OK everybody, just a little addition to Scott's fantastic work with regard to those of you who can't make it to the Box but want to bid in the Auction. Please email your bids to shaun@crossfitharrogate.com - this will ensure complete secrecy until the Auctions take place. Shaun will have his computer on until each Auction starts, to enable any late bids to be accepted.
Happy Bidding!
24 in 24
So here’s the logo for our charity event, the proceeds of which will go to Amber Southern’s JustGiving page, to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. We’ve gone with their core colours, which coincidentally have our gym colour in too!
The idea behind the event is to complete 24 workouts in 24 hours. You can donate and complete as many workouts as you like. A workout will be released every hour.
That’s where we need your help…The Workouts!
A donation of £10 will get your workout in the mix with the name of it going on the back of our t-shirts. These should be pre ordered or bought on the day however we may run out of sizes, all proceeds will go to the charity. So far, we have 21 spots available. They’re going quickly, so if you’re interested in having your workout in the event drop Ryan a message to secure your spot. The deadline is Sunday 4th September, however the workouts may have all been taken by then so be quick!
More details will follow shortly. If you have any ideas for the event, please let us know either online or use the whiteboard space left of the WOD.
Free Pilates and Therapy Ball Class
Get it in your diary folks!
Saturday 3rd September
Therapy Ball 10:00-10:30am
Pilates 10:30-11:00am
Regular classes will hopefully be starting in October, class times and price to be confirmed
What is Therapy Ball?
Therapy Balls provide self-massage trigger point therapy by using focused movement routines to help penetrate through layers of skin and muscle to massage deeply into your tension areas.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a sequence of exercises and postural alignment, which includes breathing, concentration and fluidity of movement. Pilates can help improve posture, muscle tone, balance and joint mobility, as well as relieve stress and tension. It can compliment other forms of training by developing whole body strength and flexibility, helping to reduce the risk of injury.
How to keep making progress!
So after reading all your positive comments regarding the goal board, Thursdays will now be 'Skill Development Classes' along with Sunday 9-11am, starting tomorrow! There will still be an optional 'Finisher' workout programmed for Thursdays. Sundays will effectively be Open Gym however this is when you can spend time with a coach going through drills/ progressions/ techniques which will assist you in achieving your goal. Workouts can be done during these classes, however they may become busy so be respectful to other member's space.
The goal board has been set up and is ready to go! There are 4 sections to it depending on your goal: Weightlifting/ Gymnastics/ Metcon (WOD)/ Other (KB, Nutrition, Body Fat Percentage). The goal you set can be load/ time/ mobility orientated, remember form is the priority with everything we do, e.g. wanting to increase your Snatch weight means you must be able to hit all the key positions, therefore you won't be going heavy every session, some sessions you'll go much lighter and work perfect positions. Also, the coach may get you doing other exercises to strengthen the weak links in your body. These accessory movements are extremely important as they help build a strong foundation which lends itself to everything else you do in the box.
You'll need to put your name, goal, starting point and a date to achieve it by. To help you make a goal; stick with it and achieve it, I'd recommend reading this blog post by James Hawken, Head Coach at CrossFit Glevum...
Everyone has a reason for first walking through the doors of the gym. Whether that drive was to live a healthier lifestyle, improve body composition, learn and improve new skills or to become fitter and stronger etc. But what is it now that helps to keep you focused in the long term?
Most of us at some stage, suffer with mental barriers and set-backs in training; some days you feel great and are excited to get going, and others not so much. When you start to lose that motivation it is easy to create excuses not to go.
We believe it certainly helps to have a specific target to be working towards at all times. Is there something you would like to achieve, if you knew how, and if you worked hard for it?
Seeing people get results, and leave with a smile on their face is a part of why we all became coaches here at Glevum. In the past, we have posted ideas and suggestions on how to set goals and we want to provide some additional help to in making goals clear and action steps around them.
What we have found to be most effective is called S.M.A.R.T. Goal Setting. Specific, measurable, attainable/achievable, relevant and timely.
First, lets start off by creating a goal, for example – getting your first pull up by August 1st 2016. Then we can break down each portion and add action steps to get you there by defining the who, what, why, where, how & when.
Specific – The “Who” and “What”
You need to find a specific area of improvement and answer some specific details about this bit. In the above example, the goal is getting your first pull-up. So one of the first action steps would be to write down the stage you are currently at. E.g. I can perform 5 banded pull ups, but not a single unassisted pull up.
Once you have created your goal, you can then add more details to it. Some action steps towards that first pull up, might be changing some eating habits, taking on some specific strength training, and/or coming to the gym four days a week. This can and will look different for everyone, based on what the goal is.
Measurable – The “How” Part 1
We want to be able to measure what it is we are looking to achieve from this goal. We are all big on numbers and data and being able to show progress, which is why we track our workouts using SugarWOD, complete benchmark workouts regularly, and test RM’s in our lifts. This allows us to see if what we are doing is having a positive impact or not. The same can be said here for measuring your goal. In the example above, the measurement is being able to do a pull up or not by August 2016…
Attainable – The “How” Part 2
How will you make your goal achievable? Let’s say you want to lose weight or gain some muscle; there are things that you are going to need to start doing in order to make this goal happen. You may find that you need to reach out for some additional resources as well as support from people. If you are looking to lose weight, perhaps some things you will need to start doing is food prep a couple of times a week, stop eating out and make sure your entire family is onboard with you. If your goal is to build some muscle, perhaps you will need more protein intake and even look at weight gain & a strength program to compliment your hard work. In order to make your goal attainable, you will need to find both the time and resources that will help you reach it.
Relevant – The “Why”
In our opinion, this is perhaps the most important step! – you have to be clear “why” you wish to accomplish your goal. Without this “why”, you will find it extremely hard to be motivated and committed enough to stick to it. Your “why” has to be clear and it’s important you spend some time defining it and what it means to you. We like to encourage you to share your goal with as many people as possible, this will in time help you stay accountable to it.
Timely – The “When”
This allows you to put a target date for when you want to have achieved your goal. Once you are able to do this, you can create a timeline working backwards with smaller sub- goals to reach along the way to help you stay on track!
Hopefully this will help you set a more structured goal which you can be working at consistently and not forget about it 2-3 weeks down the line. If you need any advice about your goal then ask any of the coaches, we can help you set a realistic goal with an achievable target date.
And finally - The "Where"
Remember working towards your goal does not only have to be done at the gym. If you have a spare 2-3 minutes you can always use that time to mobilise. This will pay dividends when you're at the box.
3...2...1...GO!
Back and Better Than Ever
Three qualifying workouts later and CrossFit Harrogate were on their way to the finals of The Glacier Games, The Meltdown 2016, held in Gateshead on Sunday 19th June. Our team consisted of Annelize, Rachael, Tom and Ryan. We had a really good time and improved on our qualifying position in the face of some very tough competition.
Only a handful of members have ever been to a fitness competition so we thought it would be good to get two perspectives…first of all, in this article, we have a competitor's point of view and in a future article we will cover the experience through the eye of a spectator.
Annelize has competed in a competition prior to this one back in 2012, just 10 months into her CrossFit journey. She admits she was very nervous and overwhelmed by the occasion, partly because Sam Briggs was there! From then on she spent more time on building a strong foundation to then add more complex movements to her repertoire so that she could “Compete with more mental and physical confidence.” Here’s what she had to say about her Glacier Games experience and how she prepared herself for it…
“My training focus for The Glacier Games was to try and work on the basic lifts i.e. Clean & Jerk, Push Press and Snatch. Weightlifting is the weaker part of my training and I have been stuck on my Snatch weight for over 6 months now.
My goal was to get to open gym as much as I could. I structured my time to a 15-20 min warm up where I tried to do functional warm ups with the dumbbells, which I really enjoyed. I am happy to say that even though snatches did not come up in the competition I feel so much more confident with the movement and also the weight I have been working towards over the past few months. Focusing on overhead work also increased my confidence in other lifts and on the day I managed to get a PB on the Jerk.
The actual day was brilliant, the workouts were doable and my team was super cool and laid back, which massively helped the nerves. Holding a 20kg plate above my head for 5 rounds proved an issue for me but I still learnt a lot from even that experience!
When you are at these competitions you naturally look around and compare yourself with the other athletes, and the females competing at the Glacier games were generally super fit and so strong! It’s perhaps easy to get frustrated that others are so far ahead of you but I must admit seeing fantastic performances and amazing weightlifting really spurred me on to train my weaknesses and enjoy reaching new levels of proficiency in my training while hanging out with lovely people and having a laugh doing it.
The support from the box members who were able to come and watch was also fantastic and it just wouldn’t have been the same without them there!
If your thinking of competing give it a go! It is really rewarding!”
There you have it, a good insight into Annelize’s preparation and experience during this year’s Glacier Games.
"How has CrossFit changed your life?"
Pascal taking part in his first fitness competition back in February with coaches Tom and Ryan
This is what we recently asked Pascal Joly, who he began his journey almost 9 months ago and hasn’t looked back since. With his busy schedule, Pascal is either up at the crack of dawn with the 6am crew or at the first evening class. He makes time to attend Open Gym when he can, focusing his efforts on his own personal goals. He openly admits he becomes very passionate when he tries new things and we all know he’s certainly passionate about CrossFit! Always asking questions; wanting to learn more; bettering himself everyday.
What had you been doing before you found CrossFit?
Before finding CrossFit, I had tried many other fitness programs but quickly got bored of them due to their repetitive nature and lack of guidance and equipment at other gyms.
How did you find out about CrossFit?
I stumbled across CrossFit one day whilst watching strength related programs online. One thing that was continuously mentioned in the videos was the CrossFit Community and 9 months on I can honestly say that everything you hear about it is true and then some! I felt welcome from the very first day, which is a big deal and something you don’t get at every gym.
What has CrossFit done for you in the last 9 months?
CrossFit has brought me new friends, new skills and new goals as there is always something to work on. My strength has always been a weakness, however I have greatly improved my ability to move external weight, whether it be a barbell, dumbbell or kettlebell.
The best memory so far and I don’t know if anything will ever surpass it, was when I achieved my first bar muscle up! Still smiling about it today!
Joining CrossFit Harrogate could well be the best decision I ever made to this day!
Begin your CrossFit journey like Pascal did by following these 3 steps:
1. Book a complimentary consultation so we can find out a little more about you; discuss your goals and how we can help set you up for success.
2. Complete our Fundamentals Training Course or Private Fundamentals- Next Group Fundamentals Monday 4th July.
3. Gain two weeks of membership absolutely FREE. You’ll get to know our coaches and members, which will allow you to make a more informed decision about joining CrossFit Harrogate!
To find out more contact Ryan:
M: 07772822617
E: Ryan@crossfitharrogate.com
Members Committee Update + IMPORTANT Christmas Party News
Good Afternoon,
Firstly we would like to thank everyone who put their name forward for becoming a member of the members Committee, we now have our 5 members who are; Steve Beale, Ashleigh Dunn, Scott Mackintosh, Jude Smith and Alex Whapples.
We held an initial informal meeting of the committee on Friday 17th June, a big thanks to Scott for hosting this, to discuss the role of the committee and get to know everyone’s expectations. It was a very valuable meeting in that, it outlined the purpose of the committee as acting as a conduit between the Members and the Management/Coaching team at the box, in order to move forward in a positive and inclusive way. Any ideas that the coaches or the management team have can be discussed with the committee for them to canvas the members and conversely members can talk to committee members with their ideas or concerns for them to feedback to the Management/Coaching team.
We only had the chance to discuss a couple of specific things but there was one of these that needed our urgent attention, the Christmas Party. The general consensus was that it should be, if possible, in the centre of Town and a private party would be better than a shared one. And so, we have managed to secure a private room at the Crown Hotel that can accommodate up to 80 people on Saturday 10th December. The details are as follows;
Venue: The Crown Hotel, Crown Place, Harrogate
Event: Private Christmas Party Night
3 course dinner with tea & coffee
Half bottle of house wine per person
Festive novelties for the tables
A night of dancing to resident DJ
Date: Saturday 10th December
Time: Bar opens 6:45pm, Dinner served 7:30pm, Event finishes midnight.
Cost: £29.95 per person
We will get you the menu in due course but for now we need numbers and a £10 non- refundable deposit per person (we have had to pay the deposits to secure the room). The offer is for members plus one guest and so with a limit of 80 people time is of the essence and has to be first come first served.
Please pay at the box with either cash or cheque made payable to
Ryan Tansley A.S.A.P
Thanks
June Fundamentals
Our May Fundamentals saw 7 people with different fitness backgrounds knock a considerable amount of time off their initial workout whilst becoming a supportive, close-knit group along the way. We asked them all about their first week of training in the CrossFit Classes and how the 6 Fundamentals sessions best prepared them for it.
First of all, what did they think to their Fundamentals course?
“Fundamentals is definitely a great idea, much better than the normal 30 minute induction you get when you join a gym”
“The Fundamentals course gave a really good impression and overview on what to expect from CrossFit”
“Good to do it with a group and gain reassurance that CrossFit is suitable for all ages and levels of fitness”
What did you take away after the two weeks?
“The coaches (Ryan and Tom) were very good at introducing the exercises and workouts, enough to make me feel comfortable to try things I never would have attempted on my own at the gym. The support by other members is very good”
“In addition to learning the moves I learnt a lot about myself both physically and mentally”
As you can see from the photo after their final session, they’re Having Fun, Getting Fit…Together
Here’s how to begin:
1. Book a complimentary consultation so we can find out a little more about you; discuss your goals and how we can help set you up for success.
2. Complete our Fundamentals Training Course or Private Fundamentals
(Next Group Fundamentals Monday June 6th)
3. Get two weeks of membership absolutely FREE. You’ll get to know our coaches and members, which will allow you to make a more informed decision about joining CrossFit Harrogate!
To find out more contact Ryan
Mobile: 07772822617
Email: Ryan@crossfitharrogate.com
Scale The Heights: RESULTS
The results are in! Huge congratulations to everyone that took part; helped judge and cheered on our competitors. All three workouts had a new element which we’d not used before, making them just that little bit tougher, or in WOD 3’s case, a lot tougher!
WILDCARD WEEK IS HERE
Top 60 athletes in the Male and Female Individual category automatically qualify.
Top 15 athletes in the Male and Female Masters category automatically qualify.
Wild card calls have already begun so if you’ve finished 61-350 in the Individuals competition or 16-50 in the Masters then keep your phone close as you may be getting a call!
Here’s how CrossFit Harrogate’s athletes got on:
Tom Irwin 52nd
Jimmy McDaniel 252nd
Stuart Dunn 371st
Mel Golden (m) 37th
Ryan Tansley 35th
Annelize Ferreira 109th
Craig Milner (m) 73rd
Pascal Joly 415th
Chris Pang 405th
Once again, well done to all that took part. More details about how you can come support our athletes in the semi finals will follow shortly.
Getting To Know The Team
Here's the second addition to the coaches Q&A, you'll get to find out a little more information about CrossFit Harrogate's latest Coach- Tom Irwin
Q. How did you find out about CrossFit?
A. “I first encountered CrossFit whilst deep in the depths of Youtube one evening, clicking through various related videos focused around random feats of strength. It was some time later that I actually decided to give it a go when a friend I used to work with would talk about all the workouts he would get up to and the improvements he saw in his strength and overall fitness. I already considered myself quite fit but after my first couple of workouts it was clear my fitness wasn't where I wanted it to be. By gradually increasing my exposure to the high intensity of each workout I began to see significant improvements and, coupled with the enjoyment of working out in a class, my overall fitness rapidly and noticeably began to grow.”
Q. What was your very first CrossFit workout?
A. "Daniel"
For Time
50 Pull Ups
400m Run
21 Thrusters @43kg
800m Run
21 Thrusters @43kg
400m Run
50 Pull Ups
“I'm not sure of my recorded time but I completed the workout as prescribed and remember lying on the floor for a long time afterwards. I hadn't quite mastered the kipping pull up technique or the Thruster which made the workout that much harder.”
Q. Have you ever taken part in any CrossFit competitions?
A. “Over the two years I have been a member at CrossFit Harrogate I have taken part in a number of different competitions both interclub and national, as part of a team and as an individual. I love the thrill of competing and by putting myself into the competitive environment, I discovered that I have the capacity to push myself to limits I didn't think possible. The feeling of competing is incomparable to working out in a class. It’s hard to explain but its the mixture of the atmosphere together with not knowing what you are about to be put through that’s exciting and also meeting new people along the way who are also there to compete and better themselves whilst having fun at the same time. The competitions I have entered so far are:”
Lions Pride x3
Premier League Fitness 20/143
One For The People 2015 - 10/60
Glacier Games 2015 - 11/40
WildWest Winter Slam 2016 - 32/43
Q. Are there any movements in CrossFit you prefer doing over others?
Muscle ups & Olympic Lifts
"I really enjoy spending time on the rings and was fortunate enough to achieve my first strict muscle up early into CrossFit. Since then, I have spent lots of time practising and utilising all the feedback given from coaches which has now enabled me to string multiple reps together with ease. I also love lifting heavy weights. I used to dislike the Olympic lifts because of how technical they are and how much my mobility at the time stopped me from moving into proper positions. However, after spending a lot of time with Ryan in open gym sessions and during the weightlifting classes he has helped me improve significantly in both the clean & jerk and the snatch.”
Q. Are there any movements you feel you need to spend time working on?
A. Handstand Press ups & Sotts Press
"I have always struggled with shoulder mobility, something I never even considered when joining CrossFit. Handstand Push-Ups and Sotts Press require good shoulder mobility so when performing these movements my arms tire quickly and lack strength. Shoulder mobility has now become a constant battle of mine with lots of time spent stretching in and outside of the gym with results slowly starting to show.”
Q. What’s been your favourite workout so far?
A. ”I don't really have a single favourite workout as such but I enjoy any workout that involves muscle ups and pull ups. That's my jam.”
Q. How about your least favourite workout?
A. Hero WOD "JT"
21-15-9
Handstand Push Ups
Ring Dips
Push Ups
"After the round of 21 my arms have already abandoned me.”
Q. I think we all know the answer but what is your favourite cheat meal?
A. “Everyone knows I love Pizza.”
Q. And what about your favourite meal?
A. “Pizza, with healthier toppings”
Q. And finally can you tell us about your most memorable CrossFit Moment?
A. “During the 2016 CrossFit Open there was a re-test of a workout from the 2014 CrossFit Open which was:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters @43kg
Burpees
I had only been doing CrossFit for a couple of months before I undertook this workout in 2014 completing it in 23 minutes and 26 seconds. I swore to myself I would never do this workout again unless I had to... fast-forward two years to the 2016 CrossFit Open and there it is. I managed to complete this workout the second time in 13 minutes and 15 seconds shaving over 10 minutes off my time. I couldn't believe my time! It was a great reminder that putting in all the hard work through the two years of CrossFit had paid off. It was a great finish to the 2016 Open and confirms I have become much fitter, as there can be times when you doubt yourself during bad days believing that no progress is being made at all, when really there is. “
Three Months and Counting...
So, it’s coming up to 3 months as owner of CrossFit Harrogate! It feels so much longer. We sent out the questionnaire just over two months ago which came back with so much valuable information.
It’s been a slow process but we are listening to you all, some suggestions will take longer to implement and need a lot more time than I can currently give. Here are the things some of you mentioned in the questionnaire that we’ve looked at and hopefully changed for the better…
"An online page to monitor progress, eg. 1RM, fastest times, etc"
SugarWod has been a great success, almost all of you are logging your workouts now which helps track your progress, this a great way to stay motivated.
"More partner and team WODs especially on Saturdays"
Partner Workouts are now programmed every Wednesday and Saturday. They may look a lot of fun (which they are) but partner workouts often make you work even harder a you have the motivation to maintain that high intensity all the way to the end.
"Clearer information about programming decisions - e.g. will there be a specific focus in a 6-8 week block on specific skills and areas?"
The programming has been altered so that two skills are focused on over an 8 week training cycle. More information into the program will be revealed in our next post.
"Incentives for existing members to encourage new members"
A free 60 minute personal training session is awarded when you refer someone who then becomes a member.
"Variety in coaches as you get a different perspective from different people"
Over the past 10 weeks we've taken two coaches through their CrossFit training.
After shadowing 'The Open' classes, Paul started his coaching two months ago, he currently leads the Friday morning classes.
Tom recently became a CrossFit Level 1 Trainer, he's been assisting in the evening classes and now runs the Monday evening classes.
"More weekend classes would be useful especially as membership grows as Saturday's are starting to get really busy"
Weekend access has been increased, if you’d like more access or a change in class time/type then please note down your ideas and pop it in the suggestions box or tell a member of the coaching team directly.
If you have any other suggestions to help improve your training and experience at CrossFit Harrogate then please either let a coach know or write it down and stick it in the suggestions box. Thanks!
How to start your CrossFit journey
Anyone can do CrossFit! Here at CrossFit Harrogate we welcome anyone who is ready to change their health and fitness lifestyle into a sustainable, enjoyable and social experience.
To get started:
1. Book a 60 minute FREE taster session (optional) or just pop in to any of our Open Gym sessions when we will have the time to show you around, discuss your options and ,if you come equipped, have a workout. Open Gym session times can be found on the Timetable.
2. Complete our Fundamentals Training Course by either signing up to one of our group courses or booking one-to-one Private Fundamentals training sessions with Head Coach Ryan - Next Group Fundamentals Monday May 9th.
3. Once you have successfully completed your fundamentals training we will give you two weeks of membership absolutely FREE. This will enable you attend as many of the group classes as you want, get to know our coaches and members and allow you to make a more informed decision about joining CrossFit Harrogate!
To find out more contact Ryan!
Mobile: 07772822617
Email: Ryan@crossfitharrogate.com
After The Open has closed
The first thing that we need to say is well done to everyone who has just completed their first, second or maybe even fourth CrossFit Open. Whether you were an Open virgin or a seasoned campaigner we hope you had a good time and learned something about your current location on the CrossFit journey. Looking at things through a coach’s eye it was hugely impressive to see people rise to the challenge and flourish as a result.
In keeping with the ethos that this is a members' Box we’ve asked what a few of you thought of the experience so we can look to improve it for next year. We consulted a few athletes who entered the competition and also a few who chose not to enter but completed the workouts.
The overwhelming response, whether enrolled for the Open or just doing the workouts, was one of being impressed by the level of support provided to the athletes by the membership of the gym. It is this community spirit and comradeship that makes CrossFit stand out from other conditioning programmes and something that we, at CrossFit Harrogate, demonstrate constantly. Taking part in The Open can be an emotional rollercoaster and it’s the community of support whether judging or just cheering that makes it such a rewarding experience. If you joined in The Open at CrossFit Harrogate by offering to judge or added your vocal support to a fellow athlete, then we salute you. Your contribution made a difference, be proud of that.
Many of you have been inspired by taking part and want to use the coming year to work on some weaknesses and come back stronger with a wider repertoire of movements next year. This is one of the great things about The Open and as coaches we are here to support you in your quest. Patience is key. Have a chat with Ryan or one of the other coaches and look to add some progressions into your warm ups or open gym time. We’ve just introduced some additional sessions at the weekends that will hopefully enable you to work on the skills that currently elude you or to build the strength that will enhance your performance. This extra practice could improve your rep count or maybe even allow you to tackle an Rx workout where previously you might have scaled.
A few of you struggled to attend the sessions when The Open was programmed and also mentioned that there wasn’t a huge amount of time to get the workouts down before the scores needed to be submitted. The amount of time between announcement & deadline is dictated by CrossFit HQ and so is out of our control. We have noted the observations about being able to do the WOD’s on Monday and we’ll look to try to accommodate that next year.
The other common thread from the responses was that people were both (quite rightly) impressed by others' and proud of their own achievements. Every single person who we asked said that they had learned something about themselves, both mentally & physically, from the experience and want to take on the challenge again as a result.
So what now?
Now that the (chalk) dust has settled it's time to look forward to 2017’s CrossFit Open. Most of us are primarily here to make improvements to health, fitness and to enjoy the community side of the Box. Nothing wrong with that at all. There is a competitive side to CrossFit though, even if it’s only competing with yourself. Everyone has a sense of needing to move on but knowing how to, can be difficult. Think about setting a couple of goals for the next few months, work on them consistently and then reassess what to move to next.
Maintain your Standards
For many of you The Open will have been your first experience of having your movement judged and of judging the movement of others. There is no doubt that this can be a little intimidating but it is something to be embraced. As coaches we try to stress as often as we can the importance of achieving the full range of motion for a movement and during The Open we hope you can see why we do so.
Don’t allow yourself to slip back into the bad habit of shortcutting a movement to allow more reps or to move a heavier weight. In The Open your judge would have called the dreaded ‘no rep’ and you should hold yourself to that same standard. ‘No repping’ yourself during a WOD and performing another rep during a workout will, in the long run, serve you well. It strengthens your technique, reinforces your integrity and impresses the hell out of the coaching staff!
Address a weakness
Take a look at what you did and how you did. What were the areas where you feel you need to improve? These need to take some of your focus in the coming year. Get strong. This can best happen in the strength sections of the programming so take this side of the programming seriously, keep a log of your PB’s and work hard to improve on them. Scale sensibly. It's nice to Rx a WOD but it's far from the "be all and end all". If the prescribed weight is 90% of your max then scaling is the way forward. You’ll get so much more from the workout by performing a good number of full range, consistent movements. Recover well. If some is good then more is better, right? Not always. Make sure to dial in your nutrition and get some quality sleep. That’s where the real gains are made.
Think about Competing again
Competing is not everyone’s cup of tea, nor is it often an ambition for many of the members of CrossFit Harrogate. That said, it can be a very rewarding experience and plant the seed for an increase in focus and for the setting of a new goal or goals. There are loads of competitions in the calendar that cater for all abilities and team compositions (individual, pairs, team, mixed etc) so whatever you fancy it's very likely there will be an event that can work for you. Many of them are listed on this website:
http://www.throwdowncalendar.com/ and Facebook is full of groups that arrange and advertise friendly events.
We’ll be supporting the Scale the Heights http://www.scaletheheights.co.uk/ event this year and we’ll look to include both the qualifying workouts and some of the movement standards into the future programming. This is an accessible and fun competition with a chance for the majority of people to progress to later stages and compete against fellow CrossFitters in an inclusive and supportive environment.
We hope you enjoyed your experience of being involved in the CrossFit Open 2016. We hope you had fun during the five weeks and can use it as a catalyst to push yourself forward to a challenging future.
Getting To Know The Team
To start us off we talked to Paul Billham, our newest member of the coaching team:
Q. How did you find out about CrossFit?
A. "My friends introduced me to CrossFit after they’d done a taster class, I was looking for something to get me motivated and a regular gym just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t find any motivation when by myself, but seeing others smashing out the same wods with me makes sure I give it my all every time. I still remember my first wod, I pushed quite hard and was sure this wasn’t for me after I started feeling a bit ill, but I kept coming back and my time got quicker and quicker. The results just kept coming and now I love it."
Q. What was your first CrossFit workout?
A. "It was called ‘The Judy’. On my first attempt I did it in 8.09, second time 5.42 and now (4 years later) I can do it in under 4 minutes."
The Judy
200m Run
15-12-9
Squats
Ring Rows
Press ups
Then…
200m Run
Q. Have you entered any competitions?
A. "I’ve taken part in quite a few different competitions as an individual and in a team and loved every minute of it. The list so far is;
RainHill Trials x2
War of the Roses
Dominance Series
Lions Pride x3
Q. What are you favourite CrossFit Movements?
A. "These have changed over time but at the moment I would say 'Toes to bar' and 'Handstand push ups'. I struggled with kicking up to the wall to get into a handstand, it was something I’d never really tried before, but after some friendly coaching and a little help to get my feet up (I just wasn’t finding the wall) I found it became easier and easier, practice made perfect and now I can do it without really thinking."
Q. And what are your least favourite movements?
A. "Again these have changed as I've got stronger and fitter but at the moment it would be 'Muscle ups' and 'box jumps'. For some reason I’ve always struggled with muscle ups, they have come and gone over my time CrossFitting. I would like to do them consistently but I need to work on my shoulder / arm strength. I plan on increasing my pull up training to decrease the distance between my chest and the rings then use banded progressions to ingrain the movement until I can do it every time. It’s all about the practice!"
Q. After over 4 years at CrossFit what would you say your favourite workout is?
A. " Definitely 'Filthy Fifty’ it's a killer but I love it, my best time so far is 30.15.
Filthy Fifty
50 Box jumps 24”
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings 24kg
50 Walking Lunges
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press 20kg
50 Back extensions
50 Wall balls 20lbs
50 Burpees
50 Double unders
Q. And you know what comes next, what is your least favourite workout?
A. "At this time I would have to say the dreaded (by me anyway) ‘Murph’. The best time I have done this in so far is 59.21. You have to do this workout wearing a 10kg weight vest!"
Murph
1 mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 mile Run
Wearing 10kg weight vest
Q. What is your favourite meal?
A. "At last an easy one - Fajitas."
Q. Hows about your favourite cheat meal?
A. "Even easier - Kebab."
Q. And finally, back to CrossFit. What has been your most inspiring moment?
A. "I've given this some thought and would have to say it was when I first managed to complete the workout JT. This workout consists of 21-15-9 of HSPU, Ring Dips and Push-ups. I remember my arms were completely spent after the first round and I was sure I didn’t have the strength left to finish it. However I kept on persevering with everyone supporting me as I was by far the last one to finish. I completed all reps to the cheers of everyone in the box. And that's what CrossFit is all about, people completing the seemingly unachievable whilst everyone encourages each other. Amazing!"
April Evening Induction
Fed up with normal gyms? No motivation? Want to get fit, change your body shape and have fun doing it? Forget the normal gym, give CrossFit a try!
There are no saunas, steam rooms, confusing machines, no mirrors and no TVs. That just leaves: the fitness kit; the coach and YOU. No distractions coming between you and your goals!
You will learn new ways to train and get a great workout. With a coach led, constantly varied training programme there's no way you will get bored. In fact, you will have fun, meet some great people and get fitter incredibly quickly.
The first step is to complete a CrossFit Induction Course.
The Induction Course costs just £50 for 6 one hour sessions of training where we will teach you all the basic CrossFit movements and techniques used in our classes. Once you have completed your induction we will give you two weeks of free unlimited membership - worth £30! This provides you with the opportunity to attend as many classes as you like, meet our members and coaches and decide for yourself if CrossFit is for you.
Best of all there are no contracts, admin or joining fees so you decide which membership package suits you and then pay monthly - putting you in full control.
The next Induction Course starts on Monday 4th April 2016 and runs for 2 weeks on a Monday and Wednesday (20:30 to 21:30) and a Friday (19:00 to 20:00). If these times aren't convenient we are currently offering Private 1:1 Inductions at a discounted rate of £180. For this you will get 6 one hour sessions with the Head Coach, at times to suit you with content tailored to your personal fitness capacity. Alternatively if you have a friend or group of friends who would like to do the induction at selected times please talk to Head Coach Ryan regarding Private Group Induction Rates.
Get signed up and take the first step towards a healthier, fitter you!
To sign up just go to www.crossfitharrogate.com and click on the "Get Started" link or contact our Head Coach Ryan Tansley via Email: Ryan@crossfitharrogate.com or Mobile: 07772 822617
The Results Are In!
Afternoon All,
The CrossFit Open is a fantastic event but now that it is almost over we can turn our attention to other matters.
We would very much like to thank all of you who took the time to fill out the ‘It’s your Box too’ survey we sent to you regarding your membership. The results are in and make for very interesting reading! They tell us the things you like which is really good to know, but just as importantly they highlight areas where we need to raise our game and raise it we most definitely will.
We know you will appreciate that we can’t introduce all of the suggested improvements immediately and so we intend to focus on the areas that were most requested in the survey.
By far the most requested improvement was for there to be more weekend classes - Consider It Done! From Saturday 9th April there will be a new timetable that will include one extra Saturday Class and two extra Sunday Classes and this is just for starters. If they are well attended we’ll introduce more.
Another popular request was for more specialist classes - Mobility, Gymnastics, Barbell, etc. These will take a little time to organise and may incur a small charge so watch this space!
We had a massive ‘YES’ to forming a members committee which just goes to re-enforce the fact that we have a strong community spirit here at CrossFit Harrogate. We will soon be asking members to put their names forward to be considered for the committee.
The survey has given us some invaluable information but it is only a snapshot in time. In the interest of continual improvement we need to always listen to your suggestions and act accordingly. To this aim we will be installing a suggestions box that will enable us to keep in touch with the needs and wishes of you all - the first use of this being to collect the nominees for the committee.
Last, but certainly not least, is a great big thank you to Scott Mackintosh, a valued member of our community, who took what was just an idea about having a survey and by adding his skill, time and a considerable amount of his own resource, made it happen – Thank You Scott!
Happy Easter!
Ryan
OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
It gives me great pleasure to officially announce that I am now the new owner of CrossFit Harrogate!
A massive thank you must go out to Simon, Gio, Kate and Dean who have worked tirelessly for the past 4 years to build this community to where it is now.
Two years ago they gave me the opportunity to become Head Coach, a role that I relish.
That leads me to the biggest thank you of all. To you, the members, who not only accepted me ‘warts and all’ but continue to extend a generous welcome to every new member into this awesome community.
I know we will go from strength to strength (literally) together!
Ryan
Lion's Pride Challenge WOD's
Happy reading!
WOD 1
200m run/250m Row (completed as a team, rounds may not start until all team members have completed the run/row)
Then 12 Rounds* of
10 x Wallballs (20/14/10/6)**
5 x HSPU
5 x HR Press Ups
5 x Ring Dips
*200m run/250m row completed as a team after every 4 rounds
**all four weights must be used and by the same athlete throughout the WOD, weights are not interchangeable.
***Each team member must complete 3 rounds. Only one team member can be working at a time and must complete the full round of wallballs, HSPU, HR press ups and dips before the next team member can begin their round.
WOD 2
1RM Deadlift
Each team has 15 minutes to establish 1RM Deadlift for all four team members.
WOD 3
AMRAP 3
Plate GTOH (20/15/10/5*) *all four weights must be used and by the same athlete throughout the WOD, weights are not interchangeable.
1 athlete working at a time and no more than 10 reps at a go. Team must work in and stay in the same athlete sequence so that all four members must complete reps before the first member can go again.
1 minute rest, then
AMRAP 3
Burpees (Same rules apply)
1 minute rest, then
AMRAP 3
Over bar med ball throws (16/10*) *both weights must be used
Two members working at one time, one spot on the pull up bar per team. Each throw across the bar counts as 1 rep and a pair can only throw 10 times each (20 reps) before they have to switch over to the second pair of athletes.
Scaling options will be provided tomorrow! Sleep tight!!!
UPDATE 3: Lion's Pride Challenge Teams
Here are your teams for Saturday!
Team 1
Blace Eckols
Caroline Emerson
James Richardson
Sin Mei Yau
Team 2
Amber Southern
Christiaan Creaby
Jude Smith
Stuart Doran
Team 3
Craig Milner
Emily Cliff
Jordan Southern
Paul Ellul
Team 4
Carl Aveyard
Claire Curtis
Gareth Cooper
Jill Martin
Team 5
Charlie Hall
Jane Denham
Kathryn White
Rob Edwards
Team 6
Andy Milner
Andy Tuttel
Annelize Ferriera
Team 7
Nat Bradley
Ruth Fisher
Scott MacKintosh
Tom Irwin
Team 8
Ashleigh Dunn
Pascal Joly
Simon Gough
Steve Beale
Team 9
Chris Pang
George Simpson
Mel Milner
Sally Beale
Team 10
David Kitchen
Greg Cadman
Meredith Bonta
Steve Harris
Team 11
Lisa Radoje
Lotta Beiling
Paul Bilham
Steve Henderson
UPDATE 2: Lion's Pride Challenge Teams
Rather unfortunately, we have had a very large number of members have to drop out of the competition this weekend. I have tried very hard to not disturb the original team announcement too much. However, we have had few more drop out today and unfortunately the teams are becoming quite unbalanced. So while I really hate to do this, I am going to have to update the teams one more time. And for the sake of my own sanity, I will not send out the final team announcement until Friday evening. Again, I very much apologize for this as I know several of you have come up with some brilliant names for your teams already but it is the only way I can keep a fair balance in the teams to keep with the spirit of the competition. Thanks for your patience!
PS - As a reminder, please arrive at the box on Saturday at 1230 to sign in, get your t-shirt, pay your entry fee if you haven't already and warm up. The event will kick off at 1pm and we should be done around 5:30.
Thanks,
Kate