“Fran”21-15-9DB or KB Thruster (95 pounds)Pullups What’s for Breakfast? Yep, we’ve all heard it: “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”.  I couldn’t agree more.  How could one live, let alone function, without a few hot steaming cups of coffee each morning? Beyond that, all bets are off.  It used to look a like a bowl or 2 (or maybe even 3) of cereal. But these days, I am an eggs and meat gal.  My husband’s breakfast often freaks me out as it looks more like a salad than breakfast.  I’m fine with all these veggies at dinner or even lunch,  but breakfast? When I’m crunched for time, I often default to a banana and some type of nut butter. I know–not ideal; but still better than 90% of the breakfasts consumed around American breakfast tables every day. Other times, when  we know life will be hectic, we...Read more

Five rounds for time of:10 Toes to bar10 Power snatch (75 lbs)10 Wall ball shots (20 lbs) Just Finish. We’ve all been there. Those days when it takes all you can do to just get to the door. Then, you look at the workout and it is the exact opposite of the workouts you like. Then, you go to get dressed and your favorite socks are still wet from the day before (yuk.)  Nevertheless, you tell yourself that you are just going to warm up and maybe you will feel better. Before you know it, you are face to face with the “3-2-1 GO!” moment and you are no more sure of your desire or ability to complete the workout than you were when you walked in. But still, you start. You silence the voices during the first round that suggest perhaps today just isn’t meant to be. You resist...Read more

“Helen” Three rounds for time:Run 400 meters21 Kettlebell swings (1 1/2 pood Kettlebell or 55 pound dumbbell)12 Pull-ups Stand Up Straight Your mother said it. Your grandmother said it. Your coaches say it. Standing up straight is not only key to good posture, it is also key to shoulder and hip mobility as well as running technique. Many of the imbalances, areas of decreased range of motion, and inefficiencies in movements such as running are directly linked to poor posture. The activities and conveniences of our daily life predispose us toward slouching, internal rotation of our shoulders, and an anterior tilt in our spine. It takes a concerted effort to combat these well ingrained habits. I’ve been reading a lot about running posture recently. Surprisingly, the first step in improving flawed running technique is to Stand Up Straight. Brian MacKenzie of CrossFit Endurance describes this position as a “flat back...Read more

21-15-9 Air squats x 2Burpee box jump up and overs (24/20) Miss Manners…Part 1 This is the first installment in an ongoing series geared toward gym etiquette. Today we will tackle the topic of what to do when you finish your workout if others are still working. If you have other topics that you would like Miss Manners to address, feel free to post to comments. Dear Miss Manners: I’m a bad-ass CrossFitter and I often find that I finish my workout seconds, even minutes, before others in the class. It annoys me that they are still working out while I’m trying to put my my weights and barbell away. How can I tell them to step it up a little bit so that I can be 1st in line at the coffee shop? Dear Bad-Ass: At Roots, we think the biggest bad-asses are those that leave their equipment where it...Read more

For time:Run 1000 meters100 Push-ups135 pound Snatch, 10 reps The CrossFit Open Showcase. The CrossFit Open kicks off March 6th! Over the next few weeks we roll out the CrossFit Open Showcase on the Roots website.  Each Monday we’ll educate you on the why, how, and when of the CrossFit Open.   We’ll give you all the details on how The Open will run at Roots.  We hope to inspire you to participate by posting first hand accounts of Roots athletes’ experiences from the 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Open. Sign-up for the CrossFit Open opens January 30th. Read the posts and don’t miss out!Read more