I’m not a fan of the day. There’s a lot of other things going on in a lot of other places but when they shut down the street and play live bands in front of your building you’d be a hooser not to invite people in. Dansville is hosting the Art and Music Extravaganza on August 7th, with live bands and all kinds of crafts for the kids and deliciously unhealthy food options. Sounds fun, but the kicker is that they shut down the section of Ossian St that we now call home and they set up the bands right in front of the building. So the plan is… if you don’t have other plans, come down and show off your stuff. There will be a long and hopefully fun Chipper that show cases a lot of the different movements that we do. The bands play from 10 in the morning till 10 at night so if you have any free time during those hours come on down. This invite goes out to the Geneseo and Rochester folks too. The more, the merrier.
R.S.V.P by email, phone, or text
Here’s some shots of a new game called Bottleneck. 2 people each start with a pile of medballs on their side of a pullup bar. On the command GO, each one tries to get all the balls onto the other persons side by throwing them over the pullup bar. First person to clear their side wins. Simple enough, but when the other person throws a ball onto your side you now have to get it back over to theirs to win. It’s fast past and as usual… harder than it looks. Good times though. Katie was the undisputed champion. She even gave me a run for my money.
Another fun day in D-ville. We popped our main street cherries and took some kettlebells outside. We may be in a bigger place, but we’re still spilling out into the sidewalks. It’s only awkward until the burpees kick in. And all those people watching may smile, but inside they feel like lazy sacks.
Although I’ll always remember the garage fondly, it’s nice to have room for 8 people to toss barbells and jump rope without fearing for their lives. We’ve been having some fun playing with the Crossfit Games Workouts this week. You can watch archived footage of the events HERE. Just scroll down to the bottom left and pick an hour to watch. It’s some really motivating/scary stuff.
Here’s some pictures of the first few workouts in the new place. Hey there Geneseo peeps, don’t be afraid to stop in for good time.
Huge thanks to all those who sacrificed time and effort to make it happen. The gym is a long way from done, but it’s open and it’s awesome. The garage is once again just a garage and all workouts will be in the new place. You can find directions HERE. We’ll be breaking it in with a killer workout that takes advantage of all the new space, high ceilings, and the 14 pullup bars. Jess and Mike have already taken it for a spin and when they could talk again, they had good things to say. Stay tuned for video and a grand opening party (most likely Aug 7th)
Coming down to the wire now. Had a few hiccups with the gas company and the water lines, but it’s all coming together. If we pass the inspection tomorrow we’re all set to move. Had a lot of help again this past weekend. We got the all the big stuff moved, the floor is down, the pullup bars are up, the back door is in, the walls are painted, the bathroom is pretty, and the sign is up. We just need some people sweating in there and it’ll be a gym. The garage is looking pretty baron, but we’re still stuck here for now. Crossfitters make due, and we’re certainly not hurting for good workouts. You can do a lot with an empty garage. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know when we get the green light.
Big thanks to Steph and her daughter, Mike, Denise, Kim and her daughter, Numbers from Geneseo, Michelle, Sammy, Don, and Jess for all the help yesterday. Many hands make light work, but many Crossfit hands make work run and hide. We got a lot accomplished and I appreciate the effort. If things go well this week we may be ready to move next weekend.
This list is full of movements that are hard. Movements that are hated by most of you. Movements that suck the wind from your lungs and the power from your muscles. Movements that make you feel weak, uncoordinated, and out of shape. Movements you wouldn’t do if you didn’t come here. No one (except Steph) enjoys the feelings that come during workouts. No one likes the uncertainty of holding down their breakfast, the risk of raking their shins on that next box jump, or the realization that you’re totally spent when you’re only half way done. But we suffer through every last rep and come out the other side better for it. Stronger, faster, more coordinated and more capable. Taking the easy way out and avoiding your weakness will leave glaring holes in your abilities and sooner or later invite injury. We all have movements that we pray never come up… and it’s usually because we suck at them.
Well, those movements aren’t going anywhere so you better embrace the shitty feelings, roll up your sleeves and improve yourself. I’m a small guy and I avoided anything heavy for my first 2 years of crossfit. When you do your own programming it’s easy to steer clear of things that make you uncomfortable. Once you commit to regular exposure… the hard things get less hard. Progress may be slow, and it may never be “easy” but avoiding difficult tasks is the best way to ensure they remain difficult. Face your fears, embrace the suck, and conquer your weakness. No one will do it for you.
I hate overhead squats, because they hurt and I’m not good at them. But I have a goal to complete 15 reps at my bodyweight. In my quest to achieve that mark, I’ve gained a tolerance for the movement. I don’t enjoy them, but it doesn’t bother me when they come up in a workout. They’ve gone from hated, painful and avoided to just another tool in the box.
Here’s a 30lb personal record overhead squat - 215lbs
