We had another awesome week of classes. So many new faces and aching thighs. Here are some pictures of people getting some. Enjoy.

There are only a few more days of free classes. Sign up for the founding membership before it's too late.

This should answer all your questions about CrossFit.

Wow! What a great week it has been. Thanks to all of you that came down and trained so hard with us this week. We want to especially thank all of those people that already signed up as founding members. Thanks for bringing your friends and thanks for helping us to grow this community.

Keep sending us emails and posting your comments. We appreciate and need all the feedback so we can continue to improve and grow.

Enjoy the photos:

Now it's a reality!!! The Black Box is open. We had 2 athletes show up for the 7 am and 10 for the 12:30 class. I taught two privates there today and evening classes just ended and I'm sure they were awesome. Waiting for Josh's report.

Remember we are still on ON-RAMP mode so we kept the WOD very simple today.

070115
Max Reps Push Ups test
1 min Max Reps Squat test
3 min Max Reps Walking Lunge test
3 min Max Reps 24kg KB Deadlift test

Just feeling people out for the first few weeks. Check out the picks.

And away we go!

This Saturday, from 10am-5pm, we'll be holding an open house at the brand newly opened Black Box. Stop by, log a Tabata Squat score, and schmooze it up with your soon-to-be workout buddies.

Then, starting Monday, classes will be up and running. Come on down.

We've started moving in equipment, but are also eagerly awaiting shipments (bumper plates! rubber flooring! bumper plates!), getting plans for our giant pull-up contraction checked for structural integrity, and getting ready to paint (the black box right now being gleamingly white.)

Get some, go again.

Huge thanks to the many folks who are already jumping in as Founding Members. As we wrote previously, a founding membership costs $750, and includes all-you-can-eat membership (as many classes as you'd like) through all of 2007, for the price of five months membership. Plus, we throw in a Founding Member hoodie and put your name on the wall.

Please consider signing up, to help us get this gym off the ground!

Founding Membership, $750

Update: As more than a few people were confused, the Founding Memberships are mainly targeted at people who have already been working out with CFNYC in other locations, and know they want to support the gym. If you're new, not only are classes free in January, but there are month-by-month memberships (as explained in the sidebar) at much lower price points.

Friends-

Happy new year! We had, per our last post, hoped to already have the Black Box open by now. However, winter vacations on the part of apparently everyone we needed to talk to in the insurance, leasing, equipment, etc., worlds set us slightly back.

Nonetheless, we're now on schedule to open the Black Box next week.

As a lead-up to that, we wanted to provide a bit more information on two topics that a slew of folks have emailed to ask about: schedules and fees.

Schedule:

M-F 7am
12:30pm
7pm
8pm
S, Su 10:30am

Each class will follow one of two different formats: "WOD" classes, which will be full-blast group work outs, and "On-Ramp" classes, which will focus more on form, and on scaling up to CrossFit intensity.

Everyone coming in the door will be obligated to start with On-Ramp classes, and graduate up to WOD classes by trainer permission. For the first week or two, therefore, every class will be an On-Ramp class. Depending on the mix of folks that have accumulated by then, we'll break the schedule down into a mix of WOD and On-Ramp classes starting in week three.

Two other notes about scheduling: On Saturday afternoons, we'll shortly be adding in a standing RKC kettlebell focused class, as well as a CFNYC league, where people will have the chance to form up into gender-mixed teams of three, then compete against other teams on WOD times, weights, etc.

Then, for Sunday afternoons, we'll be announcing a series of seminars - Eva T.'s CrossFIt for skiers, olympic lifting, nutrition, etc., etc.

For further info on that all as it comes together, check in here, as the site will be evolving over the next month or two to something that makes tracking schedules a bit easier.

Fees:

Next up, how much does it cost? This was a tough one for us, because we wanted to balance our desire to keep the Black Box accessible to anyone with our need to cover overhead on space in a city with some of the world's highest real estate prices.

So, in short, if you're totally broke, talk to us about financial aid. Otherwise, please look at the cost as you chipping in and helping to build the institution.

We'll be offering two fee plans: an 'all you can eat' that allows you to hit as many classes as you want, and a 'pay as you go' that has a small overhead fee and then charges by class. More precisely:

A La Carte: $40 / month + $20 / class
All You Can Eat: $150 / month (this includes the monthly fee plus unlimited classes).

Since our 'beta' month of December got lost, we'll be offering all classes in January for free instead.

However, during this month, we're also offering / begging you to take a special year-long membmership deal for 'founding members', to help underwrite the cost of opening the gym - something we've, thus far, been paying for out-of-pocket ourselves.

Founding Members: $750 / year

That's 11 months of all-you-can-eat membership for the cost of 6. Plus, your name on the wall and a Founding Member hoodie. Yes, we realize that's totally cheesy. But hopefully in a good way. And we could really use your shows of support, because GHDs sure as hell ain't cheap.

So, that's that. We'll be posting shortly to announce the first day of classes (which, again, should be some point next week). After that, check in on the website for information on scheduling, events, etc., etc.

We can't wait.

Josh, Keith, Court & Mike
CFNYC / The Black Box