March Newsletter
The March Newsletter is here, and The CrossFit Games Open is well underway! We’ve got a couple weeks already knocked out with a couple more to go! Remember that teams have an assigned location for their FNLs for week 3 and 4; and that we will all be together under the WEST roof for the final event in Week 5!
Scoring at the end of the first week left us with a tight race, but the RX Pistols have taken an early lead. Scores for 18.2 are due today by 5 pm, and but it very much so is still anyone’s game!
Congratulations are in order for our ‘Winners’ of the annual Whole30/Nutrition challenge!
Congratulations to our 2018 Nutrition Challenge winners!
Honorable mentions: Cody Buxton, Renee Hahne (each get a box of RX Bars!)
Runner-Up: Justin Eggemeyer (Gets a choice of any Driven product we carry!)
Top Finisher: Maria Jones (Winner of a custom 6-Pack Fitness Meal Prep Bag – seriously there are only a handful of these bad boys!)
In addition, all participants in this year’s challenge will receive a free InBody scan (our brand new gym addition) at a time of their choosing! This was by far and away, the most successful Nutrition Challenge we’ve EVER done and I couldn’t be more proud and excited for you all!
CrossFit Fringe now has an InBody 270
With the conclusion of the Whole30/Nutrition Challenge, we realized we were missing out on a huge opportunity to add value to our memberships at CrossFit Fringe. The use of the InBody for pre- and post- measurements in the challenge was a game changer, and we had more participants and better results than ever. Best yet, our participants had a better, more accurate picture of the results over 30 days, and because of this, many voiced that they were going to continue their path of eating/prepping and tracking their results, which is the goal we want everyone to take away from the challenge.
Because of this, we have added an InBody to our equipment family, the InBody 270 to be precise. This scientific equipment is able to offer validated, reliable measurements in regards to an individual’s lean muscle mass as well as body fat amounts.
Why choose the InBody?
To begin with, the InBody is quick, with a test only taking 15 seconds to give us a reading of where you are physically on your fitness/nutrition journey. It’s easy, with no awkward pinch tests or the discomfort of shedding all your clothes for testing.
So why are we telling you now? We will be running a pilot test of InBody during March and early April. If you are interested in being part of the pilot test group, please email [email protected]. Ideally, we are looking for 6-10 people to help us test this new equipment and get a good idea of how to implement it for all of our members.
Once we’ve ironed out the details, we will share the specifics of what this addition looks like for you! As always, if you have questions, please let us know!
New CrossFit Elements model coming
We’ve received lots of feedback over the last year from you about our Elements program. One of the things we consistently hear is that you want it to be easier for your friends and family to go through the introductory process and get them working out with you faster. We want to do this without sacrificing the quality and rigor of our approach to programmatically introducing people to CrossFit and our way of fitness. We have some ideas to implement some changes that we think will achieve that goal. If you have friends or family members who have been thinking about joining Fringe, please email [email protected]. We’re looking for a small group to help us test our latest iteration!
Help Wanted: Extra Childcare Support!
While we currently have two very excellent care providers that take care of 99 percent of our childcare needs at East (thank you D and Kendra!), we could use one or two substitutes who would be able to step-in from time to time. Emergencies and vacations happen. We don’t expect free help by any means and we pay per shift for the help – so if that 5:30 pm time frame and looking after some little ones are right up your alley, please help us and your fellow Fringies out! We have a short application process. If interested, email [email protected] to learn more!
Facilities Updates
This month as we just mentioned above, we added the InBody 270 body composition measuring device. On top of that, our very handy and crafty Jim Segraves has enabled us to take our gymnastics abilities to the next level by building and gifting the gym stall bars for both locations. These are specifically designed to help with bodyweight movements and increasing ranges of motion through strict movements and static stretching.
East has received even further facelifts with the removal of the large unsightly rig that formerly held bumpers and wall balls. We have also replaced the whiteboard with a TV displaying BoxTV from SugarWOD. We then finished off that project with a custom bumper plate holder that better uses floor space and looks cleaner! We are also continuing to work on finishing out the mezzanine as well with a more friendly setup for hanging around after class or watching another class. West will also soon be switching over to the BoxTv soon!
We (Tyler) is always scheming our next home improvement project, so if you have ideas, don’t hesitate to give us a shout!
Ever wonder why we hang bells in CrossFit gyms?
As we hope you all know – we use SugarWOD to track metrics and monitor our athlete’s progress. It’s also great for social interaction and being able to share individual progress with everyone in the gym. On top of that, we know that writing things down, and being able to look back at where we’ve come from does a lot to show that the work we do day-in and day-out adds up and makes us better.
But what about celebrating our day-to-day victories? That’s where the PR Bell comes in! Be it your first double under, your first pull-up, or even a 0.5 second PR on Fran, the list is endless of those little things we can and should celebrate. And in sharing those small victories, you breed motivation not just for yourself, but those around you too. That’s why we encourage you to share your excitement in the moment by ringing the bell! So the next time you do something for the first time, PR a workout, a lift, or a new amount of consecutive or cumulative reps in a workout – ring that bell with some authority and let everyone know!
Does Your Healthcare Plan Reimburse for Gym Memberships?
We had this question posed in our Facebook group recently and have been working with members to get them set up or directed to the right place to inquire with their individual healthcare providers. Here is a link to the Healthy Contributions website to begin your search, and we invite you to email us at [email protected] so we can help you get set up!
From the Question/Comment Box?
Q: I hear all the time that my diet should be “lower” in something if I want to lose weight, so which is better for me: a low-carb diet, or a low-fat diet?
Q: I hear all the time that my diet should be “lower” in something if I want to lose weight, so which is better for me: a low-carb diet, or a low-fat diet?A: To begin, I’m going to start with the easy answer and tell you that for each person is different. What do you prefer to eat, and what can you make fit your lifestyle? Seriously, nutrition is as individualized as we all are.
In a significant study termed the DIETFITS study – it was concluded that a low-carbohydrate or low-fat diet yielded the same results and that it doesn’t really matter for weight loss!1 The most important factor for losing weight in a healthy way, across a one-year span, was simply to control and account for total calorie intake by eating mostly whole foods.
Sounds like the common sense stuff your coaches tell you all the time doesn’t it? We really don’t have to make nutrition that complicated — and even Coach Glassman said this when he first started CrossFit by publishing his ‘Fitness in 100 words’ where he says, “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.”
Anyhow, back to DIETFITS and the reasons we can give a lot of credence to the results of this study:
- It was a randomized controlled clinical trial – meaning people were assigned to a group, either low-carb or low-fat and told what and how to eat through dietary counseling
- There were a large number of participants — over 600!
- It was done over a long period — a full 12 months
- There was monitoring of participant compliance – meaning scientists actually looked at what they were eating
Unlike many other research studies, DIETFITS was able to follow a lot of people for a long time, meaning there are lots of real-world parallels. These people were able to live normal lives during the course of the study, they weren’t confined to research labs, and they had to face the same dilemmas we all face in our lives daily.
“Wait, but Tyler I want an easy answer!”
Don’t we all! The easy answer is to find out what works best for you. And if you need a hand or want to talk about your needs and your goals we are always here for you. Our goal is to make you independent and dynamic in your approach to nutrition, because the more informed you are, the more sustaining your results and habits will be. As part of your CFF membership, you get a free 15-min nutrition counseling appointment. We’ll be rolling out a self-scheduling app for our members to connect with our coaches in April, but for now, you can email [email protected].
Sources:
1Gardner CD, et al. Effect of Low-Fat vs. Low-Carbohydrate Diet on 12-Month Weight Loss in Overweight Adults and the Association with Genotype Pattern or Insulin Secretion: The DIETFITS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. (2018)
COACH FEATURE: Intern Isaac Ellis
So, Isaac, you moved around a bit before finding us at CrossFit Fringe — tell us about how you found CrossFit and where all you’ve been training and interning?
My first introduction to CrossFit was in a hotel room while traveling for a volleyball tournament my sophomore season. So I saw it on tv while flipping channels (I think it was a replay) and just became intrigued, started doing research and watching YouTube to try and figure out what it was. After my final year of volleyball, I really needed some physical output and started to look at gyms in the area. I went to QTown CrossFit in Quincy IL at 5 am and did a movement assessment with one of the coaches, did a small workout and was blown away (5 min AMRAP 15, 12, 9 ring row air squats push ups). Within my first three months of CrossFit and a strict paleo diet, I went from 225 lbs to 185 lbs. I absolutely love QTown and the introduction that they gave me in CrossFit. The coaches challenged me and encouraged me so much and the community was something you just don’t run into in a normal gym. CrossFit changed my life and made me more conscious of my body, my community and my impact on others. I spent almost a year at QTown and started the process of getting my CFL1. After my last semester of school, I moved home and joined Fulton CrossFit. I started interning to become a coach in December and received my CFL1 in February 2015. I started coaching for Fulton CrossFit and have loved every minute that I have been a coach. In July 2017 my wife and I moved here to Columbia, and that is how I came to be at Fringe!
Outside of CrossFit, you also coach another competitive sport don’t you? Tell us about coaching volleyball and who your athletes are!
I am the assistant coach at Mexico High School, this actually started as a programming opportunity for their summer workouts and turned into a coaching job. As I said I have a background in Volleyball so it was something I felt confident in coaching and knew would be a lot of fun. I have had the awesome opportunity to coach these young ladies and help them grow in the sport of volleyball, they have a good amount of talent but the best thing about coaching for me is bringing out higher/tougher mentalities in these girls.The ladies are awesome, we have the goofballs and the leaders and the ones that are just trying to figure out where they fit in, it’s fun to work with those different personalities and help them be successful wherever they are at. A large part of my job as an assistant is training hitting and serving so that these girls can develop as confident servers and swingers. Confidence in movement and execution is pretty vital to this sport and pretty much all sports, I get to develop new drills and training every day and it is a blast.
Okay, seriously, how tall are you? And how does that affect your approach to CrossFit workouts? Do you find certain movements or workouts harder or easier? How have you adapted to make sure you are moving well?
So I am 6’5”, I think my height play’s a lot into my workouts, I know that there several movements that will always take longer than other people just due to the distance I have to move. Things like gymnastics cover allot of distance for me and so I try to walk into those types of workout with a plan so that I can attack the appropriate movement at the right time. My height also helps with a lot of leverage and momentum movements, things like rowing and running are a bit easier for me, box jumps and such are great as well. As I have come along in CrossFit there are several ways that I have struggled to move due to my length and previous injuries. I spend a good amount of time at home researching and practicing mobility techniques to make sure that I’m moving fluidly. Also, consistent coaches input and asking for tips and questions so that I’m doing movements with efficiency. CrossFit has helped me learn so much more about how the body is meant to work and move.
Speaking of workouts – what are your favorite and least favorite CrossFit movements?
Man some of my favorites have to be Olympic lifts burpees and wall balls, there is so much muscle recruitment in Olympic lifts and they are just fun and challenging. Burpees, there is just something about dropping to the ground and getting back up. They are also really fun to grind on like the really long ones with a lot of burpees are tuff but I can just get in that zone with burpees. The movement that is my least favorite is the barbell thruster, allot of distance to be covered and typically thrusters are in a quick workout where you need to move fast and mine are not fast.
You’ve got a pretty fantastic support system at home, tell us a little about your wife and what you guys do outside of the gym for fun?
Man, my wife is the bomb, we have been married since August 13, 2016, and we have already been through quite a lot. She is encouraging, supportive, and gracious to me and in our marriage plus she is absolutely gorgeous. She works for MIZZOU with ROTC and manages their budget, she likes the school and wants to work her way up. For fun, we love to play with our two dogs Kida and Sky, take them on hikes and things like that. We also like watching shows together (currently watching this is us) and we do a lot of house stuff together for fun.
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last 6 months (or in recent memory)?
In all honesty flexible dress pants for work, I can move and squat and get up and down for my students and my athletes, it’s been great!
What is an unusual habit or absurd thing that you love?
I love musicals, like plays and shows, but mostly like old musical movies. Movies with like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers black and white films mostly. Weird habit might be that I always try to put my right shoe on first.
Final question, would you rather your shirts be always two sizes too big or one size too small? (Cause I think we all know which direction Coach Mark leans)
Two Sizes too big, give me that breathing room.
Wait, final final question – any single piece of advice you’d give to the novice CrossFitter who is just starting at CrossFit Fringe?
Man the things that have helped me so much in the CrossFit life have been nutrition and mobility if you can focus on those things early and often that will set a great base for CrossFit!
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].