New Year, New Leaf, New You!

Yep, whilst you still have all the enthusiasm in the world its time to decide the best place to go and get yourself into shape. Where is it going to be this year? Do you still even go to the gym you signed up for this time 12 months ago? Or more importantly can you really still the results of all your hard work stacking up in your favour? Are you getting stronger? Are you losing body fat? Can you honestly say you are on the path to where you want to be in three, six or twelve months time?

If so then congratulations! Its a nice feeling isnt it! :)
If not then perhaps its time for a change. Time to try something new.

Time then to get down to CrossFit Connect or one of the many CrossFit boxes popping up near you. CrossFit is growing rapidly and there are now over 75 CrossFit gyms or 'boxes' in the UK. Not to mention somewhere in the region of another 2500 worldwide.

The first few months of this year are going to be a busy time for our guys and gals at the box.  First up is our January paleo challenge which you can read about below, then we've got to get training for the UK CrossFit Throwdown Games happening in February at Brunel University and then towards the end of February registration opens for the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games. This year is bound to be bigger than ever with live broadcasting on ESPN and the general awareness of CrossFit growing massively last year thanks to Reeboks involvement.

So what can you get by coming down and checking out CrossFit Connect?

Do you want to drop body fat? Check.
Do you want to drop inches off your waist? Check
Do you want to drop your weight by as much as 5kgs? Check
Do you want to improve your strength, fitness and speed? Check
Do you want to make friends and actually enjoy coming to the gym? Check

Do you want all of this in just 30-days with a simple eating plan and some good old fashioned hard work? You bet you do!

Okay, so I'm not telling you its going to be easy or that we do all of this for you. You have to WANT to make the change and you have to actually WANT to make this happen.
We as coaches are here to guide you, motivate you and teach you how to become fitter, faster and stronger. CrossFit changes peoples lives. You just have to make that decision to try it and you wont look back.

Results from our recent challenges amazed the people who took part. Here's a section of an earlier post from the first challenge:

Ten of our members completed the challenge and i have to say they are very happy with the outcome. Plan P included a detailed meal plan drawn up by our 3 AA rosette winning chef, a food diary, a carefully structured training programme of lifting and WODs (workout of the day) and full support via email and phone. We didn't allow them any cheat days so that they could feel the true benefits of being 100% 'clean' and most of them trained at least three times a week down at the box.

The measurements we took were:
Weight (Kgs)
Body Fat % (as a total)
Body Fat % (as a score in four areas of the body; biceps, triceps, hips and shoulder)
Waist in Inches
Hips in Inches

So what happened and how did they feel?

Between them they lost:
27.8kg in weight (approx 4.4 stone)
19.4% body fat
15 inches around their waists!
(I dont want to give out individual results and names over the internet but if you would like more exact details then they will be available down at the box. Also, the 15in waist measurement total was only between 7 people not 10!)


Not bad eh? And this includes a few people who weren't looking to actually lose much weight but to just lean up around the mid-section. The before and after photos we took showed great differences and we kept having to remind ourselves that this was in fact only a 30-day challenge and not longer. Imagine 30 days from now being over half a stone lighter and having 5% less body fat around your mid-section? You'd take that wouldn't you?

I should also tell you that we saw some amazing increases in strength during that time as well proving that you can indeed get stronger and lose weight at the same time. One Deadlift went from 140kg to 170kg and one Shoulder Press from 32.5kg to 50kg.

CrossFit and Paleo are a potent combination.


We have packages for existing members and new members alike.
Members entry is £15.


For new members the package is outlined below:
~30-day Plan P guide including detailed meal plans, food diary, shopping lists and exercise guide.
~Personal two hour Intro course at CrossFit Connect.
~One months membership at CrossFit Connect that includes unlimited classes.
~Full health check and measurement assessment at beginning and end.

Cost = £125 (a 15% saving on individual costs)

If you would like to know more about the next Plan P challenge, CrossFit or simply want to see the place where our members are seeing so much success then give us a call, drop us a line or come down to the box and say 'hi'. We are a friendly, community driven gym where top quality coaching and nutrition advice are combined to get you into the best shape of your life. 


The challenge starts on Monday January 16th and will run for 30 days. We will be holding a talk from our resident paleo chef Barney on Saturday January 14th at which time we will also take your starting measurements and photos if you wish. You will also be able to collect your paleo books at this time for those that need them.


If you have any other questions don't hesitate to drop us an email. I would wish you good luck but you dont need it! If you sign up, follow what we say and train hard the results will speak for themselves. 
Come and find out about the buzz thats being generated by one of the best gyms in Brighton and Hove . We produce results. Full stop.


Take care