Tuesday 100831

Enlarge Image

At the Santa Monica Pier with Kevin of Paradiso CrossFit (CA).

The CrossFit Hollywood Nutrition Blog.

"14 Sweet Facts About Sugar" from I Am Bored.

"Get a (New) Grip: Benching for Overhead Strength" from CrossFit Delaware Valley (PA).

"Four things come not back: The spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, the neglected opportunity." -- Arabian Proverb

Monday 100830

Enlarge Image

Melody at Practice CrossFit (OH).

"How Often Should I CrossFit?" from CrossFit Impulse (AL).

Affiliate Scenario: You have your Level One Certification and you want to buy an affiliate. You know you can't buy the name, but you're looking at taking over a thriving affiliate and rebranding it, basically. (If your essay is approved by CrossFit.) How do you figure out the worth of such a venture?

"The Skinny on Hooters" from the Wall Street Journal.

"He never knew when he was whipped . . . so he never was . . . " -- Louis L'Amour

Sunday 100829

Enlarge Image

Rob from Red Shed CrossFit (NJ) in VA Beach.

Marching band that CrossFits? Yup. Read "West Valley's Marching Band Goes Big Time."

"Gossip In the Workplace" from Bloomberg Business Week.

"10 Reasons It Would Rule To Date A Unicorn" from The Oatmeal.

Saturday 100828

Enlarge Image

CrossFit BC (Canada).

"This Is My Gym" by CrossFit Watertown (CT). (Looking for more motivational CrossFit essays? Click the "Articles" tab on the CFW posting.)

"Six Keys to Being Excellent at Anything" by the Harvard Business Review.

"I don't need to hang out in a posse and try to act cool." -- Jeremy London

Friday 100827

Enlarge Image

CrossFit Lithium (NJ) on an adventure.

"Yeah, CrossFit Is Expensive" by CrossFit California City (CA).

Go here and get your "17" badge now. Show the world that you support Fight Gone Bad 5.

Affiliate Questions: Best barbell? Best kettlebell? Best jumprope?

"Luck? I don't know anything about luck. I've never banked on it and I'm afraid of people who do. Luck to me is something else: Hard work - and realizing what is opportunity and what isn't." -- Lucille Ball

Thursday 100826

Enlarge Image

Jesse B. at CrossFit North Fort Collins (CO).

"Wax On, Wax Off" from CrossFit Montgomery County (MD).

CrossFit Clackamas (OR) in "This Workout Comes With a Cause."

"Serial Entrepreneurs Share Their Words of Wisdom" from Inc.

"Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -- Steven Jobs

Wednesday 100825

Enlarge Image

CrossFit Gordon (NY).

The new K-Star blog (Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit): Mobility WOD.

Affiliate Scenario: You have a trainer who is sweet to the members but surly to you. You've tried talking but made no progress. Now, you're starting to wonder if the members are picking up on the hostility and/or being led astray. What do you do next?

"Why I CrossFit" from CrossFit Fort Meade (MD).

"And as for the rest, let life happen to you. Believe me: life is in the right, always." -- Rainer Maria Rilke.

Tuesday 100824

Enlarge Image

Brian of CrossFit Ramstein (Germany), on a sheep farm in New Zealand.

Check out this post about Wolf Pack CrossFit (Korea) on the CrossFit Ramstein website.

"10 Things You Should Never Micromanage" from Inc.

"My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud." -- Henry Rollins

Monday 100823

Enlarge Image

The Hill at the CrossFit The Woodlands (TX) training area.

Bryant Powers of CrossFit Oahu gets featured in "Gym Owner Learns How to Be Fiscally Fit" from Pacific Business News.

Affiliate Scenario: Nobody seems to pick up or put away anything in your affiliate. Bumpers, kettlebells, water bottles, etc. all litter the floor after a class. What's the best way to get your members to take ownership of the space and store their gear?

"Convenient" by Mindi at Kitsap CrossFit (WA).

"Don't be afraid if things seem difficult in the beginning. That's only the initial impression. The important thing is not to retreat; you have to master yourself." -- Olga Korbut

Sunday 100822

Enlarge Image

In the middle of CrossFit Cedar Park's grand opening of their new location, Jason S. bangs out some squats with his son Travis.

See Jason as the "Hero of the Day" on the Fight Gone Bad 5 Facebook page.

"Globo Gym vs. CrossFit Gym" from CrossFit Rehoboth (DE).

"Forgive and Remember: How a Good Boss Responds to Mistakes" from the Harvard Business Review.

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all." -- Dale Carnegie

Saturday 100821

Enlarge Image

Highlands Fire CrossFit (AZ).

CrossFit Riverdale (NY) gets featured in "Heavy Regimen For Fitness Fanatics."

"Fitness Is . . ." from Blair Morrison's Anywherefit.

Friday 100820

Enlarge Image

Melissa of CrossFit Valley Park (MO).

Before/After shots: Do you do them regularly for new members?

"CrossFit's Old School Approach Gains Fans" from the Chicago Tribune.

"MLM = Cancer In Your Business" from CrossFit L.A. (The Biz).

"Electric communication will never be a substitute for the face of someone who with their soul encourages another person to be brave and true." -- Charles Dickens

Thursday 100819

Enlarge Image

CrossFit St. Charles (MO).

"We Are Different" from CrossFit Hollywood (CA).

Stressed out trying to balance work and home life? Read this article: "Balance is Bunk!" from Fast Company.

"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever." -- Lance Armstrong

Wednesday 100818

Enlarge Image

Albany CrossFit (NY).

CrossFit Biloxi Beach (MS) honors soldiers killed in Afghanistan: Read.

"Shaking America by Storm" from Inc.

"Once you choose hope, anything's possible." -- Christopher Reeve

Tuesday 100817

Enlarge Image

Shawn Dumbreck and Marcia Chiasson from CrossFit Guelph (Canada) getting in a few squats on their wedding day.

Want to be the CrossFit Hero of the Day? It's all in support of Fight Gone Bad 5.

"Business Malady #1: The Waiting Game" from Fast Company.

"No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched." -- George Jean Nathan

Monday 100816

Enlarge Image

Jimmy P. sets a personal record at CrossFit Metropolis (NY).

Affiliate Scenario: You love your affiliate and it's becoming more and more popular. You work really long hours to make everything happen but, lately, you're just burnt. Overscheduled, overtired, your own training is suffering, and your personal relationships are taking a serious hit. Is this the inevitable life of a small business owner? Or are there steps you should take right now to make things better for you?

Simple instructions for changing your life for the better: "Baby Step #1" and "Baby Step 2#" from CrossFit Aspire (NJ).

"How To Be An Optimist Without Being An Idiot" from Open Forum.

"Everyone who has ever built anywhere a 'new heaven' first found the power thereto in his own hell." -- Friedrich Nietzsche

Sunday 100815

Enlarge Image

At the grand opening of CrossFit Potential (Canada).

If you're not a fan of the CrossFit Facebook page, you should become one TODAY. There's a big coupon over there for the CrossFit Store.

"They remind me of what we do. It's powerful. I don't want to be a business. I want to be a community." Sound familiar? Would you believe that remark comes from a cosmetics queen? Read more: "How I Did It" from Inc.

"Look, I don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully, or you're not alive." -- Mel Brooks

Saturday 100814

Enlarge Image

CrossFit Ames (IA).

"Why We CrossFit" from CrossFit Fire (IL).

"The Power Trip": Essay from the Wall Street Journal.

"Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith." -- Henry Ward Beecher

Friday 100813

Enlarge Image

CrossFit Scottsdale (AZ).

"Believe In Someone" by Jocelyn at CrossFit West Santa Cruz (CA).

"Are Bossy Customers Undermining Your Business?" from Inc.

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thursday 100812

Enlarge Image

Claire G. of CrossFit Riverdale (NY).

Have you signed up for Fight Gone Bad 5? Sept is not that far away . . .

"I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself." -- Robert E. Lee

"Can Exercise Moderate Anger?" from the New York Times.

Wednesday 100811

Enlarge Image

Stephanie snatches at CrossFit Winston-Salem (NC).

Meet Evan, the 4-year-old burpee maniac at CrossFit Legacy (OH): Video.

"How 16 Great Companies Picked Their Unique Names" from Open Forum.

"Is There a Difference Between Training and Exercising?" by CrossFit Ocean City (MD).

Tuesday 100810

Enlarge Image

Brian Bowen of CrossFit Ramstein (Germany) encourages an athlete to dig deep during a workout.

What do you say to an athlete in a moment like this? And does it differ greatly from man to woman? Or from person to person?

"So we go in there with a double edged sword. One is a tremendous cohesion to play for each other. By the same token, forged in a very competitive arena where it's okay to cut your roommate's heart out and play with that sort of fury. And I think we've basically figured out a system of trying to get the best of both worlds." -- Legendary soccer coach Anson Dorrance in "An Oral History Interview."

"A Maxim A Day Keeps Bad Feelings Away" from Miller-McCune.

"Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one." -- Bobby Knight

Monday 100809

Enlarge Image

Cynergy CrossFit (MA) at their Third Annual Beach WOD.

What's the most valuable non-exercise piece of equipment in your entire affiliate?

"Your Rotator Cuff" by CrossFit South Brooklyn (NY).

"CrossFit" (a review) from Discovery Health.

"Tell the world what you intend to do, but first show it." -- Napoleon Hill

Sunday 100808

Enlarge Image

A stretching clinic at CrossFit Champions (TX).

"Fight or Flight" from Becca at CrossFit L.A. (CA).

"It All Depends On What You Focus On" from The Labov Report.

"It's Futurists Versus Consumers As The Death Of The Book Is Prophesied" from Tech Crunch.

Saturday 100807

Enlarge Image

CrossFit Delaware Valley (PA).

Read the stories of "CrossFit Women" by Orange Coast CrossFit (CA).

"12 Things Good Bosses Believe" from the Harvard Business Review.

"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business." -- Henry Ford

Friday 100806

Enlarge Image

The WOD board at CrossFit Tallahassee (FL).

Summertime pool jumps by Joe Weigel, a trainer at SPC CrossFit (OH).

An article about the gaming community, perhaps with application to the CrossFit world? "Curing the Noobonic Plague" from The Escapist.

"I am convinced that world-class performance emerges from mind-set. Many of our greatest cyclists did not start out with obvious natural advantages, but they transformed themselves through application. Perhaps the key task of any institution is to encourage the adoption of a growth mind-set. When that kind of philosophy becomes embedded in a culture, the consequences can be dramatic." -- Peter Keen, as quoted in "Bounce" by Matthew Syed.

Thursday 100805

Enlarge Image

CrossFit South Cobb (GA), doing what we all dream about doing with the Big Tire.

Brains and brawn: always a nice combo. Read about Antigone ("Tig") at CrossFit Alberta (Canada): "Lots of Hard Work On the 'Brains' Side of Things."

Affiliate Scenario: You walk into your affiliate one morning and it's apparent that the coaches did not clean the mats after last night's class. The first members of the 6am class are starting to pull into the parking lot, but you're embarrassed by the condition of the gym. What do you do? A quick mop while the members are warming up? Ignore the nasty chalk and dried sweat by making everyone use the other (cleaner) end of the mats? Greet every member at the door with a kettlebell and tell them you have a great outdoor WOD planned for the parking lot?

"5 Small Biz Web Design Trends to Watch" from OpenForum.

Wednesday 100804

Enlarge Image

2010 CrossFit Games Affiliate Cup winners CrossFit Fort Vancouver (WA).

"The reality is that our gym is full of a community of people that work equally as hard as the six that represented us in L.A. . . . The six on the podium were just the tip of the iceberg." -- From "Holding Down the Fort" on CrossFit Fort Vancouver.

"12 Ways CrossFit Has Changed My Life" by Peggy Rollens of CrossFit Fort Vancouver.

Little things mean a lot sometimes: Read this blogpost by Mario Ashley of CrossFit Redline (FL).

"Obesity Rates Keep Rising" from the New York Times.

"Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." -- Albert Einstein

Tuesday 100803

Enlarge Image

Training for Fight Gone Bad V at HyperFit USA (MI).

Fight Gone Bad V is Sept 25. Start getting ready. Sign up and join the CrossFit community in this fight.

Check out the CrossFit You Tube Channel. Watch the full "What is CrossFit?" video and others. Link, share, help your folks tell the story.

"Egg On Their Faces" from City Journal and "Food For Thought: Meat-Based Diet Made Us Smarter" from NPR.

"Every man's progress is through a succession of teachers, each of whom seems at the time to have a superlative influence, but it at last gives place to a new. Frankly let him accept it all." -- from "Intellect" by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Monday 100802

Enlarge Image

CrossFit Virtuosity (NY).

"Many of you have seen or heard of the popular CrossFit t-shirt that reads 'Your workout is our warm-up.' Maybe we'll have a new one at TCF that reads 'Your workout is what our 7-month pregnant women do'" from "Reality" at Triangle CrossFit (NC).

CrossFit London (UK) writes a variety of posts on barefoot running, Vibrams, POSE, etc.

CrossFit Oahu (HI) with some advice on Overtraining Syndrome.

"Stop Enforcing Noncompetes" from Inc.

Sunday 100801

The August Painstorm (Courtesy of Kempie at CrossFit Northeast England):

5 rounds 3 Ground To OverHead 60kg/40kg, 15 ball slams
Run 800m
5 rounds 3 power snatch 60kg/ 40kg, 15 wall ball
Run 800m
5 rounds 3 GTOH 60kg/40kg, 15 ball slams
Run 800m
5 rounds 3 power snatch 60kg/ 40kg, 15 wall ball
Run 800m

"6 Reasons Bacon Is Better Than True Love" by The Oatmeal.