TwinTown CrossFit in Minneapolis

Hey! Did you know about CrossFit Moms? A lot of our athletes don’t, so I thought I would tell you what it’s all about. It’s a class for soon-to-be moms or moms at any age or stage.  A person’s body changes so much…during AND after pregnancy. So, it’s nice to be around other moms who get it. It’s also nice that class is more compact at 45 minutes than our typical hour-long classes. Why? A mom’s list of obligations can be overwhelming…who can add another thing? This class is more practical for many families’ schedules.

Be warned! Don’t come to CrossFit Moms expecting a watered-down version of what the other classes do. I expect everyone to work to their ability both in movement standards and intensity!  These ladies are legit CrossFitters—doing double-unders, 24″ box jumps, strict push-ups, you name it. We scale what we need to like any other class, but everyone works until the buzzer sounds! And in addition to doing the same scheduled work as the other classes, we often do some extra core work, too, since that’s a problem area for a lot of moms. So come on out and visit CrossFit Moms (Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:15 a.m. and Saturdays at 8:15 a.m.). And tell the other moms that you know about it!

At TwinTown CrossFit all of our clients get success journals. It’s basically a workout and nutrition log with some reference material in the back. Journaling is an incredibly important part of your fitness journey, but few people are diligent journalers. Would that they were! Check out this email I got from a client recently:

Pete,

A lot of schools implement racial quotas in their admission process. Here’s how it works: if you’re an Asian you are only compared to other Asian kids. Because Asians as a group score higher on tests and get better grades, Asian kids have to distinguish themselves within the elite to get into a top school.

A lot of Asians get tweaked about this, but I don’t. So you want to compare me to other Asians? Bring it. I’m not afraid of any cram school zombie. Maybe I’ll get my ass handed to me but at least I’ll know where I stand.

The fitness world has its own version of racial quotas. Many fitness communities patronize their members with lavish praise for workouts that barely meet the definition. Watch any TV infomercial and you will see a collective delusion about fitness.

If you do CrossFit you’re swimming with sharks and any illusions you may have about your fitness will be quickly deflated. Inevitably you’re going to get your ass handed to you – but at least you know where you stand.

So you may as well bring it.

I am TOTALLY STOKED, because the long-awaited windows have finally been installed at CrossFit 612. It’s amazing what a difference natural light makes!

I’ve had the privilege to work with a great group of kids over the last two years. They never cease to amaze me. Yesterday Drew very nearly pulled 285 pounds off the ground. He’s 14 years old. During the metcon, George ripped off 10 legit chin-over-the bar pullups – after sprinting 400 meters. This is a kid who couldn’t do a single pull up this Winter. Yesterday I realized that I don’t think of them as kids anymore. I think of them as men, but more than that as mensches.

Of course, vegetables are important to eat year round, and one of our favorite ways to prepare them in the cooler months is roasting. Just toss cauliflower, sweet potatoes, red onions, and brussel sprouts in olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast at 425 degrees for an hour to and hour and a half. Sweet and delicious!

My son is learning to walk and he falls constantly – on his butt, on his face, side to side. It’s like invisible tentacles are reaching out of the ground to trip him with every step.

But he will not be deterred. Every time he falls he claws his way back to his feet and forges ahead, one foot after another, inexorable.

What’s the operative difference between a toddler and a grown up? A toddler isn’t afraid to look foolish, and because of that he is truly free.

Imagine what you could accomplish if you weren’t afraid to fall on your butt.

Maybe you could talk to that girl at the coffee shop.

Maybe you could ask for that raise you know you deserve.

Maybe you could PR that lift that frightens you.

Yes, maybe you’ll fall on your butt and look foolish.

But if that’s the worst thing that happens to you today, you had a pretty good day.

When I talk to people about the paleolithic nutrition plan, their eyes light up when I get to the part about eating to satiety. Eating to satiety is a wholly foreign notion that most people find deeply attractive.

But this is where it gets tricky. Many confuse satisfaction with fulfillment. They’re not the same thing. If you eat for fulfillment then paleo has limited utility for you. You’re no more likely to find fulfillment at the bottom of a crockpot than you are at the bottom of a pint of Chunky Monkey.

Ah, but how great would it be if we could buy fulfillment at the drive through?

Gimme a double order of job satisfaction and a side of my father’s approval please.

Sadly, it is not thus. Food can’t provide fulfillment. Comfort maybe. Satisfaction sometimes. But never fulfillment.

Last year during the CrossFit Games Open a lot of people groused about the workout involving 165# Clean & Jerks. It’s not fair! Most people can’t get that much weight overhead!

This year the second Open workout is a snatch ladder with the second stage of the ladder requiring a 135# snatch. Predictably, a lot of people are complaining that this workout favors big guys. As though in anticipation of this complaint, the demo video on the Games site features Dan Bailey going head to head with Rich Froning. Dan Bailey is 5’7″ and weighs 175#. Rich Froning is 5’10″ and weighs 195#. Despite superior size, Rich just barely ekes out a win over Dan. Only three points separate the two.

In the world of CrossFit bigger is not better. Better is better. Smaller athletes like Chris Spealler and Zach Forrest prove that technique is king.