March Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

This is a subtitle for your new post

What to Expect in March

February brought us some exciting training leading into the first week of the CrossFit Open. The first big win was testing a 1-RM Back Squat/ Deadlift POST workout.

The idea behind this was not only to make sure we can move heavy loads under fatigue but also to prepare us for the CF Open, where there is almost always a heavy lift post-workout!

We continued to see old CrossFit Open retest workouts along with testing out Benchmark for the month: The Chief! Leading into the first week of the Open we saw higher RPE workouts towards the beginning of the week that slowly tapered off into lower RPE workouts + a Thursday quality/ recovery day to make sure everyone was geared up for the Open workout on Friday!

Let’s see how we are going to finish the CrossFit Open strong in March and highlight any other training focuses.

The first two weeks of March are going to be similarly built to the final week of February. This is to make sure the CrossFit Open workout on Friday is the highlight of the week while also allowing everyone to still get a solid week of training in.

Post Open, we will have our Leading Ladies Week, which honors National Women’s Month with a week full of Classic Female Benchmarks and some new NCFIT Female Benchmarks we’ve created ourselves!

We will also be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with a themed workout that surely will have you leaving the gym feeling lucky.

We will be testing Fran as our Benchmark workout this month, and we will also see the Hero Workout Laura during Leading Ladies Week.

The final highlighted focus for the month is focusing on the Strict Pull-Up or Handstand Holding in skill/strength sessions which will show up once a week to continue building body awareness and gymnastic strength!

Weekly Workout March Commitments

(2x/ Week) RPE 9-10 Workouts

(2-3x/ Week) Focus on Couplets or Triplets

(1x/ Week) Workout of the Week or Benchmark/ Classic workout

(1x/ Week) Strict Pull-Up Strength or HS Hold Skill session

(1 Full Week) Leading Ladies Week (Classic Female Benchmarks/ NCFIT Female Workouts)

Committed Club Results

The Blue Crab CrossFit Committed Club is for members who attend 15+ classes at the gym each month.

Why do we have a Committed Club?

Unlike big box gyms who have a business model of pay for a membership but don’t encourage attending, Blue Crab CrossFit WANTS you to USE YOUR MEMBERSHIP! The more consistently you attend group classes, the better you feel and the more results you’ll see. Our mission is to help you live a stronger, healthier life and in order to do that, you must attend class 3+/week. Our committed club highlights members who made it to the gym 15+ times in a month.

Haven’t made the list? We’re just getting started! You have the year to make 200+ check ins or 11 of the 12 months on the list to get an entry into the Grand Prize!

March Athletes of the Month

Amy & Jeremy

Congratulations to our March Athlete of the Month, Amy and Jeremy!

Amy and Jeremy are long-time Blue Crab CrossFitters who have been with us since the beginning! They always show up with a great attitude and embrace the consistency of prioritizing the gym in their busy schedules! We’re excited to share their story with you!

Congratulations on a well-deserved nomination!

Tell us your story - where did you grow up and what kind of activities did you do growing up?

Amy - I grew up in western PA, north west of Pittsburgh. I played softball in elementary school and swam in HS.

Jeremy - I grew up in (and went to college in) Buckhannon, a small college town in WV. Most of my family still lives there so we go back to visit a few times a year. I tried multiple things growing up (karate, soccer, etc), but nothing really stuck until I started playing guitar early in high school. I still play to this day and love it.

Tell us how you were first introduced to CrossFit? How long have you been doing CrossFit - any thoughts/comments on how it’s changed or influenced your life?

Amy - I had moved to Columbia and was searching for a group workout option to meet people while getting my workout in. Luckily for me, Ben and Josh had just opened BCCF literally down the street from our place. I did my free trial class and was sure that I wanted to join. My foundations class in August 2014 included Lavin, Brandy, Megan, Angel, and Aunt Carol (I’m sorry if I’m missing anyone else)!

Jeremy - Amy introduced me to crossfit. She'd come home from class and discuss the workouts, to which I usually had no idea what she was talking about (hang power snatch??). Finally, one Saturday I came along and have been doing it pretty much ever since. It's the only workout routine I've ever stayed consistant with. It's also an incredible community. I've made so many great friends and shared some great moments with them (i.e., me, Amy, Mary, and Dave all at a Pearl Jam concert in Seattle)!!

What goals do you have within the next year - CrossFit and non-CrossFit?

Amy - consistency is my current CrossFit goal. I work from home now and so getting to the gym in the morning does me a world of good. I get to see my classmates and get some endorphins which work together to make me feel like a real person. Otherwise, I am working on building volume on my full pushups and toward kip swings that are big enough for TTB at the moment. I’m also working on getting my nutrition in line. I know what to do but consistency is the focus in this area too.

Jeremy - I had a dip towards the end of COVID where I fell out of the routine of coming to the gym, dropped out for a bit. My goal for this year is really to just get back to where I was before, and then beat those numbers, even if just slightly!

Talk to us about your life outside of the gym - hobbies, favorite meal, music, job etc. Any random facts you want us to know?

Amy - other than work, I spend a lot of time with our dog, Layla. She keeps me (mostly) honest about stopping work on time so that we can have our afternoon walk. Other activities include spending time outside (hiking, gardening, apparently, because it has to be done), cooking/baking, spending inordinate amounts of timing trying to schedule time to get together with friends (adult problems), trying to figure out what I activity I might find relaxing.

Jeremy - Most of life outside the gym is hanging out with our dog, Layla (...and yes, our three cats). Hikes, day trips somewhere close. We love traveling (and love the new restaurants, coffee shops, and breweries that accompany the travel). And then all things music. Playing guitar (I'm trying to pick up bass and piano a bit too), listening to music, and concerts!!. Definitely concerts. Coming from a small town, that's one thing I love about this area, any and every band you want to see plays within a 15 mile radius!.

Facts about you both: we will celebrate our 10th anniversary this month (we got married one year to the day before Megan and Angel) and we met on match.com ��. Also, Jeremy threatened to divorce me during his first 200m wall ball run in the parking lot of the original BCCF.

Do you have any advice for people getting started with CrossFit - what's helped you stay consistent and coming back day after day?

Amy - don’t look at the workout, just show up! You’ll survive and will be happier and healthier for it.

Jeremy - My advice is to just go. Some days I can't wait to leave work and hit the gym; some days maybe it takes a little more motivation to get there. Regardless, 100% of the time I go, I leave feeling better than when I arrived, both physically and mentally. It's those feelings and the community that keeps me coming back. When we came back in July last year, we popped in to a Saturday class and immediately felt back at home. It just felt right then and still does.