Hope everyone had a great Father’s Day and Juneteenth celebration this weekend. Exciting win for the Warriors this week! Who’s headed to the Warrior’s celebration parade downtown? Would love to see your pictures!
As a reminder, we have New Member On-Boarding this weekend! Please tell your friends and family to join in and get in on the fitness we all love.
WOD for the Week:
Hope you all are marking your calendars to watch the Golden State Warriors crush the Celtics this week in Games 5, 6, and 7. Any predictions on who’s taking home the championship trophy? The right answer is the Golden State Warriors. Show your pride this week by rocking your Warriors gear!
Game 5: Monday, June 13th at 6 pm (home game)
Game 6: Thursday, June 16th at 6 pm (away game)
Game 7: Sunday, June 19th at 5 pm (home game)
Also, don’t forget, Father’s Day is this Sunday! Wishing all of the fathers in this group a Happy Father’s Day!
WOD for the Week:
What a fun weekend, kicking off Pride Month at Fog City Community Fitness with the OutWOD and the Pride Party! Thank you to everyone who showed up for the workout, donated items to our auction, and helped us celebrate and raise money for The Out Foundation, Bay Area Chapter. A huge thank you to all of you for purchasing raffle tickets and participating in the silent auction. Congratulations to everyone who won some amazing prizes! We have tallied up the total raised — between the raffle, silent auction, and sign-ups for the WOD, we have raised $3494, exceeding our goal of $2,000!
All of the proceeds will benefit LGBTQ+ athletes in the Bay Area to access safe and inclusive fitness spaces. We feel very fortunate to be able to support The Out Foundation Bay Area and hope to continue supporting them in the future.
Have a great week ahead!
WOD for the Week:
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY:
Happy Memorial Day to all of the men and women who have lost their lives to protect us. Today, we honor all of the soldiers, sailors, airmen, airwomen, and marines who did not return home in fight for our freedom. We continue the FCCF tradition by completing the Murph at 8 am and 9:15 am on Monday, May 30th. Please join us for the HERO WOD to honor our men and women in service.
HAPPY PRIDE MONTH:
Happy almost Pride Month, starting on June 1st. We are so excited for this month. We have our annual OutWOD & Pride Party scheduled for June 4th. Please register for the OutWOD workout and join for the Pride Party the same day. We have some great prizes and party happenings planned! See information below.
🏳️🌈 OutWOD & Pride Party Information: 🏳️🌈
Our OutWOD (8,9,10 am heats) and Pride Party (12-4 pm) are scheduled for Saturday, June 4th! A few action items for all of you 📣:
Register for the OutWOD through the Out Foundation site. The $30 registration fee will go directly to our fundraising effort to support Bay Area LGBTQ+ athletes: Link Here.
Sign-up to bring some nom noms or drinks to share with everyone. Sign-up form here
Donate and/or bid on auction items to help us raise money for the Bay Area Out Foundation. If you are not able to make it to the event and want to participate in the auction, please contact laika.kayani@gmail.com.
👀 A sneak peak of the items you can bid on:
Æ0N COFFEE — 4-12 oz bags of coffee + 2 mugs (worth $140+) — donation from our very own member and coach, David Cho
The CoffeeShop — bags of coffee, totes, and gift cards (worth $210+)
Poundstone Wines - 2 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (worth $1,000+) — donation from our very own member and owner, Melody Meckfessel
Rutherford Hill Winery - Private Cave Tasting and Tour for 4 (worth $340)
Fog City Class Pass + T-Shirt - 6-pack classes plus a Fog City OG t-shirt (worth $190)
Many, many more amazing items will be available
WOD of the Week:
Some Thoughts from President Hill —
Why is supporting the FCCF OUTWOD event with Out Bay Area and The Out Foundation important?
At FCCF, fitness is inclusive and we welcome people of any race, background, ethnicity, orientation, gender, and religion.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I can say firsthand that having access to inclusive sports and fitness was life-changing and helped shape who I am today. Even in the sanctuary of the inclusive Bay Area, I at times have had to be selective of when it has been ok to share my authentic self and am grateful that Fog City and Arena Ready before were always a place that I could do that without question. Having that acceptance and community support has helped me build confidence to live authentically in all parts of my life and for that, I want to provide it back to others.
Unfortunately, there are still individuals struggling with acceptance and safety living as LQBTQ+ people. Many flock to the Bay Area to find sanctuary and community and also struggle with the realities of living in one of, if not the, most expensive cities in the country. The trans community especially has suffered increased violence, laws to remove protections, and limits on access to healthcare in recent years.
With this fundraiser, we hope to support LGBTQ+ athletes’ access to inclusive fitness and help them on their journeys of living their authentic selves. Last year we raised >$2,000 in support of LGBTQ+ fitness scholarships and we’re aiming for more this year!
So please join me on June 4th for our 2nd Annual OUTWOD 🏳️🌈 by registering at the link here! Heats will be at 8am, 9am & 10am with a party at FCCF to celebrate after. We have a great line-up of activities for kids and adults and fundraiser with auction & raffle items.
👀 A sneak peak of the items you can bid on:
Æ0N COFFEE — 4-12 oz bags of coffee + 2 mugs (worth $140+) — donation from our very own member and coach, David Cho
The CoffeeShop — bags of coffee, totes, and gift cards (worth $210+)
Poundstone Wines - 2 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (worth $1,000+) — donation from our very own member and owner, Melody Meckfessel
Rutherford Hill Winery - Private Cave Tasting and Tour for 4 (worth $340)
Fog City Class Pass + T-Shirt - 6-pack classes plus a Fog City OG t-shirt (worth $190)
Many, many more amazing items will be available
🥒🧀🍣This is a potluck style event, so please bring some yummies to share with your friends! Here’s a link to the sign-up form.
WOD of the Week:
Memorial Day is right around the corner and we can’t wait to do the traditional Hero WOD called the Murph. The Murph WOD is a traditional CrossFit workout, which was created in memory of Navy Lt. Michael Murphy who died in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005. The workout was first created August 18, 2005 and soon became a tradition to perform on Memorial Day.
Murph WOD:
1 mile Run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-Ups
300 Air Squats
1 mile Run
*With a 20 lb Vest or Body Armor
The workout is traditionally performed with a weighted vest, which is referred to as “body armor”. CrossFitters all around the world perform this workout to pay tribute to the fallen Lieutenant and to slog through a physically and mentally tough workout.
On May 30th, Fog City will continue the tradition and program Murph for our community members to perform. We will have a modified schedule on this date. Please check on MindBody for times to sign-up. If you've performed this workout before, it’s a great way to see how your performance has improved!
🏳️🌈 OutWOD & Pride Party Information: 🏳️🌈
Our OutWOD and Pride Party are scheduled for Saturday, June 4th! A few action items for all of you 📣::
Register for the OutWOD through the Out Foundation site. The $30 registration fee will go directly to our fundraising effort to support Bay Area LGBTQ+ athletes: Link Here.
Order your Pride shirts/swag for the whole family! Link Here.
Sign-up to bring some nom noms or drinks to share with everyone. Sign-up form here
Donate items to the raffle, which will take place during the Pride party. We are looking for gift cards, wine bottles, merch, vacation home, or anything else that can be raffled off to raise money for The Out Foundation. Please email laika.kayani@gmail.com if you have items to you can donate.
WOD of the Week:
Happy Mother’s Day:
We hope all of the amazing and fit moms in this group had the best Mother’s Day celebration this weekend. We are so lucky to be surrounded by a group of moms who are living proof that our bodies are capable of handling so much. The lyrics from Beyonce’s song, “Run the World (Girls)” sums it up very well:
“How we smart enough to make these millions
Strong enough to bear the children (children)
Then get back to business”
Happy AAPI Heritage Month:
May is Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, which is a celebration to honor the contributions and rich cultural history of people of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander origins. We are incredibly fortunate to all of our AAPI members who really help to shape our community and bring richness through culture and traditions. We want to particularly bring everyone’s attention to and condemning the violence and hatred that has been directed at the Asian and Pacific Islander community. As of January 2022, hate crimes against AAPI community members in San Francisco was up 567%, with more that have gone unreported. This is a concerning statistic for our AAPI members and us. It is important to us that our AAPI members feel safe at our gym and in our community. If there is ever a concern, please let anyone on the Board know how we can step-up and be supportive.
In honor of this special month, we put together a number of resources (certainly not exhaustive) that might be helpful to our broader community to learn about AAPI Heritage month through art, performance, and storytelling:
Asian Pacific American Heritage Foundation: established to coordinate and raise funds for San Francisco’s activities.
San Francisco Public Library: hosting a number of readings, movies, and dedicated books for the month
Chinese Cultural Center: free, open to the public. Art and design store.
Chinese Historical Society of America: We are Bruce Lee Exhibition
Oakland Museum of California: Remembering Artist Hung Liu
Food & Cooking: (there are so many restaurants we can highlight here, let us know your favorites)
Thai Buddist Temple in Berkeley (Wat Mongkolratanaram)
WOD for the Week:
Age Group Online Qualifier Recap
As many of you know, our very own Kim Tom recently competed in the CrossFit Age Group Quarterfinals. She qualified by finishing in the top 10% worldwide in the CrossFit Open back in March. Over the course of the weekend, Kim completed 5 advanced workouts that included muscle-ups, rope climbs, so many burpees, handstand pushups, and max lifts in the deadlift, press, and back squat.
Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was Kim’s performance in Workout 2, where she finished 26th in the world! It was a long chipper: 50 overhead squats, 40 bar-facing burpees, 40 back-rack walking lunges, 30 bar-facing burpees, 30 cleans, 20 bar-facing burpees, 20 weighted box step-ups, and 10 muscle-ups with a 20 minute time cap. But knowing her strength with muscle-ups (an advanced movement that many in her age group would not be able to do), Kim pushed herself through the WOD and the many, many burpees to get to the rings. And once there, she fought for SEVEN muscle-ups! It was a gutsy performance and showed off the determination and passion that we love about her.
Overall, Kim placed 110th in the world – in the top half of the top 10% from the Open. We couldn’t be prouder of her. Congratulations, Kim, you are an inspiration to us all!!!!
Getting Personal with Kim Tom
We asked Kim a few questions to get to know her better and how can you not just love her more after her responses.
Q: How did you get into CrossFit and into competing?
Back in 2012, I was doing lots of marathons and long distance triathlons in my 40’s and started to develop injuries so my coach at the time recommended cross-training which led me to Google, which led me to videos of Camille LeBlanc Bazinet doing multiple ring muscle ups.
I did an onboarding at San Francisco CrossFit and after a few 10 packs and traveling across the city for 5:30am classes, I decided to find something closer to home. After just one 6am class with Rob and Sarah at Arena Ready, I was ready to pack away my bike and my swimsuit! I had so much fun that day, even with one of the movements being the dreaded wall ball.
The competing part came naturally, as I had played team sports through high school and then intramural sports in college. And when I raced triathlons or marathons, I was usually trying to qualify for something so I was always very goal oriented.
Q: Outside of working out, how do you spend your time?
Lately, Kathy and I have been doing more golfing. We also have our wonder dog, Ripley, who loves to go on long walks and enjoys her alone time without her kitty sisters, Tashi and Tomo hogging all of our attention. We also have senior parents who enjoy the food we cook for them and I feel lucky to have more time these days to visit and take them out for their errands! Oh, and I am an optometrist with a private practice in Noe Valley. I’m very lucky to love my work almost as much as my fun!
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is on the fence about competing in future CrossFit competitions?
The cool thing about competing is that we learn so much about ourselves and our capabilities when we put ourselves out there. It’s a way to measure how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go! The Open is always so exciting and filled with firsts.
Local, live competitions run well and are thrilling and adrenaline can help you add an extra 10 or 20 lbs to the barbell! Team competitions are so fun as you just try so much harder not to let your teammate down. In addition, you can let them do the stuff that you can’t do as well and vice versa! I promise that you and your teammate will likely be friends for life after doing a comp together!
I love having a goal to work towards, it keeps me focused and especially during the winter months, when it’s really hard to drag myself out of bed, I know that working hard on all of the things will reap rewards come “go time”.
Q: Which CrossFit athletes inspire you?
I’ve always felt that Annie Sakamoto embodies the spirit of CrossFit. Her mini size, her big heart and her never give up/never let anything scare you attitude make her a great inspiration to me!
Q: If you could give advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Wow, I did this exercise back in 2017, just before I had rotator cuff surgery. The thing I remember the most was this. The road ahead may not be filled with butterflies and rainbows. Some of the people that are here right now that you love and that love you, are not going to be here in 20 years, so love them hard and love them often.
Despite all of this, you will make new friends, develop stronger relationships with your loved ones and you will do things you never imagined as long as you keep an open heart and an open mind.
Q: What CrossFit movement is your Achilles heel as in you really struggle with it or have to work extra hard on it?
Whoa, how many paragraphs do I have??? Wall balls, double unders, snatch, rowing, HSPU, omg the list goes on forever, but I suppose that’s what keeps it so fun.
WOD for the Week:
Hope everyone had a great weekend! The gym was buzzing this week with Kim Tom competing in the CrossFit Games Age Group quarterfinals. We are so proud of her! There will be a deeper writeup of her performance and placement in next week’s blog, so stay tuned for that.
Scaling:
We heard from many of you about the changes we have made to the scaling guidance. We’re so happy to learn that the scaling is resonating with you. Please share your feedback with us or your coaches to let us know what is working or not. Our goal is to ensure you are making progress in your fitness journey and this format is set up so that you can see your own progress. Don’t forget to track your workouts in Beyond the Whiteboard!
Scheduling:
We have made scheduling modifications for our evening classes. We have added a 15-minute buffer between classes to ensure classes start on time and end on time. The new time slots are 5:15 pm and 6:30 pm, Monday-Thursday. On Fridays, we have one evening time slot for 5 pm with Open Gym hours before and after. We will continue to keep the Foundations class at 6:30 pm on Wednesdays.
June Event Save the Date: OutWOD
Finally, SAVE THE DATE for our Annual OutWOD event to take place on Saturday, June 4th! In partnership with the OUT Foundation, Fog City will be hosting a WOD to ensure LGBTQ+ communities have access and participation in fitness, health, and wellness to ensure their success. Similar to last year, the event will start with a WOD, fundraising and raffles, and then an EPIC Pride Party to kick-off the month of June! We can’t wait! More details to come soon.
WOD for the Week:
For everyone who celebrated this past weekend, hope you all had a lovely Passover and a Happy Easter Sunday!
Have you noticed the new scaling on the whiteboard at the gym the last couple of weeks? Many of you have asked us to provide you with more scaling guidance during workouts. In response to your feedback, we’re changed things up a bit.
Going forward, you will see 3-levels of the workout written on the board:
RX (also known as “As Prescribed”): this is the workout of the day (WOD) as written without modifications.
Scaled: offers a middle ground for each part of the workout, with the option to scale rounds, reps, weights, and/or movements.
Foundations: is for our newer members who may be unfamiliar with movements or anybody returning from a break and will help them ease into class workouts.
While each scaling level provides a complete workout, they’re really meant as a starting point for helping you think about how to adjust the workout and each movement for yourself. We want you to learn about yourself as an athlete and understand your strengths and weaknesses, so you can own your fitness experience. These 3-levels also align with the CrossFit Open, for those who are interested in monitoring their progress.
Keep in mind, scaling is a continuum and the levels on the board aren’t written in stone! Feel free to go in-between movements, reps, and weight based on your skill level or how you’re feeling in the moment. For example, you may choose the rep scheme of an RX workout, but the movements of a Scaled workout. Talk to your coach after the whiteboard brief or as you progress through the warm-up. Coaches are a great resource and have lots of options for you.
Give us feedback on how the scaling guidance is working out! We want to see you continuously making forward momentum in your fitness journey. Also, keep your eyes out for a reference poster for how to scale common movements and weight loading.
WOD for the Week:
By now, you’ve noticed that there are some time slots in MindBody labeled “Open Gym” on Mondays (3 pm), Wednesdays (3pm), Fridays (4 & 6 pm), and Sundays (9 & 10 am). We want you to use these time slots and we understand you may have questions about what to do when you get to the gym.
The intention behind Open Gym is simple: come work on the things that you just haven’t been able to get to during the week or that you want to spend extra time on. Open Gym is time that we have allocated to the community to come work out under the guidance of our experienced coaches. There are a few ways to use your time effectively during Open Gym.
Here are some ideas:
Complete a workout you missed: All of the WODs are posted in this Blog or on Beyond the Whiteboard. If you’ve missed a workout from the week, look through them and pick one that looks fun or the most challenging and get in a good sweat. Let the coach know your plans and they can help you with scaling guidance or set a timer.
Work on skill building: We are all working to master something in our functional fitness journey. Whether it’s getting your first pull-up or muscle-up, getting a deeper squat, or refining your Olympic lifting technique, investing this dedicated time to further your fitness and skills will only make the daily WODs more fun for you. The coach can help you with a plan of attack.
Mobility/PT work after injury: Perhaps you’ve been avoiding the gym all together because you’ve been injured or recovering from a surgery. We completely understand this. We also know that some injuries and surgeries require you to mobilize or complete your physical therapy exercises. Come into FCCF and use the space to perform those PT exercises or talk to a coach about mobilizing specific parts of the body or doing simple workouts to build confidence before you rejoin class.
Train for future events: Many of our athletes participate in fitness-oriented activities outside of FCCF. Whether you’re a distance runner, volleyball player, or an ultimate frisbee player, building strength to further advance your game is important to you. Using the Open Gym time is a great way to work on movements that allow you to stay on top of your game, all season long.
Now that we’ve energized you about coming into Open Gym, don’t hesitate to talk to the coach on duty about your plans. The coaches are there to provide guidance, watch your form and technique, and even set the clock for you. We love watching all of you make progress, so come on into Open Gym and work out with your fellow athletes.
WOD for the Week:
Hi everyone – I’m Laika Kayani, a member at Fog City Community Fitness and currently serving as a Board member. As one of the few Muslim members of the community, I’m excited to tell you a little bit about Ramadan, it’s significance, but most importantly, how I make it fit with my Fog City workout routine.
What is Ramadan?
Ramadan is considered one of the holiest months for the almost 2B Muslims all around the world. It was in this month that the Quran was revealed to the people. Ramadan also falls on the 9th month of the lunar calendar, which is why it feels like Ramadan happens earlier and earlier each year. Ramadan lasts for about 30-days. You can greet your fellow Muslim friends by saying “Ramadan Mubarak” or “Ramadan Kareem”.
What is Fasting?
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims participate in Fasting. Similar to intermittent fasting, there is an extended period of no eating or drinking for several hours (yes, not even water). The fasting period begins at dawn and ends at sunset. In San Francisco, fasting begins around 5:40 am and ends around 7:40 pm, which makes it a 14-hour fast.
What’s the value of fasting during this time?
During fasting, you’re encouraged to find inner peace, patience, and mindfulness. Fasting isn’t just about abstaining from food or water, but about practicing good habits, spirituality, and generosity.
Working out while fasting?
The 6 am class time is the most optimal time to workout the days I’m fasting. I eat a huge breakfast around 5 am – a good balance of protein and carbs and a TON of coffee and water. During the WOD, I try to maintain an intensity level that’s ~70% of what I typically do on a non-fasting day. By maintaining a moderate intensity, I’m able to avoid feeling thirsty during the workout and manage my energy levels throughout the day. In fact, I feel way more energized after a workout on a fast than on other days. Don’t be surprised if I pop-in at other time slots!
What happens after 30-days?
After 30-days, we celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, which is the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. After morning prayers, we enjoy a big feast – everything we’ve been craving all month long. We greet each other by saying “Eid Mubarak”. For me, after indulging in all of the yummy food and taking a really long nap, I like to squeeze in a good workout. Last year, my husband and I created a WOD to represent the last 10-days of the 30-days of Ramadan, which are considered the most important days of the month. The workout was 10 different movements for 30 reps each – it was brutal! <update, we maybe programming this into a Sweaty Saturday WOD — stay posted!>
Thank you for letting me share more about this lovely month! Please let me know if you have questions.
WOD for the Week:
