Wednesday 100331

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Matt Evans, owner of CrossFit Velocity (UK), after the "Air Force" WOD.

Who Said It?

3 different quotes from 3 different speakers:

"Sweat cleanses from the inside. It comes from places a shower will never reach."

"A franchise is a place where they sell baggy pants, T-shirts, protein powder, and a whole bunch of junk you don't need. You can't make noise (don't even think about cursing), and chalk is forbidden."

"I really do not believe in overtraining, but I do believe in under recovery."

Your Choices: Mike Burgener, Dr. George Sheehan, Tanya Wagner, Louie Simmons

Match the quote and speaker and post answers to Comments.

"10 Things Your Blog Doesn't Need" from Daily Blog Tips.

Tuesday 100330

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MaD CrossFit (Matt and Donna Dyson) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: December 2008.
Location: Wellington, New Zealand.
Sq Ft: 2000.
Number of Members? 22 and growing each week.
How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Does moving all our equipment from Massachusetts to New Zealand count? Then 3.
Number of Trainers? 2
Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Most clients walking through the door have never been exposed to CrossFit. We have them sign up for a minimum of 3x per week. It's amazing to see the transformation in their body, attitude and confidence. I love going to work everyday! I feel so proud when I see someone reach a goal they have been working so hard to achieve, even if it's just getting out of a chair unassisted.

Keep reading! There's more!

Monday 100329

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CrossFit Mass (MA).

Hard work is good for the soul, and it keeps you from feeling sorry for yourself because you don't have time. I think the harder you work, the more luck you have. If you want it bad enough . . . and try hard enough . . . you can get it. You can make your dreams come true. -- Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's

In CrossFit, we're used to working hard -- at the gym and in our businesses. But do you work too much? Can you have a life and a successful business? How do you do that?

"Balancing Acts": Ruminations on the family life of business owners, from Inc.

Sunday 100328

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Mike Ray of CrossFit Flagstaff (AZ) storming up "Lions Head" in Cape Town, South Africa.

CrossFit Scars (AL): Read "Against the Norm."

Saturday 100327

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Over in Australia, CrossFit North Queensland and CrossFit Townsville square off in competition.

"The best of what we have done or will ever do has something to do with fitness, and everything to do with one another." CrossFit MPH looks back: Read.

Friday 100326

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CrossFit Rockwall (Mary Rigney and Mike Woodruff) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: August 2007.
Location: Rockwall, Texas, USA.
Sq Ft: 1200.
Number of Members? 60.
How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Once; we moved from our garage into the retail space we are currently in.
Number of Trainers? 5
Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Our members and their success!

Read on! There's more!

Thursday 100325

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Kirstyn from CrossFit West Palm Beach (FL).

Meet Don at CrossFit Julia (CO) as he attempts to deadlift 200lbs on his 86th birthday: Video.

Wednesday 100324

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Rosalia L. of CrossFit Alcamo (Italy) competed in the CrossFit Games South European Sectionals. "Never could I expect the amazing support coming from the same athletes competing!"

Some stories you just have to read. Learn about Gordana from CrossFit Mississauga (Canada) and how she credits CrossFit with giving her the strength to fight cancer: Read.

"Surround yourself with fighters" -- Lisa Barrone in "It's Not the Recession, You Just Suck" on Outspokenmedia.com.

Tuesday 100323

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Meshelle M. of Tamalpais CrossFit (CA) instructs the schoolgirls of Daraja Academy in Nanyuki, Kenya recently. 52 girls were introduced to a Workout of the Day and learned to squat and throw down burpees on a dirt field. Not one complained.

Affiliate Scenario: You're at Sectionals for the CrossFit Games. On the scoresheet, one of your athletes has been given credit for a lift 10lbs heavier than what he did. If you tell the judges, recalculation might bump your guy out of contention for Regionals. You've watched other judges make a mistake or two on wallball or box jumps. It seems like it could even out. No one knows but you. What do you do? Report? Ignore? Talk to your athlete?

"As professional and personal lives converge, those who are authentic and transparent will triumph" -- Dan Schwabel. Read Schwabel's "5 Ways to Avoid Sabotaging Your Personal Brand Online" at Mashable.com.

Monday 100322

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Thomi Gill, owner of CrossFit Virginia Beach, demonstrates the squat.

CrossFit Virginia Beach steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: 05-27-07.
Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia, US.
Sq Ft: 3000.
Number of Members? 70.
How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Once, but we only moved one building down.
Number of Trainers? 3.
Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Watching people grow, helping others past their fears, and dispelling common misnomers about fitness and nutrition.

Wait! There's more . . .

Sunday 100321

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CrossFit Ramstein (Germany), one of our military affiliates.

Wonder what it feels like at the CrossFit Games Sectionals? Read this blogpost from Practice CrossFit (OH), and read the comments too.

Saturday 100320

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Ryan Moody, a trainer at CrossFit 801 (UT) nails a 64" box jump. Watch the video.

Georgia affiliates CrossFit Atlanta, CrossFit South Cobb, BTB CrossFit, and CrossFit Smyrna all land some great press, in one article: Read "A Brave New World."

Friday 100319

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Susan at CrossFit Alaska.

Who Said It?

"There's nothing like the couplet. I hope you're programming lots of couplets."

A.) Dave Castro
B.) Greg Glassman
C.) Mikki Martin
D.) John Welbourn

Give Them More to Love -- Lessons on increasing customer happiness from Entrepreneur.

Thursday 100318

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Rainier CrossFit (Kurtis and Laurie Bowler) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: July 4th, 2004.
Location: Puyallup, WA, USA.
Sq Ft: 3300.
Number of Members? 140.
How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Never, but have grown once.
Number of Trainers? Kurtis and I do the majority of the training but there are 22 of us.
Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Changing lives and watching people accomplish what they thought was impossible. Mary's Story (from the CrossFit Journal) reflects what we most treasure about being an affiliate.

Wait! There's more . . .

Wednesday 100317

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Fallon Everheart G., the next generation of CrossFit Mercer (NJ).

Your affiliate is your baby. How do you help your baby grow? Learn from the other CrossFit affiliates who have grown their businesses. CrossFit Catalyst (Canada) has a new blog with free information about reaching out to your community. Read Don't Buy Ads.

Affiliate Scenario: You date a member. It ends badly. The member wants to continue training at your gym. The situation feels awkward to you -- and to some of your members too. What do you do?

Tuesday 100316

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From CrossFit Long Island (NY): "Things are going amazing! We have over 40 members after our first month, and more importantly, WE ARE HAVING A TON OF FUN! Thanks for everything!"

From "Drive" by Daniel H. Pink: "By offering a reward, a principal signals to the agent that the task is undesirable. (If the task were desirable, the agent wouldn't need a prod.)" True or untrue? Necessary sometimes or the start of a slippery slope? How about for motivating athletes in your box? Or motivating trainers to bring in more members?

Think pizza and CrossFit have nothing in common? Read "Lessons from a Blue-Collar Millionaire" (Inc.) and see if there are points that apply to your business. Post to Comments.

Monday 100315

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Tammy S., Mel R., and Faith Cook from Hypoxia CrossFit.

Hypoxia CrossFit (Alan and Faith Cook) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: September 29, 2008.

Location: Ouray, CO, USA.

Sq Ft: 2,000.

Number of Members? Around 50, 16 kids. Our town has only 900 full time residents. Our membership comprises about 10 percent of the adult population. The town is less than one square mile.

How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Once. We started in a two-car garage behind our hotel. Exposed wool insulation, elk blood on the floor, hooks in the ceiling where the elk and deer hung prior to processing, no heat, and no bathroom. Now we are in a modern building, on the river, with mountain views all around.

Number of Trainers? Three.

Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Hearing we have changed someone's life by moving to town and opening our gym.

Wait, there's more!

Sunday 100314

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Fight Gone Bad at CrossFit Reykjavik (Iceland).

CrossFit community member Jason Whitaker writes a business blog. Read Building Community and A Reason Your Business Will Fail.

Saturday 100313

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CrossFit Kids gets ready to run a new group through their obstacle course at The Arnold Classic in Ohio.

Bob Guere, owner of CrossFit California City (CA) writes about his experience helping the CrossFit Kids staff at the Arnold: Read.

Friday 100312

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David nails a 58" box jump at CrossFit Hollywood.

CrossFit Hollywood and owner Andy Thompson hit the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: April 2008.
Location: Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Sq Ft: 1500.
Number of Members? 150+.
How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Just once. We moved from the park to our building.
Number of Trainers? I have 5 trainers including myself.
Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: The family! The athletes that come to my gym create such an energy at this box that it's easy to get sucked in. It's so big it'll make you crap your pants.

Wait! There's more, including new questions . . .

THURSDAY 100311

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Grapevine CrossFit (TX) team tire race.

Great Words from four CrossFit Affiliate Application Essays:

I signed up a couple of weeks later for the cert and it changed my life. I found people that wanted to help others as much as I did and not just help those that are already gifted or could afford it . . . CrossFit reminds me a lot of the military and how you must look out for your brother. I try and remind my class and clients that they must walk humble. They aren't better then others for doing CrossFit, they've just found it first. And bringing new people in will only help you get stronger.

CrossFit to me was originally a quick way to get an awesome workout, but it has slowly become a part of life. I often find myself stunned at how excited I get when someone asks me what CrossFit is and I get to explain it to them.

CrossFit is what I believe in. It has become its own definition to me. A word that cannot be found in the dictionary, but has vast, in-depth meaning, multiple interpretations and is also very simple. I believe it is, already has, and will continue to revolutionize the landscape of the fitness industry. Not as a fad, but as the norm. CrossFit is a symbol to me that represents endless possibilities and growth in the fitness field and in life.

Thanks for reading this. I love you CrossFit. Goodnight.

WEDNESDAY 100310

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CrossFit Athlete Inside (Canada).

Focus. We need it during the WOD, in our coaching, and in our businesses. But, sometimes, a step outside our CrossFit affiliate world provides a perspective that enhances the picture.

Read "How Pandora Slipped Past the Junkyard" (from The New York Times) and think about it with an eye on your CrossFit affiliate, whether it be one you own, work at, visit, or read about. Post thoughts to Comments.

TUESDAY 100309

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CrossFit Salem (OR).

Affiliate Scenario: You have a beautiful young woman who doesn't like to wear a lot of clothing when she works out. She's a good athlete and it's fine by you -- and it seems okay with all the guys -- but, lately, there's sniping among the female members. ("Look at that!" "Distracting." "Put some clothes on.") Normally, you wouldn't care, but you are trying to start a CrossFit Kids program and build a total community. You'd hate to lose the support of the Mommy Mafia. What should you do? Tell Miss Thang to cover up some? Or just ignore the comments and enjoy the show?

CrossFit Brighton (MI) has some more perspective on the infamous CrossFit A**hole Barrier.

MONDAY 100308

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CrossFit Threshold (Chris Holt) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: May 2008.
Location: Miami, FL USA.
Sq Ft: 3600 gym floor, 4000 usable sq. ft. (picture is of our 2000 sq. ft. space before our recent expansion next door).
Number of Members: 115.
How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Once. We just added 2000 sq ft to our current 2000 sq. ft.
Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: Bringing strangers on ALL level together and building a stronger community. Helping couples reach their goals together making their marriages that much stronger. Making people step outside their bubbles and accomplish feats they never could have imagined. Providing Preventive Medicine to all that walk in our box.

Wait, there's more . . .

SUNDAY 100307

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CrossFit Cedar Park (TX) brings it home during a recent team challenge.

HyperFit USA (MI) gives us "Cheerleading vs. Coaching."

SATURDAY 100306

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James G., Staff Sgt, Rhode Island National Guard, 1-143rd Infantry Company (Airborne), at CrossFit Providence (RI).

CrossFit Cape Cod (MA) grabs some good press: Read.

FRIDAY 100305

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Wasatch CrossFit (Damon & Priscilla Stewart) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: May 2007.

Location: Layton, UT, USA.

Sq Ft: 4200, soon to be 6200.

Number of Members: 165. Have been growing by an average of 15/month since August 09 when I went full-time in the affiliate. We expect this to be at 250 by mid-summer. I was part-time until Aug 09, at which point we had 80 CrossFitters. I fired around 15 when we moved and we've added 100 since.

How many times have you moved your affiliate location? Once.

Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: The impact we get to have on our athlete's lives and just showing up and being a part of this awesome community every day. There are many mornings where I could go snowboarding but would rather hang out and work at my box instead.

Wait, there's more . . .

THURSDAY 100304

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Joe at CrossFit CLE (OH).

Great Words from four CrossFit Affiliate Application Essays:

I love the fact that while most companies in the fitness world are trying to milk you for every dime they can get, CrossFit is truly trying to reach out and help as many people as possible in the sport of life! I am really looking forward to becoming a CrossFit affiliate and being a part of the CrossFit family. This will allow me to reach out in my local community and change people's lives. Thank you for this opportunity.

From kettlebells to muscle ups and everything in between I was hooked. Then I introduced these concepts to my athletes at school, THEY FREAKING LOVED IT!!! Everyday became a challenge to convince them that they needed to rest a little. I had to request an additional trash can so that when kids puked, I would not have to clean it.

I want women doing pull-ups, and everyone squatting below parallel. I want all the hippies in this town to start eating meat.

Our success will come in the faces of those we help. We will succeed every time someone changes their attitude towards life. Just knowing someone is better off is good enough for us.

WEDNESDAY 100303

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In the CrossFit world, honor and integrity are important.

WEDNESDAY 100303

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CrossFit Agoge (John and Kelly Brown) step into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot. (We'll let you guess who answered most of the questions.)

Affiliate Since: June, 2007.

Location: Montrose, Colorado, USA.

Sq Ft: 8000.

Number of Members: About 130 adults and 50 kids.

How many times have you moved your affiliate location: 3 times.

Greatest joy as a CrossFit affiliate: I have one real joy and that is helping others. Having members make strides to change their lives for the better is an amazing thing to have as part of a job description. I also have helped quite a few affiliates in either getting started, making the move to a bigger box, finding the best or cheapest equipment etc. . . . Enabling others to help their clients is something that I take great pride in.

Wait, there's more . . .

TUESDAY 100302

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Half of the new pull-up bars at CrossFit Newcastle (Australia).

Affiliate Scenario: There's a new CrossFit affiliate in your town and, well, he's pissing you off. First, it was those cardboard signs on the road near your box. Now, he's writing on his blog about how his programming is "superior" to yours. This past week, he tried to hire one of your best trainers. You just want to drop-kick the fellow, but you also remember what it was like to be a newbie in the CrossFit affiliate world. What should you do? Threaten him? Guide him? Or challenge him to CrossFit at the O.K. Corral: Best "Helen" time owns the town . . .

Why? from CrossFit Buffalo (NY).

MONDAY 100301

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CrossFit Firebase Orlando (FL) brought 14 teams (56 members) to the UCF Army ROTC Iron Knight Challenge Adventure race and took first place in both Male & Female Pro Divisions.

Great Words from the CrossFit Affiliate Application Essays:

• I want to affiliate because I am tired of my clients and I being kicked out the very gym that I work in because we are too intense for the regular clientele. I love the intensity.
• Fitness has been a part of my life since the 5th grade when I started doing push-ups to avoid getting beat up at school outside of Philadelphia.
• CrossFit has challenged and positively affected every aspect of my life . . . Nothing has been more inspiring, exciting, or rewarding to me than witnessing the overwhelmingly positive impact CrossFit has had on everyone we've introduced to it. This is why I want to become an affiliate - I want to continue to introduce CrossFit to people and do whatever I can to help others set and reach new goals - goals beyond what they think they are capable of, help others rethink what true fitness is, and help athletes excel in their sport.

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The March Painstorm (Courtesy of Jeff Martin and the Skunk Works crew at CrossFit Brand X, CA) . . .