I woke up early Tuesday morning and got myself prepared for probably the toughest day of my CrossFit Community Month: 3 visits in one day! I really was not al that worried as each of the three visits this day looked to be so distinctly different and exciting, but, I was feeling pretty damn beat up from my workout with Jason Khalipa at CrossFit Santa Clara the night before. Either way, I packed up a load of food and hit the road for CrossFit Burn.
This was officially the farthest visit for me, being about a 1.5-hour drive from my home with no traffic. But the drive was great. I went thought the city, across the Bay bridge and into the hills; such amazing scenery all around. As usual, I had to do a few turn-arounds to find CrossFit Burn. But again (as usual) I was not let down in any way once I pulled in.
I would categorize CrossFit Burn as a “Classic” CrossFit affiliate. A pretty good sized warehouse space with a sweet graffiti logo on the left wall as you walk in. There are a string of squat racks and platform wood in front of that wall, with bars and plates lined up against it. Plyo boxes and other equipment line the back wall and then smack dab in the center is a massive Rouge Fitness pull up rig. What a sweet set up! I was instantly welcomed and ended up chatting up a few different people before and during our warm up. It being the noon class, head coach Jamie explained that it was a little more relaxed. People would shuffle in, get a good warm up in, and then everything would filter into the workout. I enjoyed that approach, especially given the cool people I got to talk to who were hanging out.
From the feeling I got walking in, to chatting with athletes and coaches, this place is one I foresee just getting bigger and bigger. From what Jamie told me, it’s a pretty new gym and already it seems like a staple in the area. Things just seem comfortable there. What really stood out to me though (and I honestly do get the feeling this is a very regular occurrence at Burn) was the variety of people that were there when I walked in. A couple people around my age give or take, a few older people, a couple much younger people, and then, a handful of kids. The fact that all of these drastically different age groups could hang in the gym without having any part of the workout compromised speaks a ton to the leadership. We all got to work at our own pace, with our respective weights, and we all gave it 100%. And the best part: the kids were all playing wonderfully while we worked out. One of them goofing off on a GHD and a couple others playing with the “CrossFit Ghost” they met in the office. Awesome!
The Workout:
5 x 2 back squat
Then...
15-12-9 of:
Squat clean thrusters 115#
Chest to bar pull ups
Oh my goodness, my poor shoulders! With my arms feeling like they did, I was not feeling like this would be the easiest workout in the world. Then, when I felt like I was completely stuck with only 335# for the back squats, I became even more defeated. But, when everyone began getting their weights ready, and finding their spot on the pull up bar, I got a little burst of energy. I have to admit, the feeling one gets just before a workout when everyone in the room is truly ready to go is difficult to describe. There are so many levels of feelings you can have right here, and I can’t choose which one I like the most. I think that it’s all a matter of how you feel on a given day. With this workout and how I felt, having this particular group of people ready to go was so motivating. I felt like I was competing against the bars with all these other athletes on my side, rather than competing against them. That team feeling I got the second Jamie yelled go got me pretty fired up.
I blasted through the first round unbroken, and then hit the second round, breaking the squat clean thrusters into 3 sets, and the chest to bar pull ups into 4. Then the last round, the round that really got me came around. I ended up going to singles on the barbell after about 4, and the same with the pull ups after 3. I was spent. With the extra pump from Jamie at the end I finished in 6:42, a time I am very happy with for how I felt, but overall I feel it should be closer to 5.
I really felt like just hanging out there for a while after we were all stretched and done. The people were that welcoming and fun. I would like to think I’ll be back out there in the coming months, I just wish they weren’t so damn far away from me! But anyway, tons of respect for all the athletes and coaches that make up CrossFit Burn. I get that much more excited with each “Classic” box I visit, and I learn so much more on how I can build mine.
This was officially the farthest visit for me, being about a 1.5-hour drive from my home with no traffic. But the drive was great. I went thought the city, across the Bay bridge and into the hills; such amazing scenery all around. As usual, I had to do a few turn-arounds to find CrossFit Burn. But again (as usual) I was not let down in any way once I pulled in.
I would categorize CrossFit Burn as a “Classic” CrossFit affiliate. A pretty good sized warehouse space with a sweet graffiti logo on the left wall as you walk in. There are a string of squat racks and platform wood in front of that wall, with bars and plates lined up against it. Plyo boxes and other equipment line the back wall and then smack dab in the center is a massive Rouge Fitness pull up rig. What a sweet set up! I was instantly welcomed and ended up chatting up a few different people before and during our warm up. It being the noon class, head coach Jamie explained that it was a little more relaxed. People would shuffle in, get a good warm up in, and then everything would filter into the workout. I enjoyed that approach, especially given the cool people I got to talk to who were hanging out.
From the feeling I got walking in, to chatting with athletes and coaches, this place is one I foresee just getting bigger and bigger. From what Jamie told me, it’s a pretty new gym and already it seems like a staple in the area. Things just seem comfortable there. What really stood out to me though (and I honestly do get the feeling this is a very regular occurrence at Burn) was the variety of people that were there when I walked in. A couple people around my age give or take, a few older people, a couple much younger people, and then, a handful of kids. The fact that all of these drastically different age groups could hang in the gym without having any part of the workout compromised speaks a ton to the leadership. We all got to work at our own pace, with our respective weights, and we all gave it 100%. And the best part: the kids were all playing wonderfully while we worked out. One of them goofing off on a GHD and a couple others playing with the “CrossFit Ghost” they met in the office. Awesome!
The Workout:
5 x 2 back squat
Then...
15-12-9 of:
Squat clean thrusters 115#
Chest to bar pull ups
Oh my goodness, my poor shoulders! With my arms feeling like they did, I was not feeling like this would be the easiest workout in the world. Then, when I felt like I was completely stuck with only 335# for the back squats, I became even more defeated. But, when everyone began getting their weights ready, and finding their spot on the pull up bar, I got a little burst of energy. I have to admit, the feeling one gets just before a workout when everyone in the room is truly ready to go is difficult to describe. There are so many levels of feelings you can have right here, and I can’t choose which one I like the most. I think that it’s all a matter of how you feel on a given day. With this workout and how I felt, having this particular group of people ready to go was so motivating. I felt like I was competing against the bars with all these other athletes on my side, rather than competing against them. That team feeling I got the second Jamie yelled go got me pretty fired up.
I blasted through the first round unbroken, and then hit the second round, breaking the squat clean thrusters into 3 sets, and the chest to bar pull ups into 4. Then the last round, the round that really got me came around. I ended up going to singles on the barbell after about 4, and the same with the pull ups after 3. I was spent. With the extra pump from Jamie at the end I finished in 6:42, a time I am very happy with for how I felt, but overall I feel it should be closer to 5.
I really felt like just hanging out there for a while after we were all stretched and done. The people were that welcoming and fun. I would like to think I’ll be back out there in the coming months, I just wish they weren’t so damn far away from me! But anyway, tons of respect for all the athletes and coaches that make up CrossFit Burn. I get that much more excited with each “Classic” box I visit, and I learn so much more on how I can build mine.
CrossFit Burn
110 2nd Avenue S, A-14
Pacheco, CA 94553
(925) 849-5365
Jamie@cfburn.com
As I write this I am down to only 2 visits remaining in the Bay Area (I am scheduling 3-4 out in Sacramento for the first weekend in February though!). I’ll be posting up a couple tomorrow as on the day I visited CrossFit Burn, I also visited CrossFit KMSF and CrossFit Potrero Hill…
Never Stop, GET FIT.
Josh Courage
110 2nd Avenue S, A-14
Pacheco, CA 94553
(925) 849-5365
Jamie@cfburn.com
As I write this I am down to only 2 visits remaining in the Bay Area (I am scheduling 3-4 out in Sacramento for the first weekend in February though!). I’ll be posting up a couple tomorrow as on the day I visited CrossFit Burn, I also visited CrossFit KMSF and CrossFit Potrero Hill…
Never Stop, GET FIT.
Josh Courage
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