Since 2006 CrossFit Spokane has been serving the Spokane area.  Over the years we have grown despite all the ups and downs of owning and running a small business. Back then there was maybe 300 CrossFit gyms around the world; just to give you a reference, today there is almost 6000 CrossFit gyms (currently 5 in the Spokane area).  Trying to explain to people what we do and why it’s sssooooo much better than what they were doing was a challenge to say the least.  On a good day we would have 15 people come in to train with us now if there isn’t at least 15 people per training time we are like “Where is everyone”.

We had originally started out of our garage for a few months then moved to an 800 sqft facility.  From the start I was passionate about this business and would make it work despite being full time active duty Air Force with the goal and dream of having (in my mind) the perfect gym. Today we have an almost 6500 sqft facility with a full turf  area and enough space and equipment to run 2 full gyms, 3 restrooms and 2 shower areas in addition every training time we have a least 2 coaches to ensure the client is getting enough coaching and attention.  Everything we do is to bring the best possible service, experience and coaching to our clients.   We are not perfect yet, but each day we learn get better by reinvesting time, money and man hours back into the gym, so we can get closer to the “Perfect ” Gym.

I am blessed enough to have realized my passion and do what love.  This is not something that one day I woke up and said “You know what, I want to own a gym”.  I have been in this industry and working towards my dream gym/business for close to 20yrs. During this time I have had literally thousands of contact hours with actual people in various training environments.  Over the years I have learned from many coaches and trainers and to this day continue to learn in order to bring the best service possible to our clients.  Unfortunately no other background really prepares you to be a great coach and trainer other than experience. Unfortunately, there isn’t a 2 day affiliation or training certification that will trump that.

Because of the ease of opening a CrossFit Gym (2 day course and an essay) and the lack of continuity across the affiliates, if you visit 10 CrossFit gyms (or knock off gyms) you most likely have 10 different experiences, some good and some bad.  I like to say all have the best intentions, but some may not have the best practices. Your best bet is to visit and workout at each one in your area, ask a lot of questions and  see what their training philosophies are, how they deal with modifying movements and how they introduce the exercises and workouts.  We have some good CrossFit gyms in the area, Get out and find yours.

Mike

Owner

CrossFit Spokane

509-209-7217

cfspokane@gmail.com

I have been procrastinating on this post for quite sometime now but it just keeps tugging at my heart for some reason. I have seen and heard several people/clients/friends/family commenting on this subject. Because of the life I have lived and the trials I have faced, I just feel the need to touch on this a bit……

With summer around the corner it seems like once again people are surprised they will be wearing shorts again or putting on that dreaded bathing suit. Why, why do we wait until it’s time to look good again to start our fitness routine?? Living a healthy lifestyle is not a quick fix to look good.

We should be working out to live a healthier, happier life. It saddens me to hear people say that they are working out because they feel their butt is too big, their abs aren’t toned enough, they need to be skinny, or you fill in the blank with your external unhappiness. Being all those things will never truly bring you joy and make you feel good about yourself. For there will always be something external we aren’t happy with. We will constantly be chasing something that will never be fulfilled. Why do you think that cosmetic companies and plastic surgeons will never go out of business? Because once someone fixes one thing on the outside they find something else that needs fixing. All the while, we aren’t working on what is really hurting or missing on the inside that is making us unaccepting of what we were given. It will never make your husband/wife love you more, or society be more accepting of you. I believe and know that people love you because of who you are. The attitudes of our hearts is what draws people in and keeps them there. I would never want to hang with somebody or love somebody because they have a six pack or beautiful biceps!

I love those people who are confidant in who they are and love life! Sure we all want to look good but I think it is safe to say we would all rather be around someone who is full of life and love than someone who just has the outside “put together”.  We want to feel good about who we are, about what we can accomplish, about our relationships.  That will never be accomplished if we are constantly working on how the outside looks and never working on loving who we are.

Being healthy should be second nature. What is your motivation or focus when it comes to fitness and health? Our focus should be that we eat to fuel our bodies, we workout to preserve our bones and muscles, and we continue pursuing hobbies that involve our passions in life. That is what leading a healthy lifestyle is all about. Find out what you love, find an activity that makes you want to be better. The rest should fall into place.

In terms of training, if you are spending hours in the gym, you need to look at your routine and find out how smart you are really training.

Overtraining is something that is highly overlooked in the fitness world.  It doesn’t take hours and hours to get fit. As a matter of fact, if you are working out for more than an hour you are most likely tapping into some good muscle and breaking it down. . Your body might be seeing some nice results if you are training extremely hard, but when you start putting in too much time, not only will your body be set up for injuries but your mind will also start to feel it. Some signs (there are many more) of overtraining would be, irritability or a “roller coaster” of emotions, a feeling of constantly “not being good enough”, joint pain, and finding yourself weaker in your lifts. If those things are happening look at what you are doing and find out how to train smarter. If you aren’t sure; find a professional. (I know where some good ones are! Haha)   Remember that fitness should never control you and that it should fit into your life not become it. (unless you are a professional athlete)

On the other side if you aren’t pushing yourself as hard as you should be, you won’t see the definition, tone and results that you are hoping for.

Fitness should make you better at life and the things you love!

This is just a piece of what I would like to say. More to come……

Blessings and Love,

Angela

6th Annual “FENDER”

When I was first introduced to CrossFit, I found it to be the hardest workout that I’d ever done. It wiped the floor with me, and I fell in love with it immediately. The results that I have seen in my strength and physicality have been unparalleled to any other things I have ever done in my more than 20 years in the fitness business. I drank the CrossFit Kool-Aid.

I’ve been doing CrossFit for about 18 months now, and it all started because I was looking to try to bring something new onto my show for just one episode. There was a lot of talk about CrossFit, so I thought I’d give it a go. The rest was history. I walked into a box called Brick CrossFit in West Hollywood, and I got my ass handed to me. It was love at first burpee, and I’ve been hooked ever since, and now I incorporate this workout as my primary way to work out my contestants on The Biggest Loser. I believe in it that much.

Since I started CrossFit, I’ve read and heard about the critics talk about how unsafe it is, and my only response to that is any form of exercise can be unsafe if you don’t have the proper coaching, education and guidance. CrossFit is all about constantly-varied, high-intensity movements. And to do these movements, you have to have a certified coach to take you through this — or any type of physical activity.

I came from an endurance background of fitness that consisted of a lot of running, cycling and lighter resistance training. I created so much wear and tear on my body, not to mention that I was just getting bored with my workouts. I am 47 years old and am stronger than I have ever been with CrossFit. My metabolic conditioning is better, because I’m moving larger loads faster and for a shorter amount of time. There are some days that, with the exception of skill work in a session, my workouts can last only 10 minutes or less, and I love that.

I would tell anyone who is considering CrossFit as a workout option for them to make sure that the affiliate that they go to really has the knowledgeable coaches that are required to guide you through WODs (workout of the day) that consist of metabolic conditioning, gymnastics, Olympic lifting (my personal favorite) and power lifting. The CrossFit program is broad, general and inclusive, and most of all, the movements can be scaled down to any level of athlete. Just watch what I do with it on The Biggest Loser.

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CrossFit Open Athlete Banned

Im not sure if you have seen this, but this is a great example of why we we hold everyone in our gym to a high standard and a high level of movement quality.  If you practice and train perfect then you will do it perfect when it counts. After seeing this it got me thinking of what we do on a daily basis to prevent this at CrossFit Spokane.

As we train throughout the year our clients are expected to perform to a movement standard which is appropriate for the individual with the goal of getting better, wether it be their range of motion (ROM), technique, fitness, strength or just life outside the gym. Remember the magic is in the movements.  Half ass effort and half ass movement standards will yield half ass results.

So what does “appropriate for the individual” mean?  There are two examples regarding this topic that you should recognize.  Each movement has a optimal range of motion and ideal form, but there is a difference between someone who is able to uphold the movement standards and doesn’t vs someone who physically can’t.