CrossFit Chicago

VOLUME
A – Power Snatch EMOM 6 x 2 (70%)
B – Deadlift 3 x 5 (55%)

TECHNIQUE
Rest day/make ups

4 Rounds for max reps of:
30 second AMRAP Hang Power Cleans (135/95 or 55%)
30 seconds rest
30 second AMRAP Air Squats
30 seconds rest
30 second AMRAP Double-Unders
30 seconds rest

Post loads and time to comments.
This time last year… Bryce wrote on Grocery Shopping.

Find out how walking into CrossFit Chicago in the Summer 2010 changed the life our newest member of the month. ChristineC tried CrossFit by way of her Ultimate Frisbee team and she’s excelled ever since. From learning the lifts to pushing herself to achieving her goals, ChristineC does her best to make the most out of each training session. This 6AMer loves being part of the 6AM class with their “fun and crazy antics” and says that the best way to describe the 6AM class is just to take a class. Learn more about ChristineC and see what advice she has for people interested in CrossFit. Congrats again Christine and don’t forget to watch the end of the video to see our December Member of the Month get after it in a game of 1 against 30 in dodgeball.

VOLUME
Rest Day/Make-Ups

TECHNIQUE
Power snatch skill work

4 Rounds for max reps of:
30 second AMRAP Hang Power Cleans (135/95 or 55%)
30 seconds rest
30 second AMRAP Air Squats
30 seconds rest
30 second AMRAP Double-Unders
30 seconds rest

Post skill work and reps to comments.
This time last year… Bryce wrote on BYOR!

Ask and You Shall Receive… Schedule Additions and Changes!
-Kelly Johnson

Many of you have asked… or suggested…or begged… or nagged… and we are finally going to try adding 2 new classes to the schedule as well as a few other changes. You’re welcome! ;) We greatly appreciate the help in growing our class schedule and please continue to give us feedback and let us know what you want.

Here’s our schedule changes, which will take place starting February 1st, this Friday:

We are adding a 3pm class on Monday/Wednesday/Friday. Rudy will be coaching this Friday’s first 3pm if you are so lucky to attend!

We are moving the Monday/Wednesday/Friday 5pm Women’s Only class to 5:30pm. Sara will be coaching this class which will be meeting upstairs for the warm-up. This class is obviously only available to women only.

And lastly, adding a Co-Ed 8pm Tuesday/Thursday class in conjunction with the Women’s Only Class; so essentially we will have a both a Women’s Only as well as a Co-ed class Monday-Thursday at 8pm.

If you have any questions; please post to the blog or email me!

***FOR THIS WEEKEND:

CFC is hosting a Level One certification this weekend so classes will still take place at regular times however they will be running out of our old space across the hall. Come dressed warm and ready to kick it old school.
Please remember to still check in at the front desk and then head down the hall for class.

A lot of us have really fond memories there so enjoy your workout(s) there! We are spoiled now in our new space so it’s good to get humbled and be where we first started in this building. It shows how much we’ve grown as a gym and a community!

VOLUME
A – Muscle-Ups 3 x 5
B1 – Bench Press 3 x 5 (55%)
B2 – Pull-ups 3 x 5

TECHNIQUE
A 1 Set max kipping pull ups
B1 Muscle ups
B2 Tire flips

2 Rounds of:
As many rounds as possible in 6 minutes of:
10 Burpees
10 Russian Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)
300M Row
6 Minute rest

Post loads and reps to comments.
This time last year… was the Goal Setting Seminar!

In-House Olympic Meet Recap
-Bryce Wood

As many of you know we hosted an In-House Olympic Lifting Meet on Saturday. The meet consisted of three attempts at a Max Snatch and three attempts at a Max Clean and Jerk. If you were lucky enough to be present as a participant of volunteer, you got the hear the PR bell ringing every two or three minutes. The winners were as follows:

Women
53kg – Kelly Johnson
58kg – Karen Cason
69kg – Meg Gruenwald
75kg – Elizabeth Peters

Women’s Overall Winner – Kelly Johnson

Men
69kg – Jeff Miranda
77kg – Anthony Dayrit
85kg – Rudy Tapalla
94kg – Kurt Janke
105kg – Bryce Wood
105+kg – Tim Swan

Men’s Overall Winner – Rudy Tapalla

Be on the lookout for more in-house powerlifting, Olympic Lifting, and strongman competitions in the months to come. Remember, you are all training for these events every day whether you know it or not. These competitions are a great opportunity to expose yourself to competition, and to show off your training. Looking forward to the next one!

Workout hard, play hard?

VOLUME
A – 1 Power Clean + 1 Hang Power Clean EMOM 6 x 2 (70%)
B – Back Squat 3 x 5 (55%)

TECHNIQUE
Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes:
1 Power clean, 1 Hang power clean, 1 Jerk (chained)

5 Rounds for time of: (12 min cap)
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
15 Wall Balls (20/14)
20 Box Jumps (20/16)

Post load and time to comments.
This time last year… we did a 12 minute CTB Cindy!

And the Award Goes To…
-Jonny Vu

On Saturday night, we celebrated a great 2012 year and handed out our first annual awards. The nominees and winners were all voted on by you, the CrossFit Chicago community. Congrats again to all:

Front Desk Hunter: Caitlin, Jeff (Winner), and Mo
Most Accessorized: AlexN, JenK, JonnyV, StephP, TerryL (Winner)
Most Appropriate Moniker: BrookeB, RichG (Winner), ScottR
Most Fashionable: AnthonyD (Winner), AlexN, JoeP, JenK, TonyM, Tenisha
Most Likely to Dance: JK, SaraC, StephP (Winner)
Most Likely to Cheat: JK, Rudy, ScottR (Winner)
3x WODs/day: AlexN (Winner), AnthonyD, BrettR, BryceW, ErinC
Biggest Grunt: DinaD, KurtJ (Winner), ScottR
Most Likely to be Late: CarrieH, JoyB, GlenO, WillF, Woody (Winner)
Sweat Pool: AdamC, DaneS, CarloF, CamL, JK, ErinC, JohnTo, JoeP (Winner), Noon Kevin
Social Media Extraordinaire: AlexN, AliG, BrettR, JonnyV, ScottR, SusanH (Winner)
Lingers after classes BrianC (Winner), MathiasD, JoeP
No Purpose Blog Poster: JoeP (Winner), MegR, ScottR
Bathroom Breaks: AliG, FranL, DannyC, SaraC, TerryL, GinaP, JennK (Winner)
Coach calling you out for BS: Bryce, Kelly (Winner), Rudy
Coach with the hardest Warm-up: AlexN, AdamC, KurtJ, Kelly, Randy (Winner)
Coach you most want to beat: Bryce (Winner), Alex, Kelly

Community: BrianC (Winner), DaneS, JonnyV
Most Improved: ElizabethP, MJ, Kacey, JoeP, DaneS (Winner), 6am Brian, MelissaS, KateM, JeanJ
Outstanding Athlete: AnthonyD, BrettR, KellyJ, RichG, ErinC, AlexN (Winner)
Outstanding Coach: Bryce (Winner), Kelly, Rudy

If you did not pick up your award on Saturday night, they’ll be at the front desk for you.

Great people, great party.

Rest day/Make ups

A week in review:
Becoming an Intern at CrossFit Chicago
New Beginnings
Competitor’s Meeting
Granola
In-House Olympic Lifting Meet FAQs
Olympic Lifting Meet and Party

CrossFit Chicago is giving you the chance to showcase your skills in Olympic Lifting. We’ll be hosting an in-house throwdown where you’ll get to compete with fellow CFC’ers in the snatch and clean and jerk. Since the Olympic Lifts are a high focus of ours in the technique and the volume programs, this will be a good opportunity for you to show what you’ve been working on during your time at CrossFit Chicago.

When? TODAY! Registration and weigh-ins will begin at 8:00 am or Friday with a CrossFit Chicago coach. First lifts will begin at 8:30.

Who? Any and all members of CrossFit Chicago. You will be placed in the meet by the weights you’re lifting. We’ll then determine upon conclusion the winners of each weight classes.

What are the weight classes?

Men’s classes are:
56 kg (123 lb)
62 kg (137 lb)
69 kg (152 lb)
77 kg (170 lb)
85 kg (187 lb)
94 kg (207 lb)
105 kg (231 lb)
and over 105 kg (231 lb)

And the women’s are:
48 kg (106 lb)
53 kg (117 lb)
58 kg (128 lb)
63 kg (139 lb)
69 kg (152 lb)
75 kg (165 lb)
and over 75 kg (165 lb)

How long will the meet last? That part depends on you. We’ll be running a men’s and women’s platform throughout the meet. Depending on how many of you sign up, we’re hopeful for as many of you as possible.

Will we still be running regular class on Saturday? This will take place of all classes that occur on Saturday. The meet will consist of three attempts at a max snatch, and three attempts at a max clean and jerk. The back room will be used as a warm-up area.

We will also be looking for volunteers for judging, weigh-ins, weight changers, set-up and tear-down. Please email bryce@crossfitchicago.com if you’re interested in volunteering. Please post any questions to the blog!

And in the PM!!! Party Time!!!

In-House Olympic Meet FAQ’s
-Bryce Wood

- What time do I have to arrive? If you weigh in on Friday, then you can arrive around 8:15 – 8:30 depending on how much warm-up time you need. If you choose to weigh-in Saturday morning, we recommend you arrive closer to 8:00.

- Why do I have to weigh-in? Your weight will not be a determining factor as to when you lift, but it will allow us to find winners in each weight class, and determine our overall winner. Only myself and Jonny will know your weight for the meet.

- How many lifts do I get? You get three attempts in the snatch, and three attempts in the clean and jerk. The order of lifters will be based off of your weightlifting attempts. If you miss a lift, that will count as an attempt. If you miss a lift you can NOT go back down in weight.

- How should I plan my lifts? I would recommend opening with a safe weight. Something 5-10 pounds under your PR. If you fail all three attempts, you get a score of 0 for that lift. Getting a successful lift to start is very helpful mentally as well. Depending on how the first lift felt, I would go either just below a PR or shoot for a new PR. If the 2nd lift is successful, go for that 5-10 pound PR depending on how the lifts have felt. Remember, we do have fractional plates, so a 1 pound PR is still a PR!

- How long will the meet last? That is all dependent on how many participants we get. I’m hopeful that we can get at least 50 of you to join for the meet. If that is the case, it should last 1.5-3 hours. We will have a men’s and women’s platform running at the same time to save on total time.

- Will there be a programmed workout for Saturday other than the meet? Yes, it is far from the most creative workout we’ve designed, but there will be a workout for you to complete in the warm-up room. Both of the these options will not go toward your weekly attendance. Again, we highly encourage the meet, and you can still complete the alternate workout after if you so desire.

Please post or email me any other questions or concerns you have.

Congrats on the new addition to the family!

VOLUME
A – Jerk EMOM 4 x 2 (80-85%)
B – Jerk Every Other Minute 4 x 1 (90 – 100%+)
C1 – Press 1x 5 (50%) 1 x 3 (60%) 1 x 2 (70%) 1 X 1 (75%) 1 x AMRAP (80%)
C2 – Bent Over Row 1x 5 (50%) 1 x 3 (60%) 1 x 2 (70%) 1 X 1 (75%) 1 x AMRAP (80%)

TECHNIQUE
A1 Box squats
A2 Rope climbs

Teams of 2 Complete: (Partner 1 Completes Full Round Before Partner 2 Begins)
20 Minute AMRAP of:
10 Pull-ups (No Bands! Partner assisted if needed.)
10 Push-Ups
200M Row

Competitor’s Conditioning
15 Minute AMRAP of
3 Bar Muscle-Ups
6 Parallette Handstand Push-Ups (3 Blue Rogue Bumpers + Abmat)
200M Row

Post load and time to comments.
This time last year… Teresa wrote GOALLLL!!!!

In-House Olympic Meet FAQ’s
-Bryce Wood

- What time do I have to arrive? If you weigh in on Friday, then you can arrive around 8:15 – 8:30 depending on how much warm-up time you need. If you choose to weigh-in Saturday morning, we recommend you arrive closer to 8:00.

- Why do I have to weigh-in? Your weight will not be a determining factor as to when you lift, but it will allow us to find winners in each weight class, and determine our overall winner. Only myself and Jonny will know your weight for the meet.

- How many lifts do I get? You get three attempts in the snatch, and three attempts in the clean and jerk. The order of lifters will be based off of your weightlifting attempts. If you miss a lift, that will count as an attempt. If you miss a lift you can NOT go back down in weight.

- How should I plan my lifts? I would recommend opening with a safe weight. Something 5-10 pounds under your PR. If you fail all three attempts, you get a score of 0 for that lift. Getting a successful lift to start is very helpful mentally as well. Depending on how the first lift felt, I would go either just below a PR or shoot for a new PR. If the 2nd lift is successful, go for that 5-10 pound PR depending on how the lifts have felt. Remember, we do have fractional plates, so a 1 pound PR is still a PR!

- How long will the meet last? That is all dependent on how many participants we get. I’m hopeful that we can get at least 50 of you to join for the meet. If that is the case, it should last 1.5-3 hours. We will have a men’s and women’s platform running at the same time to save on total time.

- Will there be a programmed workout for Saturday other than the meet? Yes, it is far from the most creative workout we’ve designed, but there will be a workout for you to complete in the warm-up room. Both of the these options will not go toward your weekly attendance. Again, we highly encourage the meet, and you can still complete the alternate workout after if you so desire.

Please post or email me any other questions or concerns you have.

VOLUME
A – Snatch EMOM 4 x 2 (80-85%)
B – Snatch Every Other Minute 4 x 1 (90 – 100%+)
C – Deadlift 1x 5 (50%) 1 x 3 (60%) 1 x 2 (70%) 1 X 1 (75%) 1 x AMRAP (80%)

TECHNIQUE
Rest Day or Make-Ups

5 Rounds for time of: (12 min cap)
5 Knees-to-Elbows
10 Box Jumps (20″/16″)
15 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)

Post loads and time to comments.
This time last year… Bryce wrote on Competition.

Granola
-Erin O’Brien
Adapted from The Kitchn & Paleo Parents blogs
Makes about 8 cups

1.5 cups sliced raw almonds
1.5 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
1 cup raw walnut pieces
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried cherries
1 cup dried cranberries
½ cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 275F.

In a large bowl, combine the almonds, coconut, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cherries and cranberries.

In a small saucepan, gently heat the coconut oil until melted into a liquid state. Add the honey and cinnamon and whisk to combine completely. Allow to cool before pouring the mixture over the nut and dried fruit mixture. Stir to combine and coat the nuts/fruit/seeds completely with the coconut/honey mixture.

Transfer the mixture to a large baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or foil. Bake in the oven for an hour, stirring the mixture every 15 minutes to brown evenly and prevent burning. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely while still on the baking sheet. You may want to stir the mixture once or twice while cooling to prevent it from clumping.

Serve the granola on its own as a snack or with almond milk in place of cereal. Enjoy!

Flashbacks

VOLUME
Rest Day or Make-Ups

TECHNIQUE
Bench Press 3-3-3-3-3-3

5 Rounds for time of: (12 min cap)
5 Knees-to-Elbows
10 Box Jumps (20″/16″)
15 Kettlebell Swings (1.5/1 pood)

Post loads and time to comments.
This time last year… we wrote on Schedule Changes.

Competitor’s Meeting!
-Bryce Wood

Do you have the itch to compete at the 2013 CrossFit Regionals as a part of a CrossFit Chicago Affiliate Team? If so, I would highly recommend you make an appearance at CFC this Sunday at 12:30. We will be meeting for roughly an hour this Sunday to discuss anything and everything that will go into determining how we will split teams for the upcoming competition season.

CrossFit Chicago was last represented at the CrossFit Games as a team in 2009, and we’re eager find a way to get back to California to be a part of the action again. Being a part of competitive CrossFit team takes work. So this year, we’ll be scheduling more in and out of house team workouts to fully prepare individuals who are anxious to take on the responsibilities of becoming part of this.

If this sounds like something that you are eager to be a part of, show up at 12:30 on Sunday. If you’re available at that time or not email bryce@crossfitchicago.com with your numbers in the following categories (and if they are a strength or weakness of yours):
Back Squat
Deadlift
Press
Clean and Jerk
Snatch
Consecutive Muscle-Ups
Consecutive Kipping Pull-ups
Consecutive Handstand Push-ups (kipping or strict, head to floor)
Consecutive Double-Unders

Competitor’s Meeting!
-Bryce Wood

Do you have the itch to compete at the 2013 CrossFit Regionals as a part of a CrossFit Chicago Affiliate Team? If so, I would highly recommend you make an appearance at CFC this Sunday at 12:30. We will be meeting for roughly an hour this Sunday to discuss anything and everything that will go into determining how we will split teams for the upcoming competition season.

CrossFit Chicago was last represented at the CrossFit Games as a team in 2009, and we’re eager find a way to get back to California to be a part of the action again. Being a part of competitive CrossFit team takes work. So this year, we’ll be scheduling more in and out of house team workouts to fully prepare individuals who are anxious to take on the responsibilities of becoming part of this.

If this sounds like something that you are eager to be a part of, show up at 12:30 on Sunday. If you’re available at that time or not email bryce@crossfitchicago.com with your numbers in the following categories (and if they are a strength or weakness of yours):
Back Squat
Deadlift
Press
Clean and Jerk
Snatch
Consecutive Muscle-Ups
Consecutive Kipping Pull-ups
Consecutive Handstand Push-ups (kipping or strict, head to floor)
Consecutive Double-Unders