1JUN2015 – Who wants to get STRONG?

June is here. It feels like only yesterday we were shovelling snow and complaining about how cold it was outside. Whining and complaining about the weather this summer is gonna cost you a thousand burpees. This weeks marks the beginning of the end!

We’re entering the GRAND LORD phase of DarkSide, which has been our 12-week programming at CFER for the past 8 weeks. (If you don’t know that by now, what rock have you been hiding under?!) The focus of the final stage of DARKSIDE is get you strong as f*ck. Seriously. Expect to build your maximal strength and top-end power this week, while maintaining conditioning.

Side note: We will NOT be posting the WODs on here every day. They’ll be up in WODIFY at 12:00am the day of the workout.

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This week, we’ve witnessed or heard about people facing adversity. Some days, life doesn’t deal us the best hand. Several CrossFit athletes, including Julie Foucher (see below) and Josh Bridges (who placed 6th in his region when the top 5 athletes qualify for the CrossFit Games) come to mind as of late.
There are so many lessons we can pick up by watching others fail, and in many senses failing with them. You have to make the most of any situation, because life is going to continue – whether you’re on board with its events or not. In the end, life isn’t always fair. No matter how hard you try, even if you give it 110% and no matter how much you prepare, things do not always work out. And it stinks. It’s one of the hardest lessons you have to face in life. So why do we continue to try so hard?
Why do you come into the box every day and give the WODs your all, leaving nothing but sweat and speechlessness on the floor after a WOD? Because it makes you better. Sure, it hurts. There’s pain. Soreness, aches and mental barriers too; we have to overcome them all. But in the end, adversity makes us better.
“Without challenge, there is no change.” Would Julie have qualified for the 2015 CrossFit Games if she hadn’t hurt herself? Probably, but we’ll never know. Heck, she might have WON the CrossFit Games. But I think her perspective on life moving forward will be a lot different because of this obstacle. I, for one, will certainly never forget her smile as she hobbled onto the arena floor to compete in the handstand walk event, nor will I forget watching her cry those tears of pain and sadness during an interview post-injury. Knowing she still came out and gave it her all? That’s the sign of a true champion.
I think the biggest lesson I’ve taken from the weekend is to enjoy the process. Revel in it. Don’t do something just for the sake of doing it. Have goals and train with purpose. But don’t discount all the hard work you put in if you don’t achieve a certain goal. Everyone is worthy of achievement. Sometimes we have to look past first place, or fifth place, to find it. Yours in Fitness, Melissa
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“HOW’M I DOIN?” We need your help to make CrossFit East River the best gym in New York City. In the words of Mayor Koch please tell us how we’re doing. WODIFY has an anonymous feedback feature built in, just click the bull-horn on your homepage or the feedback tab in the app.
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Events:
6/7 – Sunday – Olympic Weightlifting with Heather 
6/13 – Saturday – NYRR Oakley 10k
6/20- Saturday – 2 Year Anniversary Party 
6/21 – Sunday – Olympic Weightlifting with Heather
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Links:
Meanwhile, in Russia, Dmitry Klokov retired from weightlifting.
“Greg Glassman Interview with Sean Woodland” – a not-to-be-missed interview with Coach (video)

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Julie Foucher was on a quest to qualify for the 2015 CrossFit Games – this was her last year competing, as she’s going to dedicate the majority of her time now to med school. She partially tore her Achilles tendon during the box jumps of Event 3 in the Central Regional. But then she came back out for events 4 and 5, and we’ll be damned if a tear didn’t come to our eyes watching her crush the handstand walk while wearing a hard boot, and then muscle snatching 85 pounds. Julie ended the weekend in 8th place overall, despite competing injured in half the events. Check out her handstand walk below: