BTSCF Newsletter - December 2019
The holidays have come and gone and a new year is upon us. As we flip the calendar to a new year it’s only natural to reflect on the past year and set goals for the new one. The beauty of a calendar is that every day is a new day. You don’t need to wait until next year to reflect and set new goals. Yesterday didn’t go well? Reset and adjust so today brings you a step closer to your goals. There are many great things happening at Burn the Ships CrossFit.
How about a can’t miss deal to kick off the new year? Whether you are starting your fitness journey, or want to add CrossFit to your routine, now is a great time to join. Join now for $30 for 30 Days!
Granite Games
From left, Mike Simmons, Connor Schall, Walt Albro, Robb Ruiz, Kevin Mesnick, and Mackenzie Decker at The Granite Games Winter Throwdown in Allentown, PA.
On Saturday, December 7 Connor Schall, Robb Ruiz, Mackenzie Decker, Mike Simmons, Walt Albro, and Kevin Mesnick took a drive down to CrossFit SYR in Allentown, PA to compete in the Granite Games Winter Throwdown. This was a 3 member team competition that pushed all of our athletes. We emphasize the importance of mechanics and consistency as we train. Our program strives to treat most training days as practice. We do this so when our athletes do step into the spotlight of competition to dial up the intensity they are prepared for whatever is thrown at them. Congratulations to both teams
BTSCF Athletes Connor Schall and Robb Ruiz performing synchronized dumbbell movements. Teammate Mackenzie Decker (far right) awaits his turn to jump in.
Also synchronizing with the dumbbell are BTSCF Athletes Kevin Mesnick and Mike Simmons.
BTSCF Athlete Walt Albro moving the barbell at The Granite Games Winter Throwdown.
Burpees For Food
It took under 60 minutes for all of our trainers to complete their 404 burpees. In total over 4,000 burpees were done.
Our trainers asked for donations and were willing to pay for them. Our members came through and donated 404 shelf stable food items meaning each of our trainers had to do 404 burpees. They came together at 7 am on December 8th to complete their burpees while our members were able to watch with enjoyment either in the gym or in a live video. Some of our trainers chose to work through them in an EMOM style. Others broke them up into sets of 10 or 20. Some just chipped away at them with a steady pace. We would like to thank everyone who donated.
BTSCF 2019 Holiday Party
Good tunes. Good food. Good drinks. Good people. What more can you ask for? BTSCF Athletes and their families gathered to celebrate the holiday season.
On Saturday, December 14 BTSCF hosted an 80’s Themed Holiday Party. We saw some great costumes from some of our athletes (special shout out to Jayson P. aka Cousin Eddie, who really committed to the theme). The food was great as our members brought some of their favorite dishes to share. New this year we added a craft beer share to the party. Our members who wanted to participate brought some beer to share and our members were able to try small samples of a number of different styles.
Silverback Olympic Lifting Program
BTSCF trainer Alex Zahorsky instructing BTSCF Athletes on proper positioning during the snatch.
Sunday, December 29th saw the conclusion of our six week Silverback Olympic Lifting Program. The program began with a test in. Athletes worked to establish their 1 Rep Max of both the Snatch and Clean & Jerk. Over the next 6 weeks our athletes completed programing 3 days per week. The programing included squat and press strength work as well as a number of different exercises to improve technique and mechanics with Snatch and Clean complexes, and Push and Split Jerk drills. At the end of the program, our athletes again tested their 1 Rep Max of both lifts. Our athletes earned PR’s, more confidence, and came away from the program a little stronger. Stay tuned for details of upcoming cycles.
What Else Is Happening At BTSCF?
Basic Nutrition & Fitness
On January 11, Mike Simmons will be at the Milford branch of Pike County Public Library to discuss Basic Nutrition and Fitness. The event begins at 10:30 am in the Community Room. All ages and Fitness Levels are welcome.
Festivus Games
Our friends at CrossFit TakeBack in Middletown, NY will be hosting the Festivus Games on April 18, 2020. This is a great beginner competition and we are hoping to see some of our athletes competing. If interested, please talk to a trainer for details or visit www.festivusgames.com to sign up.
BTSCF Feature Athlete
Meet The Negrons: Fitter as a Family
BTSCF Feature Athlete Joanna Negron performing a Ground to Overhead during Open Workout 20.1.
Joanna had been looking for a fitness solution to help her reach her goals. She was looking to improve her overall fitness, lose weight, and improve her health. She had a conversation with her friend and BTSCF Athlete Tonya A who told Jo that Burn the Ships CrossFit was “the place.” In May of 2019, Jo walked through the doors and gave CrossFit a try. She immediately told her son David that he should try it as well and that he would love it. Ever since then if you see either Jo or David in the gym, you know in all likelihood the other is there as well.
BTSCF Feature Athlete David Negron completing power cleans during a partner workout.
BTSCF Athlete Jo Negron having some fun during a wreck bag workout.
Jo admitted that at first she didn’t want to be the mom that was hanging around. She wanted to give David his space at the gym. Over time both David and Jo have found a great balance of supporting each other and allowing the other to go do their workouts. David said he likes that they get to share the experience together, and that they can talk about upcoming workouts or results from previous ones.
When Burn the Ships CrossFit was opened, it was Owner Mike Simmons’ goal to create an environment that would encourage the growth of a strong community. Part of that is the family aspect. “The importance of health and fitness as a lifestyle for a family paramount. The way both David and Jo support and encourage each other to continue growing is exactly the environment we want here. Together they set a great example by placing a premium value on improving health as a family.”
Both David and Jo have found many benefits since they began their CrossFit journey. David has learned to not give up and push past barriers. Workouts and movements are challenging. The mindset it takes to push through them is the same mindset that will help push through challenges outside of the gym. David also credits CrossFit with helping him in school. He feels that he feels more alive and on point, that he feels he has more focus. He is also a high school athlete and attributes CrossFit to helping him become faster, stronger, and more athletic.
BTSCF Feature Athlete David Negron completing his rope work during CrossFit Open Workout 20.2.
For Jo, she has learned that everyday cannot be your day. Some days will be better than others but with the right mindset you can still find opportunities to improve even on the days that aren’t as good. She loves that she can always try her best and if it doesn’t work out, tomorrow is a new day and opportunity. Having a desk job in an office is also a challenge, so Jo has learned how coming to the gym helps her get her blood flowing and keeps her in shape.
In their spare time, David enjoys playing video games, watching videos on YouTube, and hanging out with friends. Jo enjoys watching a little TV, but said she doesn’t have much time for that after working, going to the gym, and making sure she gets enough sleep to recover.
We hit both Jo and David with some rapid fire questions. Here is what they had to say:
Q: What super power would you give yourself?
David: Invisibility!
Jo: Me too!!
David: Oh, I messed that up, teleportation.
Q: What's your favorite healthy food?
David: Brussel Sprouts
Jo: Steak
Q: What's your favorite not so healthy food?
David: Cheeseburgers
Jo: Pizza
Q: What TV Sitcom family or group would you be a member of?
David: Not a sitcom, but Teen Titans.
Jo: Also not a sitcom, Stranger Things.
Q: If you were famous, what would you be famous for?
David: Being myself.
Jo: Lifting things up and putting them down.
Q: If you could write your own fortune cookie fortune, what would it say?
David: Keep your head up, Chief.
Jo: I don’t like Chinese food.
Q: If you were a professional wrestler, what would you finishing move be called?
David: Flying Eagle
Jo: Unicorn Slam
Q: Who do you look up to for inspiration at BTSCF?
Jo: Everybody
David: Everybody
Q: What is your favorite and least favorite movement?
Jo: I don’t like Snatches or Thrusters. I like deadlifts and rowing.
David: My favorite are Cleans and least favorite are Thrusters.
Q: If someone was on the fence about trying CrossFit, what would you say to them?
Both (in unison): DO IT!
Jo: I’d like to add, that it is very intimidating to walk through the door that first time. I’d tell them to push past that and give it a try. Walking in is the biggest step.
Q: What is the one thing you've done at BTSCF that your old self wouldn't ever believe?
Jo: 100 Burpees and 120 Wall Balls
David: Snatch 115 lbs. I also want to change my least favorite movement to wall balls.
Hack Your WOD: Nutrition
On CrossFit’s theoretical hierarchy for development of an athlete, Nutrition is the foundation of the pyramid.
The most important piece of building a strong fitness foundation is your nutrition. What you consume can fuel your body to perform better or it can slow you down. As we moved through the holiday season, it’s likely that you ate or drank something that falls under the “slow you down” category. It’s OK. That was earlier this morning, or yesterday, or last week. You cannot go back and change your past nutrition. You can however start right now making the nutritional choices to set you up to lose weight, fuel your workouts, and build lean muscles.
The nutritional rabbit hole is deep, but you can simplify it. The CrossFit nutritional prescription is to eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. So what does that mean? It simply means you should eat real food, not too much of it, and make it mostly plants.
Here are some quick nutritional tips to set yourself up for success:
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Go through your refrigerator and cabinets. Remove the things from your home that you shouldn’t eat and don’t buy any more of it. If you don’t have it, you can’t consume it.
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Meal Prep can be time consuming at first but will save you in the long run. Having your meals for the week prepared and ready to go will make it easier to consume the right foods.
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Try not to eat in your car. Think of the last few times you ate in your car. Was it healthy? Odds are what you ate was something from a drive thru. If your schedule makes this a challenge and you need to eat in your car, bring healthy snacks.
Maintaining your nutrition is simple, but not easy. If you need advice, talk to a trainer or ask about BTSCF’s nutrition coaching program.