Today's visit found me at CrossFit San Ramon in, yup, you guessed it, San Ramon! This was a bright and early visit, and getting from my house in San Mateo/Burlingame to way out there by 6:30am was a mental challenge in and of itself. But, it was SO worth it. I was getting frustrated right off the bat because the fog driving up to the place was so dense I couldn't see any buildings, and there was no sign around. Finally, after driving back and forth a couple times, I spotted a person running towards the side of a building and sure enough, there it was! The smiles started quickly though, and I had an awesome time all around. Coach Dusty, who chatted with me for a couple minutes until we were interrupted by someone calling my name, welcomed me. Who the hell would know me here?! It turned out Heather, an old friend I had met, and actually trained a little bit back in DC worked out here! And (forgive me guys if I get this wrong...) her cousin (?) Leigh! So pumped to see both of them and it made me feel that much more at home. I quickly met the owner Tim, and as people shuffled in I was introduced to all of them.
CrossFit San Ramon reminds me a lot of CrossFit Southwest. It's in a cavernous warehouse; pull up bars along the back wall, and the rest of the equipment surrounding the open floor space. There was a grungy feel about it that inspired hard work, yet the coach’s attitudes, and the large group of athletes gearing up for the workout gave it that friendly, personal, almost warming touch. It was a pretty cool combo. There was nothing overly aggressive or passive about them, and Tim touched on how he promotes a much broader, general personality to the gym. I think it's one of those places that anyone would feel comfortable going to (except for the freezing cold temperatures that had us all really ready to get moving!).
Dusty took us through a great warm up that included some ball rolling over the feet and calves, and then some partner med ball work. We then set up for the workout:
5 rounds of max reps ring rows
For time:
50 box jumps 24”
1000 meter hill run
50 thrusters 45#
I teamed up with a couple guys and we took turns on the rows while talking about fitness. Everyone I talked to was really nice, very open and positive, and that just helped to make me feel that much better about being in a new place for the first time. I got 16, 15, 12, 10 and 8 on the rows (I think…), then helped as everyone set up for the metcon. The box jumps felt so much better than last time I did them (I just had no energy then it turned out, so strange) and I got them all unbroken, headed out into the run ahead of the group. A beast of an athlete breezed past me about halfway up the steep incline and to be honest, I actually enjoyed having someone right in front of me; it gave me something to push towards. Something else to add here: with each person I passed as I ran the 1000 meters back down I was able to share a “great job” or, “looking good” and all of them returned the motivation, it was great! I grabbed the bar for the final 50 reps and was feeling surprisingly fresh. I banged them all out unbroken and finished in 6:10. Felt very good with that time.
After the workout people hung around for a while, yet another thing I love about Crossfit, everyone just likes to hang out in the gym! I was able to chat a few more people up before heading out with Tim for a personal POSE Running session.
This. Was. Awesome! Tim is one of like 7 level-3 POSE coaches in the country, AND a CrossFit Endurance coach and did an amazing job at explaining what POSE is all about. It all made such perfect sense. Using gravity and the most efficient ranges of motion and mechanics of the body, you end up just effortlessly moving through space. And it feels so smooth no matter what; up hills, down hills, backwards, it’s crazy. The basic concept is shorter stride, mid-foot strike over heel strike, pulling your feet and knees up rather than slamming your feet down and pushing off the ground. Then there’s the lean. Basically, your speed is controlled by how much your lean. And this is an angle created by your entire body, not just from your waist up. I highly recommend looking into this more (I supplied a few links at the bottom, but if you are in the Bay Area, go check out Tim!).
All in all I had yet another great experience. Tim and Dusty run an awesome show out of San Ramon, and people in the area clearly take a liking to what they have going on. With Tim’s running and endurance expertise, and Dusty on the programming, they are a great representation of what generalized physical preparedness, the mantra of CrossFit, is all about.
CrossFit San Ramon reminds me a lot of CrossFit Southwest. It's in a cavernous warehouse; pull up bars along the back wall, and the rest of the equipment surrounding the open floor space. There was a grungy feel about it that inspired hard work, yet the coach’s attitudes, and the large group of athletes gearing up for the workout gave it that friendly, personal, almost warming touch. It was a pretty cool combo. There was nothing overly aggressive or passive about them, and Tim touched on how he promotes a much broader, general personality to the gym. I think it's one of those places that anyone would feel comfortable going to (except for the freezing cold temperatures that had us all really ready to get moving!).
Dusty took us through a great warm up that included some ball rolling over the feet and calves, and then some partner med ball work. We then set up for the workout:
5 rounds of max reps ring rows
For time:
50 box jumps 24”
1000 meter hill run
50 thrusters 45#
I teamed up with a couple guys and we took turns on the rows while talking about fitness. Everyone I talked to was really nice, very open and positive, and that just helped to make me feel that much better about being in a new place for the first time. I got 16, 15, 12, 10 and 8 on the rows (I think…), then helped as everyone set up for the metcon. The box jumps felt so much better than last time I did them (I just had no energy then it turned out, so strange) and I got them all unbroken, headed out into the run ahead of the group. A beast of an athlete breezed past me about halfway up the steep incline and to be honest, I actually enjoyed having someone right in front of me; it gave me something to push towards. Something else to add here: with each person I passed as I ran the 1000 meters back down I was able to share a “great job” or, “looking good” and all of them returned the motivation, it was great! I grabbed the bar for the final 50 reps and was feeling surprisingly fresh. I banged them all out unbroken and finished in 6:10. Felt very good with that time.
After the workout people hung around for a while, yet another thing I love about Crossfit, everyone just likes to hang out in the gym! I was able to chat a few more people up before heading out with Tim for a personal POSE Running session.
This. Was. Awesome! Tim is one of like 7 level-3 POSE coaches in the country, AND a CrossFit Endurance coach and did an amazing job at explaining what POSE is all about. It all made such perfect sense. Using gravity and the most efficient ranges of motion and mechanics of the body, you end up just effortlessly moving through space. And it feels so smooth no matter what; up hills, down hills, backwards, it’s crazy. The basic concept is shorter stride, mid-foot strike over heel strike, pulling your feet and knees up rather than slamming your feet down and pushing off the ground. Then there’s the lean. Basically, your speed is controlled by how much your lean. And this is an angle created by your entire body, not just from your waist up. I highly recommend looking into this more (I supplied a few links at the bottom, but if you are in the Bay Area, go check out Tim!).
All in all I had yet another great experience. Tim and Dusty run an awesome show out of San Ramon, and people in the area clearly take a liking to what they have going on. With Tim’s running and endurance expertise, and Dusty on the programming, they are a great representation of what generalized physical preparedness, the mantra of CrossFit, is all about.
CrossFit San Ramon
2411 Old Crow Canyon Road, Suite N
San Ramon, CA 94583
tim@crossfitsr.com
POSE Running Technique resources:
POSE
Sports Injury Bulletin
The Master Runner
Have a double-dip tomorrow at CrossFit Moxie and Catalyst Athletics! Should be fun.
Never Stop, GET FIT.
Josh Courage
2411 Old Crow Canyon Road, Suite N
San Ramon, CA 94583
tim@crossfitsr.com
POSE Running Technique resources:
POSE
Sports Injury Bulletin
The Master Runner
Have a double-dip tomorrow at CrossFit Moxie and Catalyst Athletics! Should be fun.
Never Stop, GET FIT.
Josh Courage
RSS Feed
