SUNDAY 080831

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A good squat comes in handy during paintball too! 13-year-old Jonah Trego of CrossFit North Fulton shows how CrossFit applies to life outside the box.

Melissa Mulligan of CrossFit Performance tells you to ignore your limitations and achieve more than you ever dreamed possible: read "Cut the Crap." (And check out the CFP logo too: original!)

SATURDAY 080830

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Dave Wayner, Matt Muirhead, Theron Forester and Dave Loustalot from Crossfit Santa Cruz Central completed the Voyage to Kure Atoll with the Hawaiian Outrigger Canoe Voyaging Society. 450 miles. 73.5 hours. But, hey, did you guys have time to get a WOD in?

Let's make it a CF Santa Cruz Central Saturday and point out their Eat This! nutrition blog. Nice!

Now we've seen nutrition, coaching, business, and life coaching sub-blogs to CF affiliate blogs. What else is out there? Let us know!

FRIDAY 080829

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HyperFit USA's new muscle-up rack is rather impressive, as you can tell by the expression on owner Doug Chapman's little boy in this photo. (Hit "Enlarge Image": it's worth it!)

Blogs, blogs, blogs! Petranek Fitness tosses a new hat into the ring: a Business Blog, designed to help you grow your affiliate. (It even includes a BWOD. Take a look and tell us what you think!)

THURSDAY 080828

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We all know this feeling:Travis Gellatty, trainer at FirePower CrossFit Milton, looks spent after a long, hot, sweaty workout . . .

Over at CrossFit Rockford, check out Krista and Sue banging their way through the last round of "HELLen": [wmv] [mov]

WEDNESDAY 080827

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Father Gary (Director of Formation at Resurrection Seminary) and Seminarian Brett stop by CrossFit St. Louis for a few pull-ups during lunchtime. A CrossFitter since Oct 07, Father Gary has been spreading the word among the Dominicans.

Ever play the Fish Game on your Concept II rower? Fun and addictive. Ever craft an entire local affiliate throwdown around the Fish Game? Check out the Fishing Tournament at CrossFit One World. (It's under "Upcoming Events" on the right-hand side.)

If you don't already, you should . . .

TUESDAY 080826

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Flatirons CrossFit at the summit of Longs Peak in Colorado. A 17 mile round trip climb (with 5000 feet in elevation to summit out at 14,258 feet) while carrying a 1 pood kettlebell, plus some snatches = one original WOD, and some happy members.

More interesting stuff from CrossFit Evolution on their Coaching Blog. Check out the article on wrist wraps and the video on teaching the clean.

MONDAY 080825

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Baby Amy and her mum Helen of CrossFit Scotland.

As the 100th member of CF Scotland, Amy won an honorary lifetime membership. Ever think about running that kind of promotion for your affiliate? Read more about exactly how it went down at CF Scotland . . .

SUNDAY 080824

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Sam from CrossFit Philly scans the Alaskan horizon for new places to do pull-ups.

Read "Age: It's a State of Mind" from Albany CrossFit.

CrossFit Stamford regularly holds competitions to find out the top dogs: video

SATURDAY 080823

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Kimberly Mendoza of CrossFit One Spirit practices a new maritime distress signal.

CrossFit Emerald Coast has a new WOD entitled (believe it or not) "My Aching Balls": video.

Wondering how to write your blog? Consider these words . . .

FRIDAY 080822

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All that wall and no ball: CrossFit Threshold and Windy City CrossFit hang out between workouts in China. Check out "There Are No More Excuses" at CF Threshold.

Tony Budding wraps up his video camera advice: [wmv] [mov]

Fight Gone Bad III is an outstanding cause, but it can also rally the spirits of your CrossFit community. Don't understand exactly what we mean? Read more from CrossFit North Carolina . . .

THURSDAY 080821

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Burpees and donuts: that's a combination you don't see often, at least outside of the "donut tank" on the wall behind LaLanne Fitness.

Speaking of burpees, anybody need a Burpee Challenge Countdown widget for their blog? Select one of two choices that we know of: CrossFit Virtuosity and CF Watertown. It sure makes it easy for your members to remember how many burpees to do that day!

Tony Budding gives more info on video cameras (Part II): [wmv] [mov]

WEDNESDAY 080820

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Carol Langford, an 82-year-old grandmother with two prosthetic knees, tackles the WOD at CrossFit Allegiance twice per week. (Her granddaughter is CFA owner/head trainer, Lu Crenshaw.) Way to go, Grandma! You're an inspiration to us all!

Who is the oldest CrossFitter? We want to know! Send us photos and stories about the amazing seniors at your affiliate!

"Siren" from American Gladiators hits "Fight Gone Bad" with the rest of the Cleveland CrossFit crew: video.

TUESDAY 080819

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Marines from CrossFit New River perform elements of a WOD they like to call "Ironhorse Gone Bad." In the Olympics spirit, they also have a recent WOD called Phelps' Phun Phor Phools. Hmm, we wonder what sport that includes . . .

Ever think about calling your local newspaper or TV station and inviting a reporter to try CrossFit? B.G.I. Fitness South did and look at the story that resulted. Nice publicity!

Speaking of publicity, we'd like to thank everyone for sending in great photos and videos to the Affiliate Blog. We really appreciate the inputs, so please keep them coming!

Tony Budding demystifies the process of buying a video camera for your affiliate: [wmv] [mov]

MONDAY 080818

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Learning the Snatch at the Olympic Lifting Seminar recently conducted at CrossFit Boston by Greg Everett of Catalyst Athletics.

The ability to take instruction and learn from it is key to CrossFit -- and to your entire life. Read "Being Coachable" by Frank Dimeo of CF Gulf Coast.

Want to see what your affiliate video could look like? Check out this nice piece of work from CF Central: [wmv] [mov]

SUNDAY 080817

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We get a lot of handstand photos but usually not with a groom like Chad Williams of CrossFit Edmonton. Congratulations to him and his wife Jen! What's next? Tabata squats for the wedding party? Bridal Burpees?

Take a look at "The Pie" from CrossFit Vancouver going for max consecutive double-unders: video.

SATURDAY 080816

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Team CrossFit Elite Fitness Academy completed the 4th Scout Adventure Race at Topanga State Park in CA: a 12-hour race involving trekking, orienteering, and mountain biking, spread over a distance of more than 30 miles.

If you're an old affiliate, do you remember what it was like starting out? Or, if you're a new affiliate, do you wonder if anybody else faces the same challenges? Either way, read "The Business Side of Things" by CrossFit Tacoma, one of our newest affiliates. (Welcome!)

Petranek Fitness men tackle "Nasty Girls" (we know, it sounds bad, but just watch): [wmv] [mov]

FRIDAY 080815

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Kim Brutzman, a trainer at CrossFit El Paso, broke the Air Assault Obstacle Course record for women (including all female soldiers) at Ft. Bliss recently, despite being a civilian with no prior military experience. Hmm. Let's let that record speak for itself.

Affiliates are coming up with innovative ways to offer more information and value to their members. Check out the new Coaching Blog over at CF Evolution (in addition to their Red Corner blog) and, for a totally different direction, read the "It's All Perfect" blog over at Fitness Beyond the Box.

If you've got a new twist on the old blog, let us know!

And, if you didn't click on the CF Evolution coaching blog above, you should watch their ideas and innovative ways to develop the muscle-up right here: video.

THURSDAY 080814

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Busted! Anthony Figueroa, trainer/owner of CrossFit New Paltz eats ice cream for time at Ben & Jerry's HQ in Vermont. Um, how many Zone blocks would that be?

Wondering about the 100 Day Burpee Challenge we mentioned recently? Wonder no more! Read all about it here at CF Santa Cruz.

And CF Cincinnati took the Challenge one step further: find out about Burpees for Kash.

Ice cream might have a "happy place" but for outstanding performance in a WOD (sounds like an Oscar intro, doesn't it?) you're probably not in a land of rainbows and puppydogs. Read "Ring of Fire" . . .

WEDNESDAY 080813

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Jolie Gentry of CrossFit One World and Roman Macias recently trained with CrossFit Marin on gymnastics and parkour.

Newsflash! FGB III scores a major contributor! Safeway has agreed to a dollar for dollar match of up to $1,000,000 for donations to Athletes for a Cure and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. So get your affiliate involved and sign up now!

Check out how the boys from CF Newcastle made a WOD from just one set of stairs: video.

TUESDAY 080812

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Rusty Mirasol, co-owner of CrossFit York, recently tried the Emigsville Firefighter School Obstacle Course while Mike Anderson coached him through it. No firefighter himself, Rusty gained a new appreciation for everything that firefighters do.

Who's down with the 100-Day Burpee Challenge? If you've got interesting footage of your affiliate throwing down some burpees in unique or interesting places, let us know!

What has CrossFit done for you? At CrossFit Pittsburgh, Mike has a nice write-up here.

Want to get more members? Ever think about setting up shop in a highly visible location? Several affiliates have done so, including Potomac CrossFit and North Shore CrossFit. Now, Matt Hunt recommends this short essay on locating in premium areas.

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Welcome to CrossFit New Orleans! This revolution will not be televised, it will be blogged . . .

On the subject of blogs, all CF affiliates need to reacquaint themselves with this section of the FAQ. One affiliate=one licensed CrossFit name=one website domain name with the word "CrossFit" in it. We all need to abide by that regulation.

CF Plano experienced the tragic loss of a former member and chose to honor him with a WOD. Read more about how they remembered James here.

Little Maggie at CF Snohomish cranks out some Handstand Push-ups: [wmv] [mov]

SUNDAY 080810

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Got pull-up? Or at least got a pull-up t-shirt from GSX Athletics that benefits a pit bull rescue foundation? This project grew from the CrossFit Message Boards and features a "globo-gym" CrossFitter (that's Melissa in the skirt on the back of Becky from CF Watertown) partnering up with a CF affiliate (GSX) to do good things. Contact Tuck at GSX for more info.

Sometimes we need to pay attention to the faces behind the causes we support. Meet Michael, a 40-year-old triathlete who is just one of the reasons we're doing Fight Gone Bad III on September 27th: video.

SATURDAY 080809

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Steve at Cynergy CrossFit has some bounce to his burpee!

Need some motivation? Click on "About Chris" over at CrossFit Berks.

And, you don't want to miss Barbara's inspiring story at CrossFit Rockwall. Read and watch and learn with "72 and Getting Younger Every Day."

FRIDAY 080808

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Got L-Sit? Michelle Haglund trains at CrossFit Langley to perfect hers.

Do you use a photo editor/manager? Software applications like Picasa can really improve your affiliate photos. Melanie L., a member of CrossFit One Spirit created an excellent blog that explains some of Picasa's tools. Check out Gymagery. (And we just love that title.)

StrikeFO at CrossFit Camp Pendleton reminds us exactly how they came to be.

Over at CrossFit Los Angeles, super slow-mo "Fran" to make your temperature rise. Open it to full screen. Oh my. [wmv] [mov]

THURSDAY 080807

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Hey John! Who's got the better squat in this photo? (Hint: She's wearing a pink shirt.)

One of the newest members of the CrossFit Kids program at CF Cape Fear gets some obviously excellent instruction from owner John Velandra and drops into a good squat.

What's the message greeting on the phone at your affiliate? Does it sound welcoming? Offer your website address? Project energy? Or does a monotone voice drone: "You've reached CrossFit Mediocrity. Please leave your message after the tone."

What kind of image do you want to project to potential members? And is your phone message helping you to do that?

Ever wonder how an Olympian would do at "Fight Gone Bad"? Well, watch what happens when Andrejs Duda, Olympic swimmer and Sonz Decatur member, tackles FGB for the first time. (And then look for Andrejs on Aug 14th when he competes for Latvia in the 100m Butterfly.) Watch "406: Is That Good?": [wmv] [mov]

WEDNESDAY 080806

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Hooverball! Talk about hard fun! The Wasatch CrossFit teams throw down in this game of H-Ball.

Okay, fess up! What kind of other fun stuff goes on at your affiliate? We know about CF Dodgeball, CF Golf, CF Slam Football, and even some beer and pull-ups challenges that we rather not know about, but there has to be more! Head into Comments and let us know what games or fun we're missing!

CrossFit JAX hooked up with their local Lululemon/Athletica retailer and sponsored a free outdoor workout. Talk about a way to spur interest in CF! Maybe your affiliate could hook up with a local retailer? Anyway, take a look at the WOD: [wmv] [mov]

(And scroll down on CF JAX's blog: They have some seriously cool photos!)

TUESDAY 080805

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Weighted pull-ups: what better way to show some serious mother-daughter bonding? Dina Mendola, trainer at CrossFit Milwaukee, demonstrates exactly how to stay in close touch with your offspring. (CrossFit so has Hallmark beat on this one.)

Reminder: Double-check to make sure your blog is giving credit where it's due. We're still seeing cases of "borrowed" words and videos from not only CFHQ but between affiliates. It's okay to share but not okay to steal. If you use the words/photos/videos of another affiliate (or CFHQ), make certain that you clearly give proper credit with a simple "courtesy of" statement. Otherwise, it's just like you're the weight hanging off the pull-up and yet claiming to have done the work. Be honest.

Painstorm! We have your latest edition of Painstorm right here.

MONDAY080804

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Fight Gone Bad III - September 27, 2008

One Day - One Workout - Two Causes.

For the third year in a row, numerous CrossFit affiliates worldwide will do "Fight Gone Bad" to raise funds for The Prostate Cancer Foundation, hoping to surpass the $550,000 raised in 2007. This year, in addition to prostate cancer, FGB III will also benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.

For information, or to sign up as an affiliate team or as a participant, go here.

Until the Cake Lady understands, we all have a lot of work to do: read more at CrossFit Ocean City.

At Windy City CrossFit, Wes says hello to "Grace": [wmv] [mov]

SUNDAY080803

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A young Marine recruit takes a whack at a tire during one of the free recruit classes that CrossFit Gulf Coast holds regularly. In owner Frank DiMeo's words: "Due to the shortage of young people who are fit enough for military service, we will help local recruiters get their recruits ready for Basic Training for free." Ever think of doing something like that? The benefits are far beyond monetary. Life is a lot sweeter when you do the right thing.

Somebody who's trying to do the right thing by the next generation is Brian Yoak of CrossFit Legacy. Read the story of his 6-year-old boy and the giant tire here.

Every affiliate, upon joining the CrossFit family, gains access to the private Affiliate Forum on the Message Boards. We will almost never mention that forum, because it is an arena for private concerns and need not be highlighted here. Today, however, we feel the need to draw the attention of CF affiliates to an important thread about the Spirit of CrossFit and doing the right thing. If you're able, head over to the AForum and read "True to the CrossFit Spirit": you might not agree with all of it but it's worth some consideration.

SATURDAY 080802

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Josh VanVeermeld finishes his last pull-up in the "Deck of Death" workout at CrossFit Moncton's July kick-off event.

Outside workouts at a park can attract attention, which is often what you need as a new affiliate. Make your community aware that you exist! CrossFit right in front of them. It worked for many of the bigger, established affiliates when they were small fry -- and some of them still do it! Give it a try. (Some locations may require prior permision; if in doubt, check with your local officials.)

FRIDAY 080801

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Jill Genshorek (trainer at BTB CrossFit ATL) and Kath Knox (trainer at CF North Atlanta) share the dip bar with Shana Alverson (trainer/owner at CF East Decatur).

The Atlanta-area CF affliates share ideas, competitions, and even some equipment on a regular basis. And you know what? It helps all of their businesses. (Not to mention their new "Hot Chick Muscle-Up Club" sounds pretty darn good!)

An interesting concept shared by the Atlanta folks is the use of Google Docs for tracking WOD results. Check out an example at CF North Atlanta.

Still don't know what to do with that camera in your hand? Tony B. shows you a few more tricks in Part III of his Media Tips Series: [wmv] [ mov]