"We hate it, but we love it," says Val (aka "Siren" on NBC's American Gladiators) about Fight Gone Bad. She joined us for a WOD last week and almost everyone set a new PR. Honorable mention goes to Terry for being over age 50 and scoring 284 - higher than every other participant! Does anyone know what the best 50+ Fight Gone Bad score is in the country?

Due to increasing membership we will be open seven days / wk and weekday evenings. New hours begin this Sunday, August 17.
Our calendar: calendar.clevelandcrossfit.com

New Hours:
Every Monday - Friday morning:  6:00-9:00am
Every Monday - Friday evening: 5:00-8:00pm
Every Saturday & Sunday: 9:00-12:00 noon

Special thanks go to Carl, our newest CrossFit certified trainer, for making these hours possible!

During the month of August we are accepting applications for our first Physical Opportunity Scholarship. The recipient of this scholarship will receive 6 months of CrossFit training and nutritional guidance for free. The winners will be selected based on a number of factors such as personal desire for change, a strong work ethic, a high commitment level and the amount of physical change possible (generally those most out of shape will be most qualified).

There will be two scholarships awarded, one male and one female. The application process is as follows:
1) Write a 500 word essay on why you are seeking this scholarship and why you should be selected
2) List age, height, weight, and sex
3) List name, phone, and email address
4) email the document to aaron@clevelandcrossfit.com

The scholarship recipients will be announced Monday, September 8.

Clarification update: The scholarship is for not for existing members, it is only for non-members. So please tell your family, friends, and co-workers of the opportunity.

Joe has dropped his Fran time significantly in the last two months. His latest PR almost breaks 4 minutes.

For the month of July we are offering a free three-day basic training included with your first month membership fee. This will be three 60 minute training sessions focused on learning correct form for the basic movements used in CrossFit. Movements like deadlift, squat, press, thrusters, push-press, kettlebell swings, wall-ball, kipping pull-ups, jerks, cleans, & snatches will all be covered. Basic training is optional but encouraged depending your level of experience and familiarity with the movements. Evening and weekend hours are available for basic training -- please call to make an appointment.

CrossFit HQ changed up the 3-on 1-off schedule this weekend due to the CrossFit Games two-day event. This means that tomorrow is a rest day, and the new schedule is now one day off what we had previously planned. You can find the updated calendar here.

Here is Mike, one of our newer members, in the middle of round nine on today's workout. Mike has been putting forth admirable effort in intensity!

Any new female that joins in the month of June will receive a $20/mo discount for the first 12 months of their membership (no contract required) - putting membership at $60/mo. Right now our membership is 23% woman and we would like that number to be higher.

Nicole and Eva are two amazing CrossFit women I've had a chance to meet at some of my trainings. =>

Petranek Fitness in Los Angeles had a good write-up last week on the lead coaches in CrossFit.

"One of the best articles Coach wrote was on the idea of "virtuosity" - it's a short article, but motivating. Check it out: CF Journal - Virtuosity"

Monday we will be meeting at the gym at 12 noon. We will load up some equipment then head over to Edgewater Park for an outdoor workout and picnic. This is free and open to the public. Feel free to meet us at the gym or over at the park. There will be burgers for all workout participants!

And can you believe it, Memorial Day marks the one year anniversary of Cleveland CrossFit! We started in a park, just a few of us with little equipment and a lot of enthusiasm. Mary was the first to attend. =)

May is Firefighter Month at Cleveland CrossFit. Any firefighter that joins during the month of May will receive a 25% discount* each month on their first 12 months of membership, dropping $80/mo to only $60/mo. No contract is required.

"In firefighter competition around the country, it seems that whenever CrossFit-trained personnel enter, they end up at the top of the field. We might even say these CrossFit trained fire companies dominate the competition.

For those of us familiar with CrossFit and its results, this success is not terribly surprising. However, we have observed a phenomenon in these competitions that is curious indeed. In the parts of the competitions that require contestants to use oxygen tanks, CrossFit-trianed firefighters consumed less from their air bottles than other competitors. At first this seems odd -- winners using less air? The conventional understanding is that the more fit you are the more oxygen you can consume (i.e. the greater your VO2 max), the higher levels of exertion you can sustain, and the faster you can get the job done. But a well-developed motor pathway reduces the amount of work done by the body, thereby reducing oxygen consumption. ..." -- CrossFit Journal, March 2007

* This discount does not apply to cash or check payments - it only applies if monthly fees are paid via automatic PayPal subscription.

Everyone had a new PR on "Fight Gone Bad" this Saturday!