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RSVP Policies

This is a repost of an email sent to all of our current athletes on January 11, 2017.

We have had an incredible year of growth and improvement as we complete our 7th year of service to the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Foundation CrossFit continues to cement itself as the leader in fitness and exercise, with a strong emphasis on community, virtuosity, and technical skill. This year has seen a welcome growth in the classes we offer, numbering more than any other gym in the neighborhood. We now offer over 85 classes per week, in multiple class types:

  • We offer CrossFit strength & conditioning classes 7 days a week, what we consider our cornerstone fitness program, including a Competitive CrossFit class (formerly Level 2).
  • We added a Olympic Weightlifting program focusing on skill/power/strength development and technical training.
  • We have multiple Fitness classes including HellaFit, Kettlebell, and Mobility, with more to come (Gymnastics perhaps?).

We strive to be a successful fitness program for our athletes by continuing to evolve. We pride ourselves not on how many athletes fill a class at once, but on how long our athletes have been training with us. The tenure of our athletes range from the most recent Foundations Program graduates in the past year to 5-, 6-, and even 7-year veterans of Foundation CrossFit. It is incredibly rewarding to provide an ever evolving fitness and performance program that meets the changing needs of our community.

Our current policy is as follows:

+ RSVP is required for all classes.

+ If you do not plan to attend a class, you may remove your RSVP before class starts.

+ Any no-shows are counted against your monthly allotment of classes.

We have received feedback regarding the situations when classes fill up and there are no more spots available. With our lenient RSVP policy, we have seen that some athletes reserve multiple class spots even though they may not be able to attend, as they are willing to lose the class out of their monthly membership. It is unfortunate for us two-fold: if Athlete A does not show up, their class spot is not only lost to them, but that unused reservation also prevents Athlete B from registering if the class is full.

Our updated RSVP policy is as follows:

+ RSVP is required for all classes.

+ If you do not plan to attend a class, you must remove your RSVP at least 2 hours before class starts.

+ Any no-shows are counted against your monthly allotment of classes. If your RSVP is for a spot in a FULL class and you do not attend, you have essentially taken a class away from another athlete and you will be charged a $10 RSVP fee.

This implementation will allow our athletes to plan their day around their fitness and health, and will reduce the confusion we see when classes fill up. Ultimately, we hope to not charge anyone, and we won’t need to as long as everyone respects the rules.

The Zenplanner interface has been updated with the 2-hour cancellation limit. These RSVP policies, including implementation of the $10 RSVP fee will be enforced as of February 1, 2017.

As always contact us if you have any other questions, comments, or concerns.

 

RSVP Policy FAQ

We have received feedback from athletes who are not able to attend class due to the RSVP being full, and we find that a handful of athletes do not show up after reserving a spot. Requiring a release of the RSVP allows more athletes to attend their preferred class time.

We are implementing a requirement to remove your RSVP at least 2 hours before a class starts. We chose this timeframe because it generally provides an athlete enough time to decide if they can attend a class. It also provides another athlete ample time to be add take that open spot. A $10 RSVP fee for no-shows to a full class will also be implemented.

This is simply an enforcement of the rule. We have considered and tried multiple options, and so far none have worked very well.

If you are currently following the RSVP policy, you are asked to remove your RSVP for a class that you do not attend. This new policy requires you to remove your RSVP two hours before class begins. Furthermore, the RSVP fee will only apply in the situation where we have a class fill to capacity and your reserved spot has prevented someone else from attending the class.

We will be happy to make some exceptions for situations that arise from emergencies or illness. Please send us an email.

No. We actually do not intend for this to be a revenue generator. We have raised our rates just 2 times in the 7 years we have been in business on Capitol Hill (compare this to how many times your local coffee shops and restaurants have raised prices). Even as our costs continue to increase every year, we review our prices annually and do our best to maintain our pricing structure, while continuing to improve our coaches education, classes offered, facility improvements, and equipment.

 

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Twenty-One/Fifteen/Nine

All sports require different amounts of muscle synchronization, balance, flexibility, and coordination as well as strength, speed, power, and metabolic development. Olympic weightlifting provides development in all these areas. While training for maximal strength can have a positive effect on performance, it also can have a “negative effect on movement speed and the ability of a muscle to display explosive effort” (Wenzel & Perfetto 1992). However, this does not mean that strength gains do not happen through training at high speeds. Wenzel and Perfetto characterized strength gains from high-speed training as adaptations “due to an increase in the number of fibers recruited or a more synchronous firing of motor neurons” (Wenzel & Perfetto 1992).

—Philip Sabatini, February 2011 interview with elitefts.net.


Jesse T

ARTICLES

+ Hips, Meet Bar: Bar-Body Contact in the Extension of the Snatch and Clean – Catalyst Athletics
+ Fully Move Every Joint Every Day – The Movement Fix

CrossFit WOD for Thursday 1/12

ab work, then

Fitness

21-15-9 reps for time:
snatch, 52/38kg
toes-to-bar

Performance

21-15-9 reps for time:
snatch, 61/43kg
knees-through-elbows

HellaFit WOD

THREE-TWO-ONE

10 min AMRAP:
– 10 burpee box jumps
– 10 weighted step-ups
– 10 bent over rows

8 min AMRAP:
– 5 front squats
– 3 push presses

12 min EMOM:
– 30-sec max effort KBS

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Bueno’s Goods 2

I believe the tools we use to live our lives can improve how efficient we are and sometimes how much we enjoy doing those things. Read more about all the cool tools out there we can use in the fitness world.

Note: It doesn’t add to your price, but I may get a commission off of using some of these links.

Round 2. Let’s begin…

1. FOOTWEAR: NOT-SO-OBVIOUS TRAINING SHOES

This should’ve been the first thing I wrote about (because it’s always the first thing I write about). The only real purchase to make (other than a gym membership) is for a dedicated pair of shoes for our type of work: running, jumping, lifting, gymnastics, etc. When you go bowling you wear bowling shoes. When you go bouldering you wear bouldering shoes. When you play basketball you wear basketball shoes. Following? People start coming in to CrossFit gyms and learning how to lift barbells. Then they go lifting in running shoes. See a disconnect here? We need footwear that fits our needs. The CrossFit community on Reddit have their agreements and disagreements about their importance.

Preferably we at FCF ask that people try to wear a lower-profile shoes. The powerlifting community was in love with the Converse Chuck Taylor for the longest time because they fit a certain need and criteria: flat, stable, durable, looks good, and accessible to most people. They don’t wear them as much now with the growth of weightlifting activities and specified shoes*. I bet you already have some shoes that fit that description: skate shoes (my preference before all these companies jumped onto the CrossFit train), Chuck Taylors (high, low, CT1, CT2), Adidas Sambas, Onitsuka Tigers, Inov-8s, Vibram Five Fingers, VIVOBAREFOOTs, New Balance Minimus, Asics MetConvictions, etc.

* The issue of blowing shoes out is an issue when most powerlifters use a lot of external rotation of the hip. The strength of their external rotation is so strong that their foot on the pinky toe side would bust open from all the pressure exerted by the lifter.

2. SUPPLIES: ATHLETIC TAPE

In high school Sports Medicine I found that Johnson & Johnson’s athletic tape is the best athletic tape in the world. Or at least that’s why Mr. Peck instilled in me.

Goat Tape is becoming my new favorite premium athletic tape. Over the past year focusing on my olympic weightlifting this has become my preferred tape that I wrap my thumbs with. The stick of the tape is amazing.

We also sell a CrossFit-branded version at the gym!

3. SUPPLEMENTS: PROTEIN POWDERS

Optimum Nutrition is the best quality + price + accessible protein on the planet IMO. I use other proteins too, but always come back to the Vanilla Ice Cream one. I see many athletes buy into Progenex, but really social media got those people- sponsored athletes always love their sponsors! In reality Progenex is some of the most overrated things on the market- I should know, I’ve inherited both Cocoon (their version of Casein + tryptophan) and More Muscle. Both super sweet (couldn’t do their recommended doses it feel like spoonfuls of sugar) and ineffective. I found that I went through it way too quickly- not a great note when you look at their prices.

For those lactose-intolerant folk you should look into Isolates. It’s not an end-all answer, but some people find they don’t have issues with this supplement because whey protein isolate undergoes another filtration process. The extra process removes the protein from fat, cholesterol and lactose meaning an end product of “purer protein”. It ends up a being a bit more expensive since you’re getting purer product. Still does the same job as the general whey proteins.

For those with hunger issues (or who have trouble keeping muscle on) try some Caesin protein an hour out from sleeping. For athletes who take their training seriously supplementing with Caesin can prevent heavy catabolism (breaking down of muscle tissue) when sleeping.

4. CLOTHING: SOCKS

For me socks play an important part in my comfort. I’m on my feet all day and even if you love your shoes the right kind of sock can upgrade the experience and nullify those little annoyances you might find.

I go to REI frequently just to see what’s new on the market. Smart Wool makes some great performance products, as does Swiftwick. I avoid most “higher-tech” socks because those synthetics used feel like my foot still get sweaty (Strideline and Nike- I’m looking at you!)

That all being said my stance on socks is.. Stance! Starting as a straight skate brand, they’ve noticed that their combination of materials, fit, strategic reinforcements, and of course, their many awesome designs have become my go-to sock brand of choice. Available for men, women, kids, and BABIES! Best believe our little girl is rocking some Stance socks (thanks to Victor, Courtney, and Baby O!)

Not to mention they’re trying to get into the underwear game, but we’ll save my thoughts on that for another time.

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Kettle Up


Kettlebell class

“Theory without practice is as limited as practice without theory.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

– Community CrossFit Class this Saturday the 14th at 12PM, every person on Earth welcome! Tell your friends, fam, and coworkers interested in our upcoming Foundations program… or anyone else who just wants to sweat it out!
– Next Saturday, January 21st is our Annual Not-Holiday Party at Optimism Brewery (6-8pm reservation)

ARTICLES

+ Paleoethics Signs Three-Year Sponsorship Agreement with CrossFit Games – The Barbell Spin

CrossFit WOD for Volume Wednesday 1/11

for time:
1k row
50 thruster, 20/15kg
30 sit-ups

then again at 2/3 and 1/3 of that volume. Rest 3 minutes between each. Post times to whiteboard.

Olympic Weightlifting WOD – Week 3, Day 2

front squat, slow clean high pull + clean + jerk, push press

Kettlebell WOD

Ground force

Clean Skill Work

Armor Building (2 cleans, 1 press, 3 squats) you go, I go, for 20 minutes

5 minute warm down (not ground force)

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Double Pyramid

Sheena C demos the “perfectly-vertical kettlebell swing” that we like to use for workouts like HELEN and its many variations.

ARTICLES

+ The Formula For a Better Run – Aerobic Capacity

CrossFit WOD for Volume Tuesday 1/10

Double Pyramid HELEN

for time:
1200m run
63 kettlebell swings, 24/16kg
36 pullups
800m run
42 kettlebell swings, 24/16kg
24 pullups
400m run
21 kettlebell swings, 24/16kg
12 pullups

Focus on complete continuous motion the entire time. 25 min time cap. Post time to whiteboard!

HellaFit WOD

“PRIMAL POSTS”

:45/:15 work/rest,
5 rounds

– KBS
– pushup + scap ‘shup
– YTW
– goblet squat
– Cossack squat
– shuttle sprint burpee
– v-up

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Thank You for a Warm Holiday!

This past December we were asked by Sharla to participate in the Swedish Cancer Institute Holiday Family Program. We received wish lists for two families and helped fulfill their requests for the holiday season.

Family #2 was overwhelmed and heartened with the items they received – the mother of the family thought she was just going to get a gift card! This surely was an positive way to give back to our community and a great way to end 2016.

We’re giving a huge shout out to Sharla for helping us participate in a community service to help those in need. We would like to thank everyone who donated items to each family: Craig, Zheng, Michi, Leah, Stacey S., Sheena, Andrea, Kelly, Mikey P., Teada, Nadia, Mark-Anthony, Gail, Gus, Sarah M., Colin B., Melissa, Emily C. & Ethan C. Extra shout out to Devin who brought in the most donations. Thank you everybody! We look forward to participating again in 2017!

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BEAR Complex, Pukie Brewster, Dubs

Burpees, when done with the Freestyle Connection method (linked video below), should be considered cardio as it remains low-powered, but rhythmic and repeatable for a long period of time.

[1.] straight legs, bend over, [2.] sprawl back to lay down, [3.] pushup to arch (squeeze butt to protect low back), [4.] jumping good morning, [5.] clap overhead, [6.] repeat

Alternatively you can do a burpee by sprawling hard, absorbing the drop, immediately staying tight for a quick pushup, kicking the feet back up, and jumping vertical while clapping overhead. This requires a strong midline and can tax the upper-body pushing muscles sooner than the other method.

ARTICLES

+ The Three Amigos of Ego – CrossFit Journal

CrossFit WOD for Skills Sunday 1/8

BEAR COMPLEX every 2 minutes on the minute for 14 minutes, then

“PUKIE BREWSTER”

150 burpees for time

followed immediately by 2 minutes max double unders

Post time to whiteboard!

HellaFit WOD

TABATA THIS+THAT

1. OH hold
2. thrusters
3. weighted lunges
4. pushups
5. pull-ups/ring rows
6. athlete’s choice of bike, row, jump rope

1 minute of midline work after each tabata.

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Odd Object Carrying

Odd object carries. CFSLU circa 2012

While we train with standard equipment most of the time, odd objects are great training tools simply because it emulates how you act among moving things when NOT inside the gym.

ARTICLES

+ The Big Secret I’ve Been Keeping From My Skater Bro Friends – The Stranger
+ The Many Benefits of Farmers Walks and Loaded Carries – Strong Made Simple

CrossFit WOD for Skills Saturday 1/7

for time:
5x200m run with object*
100 squats
100 up-and-over, 32/24″
100 Russian twists
5x200m run with object*

* Start each round at bottom of ramp.

Competition CrossFit WOD

Odd object carries, clean complex, double chipper, and some Dynamax Wheels

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Commit to Be Fit!

It is the new year and we have all made our 2017 goals…right? Join us and make your fitness a priority. Our next Foundations On-Ramp Program begins Tuesday, January 17th. This program is a 12-class series over four weeks. There are three course options to choose from:

  • Morning session – 7:00 AM on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Saturdays at 10:00 AM.
  • Mid-day session – 11:00 AM on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Saturdays at 10:00 AM.
  • Evening session – 7:30 PM on Tuesdays & Thursdays. Saturdays at 10:00 AM.

Athletes must choose one series and attend this time for the entire course. Weekday classes are approximately 60 minutes. All athletes will come together for the Saturday classes which are about 90 minutes long.

Already an FCF Athlete? Bring your friends!

FCF athletes, this is also a great time to have your friends and loved ones join you. Refer a Friend and you’ll each receive a $25 credit towards your memberships! So take one last bite of that donut and sign up!

Not quite sure if this is the right fit? Join us for a Community Class!

If you would like to experience what a day in our gym feels like and sample class before registering, please look at our calendar for one of our no-obligation no-cost Community CrossFit classes.

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CHIEF

G$, the chief

THE CHIEF is a fun interval test to see how much work you can maximize per round, but repeat for multiple times. What is your drop off like, if any? Could you add another round in to each of your cycles? Which of the three exercises hold you back? Which of the three exercises lend to your strengths? Did you time the work properly to maximize the allotted time? So many factors, but a focus on one or more could lead you to better results.

ARTICLES

+ Exposing the Importance of the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) – Breaking Muscle

CrossFit WOD for Skills Friday 1/6

“THE CHIEF”

max rounds in 3 minutes:
3 power cleans, 61/43kg
6 pushups
9 squats

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

Compare to 2016 1014. Post all five scores to whiteboard.

Olympic Weightlifting WOD – w2d3

overhead squat, snatch, clean + push press + jerk

Are you honest and consistent?

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