Instead of a regular workout, today we are having a fundraising workout in support of the Haiti disaster.  The workout is a surprise and has been influenced by a popular reality television program.  We will post an update after the event with the workout and hopefully some great photos.  [...]]]> Haiti Disaster Support Fundraiser Workout

Instead of a regular workout, today we are having a fundraising workout in support of the Haiti disaster.  The workout is a surprise and has been influenced by a popular reality television program.  We will post an update after the event with the workout and hopefully some great photos.  Hope to see you there!

Because we can!  Sounds simple right…but this ability is truly a gift.

Today we take on Fight Gone Bad to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer and the Wounded Warrior fund.  We are taking on a grueling workout for those that can’t.  We can, so we do.  Yes it’s fun, [...]]]>

Because we can!  Sounds simple right…but this ability is truly a gift.

Today we take on Fight Gone Bad to raise funds and awareness for Prostate Cancer and the Wounded Warrior fund.  We are taking on a grueling workout for those that can’t.  We can, so we do.  Yes it’s fun, and a great community builder, to suffer and push through 3 rounds of intense movements, but there is a greater outcome of our efforts.  The money we raise will help someone somewhere suffering at this very moment in a very different way.  Our efforts are helping to make a difference.

This “because I can” isn’t unique to today.  Everyday we should DO because we can.  We are given one body for life, and it’s our responsibility to keep that body healthy and happy.  The choices we make in nutrition and exercise directly affect the happiness of our body.  We are given the power to be the best we can.

Some have this choice taken from them through illness or injury.  How can we not “DO,” when there are those out there that “CAN’T DO?”

Take care of your body as the incredible gift it is.

Good Luck to Team Toronto today at FGB!  Go DO your best!

*Also, good luck to our Aimee who is taking on FGB at CrossFit Vancouver (her new home!)

There are no regular classes today due to the Fight Gone Bad Fundraiser.  Come out and show your support.  The event begins at 10am and runs until all participants have completed their rounds.

Tomorrow is the real deal.  Fight Gone Bad…the official!  You’ve practiced, you’ve fund-raised, and hopefully today you rest!  Don’t take on anything too crazy today as you want to ensure you’re in fine form tomorrow.  Perhaps we’ll be seeing some PR’s?!

There is a common misconception that most of the movements [...]]]>

Tomorrow is the real deal.  Fight Gone Bad…the official!  You’ve practiced, you’ve fund-raised, and hopefully today you rest!  Don’t take on anything too crazy today as you want to ensure you’re in fine form tomorrow.  Perhaps we’ll be seeing some PR’s?!

There is a common misconception that most of the movements in FGB are generated from the arms and shoulders.  If this is what you’re doing…stop now!  Although the weight may be moved by the upper body…remember the force is coming from below.

Your HIPS and LEGS are you’re drivers!  If you aren’t generating your power from here you are sabotaging yourself from a higher score.

Put your legs into it.

Good Luck Team Toronto!  Fight Hard!

Workout

Work your goats!  If you are participating in FGB tomorrow…don’t work them too hard!

Today is the second last Hump Day FGB practice.  There are only ten days left until the big fight! 

More importantly, there are only 10 days left to…

That’s plenty of time if you DO IT [...]]]>

Today is the second last Hump Day FGB practice.  There are only ten days left until the big fight! 

More importantly, there are only 10 days left to…

• register with Team CrossFit Toronto and participate (if you haven’t already)
• raise funds for the Prostate Cancer Foundation

That’s plenty of time if you DO IT NOW! 

If you can’t participate, please support your fellow members.  It’s quick and painless at www.rapidreghost.com/fgb/donate.html

Did you Know?

Prostate Cancer is the most common non-skin cancer, affecting 1 in 6 men. A non-smoking man is more likely to develop prostate cancer than he is to develop colon, bladder, melanoma, lymphoma and kidney cancers combined.  A man is 35% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than a woman is to be diagnosed with breast cancer.

In 2009, more than 192,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and more than 27,000 men will die from the disease. One new case occurs every 2.7 minutes and a man dies from prostate cancer every 19 minutes.

At Risk

As men increase in age, their risk of developing cancer increases exponentially. Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 39 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 14 for ages 60 to 69. More than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

The Good News

Today, if detected early, the cure rate for prostate cancer is very high—nearly 100% of men diagnosed and treated at local and regional stage will be disease-free after five years. In the 1970s, only 67% of men diagnosed with local or regional prostate cancer were disease-free after five years.

Visit the Prostate Cancer Foundation Website for more info.

CrossFitters all across North American are taking part in the fourth annual Fight Gone Bad fundraiser.  Join the fight with CrossFit Toronto today.  It’s a fun way to be part of our amazing community and make a difference.

One Cause…One Fight. ______________________________________________________________________________

Lace up your gloves and get in the ring.  So you fight hard in the gym…how hard are you fighting in the fundraising arena?  Register!  Set up your homepage (it’s super easy)!  Send those emails!  If you have time to read this…you have time to raise funds for Prostate Cancer.  Tough Love Kids!

Workout

Fight Gone Bad

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating.

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Complete 3 rounds of:

• Wall ball, 20# ball
• Sumo deadlift high pulls, 75#
• Box jumps, 20″ box
• Push press, 75#
• Row

Meet Natalie…she is a “people in our Crossfit Neighbourhood!”  She shared her journey in the CrossFit Toronto newsletter and we think she’s so super awesome we wanna showcase her a little bit more!

From Music Geek to CrossFit Freak? Finally, I speak CrossFit!

I have become very interested in physical fitness in my [...]]]>

Meet Natalie…she is a “people in our Crossfit Neighbourhood!”  She shared her journey in the CrossFit Toronto newsletter and we think she’s so super awesome we wanna showcase her a little bit more!

From Music Geek to CrossFit Freak?
Finally, I speak CrossFit!

I have become very interested in physical fitness in my adult life, which is something I had very little of in my childhood and adolescence. To understand how bizarre it is that I would be here at CrossFit today, requires knowing just how non-athletic I was raised.

I was always the “artsy one” in my family, while my sister was the “athlete.” I had juvenile arthritis, so my parents protected me, fearing I would hurt myself with sports. Instead, they put me into music, which I actually enjoyed. I spent long hours of practice on piano and violin, starting at the young age of four. By the time I was in Grade Five, while other kids were out playing various sports, joining teams and generally being active, I was fully engulfed in an intense art program of voice, piano and violin.

In high school I studied opera and played violin in a Youth Chamber Orchestra. I was recording classical CD’s and competing with a professional girl’s choir in Europe. I travelled a lot, and lived in France to study at the National Conservatory. Sports were not what I was about, and my schedule was not conducive to exercise and healthy eating habits.

The first and only time I ever lifted serious weight was during a “lift off” held in my highschool gym class. I ended up benching more than several of the guys on the football team. By lunch that day, rumour had spread throughout the entire cafeteria, and I stopped then and there. I mean, what girl really wants to be compared to a Line Backer…literally?

I started to get more active when I was doing some post-graduate studies in Italy. I was under an immense amount of stress being away from home with pressing deadlines. I ran and did Yoga at dawn to start my day, and this helped ease the pressures. When I returned home to Canada I was teaching and therefore had a lot of time off in the summer. I started to run for fun- not time (hence, you will often hear various profanities and grumblings each time we have a running WOD) I “ran” (read 10 and 1 here…) a couple of half marathons and was a regular at the spinning studio.

I started road riding a couple of years ago and injured myself. It took a good year to rehab and I gave up on being active. I was convinced that I would never be able to overcome this. Starting to exercise again was tougher mentally for me, than physically.

I learned of CrossFit a year before I actually joined. I was looking for a place that would scare me a little and this fit the bill! I asked my husband for Boot Camp as a Christmas present, a rather odd request I know! (Seriously, what was I thinking?)

I started at CrossFit Toronto this past February, and am now completely and totally hooked. When I started, I knew nothing of WOD, AMRAP, RX’d, or PR. I called Kipping “Kelping” for the first two weeks…not quite comprehending why they would name it after something related to the sea.

I am addicted to the intensity of the workouts and the relief that comes at the end! I now envision a much healthier future for myself. I am looking at the whole picture and making longterm changes in my diet and lifestyle, rather than looking for a quick, temporary fix.

I have changed a lot over the last few months. I first started to notice this transformation when a student in my Lower Elementary Montessori class squeezed my bicep and said “Natalie, why are your muscles so bulgy now?” She then proceeded to hang off one of my arms to see if I could curl her up. It was funny, and I felt good about it.

I’m stronger and braver – willing to take more risks, to challenge myself. I started to downhill ski again after 15 years; I bought a new bike, and look forward to exercise. I’m more focused on being active and healthy now, than I have ever been in my life.

Favorite workout? FGB, because I like the lifting. 320 was my last score- not bad. Now I just need to learn to jump on a 20 inch box without freaking out….

My favorite lift? There are quite a few- dead lift, back squat, front squat, overhead squat, bench press, and push press….um, that’s a lot…

My worst skill? There are a few. I’m the world’s worst crab walker…If I had to escape in an emergency through a really tiny space; this would not be my preferred method. My gymnastics moves are more comedy than killer. The circus won’t be hiring me anytime soon.

Favorite moment? So many – Cynthia yelling “Barney’s pissed! So lift!” while I tried to shoulder press 95 pounds was pretty hilarious. Could this be my new lifting mantra?

Anyone can CrossFit with the right attitude. It should be a standard that everyone aspires to as a matter of general health. The greatest challenge has been to “get over myself” – conquer the mental battles and negative self-talk that I come up against when there is a tough workout or challenging skill that I’m convinced I will fail at. (Who knew CrossFit could be so heady?). It is very similar to learning a new instrument. It requires commitment and discipline, but gives you so much in return.

I still have a long way to go to reach my goals, but I no longer have a defeatist attitude about the process. I have finally learned to speak CrossFit, and am “drinking the juice” as my husband puts it. I’m converted!

______________________________________________________________________________

It’s another Fight Gone Bad Hump Day!  Lace up your gloves and get in the ring.  So you fight hard in the gym…how hard are you fighting in the fundraising arena?  Register!  Set up your homepage (it’s super easy)!  Send those emails!  If you have time to read this…you have time to raise some funds for Prostate Cancer.  Tough Love Kids!

Workout

Fight Gone Bad

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating.

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Complete 3 rounds of:

• Wall ball, 20# ball
• Sumo deadlift high pulls, 75#
• Box jumps, 20″ box
• Push press, 75#
• Row

Click here first…

Now what were you saying about NOT registering for Fight Gone Bad? There’s really no good excuse!  Join us in the good fight.  Register Here!

Fight Gone Bad

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a [...]]]>

Click here first…

Now what were you saying about NOT registering for Fight Gone Bad?
There’s really no good excuse!  Join us in the good fight.  Register Here!

Workout

Fight Gone Bad

In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating.

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of “rotate”, the athletes must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep, except on the rower where each calorie is one point.

Complete 3 rounds of:

• Wall ball, 20# ball
• Sumo deadlift high pulls, 75#
• Box jumps, 20″ box
• Push press, 75#
• Row

Last year we raised over $5000.  This year we are aiming even higher.