all the way over they domes! That'll really get them tired! Their heads are all gonna be flush from all the blood rushing to their heads!"
Coach Glassman: "Hahahaha... Yeah son, and let's make them do that over and over and over! But on the real, that movie starts pretty soon and you know how my girl Lauren is about being on time.."
Coach Werner: "I see you playa! Let's do it like this: one lap around the track, 21 swings and 12 pullups. Three-peated. I'ma pimp with the kettlebell!"
Coach Glassman: "Whatever you say mayne... 3-2-1 GO!"

"Helen" is composed of all three types of distinct modalities we focus on as CrossFitters: monostructural metabolic condition (aka "cardio"), weightlifting and gymnastics.

• Monostructual Metabolic Conditioning - aka "cardio". Works on cardiovascular-respitory endurance. It's an aerobic activity, meaning utilizes the oxidative energy (oxygen) pathway. In this workout, it's a simple 400 meter run.
• Weightlifting - Here you use your body to manipulate an external object. In this case it's a kettlebell and you're doing 21 swings.
• Gymnastics - Lastly, you finish out your round by doing 12 simple pullups. Although by the time you get to the pullups, your energy is shot.

So grab a kettlebell and a stopwatch and try for yourself. Sub-7:00 is the ultimate goal.

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Yesterday we had some challengers!

Jason the beast!

Adrian 13:06
Andrew 10:57
Brady 12:03
Grant 9:04
Gilles 10:11
Jason 10:23
Marc 11:11

Interview, Front Squats

Thanks to DJ Hyphen for putting us on. You can download/stream that entire show here.

Sunday Night Sound Session @ 10:45pm every Sunday on KUBE93 fm.

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Big congrats to Jose in doing his first CrossFit workout today!

The 20-rep squat: Andrew @ 190lbs

Heavy Front Squat
5-5-5-3-3-3-1-1-1

Sheena 45-65-75-95-95-100-105-110-115
Nate 45 - 65-75-95-115-125-135-140-150, 155 (miss)
Jason 45-75-95-115-135-45-160-170-185
Grant 45-65-85-115-135-145-160-170-185, 190

Then the finisher: one-minute squat jumps!

Sheena 40
Nate 33, 45lbs
Jason 38, 45lbs