One month down!
Incredibly, it's only been one month since we reopened, and what a month! It's been fantastic to see so many of your excited (and post-wod tired) faces back in the gym with us again. A big thank you to you all for bearing with us as we navigated the reopening process, and for continually using the online appointment system and respecting the protocols in place. We hope a sense of normality will return soon but, while we're waiting, please continue to use the schedule and appointment pages. Moving forward, this week we start "Grindstone", a programming cycle that focuses on building our capacity. See the full breakdown of what's to come below!
Programming Alert
Grindstone
June 29 – August 30, 2020 9 Weeks
A Grindstone isn’t a sexy piece of equipment. It’s a thick stone that is used to shape… weaponry. In order to create the tip of the spear, the razor-edged blade of a sword, we must first create this grindstone.
Much like the grindstone, the work here won’t be sexy. And it definitely won’t be easy. But that’s what we want. We choose the hard path, for we know what destination it brings us to.
Our focus in “Grindstone” – Stamina. In recent months, we focused on building a strong base through heavier percentage lifting, on both Olympic and traditional lifts. We’re going to shift gears some now. Our aim in “Grindstone” is to turn that strength into usable capacity in all facets of our sport – from the 1RM attempt to barbell cycling, to approaching rounds of 21 thrusters at a moderate load. Daily Programming will follow this formula:
Monday Snatch Complex Front Squat “10-8-6-4-2” Conditioning
Tuesday Gymnastic Capacity Conditioning
Wednesday Conditioning Capacity Builder
Friday Clean and Jerk Complex Back Squat “3-6-12” Conditioning
Saturday Capacity Builder Long Conditioning
We love the grind.
CrossFit Inc. Has A New Owner and CEO
The last few weeks in the CrossFit world have been tumultuous, to say the least. News from our little corner has reached publications like the New York Times, podcasts have delved deep into the exoduses, resignations, and everything else - it's about time we received some good news. Well, here it is - on Wednesday, June 24, Dave Castro, interim CEO of CrossFit Inc, announced that CrossFit Inc. will be sold to affiliate owner and entrepreneur Eric Roza.
One big thing: Following several tumultuous weeks, CrossFit HQ has been working toward a course correction and to answer calls from the community and elite athletes to make dramatic changes at the top of the organization. Greg Glassman selling his stake in CrossFit would be a major step toward rebuilding confidence in the much-loved global fitness brand.
The details: Dave Castro’s Instagram post revealed important details about the changes that will follow the sale of CrossFit Inc. in the coming weeks.
“Once the deal is closed next month, he [Eric Roza] will be the new owner and CEO of CrossFit, and I am excited to partner with him as we enter this next stage,” Castro wrote.
“Eric knows what it’s like to run a box through tough times. He has faced the same issues with payroll and rent during COVID-19, and he knows how to deal with difficult issues in the press,” he continued.
“He also knows how to build great, inclusive workplaces, with Datalogix making Outside Magazine’s list of best places to work,” he concluded.
Welcome, Eric!!
This is a summary of an article written for the Morning Chalk Up by Joe Gentin-Pilawa.
A Meal To Share
Here's a recipe submission from Giulian and Ruby that's a great anytime, but could be especially handy for those socially distant gatherings that might be coming up!
Pork Carnitas in Lettuce Wraps
Ingredients
Rub
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 boneless pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons dried Oregano
1 large brown onion cut into eighths
5 garlic cloves, smashed
1/4 cup chopped jalapeños
2 bay leaves
1 orange cut into eighths
2 limes cut in half
1/4 cup olive oil
Pico De Gallo
3 Roma tomatoes
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons of finely diced red onion
1 tablespoon of seeded jalapeño
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 tablespoon of sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 head lettuce
Avocado
Method
In a small bowl stir together all of the rub ingredients. Pat pork dry and then evenly coat in the rub.
Heat a large dutch oven over medium heat and sear the pork on all sides, roughly 4 minutes per side depending on your stove. (You may have to cut the butt in half to make it fit - that's ok, just don't overcrowd the pan!)
Once seared, remove from the dutch oven and cut the pork into 2-3 inch chunks. Place in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with brown sugar and oregano, and toss to coat.
With all of the juices from searing still in the dutch oven, place the meat back in and evenly distribute the onion, garlic, jalapeños, and bay leaves. Squeeze the orange and lime pieces over the meat and then tuck the rinds in amongst it. Finally pour in the olive oil and cover with a lid.
Cook the pork over medium-low heat until fork-tender, roughly 3 hours. Check-in occasionally to make sure nothing is burning.
Use time in between to make pico de gallo - simply mix all the ingredients together, cover, and place in the fridge!
Preheat an oven to 400F. Once the pork is ready place chunks on a chopping board and shred with two forks into bite-size chunks. Strain what is left in the pot into a bowl and reserve the liquid.
Set pork on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Take a few tablespoons of the reserved liquid and drizzle over pork, then place in the oven for around 10 minutes, until crispy.
Serve carnitas on top of lettuce leaf with avocado and pico de gallo. For some added deliciousness add a dollop of sour cream or crumbled cotija cheese!
The Secret to Pull-Ups
“For the CrossFit athlete or novice CrossFit enthusiast, one extremely important element is necessary for success in gymnastics skills: prerequisite strength.”
CrossFit Gymnastics subject-matter expert Jeff Tucker has spoken this truth many times.
Strength is essential to gymnastics. It allows both continual development of skills and virtuosity of movement in body-weight training. Beyond that, strength is an asset that reduces the chances of injury. Read more here
News, Events, and fun things to click on!
Here you'll find current events on the local, regional, and international scale, articles that have piqued our interest, and other cool stuff!
In one of its big new changes, CrossFit has announced a new scholarship program!
Dave Castro announced some big change-ups to the CrossFit Games season moving forward, including the Open potentially moving back to February.
Delving into the archives - here are a couple of op-eds about the phenomenon of rep-cutting at the box. Read this article then the response to that article.
Dave Castro sat down with Talking Elite Fitness to discuss all of the changes over the last couple of weeks.
Should you be eating before or after your workout? Find out
We want to hear from you!
We hope you enjoyed this month's newsletter! If you have feedback with regards to anything we've missed, anything you'd like to see more of, or anything else - let us know!