Iron Belle Special Guest: Aly RX STAR

Being my Best is Being Extraordinary beyond measure, stronger than my own strength, triumphant  over defeat
- RX STAR

August 27th will mark our 3rd annual Women's Only Challenge, The Iron Belle.  We are Excited to announce that we will have a guest appearance from the one and only Aly Wallier of RX STAR.  Aly is traveling all the way from sunny California for the event.  Our very own rockstar, Carey Kepler,  will be giving and exclusive Goal setting presentation, that you will not want to miss.  

Who is Aly?

Her Life Moto: "Motto in Life: Simplicity is Knowing, BEING, and Achieving, Smile as much as you can, laugh more often than not, and never forget to thank the people who helped you reach the stars you aimed for. I am what I am."- Aly

Habitat Home Build

As you know, we- the Crossfit Central staff and Community- have been involved in the Habitat For Humanity home build for the past few months. Maybe you heard about the fabulous Bake Sale we had last week or seen pictures of some of the coaches hammering or digging post holes.

This Saturday was my first time out to the House to work. I showed up and the task at hand was setting the posts for the fence. Carey was busy filling the holes with cement, along with a guy named Manny who I ended up working with pretty much the rest of the day and learned he is getting a Habitat house in the Fall!

Let me tell you that those few hours I spent out there were some of the hardest, sweatiest hours I've worked in a while. But it was also so completely rewarding for a number of reasons.
1. I got to meet new people. I love meeting new people, and you tend to learn a lot about people while mixing concrete!

2. I got to shoot the $#^t with Carey. I never get to see her, so it was nice to hang out (while mixing concrete) and see what she's been up to- apparently not much except training for some competition... :)

3. I got to see the pride in the future Homeowner's eyes as she sweated right along side of us with paint in her hair. I can't even imagine how excited she is to have a nice, safe, functioning home. 

As I drove home that afternoon, filthy (from you guessed it- mixing concrete!), sunburned, and tired- I was suddenly overcome with Gratitude. Gratitude for my Life, my Family, and the idea of Community. Austin is a very service-oriented community. You know- I Live Here, I Give Here? 

Digging- for Time!

I hope you will join me, along with the Crossfit Central coaches and staff, next weekend for the final Build Day. Come for an hour, come for the day. We need your help to finish this house. We also need help fundraising the remainder of the money needed to complete the house. Every dollar matters!

If you have any questions or would like to donate time and/or money, please email me at KatGrosshaupt@CrossfitCentral.com

I'll see you next weekend!

2011: Your Best Year Yet!

The New Year is right around the corner. Have you set yourself up for success?


There are still a few spots open in the Trojan Challenge and the Strength and Beauty Challenge- get on it!


Also be sure to check out the Women's World Tour at Crossfit Central on Feb. 5, 2011. This is a transformational event for women led by Carey Kepler, Jessica Sharratt, and Crystal Nelson. For more info, check it out here.


2011 is going to be an amazing year!!

Happy Birthday to Carey Kepler!

Happy Birthday today to Carey Kepler!

You are a joy and an inspiration to us all.

Thank you for believing in us and pushing us towards our Goals and Dreams.

Have a fabulous day!!

Meet Carey Kepler

Don't forget about the Crossfit Central Christmas Party tonight from 7-10pm at the Gym. Bring your family and your appetite- it's catered! (BYOB)

And don't drink too much so you can go to Carey's FREE Bootcamp at Lululemon on Saturday morning at 7am...

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. You see her every day, but do you really know

Carey Kepler

How were you introduced to Crossfit?

My brother, Jeremy, called me up one day and said "you've gotta check this out"- it was the infamous Nasty Girls video. I was instantly hooked.

Favorite WOD/lift:

Deadlift/Anything with running in it because I'm good at that. I really like Helen.

Favorite Zone/Paleo Meal:

Salmon cooked in olive oil with a little lemon pepper on top. Place it on top of a bed of spinach with a side of broccoli- yum!

Favorite cheat meal:

Chocolate chip cookies- more chocolate than cookie....and a good coffee

I have always wanted to live on the beach for a month

1 word people use to describe me: crazy (I think if you ask around, you'd also hear inspiring, insane, awesome, hardcore, um insane)

Outside of the gym I like to work in the garden and yard

Something nobody knows about me or would be surprised to know about me: You know what you need to know and when it's time to know more, you'll know ;)

Favorite place to eat in Austin:La Condesa

Song that gets me pumped up for a workout: MGMT "Electric Feel"

Proudest accomplishment:My 3rd place finish at the 2009 Crossfit Games and the birth of my two children.

Best advice anyone has ever given you: "Never Quit"

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Living on the Lake here in Austin, flying out on weekends to do speaking engagements

Anywhere you see the double Cs, you'll probably see Carey! She is the co-owner of Crossfit Central, heads up the Women's Only Program and co-heads the Crossfit Endurance Programs. Carey is also a Lululemon Ambassador, wife, and mother of two.

Carey, along with some of our other fabulous coaches were recently featured in an amazing photo spread and article entitled "Beauty in Strength" Follow the link to check it out!

To find out more about Carey, visit her blog.

Why Crossfit Women?

This is a question I've heard a few times over the months. "Why take a women's only class? What's the difference?" and "Is it easier?"

I wanted to address this from my own opinion as well as from snippets of conversation had over the past year.

I think a Women's Only class has a lot to do with personal preference and what you're looking for. People pass by Crossfit Central all the time and think, "What the hell are those people doing? The sun's not even up!" (Direct quote from my husband's boss). Even though we all know better, it looks slightly intimidating. For me, joining a Women's class was way less scary.

Now, don't get me wrong- Carey and Jen can be the scariest ladies on the planet at 5:45 am if you aren't working as hard as they think you should! Women's Only classes are definitely NOT easier. The environment in a Women's class is very supportive- especially when the other ladies in the class are yelling at you to push yourself then cheering you on as you finally get your chin over the bar for your first kipping pull-up. Maybe we are all collectively cheering because we were always told that girls don't do pull-ups- Nonetheless, it is refreshing to be in an environment that is non-catty, non-gossipy, and no B.S. that sometimes comes with groups of females.

I really look forward to seeing the ladies in my class each morning. We know each other's strengths and weaknesses, and I know I'll hear about it if I don't show up! But besides all that, I know that we are all going through this together. We're trying to make our way through this thing- Paleo challenges, sugar detox, falling off the wagon and getting back on again, PRs, Birthday Burpees, husbands, kids, boyfriends, girlfriends... It's a New Normal (sorry. had to use it again)

So if you are looking for something new or to change it up a bit, consider a Women's Only class.

Next up...I am Crossfit!

Upcoming Workout Opportunities for Working Off the Pie

It's Monday.... How did you do over this holiday weekend?! Did you have a Very Paleo Thanksgiving? Or did those marshmallow-covered sweet potatoes win you over? (Whose idea was that, anyway??)

No matter what you ate or didn't eat, it's a brand new week with sooooo many opportunities to work off that Pecan Pie.

This Saturday Dec.5 there will be a fundraising WOD to benefit Robert Feuille, friend and co-worker of a few of our Crossfit Central clients. He is about to undergo his 3rd round of chemo, so we are looking to raise at least $1000 to help out. Please read his story at the link above.

The workout will be on Saturday morning at 9am at Clarke Field near Jester on the UT campus. We are asking for a minimum donation of $25 to participate. Come out and join us!

Also, every Saturday in December (5th, 12th, and 19th), Carey will be heading up a FREE Bootcamp at Lululemon from 7-8am. Do you think Lulu opens at 8:01?!

And finally..... don't miss the Crossfit Women's Christmas Party this Friday night. This is open to anyone who is female... You don't have to be in a Women's Only class.... more details to come.

Whew!

Have a wonderful week and stay warm...

How it all got started...

This morning's CrossFit Women's workout was

Nasty Girls:

50 squats

7 muscle ups

10 hang clean

I've heard of this workout before and have seen the video. What is interesting is that this video is the reason a lot of people get started/hooked/addicted to CrossFit. This morning Carey told us a little story about her experience with seeing Nasty Girls for the first time.

See, Lance emailed Jeremy and told him to check out this video called Nasty Girls on Crossfit.com. Jeremy immediately called his sister (Carey) and told her about the video and the website.

Carey had heard of CrossFit but hadn't ever done it or really looked into it. Sitting at her computer, completely dumbfounded, she watched the video for 10 minutes. "It brought tears to my eyes and I immediately called Kris (husband) into the room and made him watch it. I said to myself 'I gotta try this.' "

Carey called Jeremy back and said "let's get certified!" She was 3 months pregnant at the time. And in Carey's words,

"We flew in to Colorado one month later to our Level 1 Cert.

3 days later we walked out and the double C's came to life."

It all starts with a vision.

Then it takes an action.

Momentum.

Success.

Women's Challenge Part 2

Back at CrossFit Central, Teams geared up for a pretty insane workout. It was:

50 Barbell Power Snatch (45#)

200 Box jumps

175 Ab Mat situps

100 Pullups

125 Duo Deadlifts (95#)

150 Jumping ring dips

100 Duo shoulder press (55#)

400m run

Whew!

Each team was responsible for loading their own bars, hanging their own rings and bands, and counting reps. 3-2-1-go....and it was on.

Most fun to watch: duo deadlift. When they got a rhythm going, it was really cool to watch.

Most seemingly painful: duo shoulder press. It just looked rough. Especially if the heights were really different.

Nice form, Nichole!

Duo Press Showouts

This Team was my favorite. Mom Merrilee and sisters Mary Kate and Caroline. They kick so much butt every single day and are the most humble ladies you'll ever meet. I hope I can get my mom to do a CrossFit challenge with me one day! Keep inspiring us ladies :)

And a huge congratulations to all the amazing ladies of CrossFit Central who took on this challenge. It was really fun. I can't wait to see what Carey has in store for us next!

Oh Mama!

Pregnancy and CrossFit. Some would say the two don't really go together- "you're doing what? with weights??!!!" Pregnancy will bring about more unsolicited advice than you can shake a stick at- eat this, don't eat that, wear this, use this cream, don't change the litterbox... (if only I was joking)

Exercise is one of those areas where there is a lot of mis-information as well as outdated information. I heard about this site called CrossFit Moms and found some much needed information that I wanted to share with you. I know most of you aren't pregnant, but if you know of someone who is or are thinking about becoming pregnant in the future, you want to definitely check this out!

Here is a blurb from the site:

CrossFit Mom is designed for pregnant women, post-partum women, and women who are thinking about becoming pregnant. We offer CrossFit workouts, scaled for all three trimesters and post-partum women. You can ask questions about scaling, substitutes for exercises or equipment, or something specific to your situation. Whether you already do CrossFit workouts, or want to start, we can help you on your fitness journey.

I like that it scales workouts by trimester as well as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. There is even a forum to chat with other pregnant CrossFit Mamas!

I would have loved to have this information when I was pregnant, so pass it on! Carey and I both have 2 kids, so if you have any questions about pregnancy and fitness, please give us a shout.

Goal Setting Workshop

The Goal Setting Workshop is coming up on Friday evening at 7pm. Maybe this is the first time you have ever sat down to set goals. Maybe you've set them before and then forgot about them a few days later. Wherever you are in the spectrum, this workshop is for you!

You hear it all the time: If you don't have an idea of what you want or where you are going, how will you plan to get there?

This workshop isn't just for fitness goals. It's for Life goals. Here are some things to think about over the next 2 days:

Where do you see yourself in 10 years/5 years/1 year?

Think about what you'd like to acheive in the following categories:

Health/Fitness

Career

Personal

Carey will lead us through a few exercises that will help solidify our goals/aspirations. Sometimes it just takes sitting down and working through it or even talking to someone about what you are aiming for. If you tell your friend/mom/coach that you will be doing kipping pullups by Jan.1, you've just enlisted someone to keep you accountable!

So on Friday, bring a notebook or journal. In fact, go out and get a nice one that you will enjoy writing in. For me, it helps to write a few weekly goals or list ideas for future goals. I also write the names of books I want to read on the back page!

If you have any questions, please post to comments or you can email me at KatGrosshaupt@CrossFitCentral.com

See you on Friday!

The Women's Challenge is Here!

What a great UTB! Thanks to everyone who came out and made The Movement a great event.

The Women's Challenge is here! If you went to the CrossFit Central site today, you saw a teaser about what it's all about.  This is a team workout, so get your group of 3 together and get signed up. If you don't have a group but still want to participate, we can get you hooked up with a team.

This challenge is all about accountability. You will keep each other accountable with food logs, workouts, and morale!  More details to come, but Carey told us on Saturday that the workout on Sep.12 will consist of a trail run then a workout at the gym.

There will also be a workshop on Saturday August 29 (more details to come).

Next week will be a Nutrition meeting at 7pm on Tuesday evening.  The coaches have been working hard to re-vamp these meetings, so this will be a totally new format.  Just in time for the challenge!

Back to Basics

If you've been involved with CrossFit for a while, you probably have read the classic CFJournal article "What is Fitness?" Or maybe you haven't...

If you've ever had to answer that question "What exactly is CrossFit?", read this article.

If you've ever heard "I can't do that. It looks too hard." read this article.

If you just need a little kick in the pants to remind yourself why you get up so early in the morning, read this article.

Here's something else that you should read- purely for the humor: It's the Wikipedia definition of CrossFit.

The best line: 'CrossFit has been criticized for its perceived "cult-like" mentality'

Mmmm... Kool-Aid...

CrossFit Endurance with Carey

Carey Kepler will be hosting a series of CrossFit Endurance sessions for the next 3 Tuesdays.

Come learn drills and skills as well as work on your form and technique.

No experience necessary- all levels welcome!

Tuesdays 7/14, 7/21, and 7/28

7-8pm

@ the track across from CrossFit Central (Lamar Middle School)

For more info, contact Carey@CrossFitCentral.com

Hey, she may even throw in a sandbag workout if you're lucky!

See you there...

CrossFit Games 2009

Have you been glued to Twitter all weekend like me? I can't even imagine what it was like out there. I can't even imagine how tired they are!! 

Congrats to all our heroes from CrossFit Central. We are so proud of all of you! Here are the final numbers:

Carey Kepler: 3rd place

Crystal McReynolds: 9th place

Jeremy Thiel: 16th place

CFCentral Affiliate Team: 2nd place

We truly have some of the most amazing world-class athletes right here in Austin. Way to go!

Don't Forget...

(You'll have to forgive me. I love these Spartan Challenge pictures! I'm going to be posting them often. There's so much emotion in them...)

No classes for the rest of this week!  Not to worry, Carey has supplied us with a few WODs to get us through. Here is one for tomorrow:

For Time:

50 situps

50 super(wo)mans

50 squats

50 lunges

50 pushups

Also, get to work on your success/empowerment stories! They are due in to Nicole by this Friday July 10. Have a great week.

The Pre/Post Workout Balance

How can I maximize my workouts?

What should I eat before I workout?

What should I eat after I workout?

These are questions I have been wondering about for some time. I sought out (some may say stalked) Carey for some answers.  The following is taken from my conversation with her. Good stuff!

Pre-Workout:

This depends on when you workout. If you workout in the morning, you don't have time to get a lot of food in you before you roll out to your 6am class. Carey recommends something light that will stay down during your workout. (I like to have a few bites of banana with some peanut butter, but everyone is different.) Taking a supplement combo like Spark with some Catalyst provides your muscles with some food (Catalyst) along with some energy and mental focus (Spark).  She calls this a "George Jetson" meal- it's pretty close to rocket fuel!

If you are working out in the evening, eat 2 to 3 hours beforehand- 1 or 2 blocks of protein (7 or 14g) and fat (1.5 to 3g).

Post-Workout:

The most important thing here is to eat no more than 30 minutes post-workout. Eat more carbs here- at least one more than your usual serving for a meal. (so if you usually eat 2 blocks of carbs, eat 3 or 4) Eat this with little to no protein or fat. 

The science behind this is that by eating the carbs, your body recovers more quickly. If this delicate digestion balance is upset with adding fat and protein, your workouts could suffer in the following days! Eat some sweet potatoes, fruit, or other easily digested vegetables. 

Carey drinks a post-workout recovery shake since it is easy to mix and always on hand for that important 30 minute window. Then in the next hour she will eat her protein and fat. 

Voila! Everything you've ever wanted to know. I, for one, will definitely be trying this out. Let me know if you are doing it and how it is working for you.