Oly Seminar with Specific Strength Seminars! Ifa you aren’t here, you are a-missin’ outa! I thinka I smella some PRs a-brewin’! Anyone else feeling a little Italian, or is it just me? No? Just me then.

The 1st Rule of Bitch Week: you MUST sign up for Bitch Week.

The 2nd Rule of Bitch Week: is you must sign up for Bitch Week. No sign up, no shirt (even if you SURVIVE).
The 3rd Rule of Bitch Week: you must SURVIVE all 5 days to get your shirt (scaling is absolutely allowed). No show, no shirt.
The 4th Rule of Bitch Week: if someone yells, screams, or curses keep going.
The 5th Rule of Bitch Week: sorry people, only one girl at a time.
The 6th Rule of Bitch Week:  Shirts and Shoes optional.
The 7th Rule of Bitch Week: a “Bitch WOD” can go on as long as the coach says they should.
The 8th Rule of Bitch Week:  If this is your first week at Bridger CrossFit, welcome.

You must sign up by Monday, April 23rd so you can make the shirt order so they can arrive in the same calender year.  A-thank you.

Max Effort Push Jerk

As Many Rounds as Possible in 10min
5 Handstand Pushup
10 Box Jumps 24/20″
20 Double Unders

Josh will be sporting his sweet tan lines at the Norris Hot Springs April 27th. Come show your tan lines (or lack there of) as we say good bye in the best way possible.

“With a heavy heart, but eager feet, I am being called back home to Billings. I am compelled home to support my family recover from some recent traumatic events. My heart is broken, as I love being in Bozeman, but it is very difficult for me to be away from my family. I am transferring to MSU Billings to finish out my degree.

This does not mean though that I am leaving the Crossfit community!!! I am currently talking to Crossfit Billings about coaching for them. Even though nothing is finalized, I’m excited to take the next step on my journey towards a gym of my own. This is not a goodbye forever though; I will always be around, traveling back and forth between Bozeman and Billings, stopping in whenever possible.

Bridger Crossfit will always hold a special place in my heart and, I encourage you to drop me an email, Facebook me, or give me a call when you are in Billings (I love getting coffee with friends ). It was great watching each and every one of you make outstanding breakthroughs in your life and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

With all of the love in my heart ~ Josh”

It is with a heavy heart we say goodbye to Josh and we wish him all the best with his very bright future.   This isn’t a direct quote but I am pretty sure I heard him say he expects us to stay in touch or there will be burpees to be burped!  And then he laughed like this.   In honor of Josh we’d like to celebrate his time here at BCF with a PARTY!  This time we are going to move it down the road to the Norris Hot Springs since it will be Friday, April 27th (the last day of BITCH WEEK).  We’ll be headed out shortly after the 5:30pm class finishes.  Lets fill up the Springs with all of us ridiculously good looking BCF bods!  All are welcome!

Today’s Workout:
Dynamic Effort Handstand Pushup

-then – For Time
50 Situps
40 Wallball 20/14
30 Handstand Pushup
40 Wallball
50 Sit ups

Post results to Beyond the Whiteboard.

Is that all you’ve got Todd?

Today’s Workout:

Max Effort Pullup

Then, 5 Rounds for Time:
7 Overhead Squats 135/95
25 Unbroken Double Unders

Post results Beyond the Whiteboard.

Perhaps we’ll play some party games and Rusty will rub your back.

Today’s Workout:
Max Effort Press

As Many Rounds as Possible in 10min
10 Burpees
100 Single Unders

Starting at 7:30 am! Push Up Skill clinic! This will be 30-45min long, going over different ways to train and improve the pushup. Including form, complimentary movements to help build strength, mobility related to the push up, AND how to scale (or not!) scale in a workout! This will also be incorporated into how we warm up….details on the warm up change will be posted tomorrow! Ooh cliff hanger!

Tonight is the PR P-P-PARTY! From about 4:30pm-6:30 as a free open gym type class will be available for you to come in on your own and go for a PR! It could be “MAX REPS OF PULLUPS, “FRAN”, “THE BASELINE”, a lift like the “BACK SQUAT” or the “SNATCH” , some or all of the above. Starting about 6 will be burgers and dogs, and of course ‘refreshments’ of the brewed kind. If you are extra hungry and thirsty, or maybe just picky feel free to bring your own meat for grillin’ and or beverage of choice. A side dish to share is appreciated! As the evening continues we’ll be eating and cheering on the PRs, maybe even a few, “Hey Baby, watch this!”

Making it count – by Rachael Shultz
For me, there is no worse movement in CrossFit than wall balls, recently, they were worsened by the self described, “Jerk Judge”. 12 minutes, 150 wall balls with a 14lb ball is a lot by any standard, throw in ‘The Jerk’ and it is near impossible. Not because he wants to see failure, quite the opposite, he expected perfection and nothing was going to squeak by this engineer! Starting off slow and steady I had one “no rep” for every two good ones, if I didn’t know it before I gripped the ball the first time – ‘The Jerk’ was going to make sure I knew what the standard would be for this 12 minutes.

I got mad. I cursed and I grunted.

I’ll show him, I thought. I looked up, and changed my focus – if I was going to struggle – it was going to count. My total reps climbed and ‘The Jerk’ started calling out more valid reps, sure, I missed a few after my focus changed, but I could agree that he was right.
While my 12.04 WOD is officially 121, the total number of times I hurled that ball above my head from a below- parallel squat was easily at or above the required 150.
So, CrossFit, turned life lesson…Sometimes life and our endeavors are going to be hard, throw in a ‘Jerk’ and it might even suck pretty bad, but whether or not it counts is up to you. Re-focus your energies, take responsibility for your actions or inactions and by all means Make it Count!

Today’s Workout:
Workout 12.5

Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes following the rep scheme below:

3 Barbell Thrusters 100/65
3 Chest to bar Pull-ups
6 Barbell Thrusters
6 Chest to bar Pull-ups
9 Barbell Thrusters
9 Chest to bar Pull-ups
12 Barbell Thrusters
12 Chest to bar Pull-ups
15 Barbell Thrusters
15 Chest to bar Pull-ups
18 Barbell Thrusters
18 Chest to bar Pull-ups
21 Barbell Thrusters
21 Chest to bar Pull-ups…
This is a timed workout. If you complete the round of 21, go on to 24. If you complete 24, go on to 27, etc.

In establishing direction ask your self these 3 reflective questions:

1. Which of my lower level platform/goals has the greatest positive impact on the mission to my ultimate goal?  (What is lower level platform?)
2. Which of my lower level platform/goals has the greatest immediate impact to advance me to my goal?
3. Which on my lower level platform/goals do I enjoy the most?

Don’t forget the 5 characteristics of quality goals – S.M.A.R.T

• Specific
• Measurable
• Action- Oriented
• Realistic
• Time based

(for those of you that think that S.M.A.R.T. is ‘dumb’ try: Clarity, Challenge, Commitment, Feedback, Task, Complexity – so F.T. and 4 Cs?)

Dynamic Effort Push Up 8×3

10 Rounds for time:
4 Burpees
6 Kettlebell Swings 2/1.5pood
8 Wallball 20/14#

Today’s Workout:
“Nasty Girls”
3 Rounds for time
50 Air Squats
7 Muscle ups
10 Hang Power Cleans

Post results Beyond the Whiteboard.

Are you balanced?

“I’m just trying to find balance right now.”  “I am waiting for things to slow down a bit, like when the big even is over/kids are in school/out of school/until I am in shape…..”  We’ve heard it all, and may have even said this a few times our selves.  Balance, that green fairy we are always chasing, but never seem to catch.  Below is part of an article by Expert Blogger Craig Chappelow on the work-life balance.  You can read my edited verson below or read the full article here. Discuss in our comments.

“Work-life balance is a myth. That myth compels many of us to view an ideal life as a set of perfectly level scales. On the tray on one side is your personal life. On the other side is your work life. With heroic efforts, you can keep both trays exactly level. In reality, that perfect balance almost never occurs, except for those rare, fleeting moments when the trays pass each other on the way up or down–and we’re too frazzled to appreciate that brief moment of self-actualization anyway.

…when it comes to work-life balance, we often adopt a victim mind-set. Our lives are out of balance not through our own fault but because of something someone else–a preoccupied spouse, nasty boss, or needy kid–is doing, or not doing. Second, we want to believe there’s a quick fix that we’re somehow overlooking.

Among those supposed fixes:

• Working from home gives you the best of both worlds
• You can save yourself a ton of hassle by learning to say no
• Getting more help around the house makes it all better

…control, in my view, is what we’re really trying to get to with all the chatter about balance. We need better ways to manage work-life boundaries, understanding that we are subject to phases, often dictated by events out of our control, in which our work lives and personal lives ebb and flow in their demands. The more we assume actual leadership of our own lives, instead of waiting for someone else to do it for us, the better prepared we are to deal with this unending juggle.

Here are a few ideas for getting started:

• Shore up the home front
• Quit complaining
• Say “no” strategically

Forget about the even scales. It’s a really bad analogy. Take control instead.”

Do you agree? Disagree?  Why?  Post to comments!

Today’s Workout:

Max Effort Floor Press
-then-
4x 400m Run

Post results to Beyond the Whiteboard.

So does competition bring out the good or the bad competitor in you?  Do you become motivated beyond what you ever thought possible? –OR– Do you fall into the viscous cycle comparing yourself to others, to their scores? Then begin to question your training, your previous successes and begin to sabotage yourself?   Read more on that here at CPM FITNESS’s blog.

Today’s Workout:

Reebok CrossFit Open WOD 12.3
As Many Rounds as Possible in 18min
15 Box Jumps 24″/20″
12 Push Press 115/75#
9 Toes Bar

Post Results to Beyond the Whiteboard.

“It takes twice as long to lose new muscle if you stop working out than it did to gain it. Lazy people out there shouldn’t use this as motivation to not work out, however. It’s relatively easy to build new muscle tissue and get your muscles in shape, so if anything, this fact should be motivation to get off the couch and get moving.”  Just think how many muscles you use throughout a workout if walking takes that many!

Today’s Workout:

Max Effort Push Jerk
-then-
“Rahol”
As Many Rounds As Possible in 12min:
12 Box Jumps 24/20″
6 Thrusters 95/65#
6 Bar Facing Burpees

Chin over the bar and body over the box today!

DE Back Squat

3 Rounds for time:
6 Deadlift 275/185#
12 Box Jump-overs 24/20″
24 Pull-ups

Post results to Beyond The Whiteboard.

3 Rounds for time of
10 Hang Power Snatch 95/65#
20 Burpees
30 Walball 20/14#
40 Double Unders

Upcoming event additions:
Bitch Week returns in April!
Hero Week in May
Bridger CrossFit Show Down in August

More info for each will be coming, watch the blog for more info.  Also posters and sign ups in the gym.

Invisible hover boards will be counted as a modification.

Max Effort Push Press
-then-
“Helen”
3 rounds for time:
400m Run
21 Kettlebell Swings 1.5/1.0pood
12 Pull-ups

*This is weather dependent, but come prepared to run!