Category — People and Community

Attend Olympic Lifting class twice a week, with CrossFit classes sprinkled in? Eat colorful vegetables, pastured meats, a variety of good fats, and eliminate inflammatory foods like sugars, grains, and dairy? Muster up your mojo, your drive to achieve, your inner badass?

Ask Allison. She’s been coming to Oly class regularly for at least six weeks, and even has her own program. A few weeks ago she embarked on a Whole30 and is feeling great. Yesterday was the end of her first training cycle. The result of all this?

Pretty pretty PRs!

New Snatch personal record, 71lbs/32K.

New Clean & Jerk personal record, 98lbs/44.5K

Congratulations, all!

And some good food for thought and further discussion: What Is Your Version of a “Good Workout”? from CrossFit Oakland, and A Sermon on Caution from CrossFit West Santa Cruz. Read and discuss.

This is a guest post from our very own Cookie Monster, Anthony. If you have insight or advice for our fellow members and want to contribute to the blog, let us know!

Last year there was a big brouhaha in Major League Baseball because Yankee All-Star Alex Rodriguez walked across the pitcher’s mound returning to 1st base after a foul ball.  Apparently this is a huge etiquette “no no” and the opposing pitcher was almost comical in his outrage.  Like James Dean discovered on his very first day of school at Dawson High School in Rebel Without a Cause (anyone?), there are unwritten rules everywhere.

CrossFit Santa Rosa is no different.

Prior to a recent WOD, I was unaware that kettlebells are not to be dropped.  With the benefit of hindsight that seems obvious now, but, until a “gentle” reminder from Jo, it simply had not occurred to me.  Afterwards, I suggested that Jo post to the blog about proper equipment care; i.e., the do’s and don’ts.  If folks had a clearer understanding of the rules this could avoid future “gentle” reminders.  In that spirit, here are some rules to consider…

• If you’re not early, you’re late. Give yourself enough time to change and warm-up before class starts.  Those of you with smaller bladders may also want to reserve some time for a bathroom trip.  There is a five burpee per minute penalty past class start time.

• Introduce yourself. Initial classes may seem intimidating.  Let’s make newbies and visitors feel welcome.

• Your mom doesn’t work here. Clean up after yourself.  Be respectful of box and the resources that are provided.  Put back any and all equipment used in warm-ups and/or workouts when the class has ended.

• DNA. Clean up blood, sweat, skin, and spit.  Nobody wants your DNA on them.

• Do you like being smacked around? Neither does the equipment.  EMPTY barbells and kettlebells were not designed to be dropped.

• Don’t cherry-pick. Picking and choosing workouts based on what you want to do will almost guarantee plateauing results.  CrossFit is about being well-rounded, not just showing up on days that you can post a good score.

• Lay off the perfume or cologne. You’re here to get fit, not laid.  Don’t worry about how good you look and smell.  Worry about how well you perform.

• NO COOKIES.

What are other unwritten rules at CFSR?  Please post to Comments.

Please welcome Michael (aka “Stock”) and Brandon to the internship program! Look for these two great guys shadowing, co-teaching, and student-teaching in the On Ramp, privates, and regular CrossFit classes.

Brandon Richardson

Brandon grew up in Santa Rosa and in high school played football and baseball. He is a firefighter and driver/operator with the Calistoga Fire Department, where he has worked for the last seven years, and will complete paramedic training in 2012.

Brandon used to be a member at several “globo-gyms,” but always felt that he was missing intensity and a competitive edge during his workouts. After learning about CrossFit, he began doing CrossFit-inspired workouts at his gym until everyone gathered to stare, and eventually asked what exactly he was doing.  Soon he discovered Crossfit Santa Rosa and the importance of proper nutrition.

Brandon is a Crossfit Level 1 certified trainer and has an Associates of Science in both Fire Technology and Emergency Medicine.  He is a Santa Rosa resident and enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking and hiking.

Michael Stockinger

Born and raised in the East Bay, Michael grew up playing baseball, basketball, and competing on a swim team. That is, until running took center stage in his life. He competed in Cross Country and Track throughout high school, and later, in community college.  Michael attended Sacramento State University where where he joined the Sac State Triathlon Team and received his BA in Journalism/Environmental Studies. After college, Michael trained for and received his Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification and was assigned to work at the Sonoma Coast as a State Parks Ranger.

After a couple of years of being uninspired with his athleticism, he realized that something was missing. He wasn’t feeling healthy and kept getting sick, which led him to discovered the Paleo Diet. He began to practice the Paleo Diet’s principles, and in his  research kept hearing about CrossFit. From there he found Crossfit Santa Rosa. Michael notes that CrossFit is challenging, and every day is a learning experience. He continues to run long distances – faster and stronger than before – and is looking forward to coaching others. He wants to make fitness fun and accessible to everyone, and show people what they can do, from weightlifting to gymnastics.

Congratulations to Brandon for completing the CrossFit Level 1 certification the weekend before last in Santa Clara. Can you spot him? (Hint: Chuck Carswell and Jason Khalipa were instructors.)

Here are the August PRs. Big ups!

And a particularly pretty, meticulously-organized, and oh-so-readable (and useful!) strength training tracker. Guess whose?

In her first month out of the On Ramp and in regular classes, Cori got her first kipping pull ups!

In his first month out of the On Ramp and in regular classes, Eddie showed up for Olympic Lifting class because he knew he wanted to work on the movements that he found most difficult. You make this coach proud, Eddie! Blurry picture, but here he just Snatched 125 lbs.

(For more pictures from the day, please see the CrossFit Santa Rosa Facebook page.)

Michelle's 185 lb Clean (a PR), which earned her a 4th place spot in Event 2.

One hundred female competitors and at least three times as many fans and spectators showed up at Alhambra High School in Martinez on Saturday for Femme Fit 2011: Summer Edition. In the competitor pool were CrossFit Santa Rosa members Carolyn and Michelle.

There were five events in the day. The first was a trail run through the dry and brush-filled hills surrounding the main site. The catch? Competitors did not know the length of the run, even while on the course. They were directed by guides as to the direction of the path, but did not know when it would end. It is estimated that the run was around 3 miles. Carolyn came in 2nd place in her age group in this event.

Carolyn was worried about the Deadlifts in Event 3, but it was the Box Jumps just after Deadlifting that was hard.

Event 2 had athletes establishing a maximum-weight Clean within a 5 minute time period. Michelle’s opening lift of 155 lbs was heavier than most of the women even finished with. By the end of the five minutes, she had successfully cleaned 185 lbs, a ten pound personal record! This put her in a tie with Jenny LeBaw who just finished 6th overall in the 2011 CrossFit Games.

With time left on the clock, Michelle attempted 195 lbs, but the bar got away from her and hit her knee on its way down. Although she iced her knee on and off over the next few hours, the swelling and discomfort caused concern over how she’d be able to handle the rest of the competition. Despite the hurt knee, Michelle powered through Event 3, the deadlift/box jump/Kettlebell workout, in just 6:05.

Athletes take off running up into the hills surrounding the event site. They did not know what the total distance of the run would be; it ended up being about 3 miles.

The last two events of the day were a 100 meter dash (sanctioned by USA Track and Field and monitored with fancy-schmancy stuff: a gun start, a clock with hundredths of a second recording, and a photo finish) followed by a run/sandbag carry/burpee combo. The 100m race was an exciting crowd pleaser, with the top two women in each heat going head to head for a second round. The sandbag carry workout came an hour later, which on the one hand provided the athletes needed rest, but on the other just gave time for the adrenaline levels to drop and fatigue to set in. Still, Carolyn held her own in both of these events, coming second in her age group on the sprint and first in the burpee/sandbag workout.

I don’t think I could be more proud of these two amazing women. Congratulations Carolyn and Michelle! I am so proud of you for choosing to enter this competition, and for giving it your best. Competing can be scary and nerve-racking, but I know that you are better athletes now because of the experience this weekend. Mad props to you both.

When you see these two strong ladies at the box, give a big high five to each of them. They really deserve it.

This weekend, on Saturday, August 13th, both Michelle and Carolyn will be competing in Femme Fit: Summer Edition. I know they’d love to see some of your faces there and hear you cheering for them. Round up a crew to carpool, pack some snacks and sunscreen, and head on down to the East Bay for some or all of the events. Directions to the event can be found on the ‘Location’ tab of the FF website. Please come out and support these two awesome ladies!

This should be a super fun competition to watch, too, as women from all over Northern California will be showing their skills, strength, and stamina. There are five different workouts and 100 competitors. The spots were filled within hours of registration opening.

We’re so proud of these two strong women for taking on this challenge! Show them some love!

Femme Fit – You Vs. from CrossFit Sweat Shop on Vimeo.