Dear Roots Crew,  Over the past 15 years, I have often heard members from all walks of life express that they do not fit the “normal” profile of a CrossFitter. Some feel nervous in class because everyone’s been doing this longer; others were top-notch athletes in another arena and are unsure about their abilities in this setting, or they might be newcomers who are just starting to work out, realizing there is a lot of work to do. This self-doubt about belonging in class or within CrossFit has always rattled me because the qualities that define a CrossFitter are not related to physical abilities or capacity. To be a CrossFitter, you have to be willing to work and grind, accept coaching, put in the consistent effort to achieve the results you seek, and, yes, embrace the challenges that come with it. If you can own these elements of the program,...Read more

Dear Roots Crew, Thanks to everyone for contributing to a stellar October! The PRs from Benchmark Week were impressive, and the improvements made over a year were fun to track and hear about. Benchmark Week is an integral part of what we do because it gives you a framework to assess, track your progress, and remind yourself of your efforts over a year. Congrats to everyone who turned in a PR during Benchmark Week!Looking to November and colder weather, I am excited to say that the Winter Holiday Pre-Order is BACK! Check out the full line of gear, from hoodies to zip-ups, sweatpants, and more! Place your order by November 15th!Several events are coming up in November, including Chad 1000x on Veteran’s Day. Please take a moment to learn about this event. We plan to make it an outdoor event this year, so plan accordingly, and we’ll see you on November 11th! Bring the hype,  Nicole  QUICK HITS Winter...Read more

Join us on Veterans Day (Monday, November 11) in group classes as we honor Chad’s life and bring awareness to suicide prevention. The Workout Chad Wearing a 45# rucksack, 1,000 step-ups to a 20″ box. Group Classes on November 11th We will do this workout in all group classes on Monday 11/11. As always, we will offer scaling options. We understand that some people may be limited by an hour however we will not stop you from finishing. If you have to stay longer to get it done, we highly encourage you to do so. And we’ll be there to cheer you on. Why This Workout? Read here. How to Support There are many ways you can support the effort and the goal of increasing suicide awareness: Come do the workout at Roots. Talk to friends. Smile. Give some high fives. CrossFit Roots is donating $5 to The Step Up...Read more

The following blog is a contribution from Roots coach and all-around awesome guy Connor Warman (CF-L2). Connor heads up the Legends program at Roots for athletes 65 and over and has seen firsthand the positive impact strength training has on this population. For more writing and musings from Connor, check out Figuring It Out with Connor. Spending the better part of the last five years working in a CrossFit gym, I’ve seen and heard it all when it comes to fitness and nutrition trends, as well as myths. • Full-depth squats are bad for your knees.• Kipping pull-ups are bad for your shoulders.• Deadlifting heavy is bad for your back.• My doctor says that I should never run again.• Insert (Vegan, Carnivore, Paleo, Macros, Intermittent Fasting, etc.) is the best way to eat… None of this is new. Trends and fads in the health and fitness industry have been around long before my Grandparents were...Read more

All about the Benchmark Series! Once a quarter, we will program the same five workouts, Monday through Friday for athletes to come in, test, and then repeat throughout one year. Should I do all five workouts? We recommend you pick 4-5 workouts and aim to hit them for all four quarters of testing. The workouts will always be programmed in the same order, Monday through Friday to help you plan. Why do we test benchmark workouts? “Our intent is two-fold in examining these workouts. First, these workouts, being exemplars of the CrossFit ideal, give us opportunity to lay bare some of the possibly unseen considerations and details we weigh in our programming design. Second, these five workouts introduce a series of workouts that will serve to measure and benchmark your performance and improvements through repeated, irregular, appearances in the “Workout of the Day”.” Read more about the original benchmark workouts...Read more