Every 4:00 x 5 rounds
35 Foot walking dumbbell lunge
3 Deadlifts

*Increase weight on the lunges and deadlifts each round

Post weights to BTWB

Time for another Verve outing.  On Saturday June 30th, we have been invited to the RiNo Beer Garden for some beverages and appetizers courtesy of the owner, Storm Ireland.  Storm is a fellow CrossFitter and came by Verve the other day to introduce himself and invite the members of Verve over.  He’s also from Massachusetts and speaks proper English like I do.

If you haven’t been to the RiNo Beer Garden since it re-opened, formerly Jake’s, you should make sure to save the date on the 30th.  The patio is new and improved and the selection on tap for beers is fantastic.  They even carry a very rare, aged perfectly, special blend called Bud Light.  This particular beer has been perfected over many years and The RiNo Beer Garden has it on tap.  They also have something in the neighborhood of 60 other beers on tap as well a full bar and menu, but I recommend giving the Bud Light a taste.  You’ll thank me and probably never drink any other kind of beer.

The patio features plenty of cornhole boards as well as tv’s and ample seating both in the shade and sun.  Storm has graciously offered 2 free drink tickets to each person that comes good for any drink excluding some top shelf liquors and he will also provide us with some appetizers to enjoy as well.

We’re going to set up an event page on FB social and we ask that you please RSVP if you plan to stop by.  We’d like to give them a head count a few days before so check you calendars and see if you can make it on June 30th.  We will be starting at around 3:00 PM and going until I’ve taken everyone’s money in cornhole.   

Stay tuned to the blog and FB social for more updates and information if anything changes.  

For time 7 Rounds of:
7 Toes to bar
7 Push jerks, 135#(95#)

Post times to comments and BTWB

What is happening at Verve over the next few months?

**Saturday June 23rd- Verve hosts OUTWOD @ 10am

OUTWOD is a workout designed for anyone and everyone to participate. So it is highly encouraged to bring friends, family, and neighbors to join in the fun. 

This event comes with a registration fee of $30. OUTWOD exists throughout the year, hosting events, and raising money for a variety of charities and organizations aimed at supporting the LGBTQ community.

I realize that for some the thought of paying $30 to workout must seem like a lot. But perhaps we can think of it as working out in celebration of donating $30 to a much needed and very worthy cause. 

Get signed up on line by clicking here. Bring a buddy. Get a good workout in, stick around for a fun social event after, and be a part of supporting the LGBTQ community.

**Saturday September 8th- Verve hosts Femme Royale

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
10 Sandbag power cleans
10 Sandbag front squats
Run 200 meters with sandbag
10 Sandbag lunges

Rest 5:00 then,
10:00 Row for meters

Post rounds, reps, and meters to comments and BTWB

5 Rounds for time:
40 Foot handstand walk
20 Medicine ball cleans, 20#(14#)
20 Abmat sit-ups with medicine ball, 20#(14#)

Post times to comments and BTWB

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, but it’s been brewing. CrossFit gets a bad rap. For a lot of things. Sometimes people watch the CrossFit Games and we get labeled as crazy followed swiftly by shocked face emojis when someone gets hurt. People hear about CrossFit’s fight against big soda and think the company is ridiculous for caring about what people drink. And most recently, following a tweet from a now former CrossFit HQ employee, people may have been led to believe that CrossFit is intolerant. 

CrossFit athletes, the professional ones that have chosen to compete in the sport of CrossFit, are not crazy. They are professional athletes, similar to that of NFL players, who subsequently also get hurt during their sport. The other 99% of CrossFit enthusiasts are also not crazy for taking their health and well being into their own hands and simply taking one hour a day to be fit. 

I will not dive too far into the battle against big soda other than to say, the fight is hugely misunderstood. The fight is not against what you drink, the fight is against a company like big soda funding research into the health world. A company that sells sugary drinks should not be the company that pays for researchers to tell you what is and is not healthy to consume. There might be a bit of a conflict of interest. 

And then there is this tweet. A tweet from a well known figure head at CrossFit HQ stating that celebrating pride was a sin. As I said earlier, this person is now a former employee. We can argue back and forth about his right to say whatever he wanted in his personal twitter account, but that argument stops when he added a few additional items to his tweet clearly indicating his involvement with CrossFit. As employees of any business, our words have consequences. Free speech exists but so do employee agreements. So say what you will but be prepared for those consequences. 

None of this means anything to me. 

I do not care how people view the Games. I do not care about hefty lawsuits. I do not care about someone’s personal religious beliefs. Because none of these things change how I choose to represent my business. I can talk to people about how to push themselves and avoid injury. I can help educate about nutrition and diet. And I can stand at the front of my gym and welcome anyone and everyone in to this amazing community. Verve is CrossFit to me, and to me CrossFit is:

• Not caring about your age, gender, sexual preference, religious beliefs, or job. If you have the fastest time on the board, you are legit, and I want to beat it. 
• Not caring about your age, gender, sexual preference, religious beliefs, or job. If the trainer says grab a partner, my only question is, are you conveniently standing next to me?
• A 65 year old man doing personal training sessions to regain a range of motion that was lost decades ago. And this same man not running “since the 90’s” and joining some friends for a half marathon on a weekend, and finishing it. 
• A 65 year old woman having had two hip replacement surgeries, getting excited for doing box jumps, walking lunges, and squatting below parallel. 
• A husband and wife, a wife and wife, a husband and husband, and “roommates” having one hour to come together and encourage each other. To workout as partners and see each other’s strengths. 
• Someone building a base of fitness to take a once in a lifetime trip around the world, hike amazing wonders and tour monuments. 
• Someone building a base of fitness to take their kids on vacation and chase them around a beach. 
• Building a base of fitness to later race mountain bikes, run marathons, ski the slopes for hours upon hours. 

CrossFit is taking the hour a day in the gym to make us healthy, happy, and live long enough lives to thoroughly enjoy them. CrossFit Verve wishes this health, happiness, and longevity to everyone. 

Every 3:00 x 3
3 Push press

Rest 5:00 then,

For time:
150 Double unders
75 Pull ups

**Every minute on the minute including 0:00 do 5 Push press (135lbs/95lbs)
** 10:00 Time cap

Post results to comments or BTWB

ARE YOUR FEET AND CALVES SORE?

Yesterday was a doozy on our lower extremities and they may not be feeling fresh today.  Here is a great video with some ways to loosen them up.

4 x 200 meters
*Rest 1:00 between runs and rest 3:00 after the last run before starting the 300’s.

3 x 300 meters
*Rest 1:00 between runs and rest 3:00 after the last run before starting the 400’s.

2 x 400 meters
*Rest 1:00 between runs.

Post times to BTWB

Below are a few reason’s to come in today for a great sprinting workout.  The excerpts are from an article featured on HeathMatters.com.  For the full article click HERE.

Sprinting Makes Muscle

As sprinting is an anaerobic exercise, it helps in build muscles in the same way that weight training does. Sprinting, uses dozens of muscles at the same time, making it one of the most complete muscle training exercises available.

There are studies that show sprinting can enhance protein synthesis pathways which helps in breaking down protein by as much as 230 percent. With the right nutrition and recovery, sprinting can actually promote muscle building, allowing your body to become leaner.

Sprinting Boosts Metabolism – You Lose Weight Even After The Workout Is Over

There is no doubt that sprinting helps in burning a lot of calories in a short span of time. But, what’s great is that one loses weight even when the workout is over. If you are wondering how, the answer is simple. When you sprint, you kick-start your metabolism that allows you to burn more calories even when you stop sprinting. This fact is also backed by a study done by Professor James Timmons from the Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh which reports that sprinting can actually boost the body’s metabolism sharply.

Sprinting Take Cares Of Your Heart – Improves Heart Health

Sprinting is not just about weight loss, but also comes with cardiovascular benefits. It can help lower your blood pressure. The fast-twitch muscles (type II muscles) that you are building while you sprint helps in improving your heart function. When you do sprints, you put all your effort on your muscles making your heart pump harder, thus improving overall blood circulation. As a result, your heart is healthy and strengthens up which reduces your chances of heart disease.

Sprints Increases Human Growth Hormone Production

The other exciting benefit of sprints is its ability to naturally increase the production of human growth hormone (HGH) in your body, which also plays a significant role in weight loss and also slows down the aging process by enhancing the tissue growth in your body.

Every 4:00 x 4 rounds:
5 Squat Cleans

Rest 5:00 then, for time:
15 Squat cleans, 135#(95#)
Row 21 calories

Post loads and times to comments and BTWB

Wait, are you about to tell me about OUTWOD again?!?

Yes, yes I am.

The month of June is LGBT Pride Month. The month of June was chosen for LGBT Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBT people have had in the world.

At Verve we will be hosting OUTWOD on Saturday June 23rd @ 10am. OUTWOD is a workout designed for anyone and everyone to participate. So it is highly encouraged to bring friends, family, and neighbors to join in the fun. 

But Courtney, Verve is hosting this awesome event, and I see there is a registration fee to participate. . . is that correct? Yes. This event comes with a registration fee of $30. Because OUTWOD does not just show up once a year to commemorate Pride month, OUTWOD exists throughout the year, hosting events, and raising money for a variety of charities and organizations aimed at supporting the LGBTQ community. Your $30 registration fee will get you in the door, it will get you a t-shirt, and it will go to youth organizations, AIDS foundations, shelters, community programs, and more. 

Get signed up on line by clicking here. Bring a buddy. Get a good workout in, stick around for a fun social event after, and be a part of supporting a community that, whether or not you know, supports you. 

Rowing Recovery Day
Row for 30:00

*Every 1000 Meters, get off the rower and perform:
3 – 5 Wall walks
3 – 5 Strict toes to bar
5- 10 Tempo goblet squats (pick weight)

If you want to help your body recover for next week’s training, come in and do some recovery rowing with some accessory work included.

For time, 9-15-21-27 reps of:
Deadlift, 205#(135#)
Burpees over the bar

Post times to comments and BTWB

Folks,

Verve has teamed up with OUTWOD to host an event on Saturday June 23rd @ 10am.

OUTWOD is the largest international initiative for bringing together LGBT+ athletes and their allies to raise funds for local charitable organizations and sweat together in a safe, inclusive group fitness environment.

OUTWOD’s mission is to promote active and fit lifestyles of our LGBT+ community and allies.

Starting at 10am there will be a brief intro about OUTWOD and their mission from an OUTWOD representative. After that, the whiteboard intro begins. There will be two versions of the workout provided that Saturday. For folks with CrossFit experience the workout with contain more complex barbell and gymnastics movements. The second version will be for folks simply wanting to participate in the event with no CrossFit background. It is similar in nature but barbells are swapped for dumbbells and the gymnastics movements are more simple. Either way, it will be an awesome team workout. Oops. Did I not mention that earlier?? Yep, this will be a workout in teams of 3!! So invite your buddies from another gym, invite your co-workers, family, friends, anyone interested in joining our community for a day. All are welcome. 

The purpose of this event is to continue to raise support for the LGBT+ community. Funds raised from this event will be going to the OUT Foundation. This foundation distributes money to several local and national LGBT+ charities that make an impact on the lives of our community and our future. These include, but are not limited to:

–Family Equality Council
–SAGE: Advocacy and Services for LGBT Elders
–Anti-Violence Project
–Out Youth
–The Ali Forney Center
–TPAN

For a list of additional organizations supported by OUTWOD you can visit their webpage by clicking here.

Funds are raised through registering for this event. The cost is $30 to participate. This registration fee includes a t-shirt. The shirts will be mailed to Verve before the event and ready for pick up on June 23rd. . . if you get registered now!! Get signed up by clicking here.  

Because we are hosting this event, Verve’s regular Saturday schedule will be slightly different:
8am- Verve WOD
9am- Verve WOD
10am-11:30am- OUTWOD
11:30-12:30pm- Open Gym

Every minute on the minute for 20:00 of
Minute 1 = 3 Shoulder press
Minute 2 = 10 Strict dips (rings or p-bars)
Minute 3 = 20(15) Calories on rowers or bikes
Minute 4 – Rest

*The shoulder press will go up in weight each round. Use the minute of rest to
add weight to the bar.

We had another great turnout for our Memorial Day workout, “Murph.”  The weather was nice and cool compared to years past, so hopefully everyone recovered and was able to spend some time with family and friends after and enjoy the long weekend.

Another annual tradition that I also enjoy is the battle of the green machine vs. Matt Chan’s chalk prints.  This year Matt made it an extra tough match as it appears he moved forward for each round of push ups he completed, wore his grips loaded with chalk, and chalked up right before his push ups.  The last one is only a guess, but based on the evidence, I’d say it’s pretty clear that extra chalk was needed to keep traction on the floor.