"A Community that SWEATS Together, STAYS Together."

We want to provide a safe, encouraging, and positive environment for adults, kids, and athletes of all ages to learn, improve, and reach their health and fitness goals. Most importantly we want to be a place that people leave healthier and happier than when they walked in.


Something Fun For The Holidays...Thanks Bri:)

Bri Springer

25 Day’s of Burpees Challenge!

Christmas is right around the corner, and I challenge you to celebrate with me! Starting on December 1st I will be starting a countdown to Christmas, with everyone’s favorite movement, burpees! So here’s how it goes, December 1st you will do 25 burpees, on the 2nd 24, on the 3rd 23, and so on…

Rules:
1.      You may do the burpees as part of your warm-up, but if there are burpees in a workout you cannot count them. 
2.      Yes, you have to do them on weekends and rest days.
3.      If you skip a day you still have to do that amount of burpees; so, on the 10th day you skip the 9th day you have to do 19 burpees.

Why burpees?
            Burpees are a full-body exercise. Burpees will cause you to burn lots of calories, while you gain strength and endurance. The great part about burpees is you can do them anywhere and everyone can do some type of modification of them. Around the holidays we all have the tendency to eat a little differently and spend a few more hours lying on the couch than usual, so take just a few minutes out of your day this December and join me in some burpees! I will have a challenge sign-up on the board. If you make it all the way through I might have a reward for you…


Happy Holidays! 

We will set aside a section of the whiteboard on Monday for anyone that wants to particpate with us in this little Holiday treat. - Trevor

Wednesday November 27, 2013

Strength:

Back Squat 4 x 3

WOD:

1600 M Run, 1000 M Row, 140 Cal. Bike
10 Rope Climbs
100 Push Ups

*Athlete can break up the WOD however they choose:)




Tuesday, November 26th

Trevor's tortures poor Trish and Theresa!

But... al least he does it with them:) 


Strength

500 meter Row or 1/2 mile Bike for time

Then..

Bear Crawl Tabata

WOD

EMOTM for 5 min.
5 Body Weight Deadlifts
20 DU

Then...

EMOTM for 5 min.
5 Box Jumps (24/20)
5 Ring Dips

Then...

400m KB Farmers Carry (53/35)

BCF Black Friday Apparel Orders - Deadline December 10th

Trevor and I are extremely excited about our new apparel order form! We added women's Racerback Tanks, Men's Shorts, updated our sweats with a new logo, and much more!

This is an easy way to purchase unique gifts and get out of fighting the masses at the stores:) AND you should defiantly treat yourself, you deserve it!

Our deadline for this order is December 10th to get them just in time for Christmas.

Check out our new Apparel Order Form

Thanksgiving Schedule

Mind Body is ready for you to sign-up for Thursday and Friday's Classes.  Please sign-up so we can be prepared for a large class:)

Remember... Holiday Schedule is

Thursday

10 am to 11am (sign-up but please feel free to come if it's full)

Friday

12 pm to 1 pm (sign-up but please feel free to come if it's full)
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm (sign-up but please feel free to come if it's full)

Join Banks Country Fitness for a bit of Irish Fun

March 16, 2014

3 different race courses to choose from: 5K, 8K, 15K


Entry fees increase January 14 but sign up with Banks Country Fitness team and get a discount. 

Registration DEADLINE January 22, 2014



Team Number: 4560




Monday, November 25th

This is one way to burn those Turkey calories off.

The CrossFit way, twisting a great Holiday:)


Strength

10 min EMOM Snatch

WOD

12-9-6
SDHP 135/95
Pull-up

Rest 2 min.

12-9-6
Snatch Grip DL 155/115
HSPU

Rest 2 min.

12-9-6
Turkish Get-ups 53/35
Pistol Squats

Two Awesome People....One Step Closer to Becoming One

As most of our members know by now Nick Turner and Ally Partain have gotten engaged this week. These are two incredible young people and we are so proud to have them as part of the BCF family as indviduals and now as an engaged couple. 

If you have not done so already, please take a second and give them a big congragulations! 

Maybe Our First BCF CrossFit Wedding...Congats You Two:)
Burpees All Around!!



 

Making Snatches Fun...By Bri Springer

Bri Springer

Snatches are fun!!!

At this Saturday’s OLY class we will be learning the snatch so in an effort to simplify the movement I’m going to use some pictures and videos in this weeks blog post to help you get more comfortable wit the movement. As I have mentioned with good technique the snatch is a safe movement that is extremely helpful in reaching fitness goals. I have noticed a lot of members cringing at the sight of snatches being written on the board for the WOD and my goal as your coach is to get you to the point where you look at the board and say, “yay snatches!!!”



First part of the snatch is the hook-grip.  This is where you grip the bar by covering your thumb with your index and middle finger. The reason for using the hook-grip is that it is the most secure grip and secures the bar in your hand so it does not roll in your hands towards your fingertips. This grip is only used while pulling, not pressing or squatting. Although it feels awkward at first it is essential to movements such as the snatch. 



How wide should my hands be on the bar? When standing with the bar your grip should be wide enough that it is hitting your hips. This will allow you to get full extension so the bar hits your hips as opposed to your thigh. If it hits your thigh it will bounce away from your body. Notice where the bar is as this athlete hits triple extension.



Two movements that are important before moving onto the full snatch: Power snatch and overhead squat. This splits up the full snatch into two movements allowing the athlete to focus on the power snatch and then getting full range of motion on the squat. Should flexibility is important to support a large load overhead. This is CrossFit games athlete Camille Leblanc-Bazinet demonstrating excellent overhead squat form. Notice that her armpits are pointed forward and her elbows are pointed towards the ground. 



Now for the hardest part, the full snatch. Start with your shins touching the bar. The first pull is nothing more than a deadlift. An article in the CrossFit Journal by Bill Starr, world famous Olympic lifting coach, describes the full snatch perfectly, “when the bar passes mid-thigh, drive your hips forward aggressively and with your arms still straight shrug your traps. All the while, the bar must be close to your body… After the bar passes your navel, bend your arms explosively and your biceps and brachioradialis will punch the bar upward, extend onto your toes and elevate the bar even further… From that extended position, you must explode down into a deep squat while simultaneously locking out the bar.” (Starr 5-9) once you have a solid squat stand the bar up! This is a hard concept but let that quote set in and watch the video below. This movement takes time and dedication, but when mastered it is a beautiful and very fun movement! This is a video of Chad Vaughn snatching 285lbs in slow motion. Pay close attention to his incredible form.


 In this video Chad Vaughn breaks down his snatch and thoroughly explains the key components of his lift. Its very impressive to watch and extremely helpful to understand snatch technique.


Hope to see you all at OLY/Strength class on Saturday! It’s going to be fun! :)

Work Cited
Starr, Bill. “Learning How to do Full-Snatches” CrossFit Journal. January 2010. 


Friday November 22, 2013

Strength

10 Minute EMOM

Max Effort Pull Up Hold @ Top Position

WOD

(8) 200 M Row or 1/4 Bike

1:1 work rest ratio

Wounded Warrior From This Weeks Max Box Jump! She Even Worked Out Afterwards. One Tough Chick!  Go Julie:)

Thursday November 21, 2013

Strength

15 Minutes to find 1RM
Then 3x3 @ 85% of 1 RM

WOD

"ANNIE"

50-40-30-20-10

DU
Sit-Ups

A Couple of Sisters Getting Some Early Morning Work:)
Nice Job Ladies!

Tuesday November 19, 2013

Strength

5 x 10
Weighted Walking Lunge

WOD


21-15-9

Thruster (75/45)
Pull Ups

Rest 5:00 Minutes

30,20,10

DL (75/45)
Push Press

Rest 5:00

5 Rounds
30 Sec Jingle Jangle
30 Sec Rest




Below is a great little article one of our members sent me from Paleo Plan on combating food cravings...Take five minutes and read!

3 Ways to Combat Food Cravings

Cravings.

Ugh.

Food cravings are the #1 killer of diets all across the planet. They're insidious, nasty buggers that come out of nowhere and destroy even the best of dietary intentions.
Here you are, trucking merrily along with your new lifestyle of healthy eating, and all of a sudden - whammo! - you're eating a donut out of a vending machine. Not even a good donut...And cravings are contagious, too. Your friend at work goes out, driven by her cravings, and brings her affliction (a caramel latte and a double chocolate muffin) back to the office for you to see and smell and savor, and all of your discipline and conviction just... disappears.
Are cravings ruining your Paleo diet? Or any way of eating besides the "eat-anything-you-want-in-any-amount-whenever-you-want diet" for that matter? Let's try to fix that.

1. Don't fight it. Feed it.
I know that sounds weird, but let me explain. The number one mistake people make when they change their eating habits is they eat too little. They either eat too little food in general, or they eat too few carbs. Actually, a lot of people skimp on the fat, too, which can really cause cravings. Eating too little food isn't sustainable for most people, and at some point your body will take over your brain and make you do stupid things. So eat enough food, including some delicious Paleo carbs and fat sources, and you'll be much less likely to need an exorcism to remove the craving demons later. I mean, what would you rather have: a sustainable diet where you lose weight in a healthy manner over time or a crash diet where you might lose a little weight at first, but then your excessive discipline backfires after a week? So. Eat enough food and always have Paleo goodies on hand (muffins made with almond flour, etc.) to get you through those tough moments.

2. Eat A Piece of Fruit
I imagine this scenario happening quite a bit in the Paleo newcomer's world:

"I'm really craving something sweet. God, I want something sweet. Icould eat this peach, but I'm not supposed to eat too much fruit on this new Paleo diet... Hmm. What to do, what to do... Oh f@ck it! I'm just gonna eat this giant chocolate donut!" 

Has that happened to you?

The problem here is that you're not just setting yourself back in that moment by eating something that'll mess with your blood sugar and maybe make you feel pretty crappy later. You're also starting the cycle of grain and sugar lust all over again for the next several days. So if you're going to have something sweet and you don't have any Paleo treat on hand, eat a piece of fruit. Or have a few squares of dark chocolate. Just anything that doesn't have the grains, excessive sugar, and other stuff that you know will set off those addictive brain chemicals.

3. Use Non-Food Distractions
Sometimes the cravings are just mental. They're only in your head, and they're just a product of your old habits. At 3pm you're supposed to have a caramel latte. At 10am you're supposed to have some cookies. At lunch you're supposed to have twizzlers for lunch-dessert, and on and on. So now you're head is kind of like, "Where ma twizzlers at, yo?" But you don't need them. So try these things instead, especially if the above tips don't help you..
Take 5 deep, slow breaths. Take that time to choose what you really want to do next.
Exercise, even if it’s just a 3-minute vigorous session of squats in your office or living room. Or go for a short walk. Get yourself out of the situation and brain space you’re in by changing locations for a while.
Drink some water. Sometimes cravings are just veiled thirst.
Contact someone who will talk you down from the ledge, so to speak. Someone you trust and someone who knows your health goals and who can help remind you why you would not want to cave to your cravings.
In Conclusion, I know cravings are a painful thing, and it's really hard to just grin and bear them. Try out all of my time-tested, client-approved tips above and see if any of them work for you.

The one thing I want you to take away from this, if nothing else, is to make sure you have Paleo treats accessible to you if you're a cravings-afflicted person. Especially in the beginning of going Paleo. You're going to need a crutch and that's totally fine! Eat the muffins, the cookies, the whatevers - just make them Paleo. Make large batches of them and keep them in your freezer so you can take them to work with you. You're not superhuman and being away from those old foods is going to take some getting used to!

Monday November 18, 2013

Strength

Snatch Balance

4,4,4,2,2,2

WOD

Run 400/ .5 Bike/ 350 M Row

3 Rounds
20 Push Ups
20 Shotguns

2 Rounds
30 KB Swings (53/35)
30 Air Squats

1 Round
40 Pull Ups
40 Plated Sit Ups

Run 400/ .5 Bike/ 350 Row


Thanksgiving Class Schedule

If you come to either of these days please sign up so we can be prepared for you. But if the class is full, please still come. We have programed these days to handle large classes.


Thanksgiving Day

10:00 am  to 11:00am

Black Friday 

12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
4:30 pm to 5:30 pm

Thursday November 14, 2013

Strength

5 x 5
Hang Squat Clean

WOD

1 Mile Bike

Rest 90 Seconds

500 M Row

Rest 60 Seconds

400 M Run

Rest 30 Seconds

Man Maker "Tabata"

A Little Encouragement...

Extreme 6 Challenge Participants…

We have successfully finished our first week of the Challenge and are now heading into our second!! (For those of you who have never done Paleo and/or Zone before, this is a HUGE accomplishment, and you should be VERY proud of yourselves!)

We’ve ransacked our refrigerators, gotten rid of all (or close to all) of the man-made and processed foods, and swapped them out for REAL food. Though it was a tough transition (especially the first few days!), almost all of us are seeing the positive effects Paleo and/or Zone is having on us. We feel better, have more energy, sleep better, work harder, are happier, are better athletes, are HEALTHIER and we’re improving our overall wellness! And ON TOP of all this, we are also lowering our chances of sickness and disease!!

Yes, I know, it’s been rocky. For some of us it’s been more than just rocky. But when we remember all the positives that come with working hard in the box AND eating the right foods, then we see that it’s worth the pain!

Keep up the good work guys! You’re all doing so great! I understand just how hard this really is because I’m going through the same thing. So if there are any questions/comments you have regarding the Challenge, I would love to chat with you about it! Trevor and Bethany have some really great tips, recipes, etc. and I know they would love to talk with you about them too! We’re here for your guys’ support, so don’t be afraid to ask questions.

See you all in the box!

Ally


Hand Maintenance...How to Help Avoid Messed Up Hands!

Hand Maintenance

By Bri Springer

Congratulations to Angela getting her first strict pull-up, Aubrey killing it on the kip swings and kipping pull-ups, and to all you other BCF members that have been improving your pull-up skills! I am so proud of you all. However, as some of you may have noticed pull-ups, barbell, and kettle bell work can trash your hands. So, I am writing this article to share with you some quick and easy ways to prevent tearing.

· File down your calluses. Buy a “callus kit” this includes a callus shaver, pumice stone, and a filer. Use them all to shave down your calluses to keep them small and smooth. You can also use a razor, but I recommend filing them.

· Moisturize your hands. Apply lotion regularly, lotion provides moisture, without moisture in your hands that are susceptible to cracking, ripping, and makes the healing process way longer.

· Grip the bar across your fingertips as opposed to across your palm. It feels weird at first, but make a habit of it and you will be much less likely to tear your hands.

· Go light on the chalk. I know its fun to put on your hands and it might give you a boost of mental support (I’m guilty of it too), but it can be a cause of tearing your hands. Chalk increases friction, and friction causes tearing. If you are going to use chalk, wipe the sweat off your hands and only use a little.

Unfortunately, ripping your hands still happens sometimes, so when it does here’s how you take care of it. First, stop working out; go to the bathroom and use hot water and soap to wash it out. This will prevent any types of nasty infection you could get. Next, tape your hand up, wipe down the bar and anything else that got blood on it, and then you can do ring rows rather than pull-ups to finish off your workout. Please don’t forget the part about wiping down whatever you got blood on, we don’t need any more germs spread in the germ than we already have. Also, I know its temping and hard to just slap some tape on and finish out the workout, but its only going to continue to get worse and then your out of training for at least a week because you can’t do anything with your hands. It’s simply not worth it. For fast and effective healing, keep the tear clean and moist. Cover it up and use Neosporin or any other type of cleaning/healing substance you can. Its extremely important that you don’t let it dry out, because if it dries out it will crack and take twice as long to heal. Hopefully you all found this helpful and I didn’t scare you away from the pull-up bar. Pull-ups are fun and awesome and if you take care of your hands and pay attention to your body you really have nothing to worry about.

How To Help Avoid This!!!

Tuesday November 12, 2013

Strength

10 Minute EMOM

3 Reps Snatch Grip D.L

WOD

3 Rounds

10 Goblit Squats (70/53)
100 M Sprint

One Tough Looking Crew

Veterans Day Results...Way To Go Everyone!!

There were a bunch of awesome photos from this years Veteran's Day Celebration which we will be posting on Facebook later today, but here are the results in case you wanted to know where you stacked up! 




These are just a few of the men and women that we honored yesterday during our hour sacrifice of sweat, blood and teamwork! Thank YOU!

The Veterans Day Mission WOD (Partner Style)

Your mission if you choose to accept is to accomplish the following exercises in the quickest time possible. The order, amount of reps and distances traveled is your choice. Remember that all the exercises must be accomplished before your time will be recorded.  Choose your partner wisely and plan carefully. Good Luck!!


Rules: Only one partner can be going at a time and both partners must run together.

2000 Meter Run or 1500 Meter Row or 2.5 Mile Bike Ride

100 Sit Ups
200 Meter Heroes Carry/Drag
80 Pull-Ups
100 Meter Broad Jumps
50 B.W. Dead-Lift
100 Medicine Ball Push-ups
50 Pass Through
30 Turkish Get-Ups (35/15)
100 DB Thrusters (35/20)
100 Meter Farmers Carry Lunge (45/25)

Yes, this is going to suck, but let’s remember who we are honoring on this day...the countless men and women who have served our country and made huge sacrifices to preserve our freedoms we often take for granted. The least we can do is sacrifice our bodies for one hour in their honor!!!
 
“Be Country Tough”

~The Exline’s

Friday, November 8th

Strength

Strict Press 5,5,5,3,3,3
2 minute Goblin Squat Hold x2 (3 burpees every 20 seconds short of 2 minutes)

WOD

12 Minute AMRAP

5 HSPU or 3 Wall Walks
7 C2B Pull-ups
7 Clapping Push-ups
14 Squat Jumps

Wednesday November 6, 2013

Strength

3 x 10 Back Squat

WOD

3 Rounds

400 m run
15 T2B
10 Weighted Pistols 
15 Pull Ups

Grip Work/ Core Work

3 rounds: Max time Bar Hang


3 rounds: Max time low ring plank hold

Laura Terrorizing Dina On Saturday!!

Check Out Our Member of The Month For November...a Truly Contagious Smile:)

"By Bri Springer"

Every month we will be spotlighting one of our members, were not picking favorites, we just feel that the hard work our members put into achieving their fitness goals deserves acknowledgement.

With that being said, this month we would like to recognize Evelyn Maller! She is our oldest member, but that does not stop her from giving all her effort on every WOD. When Evelyn called Trevor to find out about becoming a member she told him something along the lines of “I’m older, I don’t have much strength, and I’m out of shape, but I’m ready to get fit.” Since then Evelyn has made lifestyle changes that are doing incredible works for her health. Last week Evelyn did her first squat to the 12’ box and we couldn’t be more excited for her. The accomplishments she has made are remarkable. She has gained incredible strength, core stability, and can sustain intensity for long periods of time. She is a true CrossFit athlete. On the weekends and rest days she goes on trail walks with her husband, some of which are as long as 40 miles. Evelyn now has to be lectured about the importance of rest days by her coaches, because she has gotten so active. When I was talking to her at the gym the other day she said, “you know I’m not here to do better than anyone or compete, I’m just competing with myself.” This is because intensity varies among all athletes, but what keeps everyone coming back is the self-fulfillment CrossFit provides. Competing with yourself is how you become a better athlete, and we admire Evelyn’s determination and positive attitude as she works to accomplish her goals. Everyone has different goals, different modifications they have to do on workouts and different motives for why they are CrossFit athletes; however, if every athlete comes to the gym with Evelyn’s determination and smile nothing will stand in the way of accomplishing greatness.

Evelyn is more than an amazing athlete; she is also an amazing person. She supports local sports teams and her community. Throughout workouts we rarely glance over at her and don’t find a smile on her face. She is positive, optimistic, and compassionate. We truly value the time we get to spend in the gym with Evelyn, and hope we can inspire others like she inspires us!

Thank You Evelyn!!!

Evelyn's favorite Bike!!

Tuesday November 5, 2013

Strength

None

WOD

Partner WOD (Only one partner can be working at a time)

150 Shoulder to Overhead (55/35)
(partner sits in a plank hold)

200 Double Under
(partner holds two kb's in front rack position 53/35)

600 meter partner run with 45/25 plate
(plate can't touch the ground) 

"Something Tasty From Ally"

"By Ally Partain"

Delicious Easy-To-Make PALEO Almond Butter Cups

These are so good! And if you’re anything like me, you like your sweets! However, as delicious (and Paleo) as these are, don’t over-indulge. Measure it out and monitor how much you have (:

Ingredients


· 1 1/3 C dark chocolate (70% or higher)


· 1 T coconut oil
· 1 t vanilla extract or 1/2 t vanilla bean powder
· 1/3 C almond butter
· Pinch of sea salt

Method

STEP 1 Melt 1 1/3 C dark chocolate (70% or higher) & 1 T coconut oil together. Pour 1 tablespoon rounds in cupcake liners & freeze till they harden.

STEP 2 Mix together 1/3 C almond butter, 1 t vanilla extract or 1/2 t vanilla bean powder, 1 T coconut oil & a pinch of salt. Place about a 1/2 tablespoon of mixture into each cup & freeze till hardened.

STEP 3 For the last layer pour enough chocolate to cover the almond butter & freeze 5-10 more mins, store in fridge or freezer.

*If you would like to, omit step 1 and start with step 2. This will eliminate the amount of chocolate used…and it still tastes great!

Friday November 1, 2013

Strength

4x8 Push Press
4x4 Ball-Up

WOD

800 M Buy In

21-15-9

HSPU
Sit Ups
Pistol Squats

Now thats one way to rest your shoulders in the middle of a WOD...That is some serious neck strength!!!

Starting Our First Saturday Class With a Bang...Can Someone Say "Filthy Fifty"

WOD

"Filthy Fifty"

If you don't know what this is then you will just have to show up and find out or you can sneak a peak via your favorite search engine:)...Enjoy!