April 4th  One Year Birthday celebration at the White Owl at 7:30pm…join us!!!

April 7th 2012 Fight for Air Climb.  We will be meeting at the BOK Tower to participate in this stair climb, which begins at 8:30am.  If you have not signed up please do so now!   All Classes will be cancelled.

April 8th We will be closed for Easter Sunday.  Enjoy your family time!

April 14th New Saturday Schedule goes into effect… 8:30 WOD class, 10:00 Green Ramp, 11:00 WOD class.

April 25th Lululemon Truck show at 918!  Get excited about this opportunity to shop the newest items in the comfort of our box!!  Tell your friends…all classes will be free for the day!

Great job to all to all competitors today!!  And a special thanks to all who came to cheer on and judge!

Competitors will need to submit their own scores today via their Games site profile.  We will validate them ASAP.

Games season is upon us.  The first WOD will be announced tonight…are you ready?!

For more information on the format of The Games, or to register yourself, check out https://games.crossfit.com/mygames/.

918 CrossFit will be hosting the weekly WOD for those competing in the open every Saturday at 10:00am for the next five weeks.  The Open WOD will also be the daily WOD on Thursdays at the gym, this will allow all people to experience the competition in some way!  That being said, no judging or validating will be done on Thursdays, so all those competing in the Open must participate in the Saturday WOD.  You will need to be signed up and have your athlete profile completed, having selected 918 CrossFit as your affiliate.  Each week the WOD will be posted along with an instructional video for movements, range of motion, etc.  We ask that you watch these videos before coming in each week.  Each athlete will be judged by another, we recommend picking a partner for the duration of the Open.  We will validate and enter your scores weekly and you can see where you rank in the World of CrossFit!!

Get Excited!!

“If you are CrossFitting and you’re cheating your reps or your time, you’re not CrossFitting – you’re just exercising.” –Coach Glassman

Cheating often goes unmentioned…it is no doubt a sensitive topic and there is no comfortable way to address it.  That being said, if you Google “CrossFit Cheating” there are 934,000 results!  Clearly it is happening, and it is happening in every gym in the world.  For the sake of this discussion, cheating will include the seemingly less severe offenses such as range of motion (not hitting the bottom of a squat, not locking your elbow at the top of a push-up, not opening your hip, missing the mark on your wall ball shots, not getting your chin over the bar on a pull-up, etc.) and the more obvious forms like “shaving reps” or adding rounds in an AMRAP.  Each of these things are cheating, they each diminish your character and your results, piss off your fellow athletes, and infuriate your coaches.

At the risk of sounding cliché, if you cheat you are cheating yourself.   This is an obvious fact about the work you are putting in and the results you will get back.  And, honestly, to cheat during the carefully programmed fitness you pay for is wasting your money.  The other side of this is that you are also cheating your fellow athletes and your coaches.  The time Harley and I waste sporadically counting reps (yes, we do it…we know who you are) could be spent helping others, perfecting form, or motivating you through those last few reps.

At 918 CrossFit we are fortunate to have an environment that fosters teamwork and athletes that show unending support for one another.  Our team is also filled with highly driven and competitive athletes that work hard to be better and to come out on top.  We would have it no other way!!  The second of these traits can sometimes tempt an athlete to be less than they are…and less than we, as coaches, demand.  So check yourself, decide to do the work, and show respect for everyone by being accountable for your reps and their quality.

*We are not actually suggesting you cheat on your taxes*

It is here!  We will kick off our 30 Day Zone Challenge with a nutrition lecture on Sunday, July 17th at 1:00pm.  Please see below for additional information…if you have questions about any of the information below we will cover it Sunday, or you can email me for clarification.  We will also have handouts at the gym.

We are challenging you to form better habits… make healthier diet choices and continue to WOD consistently.  Our Zone Challenge is designed to decrease body composition and weight, increase your performance, and ultimately set you on the path to a healthier lifestyle.  By committing to our Zone Challenge, you have taken the right steps towards a longer and more fulfilling life.

Important Dates:

 July 17^th

Sign up and entry fees due

1:00pm Nutrition Lecture and Challenge Overview

Anyone not measured or photographed can get that done.

 July 18^th

Everyone in the Challenge must complete the benchmark WOD on or before this date.

 August 17^th

After picture must be taken/submitted on or before this date.

Ending measurements can be taken starting today.

 August 18^th

Benchmark WOD will be held.

How do I get started and what do I do after I sign up?

1. Sign and date your commitment statement.  Commitment and focus are important in creating the experience!  A copy will be displayed in the facility to support your declaration to yourself and loved ones.

2. In order to sign-up, there will be a $20 fee for current 918 CrossFit athletes.  This gets you the nutritional information, a fancy WODBook log book for your workout entries, and diet and nutritional guidance throughout the 30 days.

3.  Have your before and after pictures taken.  Men will be photographed in shorts without shirts and women will be photographed in shorts and sports bras.  ALL pictures will be completely confidential, except when used for determining the contest winners.

4. Track your progress and submit your “Zone Log” every Sunday to Emily or Harley in person or through email – Emily@918crossfit.com.

What special tools or equipment will I need for the Challenge?

1.  A kitchen scale.  This can be purchased very reasonably at Wal-Mart, Target, or just about anywhere with a kitchen section.  A scale will be imperative in being strict with your Zone plan.

What do I need to eat during the challenge?

We will always be available to answer questions about food options, but we will cover the bulk of this information during the Nutrition Lecture. There are a number of articles posted on www.CrossFit.com that will help you along with many recipes online. After we take your initial body composition measurements, we will assign the amount of blocks you will eat per day.

Basically, we hope you choose foods based on this phrase: “Meats, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, moderate starch, and NO SUGAR!” If you stick to this phrase, follow your blocks, and measure and weigh your food, you are on the right path.

Make sure to drink a lot of fluids (preferably water) while adjusting to the zone diet.   You will naturally force out the unwanted food stores inside of the body and go through a short detox lasting several days to a week.  Once your body has adjusted to the diet, you will experience increased energy, healthy body changes, and an improved health and wellness.

What can I expect during the challenge?

1. This is a change towards a healthy lifestyle, not necessarily a diet. This is a challenge to raise awareness of the importance of combining quality nutrition with exercise, more specifically CrossFit.  You will experience a lot of changes this month and learn to read your body in new ways. Please feel free to come to us with any questions, concerns, suggestions and feedback.

2. There are many foods that we eat on a daily basis, but on average, none carry the same craving as carbohydrates.   When we eat a lot of processed breads, pastas, oats, crackers etc., our body breaks them down and stores them just like sugar.  By limiting the amount of complex sugars/carbohydrates consumed in your diet, your body might experience withdraw or increased hunger.  As this does not sound pleasant, it only lasts for a short time (5-7 days) and you will eventually acclimate to the diet.  Once the changes start to take place, your mood, energy, and metabolism will all improve.

3. We as coaches require that you keep a strict journal this month of all that you are eating, the workouts that you are doing and the amount of hours that you are sleeping. This way, when you come to us with specific questions we will have a frame of reference. If we do not know what you are eating, it will be difficult for us to support your nutritional choices throughout the challenge.

How will the winners be determined?

Prizes will be awarded in two categories for both men and women.

1. Total overall points.

This will show the most consistent change in behavior over time. Prizes will be awarded to the top man and woman.  Points will be awarded based on the following criteria:

10 points (total) for your pictures. (AFTER PICTURES MUST BE TAKEN TO RECEIVE POINTS.)

1 point per meal that is “In the Zone” – 5 points per day MAX.

1 point per day that you get at least 8 hours of sleep.

1 point each day you complete a WOD, 5 points per week MAX.

Bonus points will be awarded for completing both Benchmark WOD’s.

2. Body composition

The male and female winner will be determined by the largest amount of bodyfat lost over the 4-week period.  We will be using skin calipers to determine body-fat percentages.