Reebok CrossFit Connect

We are pleased to announce our affiliation with Reebok.

We are pleased to announce that CrossFit Connect has joined a growing number of boxes in the UK and around the world and affiliated with Reebok to become Reebok CrossFit Connect.

Reebok have done an amazing job over the last two years in promoting CrossFit, pushing its message out to a much wider audience and raising its profile right around the world. More and more people are realising the power that CrossFit has to change lives for the better and as coaches this is what we strive for day in day out in our own boxes.

Yes, there were some misgivings when Reebok first got together with Coach Glassman and CrossFit in 2010. Such a tightly knit, almost underground community that CrossFit was had suddenly become breached by a huge multi-national corporate company like Reebok. People loved CrossFit because of its low-key, spit-and-sawdust feel and now they were selling out for commercial success. Hundreds of blog posts and comments were made online chastising CrossFit for selling out and this argument is still bubbling away today.

However, we have followed carefully just how Reebok have got involved, been to meetings with the UK head office and listened to proposals of just exactly what it is that they mean to get out of the partnership. We have seen how much they have raised CrossFits profile with quality prime time TV adverts, burgeoning competitions around Europe and have loved being able to watch all of our favourite athletes at the Games on ESPN and live streaming on the net. I doubt any of this would have happened without Reebok and it means more and more people are switching on to see just how damn fun CrossFit can be. As our nation spirals into an obesity epidemic surely this has to be a good thing.

Reebok are in it primarily to sell sports apparel. They have created a line of CrossFit specific clothes and shoes which they hope will become their flagship sports range. Lifting shoes, WODing shoes, shorts, t-shirts etc have all been designed with maximum training intensity in mind and of the items I have tried so far I have to say they are pretty damn good. The only downside at the moment is the cost of the items but I'm hoping this will come down in the near future to a more realistic level. You don't need this stuff to workout in but it certainly feels nice to wear. CrossFitters have become the biggest stash gathering fitness enthusiasts on the planet, jumping on the newest pair of trainers, compression socks, wrist straps...anything that will give them the edge in a WOD! Reebok have realised this and hope to benefit from it. And who can blame them?

So when it comes down to it, what does our affiliation with them mean?

It means we will be regarded alongside Reebok as a professional, quality brand. We can use their name to promote CrossFit Connect to a wider audience. We will feature on their websites and we will be holding events at the box each year. We will get some different signs made up for above the box door. We were chosen partly because of the quality of coaching we offer at the box and members can be assured that they will receive the best advice and guidance possible. You might even see us in few more pieces of Reebok gear over the next few months! ;)

Other than that, nothing will change. We will not change how we run the box and they will have no say in what makes us us. One of the best things about a CrossFit box is its uniqueness. Every box is different. We will continue to run Connect exactly as it is now as its this that our members love. One of our initial reservations was that boxes might become homogenised and god-forbid turn into mini globo gyms. But aside from the branding, each box will continue to run in its own unique fashion and its this that finally saw us make the decision to join forces with them.

We are now also in esteemed company in the UK with the likes of Reebok CrossFit Velocity, Reebok CrossFit 3D and Reebok CrossFit Thames, some of the biggest and best UK boxes. This is a proud achievement for us to sit alongside these coaches and names seeing as we are a fairly young and smallish (at the moment!) box.

We would just like to thank all of our members and supporters who have gotten us to where we are now. Its been great seeing our dream become reality and to build a fantastic place for people to come and train and have fun. We are really looking forward to seeing how the UK CrossFit scene develops over the next few years and love being part of such a vibrant community.

Cheers

Your Coaches: Dave, Holly, Barney & George

Beyond the Whiteboard....CrossFit at Work.

At CrossFit Connect we regularly publish photos of our whiteboards, workouts of the day, photos of our members in various displays of lifting prowess and anything else we can think of to try and convey CrossFits huge appeal and results to any potential new clients. Yet, to those who are not initiated into the folds of CrossFit our endless posts and tweets about how great it is can quite easily not mean a thing!


The UK CrossFit scene is thriving right now and with the addition of Reeboks backing it is about to go stratospheric in its popularity. But what can we do to help people take that first step in becoming involved in CrossFit if the adverts on TV and the new 180kg deadlift video you posted of one of your members last night seem a little 'elite' from the thought process of your regular gym goer?


Well, we thought it would be nice to go a little old school and simply ask one of our members who has had great success with CrossFit to answer a few questions about their time with us and what they have achieved. To show you real evidence of CrossFit at work. 

August 2011                                         March 2012

Rosie Francis is a 37 year old school teacher who joined us in August of 2011. She has become one of our most dedicated members and has been an absolute inspiration to us all at the box. Since the start of her training with us Rosie has lost an incredible 17kg (thats over 2.5 stone) and has transformed herself with our coaching and her utter dedication. I will continue to sing her praises at the bottom of this blog but for now, lets hear it in her own words. Over to you Rosie.......

CFC: Could you tell me a little detail of your background in sports. What did you used to do when you were younger and when did you start noticing you were getting out of shape?

RF: I was useless at sport at school and I was never in any school teams. I did a bit of kick boxing at Uni but this usually involved more time in the union bar than actually working out! We moved to Malaysia in 2007 and I was living the high life of a diplomat. It really took its toll on the waist line and after seeing myself in a photo about 18 months in I decided enough was enough. I joined a martial arts centre and took up taekwondo. I trained 3 hours a day, 6 days a week and went from total beginner to 1st Dan in 15 months (a gym record). I guess this was my first taste of success in sports. When I got back to the UK in 2010 I didn’t continue the taekwondo straight away as I needed to concentrate on getting a job and some money but I think it was also because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to sustain that level of training. I didn’t want to wear the belt if I felt I no longer deserved it, so regrettably I have never gone back to it. 

CFC: What made you decide to get fit and change your habits? Was it one moment or one thing? Or a gradual build up of factors?

RF: Since returning to live in England I’d put off joining a gym – the usual excuses of not enough time or money, pressures of looking for work etc..... then before I knew it we’d been back in England for two years and I was still making the same excuses. I found some old pictures of myself from when I had been doing taekwondo and it just reminded me of how much I used to enjoy working out and having a goal to work towards outside of my career. That was when I started looking into what was available in the area. I knew I was looking for something different to a normal gym as they just didn’t appeal to me. I had never heard of CrossFit but when I stumbled across CrossFit Connect’s website I knew it was just what I had been looking for.

CFC: Did you find it hard to make that first phone call to us?

RF: No. I read through all of the info on the website and thought it sounded interesting. I think by the time I got round to calling I was so fed up feeling unfit and putting on weight I was just relieved to get the ball rolling.

CFC: What made you decide to come to CrossFit Connect over anywhere else?

RF: I read everything on the website and it made me feel it was just what I was looking for. I watched some videos online and thought I would give it a go.

CFC: Had you been a member at any other 'big chain' gyms before? And if so how did you find them?

RF: Ha ha! David Lloyd – lasted all of 1 month and got thoroughly bored. Gold’s Gym - again about 1 month then got BORED.
With the big gyms I just felt lost. It was hard to remember what to do with all the machines, there was very little monitoring of your progress and I couldn’t afford a personal trainer so was pretty much left to my own devices. In the end I used to just turn up, do an hour on the cross trainer and then go home. It was quite a lonely experience, everyone plugged into their iPods in their own little world, and I just found the whole thing very unmotivating. 

CFC:  How did you find the first few weeks training at CrossFit Connect? Was it tough for you to motivate yourself to keep coming?

RF: I knew that Crossfit was something I wanted to stick to from the moment i started. However, I’d had good intentions about exercise before and hadn’t seen them through. So knowing myself and not wanting to repeat the past I made sure that before I left each class I booked myself into the next one – giving myself no excuses!
I have to admit for the first few weeks the drive over to the box was a little nerve racking! What would we be doing today? Would I be able to do it? Would I make a fool of myself? I knew this was silly because the coaches down at the box would always make sure I knew exactly what to do and that all the movements were scaled to my level of ability.

CFC: Would you say there was a watershed moment when it went from being hard to motivate yourself to just becoming automatic to come down to the box as part of your week?

RF: I can’t really remember when it changed but all of a sudden the drive to the box wasn’t nerve racking anymore. It was routine – just something I did as part of my day. Now I can’t wait to get to the box. I’m excited to see what’s in store for us on the whiteboard - even though sometimes I still groan when I see lots of running (not my strong point but I’m working on it!).

CFC: How do you think CrossFit differs from anything else you have done before?

RF: I think what makes CrossFit unique is the amazing supportive atmosphere you get at the box. It doesn’t matter who turns up to a class, we all cheer one another on and everyone really wants you to achieve your goals and do your very best. Even though I’m often the last to finish a WOD, you know what, I really don’t mind! It just means I get more people shouting encouragement and cheering me on! :)

CFC: What’s been your biggest achievement?

RF: I think for me my biggest achievement was to run a mile without stopping. It might not sound far to some people but when I first joined CrossFit Connect I couldn’t even run 200m without stopping to walk some of the way. 

CFC: Did you set yourself goals when you came down?

RF: When I first joined I had very vague goals – to get fitter and lose weight. As I’ve got more and more familiar with CrossFit my goals have become more specific and getting fitter and losing weight are things which I know will happen naturally without having to focus on them. (Coach Dave - that 400m run without stopping was a great moment when Rosie achieved it!)

CFC: What are your goals for the future?

RF: Where do I start?! There are so many things I want to improve. I really, really want to be able to do pull ups without assistance and get some double unders (twice round with the skipping rope on one jump). Perhaps even do a 5k run... ...one day! (although don't go getting any ideas with the programming coaches!)

CFC: What has been the impact of CrossFit on your life?

RF: My job is quite stressful and the workload can be overwhelming (I’m a teacher). Since joining Connect I have been making much more of an effort to get my life back. Surprisingly I have found that even though I’m working less hours, I am more efficient when I am working because I’m not so exhausted all the time. Also I’m much less stressed than I used to be. I am definitely more confident, happier and healthier than I have been in a very long time.

CFC: What would you say are the two or three things that really made CrossFit successful for you? Community, coaching etc?

RF: I like the variety of the workouts (WOD’s) knowing that every day you’ll be doing something different. It is absolutely impossible to get bored of CrossFit. As I’ve mentioned before the support of the coaches and the rest of the members is key to the success I’ve had so far. Knowing people believe in you and want to help you improve makes all the difference. Every time someone shouts “Come on Rosie” it just helps you dig deeper for that extra little bit of energy you need.

CFC:  How many times a week on average do you train and how has it been adopting the paleo eating style that we advocate at CrossFit Connect? Do you have cheat days still? How strict are you with the eating?

RF: I started training 3 times a week but found that I missed being at the box so now I train 5 times a week! It means I have to be organised to fit it all in but it’s definitely worth it. 

When I started eating paleo I was only planning on doing it for a month during the 30-day challenge the box held. I wasn’t really a big meat eater and I didn’t really see how I could give up bread, pasta and potatoes forever. During that month I lost 6kg and felt really good. But the month was over, so back came the bread and the dairy and back came the tiredness and bloated feeling that I’d put up with for so long. So back i went to it. Now I eat strict paleo 98% of the time. I don’t find it difficult to stick to, I don’t crave sugary things like I would do on other ‘diets’ (and I had tried every diet!) and I feel more in tune with my body. Now I know if I need a protein hit or a piece of fruit whereas before I’d stare into the fridge, hungry but not really knowing what I fancied. Inevitably I would choose the wrong thing to eat, feel unsatisfied and go back to fridge for more. I am strict with the paleo because I want to be. It makes me feel stronger when I stick to it and when I do have a little something ‘off plan’ I don’t feel guilty like I used to do on past ‘diets’ because I know my body can handle the small amounts of extra sugar or gluten and that it won’t stress my system.

CFC: Any last thoughts in general? Would you encourage women to start lifting weights and get away from aerobics/spin etc that they traditionally do? Did you ever see yourself doing clean and jerks and snatches?! And why do you enjoy them so much?

RF: I would definitely recommend Crossfit to anyone, including lifting the weights. I never really imagined myself lifting big weights and was a little worried about getting big unsightly muscles. What I’ve found is that lifting the weights have helped me to tone up and lose inches all over. The results I am seeing from Crossfit are just so much better than anything I ever got from bums and tums or boxercise or any of the many, many different classes I’ve tried over the years. I really enjoy lifting the weights – there’s a lot of skill involved and it’s definitely not all about brute strength. Getting the technique right and feeling the weights fly up in the air is a real buzz. When lifting weights, it’s so easy to monitor your progress week by week and keep track of your personal bests.


Rosies Lifting Stats:  (Aug 2011 / March 2012)

Deadlifts - was 40kg / now 110kg
Squats - was 30kg / now 70kg
Press - was 15kg / now 37.5kg
Clean & Jerk -  na / now 50kg
Snatch -  na / now 40kg


I hope this gives you some insight into just what can be achieved with sheer hard work, good coaching and access to great nutritional advice and support. Rosie, along with our other members have jumped right into the recent Reebok Games Open competition (see post here) and this extra amount of motivation has driven her even further towards all of her goals. It was great seeing Rosie get her first Toes-to-bar and Double unders over the last few weeks!


For more information and to see for yourself just what CrossFit can do for you, give us a call or drop us an email and come down and meet us and try your first class for FREE. Its perfectly suitable for all levels of ability and we'd love to have you part of the growing CrossFit community. A whole wealth of info on CrossFit and more on why our members see better results than at their previous gyms can be found on our website at www.crossfitconnect.co.uk. This is going to be a big year for CrossFit Connect so come and be part of it. Thanks for reading.

CrossFit Goes National with Reebok and The Times.

We all knew it was coming but to be honest didn't quite know when, where or how Reebok were going to start investing in CrossFit over here in the UK. We have seen the glossy, high end adverts that they have released in the States (see earlier blog posts here or YouTube if you havent seen these yet) but didn't know how they would go about it on our own turf. Well, here you go...the first piece of real mainstream 'Reebok' branded CrossFit advertising. And a centre page spread in The Times newspaper no less.

We have seen articles appearing more and more frequently in magazines such as Runners World, Mens Health, Mens Fitness and Red magazine over the last few months but nothing as broadly readable as this.

It will be interesting to see how many people are persuaded to give it a try through advertising such as this. We know that up until now CrossFit really has been spread through word of mouth and to be honest that is still in my mind the best way for it to grow. There is nothing like a glowing report from a friend (or their complete change in shape, strength and fitness!) to make others want to get down to a box and try it out. However, as a business owner and from a coaches perspective the more people we can help get fitter and stronger the better. This is where Reeboks advertising millions are going to come into play. Although i think they have got to be careful how they brand it over here. I'm sure that some of the 'Elite' slant that the adverts in America have got just wouldn't go down well in the UK. We are a different breed of people and will need a different type of advertising. Anyway, I'm sure Reebok know that!

The one thing that is important in CrossFits growth is its roots. As box owners we must realise what people fell in love with in the first place and keep its traditions. People came to us because they wanted something different. They wanted a bit of 'spit and sawdust' as the article says. They wanted a programme that worked and they actually enjoyed doing. And as a side product they got a community that supported their every rep and made things that seemed impossible possible. A box has to maintain this over traditional big chain gyms despite the growing numbers of people getting involved in CrossFit. This comes down to us as box owners. We've gotta keep it real as our friends in the States might say.

Yes, it might seem to some that have been involved for a long time that CrossFit is 'selling out' but this doesn't have to be the case. You can still keep the feel of CrossFit alive in your box even though more people will become involved by keeping class sizes small and just putting on more classes. If you are scared that it might become watered down because more and more people are scaling things and not doing it as Rxd then you must remember where you began your CrossFit journey. Did you Rx everything first time out? No, probably not. The people that are scaling things now wont be in 6 months to a year if they stick with it. Today's scalers are tomorrows firebreathers! If something truly is that great and fantastic then its not going to stay hidden for long. CrossFit was never going to stay underground because it works. And if it works, more and more people are going to want to do it. Embrace this. It just means more people to pit your 'Fran' time against!

We will ensure that the ethos of CrossFit Connect wont change. The programming, training, spirit, friendliness and community will stay the same no matter how many people come through the doors. Sure, its dynamics will change as you have more people to share your workouts with but you will always know what you are going to get from your coaches and we will endeavour to keep the feel of the place no matter what happens in the future.

If you want to come down and be part of this then give us a call or get in touch via the website. The revolution is upon us it seems.............................

See The Times newspaper or the online version (you have to sign up) to read in more detail