New Website!

Notice something different? …We’ve redesigned the website. Key features include a “Class Login” button on the top right of the screen for easy access to your Mind Body Online Sign-up. We’ve also reorganized things and added some preliminary new content such as leader boards and Travel WODs which will be constantly evolving.

Stay tuned for further upcoming content and resources. If you have any comments/questions/or suggestions, we’d love to hear them. Thanks!

Upcoming Pose Clinic

As promised, we’ve finally secured a Pose Running expert to come help us all improve our running technique.  The 4-hour class will take place on Sunday, March 28th from 11am to 3pm. $100 is a small price to pay for 4 hours of specialized instruction, and a lifetime of improvement. Reserve your spot now!

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Join us for 4-hours of improving running performance and comfort through technique, theory, drills, and video analysis with Pose Method® Certified Running Coach Level II, Valerie Hunt.

  • Prevent overuse injuries
  • Move faster with less effort
  • Unlock your natural potential
  • Get better results

Price is $100 for the 4-hour session including individual video analysis.

Class size is limited, so click the link below and register to reserve your spot:

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March Athlete: Matt Terry

In an effort to get to know the fine folks of CrossFit Austin, we embark on our Athlete of the Month series.  Each month we will spotlight a different CFA athlete.  This month we have Jets fan and Mustache lover Matt Terry….

State your Name and/or Nickname please.
Matthew Douglas Terry, aka Tow Matt which is short for the other white Matt. I would like to vote for changing it to “Stigmatta” due to the blister on my palm from pull-ups

Occupation?
Banquet Manager at the Headliner’s Club

Words to live by?
“What do you expect Thorn, look at the sneakers those guys are wearing. If our guys had sneakers like that, there’s no telling what they could do.” Quote by the basketball coach in Teen Wolf (The Michael J. Fox original, not the lesser sequel starring Jason Bateman)

What is your fitness background?
Played tennis in high school, called me “wild thing” because I never once won a match and would throw absolute tantrums caused by the frustration of sucking

How long have you been CrossFitting?
Started in either August or September of ’09. The first week was so horrible I’ve blocked it out, therefore the exact date is suspect

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit?
The commradery. I’ve never been a part of anything like it. Wes and Boone have fostered a really kick ass environment for all of us to be the best we can be

What are your training goals?
Two parts. I want my name on the wall and I want to Rx every time. Oh, and I want to be in amazing shape so I can live a long healthy life loving my beautiful wife, Amber, who told me to write this.

Favorite sport or activity?
Golf. You get to drink

Recent adventure you’re planning?
Well I’m on vacation the week of south by………..

Tell us something we don’t know about you?
In kindergarten, me and this kid rusty lawson peed in the reading apple. It was a giant plastic apple you could climb in to read and we peed in it. Sorry Ms. Vickers.

Longhorns or Aggies?
I have serious Longhorn connections through work but was raised bleeding maroon.
I say you can still gig ’em while hookin ’em as well. Why does that sound dirty?

How has moving back into the general mustacheless population affected you over the last two months?
I lost a big piece of myself that day as my facial hair and self respect swirled down the bathroom sink drain. It has been easier stopping to use the restroom at truckstops without being hassled by undercover cops thinking I’m a male prostitute.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words?
You can do anything you want if you put your mind to it and believe in yourself. No, not you dummie.

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February Athlete: Kristin Shanahan

In an effort to get to know the fine folks of CrossFit Austin, we embark on our Athlete of the Month series.  Each month we will spotlight a different CFA athlete.  This month we have Pancho Burpee Afficianado Kristin Shanahan….

State your Name and/or Nickname please.

Kristin Shanahan aka Pistin, Pisticle, Pist, Fritters, Fritts, Kris, Krispy, K, Snatch Monster, Ridiculously Strong (hahahahahahaha)

Occupation?

I pscyhoanalyze you…that’s right YOU! Now you’re all paranoid! Just kidding, maybe. I’m finishing up my masters in counseling – marriage and family therapy.

Words to live by?

“Pay no attention to the faults of others,
things done or left undone by others.
Consider only what by oneself is done or left undone.”

What is your fitness background?

I was a ridiculously good runner before I joined CF. HA! Just kidding…..I was a swimmer through high school. Then I begged and pleaded with people to buy training sessions from me at a box gym…. 3×15, 3-5 x week and 45 min. of cardio….I didn’t last very long….but I do miss calf raises (just jokes).

How long have you been CrossFitting?

Since Wes told me to shut-up after I badgered him for 30 minutes on the phone about his certifications….hehehe – December, 2008.

What’s your favorite part of CrossFit?

I have to pick just one favorite thing?! I love that every day is different. I am NEVER bored at CF.

What are your training goals?

I’m hoping to PR Fran when I’m 9 months pregnant….training goals are on hold for the moment.

Favorite sport or activity?

Um, CF of course!

Recent adventure you’re planning?

Is having a baby an adventure? I think so.

Tell us something we don’t know about you?

I win guacamole contests.

Longhorns or Aggies?

I have no idea who the “longhorns” are….A-G-G-I-E-S!!!!!!!

What Would Rob Wykoff do?

Rob Wykoff would do 30 burpees in the rain and mud at ACL and then shotgun a beer (I mean, Patron with 100% pure lime juice) just to show off how manly he is…..or he’ll just sing you “Werewolves in London”.

If Baby Shanahan ends up being a boy, do you go with the Tom Selleck mustache, or the Burt Reynolds Mustache?

I’m going with Tom on this one. Burt’s just……gross.

Leave the fine folks of CrossFit Austin with some parting words?

Pain is temporary, misery is optional except if you CrossFit. Misery LOVES company! Thanks, CFA’ites….it’s been GREAT getting to know you!

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Shoe Drive for Haiti

Our friends at Westlake CrossFit are holding a shoe drive for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. I will be taken a donation from CrossFit Austin to Joss and Jevon next Friday, if you have shoes to donate please bring them to the gym.

shoedrive_ollFrom the CF Westlake website:

Join us in our effort to contribute to the victims of the recent disaster in Haiti. Westlake CrossFit is partnering up with Soles4Souls in an effort to provide one million pairs of new boots and shoes to help survivors locate others trapped in the rubble and begin the rebuilding process. As you can imagine, the amount of broken glass, twisted metal and raw sewage is staggering. We will rush this protective footwear to them as quickly as possible.

Olympic Weightlifting Seminar

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CrossFit Austin is pleased to announce our one-day Olympic Weightlifting Seminar featuring 2-time Olympian Chad Vaughn and USAW Senior International Coach Ursula Garza Papandrea.  The focus of the seminar will be detailed instruction and hands-on training of the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. This seminar will provide you with:

•    Mechanics and fundamentals of the Snatch and Clean & Jerk

•    Logical progressions for the two competitive lifts

•    Small group instruction from Olympic level coaches and athletes

To reserve your spot and pay online, click here


Fun announcements part 2

Yesterday I promised some suggestions to make your daily CrossFit Austin experience better.  I am going to borrow some material from my friend and colleague CJ Martin owner of CrossFit Invictus. The following is a slightly paraphrased version of a post he wrote back in May.  All of these suggestions are a applicable to you as an athlete and can help make CFA an even friendlier place!

All gyms have a natural flow to them – a pattern by which members arrive, situate themselves and prepare to have a great workout. For some, it’s sprinting in and joining the already-in-progress group warm-up (ahem, “A”-Game), but for others it entails some pre-WOD mingling and catching up with friends. I love this, and heartily encourage it as our community is what makes CrossFit Invictus so different from other places. Nonetheless, I am proposing some new rules that will improve both your socializing and athletic performance. So next time you are in, go with the following flow of the gym:

2. Gather with Friends at the Back of the Building and Roll – Some of the best tools in the gym are the black foam rollers and lacrosse balls (individual and those taped together). In my opinion, they are not being used nearly enough. Rolling some of your tight muscle groups helps get needed blood flow to them, loosens them so they will contract and relax better, and generally improves their functionality for the athletic endeavor you are about to embark upon. And the great thing is, you can roll and socialize at the same time. Yes, your conversation might be interrupted occasionally by a yelp, but that’s just good fun and provides for some comedic relief. So gather there and roll while you catch up with friends.

3. Dynamic, Skill-Based Warm-Up with Group –
Once group session begins, your coach will put you through a dynamic warm-up. Recognize that this is not only a warm-up, but also an opportunity to put your body in ideal positions. Use this time to reinforce proper mechanics. For instance, when you lunge, think about how you lunge in a split jerk or split clean. Are you grooving that ideal pattern, or are you forward on the toe and too narrow? Make the most of this time and perform each movement perfectly.

4. Strength/Skill Work –
No ego. Nobody is impressed when you deadlift 400 lbs. and herniate two discs in the process. Strive for virtuosity here. Move well and your numbers will progressively skyrocket. Move poorly and you might get some big numbers for a while, but you also run the risk of missing valuable training sessions because you are nursing injuries. This is your chance to perfect movements without a clock pressuring you to move quickly. Take the opportunity to be perfect. Once you have been consistently perfect, then begin to be consistently perfect with big weights.

5. Timed Workout – Go hard . . . and be damn-near perfect. I can accept slight deviations of form when you’re hitting it at high intensity, but you should be striving for perfection. (And if your coach’s interpretation of “slight deviation of form” is different from yours, you are the one who is wrong. Listen to your coach and slow down.)

6. Clean Up – Once you have completed your workout, please give us a hand by wiping down the bars and placing everything back where you found it. There is, however, one caveat: Be respectful of those who are still working out. It’s better to cheer someone on or relax than walk right in front of them with your barbell and weights. Nobody likes to be last, particularly when everyone else is cleaning up around them. Wipe down your bar and do a little static stretching while you cheer for others, then you can put your gear away and give them a hand with theirs.

7. Log Your Performance – If you don’t have a Performance Log, your coach will be chatting with you this week. They are essential to tracking your athletic progress. You will never know if what you are doing is effective unless you can track what you have been doing.

8. Post-WOD Recovery Work – If your coach puts you through a post-WOD recovery drill (stretching or additional skill work) please view it with the same respect you view the first portions of the workout. Recovery is instrumental to getting more fit. If you slack here, it will show. If your coach ran out of time, you’re not excused from stretching. Most of you know our protocols for post-WOD stretching, and even if you don’t, any stretching after your WOD is better than none. Get it done – your body will thank you.

9. GHD Machines – Almost as neglected as the foam rollers are our beautiful GHD machines. End your workout the way you began it, by socializing near the back wall. Jump on the GHD and knock out 10 sit-ups and 10 hip extensions. Then let a friend on to do the same. Switch on and off until you have done somewhere between 30-50 sit-ups and extensions.

Now back to your regularly schedule program…