Pumpkin flavored and football themed everything…
Happy September Fringies! This month means football and PSL — okay maybe just for me. We also have an exciting semester ahead, with plenty of events and gainz to close out the year!
Bring a Friend and Welcome Back Students
Bring a Friend Week was a huge success! More than 40 friends joined us for workouts at East and West. On behalf of the all of the CrossFit Fringe members and staff, please accept our thanks for bringing one or more of your friends to our first Bring a Friend Week! Our sincere hope is that your friend enjoyed learning more about what makes CrossFit Fringe different and left wanting to attend another class with you.
As we told our visitors in a follow-up email, we believe we offer a unique membership and community for like-minded athletes of all shapes and sizes and we appreciate your efforts and recommendations in helping us grow.
If the friends you brought (or friends who weren’t able to make it!) are interested in starting or continuing their CrossFit journey, have them sign up for our September Elements session, beginning September 4th at 6:30 pm at Fringe East. If your friend completes Elements, you will both be entered into a drawing for a free month of CFF membership!
Lift Up Autism
Lift Up Autism is an annual fundraising event that was started in 2013 by Josh Everett (one of the OG CrossFitters) to raise awareness for autism after his son Luke was diagnosed in late 2012. It is a large scale fundraiser with participants around the world to raise funds for research and support for those living with autism.
On Friday, September 22, beginning at 5 p.m. at the EAST location we will be doing heats of the workout:
“Luke”
5 minute AMRAP
4 Power Cleans: 155 lbs. men/105 lbs. women
24 Double Unders
10 Pull-Ups
If you’d like a coveted commemorative shirt, you must place your order by September 8 in order to receive the shirt by the event. You can order after, but shirts ordered after September 8 will not arrive until late October.
Shirts are $35 each and all proceeds go to Lift Up Autism. Even if you aren’t planning to order a shirt, we suggest a $5 minimum donation to participate, but of course you may give more. CrossFit Fringe has made it into the top-10 CrossFit gyms worldwide for fundraising in this event in the past. Let’s see if this year we break into the top 5 and really help raise awareness!
Donations to Lift Up Autism are split amongst three organizations. A third of the funds will be donated to the Autism Tree Foundation Project, another third to Autism Research Institute, and the final third to the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. Some of you may be wondering, why the split? By splitting the donations between these three organizations, our community is able to support the Autism community from all angles.
For more information about our Friday night event, check out our Facebook event.
Sign up here and get your shirt by September 8:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crossfit-fringe-lift-up-autism-2017-tickets-37074451683#tickets
For more information you can also visit:
http://www.liftupautism.com/
Other Upcoming Events
- CrossFit Fig, Fig Smashdown Partner Competition: September 16
- Lift Up Autism: September 22 at 5 pm
- Heart of America (HOA) Team Competition: September 29 – October 1
- Talking Pelvic Floor recovery with PT: TBD – October
- Barbells for Boobs: October 28
Programming Notes
As some of you may notice we are still doing a very similar template to what we were doing in August outside of our “Bring a Friend” week. We are still prioritizing squat clean tech (3rd pull), Back squat (20 rep cycle), classic CrossFit, and gymnastic complexes. Going forward we will be moving to the floor for the squat clean to prep you for testing as we finish working from the hang. The 20 rep back squat still has some weeks left, the exact number will be determined by how well everyone does in the next two to three weeks. Typically this squat progression lasts 12-weeks, but as always we will alter it for our members. Last, but not least, we will be retesting 16.3 as we move on from our classic CrossFit priority.
On the comp side of things we just finished up a few different priorities including, snatch, Andersen squats, odd object/midline accessory and running (5k specifically). We will be moving to longer duration aerobic work, overhead squats, and muscle endurance. Formatting for these things will change as per usual but these will be our main priorities for this cycle going forward.
From Questions/Comment Box
I’m struggling with an injury, can I still come to class?
Without a doubt, one of the most frustrating things we as coaches hear from our athletes is that because they were injured they decided not to come in for a few days or weeks, or worse yet think they can’t work out anymore.
CrossFit is infinitely scalable! We love to coach and educate our athletes on this important part of CrossFit! You’ve likely heard this from your coaches at the beginning of every workout and probably a few times during the workout. We aren’t saying it just to say it, we are saying it because it is important. We want you to have a great, safe workout and sometimes that means scaling. You might not have slept well or over did it the day before. There are a million reasons to scale and injury is just one of them.
From those in a wheelchair like our friend Kevin Ogar (Hi Kevin!), to our own powerhouse Jordan Reeves (Hi Jordan and Jen!) in Kids class, we can amend workouts for anyone and everyone! Current examples are seen every day in class – we have been working with one athlete that recently had a major knee surgery, an athlete with a broken wrist, and an athlete with rotator cuff issues – while these are awful setbacks we wish on no one, we can help you preserve the stimulus of class and get a good workout in. You can maintain your fitness without doing the exact movements of class, and as coaches, it’s our job to help you be successful in this way!
Coach’s Spotlight: Matt Keel
So Keel, as no one actually calls you by your first name, when did you get into this whole CrossFit thing?
I stumbled upon CrossFit after talking to some friends that were in the military and hearing about this “hardcore” workout regimen that was geared towards military/first responders. I looked up crossfit.com and was immediately intrigued by all of it. Climbing ropes, flipping tires, swinging from rings, thrusters, wall balls, snatches, and even burpees; all of these things just opened my eyes to a different means of fitness. I watched every video they posted; learning as much as I could. Little did I know how addicting it would become. When a box (CrossFit United) finally opened up in Columbia, I went to their Saturday free class, then stayed for their regular class, where I was introduced to “Karen”. Did it RXd like an idiot! Took me almost a half hour and my legs were jello the rest of the weekend. That was 2009.
We’ve seen you experience the athlete lifecycle, from being completely into and absorbed by CrossFit, to being burned out and intermittent, and now to the most dedicated we’ve ever seen you in both training others and taking care of yourself. What advice can you give those athletes that have been around a while and are struggling to stay motivated?
- Check your ego at the door every day, and bust your ass!
- Get outside of the gym more and use your fitness.
- Find buddies that’ll help push you; especially ones that are better than you.
You’ve always got a well-stocked gym bag – what are the 2 pieces of gear you think every CrossFitter should have of their own?
Jump rope- a good one! That doesn’t mean the most expensive. Sized to you; that spins well and isn’t kinked.
Trainers- a good pair of training shoes specifically for CrossFit… Nanos, Metcons, Inov-8; something with a solid, low drop sole.
Food, that’s kind of you jam we understand – what are 3 recommendations for local cuisine here in Columbia you can offer up?
Murry’s…. Love Sushi….. Booches…. Cafe Berlin…. CC’s City Broiler…. There are so many good restaurants in this town!
Who are some of your favorite athletes to watch (aside from Brooke of course)?
- Male: Josh Bridges, Jacob Heppner, Scott Panchik, Mat Fraser, the Smith brothers
- Female: Jamie Greene, Cassidy Lance, Bethany Branham, Camille, Sam Briggs
Have an amazing month of love, lifts, and GAINS! As always, if you need anything, you can reach out to us on social media, or email [email protected].
