Please come to class prepared to workout.

This means you should have comfortable clothing that you can move in. Everyone is different and we have no mirrors on our walls as we really don’t care what you look like, just how hard you work! Some people choose to wear fashionable items, others like it simple. Whatever you choose is up to you as long as you are comfortable. Because you will be working up a sweat, you might want to bring a change of clothes along with you. We have change rooms and places to store your items.

Footwear - while a standard running shoe will do, once people have been CrossFitting for a period of time they find that having something called a “low profile” shoe works best for most of the movements we do. As you go through Fundamentals we will discuss footwear in more detail. For now, please don’t go out and spend a fortune on new shoes. We have some arrangements with local businesses that will offer you significant discounts on shoes that are appropriate for CrossFit.

Water Bottles - please bring your own water bottle. Think environmentally responsible and bring a re-fill able one. Plastic water bottles are just plain irresponsible! We have stainless water bottles here for sale in case you forget yours. We also have a water cooler to fill up your bottles.

Personal Items - We do have showers here at our facility so if you want to use them after your workout then please bring a towel and any personal toiletries you may need. We do have hairdryers and some basic shampoos and body washes available.

Other items - if you require a puffer or any other personal medical related items for any reason please don’t forget them at home! We have a first aid kit but we are not a pharmacy!

All of our classes are led by a qualified CrossFit trainer. The trainer is there to help you with your form on movements, to ensure you are safe and do not injure yourself and to motivate you every step of the way! Every Class is ONE HOUR in total length..

In Fundamentals classes you will be led through a warm-up as a group, you will learn the skills for the day and then you will apply those skills into a “WOD” (workout of the day). For more details on Fundamentals please click HERE.

In a WOD (Workout of the Day) class, the warm is is usually self directed and sometimes done as a group depending on the day. The warm up is designed to get you ready for the movements we will be doing in the Buy In and the WOD. You may always do your own stretches and warm up as well to get yourself ready for the workout. We then work through something called a "buy in" which is just a fun way of saying "a bit of extra work to make you strong and skilled!". The "Buy In" takes about 10 to 20 minutes depending on the day and for the most part is meant to help you get stronger and more proficient at skilled movements. We spend time on the major power lifts in specific reps and sets laid out for the day. Once the Buy In done we move on to getting ready for the actual workout. Most of the workouts are timed and we move as quickly as we can through them. Sometimes the workouts have a specific time set for them and we are working to get the most repetitions as possible. Whatever the workout, you wil always be challenged, both phsyically and mentally. You will never do the same thing day after day, so your body will never adapt and you will keep getting more and more fit! We usually end the class with something called a "cash out" which is another way of saying "more work to get you more skilled and strong!". Depending on the day this can range from stretching, to working on skills, to doing specific strengthening movements. Again, you will never be bored!

We also have some specialized classes we offer. For more details on our classes click here

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR A FULL COMPREHENSIVE ARTICLE ON THIS SUBJECT.

Are your times CONSISTENTLY getting faster at ALL distances (what was your last 5k time compared to a year ago)?

How high can you jump? (Many marathoners cannot jump onto a 12 inch box.)

How many push-ups/pull-ups/squats/etc. can you do?

Have you, or are you, suffering from chronic-use injuries (plantar fasciatis, IT Syndrome, runners knee, etc.)?

How many hours do you train per week? How many hours does your spouse/family wish you trained? (This program only requires 6-8 hours per week to COMPETE at Ultra/Ironman distances.)

Why are there no long runs/rides/swims (aerobic training) in this type of training?

Long runs/rides/swims fall into the category of training we term “long slow distance” (LSD) and is solely aerobic in nature.

Aerobic training has the following benefits and drawbacks:

Will I get bulky? I just want to “tone up”

Coming soon

Will I get stronger?

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

We believe that nutrition is the cornerstone of health and fitness, and that achieving your full athletic potential is impossible without tuning up your diet.

Opinions on what constitutes a healthy diet are wide-ranging and contentious. We’re going to tell you what we think you should eat, and we think you should trust us because we know our shit, and we’ve seen this work for hundreds of people over many years. It may run counter to “conventional wisdom” and many of the things you’ve learned from Special K commercials, but if you give it a shot you’ll thank us later.

The basic gist of the whole thing is: eat real food. Base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. If it has ingredients you don’t recognize, don’t eat it. If you can’t imagine its path from a farm to your plate, don’t eat it. If that path must have included some sort of factory, don’t eat it. Capisce?

In addition to making sure your food is real, you’ll also want to improve on your macronutrient balance. The three macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every food is some combination of these three. Most people eat lots and lots and lots of carbohydrates, primarily in the form of sugar, flour, rice, and potatoes. This causes a lot of ups and downs in blood sugar, and hence a lot of ups and downs in insulin levels, which eventually leads to nasty problems like diabetes. So we want to start swapping out those carbohydrates for protein and fat to keep our blood sugar on the straight and narrow. That means cut back on the sugar, the grains, the potatoes. (This has the nice side-effect of eliminating those 3pm post-lunch sugar crashes that make you fall asleep on your desk.)

Last but not least there are a whole bunch of not-very-nice things about grains, legumes, dairy, caffeine, and alcohol. These are slightly technical and we’re trying to keep this little intro brief, so if you want to know why you shouldn’t eat them, follow the links.

We could write a book about this, but no need ’cause other people have already written them for us! There’s a whole list of further reading at the end of this post — we highly recommend you peruse those resources. Have questions? E-mail us at crossfitaltitude@gmail.com or hit us up at the gym and we’ll answer them.

For those of you shorter on time, here’s a simple list of rules to follow.

(Thanks to Whole9Life and CrossFit Seattle for putting together much of the info below!)

Summary

1. Eat real food – meat, eggs, vegetables, nuts, seeds, fruit, healthy oils. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re fresh and natural.


2. Do not eat grains. This includes bread, rice, pasta, corn, oatmeal, and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains. That’s not real food, right?


3. Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds, lentils, and peanuts. (No peanut butter, kids.)


4. Do not eat dairy. This includes butter, cheese (hard and soft), yogurt, and milk. (Some exceptions apply here- ask us for more detail).


5. Do not eat sugars of any kind, real or artificial. If you must sweeten, use minimal quantities of honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar. No Splenda, Truvia, Stevia, etc.


6. Do not eat processed foods. This includes processed bars (like Zone bars), dairy-free creamers, etc.


7. Do not drink alcohol, in any form.

More About Meat…

• Animals, including fish, raised in commercial farms are not healthy so try to get grass fed beef, certified organic meat, wild fish, and/or locally raised animals.


• If unable to do any of the above, then eat the leanest cuts you can and trim visible fat. (Eating the fat of healthy fish, birds and animals is good for you. Eating the fat of unhealthy creatures is not.)


• Eggs are good. Eggs from birds allowed to forage and run around are better.


• Buffalo, elk, venison and other types of wild game are excellent choices if you can get them.

More About Vegetables…

• Non starchy vegetables should be a big part of each meal. Virtually all vegetables offer excellent nutritional value.


• When possible choose organic, locally grown vegetables that are in season. Each of these factors will improve nutritional value.


• Experiment with sautéing, roasting and grilling your veggies. Try different recipes and different ethnic foods. Learn to use herbs and spices. This stuff should taste good!


• Variety is king! There are TONS of yummy veggies out there — try squashes, eggplant, garlic, leeks, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green, cabbage, celery, kale, dandelion, spinach, tomatoes, radish, parsnips, mushrooms….


• Avoid starchy vegetable – potatoes, etc. If you must eat starch (it happens) try sweet potatoes.


• Avoid legumes. Beans, peas, lentils and soybeans should be avoided. Why?

More About Fruit…

• A paleo diet allows virtually all fruit consumption. There are a few issues though. We need to consider how the fruit was grown as well as the type of fruit to evaluate nutritional value. Also note that fruit is a very rich source of sugars, which although natural may hinder weight loss if consumed in excess.


• If you can grow your own fruit or pick wild fruit – go for it!


• Scavenge the local farmers market for fresh local seasonal fruit. Organic is best.!


• Try to avoid fruit from far away. Flying in kiwis from New Zealand is not really helping our health.


• Avoid GMO (genetically modified organism) fruit.


• A little fruit juice occasionally can be okay but, fruit juice is really candy.


• Some fruits like bananas and pineapples have a high glycemic load and should be avoided if you are trying to loose fat.


• Berries are awesome! Eat lots of berries!

More About Nuts & Seeds…

• Nuts and seeds are filling, nutrition, and packed with protein, fatty acids, enzymes, antioxidants and lots of vitamins and minerals, especially potassium and magnesium. It is possible to screw up your fat profile with nuts though. Lots of nuts have an unacceptably high omega 6 / omega 3 ratio.


• Some great choices: walnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds.


• • Beware of peanuts and cashews. These are not nuts, they’re legumes. Don’t eat peanuts or peanut butter. Peanuts contain lectins and other anti-nutrients which can cause some real health problems.


• Lots of packaged, shelled nuts are covered in trans fats! Read the label! Best to buy raw, unsalted nuts and spice them at home. When in doubt, buy walnuts and/or macadamia nuts.

More About Fats…

• Fat is good for you. Fat is essential to your well being and happiness. (This is not hyperbolic writing. Having the proper fat profile makes a huge difference to your mental outlook and moods).


• Fat is a great source of energy. Fat triggers our sense of being full. Fat is an essential part of many of your cellular and hormonal processes. We sicken and die fairly quickly without adequate intake of essential fats.


• However…there are many bad fats in our food supply!

Getting Started

Background Information

Books/Movies

Food/Recipes

The following are some great travel workouts:

• Run 1/2 mile 50 air squats - 3 rounds.
• 10 push-ups 10 sit ups 10 squats - 10 rounds.
• 200 air squats for time.
• "Susan" Run 200m 10 squats 10 push ups 5 rounds.
• Sprint 200m and do 25 push ups, 3 rounds.
• Tabata squats and tabata pushups.
• 5 push ups 5 squats 5 sit ups, 20 rounds.
• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sets of sit-ups and a 100 meter sprint between each set.
• Invisible Fran...21-15-9 of air squats and push ups for time.
• 10 push ups 10 air squats and 10 sit ups, 6 rounds for time.
• 10 push-ups 100M dash 10x.
• Run 1 mile, lunging 30 steps every 1 minute.
• 100 air squats. For time.
• 4x 25 jumping squats
• 10 vertical jumps, 10 push ups, 10 sit ups, 4 rounds...for time.
• 10 air squats every 1 minute of your 1 mile run.
• 100 burpies for time
• 10 push-ups 10 squats 10 sit ups 10 rounds.
• 10 vertical jumps, run 400 meters, 5 rounds.
• 100 push ups for time.
• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpies and Sit ups.
• 10 walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 10 rounds.
• 50 split jumps for time.
• 10 burpies, 100meter sprint 10x for time.
• run 400 meters, 50 air squats. 4 rounds.
• Ten vertical jumps ( jump as high as you can), 10 push-ups 5 rounds.
• 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 rounds.
• Tabata Squats: 20 seconds on 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds. Count your lowest score.
• Run 1 mile with 100 air squats at midpoint, for time.
• 7 squats, 7 burpies, seven rounds, for time.
• 5 squats, 5 push-ups, 5 sit ups, 20 rounds.
• Run 1 mile and do 10 push-ups every 1 minute.
• sprint 100m 30 squats...8 rounds.
• 10 sit ups and 10 burpies...10 rounds-for time.
• 100 jumping jacks, 75 air squats, 50 push ups, 25 burpies. For time.
• Tabata Push-ups.
• Run 1 minute, squat 1 minute 5 rounds.
• air squat x 10 push up x 10 sit up x 10 3 rounds for time
• sprint 50 meters, 10 push ups. 10 rounds.
• 400m run/sprint 30 air squats, 3rounds for time.
• 20 jumping jacks, 20 burpies, 20 air squats...3 rounds
• Tabata...20 seconds on 10 second rest 8 rounds of...tuck jumps and then sit ups
• 5 pushups, 5 squats, 5 sit-ups - 20 rounds
• Run 1 mile, stopping every minute to do 20 air squats.
• run 200 meters, 50 squats, 3 rounds