CrossFit News and Updates - 06/18/10

Open up your calendar and mark yourself as busy the evening of Monday June 28th from 7:00pm on. We are holding a Guest Bartending Party at Around the Corner in Lakewood in honor of Kate Rawlings to help raise funds to get "Team Killer" to the CrossFit Games. We'll have many CrossFit folks behind the bars serving up drinks while Kate does burpees for $1 each! We would very much appreciate it if you could attend and help spread the word.   Staci arranged to have a "gold buyer" at the event to pay cash for your unwanted/unused jewelry.  You know, like the 'cash for gold' commercials you see on T.V. Here's a chance for you to dig out some stuff from your drawers and get some cash for the evening.  Oh yeah, you could drop some of that loot in Kate's tip jar if you feel like it.   If you have a Facebook account, you can see more details and RSVP for this event here "Get Team Killer to the Games" I also have a post on our CrossFit Cleveland website   Kate has been training with us from the very beginning, starting with the free workouts in the Metroparks long before we opened the box.  Now she is in charge of training each morning at our gym. Kate is scheduled to attend a CrossFit Kids Certification this summer and plans on running her own CrossFit Kids program within our facility starting later this summer   You can learn more about the Games on the official Crossfit Games site and read more about her journey on her blog, www.katerawlings.com   Have a slow afternoon? Here are a bunch of videos to kill some time.   Yesterday's afternoon crew rowing and mountain climbers - Thursday workout   Andrew's 135lb overhead squats from wednesday - Andrew 135lb OHS   How to do plank crawls - Plank Crawls   Don't just boycott BP, 86 them instead 86 BP Oil      The results from this week's workouts on the website, you can find them here on our CrossFit Workout of the Day Page.   You can find even more NEW pictures loaded on our CrossFit Cleveland Fan Page here.  You do not need to log in or have a Facebook account to view this page.     Learn more about the Crossfit Games. Patrick Flannery wants to open a new Crossfit box Some of you may have noticed Patrick taking on more of a teaching role at the gym lately.  That's because he intends on opening his own CrossFit gym in the future. He is gaining experience necessary for him to be successful in running his own business.  Staci and I are pleased to be able to help him in his quest.   Patrick will be helping run our gym in July, assisting Kate Rawlings while Staci and I are on vacation and by himself while we are all in California with Kate as she competes for the title of the "Fittest Woman on Earth" in the 2010 CrossFit Games.     Membership Waiting List for 5:00P.M. & later workouts We're still at capacity during the 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm and 6:30pm workouts. We have started a waiting list for new members who wish to workout after 5:00pm. New members are able to attend any of the morning workouts and the 4:00pm and 4:30pm workouts Monday through Thursday.     *** Please note, current members who joined prior to the wait list are able to attend any workouts they choose as long as their membership remains current.  It's important to know that if you take a month or two off, you will be subject to the waiting list upon your return.   We do have expansion plans in the works that include additional workout times and more space. Please stay tuned for details.  Thanks to everyone for helping us grow this fantastic community. CF Cleveland's Organic Produce Co-Op - every Wednesday Staci and Tricia go down to the Cleveland Food Terminal every Wednesday and purchase organic fruits and vegetables by the case. They get a boat load of food for not a whole lot of money, then they split it all up into 6 equal shares. They spend $300 total, making each 'share' cost $50.  The minimum buy-in is $25 for 1/2 share of produce. If you are interested, please add your name to the sign-up sheet at the gym or email staci@crossfitcleveland.com. Payment must be received no later than Tuesday of each week. You can see a few pictures of the past couple batches of food here on our Organic Food Co-op post on our website. Previous newsletters on our website You can read all the past email newsletters on our website.  I've made a Crossfit Cleveland newsletter archive page here, or you can find the link on our CrossFit Cleveland home page. That's all for now. You can find all the stuff that used to be down below my signature here on the 'Old Stuff Archive" page. Regards,  BR 440-915-7856 (Cell & Text)    CrossFit Cleveland - RAW Fitness, LLC www.crossfitcleveland.com  My LinkedIn Profile  - http://www.linkedin.com/in/billrussellohio BR on Facebook = http://profile.to/billrussell/ CrossFit Cleveland's Fan Page on Facebook at http://www.companies.to/crossfitcleveland Follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/CFCleveland

CrossFit News and Updates - 05/21/10

In case you haven't heard, we have big news about one of our own.  Kate Rawlings qualified to compete in the 2010 CrossFit Games to be held outside Los Angeles, CA this summer.  She is one of only 50 women in the world to qualify for this event.   A bunch of us traveled to Logan, OH two weekends ago to watch her compete in the CrossFit Central East Regional Qualifier put on by Rogue Fitness.  In addition to Staci, Jessie and myself, Kate's parents Bill and Rita, Wayne, Tricia, Ryan, Cassie, Jillian, Kevin and Larry turned out to cheer her on. Many others from the local affiliates Crossfit Legacy, CrossFit CLE and The CrossFit Box rooted her on as well.   Kate has been training with us from the very beginning, starting with the free workouts in the Metroparks long before we opened the box. Kate found us early on, as did Troy, Cassi and Scott. That was three years ago this month. You can read more about her journey on her blog, www.katerawlings.com   Have a slow afternoon? Here are a bunch of videos to kill some time.   Kate Rawlings - Day 1 Crossfit Regional Qualifier Kate Rawlings - Day 2 Crossfit Regional Qualifier Tire Flips from last Saturday's CrossFit Workout Justin doing one-arm tire flips -Look ma, one arm! Sue and Alison flipping the tire last night - girls flipping tires   I'm caught up posting the results from this week's workouts on the website, you can find them here on our CrossFit Workout of the Day Page.   You can find even more NEW pictures loaded on our CrossFit Cleveland Fan Page here.  You do not need to log in or have a Facebook account to view this page.     Learn more about the Crossfit Games. Memorial Day Workout - Revised schedule We will be open for one group workout at 9:00am on Memorial Day, Monday May 31st, 2010. For those of you die-hard CrossFitters, Kate Rawlings will be hosting this single WOD with doors opening at 9:00am.  Please be there on time or risk a chance at only being able to watch.   We will be open normal hours on Saturday May 29th, including the 11:00am Basic Intro Workout.   We wish all of you a safe and happy holiday and hope to see you often this summer. Membership Waiting List for 5:00P.M. & later workouts We're growing steadily and have reached capacity during the 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm and 6:30pm workouts. We have started a waiting list for new members who wish to workout after 5:00pm. New members are able to attend any of the morning workouts and the 4:00pm and 4:30pm workouts Monday through Thursday.  Existing members will be able to attend any workouts they choose as long as their membership remains current.  It's important to know that if you take a month or two off, you will be subject to the waiting list upon your return.   We do have expansion plans in the works that include additional workout times and more space. Please stay tuned for details.  Thanks to everyone for helping us grow this fantastic community. CF Cleveland's Organic Produce Co-Op Staci and Tricia go down to the Cleveland Food Terminal every other week and purchase organic fruits and vegetables by the case. They get a boat load of food for not a whole lot of money, then they split it all up into 6 equal shares. They spend $300 total, making each 'share' cost $50.  The minimum buy-in is $25 for 1/2 share of produce. If you are interested, please add your name to the sign-up sheet at the gym or email staci@crossfitcleveland.com. The next trip will be the week of May 24th. Staci will announce the exact day by Monday. You can see a few pictures of the past couple batches of food here on our Organic Food Co-op post on our website.  Advocare products Staci and I are starting to get picked on for being 'crack' pushers. The fact is the Advocare products we're carrying really work and people are loving their results. Never before have we considered offering supplements because we never knew which brands worked and which were just scams. Advocare works.   Skip Chase of Mount Baker CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting coach Mike Burgener and Jeremy Thiel of CrossFit Central are all very respected members of the CrossFit community.  They are all big fans of Advocare products, mainly because they work. When we learned that these three guys were involved, we agreed to take a closer look. We feel it an obligation to bring our members anything that can improve their results. Advocare happens to fit in perfectly. Hardly a sell-out as some label it.   Many other top Crossfit gyms endorse and use Advocare products.  This stuff really helps, and everything comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You can even bring back a completely empty container and tell us you didn't like it and you get your money back. That's a pretty impressive guarantee.   If you are interested in learning more about their weight loss and performance enhancing products, ask one of us. You can also learn more about their products online at Staci's Advocare website

Previous newsletters on our website You can read all the past email newsletters on our website.  I've made a Crossfit Cleveland newsletter archive page here, or you can find the link on our CrossFit Cleveland home page.

That's all for now. You can find all the stuff that used to be down below my signature here on the 'Old Stuff Archive" page. Regards,  BR 440-915-7856 (Cell & Text)    CrossFit Cleveland - RAW Fitness, LLC www.crossfitcleveland.com  My LinkedIn Profile  - http://www.linkedin.com/in/billrussellohio BR on Facebook = http://profile.to/billrussell/ CrossFit Cleveland's Fan Page on Facebook at http://www.companies.to/crossfitcleveland Follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/CFCleveland

Crossfit News and Updates - 05/06/2010

CrossFit Cleveland May 6, 2010

I guess people do actually read this email because we had a whole bunch of people stop in last week and join. So many in fact that we have reached our capacity for the afternoon and evening workouts and are starting a P.M. workout waiting list for new members who join after today, 5/6/2010. You can see more details below.  Current members are still able to attend any of workout times, A.M. and P.M., as long as their membership does not lapse. Thanks to Ron and Dan for bringing us a couple big truck tires to flip and beat on with our new sledgehammers. We also just got over 500 sq. ft. of Zebra grappling mats. Everyone loves pictures so I posted a bunch of new workout photos on our CrossFit Cleveland Fan Page here.  You do not need to log in or have a Facebook account to view this page.     Closed Saturday May 8th    FYI - The gym will be closed Saturday May 8th as we travel to Logan, OH to support Kate Rawlings at the CrossFit Games Regional Qualifier. 30 men and 30 women will be competing to earn a place at the Crossfit Games competition in California this summer.  Only 3 men and 3 women will advance from this regional event.  Learn more about the Crossfit Games. Membership Waiting List for P.M. workouts We're growing steadily and have reached capacity during the afternoon/evening workouts. We have started a waiting list for new members (who join after today) who wish to attend the P.M. workouts. New members are able to attend any of the morning workouts and will be placed on a waiting list for attending P.M. workouts until a spot opens for them. Existing members will be able to attend any workouts they choose as long as their membership remains current.  It's important to know that if you take a month or two off, you will be subject to the waiting list upon your return.   If you've taken the past couple/few months off, this might be a good time to get back in before the waiting list starts tomorrow. You can register on online payments page of our website here. We do have expansion plans in the works that include additional workout times and more space. Please stay tuned for details.  Thanks to everyone for helping us grow this fantastic community. CPR Certification Class Monday May 17th at 7:00pm Staci has scheduled an Elyria Fireman to hold a CPR Certification course at CrossFit Cleveland on Monday May 17th at 7:00pm at the gym. It will last approximately 2 hours.  Please let Staci know if you want to attend, or put your name on the sign-up sheet at the gym  The cost is $35 and the certification is valid for 2 years. There are a limited number of spots and payment is needed to reserve your place. You can email Staci at staci@crossfitcleveland.com or see her at the gym if you have any questions.   This class is open to anyone, not just gym members. CF Cleveland's Organic Produce Co-Op Staci and Tricia go down to the Cleveland Food Terminal every other week and purchase organic fruits and vegetables by the case. They get a boat load of food for not a whole lot of money, then they split it all up into 6 equal shares. They spend $300 total, making each 'share' cost $50.  The minimum buy-in is $25 for 1/2 share of produce. If you are interested, please add your name to the sign-up sheet at the gym or email staci@crossfitcleveland.com. The next trip will be the week of May 10th. Staci will announce the exact day by Monday. You can see a few pictures of the past couple batches of food here on our Organic Food Co-op post on our website.  Advocare products Staci and I are starting to get picked on for being 'crack' pushers. The fact is the Advocare products we're carrying really work and people are loving their results. Never before have we considered offering supplements because we never knew which brands worked and which were just scams. Advocare works.   Skip Chase of Mount Baker CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting coach Mike Burgener and Jeremy Thiel of CrossFit Central are all very respected members of the CrossFit community.  They are all big fans of Advocare products, mainly because they work. When we learned that these three guys were involved, we agreed to take a closer look. We feel it an obligation to bring our members anything that can improve their results. Advocare happens to fit in perfectly. Hardly a sell-out as some label it.   Our morning trainer Kate Rawlings feels the same way. Check out her recent blog post at her Killer Fitness Blog, and while you are there read all about her training for the CrossFit Games qualifiers. Many other top Crossfit gyms endorse and use Advocare products.  This stuff really helps, and everything comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You can even bring back a completely empty container and tell us you didn't like it and you get your money back. That's a pretty impressive guarantee.   If you are interested in learning more about their weight loss and performance enhancing products, ask one of us. You can also learn more about their products online at Staci's Advocare website

Previous newsletters on our website You can read all the past email newsletters on our website.  I've made a Crossfit Cleveland newsletter archive page here, or you can find the link on our CrossFit Cleveland home page.

That's all for now. You can find all the stuff that used to be down below my signature here on the 'Old Stuff Archive" page. Regards,  BR 440-915-7856 (Cell & Text)    CrossFit Cleveland - RAW Fitness, LLC www.crossfitcleveland.com  My LinkedIn Profile  - http://www.linkedin.com/in/billrussellohio BR on Facebook = http://profile.to/billrussell/ CrossFit Cleveland's Fan Page on Facebook at http://www.companies.to/crossfitcleveland Follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/CFCleveland

CrossFit Cleveland Fitness News and Updates

Here's what up this week... > My ramblings > Gym closed Saturday May 8th > Membership waiting list to start in May > CPR Certification May 17th > the next food co-op is next week We like to ask new people what caused them to come in and get started with us. We hear all sorts of reasons but one thing always seems to come up - they say they've either been driving by the place or reading our emails/website for the past 6-12 months, some even longer. I think Jillian still has the record, reading these emails for 2 years before peeking her head in the door.  That was some time late last summer. She works out 4 or 5 times a week now, and joins Killer in her Crossfit Games training workouts a couple mornings per week. Who knows what she would be doing these days if she had just kept reading the emails and stayed at home. Certainly not 100 pullups in a workout like she can do now, that's for sure. When I ask people what took them so long to come in, I hear things like "I was scared" or "it's really intimidating to start" or "I didn't think I could do this".  Those are all valid feelings.  You should be a little scared, and yes it is intimidating, and maybe you don't have enough reasons or have what it takes to work this hard. Crossfit training is tough, but it's totally doable by damn near anyone. People figure that out right away once they start.  They learn how we can modify and scale various exercises for anyone.  They learn the proper way to exercise with intensity and purpose. They get results they never thought possible. The greatest benefit I see in most people is not physical though, it's increased confidence. Our people look and feel stronger, healthier, fitter, etc. but more than anything, they are more confident in themselves and their abilities than they were when we first met them - every single one of them. So think of that the next time you pass us by for the 100th time and wish you had the nerve to stop in. What are you missing? It's really not that hard to find out. Watch and listen to what our people say in our "What is Crossfit" video on our - CrossFit - How to get started page Closed Saturday May 8th  FYI - The gym will be closed Saturday May 8th as we travel to Logan, OH to support Kate Rawlings at the CrossFit Games Regional Qualifier. 30 men and 30 women will be competing to earn a place at the Crossfit Games competition in California this summer.  Only 3 men and 3 women will advance from this regional event.  Learn more about the Crossfit Games. Membership Waiting List to start in May We're growing steadily and quickly approaching membership capacity during the afternoon/evening workouts. When we reach capacity, we will begin a waiting list for new members who wish to attend the P.M. workouts. New members will be able to attend any of the morning workouts and will be placed on a waiting list for attending P.M. workouts until a spot opens for them. Existing members will be able to attend any workouts they choose as long as their membership remains current.  It's important to know that if you take a month or two off, you will be subject to the waiting list upon your return. If you've taken the past couple/few months off, this might be a good time to get back in before the waiting list starts. You can register on online payments page of our website here. We do have expansion plans in the works that include additional workout times and more space. Please stay tuned for details.  Thanks to everyone for helping us grow this fantastic community. CPR Certification Class Monday May 17th at 7:00pm Staci has scheduled an Elyria Fireman to hold a CPR Certification course at CrossFit Cleveland on Monday May 17th at 7:00pm at the gym. It will last approximately 2 hours.  Please let Staci know if you want to attend, or put your name on the sign-up sheet at the gym  The cost is $35 and the certification is valid for 2 years. There are a limited number of spots and payment is needed to reserve your place. You can email Staci at staci@crossfitcleveland.com or see her at the gym if you have any questions. This class is open to anyone, not just gym members. CF Cleveland's Organic Produce Co-Op Staci and Tricia go down to the Cleveland Food Terminal every other week and purchase organic fruits and vegetables by the case. They get a boat load of food for not a whole lot of money, then they split it all up into 6 equal shares. They spend $300 total, making each 'share' cost $50.  The minimum buy-in is $25 for 1/2 share of produce. If you are interested, please add your name to the sign-up sheet at the gym or email staci@crossfitcleveland.com. The next trip will be the week of May 3rd. Staci will announce the exact day by this weekend.  Pick-up will be either Tuesday 5/4 or Wednesday 5/5. You can see a few pictures of the past couple batches of food here on our Organic Food Co-op post on our website.  Advocare products Staci and I are starting to get picked on for being 'crack' pushers. The fact is the Advocare products we're carrying really work and people are loving their results. Never before have we considered offering supplements because we never knew which brands worked and which were just scams. Advocare works. Skip Chase of Mount Baker CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting coach Mike Burgener and Jeremy Thiel of CrossFit Central are all very respected members of the CrossFit community.  They are all big fans of Advocare products, mainly because they work. When we learned that these three guys were involved, we agreed to take a closer look. We feel it an obligation to bring our members anything that can improve their results. Advocare happens to fit in perfectly. Hardly a sell-out as some label it. Our morning trainer Kate Rawlings feels the same way. Check out her recent blog post at her Killer Fitness Blog, and while you are there read all about her training for the CrossFit Games qualifiers. Many other top Crossfit gyms endorse and use Advocare products.  This stuff really helps, and everything comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You can even bring back a completely empty container and tell us you didn't like it and you get your money back. That's a pretty impressive guarantee. If you are interested in learning more about their weight loss and performance enhancing products, ask one of us. You can also learn more about their products online at Staci's Advocare website

Previous newsletters on our website You can read all the past email newsletters on our website.  I've made a Crossfit Cleveland newsletter archive page here, or you can find the link on our CrossFit Cleveland home page.

That's all for now. You can find all the stuff that used to be down below my signature here on the 'Old Stuff Archive" page. Regards,  BR 440-915-7856 (Cell & Text)    CrossFit Cleveland - RAW Fitness, LLC www.crossfitcleveland.com  My LinkedIn Profile  - http://www.linkedin.com/in/billrussellohio BR on Facebook = http://profile.to/billrussell/ CrossFit Cleveland's Fan Page on Facebook at http://www.companies.to/crossfitcleveland Follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/CFCleveland

Crossfit Cleveland - Workout news and updates

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We've been running a lot more the past couple weeks and I have to say I kind of like it. Pause, gasp, pause again...did I really say that? I hate running, well I used to anyway. I've noticed that as I have gotten stronger, my running has improved dramatically. I've been on heavy dose of back squats lately, which is the only thing I'm doing differently and I think it's helping my running. Not to mention I'm running more than I ever used to.

It's just one of the tenets of CrossFit, we do what we suck at and/or hate to do. That's just how you get better.  The benefit is that you increase your overall fitness level by working on the chinks in your armor. I've always hated running and thrusters, and sucked at pullups.  I've gotten much better at pullups, 22 now. Thrusters don't knock me dead like they used to and now the running is pretty tolerable. Why, because I stopped avoiding all three and forced myself to do way more than I wanted to over the past few months. If you are guilty of avoiding certain workouts because of what's in them, start taking them on with a new attitude, do what you suck at.

Try these. Here is a video of the v-sit square-off between Kate Rawlings, Scott Morris and Hank Kelm during our recent Crossfit Gymanstics Certification Seminar. V-Sits at CF Cleveland


New daily updates on our workout page

FYI- We started posting a picture of the whiteboard showing workout results on our 'Workout of the Day page on our website. You can check to see the times for the morning and evening workouts. We post a workout six days per week on our site so that anyone can follow along with our programming whether they workout with us or at their own gym. The Crossfit community believes is sharing and this is one way we do that.

We also post a lot of photos on our Facebook Fan Page. You can view it even if you don't log into Facebook, here's the link for CrossFit Cleveland on Facebook If you are on Facebook, help us tag some of the people in the photos.

Crossfit Executive Fitness Starter Programs for April There are several sessions starting later in April. Register now to reserve your spot. Group 1: Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:15pm and Saturdays at 7:30am,               starting Tuesday 04/20/10 Group 2: Mon/Wed/Fri at 6:30am , starting Monday 04/19/10 Group 3: Mon/Wed/Fri at 7:30am , starting Monday 04/19/10 Group 4: Mon/Wed/Fri at 9:30am , starting Monday 04/19/10  Group 5: Mon/Wed/Fri at Noon, starting Monday 04/19/10 You can read more about, register and download a flyer for our Executive Fitness Starter Programs in April on our website here

CPR Certification Class Monday May 17th at 7:00pm Staci has scheduled an Elyria Fireman to hold a CPR Certification course at CrossFit Cleveland on Monday May 17th at 7:00pm at the gym. It will last approximately 2 hours.  Please let Staci know if you want to attend, or put your name on the sign-up sheet at the gym  The cost is $35 and the certification is valid for 2 years. There are a limited number of spots and payment is needed to reserve your place. You can email Staci at staci@crossfitcleveland.com or see her at the gym if you have any questions.

CF Cleveland's Organic Produce Co-Op Staci and Tricia go down to the Cleveland Food Terminal every other week and purchase organic fruits and vegetables by the case. They get a boat load of food for not a whole lot of money, then they split it all up into 6 equal shares. They spend $300 total, making each 'share' cost $50.  The minimum buy-in is $25 for 1/2 share of produce. If you are interested, please add your name to the sign-up sheet at the gym or email staci@crossfitcleveland.com. The next trip will be on Tuesday April 20th and shares will be available for pickup from 4:00pm-7:00pm that day. Staci needs to have payment by Saturday April 17th. We had a wait list for the last delivery so don't delay if you want in. You can see a few pictures of the past couple batches of food here on our Organic Food Co-op post on our website.

Member Spotlight - You could be next! Please give me some input on who you would like to learn more about. I'll be adding a new Member Spotlight person in the next newsletter.  Someone old, someone new, someone borrowed, someone blue...just let me know who!

Advocare products Staci and I are starting to get picked on for being 'crack' pushers. The fact is the Advocare products we're carrying really work and people are loving their results. Never before have we considered offering supplements because we never knew which brands worked and which were just scams. Advocare works. Kate Rawlings now feels the same way. Check out her recent blog post at her Killer Fitness Blog, and while you are there read all about her training for the CrossFit Games qualifiers. Many of the top Crossfit gyms endorse and use Advocare products.  This stuff really helps, and everything comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. You can even bring back a completely empty container and tell us you didn't like it and you get your money back. That's a pretty impressive guarantee. If you are interested in learning more about their weight loss and performance enhancing products, ask one of us. You can also learn more about their products online at Staci's Advocare website

Previous newsletters on our website You can read all the past email newsletters on our website.  I've made a Crossfit Cleveland newsletter archive page here, or you can find the link on our CrossFit Cleveland home page.

That's all for now. You can find all the stuff that used to be down below my signature here on the 'Old Stuff Archive" page. Regards,  BR 440-915-7856 (Cell & Text)    CrossFit Cleveland - RAW Fitness, LLC www.crossfitcleveland.com  My LinkedIn Profile  - http://www.linkedin.com/in/billrussellohio BR on Facebook = http://profile.to/billrussell/ CrossFit Cleveland's Fan Page on Facebook at http://www.companies.to/crossfitcleveland Follow us on Twitter, http://www.twitter.com/CFCleveland