Tuesday, June 30

Fire Fighter's 10 Week Results and Notification of 4th of July Park WOD

Well, we have received the results from the eight fire recruits during the 3 days a week, 10 week long CrossFit Spokane program, and like we expected, they were great! Thanks Jason for sending us the final results!

The time elapsed between pre and post fitness assessments were 10 weeks. Keep in mind these are already fit individuals who have passed all necessary entry level fitness exams. Ages ranged from 23 to 40 years old. The following were the results passed on to us, but let us not forget the "inside of the gym" improvements such as all of them cutting anywhere from a minute and a half to four minutes off of their Baseline test, or the fact that all but one of them had to use assistance bands for pull-ups in the beginning and none of them had to at completion. Being able to push and pull your own body weight is such an extremely important skill no matter who you are! And although the recruits may have been quite sore from time to time:), it's important to note that NO RECRUITS WERE INJURED FROM THIS PROGRAM!


- Every recruit had a drop in resting heart rate (an indicator of good heart health).


- Every recruit had a drop in body fat percentage. 2.14% was the average


- Every recruit had an increase in aerobic capacity. 5.4% was the average


- Every recruit had an increase in flexibility (specifically the lower back). 28.4%


- Recruits averaged a 14% improvement in grip strength


- Recruits averaged a 9.1% improvement in leg strength


- Recruits averaged a 27.6% increase in core strength


The recruits collectively lost over 32 pounds of fat and gained over 15 pounds of muscle!


Way to go fire fighters!!!

4th of July Park WOD


Also, this 4th of July we'll be conducting another Park WOD with some members of CrossFit 509. The location and time of this WOD will be 10 a.m. at Audubon Park. This park is easy to find from the gym and below is a map. Parking can be done on either the east or west side of the park, but there is also a small parking lot on the west side two blocks up off of Northwest Blvd. Hope you all can make it!


Another notice!!!!!!! The Titans Sunday class on July 5th will be canceled! Get out and enjoy the sun!!!!




View Larger Map

Friday, June 26

Another Reminder on Some New Hours and an Updated Krav Maga Contact Number!

We just wanted to post a last minute reminder about the new hours starting tomorrow for the Saturday class.

The CrossFit class will start and end one hour earlier, making the new Saturdays (starting tomorrow) run from 9 a.m. - 11 a.m. Then, as posted earlier, Brayson Buckner will be holding his Saturday Krav Maga Class from 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Along with this, Thursdays will also be changed. The last CrossFit class will run 5:30-6:30 followed by the Krav Maga class running from 6:30-8 p.m.

Also, Brayson has an updated Krav Maga number to contact him at: 509-496-6336. If you didn't notice, there is now a sidebar link to his Krav Maga site located on the left of this site; check it out!!!

Thanks a lot and we'll look forward to seeing y'all bright and early!:) And to those participating in Hoopfest, good luck and have fun!

Tuesday, June 23

Krav Maga Spokane and a Schedule Change!

Not bad for a beginner.


Always smiling.

More smiles. 8 months pregnant:)


Pregnant towel pull ups!

We would like to congratulate Brayson on becoming a certified Krav Maga instructor; he made it through a very tough training/selection course to become an instructor. Brayson will host his first class this Saturday from 11am-12:30 pm at CrossFit Spokane. This is the only place in the Spokane area to get the best and most effective self defense training, Krav Maga.
Contact Brayson 208-724-0123 or CrossFit Spokane 509-328-3198 if you have any questions.


Schedule change

We will be changing our hours for 2 days of the week, Thursday night and Saturday. Thursday, the last CrossFit class will be from 5:30pm-6:30pm and then Krav Maga from 6:30-8:00pm. Saturday we will be open for CrossFit from 9am-11am and have Krav Maga from 11am-12:30pm.

Friday, June 19

CrossFit Spokane fire acadamy



Wednesday was the last CrossFit class for the Spokane City and Spokane Valley Fire academy and today these eight men became City/Valley Firemen. We would like to thank both departments for allowing us the opportunity to assist in the academy. It was a great time for all and very rewarding for us to see the tremendous progress they made physically over the 12 weeks.
On behalf of the CrossFit Spokane staff, congratulations and good luck.

If you missed the story on kxly 4 news there is a link below.

http://www.kxly.com/global/story.asp?s=10565819

Wednesday, June 17

CrossFit Honduras

One good reason for functional training,
having to carry all your gear from air strip to base camp (far and HOT).


CrossFit Honduras, Located about 10-15 miles south of the city of Trujillo.

CrossFit Honduras in action.


Old and rickety, but it worked.


Inaugural WOD group shot.


The first handstand ever on those dip bars.


"Man that sucked."
"Ya, it kick my @$$."


These are several pictures from my recent trip to the "jungla" jungle. I managed to get a WOD in everyday accept the days/nights we were out "training". Good WOD's and cool people.
---------------------------------------------
Starting Monday we will have a person at the gym (for the summer) to watch kids at the 9AM class only. This is free, but there will be a donation jar if you feel inclined to do so.

Thursday, June 11

A special day

Mike explaining the WOD.

What does one lady, one fireman and 2 CrossFit affiliates have in common?
Make your own joke and post it in the comments. (this will be funny)

Sean and Angela going at it, 300 wallballs.


300 pull-ups and 300 push-ups.


300 box jumps, 300 KB swings and a 2mile ruck/run.


Carlos always smiling around the women. (Ladies BEWARE)


Go AIR FORCE. Strong efficient kip.


We appreciate everyone who came out to support us in this very special CrossFit Spokane WOD. We had a good turn out our Memorial day WOD "FENDER", there were 30+ participants, several military members, several spectators, 3 different CrossFit affiliates and 2 dogs. After the WOD we had a fun BBQ at Joe and Haily's house (thank you). If you missed it this year you missed out on a great workout and a fun time; there is always next year, so mark your calender.
Once again thank you to everyone who showed up and a very big thank you to Llythaniele Fender (RIP) and the Fender family for paying the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

Friday, June 5

Kids

When school lets out there will be more kids around, so to best accommodate them (safe and under control) we will have a specific time that parents can bring their kids if they have no other option. There will be an adult at the specific time to watch after (not workout) your future CrossFitters while you workout.



Every Second Counts


Just to give you all a heads up, we are planning on having another movie night a week from now on Saturday the 13th. The movie will be the "Every Second Counts" that was produced from the '08 CrossFit Games in Aromas, CA. As like the last movie night, lets all plan to bring some food and drinks and some chairs if you want. Stay tuned for details on the exact time. Hope you can make it!!!!

And also a heads up, I too am now getting inspired to start making some videos from moments around the gym, so you can plan on seeing me hanging around with my camera a lot more in the near future to get more pics and videos. Just pretend like I'm not there:) Never made movies/slide shows on the computer before, so don't expect too much....at least not at first:) But I have to start somewhere, right?

We'll also be posting an order form shortly for another T-shirt purchase. As of now we are planning on having two options to choose from, so stay tuned for that as well. Hope you all have a great weekend; get out and play!!!!

Monday, June 1

Pushing Self-Imposed Suck Beyond It's Logical Limits

Another long rambling from Brandon:) Go ahead and read my rambling, then check out this link to one of the best damn displays of "every second counts" type mentality. I remember watching this for the first time back in high school. I was just getting into some sprint triathlons and never missed watching the Championships in Hawaii each year. This made a huge impact on me when I was really young and just discovering the pleasures that arise from trying to push yourself hard. And although we here at CrossFit believe elite fitness comes from way more than just running, biking and swimming long distances, as a sport Ironman is one hell of a competition and demands enormous respect. Enjoy.

We all want to get better. True we are always scanning the WOD board to find those individuals weights and times which are around our own fitness level, and it's these individuals that really help push us individually. But what happens on the inside? So much talk is thrown around day in and day out about pushing yourself to new thresholds. And I know that any of you all which have worked out while I am running a class have at least once thought of chucking that kettlebell at me due to my annoying and constant shouts to just get one more rep or just grab onto the bar and start moving:) It's okay, I know you're thinking it; and as a trainer I wouldn't want it any other way. That's what we are there for. But once again, what is going on inside that head of yours while everyone is screaming at you and it takes every bit of will power to just get a breath and stop your hands from shaking.

Monday's WOD was a goodie. After posting it in the morning, I waited till the next class before giving it a go. Going back to my earlier post on mental prepping for a 100% effort, I took some time a couple of minutes before we all started, closed my eyes, and went through the WOD in my head. I knew from experience what my body would be feeling like after the really heavy DL's....and after five rounds of them. I knew how I would feel on the rings....I am pretty strong on ring dips. I knew how I would feel from round to round on the box jump burpees....I am horrible at box jumps. I knew that this oddly constructed plywood contraption would be my "Everest" for this particular WOD. This exercise would be the part of the WOD that would get in my way and be the obstacle on my way to a good time...and the goal of 100% effort. I knew that at that station, from round 2 through 5, it would be the point that my drive would be tested. I knew that at one point I would be so "dead in the legs" that my mind would start telling me to take a little rest so I can ensure to clear the top, and also get a little rest at the same time. I knew that I would be struggling for air so bad at this point that I might easily take a little longer moving between exercises....like an extra 2 seconds is going to make me feel better, right? I knew that these were going to be the constant obstacles today and started prepping how I wanted to deal with them. And if I could find a way to push even the tiniest bit harder, take a split second less rest before jumping back up on the box, then maybe, just maybe it will take 15 seconds off my WOD time overall. 15, 10, even 5 seconds off a WOD inside of a CrossFit gym might as well be ten minutes; it's that precious. If you could make those seconds into money, they'd be worth hundreds of dollars:) At least it sometimes feels that way, doesn't it?

Fast forward 12+ minutes. Four and a half rounds down and I am there. I just dropped to my hands and knees (wasn't a decision, legs buckled under me as I came launching off of the box) and I am gasping for air like someone had just released me from a choke hold. Hands and knees, head up and staring at "Everest" just a few inches in front of my face. I knew I would be here. I prepped myself for how I would deal with this. It's always harder to do once it's real. So now I have a decision to make. I've been resting for about 5 seconds now, unable to determine if my legs will support my body yet. So here's the question: Should I take another 4 seconds of rest, stand up and finish up with the remaining few reps? Or should I stand up immediately and see if I am physically able to just get one more? Who knows, maybe I just might find that I have the strength to continue and get the other 4 reps after that. And if I can't, I will know that at least today, June 1st, I would discover if my threshold could get a little bigger. I would know that as I lay there on the mats afterward that I had given 100%, even if it resulted in a worse time or a little scraped shin. Only one way to find out. And what was the result? As it turns out, my legs did have just enough in them to save myself those 4 precious "hundred dollar seconds"....barely.

Too often we only see the pain on the face of each other, the sweat flying off the forehead like a sprinkler, and don't see that war inside your brain. That battlefield isn't lined with rubber mats and chalk, it's clouded with doubt and uncertainty. I wish there was a way to video it:) If you happen to get a chance to sit down and write a short piece on what goes on inside of your head during the WODs I would love to read it! It may be a little long for the comments, but email it to us and maybe it'll make it's way onto the Blog in the near future.

Below is a little piece (don't remember where I found it) that was written about the pain we experience and how necessary it is to become familiar with. Very well written and insightful if you ask me. Several parts of it I immediately can remember I have thought as I weekly compete with myself and with my fitness level "group" here at CrossFit Spokane. Sometimes we do find ourselves wondering how Mr. Whatever or Ms. So&so just stomped the WOD into the ground. But we all know, in the very back of our minds, that the way they just did it is summed up in only one way. Pain. Lots and lots of pain.

But it's the good kind. It's the kind that keeps us coming back to face it once again. It helps us grow in every facet of life.

"You think you know pain, but you have no idea. The heart thumping, chest expanding, lactic acid burn of your last workout was a walk through the meadow.

Somewhere, there’s a guy who did it in half the time it took you. He suffered. Plasma forced its way into his lungs, causing him to hack on repeat. He choked down bile halfway through, and ended on his back, pupils dilated to the size of dimes.

While you were walking around, telling your friends how hardcore your workout was, Guy Number Two was still collapsed, the prospect of driving home as daunting as climbing K2 during a snowstorm.

When he finally stood up, he didn’t say a word.

CrossFit is a decidedly masochistic pursuit. To be any good at it, you have to enjoy the pain. You have to push back the threshold day after day, until last year’s traumas feel like an hour-long rubdown at the spa. One day, you find a threshold that takes the whole thing just a little too far, and you get scared to go back.

The men and women that decimate your times are not superhuman. They’re not particularly genetically gifted. Hell, most of the top CrossFitters in the world would get absolutely pummeled in your standard game of rugby, buried by larger athletes beget by larger parents.

What differentiates these individuals is not a gift, but an unreasonable desire to push self-imposed suck beyond its logical limits. What comes out the other side becomes legendary.

Like any human pursuit, we seek ways around the hard part. Limited range of motion and new techniques. Dropping the deadlift from the top, bouncing it off the floor. Squatting above parallel and not standing up all the way. Chicken-necking above the chin-up bar, and reviewing the tape to see if we made it.

We want the reward (speed) without the sacrifice (pain).

This is not conscious cowardice. It’s pure out-and-out rationalism. At some point, the next threshold is the one that takes it too far, leaving us in an exercise-induced hallucination that lasts a few moments too long. Our hearts bounce around our insides for one beat too many, and our lungs beg to explode for an unwanted extra second. Every exhalation coincides with a constriction of vision, and the cold taste of copper.

No sane human being would enjoy such a feeling.

Still, the glory beckons. Surely, with enough training and the right supplements, there’s a way around the Hard Part. Enough sleep and enough vitamin B will get you the sub-whatever time without the attendant pain. There’s no need to red line your heart rate or pop capillaries. No need to ache so badly at night that you can’t sleep. Surely, there are ways around this.

Fortunately, the steroids are a no-go, and the exercises are done correctly or not at all. The only way to legendary is through ever-mounting piles of pain. The meadow has to tilt at 45-degrees, and he rubdown at the spa must be done with Brillo Pads. If you can talk, you’re not trying hard enough. If your nerves aren’t frayed and ready to rebel, you’ll never get there.

Do yourself a favor, and realize that there’s no technique in the world that will save you. There are no pills, no secrets, no passwords on the path to greatness. You’ve got to embrace the pain, push the threshold, and feel the suck, and then you’ve got to muster the courage to go back several times a week.

After all, the world is a lot brighter when your pupils are the size of dimes, and massaging your sternum with your heart starts to feel good after a while. The plasma finds its way out of your lungs, and eventually you’ll be able to drive.

Sometimes, lying on the floor is its own reward."