Tuesday 080930

Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Post loads to comments.

Thanks to all of our members who made it out to last night's Z-Health Seminar with Dr. Eric Cobb and Kathy Mauck. See the entire photoset on my Flickr page.

Kurt rocks!
We want more old people!
Fitness meets feminism
Thick-handle dumbbells (including DIY)
Paleo vs. Type-1 Diabetes
I want YOU to eat your vegetables
Alice Waters on honest family food values
Tough Enough / Women entering the world of MMA
The Mic'd Instructor: the kipping pullup part 1, the kipping pullup part 2
"Caleb" (via)

Don't forget that tonight is the free 2-hour Z-Health Seminar with Z-Health founder, Dr. Eric Cobb. I cannot emphasize strongly enough what a great opportunity this is. Hope to see you all here tonight at 6pm!

7am and 12:30pm classes will be doing the following rest-day WOD:

Monday 080929

"Marshall Law"
21, 15, 9 reps of the triplet:

Stiff Leg Deadlifts 115#
Overhead squats 95#
Snatches 55#

For good measure do 21 situps and 21 pushups in between the rounds.

Post time to comments.

Eight ways to lower your testosterone
Hamstrung
I want your antibodies
Brian D. on extremes of training
My big fat Greek diet
Announcing the 2009 CrossFit Games
Gymnastics seminar with The Beast himself (in VA)

Manhattan Elements #20, post-"Fight Gone Bad" (they don't look too rough, considering). From left to right: Ryder, Jacob, James, Matt, Joe.

IMPORTANT: TODAY'S MANHATTAN CLASSES RELOCATED TO OUR BROOKLYN LOCATION! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

Sunday 080928

Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 reps

Post loads to comments.

Cook with this, Part 2
Berkeley Fire Department Health and Wellness Program

Gavin practices the kettlebell snatch for "Kettlehell" this past week.

IMPORTANT: TODAY'S AND TOMORROW'S MANHATTAN CLASSES RELOCATED TO OUR BROOKLYN LOCATION! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

Saturday 080927

Four rounds for time of:
Run 400 meters
50 Squats

Post time to comments.

Compare to 080714.

Why we exercise
Apple picking near the Big Apple
Pamela MacElree on focus

A final lagniappe for "Pullup Week"...

Back when Erica broke her arm a few months ago, she was back at the Box hitting the WODs every day, working around her injury. Here we see her doing one-armed jumping pullups. How effin' badass! (Photo courtesy of Dan R.)

IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE OUR SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR THIS WEEKEND! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

Friday 080926

30 Muscle-ups for time

Post time to comments.

If you cannot do the muscle-ups do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips.

Compare to 080801.

"Crossfit has been able to get women who would never see themselves as lifters to lift weights"
And you thought burpees were bad... Say hello to the "maneater"
Perfect game show for crossfitters to compete in?
Kettlebellin' for strength
Steroids: the benefits are permanent, the ban should be, too
Cake torture
Coach Josh explains it all

In our final installment of "Pullup Week," I wanted to talk just a minute about the metaphysical implications of being able to do an unassisted pullup. I'm convinced that what feels so amazing about your first pullup is that you're literally pulling your own weight. Humans want to feel important, necessary, capable, and able. Every time you go for a pullup, you either get up there or you don't. And then your response to that fact says a lot about you--do you keep trying if you didn't get up there? And if you did get up there, are you satisfied or do you want more reps and/or to be able to lift more weight?

Gillian's weighted pullups, as part of a Heavy Fran WOD:

Craig_Cinci goes for a 1RM weighted pullup:

So tell us yours today. In our continuation of "Pullup Week", I'm opening the comments up to ask each and every one of you to tell us about the pullup(s) that challenged you--was it getting your first dead-hang pullup? your first kipping pullup? your first L-pullup? or your first weighted pullup that was more than a measly 2 or 3 pounds? or perhaps it was the first time you did 20 pullups in a row? Do tell us in the comments.

REMINDER: Beginners' and regular WOD classes for this Saturday and Sunday are being re-located to our Brooklyn location. Click here for details!

Thursday 080925

"KettleHell"

5 rounds for time of the following movements:

20 deadlifts
20 sumo deadlift high pulls
20 2-arm swings
10 right-arm swings
10 left-arm swings
10 right-arm snatches
10 left-arm snatches

Post weight of kettlebell and time to comments.

Compare to 070503.

Should be an Onion story: PETA urges Ben & Jerry's to dump dairy and go with human milk instead
Criminal tastes: An illegal supper
From New York soil, the taste of home
New salvo in Splenda skirmish
Top 10 fall vegetables
Modest luxuries for lean times
French cuisine, exalted by chefs as a world treasure
Soda ban in schools has little impact
Debbie Does Salad: The Food Network at the frontiers of pornography (SFW)
Review of "The Hamburger: A History" / The best sliders in NYC
These cookies taste great (a lot like a macaroon), are low in sugars and starches, gluten-free, and a great source of energy (plus an update to the recipe)

Bad Sam demos for us the strange visual effects imparted by a super-fast kipping pullup. (Photo taken at our Brooklyn location, courtesy of Keith.)

from Hari Singh, co-owner of CFNYC:

The following five Manhattan classes will be held at our Brooklyn location (817 Metropolitan Ave.--take the L train to Graham Ave.):

10:00 AM Saturday, September 27 Beginners' Class
11:00 AM Saturday, September 27 WOD Class
12:00 PM Saturday, September 27 Elements Workshop

10:00 AM Sunday, September 28 Beginners' Class
11:00 AM Sunday, September 28 WOD Class

Six months ago, we had expected that we would be in our permanent location by early fall. Back then, we committed to hosting a "Z Health" Certification. We need to honor this obligation.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

We will pick up the drop-in charge for any Manhattan member chooses to make up one or more of the three re-located WOD's at MidCity gym.

On a more positive note, we now expect to be in our new permanent location on or before December 1, 2008. Details to follow.

In addition, a positive benefit of this Z-Health Certification being scheduled this weekend is that Dr. Cobb, the founder of Z-Health, has been kind enough to offer us a free 2-hour Z-Health Seminar on Monday, September 29th to all of our members in good standing (no drop-ins please). Because Monday is a scheduled rest day, we decided to take the opportunity to offer this rare opportunity to learn more about Z-Health from Dr. Cobb himself. We had initially been planning on doing the "Marshall Law" WOD and will still offer that option at our 7am and 12:30pm classes. Any members should feel free to attend either or both the earlier WOD and the Z-Health 2-hour seminar. Be sure to arrive promply at 6pm, thanks.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE NOTE OUR SCHEDULE CHANGES FOR THIS WEEKEND! CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS.

Wednesday 080924

"Nicole"

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups

Post number of pull-ups completed for each round to comments.

Compare to 070927.

As we continue to bring you "Pullup Week"™ here at the CFNYC blog, I now want to present Audrey's story of where she came from to get her very first pullup. I've lightly edited what she wrote for clarity:

I don't take this "milestone" too seriously, so don't let all this info give you the wrong impression. Here are the "stats" to get them out of the way before my long email:

• I think I have really only lost about 12 lbs
• I think I have dropped about 3 dress/pants sizes
• I still haven't done more than about 10 pullups in a day
• This basically took about 4 straight months of CrossFit 3 days on one off, or 5 months since Elements

I started [at CFNYC in the March '08 Elements] using "Clifford" [the big red band--the strongest one]. I pretty much couldn't do jumping pullups either, because I was so short and needed the huge box with a 45-lb plate on top. If you remember, my "Fran" took about 25 minutes or something and you [Allison] had to help me get upward momentum making sure my feet didn't shoot forward [from the resistance of such a strong band]. Ah, memories.

So, lots of time on the red band, then the green band and finally the blue...

I also tried negatives a few times, did a few knees to elbows to work on grip strength and pretty much took a long time in every work out that had pullups. I also just came to the WODs all the time. For some reason, for a while I didn't really try to do one though.

Anyway, there was a pullup bar that was really short on this jungle gym at the beach, which seemed perfect for me. The person I was with said they thought they could do it with the chin up grip, so I just tried it that way. I barely got going and then had to kick my legs about 5 times, but my chin made it over the bar. A couple weeks later or something, I did about four of those in total for the Tabata work out. Now, I can do the dead hang with both grips really, though the regular fades fast. This is way more than you need... Anyway, I guess on to kipping.

Until I get a really good picture of Audrey mid-pullup, this photo will have to do. I like her determination in it:

Chip Conrad on the dojo concept
You down with GPP? Yeah you know me
What if exercise made you ugly?
Food vs. nutrients
Try a tri
Bike accidents decline as ridership increases
How to fatten your liver
Willpower in a flash: the photo diet
How do users read on the Web? They don't.

Tuesday 080923

For time 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and 5 rep rounds of:
Virtual shoveling
Push-ups

With an Olympic bar holding only one plate (men use 45 pound plate, women use 25 pound plate), touch the plate on one side of the barrier then the other for one "rep." Barrier is 24".

Post time to comments.

Compare to 051003.

Again Faster's Jon Gilson interviews Jeff Tucker (long, excellent read)
Gourmandism and beauty
What is CrossFit? (great video to show your non-CF friends)
Shoes--cushioning doesn't matter?
A Malaysian burger for Ramadan / Korean hot dogs
CF San Fran makes the case for not constantly dropping the weights just because you can

Continuing with our Pullup Week series, let me now present Michelle (she of the famous "cocktail arms") doing weighted pullups that also double as a fashion statement. I love that we always find a way to make things work at the Box, whether we have specific equipment for a given activity or no.

I also love that with weighted pullups, you can start with as little as a 1/4 pound fractional plate in your pocket and go up from there. CrossFit is all about scaling to what you as an individual can do. Pushing your own specific limits so that you're always challenged and never bored.

I've decided to declare this week "Pullup Week"--all the photos on the blog this week will be of our members doing various types of pullups--strict, kipping, weighted, L-pullup, etc.

Why? Because one of the things I love about CrossFit is the primal quality of our movements. There's nothing like getting your first pullup. A million and one lat pulldowns will never feel the same.

And while many crossfitters who were strong athletes before they ever started CF have had pullups for awhile now and perhaps take them for granted, we have plenty of newbies who come through our door who never dreamed of being able to do a pullup. And we get them there. And it feels awesome. So, welcome to Pullup Week!

Monday 080922

"Isabel"

For time:
Snatch 135 pounds, 30 reps

Use 95 pounds, 65 pounds or broomstick as needed and post time and load to comments.

Compare to 071102.

There's always a way to make pullups harder. Who can identify this crossfitter by his legs and how much weight he's pulling up?

What separates our gym from every other gym on the planet?
Why Olympic lift? Better movement!
Why almost all diet and exercise programs are fads and not good for you
Latvian kettlebell juggling video
Chocolate is good for you (part 3)
Band action!
It's not information overload. It's filter failure. (video)

Another blast from the CFNYC past. In this case, invented for you by Coach Court (hence the name of the WOD)...

Sunday 080921

"Full Court Press"
5 rounds for time:

25 Sotz Presses (weight ranging from PVC pipe up to 45#)
15 situp + medicine ball pass/catch (variable weight)
10 One legged deadlifts with dumbbells or KBs (variable weight)

Post weights used and time to comments.

More Court than you can handle...

Don't forget, every weekend, we do free beginners' classes at 10am and regular Workout of the Day classes at 11am.

Saturday 080920

For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders

Post time to comments.

Compare to 080720.

Happy birthday to Phil, one of our newest members!

Constantly varied zombies
Get down with the dog!

Juan works the Hostile Workout Environment, cowboy style. (Send me your interesting CFNYC t-shirt-wearing photos for possible inclusion on the blog.)

Friday 080919
Run 5 K

Post time to comments.

Compare to 080810.

As usual when HQ calls for a 5K run, other options abound at the Box, including row a 5k or do a make-up of one of this week's WODs. Come on down and get some!

Kettlebell immersed
Seth Roberts on treadmill desks
Why overhead squat?
Egg purchasing guide

Thursday 080918

"Grace"

135 pound Clean and Jerk, 30 reps

Use 95 pounds, 65 pounds or broomstick as needed and post time and load to comments.

Compare to 080129.

The illusion of fitness: lies we want to believe
EC & Samantha of CF Boston do "Man Grace" (i.e., men's weight "Grace")
Failure can be an amazing learning experience - if you allow it to be.
Superfood or monster from the deep?
Gillian speaks!
Learning how to think really means learning how to exercise some control over how and what you think.
Instead of eating to diet, eating to enjoy

photo credit: Tyler Durden

ELEMENTS UPDATES!

Tonight begins the next Manhattan-based Elements Workshop cycle of classes (Manhattan Elements #21 with Josh Newman--Wednesdays 8pm/Saturdays at noon). We still have a spot left in that class--sign up today and come in tonight and join us.

In addition, we've just scheduled the next Manhattan Elements Workshop--Elements #22 will meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 9-10pm with Court Wing as the instructor. The dates for that workshop are September 29, October 2, 6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23. Reserve your place now.

(Don't forget we're still taking enrollment for Brooklyn Elements #3. Sign up today!)

* * * * *

Continuing with our Rest Day Blasts from the Past series of CFNYC-created WODs, today we present the following:

Wednesday 080917

"Scott's Mom"

Max reps in a single long, long set:

Overhead Squat
Front Squat
Back Squat

Workout ends when the bar touches the floor - including between exercises!

Rest, then, max reps in a single set again:

Press
Push Press
Push Jerk

Same weight for both halves, benchmark of 95# men, 65# women.

Post reps and "your mama" jokes to the comments.

Click here for schedule of upcoming Rest Day WODs.

Justin split jerks heavy up at CF Boston earlier this summer. (courtesy of CFV)

99 ways to die
Pam MacElree on sports vs. fitness
Ninja kid video / Ninja cat video
One-arm pushups (and their variations)--tutorial from Beast Skills
Why "snack packs" don't help you lose weight
6 food mistakes parents make

Did you know our next Elements Workshop starts this Wednesday, September 16th? Sign up now before it sells out!

And if you're looking to train out in Brooklyn, we have Brooklyn Elements #3 beginning on September 30th!

Tuesday 080916

"Michael"

Three rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
50 Back Extensions
50 Sit-ups

Post time to comments.

Compare to 080726.

Fin: The last days of fish (via)
Who you aren't doesn't define who you are
Gillian does "Linda." (Again, faster.) (via)
Visiting family: primal compromises and grain alternatives
CFV on The Creative Habit
100 very cool facts about the human body

Erica in the process of creating a sweat angel out at our B3 location. (via)

Monday 080915

"Fran"

Three rounds, 21-15- and 9 reps, for time of:
95 pound Thruster
Pull-ups

Post time to comments.

Compare to 080724.

Happy birthday to Tom (a.k.a. "O.T."), who celebrated on Saturday and whose actual birthday day was on Sunday the 14th. I told him I'd save him the official Black Box wishes for today since we get our biggest traffic during the week, and especially on Mondays. So please wish Tom well in the comments. (Photo courtesy of Tyler Durden, taken out at our Brooklyn location.)

New Yorkers are neurotic and unfriendly, says Cambridge University 'personality map' (via)
Physicists tell us how much faster Usain Bolt could have gone
Make your own energy bars / Make your own protein powder formulation
Doggy fitness! (via)
The grip of man
Seven is angry, sadly (via)
Consider the Lobster, Federer as religious experience, by David Foster Wallace

Sunday 080914

"The Chief"
Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

Post rounds completed for each of the 5 cycles.

In honor of today's WOD: "Big Chief"-- Dr. John, Professor Longhair, Earl King, The Meters
Scary, isn't she?
Factory-farmed vs. wild salmon
A world with oil at $125 per barrel, gasoline at $4 per gallon, and corn at $6 per bushel seemed unthinkable five years ago.
An exercise in futility (via)
A tart that's sweet, yet savory

Hey not-yet-crossfitting lurkers (we know you're out there!)...

Don't forget, every Saturday and Sunday morning at 10am we offer free beginners' classes at the Manhattan location of the Black Box (you can also find free beginners classes at our Brooklyn location). If you're considering signing up for an Elements Workshop, please come try a beginners' class to make sure CrossFit NYC is right for you (and feel free to keep coming to beginners' classes while you're doing Elements!

And now, to our CrossFit NYC members...

We've decided to take a temporary hiatus from the Rest Day Seminars in favor of some blasts from the CFNYC/Black Box past. Saturday's Workout of the Day class at 11am will be tackling the following:

Saturday 080913

"Man Overboard"

3 rounds, 1 minute rest between each:

250m row (the rower serves as "timekeeper"--rotate when each rower finishes)
ring dips
KB swing
pullups
DB thrusters

Score one point per rep. (No points accrue while rowing.) Post score to comments.

Compare to 060504.

Upcoming Rest Day WOD Schedule:
Wednesday, September 17: "Scott's Mom"
Sunday, September 21: "Full Court Press"
Thursday, September 25: "KettleHell"
Monday September 29: "Marshall Law" (7am, 12:30pm), FREE Z-Health 2-Hour Seminar with Z-Health founder, Dr. Eric Cobb (from 6-8pm, open only to members in good standing)
Friday, October 3: Baseline test (taken from Petranek Fitness)
Tuesday, October 7: "Burping Fran" (21-15-9 of BB thrusters, pullups and burpees)

Moving for time: Craig, Good Sam, Juan, and Zach help Court move

Obsessing over healthy diets: a new eating disorder
Manhattan gets a mozzarella bar

Friday 080912

Clean and Jerk 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Post loads to comments.

NY Road Runners' Fifth Avenue Mile race--who's in?
Can you lose weight if you exercise on a bad diet?
Portion size, then and now
Krispy creme bacon cheeseburgers (WTF?!)

RECENT ELEMENTS WORKSHOP GRADUATES!

left to right, the grads of Manhattan Elements #16: Kenny L. Daniel L., Andrew W., Paul B.

Brooklyn Elements Workshop #2, from left to right: Craig, Nicole, Grace, Thea, and Ryan

If you're thinking of signing up for an Elements Workshop in either Manhattan or Brooklyn, now would be the time. Click here to sign up!

Thursday 080911

Hero workout of your choice.

Post Hero and results to comments.

Maimed on 9/11, trying to be whole again
The towers of memory, before and after
Another Iraqi casualty of war: Their waistlines
It looks like high fructose corn syrup manufacturers are getting a little nervous
Building an Olympic body
Wrist pushups are an essential pre-hab element that needs to be included in all advanced bodyweight workouts (video)
Culture shapes how people see faces
Burger Club New York (and check their Google map!)

Wednesday 080910

Five rounds for max reps of:
Body weight bench press
Pull-ups
Body weight back squat

Post reps for all three exercises in all rounds.

Managing your way to mediocrity
Do I look fat in these genes?
Sweaty people "less asthma prone" (via)
10 primal meals in 15 minutes or less
A hidden benefit of self-experimentation
Flour that has the taste of home

Tuesday 080909
Rest Day Seminar: How to pace a CrossFit workout
Discussion, strategy, and optional WOD

Hari asked to do a re-do of this topic with the idea that anyone who came in for the last rest-day seminar could try pacing a different WOD than they did last time.

A practical approach to omega fats
Nuts may, in fact, help avert diverticulitis
"My exercise program"
Diet book insanity: when did eating become this complicated?

Martin's non-CrossFit but nevertheless bad-ass t-shirt:

Monday 080908

Run 3 K

Post time to comments.

Come down to the box for some sort of variant(s) on this workout. Perhaps rowing a 3k...

10 simple steps to motivate a friend (hint: you could also bring them to a free beginners' class!)
Stretching before sport -- OK only if there is also a sport-specific warm-up
Functional tolerance
Do you know squat?
T-Nation on high-bar vs. low-bar squats
Ninja warriors have some crazy-ass grip strength, yo

And speaking of weddings, congrats to Coach Court and his lovely Morgan who just got engaged!

Sunday 080907

"Fight Gone Bad!"

Three rounds of:
Wall-ball, 20 pound ball, 10 ft target (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull, 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump, 20" box (Reps)
Push-press, 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute.The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. On call of "rotate", the athletes must move to next station immediately for best score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Add your points and post them to comments.

Compare to 080625.

CrossFit NYC in the news!

Court just now emailed me this photo from the wedding. Mazel tov, Josh and Jess!

Saturday 080906

"Linda"

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of the triplet:

Deadlift: 1 1/2 body weight
Bench press: body weight
Clean: 3/4 body weight

Set up three bars and storm through for time.

Post time to comments.

Compare to 080303.

Gillian vs. Linda VIDEO!

Friday 080905
Rest Day Seminar: How to pace a CrossFit workout
Discussion, strategy, and optional WOD

Ironmaven's thoughts on strength / Brian D's response to her questions
CrossFit gymnastics cert coming to Mitford, CT! (that's about 70 miles away from NYC)
Addiction doesn't discriminate? Wrong
Yelling at magazines and websites
Overhead squat concepts
When training backfires: hard work that's too hard
Yogurt: not just for breakfast / Middle Eastern spinach with spices and yogurt / Mediterrean yogurt & cucumber salad
Mmmm...burgers

Glad that "Fran" is over: Manhattan Elements #17 class post-"Fran". From left to right: David, Brian, Hilary, and Steve.

Thursday 080904

Deadlift 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Post loads to comments.

Ibuprofen-NSAIDs and endurance (via)
Ironmaven on shoulder health

Wednesday 080903

Back Squat 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Post loads to comments.

Loss of sleep, even for one night, increases inflammation throughout the body
Can you outsmart your genetics?

If you haven't already, take a moment to read Hari's Rest Day Discussion yesterday and leave a comment!

Tuesday 080802

Push jerk 3-3-3-3-3 reps

Post loads to comments.

Compare to 080722.

CrossFit Journal: A Retrospective/Welcome to CrossFit Journal Version 3.0
What's your score on "The Omnivore's 100"? (via)
"Multitasking is the art of distracting yourself from two things you'd rather not be doing by doing them simultaneously."
Should women be allowed to box at the London Olympics?
What IS Olympic weightlifting? (we know, but you can send it to your non-CF friends)
Tommy Kono on the Olympic squat

Remember, no classes today at the Manhattan Box, but Black Box Brooklyn does have a 2pm WOD and post-workout BBQ around 3pm happening. (Feel free to stop by for either or both.) Details here!

REST DAY DISCUSSION by Hari Singh

Rest Night Dinner
Friday, September 5 at 8:00 PM (or when you finish up your workout)

Tentative Location: Il Passatore
(About 100 yards from Black Box Brooklyn)
Excellent Italian food at very reasonable prices
Outdoor backyard seating, if weather permits
Allison is confirming whether they can handle us

Who is in?

Permanent Location Update
We are leaving as little as possible to chance. While we continue the legal process of getting the required permits for our intended location, we are also hedging our bets. We have located a second possible site and are negotiating the terms of a lease.One way or another , it is our intention to be out of our temporary location on or before January 1.

Here are some of the details on the alternate location:

• About ten blocks south of the current temporary location
• Entire third floor (with elevator)
• Very solid construction
• Huge windows on all four sides. Extremely bright.
• Approximately 5000 square feet, most of which is in a rectangle of about 50 feet by 75 feet (about four times our current usable space)
• Three bathrooms, one of which we hope to build out into four individual shower/changing rooms.
• Sufficient space for two Workout of the Day (WOD) classes plus a warm-up area
• Capable of fitting an optimally designed pull-up system approximately 50 feet in length, down nearly one entire side of the space (easily accessible to the warm-up space and both WOD classes)
• Currently available for construction so that we may move in on or before January 1, 2009
• Very expensive, but we will try to go with it, if we cannot get into our intended location by January 1, 2009

We do not want to over-promise, but we do want to tell you what hope to accomplish by Spring 2009 or sooner:

• Enable people to leave the gym ready to arrive or return to work
• Provide sufficient space and equipment for additional private training
• Significantly increase the number of classes
• Possibly two AM classes, or at least open by 6:30 AM, so that those who want to change and get out by 7:30 can do so
• Possibly two lunchtime classes as demand builds
• Possibly start one-hour evening classes every 30 minutes, beginning around 5:30 PM
• Increase weekend hours
• Increase beginners' classes
• Increase equipment (including treadmills)
• Start hosting CrossFit Certs

This project will take a lot time and a lot of money. But we believe in Black Box and we will do everything we can to move forward as quickly as possible.

I will get back in the habit of keeping you updated.

The historic first graduating class of Brooklyn Elements! From left to right: Ryan, Meredith, Sarah, Jeannette, Chris. Photo courtesy of Juan G.

Fitness and the battlefield
Have you started to listen yet?
Fit at 70
CF Endurance calls bullsh*t on Outside Magazine's definition of the fittest
Slow Food Nation begins in SF