TwinTown CrossFit in Minneapolis

Last week Coach Peter wrote about the air squat and some of the replies to his post bemoaned the time invested in developing this element.

I had to chuckle, reading those replies. I’ve been working on my squat for six years and I still have a lot of room for improvement.

Virtuosity means doing common things uncommonly well. And going from “pretty good” to “virtuosity” doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the labor of years.

I mentioned this in passing to a friend and he responded with the question, is it worth it?

But that’s the wrong question.

CrossFit isn’t transformative when you cross some imaginary finish line. CrossFit transforms because there is no finish line.

It’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.

People often ask me what I keep in my gym bag. There are a few essential items I pack every time I go to the gym:

• An index card documenting the percentages (60%, 65%…95%, 100%) of my one rep max for the snatch; front squat; jerk; push press; overhead squat; clean & jerk and back squat. This takes guess work out of the equation.

• Olympic lifting shoes.

• Jump rope.

• Wrist wraps.

• Long socks so I don’t bleed on the barbells.

• A clean set of workout clothes to spare others in the class from choking on the fumes emitted from previously worn work out gear.

• A towel because I sweat standing still in a snow storm.

• Post WOD protein shake. Ideally, you want to eat a lean piece of meat within an hour of a hard workout, but whey protein mixed with coconut water or water is a quality substitute in a pinch.

• An apple. The glucose and fructose in the carbohydrates of an apple are readily available sources of fuel and energy that aid in the body’s recovery after an intense workout.

• Water bottle. I have one with me at all times to remain hydrated throughout the day.

What do you have in your gym bag?

Amy being awesome

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we will be holding a Women’s only guest day at the Uptown gym on Monday May 13th at 5:30 pm. This is an opportunity for female members to bring in a Woman that is important to them. Your guest is not required to be a Mom, but Mom’s are encouraged to come! Coach Hannah will be leading the class, and up to 6 people can register to bring a guest.

If you are interested in showing a woman in your life what CrossFit is all about, you can register on Zen Planner HERE.

Space is limited so register today!

Capital punishment is a modern invention that appeared when the state became the dominant form of human organization.

In tribal societies humans didn’t punish each other by execution. They meted out a punishment  much worse than death, namely, isolation.

As a matter of fact, right here in the U.S. tribal societies like the Tlingit and Seneca still impose banishment. And in modern prison systems, echoes of this practice are seen in the practice of solitary confinement.

Banishment is torture because even the most introverted among us have an ingrained need to be a part of a community. We thrive within community; we wither in isolation. Think of Travis Bickle.

A while ago I described the “Three Pillars of Paleo” as nutrition, exercise, and sleep. But I omitted the fourth, and possibly most important pillar. It is community.

You might have gold stars for every biomedical marker of health, but in isolation you can never be truly well.

Ohhh, the air squat. How many of them have you done since you started CrossFit? Lose count? Probably more than a few. They’re a staple in our workouts and because we work on them so much, you’ve probably noticed that they might not be as tough for you as they once were.

As much as the air squat is an important piece of our workouts, it’s also a foundational movement that shouldn’t be overlooked for its importance in many challenging lifts. Making sure that your body-weight squat is on point is essential if you ever want to be able to squat safely with a bar.

The fixes are usually pretty straight forward, so don’t be afraid to ask about getting some basic homework assigned if you think you could stand to improve. Get those foundations locked down and watch how much easier your life will become.

I love to travel and am very fortunate that I get to so often for work and for fun.  In the past month, I went to Omaha, Nebraska for business and Bangkok, Thailand for pleasure. They are clearly very different places with totally different languages and cultures and separated by thousands of miles, but in both cities I was able to find a local CrossFit gym, which absolutely enhanced my experience.

I was sent to Omaha for work. In most cases, this would mean an un-glamorous week stuck in a Best Western every night, watching TV and eating crappy fast-food.  But, our beloved Maureen, pointed me the way to her recently found box, Fit Farm Omaha, and I was able to get a 7-day unlimited pass for $45.  I attended three classes over the course of the week, which allowed me to get out of my hotel room and get moving.  Even better, I didn’t have to sacrifice my regular routine of attending class while away from home.

Soon after, I travelled to the other side of the world to spend ten days in Thailand.  I have discussed in the past how becoming a CrossFit regular has changed my itinerary when I go on vacation. On this recent trip it translated to renting bikes to see the local temples and villages and training at a Muay Thai gym where I learned that elbows and knees can be considered deadly weapons.  On my last day in Bangkok, despite it being 95 degrees and humid out, I found CrossFit Ten500.  Though I was sweating before class even started, I am so glad I went as I got to work out with a great coach and a unique mix of locals and ex-pats.

And while I know that sometimes we all need to just “be” on vacation and lay on the beach, here are a few reasons why visiting a CrossFit gym can elevate any trip:

It’s cheap! – Okay, while the fitness center in your hotel with the one old treadmill and the squeaky exercise bike might be free, the nearby CrossFit gym isn’t that expensive. A lot of CrossFit gyms have drop-in rates that range from $10 to $20 per class.  Some have even waived the fee if your purchase a T-shirt or are completely free.

Learn something new – Though all the CrossFit gyms I have visited are founded on the same principles, each has its own way of doing things. Its fun to see the different spaces, interact with the new coaches and members, and learn a new stretch or piece of advice.

Meet the locals – Especially when on an extended trip, going to a CrossFit gym is a great way to make new friends who can tell you where to really find the best food or coolest attractions.  CrossFit encourages people to be inclusive and I have had great interactions at every gym.

Get a great souvenir! -  I have t-shirts now from CrossFit Fast Bangkok, CrossFit Vegas and Fit Farm Omaha.  They all have unique designs, cost between $10-20 and I use them a lot more often than any refrigerator magnet.

Gain a better appreciation for TTCF – I enjoy my visits to other gyms, but I always come away more thankful for our coaches and our strong community.  I’ve learned to love in comparison our small class sizes, the focus on form and technique and our intimate space.

Finding a CrossFit gym while on the road is really easy. Just go to CrossFit.com and use the Affiliate Gym Locator to find a gym wherever your travels take you.  If there is no information on the gym’s site about drop-in rates, I recommend emailing the owner and letting them know you want to visit.

Safe travels full of fun and burpees!

I was recently watching an episode of “New Girl”, a comedy about a “quirky girl” living in the big city with her male roommates. In said episode, Jess (Zooey Deschanel), attempted to comically open a jar of peanut butter for over a minute until her male roommate Nick took it from her and opened it with a simple twist. This portrayal of the doe-eyed, adorable clumsy girl who can’t control her body  is not a new one, but it is no less infuriating now than it was a decade ago.

Movie and television makers spend a lot of time making their female leads look adorable by defeating them and stripping them of their dignity; depicting them as flustered, klutzy narcissists who need a man hero to save them from themselves.  This “girls are silly and weak” cliche is in film and TV, but it also pervades our culture in a lot of creepy ways. For evidence, just look here, here and here.  (oh, and THIS EXISTS). It’s so cute watching ladies try to do man stuff!

I don’t want to be a pixie dream girl. I want to lift heavy weights and eat healthy food so that I can be in charge of my body and open my own damn jars.

I use a wrist wrap made by Strength Wraps. Strength Wraps are made of self-tacking fabric, not elastic. They’re awesome because you can tighten and loosen them with a twist of the wrist – without actually taking them off. They’re way slicker than elastic wraps. Elastic wraps have  continual tension which means they’re too tight 90% of the time. We had some custom Strength Wraps made in both red and blue. These things are going to go fast, but you can reserve a set for yourself at this link. We’ll have them ready for you at the gym early next week.