In teams of 2 complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
30 Synchronized air squats
20 Synchronized push ups
15 Synchronized strict pull ups
10 Synchronized hand stand push ups

Post times to comments and BTWB

Holy Paleo Pop-up Batman!!

That’s right folks, today @ 2:30pm-3:30pm Verve is hosting a Paleo Pop-up. An expo introducing you to Denver based paleo enthusiasts. Meet the vendors, learn about their products/ services, and taste samples. Around 3:30pm take a seat and be prepared to get your learn on from a tag teamed nutrition lecture by Maddie Berky and Clara Wisner. Bring your friends and family!!

Earlier in the day, from 11am-2pm, Teton Waters meat truck will be parked in front of Verve. Their truck will be filled with delicious grass fed beef products, better clean out your freezers ahead of time!!

Verve is hosting several CrossFit seminars this summer:

-CrossFit Weightlifting Trainer Course August 29th-30th
-CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course September 5th-6th

Each of these seminars provides an opportunity to expand your CrossFit knowledge. Ever wondered how to work a weakness, how to improve your olympic lifts, what is the science behind CrossFit? These questions and more can be answered through these amazing 2 day courses. Click on our “Events” page to learn more about each and get signed up.

The O2X Summit Challenge will be August 15th at Winter Park Resort. All the Verve trainers are doing it, which means so should you. You can sign up at the front desk at Verve.

Front Range CrossFit is hosting the first annual Do More Charity Challenge October 3rd-4th. It’s a 6 person team competition. We already have a few people interested, Verve will put $600 towards registering a team, make your intentions known in the comments section so others can join you or email me so we can put together a team, courtney@crossfitverve.com. Click here for more info and rules.

Front Squat
10 – 8 – 6 – 4 – 2

Then, every 2 minutes on the 2 minutes x 10 minutes:
10 Front squats @ 50% of 2 rep max
10 Bar facing burpees

Post loads to comments and BTWB

10 Signs You’re Becoming a Fit Girl By the awesome people at Eat To Perform, and brought to your viewing pleasure by Courtney Shepherd (click here for full article)

Yep, that’s right folks, this is a blog devoted to the ladies. Now gentlemen don’t get your panties in a twist (see what I did there, still used a feminine laced analogy when addressing men, you know, because this is the ladies blog today), when I come across an article making fun of the trials and tribulations that exist for the in shape male, then I will make it the men’s blog for the day and post about it. Now that I’ve said that, I’m certain one of you out there has just accepted that passive aggressive challenge, and I hope to find a message in my inbox later today with such an article attached.

We spend an hour a day (may be more) in the gym working on our snatch, deadlift, back squat, pull-ups, etc. We go home and make our best efforts to practice good nutritional habits. We do this because we have begun to appreciate how strong we can be and when we take care of it, all the amazing things our bodies can do. After all this time, effort, and work, at the end of the day we thought our biggest problem was that we couldn’t figure out how to fit in a WOD when we go on vacation. . . as it turns out, CrossFit has created bigger problems for us. 

1) Shopping is going to be your most dreaded task.

Try being in shape—having muscular legs, a booty, and a thick back. You will struggle to find anything thing that fits you right! Even clothes that are made for working out are going to leave you irate at times. When you have to go up 3 dress sizes because your back won’t fit into the size your waist and hips do, you know you have struck the jacked lottery!

2) People will ask to feel your muscles.

This one I still don’t understand but hey, maybe it’s like the equivalent of asking a pregnant lady to feel her belly? I can’t say for sure (I have never been pregnant) but I can’t tell you the number of times someone has asked if they can feel my biceps, or asked me to flex for them. I am not sure about everyone else, but this is always super awkward and you’re faced with a dilemma – either brushing it off with a giggle, or actually letting this random person touch you. It’s a dilemma of greatness!

3) Everyone is going to ask if you take steroids.

I have training partners who used to tell me “That just means you are good, and shattering others expectations.” Sure that’s cool to think about the first few times it happens, but then it’s old. Sometimes I just answer with, “Duh, didn’t you know every strong female who lifts and builds muscle is on juice? Remember, women can’t build muscle like men”…or something dumb like that. Plus, we have to downplay a shit ton of hard work and come up with other reasons women get muscles so we can feel better about ourselves. Take it as accomplishing a new level of greatness.

4) Having to wear “normal people” clothes is going to be a struggle.

Remember number 1, where shopping makes you want to pull your hair out? So will getting invited to events where you can’t just wear your sweats and be happy. This literally means any event that calls for anything fancier than your nicest yoga pants is going to cause you anxiety. I have to base my acceptance of invitations based on whether or not I will stand in agony for hours staring in my closet trying to find something that’s acceptable for those normal people events.

5) You are going to check squat depth any time you bend down.

I am not making this up; sooner or later you are going to be practicing your squat form every time you drop something, or sit on the toilet. It’s like a rite of passage or something. You might practice your deadlift lockout more times outside of the gym than on actual deadlift day. I mean why not?! Why waste that opportunity to improve upon that sought after awesomeness! I think every time I bend/lean over I think about my deadlift form!

6) You will have bruises all over that people are going to ask about.

This is one of my favorites about being a lifter! I mean, besides being strong and all that stuff… that’s kind of cool too, but I enjoy when others ask about my weird bruises. Those who understand them make me even happier! It’s like a badge of honor you wear and think is totally normal, while others will question your safety. Either way—you get a great laugh and great facial expressions explaining them.

7) Your shoe collection will change.

You will no longer own a bazillion pairs of those cute high-heeled pumps (well maybe you will) but you will soon start to see the beauty in sneakers, weightlifting shoes, cross trainers—anything that you can wear to the gym! Your bag may be filled with 3-4 pairs at any given time as well. People will notice and comment on this.

8) You will avoid things that could mess up your training.

This can be in any situation—going out all night drinking, your diet choices, and your choices in friends. Anything. When you are someone who loves the gym and you’re dedicated to lifting weights and living that lifestyle, you will make choices that support that. 

9) You can carry your groceries all by yourself.

Yah, having help is great and always appreciated but having the physical means to do so will reassure yourself of your strength and capabilities. Plus, don’t act like it’s not a race or competition to see if you can carry all the bags in with one trip! You know you have all done it.

10) You will miss lifting when you are unable to do so.

I have come to appreciate missing the gym. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, or something, right?! But in all honestly, I believe this is a sign you are truly a lifter, and truly committed to this stuff! This is something most will not understand, but those who partake in the strength journey and love training will totally know this feeling!

Well may be this list is slightly more universal than it’s title eludes to, I’m sure you men have experienced a few of these problems for yourselves. . . but I’m still waiting for that article in my inbox. 

Don’t forget to come by Verve this Saturday from 2:30pm-4:30 for our Paleo Pop-up!!

For time:
10-8-6-4-2
Power snatch, 135#(95#)
Muscle-ups
Toes to bar

Post times to comments and BTWB

Do Wednesdays have special powers? 

Maybe. It’s universal hump day. It’s gives us an internal feeling that we are almost to the end, it’s all down hill to Friday. And I don’t know about you but that makes me feel special. What else is up with Wednesdays? Well, if any of you come to open gym on Wednesday nights, following regionals, you may have noticed a group of people working out together. This group starts their workout at 7pm and goes to the end of open gym. Who are these people and why are they doing this? Prior to the 2015 open, in the same fashion as the year before, Eric and I made the decision to use the 5 open workouts and the 5 Tuesday regional team qualifier workouts to find the 4 men and 4 women that would make up the Verve regional team. As an added change, we also decided after regionals this team would continue to train together in preparation for 2016. This is the group of people working out on Wednesday nights. Why? To build team camaraderie. Over the last few years, I think we can all agree, the team division at regionals has become more competitive. For the first time ever in Verve history, we wanted to try out the idea of having a team train together all year long, to see the benefits that can come from a group of people truly knowing each others strengths and weaknesses. To let a team fail together and build each other back up, to succeed together and be each other’s support.

Along with that we also recognize that a lot can happen in a year, people can be injured, a job can force a move, etc. The team asked the next man and woman on the list from the open to train together as well. No special invite, just simply asking the next person in line to be a training buddy. What is our programming? It’s no secret. We are doing Hotdogs and Cupcakes, the same thing written on the whiteboard at Verve. Because Verve was still in the middle of an Olympic lifting cycle following regionals, the team just got started a little early and is about 3 weeks ahead. What do we do on Wednesday nights? We do HD&CC followed by a workout that has usually been written/ programmed about 2 hours before it’s done, it’s just simply that we get to do it together. It’s 2 hours of team building. I wrote a blog post just before this round of Hotdogs and Cupcakes started, a blog to interested competitors. I discussed meso/ macro/ micro cycles and an ideal training template for this current strength cycle. The team follows that same training template. With the exception of Wednesday nights, we are simply at Verve on our own time, following the strength program, and joining some WODs.

I’ve had a few questions come up over the last few weeks about this Wednesday night training, hopefully this has helped answer them. If not, if there are additional questions out there, please leave them in the comments section or feel free to email me, courtney@crossfitverve.com.

Now go out there and have one heck of a hump day. (I know how that sounds, I’m okay with it)

*Verve is hosting a Paleo Pop-up this Saturday from 2:30pm-4:30pm. Open to anyone and everyone, come check it out!!

3 Rounds:
As many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:
1 Rope climb
10 Toes to bar
10 Box jumps, 24″(20″)
Rest 2 minutes

Post scores to comments and BTWB

What is going on in the world of Verve? 

*This weekend Verve is hosting a seminar. There will be a 6:30am class on Saturday morning and Sunday morning. Verve will then be closed for the remainder of the day. Get up early, get signed up on MBO, crush some weights, and grab mimosas. That’s how I’d do it. 

*To continue with Verve’s Summer Nutrition Series we will be hosting a Paleo Pop-up next Saturday, July 18th from 2:30pm-4:30pm. It is an expo of Denver-area Paleo friendly businesses, chefs, products, and ancestral health-minded service providers committed to building a healthier, stronger, and more connected community. These people live and work in the Denver Metro area and want to introduce you to their products and services. It will be followed by a nutrition lecture from Clara Wisner and Maddie Berky. This is open to the public, bring friends and family. Click here for more details and a list of vendors.

*Teton Waters meat truck will also be at Verve again on Saturday July 18th from 11am-2pm. 

*Verve is hosting several CrossFit seminars this summer:

–CrossFit Weightlifting Trainer Course August 29th-30th
-CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course September 5th-6th

Each of these seminars provides an opportunity to expand your CrossFit knowledge. Ever wondered how to work a weakness, how to improve your olympic lifts, what is the science behind CrossFit? These questions and more can be answered through these amazing 2 day courses. Click on our “Events” page to learn more about each and get signed up.

*The O2X Summit Challenge will be August 15th at Winter Park Resort. All the Verve trainers are doing it, which means so should you. You can sign up at the front desk at Verve.

*Front Range CrossFit is hosting the first annual Do More Charity Challenge October 3rd-4th. It’s a 6 person team competition. We already have a few people interested, Verve will put $600 towards registering a team, make your intentions known in the comments section so others can join you or email me so we can put together a team, courtney@crossfitverve.com. Click here for more info and rules.

“Amanda”
9-7-5 reps for time of:
Muscle-ups
Squat snatch, 135#(95#)

Post time to comments or BTW

GETTING THE MOST BANG FOR OUR BUCK FROM THE TIME WE HAVE – Anna Mattson

While drinking my morning coffee and surfing social media one morning, an interesting blurb came on the tv that asked “What would you do if you had 30 days to live?”.  What proceeded was a pretty thought provoking discussion about a shift in mindset and values that I thought was eye opening!!!  I would like to share with you some bullet points that may guide you to great life fulfillment (no pressure).  You can view the full article here

30 Days to Live: How will it change you?

Imagine you were told you have 30 days to live.  How would this change you?  Would you begin to live life differently?  Would your overall perspective change?  Assuming you wouldn’t resign living and become depressed, this news could have a positive and profound influence on how you view the time you have left.

The idea of living like you’re dying can be an eye opening consideration. It would influence who you spend time with, what you spend time doing, and what you view to be truly important. It would provide a chance to see the crystal clear truth about what your life is all about.

….Below are few perspective changes that can come from living like your dying.

Write down 5 changes you would make if you only had one month to live

What are the things you would do differently knowing your life is cut short. Maybe you would spend more time with friends and loved ones. You might want to travel or experience places and events that before seemed too scary. You may even finally get the courage to quit your day job that causes you so much unhappiness.  It can be freeing to consider the impermanence of life, and it can help in discovering your true priorities. 
So, what’s on your list? Is it all those important values and experiences that tend to be taken for granted, that you feel you don’t have time for and are too unrealistic?
These neglected areas may be the most important things. Being focused on the future prevents us from doing what is truly valuable now. To live without regrets, you must decide what your real priorities and values are.

Uncover your Frozen Dreams

What are your dreams that got covered up from a lifestyle of security and safety? Think about the gifts and dreams you have always held inside but never released because they weren’t practical enough.  These frozen dreams are your calling, and have always been there, but some rationalization prevented you from pursuing them.
If you knew you had one month to live, you would probably follow your passions and step out of your comfort zone.  You would have nothing to lose and could finally take the risks that before seemed like such a big leap. What would be the worst that could happen? Maybe you would fail, but at least you would’ve tried while you still had the chance.

Embrace Forgiveness and Gratitude

Knowing that you have 30 days to live might give you humility and courage to finally forgive yourself and others for all the past digressions. It could provide the means to start seeing the positive in many everyday occurrences as well.
Letting go of grudges and embracing forgiveness might be one of healthiest decisions a person can make. In general, the only person hurt and impacted by holding onto bitterness and resentment is you. The person you’re resentful towards in probably on a beach somewhere totally unaware of how you feel. Embrace forgiveness for your own well-being. Once you accept that your time here is limited, it becomes much easier to look at the glass half full and realize how lucky you are to simply have a chance to experience life.

If you had one month to live would you start to forgive and be more grateful for the little things life has to offer? Can you start now?

Live one Day at a time

Many people rush around feeling confined by their routine and deadlines. If you knew you didn’t have many years ahead of you, your perspective on time would really change. You might start to cherish each moment and develop patience and serenity.  You could embrace the present, and appreciate the small joys that each day offers. It wouldn’t be worth it to feel rushed and overwhelmed.  This can be tough to do when the future seems so broad, but when it comes down to it; you never know when your time will come. We look toward the future in anticipation of achieving our aspirations for success, and forget to enjoy the little things in life.

It’s time to stop rushing through life. Just because many experiences don’t directly help you to reach your goals, doesn’t mean they’re impeding your progress. It’s an important part of the journey to where you’re supposed to be. Appreciate each moment for what it offers and teaches you.

Life’s too short

Having any sort of loss in life can make you contemplate your own mortality, and realize that you could be gone any moment. We really don’t know what might happen. This can be scary and may sound a little morose, but it can also be freeing and eye-opening. It can provide a perspective for how we really want to live.

Do you want your last memories to be fraught with anger, resentment, and discontent, or do you want to experience each moment with an appreciative and compassionate outlook?

Life’s too short to live without purpose and meaning. If you have dreams to pursue, relationships to mend, and experiences to fulfill, why not go for it?

You won’t always have the chance.

VERVE UPDATES

– The gym will be closed for the CrossFit Football seminar BUT we will being having a class both Saturday and Sunday at 6:30am.  Come on in and start your weekend days out right then go outside and enjoy your fitness!!!

-Next Saturday will be the awesome PALEO POP-UP open to EVERYONE (members and non-members alike) from 2:30pm – 4;30pm PLUS the Teton Waters Meat truck will be here selling delicious grass-fed beef for a killer deal.

In 20 minutes establish a heavy complex of:
1 Squat clean + 2 front squats

Then, 3 rounds for quality:
1 Power clean + 1 hang power clean + 15m walking lunge with weight in front rack @ 70% of heaviest complex

Post loads to comments and BTWB

If you have been checking the blog posts lately, it would appear Verve is harvesting it’s future Regionals team of 2035. So many babies. . . 

Speaking of competitions (that’s what I call a smooth segue), Front Range CrossFit is hosting the first annual Do More Charity Challenge the weekend of October 3rd-4th. This challenge is a 6 member team competition with a charitable component. We have heard a few people express interest but nothing concrete. Verve will plan on sponsoring a team and cover the $600 entry fee. . . so who’s in?

Here’s a little more information for you folks so you know how to pick a team:

• The team needs to consist of 6 people (3 men, 3 women) with a combined age of AT LEAST 225 years. That is an average age of 37.5 years. 

• Each team will need to have: a) At least 1 male and 1 female that can do all the movements that showed up in the 2015 Open’s RX division. This includes muscle-ups, HSPUs, chest to bar pull-ups, etc. b) At least 1 male and 1 female that can perform most CrossFit movements/ basic gymnastics, i.e. chin over the bar pull-ups. A good idea would be an athlete that can do most WODs RX. c) 1 male and 1 female that can row, burpee, jump, deadlift, and carry objects. Simply put, the team does not need to be made up of all the best CrossFit athletes you know.

• The team can have your best friend, who doesn’t do CrossFit but is a triathlete, on it. The team can have your wife, who is not a member of Verve but regularly runs 5ks, on it. Your power lifting friend, the former collegiate rower, you name it. You can pull your teammates from anywhere you wish, this is a competition where the best CrossFit athlete may not actually be the make it or break it member of your team.

Here’s some info about the workouts:

• There will be 8 scored events with 7 of those events being workouts over the weekend. The 8th event is actually how much money your team raised for your charity. Of the 7 workouts there will be 3 x 2 person events, 2 x 4 person events, and 2 x 6 person events. Everyone on the team will compete in 4-5 events over the weekend. In the 6 person events, they have been designed so that everyone, no matter the skill level, will have to do work. . . and not just a few reps either, a lot of work.

Here’s some info on what charity to pick:

• Each team gets to pick a charity they want to compete on behalf of. That’s it. So, for example, your team chooses to compete on behalf of The Denver Dumb Friend’s League. Prior to the actual event, your team will be working to raise money, all of which (no matter how you place in the competition) will go to DDFL. How much money you raise is a scored event, so if you raise the most money, that’s a first place score before you even broke a sweat. At the completion of the event, 1st through 10th place finishing teams will be awarded prize money that goes directly to their charity. The opportunity to raise a good chunk of money for something you believe very strongly in exists. Charities need to be registered at coloradogives.org.

How to get registered:

• You can go to frontrangecrossfit.com (click here), to register your team and your charity. Team registration costs are $600. 

If you are interested in participating but are not sure where to begin with finding a whole team, please email me, courtney@crossfitverve.com, I can help get all interested parties together and do some age math. If you like the idea of competing but perhaps have been nervous about how well you might do, this is a great event to get signed up with friends and know that everyone can and will be able to participate. 

*Verve is hosting a seminar this weekend. There will be a 6:30am WOD on Saturday and Sunday morning. Please sign up on MBO. Verve will be closed for the remainder of the day. 

5 Rounds for time of:
Calorie row, 20(15)
50 Double unders
15 Burpees

Post times to comments and BTWB

All things Paleo coming at ya!!!

Verve’s 2nd event in it’s Summer Nutrition Series is a Paleo Pop-up @ Verve on Saturday July 18th from 2:30pm-4:30pm. What in the world is a Paleo Pop-up you ask? It is an expo of Denver-area Paleo friendly businesses, chefs, products, and ancestral health-minded service providers committed to building a healthier, stronger, and more connected community. These people live and work in the Denver Metro area and want to introduce you to their products and services. These vendors include:

• White Buffalo Kitchen
• Colorado Cider Company
• Haiku Foods
• Cynthia Farris, fermentationist
• Mmmm…Coffee
• Paleo Dave, personal chef and cooking teacher
• Lindsey Taleff, personal chef
• Cappellos
• Clara Wisner, rEvolutionary Lifestyle
• True Human Health
• And more. . . 

The Paleo Pop-up will start at 2:30pm and provide you with an hour of walking around, meeting vendors, and learning about their products/ services. Starting around 3:30pm we will have Verve’s own Maddie Berky and Clara Wisner tag team a nutrition lecture titled “Understanding Your Workout and How to Eat for Workout Recovery”. Together they will discuss what exercise does biochemically in your body and the stress response, along with what specific nutrients can help with recovery and how to get them from food. 

If you have ever wanted to understand more about the Paleo diet, how what you eat effects more than just your weight, and how we can use food as a way to recover from our grueling workouts, this is a 2 hour event made just for you. There will be plenty of samples provided as well, so you can get a taste of how good eating clean can really be. 

This event is open to the public, bring your friends and family, there is no cost. As an added bonus we will also have Teton Waters Meat Truck out front of Verve from 11am-2pm. You can load up on all the grass fed beef you want before you get some great ideas on what you can do with it. We are beyond excited to have all these wonderful people hanging out at Verve ready to share their knowledge with you, all you have to do is stop on by and take a listen. 

For time:
50 Ab-mat sit-ups
25 Deadlifts, 275#(185#)
50 Ab-mat sit-ups
25 Deadlifts, 275#(185#)
50 Ab-mat sit-ups

Post times to comments and BTWB

Happy 4th Of July weekend!!

*We hope you guys/ gals enjoyed the nutrition talk last weekend. To continue with Verve’s Summer Nutrition Series we will be hosting a Paleo Pop-up in the month of July. It will be an opportunity to meet Restaurant owners, chefs, cookbook writers, and more who all specialize in providing you will delicious paleo foods. We will cap off the event with another nutrition talk. Stay tuned for more details.

*Verve is hosting several CrossFit seminars this summer:

-CrossFit Football Trainer Course July 11th-12th
-CrossFit Weightlifting Trainer Course August 29th-30th
-CrossFit Level 1 Certificate Course September 5th-6th

Each of these seminars provides an opportunity to expand your CrossFit knowledge. Ever wondered how to work a weakness, how to improve your olympic lifts, what is the science behind CrossFit? These questions and more can be answered through these amazing 2 day courses. Click on our “Events” page to learn more about each and get signed up.

*The O2X Summit Challenge will be August 15th at Winter Park Resort. All the Verve trainers are doing it, which means so should you. You can sign up at the front desk at Verve.

*Front Range CrossFit is hosting the first annual Do More Charity Challenge October 3rd-4th. It’s a 6 person team competition. We already have a few people interested, Verve will put $600 towards registering a team, make your intentions known in the comments section so others can join you. Click here for more info and rules.

Back squat
3-3-3-3-3

Then, as many back squats as possible in 5 minutes @ 65% of 3 RM. Bar must stay on back for full 5 minutes.

Post loads to comments and BTWB

*This Friday we have an abbreviated schedule in observance of 4th of July. Please see MBO. The 1:30pm open gym will be ending at 3pm. Verve will be closing at 3pm for the rest of the day.

*Next weekend (July 11th-12th) Verve will have a 7am class only and be closed the rest of the day for a seminar.

Squat Technique By Louie Simmons

Lifters must learn proper squat technique before anything else. The importance of proper technique should be stressed in each and every workout. But what is proper squat technique?

Let’s start with the feet and work up. The feet or stance should be as wide as possible as long as you can break parallel. This means the feet should be as straight as possible. Larger men and women will have to point their feet out to the sides to some degree to allow them to reach proper depth. You should wear Chuck Taylor’s so you can push your feet apart, not down. Pushing the feet apart properly engages the powerful hip muscles. It also allows you to reach depth more easily by shortening the squat stroke. Next, push the knees out to the sides. This forces the hip muscles to engage more powerfully.

The first movement on the descent is to push the hips and glutes backward. Never bend the knees. The shins must remain vertical at all times. By pushing the glutes backward, you are now descending. The stomach must be full of air and pushed in front and out to the sides where the oblique muscles are located. The spinal erectors must be tight and arched. The chest must be full of air with the upper back tight and the shoulder blades pulled together. The chin should be raised because this will tighten up the lats and the traps, which is where the bar rests. As you lower into a squat, your eyes should be fixed on something. This will allow you to raise your head slightly on the descent.

To recover from parallel, keep the eyes fixed on the same point as before. To rise from the squat, first push your back into the bar. Remember, this is what we are trying to lift, so push against the bar, not the floor. If you push against the floor, you will tip backward. Then push your knees apart and arch the spinal erectors as much as possible. You have now recovered from the squat for a three light success.

The above passage is Louie’s description of the powerlifting squat performed at Westside Barbell, and can be found in his book, Westside Barbell Book Of Squat and Deadlift.

21-15-9 Reps for time of:
Power snatch, 115(75#)
Supine ring row
Ring dips

Post times to comments and BTWB

*This Friday we have an abbreviated schedule in observance of 4th of July. Please see MBO. The 1:30pm open gym will be ending at 3pm. Verve will be closing at 3pm for the rest of the day.

*Next weekend (July 11th-12th) Verve will have a 7am class only and be closed the rest of the day for a seminar.

Proper etiquette isn’t just about balancing a book on your head By Courtney Shepherd and the good people of Boxlife Magazine

We have all experienced our parent’s best efforts to ingrain proper etiquette into our everyday behavior our entire lives. Say please and thank you. When you meet someone, use a firm handshake. Ladies cross your ankles when you sit. Men pull out the ladies chair for her. Etc, etc. etc. Proper etiquette doesn’t just exist in our life outside the gym, turns out there is an etiquette that exists inside the CrossFit gym as well. Verve has it’s fair share of visitors, Verve also has it’s fair share of athletes that travel regularly for their job, softening stopping off at gyms for WOD while out of town. Wouldn’t it be nice to know some basic, universal etiquette to help you out, no matter if you are in your home gym or abroad? Boxlife magazine has made a list of “13 CrossFit Gym Etiquette Rules You Need To Know” (click here for full article). I warn you now, as I prepare to list them out, some of them have a blunt tone to them. There is no need to take offense or concern that this list was created or being shared to make anyone feel bad. I would instead look at it as a healthy reminder that we are all sharing the same space, equipment, and time together, continuing to be respectful of all these things is a part of what keeps us coming back and having fun.

Rule 1: Put. Your. Stuff. Away.
It can be hard to look and see plates left out or a stray band tied round a pull-up bar after class. Following your workout, please put your gear away. If you want to take it a step further, help your fellow athletes clean up too. Many hands make light work.

Rule 2: Don’t drop the barbell when you’re stripping the plates. Or ever.
When you are cleaning up, save your coach from a brain aneurysm and strip down your barbell properly. This means you should lift the barbell and slide the plates off of it, then place it back on the floor—don’t just let it crash to the ground. In general please do not drop an empty barbell. Please take the extra second to return them to the ground gently.

Rule 3: If you’ve sweated on the equipment, bled on the equipment or cried on the equipment, wipe it down.
Aside from being on obvious point of hygiene, it really isn’t a pleasant sensation to grab a wall ball that’s drenched in the previous user’s sweat. Grab a paper towel and/ or Clorox wipe (they are located through the gym), and take the 30 seconds to wipe down your equipment. Even if you tore during a pull-up workout but “didn’t bleed”, trust us, it’s still icky. Let’s keep Verve a “bodily fluids sharing free zone”.

Rule 4: Don’t steal other people’s equipment. Or be quick to move something out of your way.
When you’re setting up for a chipper (or any WOD that requires numerous pieces of equipment), you try to set up your area with the gear in such a way to make everything easily accessible as you switch from movement to movement. And this can even extend to the pull-up bar—especially if you need to attach a band. So if it gets taken and/ or moved in the middle of a WOD, you have every right to feel upset. It’s a CrossFit faux paux that should NEVER, EVER happen. Try to be aware of the people around you and where equipment may have come from. If you didn’t bring it over, it’s probably not yours. And if it’s there, it may be in use, check before you relocate it.

Rule 5: Don’t be late.
Maybe a minute or two is ok for some boxes, but I know there are some gyms that have burpee penalties for a late arrival, and others that simply turn an athlete away if they turn up 5 minutes after class has started. Unless it’s open gym, you can’t turn up whenever you please. This is a matter of respect not just for the trainer but your fellow class mates. Time can be wasted having to re-review instructions. It’s also a matter of safety, the risk of injury is greater without a proper warm-up. Life happens, we know, and sometimes tardiness can not be avoided but for the reasons listed above, we can’t be shocked if we are so late we are asked to wait for the next class. We must do our best to be on time. By the way, no one is too cool for warm-up.

Rule 6: Check in/Sign up for class.
This applies both to drop-ins and regular box attendees. Classes can get full, especially during very specific hours of the day. There have been times where there have been so many people in class that a WOD had to been altered because there wasn’t enough equipment/space to go around. There are class caps for a reason. At Verve we have always tried our best to accommodate, however doing so was much easier when we at least knew we were expecting a ton of people. Please, sign up for classes, it is the best way for a trainer/ gym to adequately prepare. 

Rule 7: Pay attention when the coach is giving instruction.
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing CrossFit for 1 month or 5 years, it’s disrespectful to have your own private conversation or do your own thing when the coach is trying to give instruction to the class. You may know how to perform each movement off the top of your head, but not everyone does, so just be patient and quiet and let everyone get the full benefits of the coaches’ knowledge. Besides, you might learn something new about the lift that you would have otherwise missed.

Rule 8: Don’t have a conversation with someone in the middle of a workout.
Attempt to be respectful of people’s time and their desire to get a workout in for the day. If someone is sweating it out, lifting some weights, or taking a breather during a designated rest period in a workout. . . let them keep on keeping on, catch up with them when they are done.

Rule 9: If you ask to borrow an athlete’s gear—give it back when you’re done.
Have you ever had someone ask if they can borrow your roll of tape, only to find that they keep passing it off to every single person who suddenly needs to wrap themselves up like a mummy? If you borrow some gear, give it back when YOU are done with it—not the entire class. Borrowing a jump rope, knee sleeves, wrist wraps, return them promptly, be careful not to remove them post WOD and leave them behind for a trainer to pick up at the end of the day. Borrowing a sock for rope climbs. . . wash it and return it, promptly.

Rule 10: Don’t move the chalk bucket mid-WOD.
I believe that chalk, much like PEDs, are essentially to an athlete’s success in a workout. The buckets containing this white gold are usually tactically placed so as to be easily accessible to as many people as possible in the midst of a WOD. Please do not move it to your area, so it’s closest to just you. Please do not take the only actual block in the bucket out and set it next to your pull-up station. The chalk is there for everyone, no one needs to go hunting for it in the middle of a workout.

Rule 11: Respect an athlete’s space.
This is crucial for safety purposes, as well as the focus of the athlete. If someone is preparing for a major lift, don’t walk behind them, in front of them, or anywhere close to them. If they need to bail, the last thing a coach wants to see happen is the bar strike an athlete standing too close, or worse yet have an athlete fall back on to someone else’s equipment.

Rule 12: NO ghost riding. 
Ghost riding refers to the phenomenon of dropping barbells, kettlebells and all manner of equipment from overhead, regardless of the situation or weight. This is important because dumbbells, kettlebells and barbells with thin plates can bounce when dropped from overhead and ricochet into yourself and other athletes. While it is very satisfying to hear the crash of the weights against the floor, try to reserve the sensation for the strictly heavy lifts. No need to be dramatic and throw barbells around. We can all manage some control to bring a bar down to the ground directly in front of us.

Rule 13: Introduce yourself to newcomers.
Hopefully your coach will take the initiative and announce a drop-in or a new member when you turn up for class. But you should view it as your duty as a member of your box to make sure that the new athlete feels welcome in a new environment—especially if it’s their first taste of CrossFit. We are a community, we support each other, cheer for each other, push each other, encourage each other, a tradition that should be upheld for the newbie and the OG.