Wednesday 100630

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CrossFit Penrith (Jody Gall and Glenn Mitchell) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Location: Penrith, N.S.W Australia.

Square Ft: 2000.

Number of Members? 57, with about 10 once a week casual CrossFitters.

Is this your original location? No, we started in the park until we found a suitable box.

Number of Trainers? 3.

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? Yes, this is full time for both of us. I was managing a globo gym & doing P.T previously & Jody played professional Rugby League.

Why CrossFit? CrossFit changes people's lives, it inspires, it motivates & our members are better for it. Nothing else compares.

Tuesday 100629

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Kurtis Bowler (owner of Rainier CrossFit in WA) and his brother Tom "double bucking" at the Buckley Log Show, where Kurtis won the standing block chop competition -- after a 21-year hiatus in competition and with only a handful of recent practices.

Great Lines From CrossFit Affiliate Application Essays: "One day I was swinging the kettlebell around outside our building a guy approached and told me that if I was into kettlebells, I should check out a website where 'hot girls do all kinds of crazy workouts.' How could you not check into that?"

Read both of these articles and decide if their theories are valid, hogwash, or something in between:

"Hooked on Gadgets and Paying a Mental Price" from the New York Times.

"Social Media Increases 'Cuddle' Chemical Protection in the Brain" from Mashable.

Monday 100628

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Ely of CrossFit Hollister (CA) and John of CrossFit 757 (VA) at a preview of the new CrossFit Nutrition Course held at CrossFit East Village (CA).

Affiliate Scenario: You publish your WODs on your blog before they happen. After a few lightly attended workouts, you suspect some of your members are "cherry-picking" their workouts. What do you do? Talk to them? Stop publishing your WODs? Or just ignore the situation?

Thames CrossFit scores some press in the UK.

"I would say try a lot of different things in different industries and with different people over your life, and eventually the business that you were meant for will find you." "Happiness 101" with the CEO of Zappos, from Open Forum.

Sunday 100627

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Dollie at CrossFit Playground (CT).

"Passion" from CrossFit West Santa Cruz (CA).

Show, with a little bit of tell: Box Jumps from CrossFit Fitness Battalion (GA).

"Minor Differences" from The Oatmeal.

Saturday 100626

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CrossFit Scottsdale (Luke and Najla Kayyem) step into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: July 2008.

Location: Scottsdale, Arizona.

Sq Feet: 2,700 sq ft. (1,800 sq. ft. of floor space.)

Number of Members? 150 (CrossFit and CrossFit Kids).

Is this your original location? This is our second location. We originally started in a wellness center in 700 sq. ft. We quickly outgrew the space and had to expand to a larger location to accommodate our growing student base.

Number of Trainers? 3 full-time and 2 part time coaches on staff.

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? This is our full-time life. I don't have a job anymore. I change lives now. We live, work and play within a two-mile radius of the gym. My wife, my kids and my neighbors all live the CrossFit lifestyle. Having spent 10 years in the fitness industry as a fitness professional I saw the good, the bad and the ugly and took the best of what I learned and integrated it with CrossFit's training techniques and growing community. My wife, Najla, works in and on the box in addition to her profession as a Marketing and Public Relations Executive.

Why CrossFit? It works. It's fun, competitive, inspiring and it keeps you motivated. It's the only program out there that is truly scalable and works for everyone. Nothing but results . . . end of story.

Keep reading -- there's more!

Friday 100625

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CrossFit Morristown (NJ).

"Perspective" by Andy Petranek of CrossFit L.A.

CrossFit Marquette (MI) scores a feature on the local news: Video.

Did you hear the prizes for the Affiliate Cup winner at the CrossFit Games next month?

"The Cult of J. Crew" from Forbes.

Thursday 100624

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County Line CrossFit (TX).

"Foxy" at CrossFit Attitude (Australia) and his 50kg Turkish Get-up: Video.

"Stretching the Truth" with CrossFit Intrepid (CA).

"Like cell phone loud-talkers, we make noise and don't realize it -- and we end up consuming useless noise from others instead of tapping into the real potential." "Why Feedback and Filters Are Necessary in Social Media" from Mashable.

Wednesday 100623

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CrossFit Apex is the affiliate home of Tanya Wagner, 2009 CrossFit Games Champion. Tanya and her husband Josh, and Keith Bussom and Mike Feliciani enter the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: April 2008.

Location: Souderton, PA USA.

Square Ft: 1600.

Number of Members? 80.

Is this your original location? No.

Number of Trainers? 4.

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? No. All four owners are school teachers. Josh and Tanya Health/PE Teachers, Keith Social Studies, Mike Business.

Why CrossFit? Makes waking up in the morning and daily life much easier. After experiencing workouts that could leave you laying in a pool of sweat gasping for air after 3-5min is mind blowing after years of spending hours in the globo gym hitting bicep curls and db bench press. Familiar with the usual routine strength plateaus, how could you want to go back? CrossFit's variations continue to create PR's and keep you feeling younger and more fit everyday.

Keep reading! There's more!

Tuesday 100622

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Athlete: CJ Crowder of CrossFit Vitality (NC).

Affiliate: 100 members in 8 weeks. Maybe this CrossFit stuff is catching on?

"Graduation Guerrilla Burpee" (video) from Brian Bowen at CrossFit Ramstein (Germany).

"How to Think Like a Bootstrapper" from Open Forum.

Monday 100621

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The CrossFit Local (NC) team (two members shown above) grabs some press on their road to the CrossFit Games next month in L.A.

Check out how much Yuriy from CrossFit Santa Clara (CA) improved in his back squat in just a few months with trainer (and past CrossFit Games champion) Jason Khalipa: Photo and Video.

Affiliate Question: Blood and skin on the bar -- it's gross but it happens and somebody has to clean it up. Do you do it? Or do you make your members do it?

Read "Why Mobile Innovation Is Blowing Away PCs" from TechCrunch. Perhaps an analogy for CrossFit in comparison to traditional gyms? Or not?

Sunday 100620

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Dads from CrossFit Relentless (CT), CrossFit Monrovia (CA), CrossFit Energy (OH), CrossFit Breakaway (VA), and The CrossFit Box (OH).

Over at CrossFit California City (CA), Bob Guere has a little something for the kids to work towards this summer. If you'd like to learn more, listen to Bob's CrossFit Radio interview.

"Weight-Lifting Gains Bring Pains Too" from the New York Times.

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great." -- Mark Twain

Saturday 100619

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CrossFit Impulse (David Clem and Jeff Barnett) enters the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: November, 2009.

Location: Madison, Alabama, USA.

Square Feet: 2900.

Number of Members: 57.

is this your original location? Yes, this is our original location. We are the non-typical affiliate that didn't start in a garage or park. We believed our area had a large demand for a CrossFit affiliate so we opened in a 2900 sqft warehouse with 0 members and grew very quickly. It was absolutely the right decision for us.

Number of trainers: Four trainers, all part-time.

Is this your full-time job? What else did/do you do? This is our second job. Both owners are full-time mechanical engineers for a defense contractor. One trainer is Christina Barnett, an owner's wife, and one trainer is a paid independent contractor that runs some classes in addition to his full-time job. He is currently the only paid trainer.

Why CrossFit? We've chosen CrossFit because it is fun, holistic, prepares us for everyday life, and offers camaraderie and competition that we have never found in any other exercise program.

Keep reading! There's more!

Friday 100618

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Chantal T. and Jeff P. pulling at CrossFit Moncton (Canada).

"Surviving Airplane Food" from Joannie B. at Element CrossFit (Canada).

"Kill That Voice" from CrossFit Watertown (CT).

Who wants Shannon's Homemade Beef Jerky Recipe from CrossFit Survival (CA)?

"If you're bored with life -- you don't get up every morning with a burning desire to do things -- you don't have enough goals." -- Lou Holtz

Thursday 100617

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The Saturday morning class at CrossFit Avalanche (CA) does single-arm rock push presses on the beach at Lake Tahoe.

"The New Level 1 Test" by Sam Radetsky at CrossFit West Santa Cruz (CA).

"World Record Highest Standing Box Jump" by Ryan Moody of CrossFit 801 (UT).

CrossFit Fort Meade (MD) is on the hunt for Chalk Monkeys.

"How the World is Spending Its Time Online" from Mashable.

Wednesday 100616

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CrossFit Redline (Anthony and Alison DiSarro) enters the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: September 2008.

Location: Naples, Florida, USA.

Square Footage: 1600.

Number of Members? 50.

Is this your original location? Yes, but we're looking for more space. A lot more.

Number of Trainers? 9 (7 are Law Enforcement trainers).

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? No, but it feels like it sometimes. I am a full-time law enforcement officer and SWAT team member and father of 4.

Why CrossFit? Nothing else comes close.

Keep reading! There's more!

Tuesday 100615

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CrossFit Fire (IL).

"I get a phone call from Assist Coach Pete Greenwood who is telling me that they just won the State Championship as he is being drowned out by the kids in the background chanting CrossFit - CrossFit - CrossFit!" Read the rest of the story here (National Champs too) from Steven Bowser at CrossFit Affliction (FL).

"Training Makes You . . . Smarter?" from CrossFit Marin (CA).

"How to Leverage the Pain vs. Gain Mentality": True words or a bunch of junk? Should we listen to him or not?

Monday 100614

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At the CrossFit Rowing Certification at Concept 2 Headquarters in VT.

Watch "Let the Games Begin" . . . Who's psyched for L.A. in one month?

"The CrossFit Warren program on F.E. Warren builds warriors by teaching and training members the ability to tackle almost any physical task." -- from "Pain, Misery, Suffering" about CrossFit Warren (WY), one of our military affiliates.

"People can have many different kinds of pleasure. The real one is that for which they will forsake the others." -- Marcel Proust.

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Holly Mason of CrossFit SI (IL) finishes a sandbag run at the end of charity WOD recently.

Sure, you can snatch. But can you snatch a fire ladder? Noah Pester of CrossFit Marysville (WA) can: Video.

"How do you know when you're serving? You feel it. You listen to what people need." Something to think about: "Are You Selling or Serving?" from create.amplify.thrive.

Saturday 100612

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SWAT teams doing "Murph" on the beach in Santa Monica (CA) with CrossFit Simi Valley.

Mountaineer CrossFit (WV) grabs some press: Read.

"Asking Why Instead of How . . . " from Science Daily: Good info? Or not? Post your opinion to Comments.

Friday 100611

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Maegan Dominguez, CrossFit Mildenhall (UK) at the Great Pyramid of Giza.

CrossFit York (PA) took on the Tough Mudder Race and found it . . . not as tough. (Read the CrossFit Journal article here.) Did your affiliate run the Tough Mudder -- or another race this year? How did the CrossFit experience prepare your athletes for such challenges?

Just starting your CrossFit affiliate -- or thinking about starting one? "Know what you know, what you don't know and who knows what you don't." -- From "Ten Tips for the First-Time Business Owner" in Entrepreneur.

Thursday 100610

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CrossFit On The Move (Toby Watson) enters the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot
.

Affiliate Since: August 2009 . . . Opened Doors Jan 4, 2010.

Location: Atlanta, GA, USA.

Square Footage: 3000sq ft.

Number of Members? 70 - We are average a net of 10 - 12 a month.

Is this your original location? We started in a trailer, training kids for free in the park and then opened this facility.

Number of Trainers? 3 + myself.

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? It is my full-time job starting June 25, 2010 . . . I have left the US Army to do it full time.

Why CrossFit? Because it is the first and only fitness program I have seen that truly promotes all around fitness, not just fake promises of six pack abs. It breeds a culture of healthy living from top to bottom.

Keep reading! There's more!

Wednesday 100609

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At Golden Falls, Iceland: Johann Eyvindsson from CrossFit Hafnarfjordur (Iceland).

Atlas CrossFit (IL) gets a video feature in "Exercise Can Help Keep Depression Symptoms at Bay" from Medill Reports.

Affiliate Scenario: You're a new affiliate, just learning your way. One of your new members seems a bit spoiled and you're not really sure she knows what intensity is. Halfway through a 15 min metcon, she complains of a sharp pain in her elbow. You tell her to press on and she continues, but, a minute later, she complains again. What do you do? Have her finish the WOD and then look at it? Stop her WOD? Or eliminate the movement that is causing the pain?

"The essence of mastery is being obsessively great around about five things." -- "How to Lead Without a Title" from Open Forum.

Tuesday 100608

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Hammer Down CrossFit (Todd Katz) enters the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot
.

Affiliate Since: September 2009.

Location: Chantilly, VA, United States.

Sq Ft: 4000+.

Number of Members? 68.

Is this your original location? This is our 3rd stop. We started in the parking lot, moved to my garage, then finally to where we are today.

Number of Trainers? 5 including myself.

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? About 2 years ago I dropped out of corporate life as a Director at Sprint/Nextel to pursue this dream. It is definitely a dream come true.

Why CrossFit? I loved what it did for me both physically and mentally and now I love watching what it's doing for our community. I see a new confidence in so many people. It's absolutely amazing. There is definitely magic in the movement and fun in the community.

Keep reading! There's more!

Monday 100007

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Jessie F. (during "Diane") at CrossFit Black Box (FL).

Take the next 9:33 min of your life and watch "Finding My Way" by Greg Glassman in the CrossFit Journal. It's worth it.

Ten years from now, where will CrossFit be? Everywhere? Or forgotten? Or somewhere in between? Explain your vision in Comments.

Nancy McKeage of CrossFit Red Deer (Canada) gets featured in the local press about her road to this year's CrossFit Games. Read "Working Mom Crosses Barriers for Fitness."

Sunday 100606

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Dan Schreiber, Andy Thompson, and David Page of CrossFit Hollywood (CA).

BTB CrossFit (GA) on CNN: Video.

Triangle CrossFit (NC) lands on their local TV news: Video.

"You Blog? Who Cares? Customers Will" from Open Forum.

Saturday 100605

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Doug S. with a 54" box jump at CrossFit Off The Grid (NJ).

CrossFit South Brooklyn (NY) gets featured on Healthbeat Brooklyn: Video.

"All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work." -- Calvin Coolidge

Friday 100604

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Dan Waldrep, a CrossFit ATP Instructor, at the Fireman Challenge in Florida.

CrossFit ATP (Juan Bacca and Christine Bagiotti) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot.

Affiliate Since: November 2009.

Location: Dania Beach, Florida, USA.

Square Feet: 6400 sq ft.

Number of Members: 144 members.

Is this your original location? Yes, this is our original location.

Number of Trainers: (4) CrossFit Trainers, (1) BJJ Instructor, (1) Kickboxing Instructor.

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? Yes, this is our full-time job/business/career. We were self-employed Personal Trainers/Gym Manager before CF affiliation.

Why CrossFit? Functional movements is the way we train ourselves/clients for many years and it was a natural fit for us to become CrossFit Affiliates. With a kettlebell program (RKC Instructors) and a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu school (Nova Uniao of South Florida) was a prefect match under one roof.

Keep reading! There's more!

Thursday 100603

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Three generations of one family train at CrossFit Penrith (Australia): Lynne (who competed at Regionals), her 16-year-old daughter Courtney (on the CFP Affiliate Cup team), and "Lynne's Mum" (Margaret) at 78 years old!

"Training Silvers" by CrossFit Chaos owner Joey Powell, from the CrossFit Journal.

Affiliate Scenario: You have a member who is 7 months pregnant with her first child. She's been CrossFitting for almost a year now. The workout today is "Fran" and she just told you that she's going for a new PR. What is your response? (Post to Comments.)

"What Your E-mail Address Says About Your Computer Skills" from The Oatmeal.

Wednesday 100602

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CrossFit CapOp (Mathieu Dumontet) steps into the CrossFit Affiliate Snapshot
.

Affiliate Since: April 2009.

Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Square Feet: 1600 sf.

Number of Members? 50 athletes and growing.

Is this your original location? Nope, we begin on a time share basis with a boxing club. 6 months later, we needed more place, more class and more equipments.

Number of Trainers? 1.5 ( Part time for the .5.)

Is this your full-time job? What else do/did you do? Full time since April 2010. I don't regret a thing with this decision as it was a big plus for my quality of life. Running a full-time job with a affiliate growing is not the best idea. You have to do what you are preaching: Sleep, less stress, and training.

Why CrossFit? Best program, best community and terrific result on all the sphere of your life.

Keep reading! There's more!

Tuesday 100601

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Partner burpees at Practice CrossFit (OH).

"How to Wake Dormant Customers" from Small Business Trends.

From the CrossFit Affiliate Application Essays: "At the time I was a member of the SEAL Teams and I thought I had it all figured by the time I hit my second platoon, on the first day we did a typical center PT - run, swim, rope climbs and air loft stairs, come to find out I wasn't so far ahead; they couldn't see me I was so far behind! My platoon Chief pulled me aside later that day and said WTF and handed me a CFJ!?"

The June Painstorm is here . . .