Crossfit Watertown, Oakville, CT

Donna, being coached here by Melissa, tries out our new “fun-sized” pull-up bar for some jumping pull-ups, while Kathrine uses the band to get hers. Different methods to the same goal: real pull-ups. Everybody wants them. C’mon . . . admit it . . .

In other news, we’ve got a busy week ahead and some announcements to make.

CrossFit HQ trainers will be arriving this weekend to conduct the CrossFit Level 1 Certification Seminar on Sat and Sun. We will be CLOSED to all but cert attendees this weekend.

All Sat and Sun classes are canceled.

No free class on this Sat.

Special 6am Thursday class is added this week.

Thanks to Jen and Pam and everyone for making this another great CrossFit Watertown event!

The Saturday morning crowd warms up and then enjoys the legendary CrossFit Workout “Fran” . . .

Have a great weekend! Be smart, eat right, do good things.

We’re not quite sure what’s going on in this photo, but you know what? It doesn’t matter. It had to be fun. There’s a giant tire, a keg, a jump rope, and a happy Jordan. Good things are going on here.

In other news, it’s the end of Feb and it’s snowing like crazy. But that’s okay. Spring is going to come. And we’ve got something special lined up for April. Every CrossFit Watertown member is going to have the opportunity to make one friend really really happy. Talk to your coaches and find out how we’re giving back to our community in a big way. (We just need to get through sloppy, muddy March!)

Everybody involved in CrossFit is here because somebody gave them a gift — the knowledge that this program exists, that there is a better way. It’s time to share that knowledge even more. Stay tuned.

Reminder: FREE Workout tomorrow at 9am.

(And, of course, Pam’s CrossFit Football Sunday at 9am. Don’t let a petite lawyer destroy you. Bring your “A” game or stay in bed and hide under the covers.)

We hold these truths to be self-evident:

We are CrossFit affiliates. United in purpose and devoted in action to the spread of functional fitness throughout our world.

We believe in high-intensity exercise designed to increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains. If we don’t really understand what that means, we look it up. And we study it until we know it like we know our middle names. More work faster. Every day.

We believe in the importance of the Workout of the Day. It doesn’t have to be the CrossFit.com WOD. It can be your WOD or my WOD or somebody else’s. We don’t have to agree which is best; we just have to CrossFit, physically and mentally.

We believe in the importance of Rest Days — and of learning on those days and every day. He who fails to learn on any given day is dead. Bring us to life.

We believe in the importance of competition and of community. We can have one and the other. Times will be written on the board. There will be a first finisher, and a second, and a third. And no one will get their feelings hurt — they will just try harder next time. We can battle and commune. Both can exist in a civil and productive society. This is that society.

We believe that the last-place finisher is trying as hard as the first-place finisher. And if they’re not, then it is our responsibility to help them learn how to work harder. They deserve our encouragement even more than the leaders.

We believe in the right of each affiliate to approach CrossFit in their own way: To teach it and adapt it in the best manner for their own affiliate members. We will support each other in our differences. Bickering is for fools. We will not be foolish. We will help each other.

We believe in what works. If something doesn’t work, we discard it and pursue that which does. There is no shame in experimenting and failing. There is only shame in never trying.

We are CrossFit affiliates. We work: we don’t just workout. We are building better bodies, better gyms, better minds, and better communities. We are building a better world.

Here’s what we need: everybody to act like kids.

Seriously.

In attitude and deportment. The kids in this class? All have their “listening ears” on. They are focused on the coach and doing what she says. Matt isn’t trying to coach Chili and Christina isn’t talking over Jen. Christina’s bar is too far back, but it’s up to Jen to correct that motion, not the other students.

We LOVE that there is so much expertise at CrossFit Watertown. Love it, love it, love it. But we need to reign things in a bit. The coach is the talker. Not the assistant coach and not the members or the coaches who are taking the class. We need to pay attention to the HMFIC.

I know it’s not easy, when you’re so excited and you want to share what you know. Heck, I have to bite my lip until it bleeds somedays in class because I sooooo want to share what I know. But if it’s not my class, I need to zip it. Hard lesson, but essential to running a top-notch program. (As always, feel free to kick me in the shins if I start running my trap during a class.)

Thanks for listening. Now, time to give each other wedgies and blow orange soda out of our noses. See you at the gym.

This is what happens when you leave your camera unattended near noted mobility expert Kelly Starrett of San Francisco CrossFit.

In other news, we’re back from the annual CrossFit affiliate shindig and back to “regular ops” at CrossFit Watertown, which means working hard and getting results! We’ve got quite a few things lined up in the coming months, so let’s review:

March 6th-7th: We host another CrossFit Level One Certification. (Sold out for months now.)

April 24th: We host a Concept2 Rowing Seminar by Jon Gilson of Again Faster. (Spaces still available.)

May 29th-30th: We host the CrossFit Olympic Lifting Certification. This one is key! If you want the famed Mike Burgener (of Mike’s Gym) as a coach, we need to sell this thing out! So don’t be sitting on your hands and signing up at the last minute. Put your money down and let’s get this thing rocking!

All sign-ups can be made by clicking through the links in the right-hand sidebar. Thanks for your support of CrossFit and CrossFit Watertown!

Mary and Barry gettin’ things done during the WOD the other day. (Welcome to Mary — aka Mary #2 or Msquared or maybe we’ll even let her choose her nickname, unlike that time we named Nate as a Dirty Woman. We’ve matured since then. Maybe.)

Since we’re out of town starting today, expect sporadic blog updates until Monday. Listen to your coaches, floss after every meal, and put the bumpers back where they belong.

And, remember, if you find yourself confused or you’re in a tough situation, just ask yourself: “What Would Becky Do?”

Another welcome! This time for Donna — although somehow it already feels like she’s been with us forever. She fits right in — and her squat is fabulous. Hi to Donna!

We’re about to leave for the annual CrossFit Affiliate Gathering (”FilFest”) in South Miami Beach, so Melissa and Pam will have the helm until Monday. Work hard and don’t do anything Jen wouldn’t do. (Oh wait, nevermind . . .)

SCHEDULE ALERT: Tomorrow’s 9am and 10 am classes are CANCELED. Also, the Friday noon class is CANCELED. All other classes will be held as scheduled. Thanks!

What you looking at?

SCHEDULE ALERT: The 5pm and 6pm classes are CANCELED TONIGHT due to the snowstorm. Stay off the roads and have fun in the snow!

Say hello to Brandon — he’s one of our newest members but he’s going to be smokin’ those WOD times soon, without a doubt. Welcome, Brandon!

(There are a bunch of new members at CrossFit Watertown — if you’re an oldhead, remember to say hello and help out. Thanks!)

In other news, here’s the deal on the Feb Rowing Challenge. Look at today’s date: Feb 16th. Now, pick a reasonable goal for you to reach by March 1st. Reasonable. Not whacked-out and not wussy. No injuries but no sloth component. Write down that goal on the whiteboard today. If you reach it, we’ll toss your name in the raffle. Any questions, ask a coach or ask in Comments.

Have a great day!