Catalyst Athletic and Crossfit

OnRamp

Almost every day, I'm lucky enough to get an email like this:

"I am a 41 year old mother of 2 that had given up on life, I had gained 105lbs. and did not care about anything. I lost my mother to lung cancer and my dad had a massive stroke and had to move into a nursing home. My whole life was turned upside down. I woke up one day and realized that while I was feeling sorry for myself and battling deep depression that I was killing myself androbbing my kids of a happy childhood with a healthy active mother and I was going to leave my kids in the same state that I was in - without a mother. I have lost 85# and crossfit 6 days a week, I am a whole new and different person. I am strong, healthy and happy and will be around for my kids for many years and I am setting the example of fitness and health for my kids. I eat, sleep, breathe, dream cross fit. My family now accuses me of being in the cross fit cult and being a fitness addict, but that's ok with me, I'd rather that than be the fat, lazy, unhealthy mom I was. I AM CROSSFIT! ~Stacey Jenkins"

...or a comment like this:

"My friends think I'm crazy. But really, this has done more for me in two weeks than I got at [other local gym] in years."

or even this:

"My chiropractor told me that I had to stop doing classes at ******* and come to Catalyst, or I'd keep having back pain forever.

People love coming here for different reasons, and they're all good ones: the community is amazing and supportive. There are no mirrors; it's not a runway. The workouts are tough...but fun, and addictive. There's more knowledge per square inch than at the library. Learning curves excite us...

Put me down as one in the "learning new stuff all the time!" camp. And, as September showed, a LOT of people are bored with the same old "3 sets of 8 on the pec deck, 3 sets of 10 on the bench press...." bodypart split schedule. Jump into any CrossFit group, and you'll meet beginners, sharing bar space with elite. It's great. 

The best way to start? To get a solid foundation, and answer the question, "What IS CrossFit, really?" : OnRamp.

OnRamp is our introductory handshake to the CrossFit world. It's like bootcamp with brains: you learn new things every day, and then do a quick (but tough) workout. The Coaches are extemely well-educated, pleasant folks who smile big while they're killing you. They care: they want you to find the life that they've found (and millions of others around the world, too.) 

OnRamp sets you up for a life of exercise. It gets you in a regular habit (twice per week, for 3 weeks.) It brings you into the community (you'll join our 'Team' and 'Partner' challenges on Saturday mornings.) You'll meet people. You'll sweat; they'll sweat. All good.

Want a refresher, a tune-up, or a change? Try OnRamp.6 evenings, or 6 mornings. And then...the sky's the limit.

Want MORE? You can also come to ANY CrossFit class during your 3-week OnRamp Period...for free!

You'll like it. I promise.

Register online here, or call to chat more about it: 256-1344.

 

FOOTBALL Preseason Strength and Conditioning

The Super Bowl is still almost a week away.

YOUR time is NOW.

Be stronger. Be faster. Be more powerful. Walk like a bulldozer; run like a rocket.

You've seen what the best players in the world are doing: they're not using the Pec Deck. They're flipping tires, swinging sledges, pushing sleds. They're learning the lost art of the Clean and Jerk. They're bigger, stronger, and faster than ever.

Opportunity knocks. Will you seize the day?

 Commitment. Hard work. Sweat. Consistency. Intensity. That's what this program costs. What's it worth? It's priceless.

How much? $400 (members,) $520 (non-members, includes membership for the duration of the program.) Plus HST, blood, sweat, and tears.

Wednesday evenings at 8pm; Saturdays at 1pm. February 1 - April 21. Get it on. 705-256-1344 or catalystfit@gmail.com.

Gavin Grant Rowing Seminar

He's the world-record holder for most metres rowed in 30 days (over a million.)

He's training with Concept2, and world-class cyclists.

He's faster than you.

On January 21, Gavin Grant brings his no-nonsense (okay, a little nonsense) approach to coaching on the rowing Erg to Catalyst. 

Is the only progress you've made in your rowing in 2011 to start calling it, "The Erg?" Maybe even, "I'm just going to erg..." You'll learn a LOT.

Here last year? Rowing superstar? He's got NEW tricks for more power and less effort.

Best part: it's a fundraiser. For $10, you get to hate rowing less. You ALSO get to help Joe and Marnie give kids in Thailand the gift of sport. They're headed over at the end of the month to help (with Kiera and Maija) and you KNOW Joe will be showing the kids how to squat. If it's possible, they'd like to leave something behind, like a soccer pitch. Either way, those are some lucky kids!

You can register online here, or call 705-256-1344. 

New Year's ReVolution

Each year around this time, dozens of my friends make promises to themselves:

"This year, I'm going to stop eating so much garbage."

"This year, I'll stop drinking so much beer."

"This year, I'll drop 20 pounds."

"This is the year."

It IS the year.  It's 2012 - not your first year, and not your last. But it's the most important, because it's the one in your palm RIGHT NOW. 2012 is the only year of your life that you have the power to change.

We know a bit about change. We USED to believe that change happened when you firmly believed in something; visualized success; gritted your teeth, clenched your butt, and walking through fire. 

And now we know better. Change means appreciating what you're ALREADY doing right - even if you think it's nothing. Change means doing the easy stuff first - learning to squat, for instance, before signing up for that triathlon. Change means recognizing progress without the bathroom scale.

It took us awhile - okay, 15 years - to learn how to do this RIGHT. This isn't stuff you're taught in school; it's the lessons learned through trial and error; through hundreds of successful clients, and our own personal failures. There are no natural athletes here; no "fast metabolisms" or "naturally gifted" exercisers. There IS a big launch pad/safety net.

In our introductory program, we take you step by tentative step through the change process. Those who finish OnRamp almost always keep exercising; those who are still here after three months rarely ever quit. Compare that to an average gym (53% dropout rate by March, 70% by June) and you'll see why people bring their FRIENDS here.

OnRamp starts January 11 with coach Melanie Rose. 6 hours of private, small-group instruction. A completely new perspective on exercise, fitness, and health.

Want to sign up now? No waiting. Click here, or email catalystfit@gmail.com.

Want to read some more? No problem. Click here to read about CrossFit.

Want to talk about it? No charge. Book a free getting-to-know-you chat with Chris by clicking here, emailing chris@catalystgym.com, or calling 705-256-1344.

2012. Think about it.

For New Clients

When you're starting on your fitness journey - or looking to progress from P90X or bodybuilding routines into CrossFit - a solid foundation is critical.

Our mission at Catalyst is built around teaching: proper technique; proper use of your own body; proper eating to fuel tough workouts and help you get leaner and healthier.

We've earned the trust of physicians, chiropractors, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, professional athletes, their coaches...and hundreds of local people who want to make long-term change in their lives. That change starts here: with a new perspective, a new expectation, and a new exercise habit that you won't want to quit.

Most of our clients start with Personal Training. One-on-one attention is the best value for your time (and money) spent. An elite Catalyst Trainer has years of experience; a minimum four-year degree; and the right tools to get you to your goals as efficiently as possible. In any case, it's free to chat with a Catalyst Trainer, and review all the options open to you in person. Feel free to choose a time that matches your schedule, using the link above; browse the credentials of the Trainers, and choose your preference. We're ready to help.

For some, change starts with OnRamp. In small groups of three or four people, you're rebuilt from the ground up. On the first day, you'll learn how to squat properly - the most basic of human movements, but still performed incorrectly by most adults. If you've ever heard the phrase, "squats are bad for the knees...." you can take comfort in the knowledge that it came from someone who hasn't yet learned to squat properly. Good squatting comes from the hips, and can SAVE your knees: just one small example of the treasure trove that is OnRamp.

Over six one-hour sessions with an elite Personal Trainer in a private space, you'll progress from a basic squat to the full-on calorie-spitting, energy-busting, graceful ballet of the barbell that is the Clean. You'll learn new exercises each day; do a tough (but short) "boot camp" style workout; talk about nutrition, physics, and our philosophy of exercise; and progress at the speed of the group.

We keep group sizes small and affordable so that we can get you started the RIGHT way: with good habits, a huge knowledge bank, and in a space where it's okay to make mistakes. Coaches Coop, Whit, and Mel have years - decades, in some cases - of experience with all manners of future athletes - from the very beginner to the very advanced.

This isn't CrossFit. If you want it to be, though, it's the best starting point to CrossFit you can find. From OnRamp, you can easily go right into our mainstream CrossFit program; find an area of specialty that you enjoy, like Barbell Bettys or Enduro; continue with more Personal Training; or, simply, repeat OnRamp again and again for half price!

Three weeks. Solid habits. A (very) different outlook. Book your sessions to match YOUR schedule.

You may register online here. Or give us a call, anytime: 705-256-1344. Don't have anyfriends to join with you? We'll provide them (and they're yours to keep forever!) Email chris@catalystgym.com.

Below: a video of Chris Cooper talking about the start of Catalyst; our philosophy; and a bit of our history:

 

Ready to start? You can download a printable waiver and bring it with you, if you like.

Download Waiver

Would you like a preview of our food guide? It's downloadable, too:

Download The Catalyst Eating Guide

OnRamp starts Monday!

Almost every day, I'm lucky enough to get an email like this:

"I am a 41 year old mother of 2 that had given up on life, I had gained 105lbs. and did not care about anything. I lost my mother to lung cancer and my dad had a massive stroke and had to move into a nursing home. My whole life was turned upside down. I woke up one day and realized that while I was feeling sorry for myself and battling deep depression that I was killing myself androbbing my kids of a happy childhood with a healthy active mother and I was going to leave my kids in the same state that I was in - without a mother. I have lost 85# and crossfit 6 days a week, I am a whole new and different person. I am strong, healthy and happy and will be around for my kids for many years and I am setting the example of fitness and health for my kids. I eat, sleep, breathe, dream cross fit. My family now accuses me of being in the cross fit cult and being a fitness addict, but that's ok with me, I'd rather that than be the fat, lazy, unhealthy mom I was. I AM CROSSFIT! ~Stacey Jenkins"

...or a comment like this:

"My friends think I'm crazy. But really, this has done more for me in two weeks than I got at [other local gym] in years."

People love coming here for different reasons, and they're all good ones: the community is amazing and supportive. There are no mirrors; it's not a runway. The workouts are tough...but fun, and addictive. There's more knowledge per square inch than at the library. Learning curves excite us...

Put me down as one in the "learning new stuff all the time!" camp. And, as September showed, a LOT of people are bored with the same old "3 sets of 8 on the pec deck, 3 sets of 10 on the bench press...." bodypart split schedule. Jump into any CrossFit group, and you'll meet beginners, sharing bar space with elite. It's great. 

The best way to start? To get a solid foundation, and answer the question, "What IS CrossFit, really?" : OnRamp.

OnRamp is our introductory handshake to the CrossFit world. It's like bootcamp with brains: you learn new things every day, and then do a quick (but tough) workout. The Coaches are extemely well-educated, pleasant folks who smile big while they're killing you. They care: they want you to find the life that they've found (and millions of others around the world, too.) 

OnRamp sets you up for a life of exercise. It gets you in a regular habit (5 times per week, for 3 weeks.) It brings you into the community (you'll join our 'Team' and 'Partner' challenges on Saturday mornings.) You'll meet people. You'll sweat; they'll sweat. All good.

Want a refresher, a tune-up, or a change? Try OnRamp. 12 evenings, and three mornings. And then...the sky's the limit.

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays at 6pm

Saturday Mornings at 9am

(can't make all the classes? We'll work something out: call Chris at 256-1344.)

You'll like it. I promise.

Register online here, or call to chat more about it: 256-1344.

Skill And Capacity for Runners

Pick up your pitchforks, runners: I'm going to start with the heresy again.

Here I sit, a guy who's never finished a marathon; who's never 'raced' at a local event; whose subscription to Runner's World ran out in 1992 (the articles are all still the same, anyway.) Who the heck am I - Coach Coop to a mere few hundred people locally - to tell YOU anything about running?

To paraphrase an old cliche about art, I don't know much about runnin', but I know what I like. And what I like is work capacity. In fact, I like it so much, I develop it in people for a living.

Work - let's just call it Capacity, okay? - is your ability to do something tough for a given timeframe. That tough thing may be running; it may be lifting weights; it may be calisthenics or gymnastics or Jiu-Jitsu or even holding your breath. These activities look very different from the outside.

Your heart, though, doesn't know the difference. It knows "rest easy"; it knows, "go a bit faster"; it knows "attack speed"; and it knows "Hit the M1 button on the phone! Now! Listen for sirens!"  The response is common to - and can be triggered by - any of the above, when delivered in the correct dose.

This big bubble of Capacity can be stretched, of course. It can be lengthened; it can be pulled up from the top. The dose determines its shape AND its size. But while the Capacity bubble is pretty awesome, it's not magical.

Will running for 30 minutes improve your Capacity to run for 30 minutes? Yep.  So will ANY activity that creates a higher heart rate than normal over that same timespan. Doesn't matter how the heart rate goes up - any stress-inducing stimulus will do it. What's important is that your heart rate and metabolism rise above your current comfort level. That's true whether you're running to improve your running, or hitting a CrossFit WOD. Running below that level will not force improvement, and neither will doing a million reps on the leg press.

Skill, though, is specific to the sport. Harder running won't make you a better gymnast or Olympic Lifter. Your "cardio" workouts on the elliptical trainer don't make you a better striker, sadly. We believe the POSE method is best for runners; others disagree; some aren't even in the conversation. What's important, though, is that you're spending a large portion of your training time working to improve your technique. 

In other sports - tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, car racing, CrossFit - technique forms the basis of practice from the earliest introduction through the pro ranks. When it's time to start running, though....most just, um, like....go running? I was a part of this overwhelming majority for years, and it's myself I'm ridiculing here. It's taken for granted that because we walk a lot, we must be good at that OTHER foot thing, because, like, running is just FAST walking, right? Right?

Not quite. Running is a skill. We work to develop that skill in our Enduro groups. We build a runner the way we build a lifter, or a gymnast: learn the technique, practice in a fun way, and refine. Many others make a career talking about this stuff, but NO expert suggests that practicing running technique is a BAD idea. We're certified by CrossFit Endurance, who are leading the anaerobic charge in many ways.

And now, of course, the elephant in the room: how does a 10-minute CrossFit workout improve my running time in a 10k race?

Remember that bubble, and how we said it could be pulled up from the top? As it turns out, elevating your heart rate above its 'average' level - that's 'average while running,' not resting - also helps it operate for longer at a LOWER, slower rate. But hey, don't take our word for it: there's a TON of science to back me up on this stuff:

Explosive-strength training improves 5-km running time by improving running economy and muscle power. J Appl Physiol. 1999 May;86(5):1527-33.

 Burgomaster KA, Hughes SC, Heigenhauser GJ, Bradwell SN, Gibala MJ. Six sessions of sprint interval training increases muscle oxidative potential and cycle endurance capacity in humans. J Appl Physiol. 2005 Jun;98(6):1985-90.

Burgomaster KA, Heigenhauser GJ, Gibala MJ. Effect of short-term sprint interval training on human skeletal muscle carbohydrate metabolism during exercise and time-trial performance. J Appl Physiol. 2006 Jun;100(6):2041-7.

Gibala MJ, Little JP, van Essen M, Wilkin GP, Burgomaster KA, Safdar A, Raha S, Tarnopolsky MA. Short-term sprint interval versus traditional endurance training: similar initial adaptations in human skeletal muscle and exercise performance. J Physiol. 2006 Sep 15;575(Pt 3):901-11.

Esfarjani F, Laursen PB. Manipulating high-intensity interval training: effects on VO2max, the lactate threshold and 3000 m running performance in moderately trained males. J Sci Med Sport. 2007 Feb;10(1):27-35.

Burgomaster KA, Howarth KR, Phillips SM, Rakobowchuk M, Macdonald MJ, McGee SL, Gibala MJ. Similar metabolic adaptations during exercise after low volume sprint interval and traditional endurance training in humans. J Physiol. 2008 Jan 1;586(1):151-60.

McNicol AJ, O'Brien BJ, Paton CD, Knez WL. The effects of increased absolute training intensity on adaptations to endurance exercise training. J Sci Med Sport. 2008 Aug 30.

Iaia FM, Hellsten Y, Nielsen JJ, Fernström M, Sahlin K, Bangsbo J. Four weeks of speed endurance training reduces energy expenditure during exercise and maintains muscle oxidative capacity despite a reduction in training volume. J Appl Physiol. 2009 Jan;106(1):73-80.

To demonstrate this opinion, a few us are running a marathon on July 1. Using only CrossFit-style training - and NO "long runs," or ANY runs longer than our Midnight 5k Fundraiser this weekend - we're going to try to demonstrate that we've got the capacity to do 26.2, with or without the skill. 

The best part? CrossFit and running aren't exclusionary, but complementary. You don't HAVE to run four times per week to get better at running; you can do some fun stuff instead. You can build some muscle. You can learn things that are vastly more interesting. You can lose more fat. 

By now, you may be asking: "If this stuff is so great...if it actually DOES work...why have I never read about it in a Running magazine?" Well....it doesn't sell shoes, does it? Here's one, at least, that's in the conversation.

Just flat-out LIKE running? That's awesome. We do a little program to help runners become better runners, called Enduro. It starts again tomorrow night. 

Hate running? I'm with you. My ADHD brain wriggles and yawns on every step. I sure like how I feel afterward, though, so I do it. Enduro has helped make it less painful for me, too.

 There's always another way.  This is ours.

Burn Your Bra, 2011

Ladies, please: you're smarter than this.

You're the tougher sex. You can handle pain, stress, mess; and you can do it on heels, if necessary.

This has got to stop.

Would Cleopatra have done triceps kickbacks to 'firm and tone' her arms? Would she rely on Spanx to get her point across?

As we posted a couple of years ago, Confidence is the new size four. Step aerobics, Special K, treadmill walking, prepackaged 'low-calorie' meals....you're better than this.

You KNOW how to be strong. Does 'being strong' mean that you alter yourself into a shrinking violet, feigning weakness by pretending to believe all this "firm and tone with rubber dumbbells" garbage?

By now, you KNOW that lifting weights doesn't make you mannish. You KNOW that balancing on wobbly balls and boards don't fix your "core." You KNOW that mama, in the nursing home, is in pain from osteoporosis. What are you gonna do about it?

Will you turn a blind eye to science, experience, common sense...and believe what they WANT you to believe? Or will you use that innate BS meter - the one that KNOWS when junior's done his homework, or Sissy's been seeing THAT boy after school - to help YOURSELF? Will you learn to chalk your hands, mop your brow, set your jaw, and do the things that will REALLY make a difference?

Those things are called deadlifts. And cleans, and jerks, and snatches. If it has a jelly cover, it's useless to you. Learn to do these things with other women; practice; become strong. Channel Cleopatra, or just stop taking so much guff.

Does this process cost money? Of course it does. This is what we do, after all. Want proof? Ask any of your girlfriends. We make women better.

Start here: Level II Barbell Bettys. Mondays at 5:30pm (tell someone ELSE to make dinner, for a change!). $119 includes a six-week membership to the Park...where powerful women come to play!

The New Catalyst Kids

We've been hinting about it for weeks, and it's finally here! BIG new additions to our Kids and Youth programs, starting March 1.....all thanks to Coach Mitch! More on him in a minute. First, here's the important stuff:

Kids aged 3-6: RUMBLE / TUMBLE! Kids roll, run, tumble, spin, jump, and play physical games.

Youth aged 7-16: Jiu-Jitsu! The full sport for kids up to age 16, with lots of mat time!

Youth aged 10-16 - Catalyst Teens! Gymnastics, weightlifting, running, rowing, calisthenics....

SUPER HUGE BONUS: Free-Play Saturdays for Jiu-Jitsu and Catalyst Teens!

A few administrative changes...but we're saving you money on every single group!

We're changing the way you register for groups, to make it easier for everyone. But because change is hard, we're giving you more time - double! - each week for about the same amount of money. Pay by the month, or save 15-20% EVERY MONTH by signing up on a PAD plan.

Details:

Old method: $60 for six weeks. Show up once per week. Do what we say.

New method: monthly fee (varies, but much less per session.) Do 1 coached session per week, and one loosely-structured 'practice' session every week. Improve, practice, play.

Fees and schedule are available HERE. Let's get your kids on the fast track!

How To Start Exercising

or, "How To Buy A Map."

 

Over the next few weeks, you're going to hear a lot about "special offers!" and "we'll waive the signup fees!"

It's going to be tempting, I know, to make your decision about a gym based on money. But hear me out.

The fitness world is a confusing one. No given 'program' works for everyone, and doesn't work for anyone forever. On the flipside, it seems like anything will work for someone.  The donut diet? It's out there. It works...if you're a hypoglycemic amphetamine abuser.  There are maps aplenty. But maps just draw a line in the dirt, don't they? They're not great at keeping you on course after the journey begins.  And every map, eventually, becomes outdated.....

The most important thing is that you start. Start with anything. Give it three months. If it doesn't fit, do something else. But keep starting. Don't wait for the perfect time, perfect place, perfect price...those are all red herrings. 

Here's what we offer:

Tough workouts. They're fast, but they're hard. It sounds counterintuitive, but it feels like a game.
A learning curve with no end. You'll never lose interest, I promise you that.
A simple eating plan. If it wasn't available to great-grandma, you don't eat it. Simple.
Coaches who love to coach.
The 'Family.' Maybe you know one person here; maybe you don't know anyone. After a day, you'll know three people. After a week, you'll know ten. And after a month, they'll be calling you by a nickname. It's a great place to be.

Leading your caravan by the light of the wrong star may keep you headed East, O Wise One, but is that enough? Is it okay with you to be another anonymous face in a sea of melancholy? Would you rather learn to enjoy exercise - thrive on it, plan your day around it - or how to distract yourself long enough to put in your time while the dishwasher's finishing the rinse cycle?

It took us a long time to put our methods together. But if you have a friend at Catalyst, I'll guarantee that they love it. Ask them.

What's your first step? Talk to us. We'll set aside an hour, you'll come and sit, and we'll put a plan together. No charge, and no sales pitch. Call 256-1344 to book a free consultation, or click here.

Want to try CrossFit, but don't know how to do a clean, or a kip, or a handstand? You will. Her name is Whitney, and she's the Keeper of those secrets. OnRamp is our introduction to CrossFit, and it's for you.

Want to learn how to lift weights safely, effectively, with grace? Try Barbell Bettys or Fraternity Barbell, for the ladies and (cough) gentlemen, respectively.

We're coaches. It's our life work. Most of our clients do Personal Training first, but that's your choice. Heck, you're free to just drop in to a CrossFit group and try it. Pick any group, and we'll show you around. Just let us know you're coming, that's all.

This year is yours. 2011 can be a leap-off point for you, whether you've never exercised or have kept the same schedule for years. Train with us in privacy, or get very public. Stay in the dark, or make your mark. We'd love to meet you.

Betty Eternal

Barbell Betty has been around for a year.

Bettys have been featured in some more memorable posts, like Thursday Night Betty, and Return of The Betty.  They've celebrated together, consoled one another, and spent more time cheering than any other "fitness" group, before or since....and not an elliptical trainer in sight.

Six weeks ago, a new Betty entered the arena. Steph Parniak quickly wiped clean the record board, and then refilled it. Frankly, she's up there so often that she now brings her own supply of pink chalk.

This is her, post-Virtualmeet (where she deadlifted 330lbs,) back squatting 300lbs. Former Catalyst record, pre-Steph: 215lbs. That's, um, a bit of a difference.

 

But a Betty doesn't rest, does she? A Betty is concerned not just with the end result, but the quality; it's not enough to PR on a deadlift, but she has to be good at double-unders, too. This is the Catalyst equivalent of cleaning the house before bed: no, no one else will know.  But Betty will.  Betty HAS to keep looking up and ahead.  A Betty keeps learning, keeps striving.

Time to Betty up.

Level II Bettys - Focusing on Olympic lifting (clean and jerk and snatch and all sorts of other higher-technique movements) - starts tonight!  Call your bar here! If that doesn't work, just show up and we'll get you sorted out tonight at 5:30.

On Monday, a new group of Baby Bettys will nervously toe the platforms. Wanna be one of them? You can sign up online here.

 

Purposeful Practice

By now, you've likely heard of the 10,000 hours effect.

Posited by Malcolm Gladwell in his terrific book, Outliers, the 10,000-hour-rule suggests that mastery isn't an inherited trait, or a surprise. It's practice. Chess masters, Mozart, Mike Tyson....they've all achieved over 10,000 hours of practice before they became great.

Watching Mitch and Brent roll at King Of The Cage on Saturday, I was struck by the finesse of fight.  I was especially lucky to have their dad - Ted Fryia - sitting in the row ahead of us, our own bearded Sun Tzu, explaining the Art of War while his heirs lived it out loud. Post-fight, he received more blows than they did - to the back and shoulders, in congratulations. People were talking, yelling, drinking, clapping.....and I started thinking about ping-pong.

Reading Matthew Syed's new book, Bounce, I'm becoming more convinced that it's not just the quantity of practice that matters, but the quality. Syed was a world Table Tennis champion, and points out that hard work and extraordinary circumstances got him to the top, not an innate ability. He was continually challenged to reach another level for his whole life, accumulating over 10,000 hours of quality playing and coached time by the age of eighteen.  Our brains are so elastic that we can overcome the steepest of learning curves...but we'll stagnate when we reach the top.

This, then, is the real plateau: an abate in progress, caused by an easement in learning.

One of the biggest debates in the fitness industry is the concept of overtraining vs. overreaching.  Overreaching, loosely defined, is trying to hard to achieve goals too soon. But in my opinion, the real problem in most gyms, weight-loss centres, fitness 'studios,' and health agencies in general is underreaching. 

It's not uncommon to hear, "I'm just maintaining." at these places, and for years, I've ranted about lack of forward progress among most gym-goers. It's not enough just to go through the motions; to follow the workouts, and be satisfied with finishing. There's a reason we track times and weights and say stuff like, "AMRAP." We've never prescribed a workout with the heading, "AMRA...YFL." That's because goals matter.

Starting CrossFit, it's perfectly acceptable to follow along, building strength and speed and metabolic conditioning until you can do the workouts As Rx'd. When you finish a heavy WOD for the first time Rx'd, it's a damn fine day. And when, six months later, you crush your previous best time, well....

There will come I time, I promise, when you're no longer progressing by showing up and trying hard.  Every workout, every rep, every silent tick of the digital clock has to count. Your workouts must have a goal.  'General' fitness will only be enhanced by short-term specific improvement. Get one thing better. Then the next. Build a ramp.

I received a nice, complimentary email this morning (thanks, Fergie!) about some of my more 'philosophical' posts.  I love getting emails like that.  Truth is, though, I haven't been reaching. I've been training hard, but not looking forward and upward.  I profess to know a lot about jumping and building wings, in that order, though, so here's my plan: I'm going to join CrossFit groups.

Though I've done CrossFit for two and a half years, and done personal training sessions with all our coaches, it's time to immerse myself into the cauldron.  Today, I bought my first punch card. Tomorrow night, I start participating in groups.  I'll still coach, but with the four best coaches in town working under my roof, I'd be crazy NOT to take regular advantage of what they can offer.  In the Spring, I'll do Frat Level II, and then Enduro.  But for now, instead of leaning on equipment and watching Mitch's awesome Teens groups, I'll be otherwise occupied. Tuesday and Wednesday nights, I'll be out of the frying pan.

Practice makes Permanent.

The Nutri-Ninjas: Cappelli's Pilot Project

You've heard of Anna, right?  That girl, the ultimate maven; there from the start; holder of many records; a Catalyst veteran of legend.

She's the one, seven years ago, who was trying "The Catalyst Diet" when Coop was just a lowly trainer at another tiny gym.

She's the one behind the spreadsheets, the long emails, and Josh. She's the one who dragged Eddie (remember when we used to call him Sandbag?!?!?) into the family. She's the collector, the collator, the questioner.

It's paying off.  You've SEEN Anna, right? She's fulfilled her inevitable quest toward guru. She's newly certified through her favourite nutrition program yet (Precision Nutrition) and running a pilot project for NEW Catalyst clients in October-November.

The program is just as amazing as Anna herself: meet with her one-on-one this week; meet with the group and a Catalyst Trainer next week.  Rotate back and forth, getting ongoing weight-loss guidance, and working with Catalyst Trainers, meeting with your group, interacting on a private blog (nutrininjas.com) ...for as long as you like.

Like our new Enduro project, Anna's going to make this as easy as possible: become a member of the Nutri-Ninjas.  Commit without a signup fee; every month, your rate is $64.  That's it. And for you, lucky risk-takers, we can make it even better!

For October - November, $60 gets you into the pilot project.  Hey, someone's gotta burn in the motor on this racecar.  Things may not be *perfect* in the first month, and we're counting on you to help us get our shine on. We're taking 6 volunteers - new Family members for the Pilot, please - and only 6.  Don't worry: in December, we'll open the doors to the Ark and let you all join the Ninjas!

Register here - Nutri-Ninjas Pilot Project

Barbell Bettys - The Next Level!

We meet new women every day.  We get to interact with a huge spectrum, and while no two women are ever alike, they've always seemed to have one thing in common: on the first day, they all say, "I'm not competitive."

Sure you're not.  That's what we say, every time.  Then we grin.

Women are the more competitive sex. It's true in nature; it's true in our post-Victorian social strata.  A female will throw herself in front of the charging rhino, dig in, and not let go until one or the other is dead.  A guy will butt heads and then offer to the show the rhino his new barbeque.

CrossFit draws it out of you.  It's the big grey rhino, charging headlong at your weakness.  Hardened by tough group challenges, tempered by Barbell Bettys' Mantra ("I am strong, I am beautiful...") and tested by the Games, we've got a new batch of women eager to measure themselves against a heavy barbell. 

Announcing Barbell Bettys Level III: Competitive. You'll train for 6 weeks in the basic 5 lifts: deads, squats, presses (bench, this time!), cleans, and snatches.  You'll compete in the November 6 Virtualmeet with all the other Helsinki Helgas, Deutschland Donnas, and Sydney Sallys from around the world.  You'll prepare; you'll perform; you'll prevail.

Barbell Bettys Level 1 will also start that week, with emphasis on the core lifts necessary for strength as a woman.  Learn technique from the ground up; choose a non-barbell technique (kipping? skipping? tire-flipping?) as a side.  Join the legendary Bettys!

Register for either Level 1 or Level 111 Barbell Bettys here.  Or call Chris: 256-1344!

 This is a mixed group: Frat Barbell Level 111 will be sharing platform time with Level 111 Bettys!

Marathon / Half-Marathon Running Group!

Fourty kilometres.  From the Sault to St. Joseph Island. It takes awhile to drive.  And YOU'RE gonna run it.  Yes, you are.

Every year, tens of thousands of aspiring marathoners pick up their copy of Runners' World, or bug the veteran in the next cubicle for advice, and they're all told to run 40 miles per week, every week; that pain is just part of the package; that injuries are bound to happen; that speed work is just jogging with rest periods.  And in 40 years - a year for every thousand metres you're about to attempt - there hasn't been much change: run long.  Put the rest of your life on hold. Pray for your knees and hope for the best.  Eat lots of carbs, every single day, and wear your old race t-shirts to the diabetes clinic when you turn 50 and 'retire.'

Until now.

Using the POSE method, and Paleo eating, we're producing faster runners without joint pain.  They're running with NATURAL HUMAN MOVEMENT.  They're leaner, healthier, and happier. They're driving with their hips - as the human frame was intended - and saving their knees.  And they're not carb-loading for 20 years.

A marathon is hard.  It's supposed to be. It wouldn't be worth the effort if it were easy.  You'll train hard; you'll love it and hate it, all in the same breath. 

40k is a long way to run.  You don't have to do it alone.

If you're a new runner, a marathon is a serious undertaking; you need a coach.  If you're a veteran, you could be saving yourself a LOT of junk mileage; you need a coach.

Tuesday and Thursday nights - 7:30pm at the Park location.  8 weeks, starting July 27. You can sign up online here.

Mike will write an individual training plan for you.  You'll do much more than 'just' run.  You'll put in less mileage than your peers, and you'll finish just fine. BONUS: you'll like it more. Mike will help you with your new eating style, too.  The fee is low; the real cost is your commitment.

Some more information on POSE running:

From The New York Times

Intro to POSE Technique - from the CrossFit Journal

The CrossFit Endurance main site

 

 

And another gratuitous shot of what hard work looks like:

Duathlon Training 2010

Fourty-five minutes in.  You're looking for your bike amid the crowd of hundreds of others.  You're thankful that you've been practicing transitions - hell, you started thanking Mike after the first five minutes, when you realized that the course started slightly uphill.  And since you learned POSE running, you eat climbs for breakfast.

Halfway up that BIG climb, you do what you never thought you would: you started being thankful for box jumps.  As lactic acid starts pouring into your big quad muscles, the scraped shins of last week are no longer significant.  All downhill from here, baby!

...and then, running again, quads shot, heart rate extreme: you're more glad than ever.  You're GOING to finish.  A personal best seems inevitable. While your age group crumbles around you, teetering and failing as their technique implodes with their comfort level, you move gracefully forward.  You don't look like a pro...but you're not stopping, either.  It's good to be you.

Victory will be defined differently by every athlete in that race.  Achieve yours.

Duathlon Groups - Tuesday and Thursday evenings, starting July 6

Individualized Training Plans for all distances!

$179 includes coaching on the bike, run, and transition!  Find out why the response to Catalyst running groups has been incredible!

Click here to register, or call 253-0011! 

May Evening OnRamp

This is going to be a long summer.  Our snow was gone by May, and though temperatures haven't been far above the average, you're going to be outside a lot.  At friends' houses.  In backyards. Hopefully, at the beach.

In shorts.  In T-shirts.  In less.  Doing stuff.  Playing.  Digging.  Working.  Sweating.

This is NOT a beach-body ad.  Yes, I care about how you look.  Yes, I want you to seek occasions to take your shirt off.  But I'm more interested in what you do with yourself.

Will THIS be the summer you show up for your buddy's beach volleyball game and barbeque....or another summer when you politely decline, and watch movies inside instead? Will THIS be the summer you put 1000k on your bike - like you believed you'd do when you bought it - or will it it stay a statue in your garage? Will THIS summer be the one you wear shorts?  A sleeveless shirt?  Will you play frisbee? Will you sit on your blanket, watch your kids, and say, "Oh, I wish I had their energy?" Will you plant a garden?  Will you go to a party where you don't know anyone? 

OnRamp isn't just about abs.  It's about strength.  It's about slowly becoming a member of a community of happy, confident, exercising people.  Whitney and Coop won't introduce you only to deadlifts, squats, handstands, and snatches....they'll introduce you to two hundred others, all very different, all just like you. Better yet, they'll introduce you to the person you could be.  

Big promises, yes.  And we've never found, in decades of cumulative experience, a program that could deliver them - until we found CrossFit.

There's a person, standing only a foot in front of you, who's on that road already.  They're not yet among the uberfit; but their clothes feel a bit better.  Their chin is up.  They make more eye contact.  They're noticing their triceps.  Want to be in their shoes?  All it takes is one small step:

Register here for May OnRamp.  Evenings for two weeks with Whit, evenings for one week with Coop, culminating in Baseline Week: our annual week-long celebration of personal bests. If you choose, finish the week with a Midnight 5k run with about 50 of your new workout partners (and a band, and maybe a can of beer!) and a smile.  It's gonna be a great summer.

Start From Strong

It's good to have brothers.

Brothers know when to push.  They know when to joke.  They know when to just shut up and let their actions do the talking.  And sometimes, they know when to rub it in a bit.

Right: Glen breaks Jimmy's long-held Rack Jerk record with a huge 245.  

Walking to Day Two of Ontario Sectionals, we were all on edge; it was sleeting and freezing, and we were shivering more from the anticipation of a long chipper than from the cold.  Josh was on the podium bubble, and was feeling the pressure.  So Ray shared a funny little story about two bulls overlooking a field of cows.  It was perfect for the moment, and we've been calling Ray "the old bull" for two weeks now.  You've gotta love the older, wiser brother.

On the other hand, somebody's gotta paw the dirt a bit; somebody's gotta keep the other bulls ready to charge.  We leave that responsibility to the youth.

The right mix of wisdom, piss, and vinegar is magical.  That's why we train in groups.  That's why we mix the bulls.  

We also lift weights.  It's good to be flexible; it's important to be coordinated; it's better to be strong.  When you're strong, the rest comes more easily.  When you're strong, you fight less.  The more you can carry, the lighter your load. 

If you're a CrossFitter, being stronger makes even the METCON more effective.  Since the goal is total work (measured in Joules,) consider the wattage output of 'Fran,' using 75lbs or 95lbs, even though the heavier weight takes longer:

95lbs - Six minute Fran          75lbs - Five Minute Fran

56362.96 Joules                     51799.3 joules

This isn't wattage, it's just plain old brute work.  Will this apply to running, or pushing a wheelbarrow, or competing in a Strongman contest? Absolutely!  The ability to do more total work is a blessing that's guided the leaders of our society from its primordial days.  And now, it's time for YOU to pick up those reins.  Everything in life is easier if you're strong. And strong is why we're here, after all.

Fraternity Barbell II starts April 14th!  This round, you'll spend more time on OLY lifting, as well as some Strongman work mixed in.  WODs will be a mix of CrossFit Strongman, powerlifting, and CF Football. Coaching by Tyler and Mitch.  Blood, sweat, and progress: all your own.

Register here - 6 weeks for $80 (members) or $119 (non-members, includes a gym membership!)

The Enduro Project

One of the principal tenets of CrossFit: that aerobic capacity shares such a large overlap with anaerobic capacity, an athlete can train both just by focusing on the latter.

To that end, we do METCON - METabolic CONditioning - workouts lasting 4-16 minutes.  Fran, Grace, Linda...they're all METCON.  We already know it works; testimonials on CrossFit Endurance, personal empirical observation, and anecdotes of others all support the idea.  We just want to see how, and why.

In April, Chris is going to put this type of training to the test with all the science and measuring tools at our disposal. Four Catalyst members, not currently involved in OnRamp or running groups, will have their Vmax and Tmax measured.  They'll do CAT Testing.  They'll follow a month-long training plan revolving around wattage output, heart rate, and ever-stretching METCON.  They'll wear heart rate monitors.  They'll never run more than 400m.  They'll do Fight Gone Bad on April 2, and again at the start of May, to measure progress.  They'll sit, pink-faced, at the edge of the ditch and wish for snowbanks.

METCON workouts will be built around heart rate ranges OR maximal wattage outputs.  The notion of 'prescribed' weights will be tossed, in favour of loads that will elicit the most work in the timeframe provided.

Chris will be the fifth member of the group.  He'll blog his times, heart rates, wattage outputs and other scores daily.  At the end, we'll report back to you. This may be something big - this was exactly the type of group we first ran in March 2008, when we were toying with this "CrossFit" thing. That group produced Philsy, Coach Whit, Coach Ty, Kube, and a host of other front-runners.

Want to throw your hat in the ring? We have a few prerequisites:

A heart rate monitor (we can recommend some, if you don't have one)

Fight On Friday, on April 2

Vmax and Tmax testing (NOT V02Max, but max effort at max speed on an inclined treadmill)

Participation in at least 90% of prescribed workouts in the Enduro program and CAT Testing, starting April 3rd

No other coaching or training outside of normal CrossFit groups

Tracking on the wodomatic.com site

...a little math, maybe.  We may also use your name in our summation at the end.

It's one month.  No charge, but we're only taking four people.  It's going to take some commitment to finish. If you're serious, email catalystfitness@yahoo.ca .

April OnRamp Group

Spring is all about change.  It's about second chances - or third, fourth, and fifth chances.  Yes, when the snow melts, there's still some garbage beneath.  Yes, we'll endure some mud for a week or two.  But it's nothing we can't handle in anticipation of better things to come.

OnRamp is one of our most popular programs: it takes folks without solid exercise foundations, and turns them into full-steam locos in twenty-one days.  That's a real feat.  OnRamp is something special.

But it's got the wrong name.  We should have called it, "Jet Pack."  Or, "SpringBoard."  Or something more exciting. 

Yes, an OnRamp is a gradual turn onto a higher plane.  It results in a change in direction, and that's its purpose.  But that's not the story of OnRamp.  These are:

"Whoa." She said. She stood there, a barbell at her shoulders. The gym was absolutely silent; I was waiting to see what she'd do next. Finally: "I never thought I could do that."

He'd been training at the Park gym for months.  His deadlift was a respectable 320lbs.  21 days later, he pulled a solid 415lbs.  That's not progress; that's a deadlifting miracle.  But that's what technique does.

She started by driving past the gym.  Three times.  Somehow, our newsletter had found its way to her inbox.  It took her nearly ten minutes to get out of her car and open the gym door.  Three months later, she's dragging in every friend she can find on facebook.  She can tell you how to deadlift; she knows what 'fast elbows!' means when her coach says it.  Her biological clock has rewound ten years.

"Just want to keep up with my kids," he wrote on his release form.  His kids play soccer; run track; do gymnastics.  Now, they do it with him.

One of my favourite OnRamp'ers of all time just completed our Murph Challenge last weekend.  When she started - four short months ago! - she wouldn't run a step.  Now it's, "how many 400s are we doing?"

There are as many stories as there are OnRamp students.  In her charming way, Coach Whitney takes all comers, from every background, eases them through the CrossFit funnel, and they emerge - different.  They have the habits, the knowledge, and the drive to succeed.  No more second-guessing every workout; no more procrastinating; no more hating gyms with mirrors and the daily Treadmill Catwalk. CrossFit has changed them.  They're not going back. There's no Off-Ramp. 

See why we need a better name?

7am.  21 days, every day.  A private atmosphere.  A small group. You, a surprising success.  Try it.

April 6 class - sign up now.  Small groups means we only take 8 people each month!

Run 101

One year ago last weekend, I faced my first 5k run.

5k runs had popped up on CrossFit.com before, of course, but I'd always found an excuse to skip.  The lizard brain was in full effect: I was still considering more Powerlifting meets, and was scared to drop weight.  Realistically, I was just scared to fail, even if failure would be private.  I would know.

I had the accoutrements of a runner: Christmas gifts from my sister (a real runner,) or little things I'd picked up along the way, to be ready for the "someday" when I'd finally do a 5k run. I had no idea what to expect, but I tentatively set a goal of 30 minutes to finish. I Google-mapped out different 5k options.  I timed my meals all day (on a Sunday!,) checked with my wife a hundred times (are you sure you don't need me to re-hinge the cupboards today? Re-gravel the driveway? Check the shingles?) and finally set out.  I told myself to go slow.  At the turnaround, I knew I'd finish: I had to get home, after all.  I walked a lot of the way back (there's a massive hill, about a mile long, at a grade of 6-12 degrees.)  But I finished, just over 30 minutes.  I was happy.  And sore.

Training for last year's Ontario CrossFit Challenge, I was running 400m and 800m pretty regularly.  I wasn't a better runner: I was still very up-and-down, with a long stride and a huge shock to absorb on every step.  I'd finish runs exhausted, but just try to gut-out the lifts anyway.  But when my quads started seizing during training runs, I started to worry: my legs would go numb, and the VMO (largest quadriceps muscle) would fire uncontrollably, as if it were attached to a car battery. I couldn't get my thighs to shut off.  I DNF two workouts that I should have dominated. 

Despite my years of training and coaching and study, I had missed something very simple: running is a skill.  Like cleans and jerks and deadlifts and pullups.  Technique matters.

After the Ontario CrossFit Challenge, I booked some private personal training sessions with Mike.  His words: "You run like a hockey player."  I was leaning back, with a heel strike way in front of my torso.  He videotaped my runs and showed me; I was shocked.  We practiced the POSE method three times, on the hot asphalt of the Industrial Park.  First, I could hold my position for about four or five strides; then for a hundred metres; and slowly, over an entire 400m sprint.  In July, I ran sub-25:00 at midnight, carrying a beer in my gut.  I didn't win, not by a long shot (Beharriell shot by me around the 2k mark - he was already on his way back!) but it was a PR, and I knew I was onto something. My 800m times went from 3:45 to 2:55.  My 400m times, even in the middle of a tough WOD, still dropped to 1:20s. 

How many runners, I wonder, run for 20 years without a coach?  How many read about running, follow the sport, watch the Boston Marathon...and never have their stride assessed? How many New Year's Resolutions die on the cold pavement on January 3rd out of pain and frustration?

Beginner's running groups in the Sault have always served a very important function: develop a running habit.  Cough up some running germs, and let the running itch slowly kindle.  Hope that the passion of the coach is infectious (and usually, at least a few would become runners for life.)  But others became immunized: they'd tried it, found it painful, and given up forever.  If your only exposure to something is painful and frustrating, after all, why would you continue? 

It's now very obvious to us that technique coaching is critical for beginners.  If we can make running easier, 'softer,' virtually pain-free......and you can get better, faster......you're more likely to continue forever. Maybe...you'll like running?  It's not too much to ask.

We all need coaches.  The more elite the athlete, the more it's expected they have a coach. But it's absolutely critical to use a coach when you're a beginner (or a second-time starter.)  Let's do this right.

We've been hosting "Mondays With Mike" - part one and part two have already been published - to help folks learn to run better.  Now he's making himself even more available to help: we'll be starting a morning group for beginners AND an evening group for beginners on March 9.  You can sign up below. It's definitely the best running experience we've ever offered:

On-the-fly running coaching (he's out there with you!)

Whiteboard instruction pre- and post-run

Nutritional advice

Group runs (critical to building a habit)

8-week running program

When you're done, you'll run 5k.  You'll love it.

Tuesdays and Thursdays with the coach, Saturdays with the group.

7am Group - readers of this blog: sign up online before March 1 and get 10% off!

7pm Group - readers of this blog: sign up online before March 1 and get 10% off!

Thursday Night Betty

On any given Monday morning, Betty will be 10 minutes early for work.  The kids squared away, husband off to his job, Betty organizes her week.  On Tuesday, Betty may add a little flair to her day with a different hairdo, or flavour in her coffee.  Wednesday, she may bring a new, exotic fruit in her lunch.....

But Thursday nights, Betty goes out.

Out of the house.  Out of her do-it-all role.  Out of her cold-creamed skin.

On Thursdays, Betty puts on her 'goin'-out shoes,' checks her outfit, texts her friends, and leaves.  Her peers will be scattered among various clubs and other evening hotspots, but not Betty.  Betty's "goin'-out shoes" have very low heels instead of the high variety.  Her outfit is tight, but functional, not frilly.  And she'll be movin', all right, but not shakin': her dance will be the ballet of the box squat; her bar of choice will have sharp knurling.

This is not what the average woman does.  The average woman stays home on Thursdays, because that's when Desperate Housewives is on. The average woman folds into her couch, waiting for the perfect commercial opportunity to make the popcorn.  And that's too bad, because real inspiration won't be on CBS tonight.  Mama won't find fulfillment in that bathroom makeover after all.  Self-improvement won't be in the Victoria's Secret catalogue this month, and nobody's going to care that she did 32 reps on the hydraulic pec deck at the  'health club' circuit today.

Average women don't pick up 250 pounds off the ground.  But they could.  Do you think those women get osteoporosis? 

Average women don't drip sweat in a group with a coach.  But they could.  Do you think those women beam with pride after their workouts?

Average women don't chalk up; don't drop down; don't jump over.  But they could.  Do you think those women feel strong?  Confident? Powerful? 

I think every woman is born with a bit of Betty somewhere inside. The female of the species, after all, is usually the protector of the brood.  She's capable of not just placation, but power.  And pride. 

Barbell Bettys is definitely a group for women: it's very social, very upbeat, very friendly.  The Bettys meet up outside the gym.  They stay friends.  They post on facebook and take pictures and clap and cheer.  But they're also challenging the stereotypical "woman's workout": there are no triceps kickbacks, no pink-covered dumbbells, no checking of headbands in the mirror to make sure the lululemon logo is just so.  

The growth of our Bettys Club has been fantastic.  Its popularity is 100% due to its amazing members: they hound their friends to join.  They host Betty parties.  They laud one another on facebook.  And now, to better accommodate both veterans and Baby Bettys, we're going to add a bit of structure, Betty-style.

Monday evenings, we'll host a more advanced Barbell Bettys group, focusing on OLY lifts (cleans, jerks, snatches,) and also on more advanced skill training (double-unders, muscle-ups, kipping, etc.)  You'll have to qualify to join the group (it's not too painful, and it's not based on how much you can lift, but on your ability to demonstrate technique.) 

Thursday evenings, we'll welcome the new gals.  They'll get all the basics that make Bettys famous: deadlifts, squats, presses, and the like.  They'll become True Bettys, and one day they'll grow up into
the type of woman that makes us most proud: the strong type.

Before we start this new era on February 23, we'll host an opportunity to earn a spot as a Level II Betty (the 'Bar' Exam.  C'mon, it's funny!)  If you're smooth and proficient in your lifts, you won't have a problem.  If you'd rather continue to focus on the more general skills, that's fine; even the best lifters in the world take it all back to the drawing board many times.  After all, if we don't find  you the best fit, you're not getting best value for your training time.  This way, we can keep making even better Bettys.  See you on the 23rd!

Pre-register for Level 1 Barbell Bettys: Thursdays at 7pm at the Park

Pre-register for Level 2 Barbell Bettys: Mondays at 7pm at the Park (must pass the 'bar' exam first!)

January Groups At Catalyst

 In 2009, we couldn't resist any more: we had to start sharing the stories that were threatening to stretch the walls out of our gyms.  See, tough workouts tend to change you.  After awhile, feet on a different road, your future shifts - it takes a small step to the right.  It separates from the downward slope of our common culture.  It puts you in a different place; a place slightly removed.  Outside.  

Grouped together, post-WOD, we tell stories.  We tell where we've been.  We share past experience. There's commonality in exhaustion, and the chalk bucket feels a bit like a campfire.  We started telling these stories last summer (you can read dozens in the client stories section of this site, or this article was another favourite.) 

I challenged you to have a good story by the end of 2010.  It's January; your feet are planted on the road.  Here are your maps.  Get walking.  It's your story, after all, and we're ready to help you write the next chapter.

 OnRamp - Everything you need to get going with CrossFit.  From "how to squat" to "how to push yourself through 5 more clean and jerks while it feels like your heart is going to explode" to "how to eat on the Zone" to "why you need to be stronger....." all coached by superstar motivator, Whitney. 21 days straight.  For the first time, we're offering both an evening group (6pm Mon - Fri, mornings on the weekends) and a morning group (7am daily,) to handle the waiting list.  Starts January 11 at the Queen St. gym - get in early!  

Fraternity Barbell - Men only.  Powerlifting, OLY lifting, and strength coaching from Tyler Belanger and Mitch Fryia, two of the best around.  Train 1x/week with your group, do your homework, thrive. Starts January 13 - Wednesday evenings at 5:30, Saturday mornings at 10am (two separate groups.) Be ready to join the Brotherhood of Iron!

Barbell Bettys - The Sisterhood that became a cult following.  Once you're a Betty, there's no going back; you're a Betty for life.  They're everywhere: on facebook, out for dinner, and all over the record board.  Get stronger.  Crank up your metabolism.  Be proud.   Be beautiful. Be a Betty.  Starts January 11 and 14th (Monday and Thursday are two separate groups.)  Both groups will focus on perfection of foundational skills.  7pm at the Park.

 Catalyst Teens - Take all the best elements of gymnastics, sprinting, jumping, pullups, pushups, and weightlifting, and throw them in a blender.  Catalyst kids get faster, stronger, and better coordination in a fun, achievement-based environment.  It's not uncommon for coaches to cheer themselves hoarse (ahem.)  Starts January 12 and 13th (two different groups.)  7pm at the Park.

Santana's Smouldering Bike Group - January 12. For one hour per week, we turn the Queen Street gym over to John Santana.  It's his job to make you a better cyclist.  Bring your own bike; we'll supply the trainer on which to mount it.  $80 for six weeks, 6pm on Queen Street.

The Pilates Rebounder - January 13.  Wednesdays at 1pm at the Queen Street location.  Call 253-9212 to get signed up!

(don't forget: Fire, Police and Military personnel get FREE access to CrossFit groups during Heroes Week!)

Fraternity Barbell

Two brothers were walking through our run course for the 2009 Catalyst Games when they came across a bear. The bear turned toward them, began to walk, and then to canter. It was obvious that the bear was not coming to them; it was coming at them. The first brother drops to the ground and starts tightening his shoelaces. The second brother says, "Are you nuts? There's a bear coming! We've gotta run!" First guy: "I don't need to outrun the bear, buddy. Just gotta outrun you."

...such is brotherhood.

You can't call us 'war buddies,' but we've all shared some common battles: with our work. With our cars. Sometimes, with our women. Sometimes with the big blue sky. We've all jammed our hands deep in our pockets and kept silent when we really wanted to bark. We've skinned our knuckles, alone, refusing help; we've been unable to explain to our women why. But other guys know.

Lifting weights is a solitary pursuit. There are no grooves on a 20kg bar to mark a partner's place.

Part of a man's birthright is accountability. Simple black-and-white. Either it runs, or it doesn't. Either the bar goes up, or it stays on the floor. The family has a Christmas goose this year, or it goes hungry. It's a yes, or it's a no. Keep it simple.

Sometimes a nod is enough; a weak handshake can never be; actions speak louder than words. It's time to take our place at the table.

Fraternity Barbell Club starts January 13, 2010.

Coaches: Tyler Belanger, Mitch Fryia

Wednesdays at 5:30pm, Saturday mornings at 10am (two different groups)

$80 for 6 weeks (members) or $128 (non-members)

What you'll get:

• Great coaching
• Weekly program to follow
• Stronger
• ...your hands dirty
• ....out of the house

Youth Holiday Speed and Power Camps!

This Christmas, give your kid something you can't fit in a stocking: speed.  Give them more prowess at sports; give them an athletic boost. Give them a two-step head start.

This year, if you're under 19, you have an amazing opportunity to improve POWER and SPEED while your opponents (and maybe, parents) are getting fat. One hour per day for five days, you'll train your heart out with Mike Watson at the Park. You'll jump, you'll throw, you'll push and pull and carry. You'll emerge from the five-day cocoon as a more powerful athlete in every way.

You'll learn:

Proper running technique (POSE posture and stride method)

Introduction to weightlifting (using appropriate loads for each age group,)

Anaerobic capacity (HIIT) workouts

Core Strength - Acceleration - Mobility - Foot Speed

 YOUTH SPEED AND POWER DEVELOPMENT CAMP

DECEMBER 28 - JANUARY 1 - INDUSTRIAL PARK LOCATION

10am - Boys Aged 10-13

11am - Girls Aged 10-13

1pm - Men Aged 14-19

2pm - Women Aged 14-19

FEES:

$50 - first participant

$45 - second child (sibling only)

(we reserve the right to combine classes if necessary.)

REGISTRATION: 256-1344!

Return Of The Betty

NEW Thursday group added!  7pm starting November 19!

"I am strong.  I am beautiful."

This was the mantra given to 17 women in our Barbell Bettys group on October 5.  What started as a private instructional group for women on the ways of the barbell has turned into a loud scrum.  Every Monday and Thursday night, women do the unthinkable:

They put chalk on their hands.

They lift weights that aren't even pink.

They - on purpose! - sometimes sweat.  Right through their t-shirts!

And get this: they don't even wear gloves!

Yes, there are strong ribbons of femininity running through those layers of concrete: headbands, knee socks, lululemon.  Stretchy pants and pink shoelaces come crashing up against loud music, yelling, and personal best deadlifts.

If women need anything in life, it's strength.  This is true whether we prefer it to be, or not.  To further paraphrase Coach Rip: Strong is why we are here.

Men are naturally stronger.  But you've heard the old joke, right?  About Grace Kelly doing everything Fred Astaire could do, but backwards and in high heels?  Well, here's the thing, gentlemen: while you're thinking, "Gotta get this PR.  Gotta crank.  C'mon, grip and rip, baby!" a woman has to also think, "Would my grandma tell me not to lift weights?  How does my butt look while I'm deadlifting?  Is my hair going to fall in my eyes while that bar's going overhead? Is my boyfriend going to make fun of me again tonight?  Are my muscles going to look too prominent?  Should I care? What if I get calluses from this?  Will I have to do the 'full shower' before returning to work, or can I get away without redoing my hair?"  

All this, while lifting stuff that most men wouldn't attempt.  In the last month, we've had a 300 deadlift; we've had a 185lbs back squat for 3 reps; we've had bench presses over 130lbs.  Soon, the Bettys will be throwing Cleans around; bouncing Snatches off the platforms; locking Jerks overhead.  Soon, they'll compete in their first Powerlifting Meet, live and on a world stage.  

Further reading: One Woman's Request (CrossFit Watertown, by Lisbeth Darsh)

The Return of Strong Women (Catalyst Gym, Coach Coop)

Primal Strength Training for Women (Mark's Daily Apple)

6 Weeks - Mondays at 7pm - Park location - Starts November 16

$80 - Members; $125 - Non-members (includes membership for the length of the course)

To register: 256-1344