March Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

Mandy Brezina • March 10, 2024

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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.

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By Mandy Brezina • November 16, 2024

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November Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • November 1, 2024

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October Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • November 1, 2024

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Thinking of the Hofstetter family - thank you, Kyle for the beautiful photos.

September Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • September 6, 2024

September events, athletes of the month, what to expect in crossfit group classes.

August Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • August 22, 2024

What to Expect in August July was a jam-packed month, so before we start looking ahead at what’s to come, let’s first take a look back at everything we accomplished last month. We have to start off by highlighting the start of our third strength cycle, which is all about the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. We kept things simple, working on building percentages week to week with triples, doubles, and singles before testing a 1RM for both movements in August! We also changed from Phase II, which was focused on longer GRIND workouts, to Phase III, which is going to be all about SPRINT workouts. We will still see a variety of workouts across the weeks, but the focus will be dropping the hammer 1-2 times per week. We saw a focus on the Pull-Up, chest-to-bar, and Bar Muscle-Up, along with tests of a new Benchmark workout/ Hero workout and a retest of the Filthy 50 from April. Looking at August, let’s first mention the three things that will carry over into this month. First, we will be finishing our Oly cycle with our heavy 1RM tests the week of 8/12. We also will be continuing with our Phase III SPRINT focus, which means we will see 1-2 faster workouts each week to build everyone’s anaerobic base. Lastly, we will still see 1-2 Flex Finishers per week to carry us through the second half of summer. Looking at some changes in the programming, we will have a greater emphasis on the Push-Up and the kipping handstand push-up. We focused on Strict HSPU in June, took a slight break in July, and now we are going to use that shoulder strength and add in some kipping! We will also test Nancy as our Benchmark for the month and retest Kelly from back in May. On top of those workouts to look forward to, we will also see an NCFIT Classic, Supersonic, and a new Hero workout for this month! Let’s keep our foot on the gas this month and keep training hard! Weekly August Workout Commitments (2x/ Week) Oly Strength Cycle (1x/ Week) Deadlift or Back Squat (1-2x/ Week) Sprint Workouts (1x/ Week) Workout of the Week or Benchmark/ Classic workout (1x/ Week) Push-Up/ Kipping Handstand Push-Up Capacity/ Focus (1-2x/ Week) FLEX-style Finishers

July Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • July 29, 2024

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June Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • June 16, 2024

What to Expect in June We are officially at the halfway point of 2024, which means the Mid-Year Challenge is right around the corner! Let’s first recap May to celebrate everything we accomplished! In the first week of May, we tested our 3RM Bench Press and Overhead/Front Squat, capping off our volume cycle with some great PRs and leading into a phase of general physical preparedness (GPP) lifting! We had a big bunch of named workouts that we tackled - our Mother’s Day partner Workout and a retest of The Chief! We saw Kelly as our Benchmark of the Month, so expect to see her again in three months! Leading up to Memorial Day, athletes had the opportunity to get some last prep work in with the Optional Murph Prep, which spanned four weeks and led right into Murph. Lastly, we really got comfortable with an uncomfortable amount of toes to bar (T2B) with our capacity focus showing up in workouts in various ways! As we shift into June, we have some exciting things on the horizon, so let’s see what’s in store! Let’s kick off this review with the main focus for the month…our Mid-Year Challenge! On Friday, June 14th, and the following two Fridays, we will complete an Open-style workout that is completely unique to the NCFIT programming! Weaved into the month, we will also see a retest of Fran and our Benchmark of the Month: Cali Bear! We will also see Barbara, another Hero Workout, and a Father’s Day workout! Our Toes to Bar volume from last month will shift gears, and we will see a greater focus on Strict/kipping Handstand Push Up(HSPU) practice/volume. The goal will be to build more reps of both Strict and Kipping HSPU into workouts, similar to how we did with T2B last month. This will be the last month of our Towing Capacity Cycle, so we will continue to see 2 Grind workouts each week to finish this phase of training off strong! Lastly, you will see at least one Oly complex per week to prep us for our Oly cycle that starts in July…this will run in tandem with a continued focus on GPP strength work. And finally, we’ll be adding in 1-2 FLEX bodybuilding finishers per week to keep the pump alive going into summer! Weekly Workout June Commitments 3 New Mid-Year Challenge Workouts (2x/ Week) Grind Workouts (1x/ Week) Workout of the Week or Benchmark/ Classic workout (1x/ Week) 1 Oly Complex (1x/ Week) Strict/ Kipping HSPU Capacity/ Focus (1-2x/ Week) FLEX-style Finishers

May Blue Crab CrossFit Newsletter

By Mandy Brezina • May 17, 2024

What to Expect in May We’re closing in on the halfway point of 2024, but before we talk about May, let’s review April and everything we worked on! First, we saw the beginning of our Volume/ Capacity cycle for the Overhead/Front Squat + Bench Press that carried through the month. Each week the reps got a little lower with the intent of increasing the weight.…we also got the opportunity to retest Death Row and see the engine improvement! The Strict Handstand Push-Up (HSPU) showed up a few times during the month, both as a skill session and in workouts…the goal was to develop strength/awareness while inverted, and even if this didn’t result in your first Strict HSPU, it still helped get some practice upside down! We saw a change in the conditioning focus, too…we are working on rowing capacity for the next few months, which means 2-3 GRIND workouts per week! Lastly, we saw the beginning of our four week extra credit Murph Prep, which will lead us up to Memorial Day and make sure everyone is ready to rock! Since we’re talking about Murph, let’s see what May has in store! The first full week of May is going to start on a high note as we test our 3x Rep Max for the Overhead/Front Squat & Bench Press! Once the strength cycle is done, we go back to General Physical Performance lifting, which will consist of barbell complexes and strength days, but there will not be a linear progression behind them. We will continue to get stronger by varying our strength movements! We have a special Cinco De Mayo workout, a great Mother’s Day Workout, our Benchmark workout: Kelly, and of course, we are tackling Murph on Memorial Day weekend! Throughout this month, we will see the gymnastics focus shift from Strict HSPU to building confidence/capacity in the Toes to Bar. This will take the form of skill sessions and higher volume TTB workouts, so prep those lats and midlines! We also will be prepping everyone for the Mid Year Mini Comp that will take place in the final 3 weeks of June! We will see some “Open Style” workouts to help us get ready for the 3-week event! We will still be focusing on longer GRIND workouts 2-3 times a week, so let’s get ready to keep building those engines through the month of May, especially with one of the best examples of an engine workout, Murph, right around the corner! May Weekly Workout Commitments Overhead/ Front Squat + Bench Press 3RM Test (2x/ Week) Grind Workouts (1x/ Week) Workout of the Week or Benchmark/ Classic workout (2x/ Week) Extra Credit Murph Prep (1x/ Week) Toes to Bar Capacity/ Focus