So what are we doing about it?  First, we’re adding a coach, Mandy Brown.  Mandy’s been working hard, preparing to get into the coaching mix.  In addition to her CrossFit certification, Mandy is also a USA Weightlifting Level 1 Sports Performance Coach.  Mandy’s enthusiasm, work ethic, and attention to detail make her an outstanding addition to the team.

Adding a coach allows us to add classes.  We’re starting with another midday class at 12 PM Monday through Thursday, and an Olympic Weightlifting class Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM, with more to come.  The Olympic Weightlifting class is dedicated to working on the Olympic lifts, the snatch and the clean & jerk, with an emphasis on drills and technique.  It is included as part of your membership here at CrossFit Fenway, and athletes of all abilities are invited to participate.

As we’re expanding capacity, we’re simultaneously working with our vendor to make the class registration process as user friendly as possible.  On the subject of our online scheduling system, please be courteous to our community, and cancel reservations you’ve made for classes that you won’t be able to attend.  Being a no-show to a class doesn’t just mean you missed the class, but it also means someone else didn’t have the opportunity to take your place.

Everything’s coming up CrossFit Fenway right now, and we’re excited to keep it rolling.  2012 is shaping up to be another big year.

January 30, 2012
Strength: Power Clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

WOD:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Hang Power Clean (60kg/45kg)
Toes-to-Bar

Announcements

Defend Our Title!  CrossFit Fenway was voted the Best Health Club in Boston for 2010 and 2011 in the Boston Phoenix Best Poll.  Help us 3-peat by nominating CrossFit Fenway in the 2012 poll. Go here and fill in CrossFit Fenway in the text box next to health club (once a day per e-mail address).  Be sure to vote for any of your other Boston favorites, and complete the survey by hitting the “Submit” button, entering your name and e-mail address, and then hitting “Vote Now”, otherwise your nomination won’t count.

Who Wants Wrist Wraps?!  Several of you have asked the coaches about wrist wraps, or even borrowed a pair.  I like them for near-max overhead lifts, and metcons with a lot of work overhead.  If you’re interested in ordering a pair for yourself, or would like more information please contact Eric by Friday, February 10th.

Let this blog post serve as the annual reminder to please thoroughly wipe your feet, or, even better, take off your outdoor footwear when entering the facility.  This will help us keep the salt, slush, and other outside slop to a minimum.  We’ll continue to do our best to clean up whatever gets tracked in, but please do your part, because no one wants to do burpees into a face full of salt.

January 25, 2012
Strength:
Push Press 3-3-3-3-3

WOD:
10-8-6-4-2
Deadlifts (100kg/70kg)
Ring Push-ups
50 Sit-ups
10-8-6-4-2
Deadlifts (100kg/70kg)
Ring Push-ups

Run with CFF!  This Saturday, January 28th at 1:30 PM, we’re having our first meeting for the CrossFit Fenway Enduranct Team.  All abilities are welcome and encouraged to participate.  Please join us if you’re interested, or e-mail Eric if you can’t make it, and for more information.

Your ZenPlanner account now automatically has one extra class attendance allowed per week.  The weekday schedule will remain as it has been, with small, capped classes.  We’re adding a second uncapped “Invasion-style” workout on Saturdays, to give you more consistency and more choices – with the caveat that we’re now asking you to reserve this class as well, just so we can keep track.  Your extra class attendance may be used to continue attending on Saturdays, or you can come in for an extra weekday class.  The choice is yours.

All we’re asking is that you now register for the invasion workouts, just as you would one of our weekday classes.

Our Gold (Unlimited) Memberships are still unlimited – you can come in for any class – and Gold Members have greater access to the CFF facilities.  In addition, Gold Members also have full access to classes at CrossFit Somerville, making it even more convenient to get your WOD in wherever you are!

This is going to be another big year for CrossFit Fenway, and we’ve got more planned to make it better than ever.  Thanks for being part of our family!

January 3, 2012
Strength:
High Bar Back Squat 5-5-5-5-5

WOD:
AMRAP 10:
20 Push Press (35kg/25kg)
20 Sit-ups

Doesn't Nick look happy in his first edition grey Fenway T-Shirt? Sorry, these are sold out. But we have other nice shirts for you!

In addition, the WODbooks also have great lists of Bodyweight workouts to do on the road, and excellent Paleo and Zone reference guides for when you’re not sure how many blocks you’re getting into (or whether or not that cookie is Paleo). There’s a ton of information buried in this WODbook, which makes it a perfect travel companion for your gym bag, no matter if you’re headed to Fenway or taking your game on the road! Just $20 for a logbook that will last you well over a year!

We love CrossFit Fenway. We know you love CrossFit Fenway. Why not give everyone you meet a chance to know more about this awesome place that you love?

The Fenway Hoodie is an excellent way to show your pride, no matter where you’re going. Note: Coach Eric’s “thug life” pose is entirely optional. At $50, they’re cheaper than a generic CrossFit hoodie. These are both lightweight and incredibly warm – we got really lucky picking an awesome hoodie the first time out, and the distressed print looks great. You can totally buy one today, or get us to put it on your tab when you’re in the facility next!

If you’re looking for a great t-shirt that exemplifies our philosophy here at CrossFit Fenway and also just looks really cool, we also have cotton/poly blend shirts in blue or dark green! These are American Apparel shirts, made in the USA, and wicked comfortable. Just $25 in the Store!

Whether you love CrossFit Fenway or just want to represent Boston and the Sox when you’re on the road, all of these are great options and more are available in our online store. We’ll keep you updated as more hot new merch comes in!

2/1, 8:30 PM: Due to more heavy snow, and a declared snow emergency in Boston, AM classes (5:30 AM, 6 AM, 6:30 AM, 7:30 AM) for tomorrow, Wednesday, February 2nd are canceled.  We’ll evaluate the situation in the morning to determine the status of classes for the rest of the day.  Check back here for more information.

We’re not making any money on this, but it’s a neat service and we’d like to make sure you’re all aware of just how easy it is to do this. Place orders by 9 PM on Sunday for Monday delivery to CFF at 5 PM, or by 9 PM Wednesday for 5 PM delivery on Thursday. Deliveries sit in the cooler waiting for you to pick up at your convenience. It’s hard to get much easier.

I encourage you to try it out, and send me an email to let me know what you think. As always, I’m listening to you and trying to make CrossFit Fenway as excellent as possible – better every day.

Gift Certificates?

YES! Look, nobody gives books of Wendy’s Frosty coupons or McDonald’s Milkshakes anymore; you wouldn’t eat them even if you got them. A gift card to Starbucks is the “new Frosty”; just as lame, but with the added irony of using more plastic to buy a paper-cupped drink in pursuit of saving the environment with fair-trade boutique coffee. (Note: JT feels silly going into a Starbucks. Eric feels juuuuuust fine about it.)

Why not give (or get) something MORE awesome? Instead of saying “I want you to have high caffeine levels and a moderately increased sense of social responsibility”, why not give a gift that says “I want to share my passion and joy and friends and community with you! I want to share this nearly incommunicable experience of fun and growth and confidence and transformation! I want you to be a F*&#ing SUPERHERO.” Give a CrossFit Fenway gift certificate - and next year, you and your friends can pick out capes together for a gift exchange.

They’re not just for giving to others. You can ask for them, too! We get lots of calls all year long from people asking how they can give the gift of membership to their friends. Now, when making out your wish lists to give to neighbors, family members, and even awkward near-relations, you have the perfect choice available!

We offer these two ways:
1) Newbie! Want to have a complete neophyte try out CrossFit Fenway? We’re launching a special Fundamentals class in January. It will be capped to a very few members, and will be a 4-week (12 class) introduction to CrossFit. The goal will be to introduce the concepts, teach the fundamental movements, accelerate the learning and progress, and graduate members who are ready to jump into class at full speed! This is a great way for a deconditioned athlete (or your out-of-shape-yet-ambitious friends) to get started from scratch!

$400 will cover the entire cost of getting someone started with CrossFit – and it’s a gift they’ll thank you for the rest of their lives. Let’s be honest: losing 10 pounds will get them more positive attention than showing off a new iPad, for less money. Discovering a new life of fitness beats the hell out of a Kindle. And being able to take your bodyweight overhead? Priceless.

2) Member! Want to contribute to the training costs of your favorite CrossFit athlete? General use gift certificates are available in any denomination from $100 to $4,070. (Why $4,070? That’s the cost of a full year of Unlimited Access to CrossFit Fenway: just $13 per class. So cheap!) Buy one and your favorite Fenway member can apply it to any membership costs for the next year!

And then there’s clothing.

First off, we have Joe McGhee modeling the brand new, 4th Edition CrossFit Fenway T-shirt!

We’ve taken the same great material from the 3rd Edition shirt that everyone so loved, and combined it with our original slogan from the First Edition shirts! The result? An awesome t-shirt for working out or hanging out. Show the world that you choose strength; you choose CrossFit Fenway. Click Here to buy now, or stop in to CrossFit Fenway and ask us about it!

Not to be forgotten, we have also gotten a limited print-run “refill” of our popular 3rd Edition CrossFit Fenway T’s! These dark green beauties are perfect for WODding and representing. Tessie’s almost in stealth mode on the front, but she’s still squatting more. And that’s what it’s all about, right? SQUAT MORE.

The BIG surprise for the holidays? HOODIES! Yes, it’s getting cold out there, and we didn’t want to leave you hanging. These are awesome – full zip front, nice pockets, and a big distressed “Tessie” logo splashed across the front. On the back, CrossFit Fenway represents. Tell everyone about the Finest 15 Minutes of Your Day, wearing a kickass CrossFit Fenway hoodie. Just $50 for all sizes, check the Store to buy one or come in fast! We didn’t get too many of these for the First Edition Hoodie, so I think they’ll sell out before you’re doing HSPU under the chimney (with care). Check out the majesty! Eric models “teh new hotness”:

Looking for something a little more aggressive for the female-bodied CrossFitter? We’ve still got inspirational Tessie Tanks, too! Great xmas gift, and I personally love the ribbed tank. Oh, if only American Apparel made these in a size appropriate for barrel-chested men; I’d wear these daily.

That concludes the holiday shopping options for now… more great Fenway products will come along soon enough.

But in the meantime, NO LOAFING – SQUAT MORE.