Get your headbands and wristbands dusted off and ready this week as we have some fun WODs programmed! Every day features it’s own flavour of cardio paired delightfully with lifting some heavy things. Here’s why we couple them together…

Cardio training improves endurance, oxygen utilisation efficiency, and cardiac and respiratory function. Strength training increases muscle size and strength, and additionally enhances coordination.

In essence, these types of workouts help up improve our fitness dramatically. Of course there’s always going to people screaming WHHHHHYYYYY???? (We hear you but please see ^)

Here’s the best strategy:

1. Just sign up for the week

2. Don that 80’s aerobic memorabilia

3. Surrender

After all it’s good for you!!

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I’m not sure about you but some of us thought this week that Spring maybe was here but alas, there was still more rain had. Do you remember the Spring of Deception we had last year? Perhaps this is still the Winter of Deception but regardless a quarter of the year has passed and quickly.

Have you been keeping up your Healthy Habits from January? We hope so! If you have been we’re sure you’re seeing results and keep up the good work. There is however plenty of time left so just like meditation when your mind drifts bring it back, the same applies to creating habits. If you haven’t been prioritising that’s ok, jump back into them again and pick up where you left off.

It was a busy week last week with Passover and East too! To everyone that celebrates we wish you Chag Sameach and Happy Easter!

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We take pride in our community and our community takes pride in not only our gym but our neighbourhood too. This was certainly evidenced by our volunteer event with Refuse Refuse a fantastic SF based organization that aims to keep our streets and neighbourhoods looking their best.

Thanks to our member Sara Melman who organised this fabulous event we were armed with necessary supplies including bag hoops, clips and trash pickers. After a quick brief we set out to pick up as much trash as we could around our gym. I think we all were a little surprised as to how much trash there is littering our streets. We spent the first 15 mins cleaning up the 200m from the gym along Valencia to the corner of Mission Street. Those trees we run past every week were filled with all manner of things.

It was a humbling and fun experience to go through and surprising too as to how many people thanked our group either walking by or in cars as they appreciated the effort we were making. After an hour of walking, talking and building dexterity with the pickers as well as filling our bags we headed back for some well deserved snacks and bubbly water.

Thank you to those that came and participated. This community we have is something very special and if you run/walk along Valencia Street this week I hope you notice how lovely it’s looking. We’ll definitely be doing this again!!

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As March comes to a close so does Women’s History Month. It’s a time to reflect on the women that have influenced not only this country’s history but perhaps your own life.

The first Women’s History Day was in February 1909 when it commemorated the one year anniversary of 15,000 garment workers marching through lower Manhattan, protesting their working conditions. In the 100 plus years there have been many women along the way fighting for freedom and better conditions. Each year has a theme and 2023 Women's History Month theme is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.

You may have participated in an activity, gone to an exhibition or perhaps your work celebrated in some way. Hearing an acknowledging these stories is crucial for our future as we need to honor the past, have empathy and use the lessons learnt and won to create a better future ahead for the upcoming generations.

We encourage our community to spend time listening, reading & telling their own stories!

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We know our community cares and volunteering is something we all value and do. This year we wanted to create more opportunities for us to come together and partner with some fantastic organisations that are doing amazing work in the Bay Area.

For our first give back event of the year we are partnering with Refuse Refuse SF. Their mission is clear and simple… “Keeping our city clean is up to us. Our local government does not have the money or resources to do it alone, so it's up to us the citizens to take responsibility.” You can check out their more about their mission and work here.

On Sunday, April 2nd at 2pm, we have arranged for our Fog City community to get involved and do a neighborhood trash cleanup. This is a family friendly event - kids are great at picking up trash. We will provide trash pickers and bag holders to make the it easier for all.  We will meet at the gym, and clean up the neighborhood for about an hour. 

Let's do our part to take care of the Mission! Feel free to bring some snacks to share for after the clean up! If you are interested and want to participate please let us know by filling out this form (we'll need an estimate of how many people are coming).

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CrossFit Open 2023 Wrap-up

Congratulations to everyone on an outstanding CrossFit Open! Did you know that about 300,000 people worldwide did the Open this year? It was cool to see our little community participate in this huge event!

Each week, there was so much positive energy in the gym. It was inspirational to see people pushing themselves in new ways. We saw so many firsts – toes-to-bar, double-unders, PR lifts – as well as people achieving things that maybe scared them or that they weren’t sure they could do – like 50 straight toes-to-bar or 5 wall walks in a row. Each week, you showed up and gave it your all. We hope you had fun and learned something about yourself to take into the next year.

A huge thank you to all the coaches and board members who helped the Open run smoothly! And a shout out to Jenny Morgan for the awesome action shots, many shown below.

FCCF Award Winners

• Top Rookies: Katie Baudler & Siyu Song

• Spirit of the Open: Jason Swan
  Jason joined FCCF in August last year and has been a dedicated member of Foundations & evening classes.  He was a bit nervous about doing the Open but after talking with some coaches gave it his all, completing all the workouts scaled and getting his first Double Under!  Afterwards, he said he was glad to participate with the community and be able to perform new movements.  We’re inspired by his dedication and efforts this year and look forward to his continued success!

Top Overall Finishers

Men:
Alex Garcia
David Cho
John Robinson

Women:
Liz Terry
Kim Tom
Brianne Cannon

Special shout out to Alex, who advanced to the Individual Quarterfinals by placing in the top 10% of individuals in the North America West Region, and Liz and Kim who advanced to the Masters Quarterfinals, placing in the top 10% of their age groups worldwide.

First Time Doing the Open

Taking on the Open for the first time can feel daunting. Congratulations to this crew for completing their rookie year:
Becca Charlton
Faycal Bouab
Hari Manikarnika
Jason Swan
Joshua Richardson
Katie Baudler
Siyu Song

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Congratulations to all our athletes on their participation in the Open. We wrapped up the last week and couldn’t be prouder of you all!! It was a fun year with some extra flavour and for those that have participated in the Open for a number of years, rehashing a previous year’s workout is always great way to measure how far we’ve come.

We have our Spring Fling and End of Open party this coming Sunday 3/12. We’ll be hosting this at the gym and kicking off at 1pm until 4pm. All our members are welcome, not just those that did the Open. Please come and hang out and bring your families too!!

It’s potluck style and so If you haven’t already please sign up to let folks know what you’ll be bringing. The sheet also has a place to volunteer some of your time to help set up and clean up. You know what they say about it taking a village…

Looking forward to seeing you there to celebrate 🌻😎🌈

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It’s the last week of the Open – time to finish strong! You all have been doing an amazing job with the workouts, so let’s keep the momentum going. This week we have a set amount of wall walks, double-unders, and snatches to complete in 6 mins and then a time extension (and some handstand push-ups) if you get it all done. We’re excited to see some firsts for these movements, PRs, and strong performances.

CrossFit Open 23.3 (RX)
Starting with a 6-minute time cap, complete as many reps as possible of:
5 wall walks
50 double-unders
15 snatches (95/65 lbs)
5 wall walks
50 double-unders
12 snatches (135/95 lbs)
*If completed before the 6-minute time cap, add 3 minutes to the time cap and complete:
20 strict handstand push-ups
50 double-unders
9 snatches (185/125 lbs)
*If completed before the 9-minute time cap, add 3 minutes to the time cap and complete:
20 strict handstand push-ups
50 double-unders
6 snatches (225/155 lbs)

CrossFit Open 23.3 (SCALED)
Starting with a 6-minute time cap, complete as many reps as possible of:
5 scaled wall walks
50 single-unders
15 snatches (65/45 lbs)
5 scaled wall walks
50 single-unders
12 snatches (95/65 lbs)
*If completed before the 6-minute time cap, add 3 minutes to the time cap and complete:
20 hand-release push-ups
50 single-unders
9 snatches (115/75 lbs)
*If completed before the 9-minute time cap, add 3 minutes to the time cap and complete:
20 hand-release push-ups
50 single-unders
9 snatches (135/85 lbs)

Full details about all divisions and movement standards are online. Please take time to look them over before coming to the gym! (Links: RX/Scaled/Masters and Foundations)

Logistics:

Sign up for class as you normally would. When you come, you will sign up for a heat and there will be a self-directed warm-up for you to follow. Expect to work out during one of the heats and judge/cheer a friend during another. If you know you need extra time, come a bit early to get yourself warm and cheer people on.

Can’t make it Saturday? Post to Slack and we’ll help find a time for you to do it with a judge before the Monday 5PM score submission deadline.

Strategy: Go Go Go for 6 Minutes!

Although this workout looks intimidating, for most folks, this will be a 6 minute workout that is heavy on the shoulders. Here are some tips on each of the movements:

• Wall Walks: Know yourself with this movement. No-reps are costly since it’s such a long movement, so try to balance the need to go quickly with making sure you are rested enough to nail the rep. When starting, aim to get your legs up as high as possible. Then try to minimize the number of steps your hands take to and from the wall. Throughout the movement, keep pushing through the ground to maintain a strong body position. Don’t forget to review the standard: hands stay on the tape until both feet are on the wall. Remember, the first set will feel great, but the second will be much more challenging – be mentally prepared for that.

• Double-Unders: Breathe here and stay composed. Misses happens, so when they do, use it as an opportunity to take a quick breath and then refocus and restart. Trust your good form: elbows in and jumping straight up and down.

• Snatches: Use your legs and save your shoulders on these! Even though the first set is light, breaking them up into 2-3 sets of descending reps with short breaks  (e.g. 9/6 or 6/5/4) will help reduce your time under tension and save your shoulders for the other movements. When you get to the second bar, expect it to feel heavy and treat it like a 1 rep max as it may be in that range for some of you. Eyes up, braced off the floor, get the bar to the hips, jump and punch!  Don’t forget you can squat snatch if needed to get under it. Wherever you catch the bar, make sure your core is braced and arms locked out to give yourself the best chance of making the lift.

• Handstand Push-ups: There is a new standard this year – you just need to keep some part of your hand on the tape and only your feet can touch the wall. Remember, these disappear very quickly, so break them up early and often. Stay tight throughout the movement, actively squeezing your glutes and abs, to sustain your push.

Scaling

We will have scaling options for everyone! If you’re entered online, there is an official scaled version. (See above). Remember though, that any reps at RX beat all scores at scaled, so if you want to work to get those first wall walks or double unders – go for it!!

Also, since the workout will likely be pretty short for most people, we'll have an option to extend the time to 12 mins if you want to keep going.

Have fun, cheer on your friends, and then we can all celebrate our accomplishments next weekend at the Spring Fling/End of Open Party Sun 3/12 at FCCF! Let’s do this!

If you haven’t already please make sure you block your calendars on Sunday 12th March from 1-4pm for our Spring Fling party. It’s going to be pot luck style so please bring your favourite dish to share. We’ll be hosting the party at the gym given the current weather. ALL our members and their families are welcome. If you’re new to FCCF it’s tradition to have a bouncy house and so your children (and perhaps yourself) will be delighted.

Come and celebrate the turn of the season and also the end of the Open! It’s a fun way to connect with your swolemates by spending time with each other outside of working out and in proper clothes!!

We’ll be sharing a sheet in Slack where you can add your dish and also volunteer to help setup and/or clean up.

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It’s week 2 of the CrossFit Open and it’s a two-parter with some surprises: 2 new movements (shuttle runs and burpee pull-ups) plus a max thruster finisher!

CrossFit Open 23.2 (RX)
Part A: AMRAP 15 Minutes:
5 burpee pull-ups* 
10 shuttle runs (1 rep = 2 x 25 ft) 
*Add 5 burpee pull-ups after each round. 
Part B: Immediately following 23.2A: 
5 minutes to establish: 
1-rep-max thruster (from the floor)

CrossFit Open 23.2 (SCALED)
Part A: AMRAP 15 Minutes:
5 burpees (to target)*
10 shuttle runs (1 rep = 2 x 25 ft) 
*Add 5 burpees after each round. 
Part B: Immediately following 23.2A: 
5 minutes to establish: 
1-rep-max thruster (from the floor)

Full details about all divisions and movement standards are online. Please take time to look them over before coming to the gym! (Links: RX/Scaled/Masters and Foundations)

Logistics:

Sign up for class as you normally would. When you come, you will sign up for a heat and there will be a self-directed warm-up for you to follow. Expect to work out during one of the heats and judge/cheer a friend during another. If you know you need extra time, come a bit early to get yourself warm and cheer people on. 23.2A will be done in 1649 (our main space) and 23.B will be done in 1643 (barbell space) to maximize floor space for running.

Can’t make it Saturday? Post to Slack and we’ll help find a time for you to do it with a judge before the Monday 5PM score submission deadline.

Strategy: Pacing & Thruster Tips

You know the story of the rabbit and the hare! Continuous movement at a steady pace will win the race on part A. For Part B, start with a thruster weight that you can do in your sleep and go up from there. Here’s some guidance to help maximize your score for both:

• Shuttle Runs: this workout won’t be won here. Pick a steady pace to run/jog through these. There are a lot of turnarounds, so try to be efficient there – lower your body as you approach and turn your shoulders as you come up from your hand touch.

• Burpee Pull-ups: There are different ways to do these – jumping into a strict pull-up or doing a kipping pull-up. Test the options in warm-up and see what feels best for you. Using a kip will slow you down a bit, but will also help you manage your breathing. Either way, set yourself up so your feet are below the bar when you jump, meaning your shoulders will be in front of the rig at the bottom of the burpee.

• Thrusters: Most people will do best by using a power clean to get the bar to the shoulder, then begin the thruster, in order to get in a good position for the squat.  If you are proficient with squat cleans, you may get some additional bounce out of the bottom – test this out in warm up and see which one feels most comfortable. In either case, focus on explosive leg extension out of the squat before engaging the arms to press.  Lifting under fatigue is different, but can often lead to PRs! Pick a weight you can do comfortably as an opener (~80%) and plan for 3-4 attempts. Have your bar pre-loaded and additional weights and shoes/gear you want to change into available off to the side. Aim for that first attempt around the 1 minute mark. 

Scaling

We will have scaling options for everyone! If you’re entered online, there is an official scaled version. (See above). Remember though, that any reps at RX beat all scores at scaled! So, if pull ups are your limiting factor, give them a go. Who knows, you may surprise yourself! If you hit the wall on them, but want to keep doing the workout, tell your judge you’re done with the RX version and switch to scaled with burpees to target and keep going.

Here’s to another week of having fun, cheering on your friends, and challenging yourself.

Thank you to everyone that came and showed up to either participate in the first workout of the CrossFit Open 2023, judge or cheer your fellow athletes on!

It was a tough workout but everyone gave it their all and some folks even got their “first …” (fill in the blank). You know who you are!!

The next announcement will be Thursday and we’ll be sharing some tips on how to conquer that, once we know what it is of course.

In other exciting news we have brought back our beloved The fog always lifts slogan with a new colourway.

If you haven’t ordered any new swag now is the time. Deadline closes 2/23. Here’s the LINK in case you missed it! Just ordered mine :)

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