Everyone once and awhile, you have to go to “that place” and search for a little more.

Christmas and New Year’s Schedule

Wednesday, December 24th - no evening classes
Thursday, December 25th - Closed
Friday, December 26th - 9:00 and 10:15 am classes only
Saturday, December 27th - 9:00 and 10:15 am classes only
Wednesday, December 31st - 4:00 and 5:15 WOD classes only in the evening (Cardio Flex and 6:30 PM classes cancelled. We are having a New Years WOD Party starting at 8pm.
Thursday, January 1st - First WOD of 2015 at 12:00 PM only

Workout of the Day
5 Rounds for time:
10 Thrusters
10 Overhead squats
10 Toes to bar

L3 - 95/65 lb.
L2 - 75/55 lb.
L1 - 65/45 lb.

CF1
SKILL - Thruster
WOD
“Fran”
21-15-9 reps for time:
Thrusters
Pullups

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

Clean eating becoming more mainstream

Because of the undeniable results, diets like Paleo are becoming more mainstream. Companies are now labeling their products more clearly so we don’t have spend hours in the grocery store reading every last detail of the food labels. It’s still a very good idea to carefully pay attention to ingredients labeling, especially in conventional grocery stores, but that can turn a grocery shopping trip into a half day excursion. Whole Foods is making it a little easier for us to stay on the straight and narrow by dedicating entire sections to Paleo foods and even making some of their ready made deli items Paleo legal. These pictures were taken at the new Whole Foods at 120th & Bradburn.

Workout of the Day
AMRAP 10:
SealFit Sandbag Complex
6 Deadlifts 6 Hang Power Cleans 6 Front Squats 6 Push Press 6 Back Squats 6 Push-ups on sandbag

L3 - 90/75 lb.
L2 - 75/60 lb.
L1 - 60/45 lb.

CF1
SKILL - Rowing
WOD
Part 1 (use as warm up)
Row 3:00 easy @ 18 SPM
Row 2:00 mediium @ 20 SPM
Row 1:00 Hard @ 22+ SPM
Rest 3 minutes and repeat

Part 2 (WOD)
3 Rounds
Row 500
30 Weighted Box step ups, 20/16″ (25/15 lb.)
20 Plate GTO, 25/15 lb.

EXTRA CREDIT:
4×400 meters. Rest 2 min btw

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

Mighty Mouse is back!

Sherown is back at it

In case you guys didn’t catch the posts on Facebook, Sherown is back in training at MBS. He started last week with a couple sessions and it is going very well. I hope he doesn’t mind, but I think it’s too cool to not share. The workout we did last week:

3 Rounds
40 yard sled pull with 25 lb. plate
3 Burpees with an overhead touch on wall with both hands

He rocked the workout, moving steadily the whole time. As you may know, his spinal cord injury last winter left him paralyzed from the neck down, and he has slowly regained movement over the past year. But, it hasn’t been easy. He has been attending rigorous therapy sessions and working hard to get everything back. I’m excited to have him back at the gym and can’t wait to share his progress.

Workout of the Day
20 minutes: Bench Press, work up to a 5RM

Death by Pullups, starting at 5.
Start with 5 pullups on the first minute. Do 6 pullups on the second minute. Do 7 pullups on the third minute. Continue increasing by one rep until you can no longer complete the pullups within the minute.

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

Sisters Jula and Carla getting work done.

Workout of the Day
For time:
9-12 -15-18-21 Deadlifts
21-18-15-12-9 Toes to bar

L3 - 225/155 lb. (Use if your deadlift is over 375/245 lb.)
L2 - 185/125 lb. (Use if your deadlift is over 300/200 lb.)
L1 - 155/105 lb.
EXTRA CREDIT:
30 Turkish get ups total, medium light weight

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

CF1
SKILL - Rowers
WOD
Part 1 (use as warm up)
Row 3:00 easy @ 18 SPM
Row 2:00 mediium @ 20 SPM
Row 1:00 Hard @ 22+ SPM
Rest 3 minutes and repeat

Part 2 (WOD)
10-min “Cindy” Test

Paleo Cookies. Mmmmm…. Cookies.

From Shirley:
I am a self proclaimed expert on sweets and believe me when I say I’ve tried a lot of paleo cookies; buying fancy $12 cookies because they’re dairy, wheat and sugar free, baking my own and tweaking recipes to paleo-ize them. I probably expect too much, but I’m always disappointed. I eventually threw in the towel on paleo sweets and decided to just take the hit and eat real sugar when the craving strikes.
When Anita asked me if I had tried the Paleo cookies she brought to the Holiday party I was like… ‘Awww, man… now I have to eat one because she’s my friend. But every paleo cookie I’ve ever eaten tastes like cardboard and I need a gallon of milk to choke that dry ass $hit down.’ Nope. These cookies are moist and tasty and I’m going to go out on a limb and say these are the best paleo cookies I’ve ever had. Trust me… I’m an expert.

Linzer Torte Thumbprint Cookies from Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
1/4 cup raw honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp almond extract
2 tbsp coconut oil
2 tbsp apple sauce
1 tsp baking soda
Dash himalyan sea salt
5-6 tbsp homemade or store-bought jam
(Store bought jam will likely contain sugar. For strict paleo, use pureed fruit with no sugar added)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients
3. In a separate bowl whisk together wet ingredients then combine both bowls
4. Roll dough into a ball and cover in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes or longer
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or baking liner
6. Roll individual balls out and place on baking sheet
7. Push your thumb in, fill with a drop of jam, and repeat
8. Bake for 15 minutes until slightly golden

Workout of the Day
With a partner, AMRAP 18 min:
P1 - Squat clean and jerk (reps)
P2 - 60-yard Bear Crawl (pace)

L3 - 185/125 lb.
L2 - 155/105 lb.
L1 - 125/85 lb.

Score is total # of reps of CJ. We want the weight to be challenging so that you must do singles.

Extra Credit:
1-mile run, easy pace. Rest 3 minutes and repeat

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

Jeff showing a Turkish Get Up.

Crazy Holiday Schedule?

In case you haven’t gotten familiar with our new class schedule, we have NEW Open Gym time that extends from 1:15-4:00 PM Monday-Friday. Any paying member can come in and use the gym during this time and hit your own workout, hit some weights, and basically anything is open for using with the exception of some of the stuff that we prefer to have coaches assisting with like the cargo nets and rope climbs. Not many CrossFit boxes offer this feature and I really think it’s a great way to keep you from falling off the wagon. So, even if you have Christmas shopping to do after work, you can still squeeze in a 2k row on your way back from lunch. #makeyourfitnesshappen #noexcuses

Workout of the Day
For time:
20 Pullups
40 Box jump overs, 24/20″
20 HSPU’s or Parallett pushups
40 Abmat situps
20 KB snatch, each arm
40 Air squats
20 Ball slams, 40/30 lb.
40 Walking lunge steps
20 Triple unders or 40 DU’s

EXTRA CREDIT:
3 Rounds:
20 Hollow rocks
20 Supermans
20 Side plank touches, ea

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

CF1
SKILL - BB Complex Practice
WOD
5 Sets working up, rest as needed between.
3 Deadlift
3 Hang power clean
3 Front squat
3 Push press
3 Split Jerk
3 Back squat
3 Overhead squat
3 Power snatch

ring pull ups

Gymnastics Workout of the Day

First:
Max effort
A: 8 min to max weighted pull up
B: 4×4 @60% of above
C: 8 min to max weighted ring dip
D: 4×4 @60% of above
Keep a hollow body position during the weighted pull ups and no arching on the dips.

Then…

10 Minute AMRAP
1 rope climb
6 tuck jumps
6 single leg toes to bar

Congratulations to Sam T!

Sam completed a half Ironman back in October! Aside from her amazing dedication to such a feat, she attributes her success to her training at MBS. Here’s her story…

As I turned 40 this year, I felt the need of doing something challenging, out of my comfort zone and beyond my limits, and so I decided to sign up for the 70.3 Miami Ironman triathlon 2014, something I never thought I was able to do, considering the fact that I am not a PRO, had just completed sprint and Olympic triathlon distances, and not the best runner.

I started training a year prior the race. The first 6 months I decided to work on building strength more than cardio (swimming, biking and running), and I took the chance of trying something new, rather than just sticking to a regular triathlon training plan. So, I joined the crossfit community for the first time at MBS, loved it since the beginning, regardless the fact that I wasn’t able to do a RX WOD, or even do a strict pull up, it was a tough start and sometimes I felt very frustrated, but never gave up, and why did I stay? Because of the great coaches, amazing people, and the challenge that involved just being there, no matter how difficult the WOD’s were.

After 6 months of doing crossfit, I realized that incorporating it to my training, not only gave me the strength to perform better at the races I did prior my goal, it gave me the confidence and the mental strength I needed to cross the finish line. As a triathlete, I would say that, at the end no matter how many hours you train, your confidence and a strong mind is what will drive you to the end!

Last but not least, is nutrition, a key part of endurance races, I tried to follow a healthy diet, based in lots of veggies (love green juices!), lean protein, and good carbs including oatmeal, and whole grains, not very paleo, but great sources of energy for long days on the road), eating 5 meals a day, oh yes! I was eating like a PRO!

At the end, is just a matter of knowing that if you work hard and put your 100% effort and all your heart on it, not matter how difficult or impossible it seems to be, you can accomplish anything you want in life! …don’t forget always to have fun!….and yes, I made it to the finish line!!!!

Many thanks to all the coaches at MBS, to my coach Emilee and to the great 9:00 a.m. group (Mandy, Heather, Erika, Stacey, Val, Tantum, Amber, among others), you are all an inspiration!

Sam

Workout of the Day
For time:
Row 1000 meters
30 dips
30 SDHP
30 Pushups
30 Power snatch
30 Burpees
30 Pullups
30 Thrusters

L3 - 75/55 lb.
L2 - 65/45 lb.
L1 - Do 20 reps of everything at 65/45 lb.

Extra Credit:
10 minutes of mobility

CF1
SKILL - SDHP, Pullup, box jump
WOD:
10-1 reps for time:
SDHP, 75/55 lb.
Pullup
Box jump, 20/16″

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

Chris with the big stone.

Workout of the Day
OTM for 12 minutes:
Even: 3-4 Bench press @ 60-70%
Odd: 7-10 V-ups

Alternating with a partner, complete for individual reps:
3 Rounds:
P1 - 1:00 of Double KB Push jerk, P2 - rest
P2 - 1:00 of Double KB Push jerk, P1 - rest
then,
3 Rounds:
P1 - 1:00 of Double KB Half Snatch, P2 - rest
P2 - 1:00 of Double KB Half Snatch, P1 - rest
then,
3 Rounds:
P1 - 1:00 of KB Snatch, P2 - rest
P2 - 1:00 of KB Snatch, P1 - rest
then,
3 Rounds:
P1 - 1:00 of KB Clean and jerk, P2 - rest
P2 - 1:00 of KB Clean and jerk, P1 - rest

Pick a weight that allows you to NOT put the KB down in the minute that you are going. Also, use the same weight for all exercises. For example, if you use blue for the Dbl KB in the beginning, use blue for your single KB snatch. If you are fluent on the KB exercises, I’d recommend 35/26 lb. Otherwise, use 26/16 lb. and just get the practice in.

Post your scores to the Whiteboard.

Kristi is excited to be back at MBS!

Workout of the Day
On a running Clock, do 5 rounds:
3 laps of the stairs*
Unbroken wall balls. Either 10 reps of 30/20 lb. or 15 reps at 20/14 lb. or 20 reps at 14/10 lb. MUST be unbroken and MUST hit the target each rep. If you fail to make a set unbroken, do 5 burpees before attempting again.

At the 25:00 mark, AMRAP 7:00 Burpees with a 6″ touch above hands.

Score is # of burpees.

*For the stairs you will go up and down one set of stairs, then run to the next, then to the next..continue rotating in order of north, center, then south (small) sets of stairs. It doesn’t matter where you start, but each lap will consist of hitting all three. The flow of traffic should be in counter-clockwise if viewed from the top.

EXTRA CREDIT:
5 sets of 20 gymnastic kips on rings

CF1
SKILL - Overhead squat, 5×5
WOD:
AMRAP 15:
10 Overhead squat (empty bar)
15 Back squats
20 Double unders or 60 singles

Fear.

A workout can test your character. The barbell can question your courage. The burn in your lungs will push your determination. CrossFit is an excellent judge of who you are and what you are made of. The WOD’s can cause us anxiety and fear, which is a very real and healthy reaction that we ultimately need to apply to our greatest task: life.

Some of us like to look at the workout before hand to see what we are in for. Others dont like to look at it for fear of what is programmed while others look at it to cherry pick whether they will come or not. Why? A fear of failure plays a role. We look at the workout as it is prescribed and we reason that we cannot do that weight, that movement, or that much volume. “The box jumps scare me. I can’t do overhead squats. This is the wrong attitude to have.” We need to come to every workout we can no matter what is programmed. We will not be experts at everything in the beginning. Rowing may crush us because we can’t seem to get a hard pull in. The only way to get better at rowing is to do rowing. You become better through struggle. Behind every obstacle is the person you want to be which happens to be the person you see in others and the person you assume will never be you. Workouts are an excellent expression of this attempt-fail-attempt-succeed lesson of life. Workouts also teach us the vital lesson of scaling. If you want to dead-lift 500 pounds you do not load up 500 pounds and lift. You start lighter, working with what you can handle right now, and you add a little bit of weight every week, every month, every year until you are lifting 500 pounds. The workout shows us that we must attempt a heavy lift, succeed or maybe fail, attempt it again, and again until we get to our goal. The workout teaches us that we must be broken down, subjected to stress, to fatigue, to our fears in order to get better. If we keep coming back and doing the things that are a struggle to us then we will be/are better.

Our body is designed to handle this process. We have muscles that are easy to repair. We have a host of hormones that are meant to increase our breathing, tighten our vision, pump more blood, and ready ourselves for action. Danger and hardships are very real but fear is a choice. As children we tend to be fearless and don’t know what is dangerous or not. We go recklessly about life without a care or a thought of the consequences. Through time we are taught about this danger, these consequences to our action. This is a healthy and natural reaction since some pain and injuries can alter the quality of our life. It is when we let this potential danger overrule our thinking that we become fearful. We ignore the benefits of the fight-or-flight response and grow scared of the world and in small scale our workouts. This healthy reaction, which is actually a call to action by our body, turns negative and we start fearing movements, we cherry pick the workouts, or we don’t push ourselves.

The gym is a wonderful place to learn these lessons. We must outgrown this place and see how these lessons apply to our job, our relationships, our finances, and our happiness. Take these lessons and stay away from compartmentalizing them to only the gym. Our workouts can always be made harder if we choose to take on more. Life can be made more rich as well as have more struggles if only we choose it. We each make that decision the moment we wake up, just like the moment we decide to check the WOD, to not look at it, or to cherry pick our workouts. I have a phrase written on the announcement board: “I’m not telling you it is going to be easy. I’m telling you it is going to be worth it.”

This article is from CrossFit Pagosa.

CrossFit Teens Class

Who has a teenager that needs to get in shape for sports, get out of the house, or a healthy dose of CrossFit butt-kicking? We are going to be starting a Teens class this week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00-5:00 PM. We are looking for teenagers between the ages of 13-17 years. The class will consist of weight training and conditioning for all sports. For more information and to sign up, contact Patrick@mbscrossfit.com. Thanks!

Workout of the Day
WORKOUT
For time:
30 Ring dips
21 Power clean and jerks
30 Ring dips

L3 - 155/105 lb.
L2 - 135/95 lb.
L1 - 115/75 lb.
EXTRA CREDIT:
Split jerk, work to 1RM

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

A lot of squat practice.

Workout of the Day

25 minutes: Front Squat, work up to a heavy single

20 minutes: Deadlift on a 4-6″ lift, 1RM. Use stacked plates to lift the bar to the top of your shins. Practice lifting, then following the bar back down until the plates touch. Lowering the bar is a skill that should be practiced. Use switch grip, but use the opposite hands to reverse than you’re used to.

EXTRA CREDIT:
Good mornings, 3×8
Barbell rollouts, 3×10

The following CF1 workout is what we will be doing at 6:45am, 12:15pm, 4:00, and 6:30 pm CF1 classes in the front room. The CF1 program is great for beginners, but also for those that have been off the horse for awhile. We will spend more time focusing on technique and correcting movement. We encourage current members to cherry-pick. If you see a movement/skill being done in the CF1 classes that you’d like to work on, feel free to join this class instead of the normal WOD. Thanks!

CF1
SKILL - Kettlebell swing, abmat situps
WOD:
2 Rounds for time:
75 Abmat situps
50 Kettlebell swings (American), 35/26 lb.
25 Pushups

Lots of volume today. As usual everything can be modded. If 5 is too easy, I am going to ask you to do your reps with impeccable form and in slow motion.

Gymnastics Workout of the Day
30 Min EMOM
Min 1: 1-2 Strict Bar Muscle ups
Min 2: 5 Strict HSPU
Min 3: 5 Strict Ring Dips
Min 4: 5 Strict False Grip Ring Pull Up
Min 5: Rest

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

The Forrest.

Workout of the Day
AMRAP 20:
10 Chest to bar pullups
20 Back squats, 95/65 lb.
30 Double unders

Post your scores to the whiteboard.

MBS Holiday party next weekend!

We wanted to give you a week ahead reminder about the MBS Holiday party next Saturday (the 13th at 7:30pm) because you’re not going to want to miss it. You may have heard about our parties in the past… it’s all true. People get naughty, people are nice, memories are made. So book a baby sitter and get registered with Uber for your sober ride home.

There will be a casino theme and a live DJ

Adults only. Spouses and friends welcome.

Please bring a dish/appetizer or dessert AND your favorite adult beverage to share.

As well as a gift ($10 Max) for our fun Gift exchange – Think dumb, ugly, funny or scary…

Mixers, entertainment and fun will be provided by MBS!

Trade in your lifting shoes for your boogie shoes, call the babysitter, layout your festive outfit and RSVP today!

Workout of the Day
For Time:
500 Meter Run or row
15 Stone to shoulder 135/90 lb.
10 Pushups*
10 Stone to shoulder 165/105 lb.
20 Pushups
5 Stone to shoulder 205/135 lb.
30 Pushups
500 Meter Run or row

*If you can do Rx HSPU’s, do 5-10-15 HSPU’s instead of pushups.

then

Extra credit:
500 Meter Row for time.

Post your scores to the whiteboard.