Squeak brought this little bug by after the 9:00 AM class, and he snoozed the whole time. Precious, precious!
Squeak (Maria W.) hopes to re-join the early birds SOON. Says she's going to start some light running and then get clearance to start CrossFitting again!
YAHOO TO THAT!
Thanks so much for bringing him by, Maria! Next time, I'll keep my fingers crossed for eyes opened so that I can get my mitts on him!
MAN, OH, MAN!
Look at these numbers! Just John, Trainer Tim, and Harlee D are above 200lbs! Large increases in weight maintained overhead by MANY! SO FUN TO WATCH! Improvements in form abound! LOVE IT!
*Reminder that you can always complete a missed max effort at open gym! You can even spend most of your time on skill work if you'd like- the choice is yours!
Not only did John and TIm have PR days on the OHS, but they smoked the partner run-row workout to boot!
*REMINDER ON THE ROW-
Keep those arms as STRAIGHT as you can for as LONG as you can! Keep that bone-on-bone connection to transfer that leg/hip drive to the handle!
Many of you already have this recipe. I think we stumbled across this one during our very first Paleo Challenge? Truly one of our faves, and I double it every time I make it! Butternut squash, chopped spinach, portabella shrooms, chicken broth, and chorizo. Full of flavor, I tell you!
Rich and I got home Sunday late afternoon from our trainer meeting and started our Paleo prep with the help of B (K thought reading on the couch sounded better than chopping and mixing). Took a bit more time this week than normal since we tackled this soup, but worthy, worthy, worthy!
After roasting the butternut squash til super soft (I bought it cubed from Trader Joe's), you add all of it to the chicken broth and blend til smooth. The handheld Cuisinart Smart Stick is a lifesaver here- no need to transfer everything to a blender and then back in the soup pot- just whir it up right there.
In a big ol' saucepan (because I doubled everything), you cook the onions in olive oil, then brown the chorizo, and THEN add the broccoli.
Shrooms and spinach go in after the broth and above mixture simmer for a bit.
It's a must make.
Promise!
Rich's famous bison burgers with Penzey's Cajun Seasoning.
24 hard-boiled eggs to have on hand for quick snacks.
Chicken tenders a la Beacan Bear.
(He'd like everyone to know that he mixed the almond flour and seasonings AND dredged each piece of chicken BY HIMSELF.)
Lastly, roasted a pan of veggies similar to last Sunday but without the butternut squash since I already had that in the soup.
Broccoli and brussel sprouts in coconut oil with cracked pepper and sea salt.
Roasted broccoli with the crispy edges makes the Mottls happy. SO much better, in our humble opinion, than steamed.
Our CFKW Coaching Team!
Such a great pic.
Had another worthwhile trainer meeting on Sunday and then broke into teams of 3 (Lake Mill ensured there was no commisserating with the enemy during our warm up) to do the following:
Had each trainer submit some faves before creating the workout.
The barbell complex felt MUCH heavier than anticipated after the power cleans.
Fun one but required wall space, two barbells, a box and a bar. Sprawled out across the gym, we were!
Thanks to all of our trainers for the extra time, effort, and input on a Sunday!
You rock!
OPEN GYM THIS FRIDAY EVENING AT 6:00 PM!
MARCH INTRODUCTORY CLASSES BEGIN THIS COMING MONDAY, MARCH 5th!
Our lovely hostesses, Lesley and MarthaMac, planned our SURPRISE ladies' "WOD'S" event Friday night! A class at The Daily Method in Frontenac is where we landed (similar to The Bar Method if you've heard of that).
QUITE a change of pace from CrossFIt- tiny dumbbells and tiny repetitive movements that caught us ALL off-guard. As much as we scoffed at those pink 3lb weights (with a side of eye rolling if we must all be honest!), the 3 minutes of one inch movements with the 3lb bells caused a slow, firey muscle burn. CrAzY!
Thanks so much to our coordinators and to everyone who joined in the fun!
Was able to snap a few pics (more of the stretching segments than of everyone in motion):
Remember the FREE PALEO SUMMIT STARTED ON SUNDAY! You can still register (again- FOR FREE) and listen to the interviews online! BIG names in the Paleo world and interesting information to be soaked up (AT NO COST!) :)
Each day of the week, 2-3 speakers are posted, and you have 24 hours to access them.
Had a few more "Fran" takers at open gym on Friday! Two PR's!
SEVEN MINUTES OF BURPEES!
We did it! The first CF Games Open WOD followed by a second "feature" to round out our Saturday CrossFit experience!
OUR RESULTS:
ChrisT did the workout Friday night at open gym and then a handful of us redid the workout. I was too miffed about doing the burpees at the wall by touching the tape- NOT efficient, I'm here to say (and SFG concurs!).
Round 2 for me (I went back to the gym Saturday afternoon) and got 101.
Round 1 for Sickly Brooke (who came to the trainer meeting on Sunday after being down and out with the flu for 3-4 days... and worked out with the trainers...and THEN did her 7 minutes of burpees...not having eaten much, mind you, and got 103.
Round 2 for:
Guy Smiley- 104
Trainer Tim- 94
*Tim's target on his second round, which worked much better than tapping the sides of one ring.
Bean joined in on Sunday and did 80 on the homefront and then stopped in the gym at the end of our meeting and knocked out 83 with everyone else.
WELL DONE, EVERYONE!
Here is the CF Games Leaderboard-
161 for the individual men and 143 for the individual women!
Scoop out a bit of the almond butter, dig into the coconut butter- a little yin/yang on the spoon- nutty/crunchy & silky smooth/melty- and ENJOY, enjoy, EnJoY!
Be forwarned- exercise restraint as one could easily go overboard with this. I've been eating my protein and veggies and then saving this little combo for the end of my meal. A full spoon or two of the mix, and I am supremely happy.
Must publicly thank KTW for the idea to add heat to the mix.
Melting that coconut butter a bit makes it EVEN BETTER! Can you fathom? Hard to believe.
Pop it in the microwave, then stir the two butters together.
Wanted to afford ALL of our athletes the opportunity to confront "Fran."
A little takedown if you may.
High-fives to EVERYONE who completed this lung burner! Such a quick one, and the desire to bolt and run home runs high once you're in the thick of it!
Not sure how he does it, but the Husband manages to PR even with a time of sub 3 minutes for over a year. Keeps shaving seconds off. Lake Mill said:
Your husband is a beast! Like a freight train going downhill. No stopping him.
I concur.
Many first-timers to "Fran" as well as new PR's, so pat yourselves on the back, folks!
Additional shout out to Trainer Tim who has been battling a head cold/cough for a couple weeks, and he jumped in regardless and was only 30 seconds off his PR! His thruster form rocks:
And, WHAT TIMING! CFHQ JUST posted a "Fran Highlights" video on Thursday!
Leeny has been a trainer at CF St. Louis for some time, and she dropped by to check out our new digs and join us for a workout. She's a Kirkwood gal as MANY of you know (She's QUITE connected- ya gotta love Leeny!)
Loved having you at CFKW, woman! Hope to see you soon!
Last year it filled up insanely fast, so get on it if you'd like to participate!
SUNDAY, JULY 29th at 7:30 AM!
Believe you, me- if I can shuffle up the hill and cross the finish line on two feet (as opposed to all fours), so can EACH OF YOU! :) You know me and endurance events- total tortuga.
BUT, I am registered (gotta do the things we think we can't do, right?!) and so is the Husband (who can't swim but will still smoke me by 20 minutes due to his speed on the bike and the run... what the heck?!)
MERIELLE (WHEELS) and PRETZEL PETE (PETER N.) ARE RALLYING THE TROOPS AND ORGANIZING US FOR THIS EVENT!
They will be planning some swim, bike, run practices to prep us for the BIG DAY!
We had close to 30 participate last year if I'm remembering correctly. From what we've always heard (I'm not so up on the triathlon circuit- no explanation needed there!), it's one of the most friendly, well-run, high-energy events!
TdK (our very own Kathy Waldemer) STARTED this event 10 years ago- it was her seed of an idea, and look how much it has grown! She rocks.
Kathy and Tim Conway turned it over to Big Shark this year, but no big changes to the "recipe," Tim says!
Let's hope for less of a heat wave this year! We'll have a board at the gym so that we can get a handle on how many CFKWoodians will be participating, so throw your name up there once you've registered.
Stay tuned come spring for more info from Merielle & Peter, too!
(Appears that our eyeballs are missing. Pretty creepy.)
Anyhoooo-
Our CFKW team of trainers gathered at Flemings Sunday evening- livin' large we were! Husband Rich pulled some strings (he's quite connected) and scored us a private room!
Wanted to celebrate our rock star team of trainers that we appreciate HUGELY- couldn't ask for a better group to coach with- passionate, embracing of our entire community, form-focused, and incredibly positive people! Extra awesome, they are (as you well know!)
The food and the company were DIVINE! Truly, truly, truly.
Kicking myself for not busting out the camera and clicking pics of my food.
Had the seafood towers for appetizers- yum.
Spinach salad.
Sea bass with sauteed mushrooms and sauteed spinach.
One of the best meals I've had. I must go back... soon (got that, Husband?)
Lake Mill may have another nickname- Jammie pants. Feel free to ask him for the explanation. It actually (conveniently!) relates to "Lake." Not sure he can ever shake Lake Mill. Pretty engrained...
And, Peanut... she may become Ginger Peanut. We shall see.
We bullied her into knocking out her push ups after dinner as I had already done mine and PMill insisted on doing hers right before bed. The Husband joined her...
A little explanation of the lava cake reference.
Rich saved his big treat for the weekend for Sunday night. Lava cake (think warm, melty brownie), fresh whipped cream, french vanilla ice cream, and berries.
Contrast that with Matt's berry. Sorry... make that TWO berries.
Heckling in the video below references his belly full of lava cake.
TRAINER UPDATE!
It's official! Matt will be taking over the Wednesday 6:00 AM class starting this week!
He's ready to roll!
His bio and video are up in the trainer section (left-hand column) of the website, too!
So, let's rewind a bit to earlier in the weekend where I thought I had a clever idea.
Turned out to not be one of the best that has entered my brains.
THE FILTHY 50 was on deck, and we offered up an "amped up" version with a bit heavier weights, same rep scheme.
Whooo weeee.
I literally WAS molasses on the burpees and KTE. I literally re-did at least a dozen of my KTE since I was knees-to-triceps on TOO many.
Here's what happened...
Just a rough workout no matter how you cut it.
Mr. Rogers and Diana D. got top times for the amped version, and Guy Smiley and Chai for the regular version.
Solid effort by all!
Video footage of the morning for ya:
Welcome to Reed (top left) who joined us on Saturday for the first time and big props to Matt C. (standing next to TFG) who completed his intro classes this week and jumped right into his first class! Matt tackled the "Dirty 30" and hung right in there! Perfect chest-to-deck push ups with his burpees!
Owen T. joined in the stretching.
Raised pigeon.
Such a little buster brown. :)
2012 CROSSFIT GAMES OPEN BEGINS THIS WEEK! ARE YOU PUMPED?!!
You can register to be on CFKW's team through the link below- comaraderie, community, and fun! You can see where your scores fall with other athletes' around the world! Regardless (whether you choose to officially register or not), we'll give the CF Games Open workouts a go each week!
THE NEXT CFKW LADIES' "WOD'S" NIGHT IS THIS FRIDAY!
Martha Mac and Lesley have planned the evening for us and shared the following details:
Meet at the parking lot by Pottery Barn Teen (part of the parking lot at Plaza Frontenac, Lindbergh and Clayton Roads) at 6pm on Friday.
Recommended attire is yoga pants, camisole/tank, and SOCKS!
Cost is $15. We will be finished by 7:30sh.
If someone can't come to the activity but want to meet for food/drinks afterwards, we will name that location in a few days. I just need to confirm a few details first.
There are still a few spots left if anyone else would like to join in! Would love to have you!
PUSH UP CHALLENGE-
DAY 51!
Need to brag on John Henry who committed to 50 days of the push up challenge and successfully completed his reps on Sunday!
Here is what Maren had to say:
I would like to note that his form has improved greatly since the beginning of the challenge. He really worked on being planked out as straight as possible. He still needs to work on 'elbows back' but he's come a long way since day one!
Now I have to buy him the Madeye Moody wand from Harry Potter, as his award for completing his goal!
Australian Army Sergeant Brett Wood, 32, of Ferntree Gully, Victoria, assigned to the 2nd Commando Regiment, based in Sydney, New South Wales, died on May 23, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan, after insurgents attacked him with an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his wife Elvi, his mother Allison, and his father David.
My APOLOGIES!
You all got a kicker of a workout on Thursday, but my brain must have lapsed when this hero WOD came up on the mainsite a while ago as I did NOT write it down correctly.
Supposed to have a 400m run in there as well.
We'll make sure to correct ourselves the next go around.
So sorry! :(
"Wood"
5 Rounds for time of: Run 400 meters 10 Burpee box jumps, 24" box 95 pound Sumo-deadlift high-pull, 10 reps 95 pound Thruster, 10 reps Rest 1 minute
On a more serious note, you may have noticed all the hubbub swirling around the Paleo sites on the upcoming PALEO SUMMIT! It's free, and it's online! You just register and you'll have access to video interviews and informational talks throughout the week by all the big names in the world of Paleo- Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, Mark Sisson of Mark's Daily Apple, Chris Kresser just to name a FEW!
McWife was in Nashville this week for work and dropped in at CFN!
Hey - in Nashville for work today and visited the 6:30AM class at CrossFit Nashville. Preston and Joe were both great. WOD was 21-15-9 ring dips, box jumps, and power cleans (95/65). Loved being able to be at the gym even while on the road traveling!
Five were able to finish Wednesday eve, John R. will wrap it up with a one-on-one session with Peanut next week, and Nichole & Angel will finish up in March.
When ANNIE, PAULA, MATT, KATE, and CARI arrive on the scene next week, you know what to do. :) Cari will be a late-morning gal and the other four will be coming in the evenings at this point.
CONGRATULATIONS, GUYS! Super pumped to have you in our regular classes!
Another cool event coming to St. Louie!
Betty, Marketti, Amy Guns, K.D., maybe KTD, and I'm not sure who else... are planning to jump in and give this 4-mile course a go!
Any and all are MOST encouraged to join in the fun! Thanks for forwarding the information, Amy.
THE MARCH CALENDAR HAS BEEN POSTED AND LINKED IN THE LEFT-HAND COLUMN!
INTRO CLASSES ARE SCHEDULED FOR:
March 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, and 14th.
Open Gym Nights will be on:
March 2nd, 16th, 23rd, and 30th.
All classes have been added to MBO- we're good to go!
SUNDAY MORNING GROUP RUN!
Come keep Marketti company (I think he's lonely...)
Whether you're partaking in the marathon relay, the 1/2 marathon or just want to get out and hit the pavement with some funny characters, join in if you're so inclined!
Another 8:30 AM start, meeting at CrossFit Kirkwood.
He'll have a shorter 3-4 mile route as well as a longer 6-7 miler.
SHOUT OUT TO DEENA S. AND JULIE W.!
Both got their very first COVETED double unders on Wednesday!
YAHOOOO!
CF GAMES 2012 OPEN BEGINS
NEXT WEEK!
CrossFit Kirkwood will plan to do the posted workouts (one will be announced from HQ each week) on Saturdays for the next 5 weeks (for the full Open).
Remember you can also sign up to participate with other local CrossFitters through this link:
Mike W. from CF 26 emailed that they initially wanted everyone to sign up for all 5, but they've changed their minds! You can sign up for 1, 2, a few or all 5! Totally up to you!
LAST BUT NOT LEAST-
OPEN GYM FRIDAY NIGHT AT 6:00 PM WITH TRAINER TIM!
