Want to build your CrossFit Tool Box?

These useful items help you with some common issues in the gym and beyond- some to help you gain an advantage, some to avoid pitfalls, and some that are just nice to have. I’ll be listing options as “Good”, “Better”, and “Best” as it depends on your preference and budget.

The following are links to products we recommend, some are affiliate links which add no extra cost to you.

GRIPS

We use our hands to address nearly all of the equipment in the gym, from the pullup bars to gymnastics rings, barbells to odd objects, dumbbells & kettlebells, and more. Make sure you have hand protection to avoid more frequent hand care and maintenance. I keep two pairs depending on how serious I’m taking the workout… one for training and one as a backup in case the first pair fails (as the fabric will weaken over time/volume)

Good: Element 26 Iso Grips

Better: Bear Komplex 3-Hole Carbon Hand Grips or Picsil Azor Grips. Either is fine, but you’ll always want as much coverage as possible.

Best: Victory Grips 3-Finger. These have become my favorite brand of grips due to their robust designs and selection of durable materials. Like other grip companies they come in a plethora of cuts, but I’d always suggest a grip that give you a good amount of coverage. For most people a three-hole design would do well, and you don’t have to utilize the holes either (it’s a nice option to have). Four-hole designs seem to almost have too much material in the way if you don’t have it properly sized.

WRIST WRAPS

Sometimes you need a bit of extra support when your technique or tissues aren’t up for the job. In the gym we’re constantly bearing weight on these joints whether it’s a barbell in a rack position, supporting our bodies on the ground, or taking a bell to an overhead position. In an ideal world your flexibility and stamina would be able to bear the loading, but until then you may need these in your bag.

Good: Wrist Wraps – These are the most basic in design and do the job when you need them. Basically you have a long piece of fabric that wraps around the wrist. You simply twist to tighten to your preference.

Better: RockTape Wrist Wraps – This is an intelligent melding of the two most popular types of entry-level wrist wraps. The twist-to-tighten fabric wraps and the stretch-and-tack wraps.

Best: Richmond Weightlifting Wrist Wraps – These leather wraps feature a unique design that feel like the sturdiest wraps I’ve ever used and it gives me a boost of confidence in my heaviest lifts on my not-so-great days.

WEIGHTLIFTING BELT

Learning how to brace your truck to protect your spine are some of the first things we teach our athletes (plank, anyone?). At some point in your CrossFit career you’ll have to develop better bracing habits and a weightlifting belt can help you setup for lifts more consistently. There are only two options on this list. Maybe you’re just paying for the brand as I haven’t had the chance to test the E26 belt, but 2Pood has been around the CrossFit realm for a very long time and are now a sponsor of USA Weightlifting.

Good/Better: Element 26 Self-Locking Weightlifting Belt – This is basically a replica of the 2Pood straight belt, but it came after and the Element26 equipment just doesn’t seem as high-quality (it’s the Titan Fitness to 2Pood’s Rogue Fitness, if you will). Solid enough for most athletes it’ll get the job done when you want to take your weightlifting to the next level.

Best: 2Pood Straight Belt – This is the industry standard now. Those old-school belts with weird shapes aren’t any better because people just don’t know how to use them properly. The velcro on this is probably the best on the market, but with use and time it’ll fade and you’ll have to re-up (though I’ve had mine for about 4 years and it still works like a charm)

PREHAB/REHAB

I’m only going to talk about one particular (dare I say) magical piece of equipment that fits into any bag. My choice comes with two so you can have one that travels with you, and one you can keep at home.

Good/Better/Best: There’s only one choice and that’s the Floss Band.

You can 1.) do shoulder prep, 2.) use it like a Crossover Symmetry for shoulder development, 3.) if you throw a loose knot in you can use it like a jump stretch band, 4.) you can floss your joints and tight muscles for better recovery, 5.) you can use it for squat prep and knee rehab. It’s a miracle tool!

ABS & HAMSTRINGS AT HOME

We say it all the time in the gym: most people have weak butts. Let’s get it stronger with some specialized targeting equipment.

Good: Hamstring Curl Strap. The easiest to setup and second smallest of the bunch.

Better: CAP Roman Chair, basically a baby GHD (Glute Ham Developer). I wouldn’t do volume situps on this (depending on body type), but this is solid for building a bulletproof back and booty.

Best: Booty Bands, to learn how to externally rotate your hip and get those glutes stronger! We use them for preparation, but have you ever done a full workout in these?

WEIGHT VEST

These aren’t necessary at all, but for those who want that extra challenge a weight vest or a ruck would be a great way to overload bodyweight movements to increase difficulty.

Good: Titan Fitness Adjustable Weight Vest. Cheapest but definitely not as comfortable as it could be though it’s modular enough to change how much is weighs. I don’t personally like these vests because of that- where do you store the extra weights when not in use? I also dread that part of it could fail and you could get hurt by a loose brick.

Better: Bear Komplex Weight Vest. It’s great supporting a brand that was born out of and has supported our culture for a long time. While not the most comfortable, it features some nice hardware for fastening and works well for most people.

Best: 5.11 Tactical TacTec Weight Vest. This was the first style of vest popularized for CrossFit competition at the CrossFit Games. It continues to be some of the best because it was designed for actual combat use, keeping mobility and usability in mind. Probably the most secure and most comfortable out of the bunch. I love mine and because it features tons of loop on it you can add all your favorite morale patches.

Stay tuned for Part 2 later this week!

Summer is coming to an end and Fall officially begins next week. There’s no better time to set new fitness goals and learn new things. Join us and we’ll help you stay fit through the winter!

TRY IT OUT

Join us for a free class this Saturday 9/21 at 12 noon! Our Community CrossFit Classes allow athletes to experience what a day in our gym is like before registering. All levels welcome! There is no obligation. You can sign-up here.

READY TO GET STARTED? 

We still have space in our group Foundations On-Ramp Course which begins Tuesday, October 1. In our on-ramp, we’ll teach you all the movements you need to learn to join our regular CrossFit classes.

Choose one of the following series:
– 7:00 AM Tuesdays, Thursdays & 10:00 AM on Saturdays
– 4:30 PM Tuesdays, Thursdays & 10:00 AM on Saturdays
– 7:30 PM Tuesdays, Thursdays & 10:00 AM on Saturdays

This course is 12-classes over 4 weeks, and you’ll be able to sign up for a membership when you’re done!  Click here for details.

ALREADY AN FCF ATHLETE? BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

This is a great time to support the fitness goals of your friends, co-workers, and loved ones. BONUS: Refer a Friend and you’ll receive a $25 $50 credit towards your membership, and your friend will get another $25 $50 as well! That’s a $100 savings…treat yo’self!

We’re going to have guest coach Chelsea coming in to help with the classes at FCF.

Chelsea is a Level 3 CrossFit Trainer and has been around the Seattle CrossFit community for a very long time and plans to open a CrossFit Affiliate in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle in the near future. Follow her on instagram here to see all the cool stuff she’s doing.

She’ll be on in the evening classes on Friday and CompEx on Saturday morning!

Coach Sarah and Colin finally welcomed their baby into the world on Monday, sharing a birthday with Coach Andrew! From the new mama bear:

Colin and I welcomed our baby girl into the world last night!

Leta (pronounced lee-tah) Dean Bleckner was born at 9:34pm, 6 lbs 10.8oz and 19.25 inches long. She came out with her eyes open and pooping!

Labor was long and the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but pushing was a breeze 😉

Thank you all for your love and support 💕

We wish them much happiness with the growth of the family and hope to see them back in FCF soon!

Join us (and thousands of CrossFit affiliates around the world) on Saturday during the 9am, 10am, and 11am classes for SAVED BY THE BARBELL

Saved by the Barbell is an annual, world-wide CrossFit community Labor Day workout and fundraising effort to bring CrossFit to more kids everywhere.

Each year, rates of chronic diseases like type-2 diabetes, obesity, and liver disease – conditions once associated with the sick and elderly – rise among children, from toddlers to teenagers.

And yet each year, more schools reduce their physical education programs. Recess is becoming a thing of the past. Cafeteria food, deeply flawed nutrition education, and sugar-stocked vending machines only contribute to the problem. And schools where children grow up in poverty, food deserts, and disadvantaged communities pose even greater challenges to kids’ health.

Read more here.

DONATE HERE.

Foundation CrossFit Family,

FCF has been my second home for 10 years.. wowza! I’m honored and grateful to have been a part of it all: the very beginning at Greenlake + Lake City, the shared space with Seattle DogWorks + workouts at Cal Anderson, FCF 3.0 (pre-Chophouse Row), and the ever present 1415 12th Ave. So it is bittersweet to announce that I will be stepping away from my full-time coach role.

Getting to know all of you is one of the rewarding parts of being a coach. I love teaching and cheering you on. I enjoy seeing your success/PRs, witnessing failure, seeing even more success/PRs after said failure… this can all count for outside of the gym too! I also got to know some of you by leading nutrition challenges, community events, and our holiday parties. So it is fitting that I will be taking these experiences with me to our neighbor down the street, The Riveter, as Associate Director of Member Development.

It has been a fun, yet challenging, time figuring out my goals/passions/career since becoming a mother. Though I won’t be around as much as I have been (I will still be around — down the line will coach from time to time. Andrew won’t let me go too far, and he’ll be back coaching in the evenings), I’m very excited to start this new journey!

Please continue to be badass!! Continue to cheer each other on, high five one another more, be your authentic selves.. that’s what makes FCF what it is. I feel like I have a lot more to say, but this isn’t a goodbye note so I’ll leave it as is. 🙂

I’m excited to be an athlete alongside you all. My last day of coaching is this Friday 8/17. Come celebrate a special Champagne Friday with me!

All Love,
“The First Lady” of FCF

And just like that, Pride weekend is upon us! We are looking forward to seeing you on Friday for our FREE Pride Community Class! Click HERE to learn how to RSVP for yourself or for family/friends.

There is a sign up sheet at the gym so you can let us know if you’ll participating with us in the parade on Sunday! Check out the logistics below:

Pride Parade, Sunday 6/24

-We will meet on 4th avenue, between Spring Street and Madison Street.
-Meeting time will start at 11:30am and start our march about 12:15pm.
-Wear all of your bright colors + FCF Pride t-shirts (past and present designs)!
-Wear SUNSCREEN!
-Bring a water bottle! Forecast predicts mostly sunny weather in mid-70’s.
-Like previous years, we’ll ask you to had out bracelets and stickers the crowd! We’ll have a handful of light equipment to hold during the march and do some fun fitness stuff for ’em.

As a reminder, we will have our normal Saturday 6/23 classes (9/10/11am) and NO normal classes on Sunday 6/24 (there is an informal 9:30 “swole” class with Andrew).

Today, Friday, June 22nd we are excited to celebrate PRIDE and inclusivity by making all our regularly scheduled classes free and open to EVERYONE!

Classes today are open to members, non-members, experienced, non-experienced athletes. You could be doing CrossFit at a neighboring affiliate or have never exercised before. Depending on your fitness level it can be ‘just sweaty’ or ‘super tough’. No worries- we’ll guide you through it!

At Foundation CrossFit everyone who comes through our doors is considered an athlete regardless of size, age, shape, ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

You can register for a class here.

In lieu of our $25 class drop-in fee, we will be accepting donations to support an organization close to the hearts of two of our own athletes. 100% of the drop-in fees collected today will be given to the GSBA Scholarship Fund, a program of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA).

Can’t make it to class, but would like to donate? Great! You can donate here. We will be collecting donations through the end of June and 100% of everything collected will be given to the GSBA Scholarship Fund.

About the GSBA Scholarship Fund:

  • The GSBA Scholarship is a leadership scholarship for Washington state residents working to move the needle on social change within the LGBTQ community
  • Since 1991 the GSBA Scholarship has given out over $3.4 million dollars in scholarships
  • Invested over $400K in our 2018 scholars
  • Average award in 2018 is $7,700
  • As a part of the GSBA Guarantee they launched in August of 2017 the first phase of the GSBA Leadership Academy bringing together their scholars for a three day immersion weekend to support their growth as our future leaders
  • Scholarship application is launched on National Coming Out Day, October 11th – Closes on at the beginning of January every year

If you’re interested in getting involved and learning more about their scholarship program, let us know and we’ll be happy to connect you.

For more details about the GSBA Scholarship Fund, you can check out their website here and donate directly here.

Have a happy and safe PRIDE weekend! Feel free to join us at the March this Sunday!

ARTICLES

+ What Is Fitness? – by Greg Glassman, founder of CrossFit

CrossFit WOD for Friday 6/22

FIGHT GONE BAD

3 rounds for max total reps:
1:00 wall ball, 20/14# to 10/9′
1:00 sumo deadlift high-pull, 35/25kg
1:00 box jump, 24/20″
1:00 push press, 35/25kg
1:00 calorie row
1:00 rest

Post time to whiteboard!

Every June, many Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer/Questioning (LGBTQ) people celebrate Pride.

The majority of the community use it as a time to celebrate and party! Many (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Queer/Questioning) LGBTQ+ celebrate Pride all month long and while partying is definitely part of Pride festivities, the true purpose of the Pride Parade and celebrations is to commemorate the Stonewall Riots that took place in 1969 in New York City. The very first Pride was a police riot, with the first brick being thrown by trans women of color in defense against abuses perpetrated by homophobic/transphobic cops.

Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera were two key figures during the riots but both went on to devote their lives to gay and trans liberation. Please read on for more information at History Link!

We at Foundation CrossFit view Pride as a celebration, honoring those that fought for us to get here, celebrating love, diversity, acceptance and community. We celebrate Pride because we are proud of our community, proud of our diversity, and proud of how far all of us have come. We celebrate our freedoms and our accomplishments, yet remind ourselves that we need to continue to grow as individuals, as a community, and as a society.

Having taught tens of thousands of classes for over a decade in a Seattle, we’ve learned the deep emotional connections people have between fitness and wellness. People come from considerably different backgrounds and upbringings, yet everyone that walks through our doors is an Athlete in our eyes. Our mission is to deliver professional training to our athletes safely, and empower them with these means to achieve functional strength for life.

Foundation CrossFit firmly believes that everyone deserves an opportunity to learn how to improve their lives through fitness. All people, regardless of race, religion, origination, sexual orientation, gender, or age, are welcome in our space. We have dedicated our programs and ourselves to inspiring fitness in others.

We are doing something NEW this year for PRIDE to celebrate inclusivity: all day on Friday, June 22nd we will hold FREE Pride Community Classes. It is important to us that all of our athletes feel welcome, safe, and seen within our walls all day, every day. Though we celebrate Pride all year, we are happy and excited to celebrate our community even more during this month.


FRIDAY 6/22

*UPDATED*

FCF Pride Community Classes

We will be hosting a FREE Community Day for all members of the community, friends, family, and visitors to town! All day Friday we will treat every one of our scheduled classes as a Community CrossFit class – this means each and every class is open to everyone!

In lieu of our normal $25 drop-in fee, we will be accepting DONATIONS to be given to local Seattle LGTBQ charity:GSBA Scholarship Fund, a program of the Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA).

100% of drop-in fees collected on 6/22 and 100% of donations collected through the end of the month will be donated.

“The Greater Seattle Business Association (GSBA) is Seattle’s LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce engaged in business development, supporting community, totally committed in advocacy for small business and civil rights and the only chamber that has a Scholarship Fund.”

Why? Because we believe that everyone deserves an opportunity to live a fit and healthy life! We are proud to foster a strong, supportive community and fitness for all. Everyone who comes through our doors is considered an athlete regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, size, age, shape, or ability.

INSTRUCTIONS

Current Members
– RSVP to class (“Pride WOD”) as usual via Zen Planner app or desktop. We will return the class to you as a special treat.
– If you’d like to donate to charity, you may purchase a class through your Zen Planner profile via desktop.

Visitors/Non-Members
– Go to our class schedule on Zen Planner.
– Select the class time you’d like to attend

– Select “Sign Up”
– Follow prompts, select ‘Free Trial’

 In lieu of our normal $25 drop-in fee you are welcome to DONATE your fee to a local LGBTQ charity.
DONATE
If you cannot make to class on 6/22, no problem! We will be collecting donations through the end of the month. You can submit your donation here.

SUNDAY 6/24

FCF x Seattle Pride March

We will be representing at the Seattle Pride Parade again this year! The schedule on what time we will start has not been announced yet – keep an eye out on the blog and the Facebook event page for details. We’d love to have you and your family/friends march with us! Let us know by signing up on the sheet at the gym and just show up! See you there!