Jen and Lucia in North Van.  While everyone else out there is walking, hiking, or running (which is good), Crossfit atheletes know the benefits of throwing in some instensity combined with functional movements into their workout.  A classic Crossfit Okanagan workout would be  run 2k,  50 pullups,  50 pushups,  50 situps, run 1k, 50 pullups, 50 pushups, 50 situps, run 2 k.  Make use of the environment and enjoy the outdoors and your surroundings. Good Work Girls!

We are pleased to welcome Troy Almond as a fully qualified Crossfit Coach at Crossfit Okanagan!  Troy has be an avid member of Crossfit Okanagan for half a year, and has progressed exponentially.  For Troy,  just like the rest of us Crossfit has changed his life.  This guy has huge ambition, a vast understanding for a pure and true elite fitness as well as a natural talent for teaching;  All of the elements that we require and believe in here at Crossfit Okanagan.  Only the best.  No exceptions.

We have found out that if you train for function (this is the basis of Crossfit)- CONSTANTLY  VARIED FUNCTIONAL MOVEMENTS EXECUTED AT HIGH INTENSITIY, not only are you  targeting the ten measurable elements of fitness but you are also enabling yourself to perform physically at your maximum capacity at all times. This is why Crossfit atheletes are the fittest people on the planet and it has been proven time and time again through measurable fitness tests, tasks, and challenges. Regardless of the time of day, age of competitor, temperature, elevation, humidity, or any other factor, a  Crossfit athelete will always win. Furthermore, once an athelete is able to perform to these levels naturally we take on incredible physical form. This is also why your typical gym-go ers are doing it all backwards, in search of form without the basis of funtion. Today’s Workout of the day (pictured above) was called “Nancy” This is : RUN 400 METRES AND OVERHEAD SQUAT 95 LBS FIFTEEN TIMES. Execute this FIVE times over for time. 

To put this into perspective, this is a total run of 1.6 km and 75 overhead squats with 95 lbs with NO rest time obviously. Today’s best “Nancy” time was 13 minutes and 50 seconds. The actual power output here far surpasses any regular athelete and this is why Crossfit atheletes are specimans of pure fitness. If you can walk, talk, or think properly after a workout such as this, you did not work hard enough. Save the rest time and water fountain talk for those big box useless gyms that are in search of  money and dont care one bit about fitness. If they did, they would all be Crossfit affiliates.

We are pleased to have our two newest members join us, Jen and Shane. Both of them got a serious inroduction to true fitness their first day, but neither of them skipped a beat and have been avid members ever since.  Crossfit is either for you or its not, but its worth a shot. For those its for, it seems to change their lives in vast proportions. Being able to out perform most anybody at any measurable fitness task, test or competition brings  self confidence, pride,  and a knowing that you can accomplish anything in life.

This is a typical post Crossfit workout scene. If you are targeting certain metabolic pathways in a particular workout (such as today) and are not completely drained, exhausted, sweating, near-puking then you have not challenged yourself enough. Crossfit is: INCREASING WORK CAPACITY OVER BROAD TIME AND MODAL DOMAINS. Fitness is measurable. Today we did a 20 minute workout that moves a specific load over a certain distance as many times as possible in a twenty minute period. It included 10 Thrusters w 95 lb bar, 10 pullups, and a 200 m run. Whomever accomplishes this task the most times over in a 20 minute period is fittest. Troy did it seven times. We can calculate using a simple formula the actual power output Troy has achieved measured in wattage. We at Crossfit Okanagan welcome any and all challengers from any other fitness program in the world to any measurable physical fitness task, test, or competition.

Welcome our newest member, Troy an avid soccer player.  Here he’s executing a Deadlift, part of our Crossfit Total WOD today.  Crossfit Total is a measure of pure strength. 1 Back Squat, 1 Shoulder press, 1 Dealift. 3 attempts at each. Count only your highest successful lift (in lbs) add all three together and that is your Crossfit Total score.

Strength is only one of the ten measurable elements of fitness, but without strength not only does that one element lack, but all of your other nine do as well.  IMPORTANT: Without Strength training you cannot maximize your Agility, Balance, Coordination, Speed, Accuracy, Power, Endurance, Stamina, and Flexibility.

What? How on earth does strength affect endurance or any of the above noted points?  Simple: The same reason why when we introduce heavy lifts to  endurance atheletes, their times consistantly reduce. This holds true for cyclists, marathoners, triatheletes etc.  It’s also the same reason why when we introduce the Crossfit program to ANY athelete,  military servant,  police,  firefighter  or  civilian their game improves, their fight improves, their life improves.

The above noted elements of fitness are all relative to one another. Crossfit targets ALL and leaves out NONE. Read more on the pages above “What is Crossfit” and “FAQ”

Olympic lifting certification seminar in September in Victoria.  Coach B. and I enjoying the  morning views from the hotel, and a shot of the class. The two Olympic lifts, (the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk) are fundamental aspects of Crossfit, because they each always  require Strength, Speed, Power, Accuracy, Agility, Balance, Coordianation, and Flexibility. Furthermore, if mixed into a particular WOD (workout of the day) they can also target Endurance and Stamina. THESE ARE THE TEN MEASURABLE ELEMENTS OF FITNESS.

Read more on the pages What is Crossfit, and FAQ’s.

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Grassroots: A movement or activity that is driven by the constituents or common people of the community, as opposed to being orchestrated by traditional power structures.  The creation of the movement  and the group driving it is natural and spontanious.

Crossfit Okanagan is only one of hundreds of Crossfit affiliates worldwide. We house only a handfull of the tens of thousands of Crossfit atheletes worldwide. There is a new wave of knowledge, passion, and dedication that will only come from crossfittters. There is now a vast realization in the world that there never is a need for gimmicks, useless typical gym equipment, get fit quick schemes, or any group that places the priority of money/business before fitness or so mis informed  that they  pass mis information  on to others.

I often state that fitness is primarily about knowledge and space. Does this sound like your gym? Read more on the pages above  “What is Crossfit” or “FAQ’s”.

This week one of our CrossFit Okanagan members was in Whistler, BC and came across CrossFit Whistler. Eager to check out another CrossFit facility and get involved in the CrossFit community, she signed up for a class.

“It was a rainy day and I was walking around the village. In LuLuLemon there was a Goal board for staff members and a guy named Jay had written that his goal was to do CrossFit 3x per week before September 30. I asked a salesperson if there was a CrossFit in town and she gave me Jordan’s business card. I called to find out if there was a class that night. There were two classes: a fundamentals class for beginners and a regular class. I have been going to CrossFit Okanagan for over a month now so I confidently signed up for the regular class.

It was great to see that the workout encompassed the same moves that I’d been learning at CrossFit Okanagan with Kevin. I felt really proud that I was the only girl and I was keeping up to some of the guys. We did 5 rounds of 5 reps of back squats and I lifted the same weight as one of the guys!
…not this guy though

Our second workout was:

• garage sprint
• 12 thrusters
• 12 kettlebell sumo deadlifts
• 12 box jumps
• 3 rounds for time

Here is a picture of me finishing the workout while the guys look on:

The fastest guy finished in under 7 minutes. The slowest guy was 10 minutes and I finished in 12. I was really happy I went and after getting my blood pumping like that I can definitely say that my mood was boosted 10-fold.

I never would have gone to this workout if it weren’t for Kevin and CrossFit Okanagan. I’m really glad I joined CrossFit. It has increased my fitness, my energy and my confidence.”

Thank you Kevin, You rock!

Today’s WOD (Workout of the Day) was: FOR TIME:

1.5 KM uphill x country Run,  50 ring pullups, 50 kettlebell swings, 50 thrusters, 50 situps, 50 box jumps.

All four participants finished with times of: 23:30, 30:00, 30:05, and 34:00.

This is why Crossfit Works: Your own results depend on your own will and ability, as the times above display. Crossfit is also scaleable, which means, for instance: if you cannot accomplish a ring pullup, you could achieve the same functional movement by doing a “jumping ring pullup” Outdoor workouts (which we do alot of) tend to be very effective as its more natural for humans to be doing work in an enviroment surrounded by the beauty and challenges of the earth.

It was a true pleasure having Dallas Hartwig  (The person who first introduced me to Crossfit) and his sister Amber participate in a WOD with me last week.  The WOD (workout of the day) was:

Run 200m, 10 Burpees, Run 200m, 95 Lb Push -Press x10 reps.

5 Rounds for Time. 

We finished with respectible sub 20 minute times.

For those unfamiliar with Crossfit, The above noted workout is completing a specific task five times over in the least amount of time that you can.  This is only one of hundreds of workouts of the day. It is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity, and this is why Crossfit works. It is also why Crossfit athletes have been proven time and time again to be the fittest people on the planet.