We are excited to announce Yoga for CrossFit! This class is designed to work on mobility, strength and relaxation. The best part is, it’s free with your membership!

A few words from our Yoga instructor, Jill Peterson:

“I recently became a mother to an amazing little boy, Brock! He’s been CrossFitting and yoga-ing with me throughout my pregnancy, and he’s the absolute love of my life. I jokingly say, “We’ve been prepping and preparing him to win the 2035 CrossFit Games!” When I’m not juggling motherhood, work, etc. I’m doing one of two things: CrossFit or yoga.

I was introduced to CrossFit by my dashing and studly (then boyfriend, now husband) Matt, in 2009. From a globo gym setting, we followed the main site WOD’s until we joined our own CrossFit box in 2012. With my background in gymnastics, CrossFit was a natural fit. I loved that every workout was different, and It brought out my inner badass. If I could beat Matt in a workout, my day was made!

However, before Fran, Annie, and the Filthy Fifty, my first love was yoga. From the age of 17, I’ve practiced on a weekly basis until I finally got certified with my teacher training certificate in 2011. Through my teaching journey, I’ve fallen in love with yoga for athletes, especially CrossFitters. With the integration of yoga and CrossFit, I’ve noticed significant gains in people’s strength, flexibility, and overall well being.

Sincerely,

Jill

Do you have a friend who would love Back Alley but isn’t quite ready to jump in? Bring ’em to yoga, The drop-in fee is only $10!

So grab your mats and join us Thursday nights at 730pm!

Yoga for CrossFit
When: Every Thursday at 730pm
Where: Back Alley CrossFit
Cost: $10, Free for Members

I’ve always marveled at Olympic athletes. Beyond the amazing talent, drive, discipline, and dedication that impress us all, what has always had me most mystified is the fact that many of them train for their entire lives and have only seconds to execute their craft. The Olympic record for the women’s 50-meter freestyle swim? 24.05 seconds. The amount of time it takes for a vault in gymnastics? In the neighborhood of six seconds. Sure, marathons take a relative while, but still it comes down to a single performance on a single day after literally hundreds or thousands of days spent preparing. I’ve always wondered how these athletes deal with chance in this setup–the chance they get sick, the chance they get hurt, the chance they could simply have a bad day when it matters most.

One might argue that the best athletes and performers are defined by simply not having bad days. Or maybe it’s not that they don’t have bad days; rather it’s their capacity to manage themselves despite having a bad day, their ability to dig down and perform when their bodies aren’t quite right, that makes them special. But I think this is old news.

My focus here is not on what elite athletes–whose lives have been devoted to training and performance when it matters–do to rise above a bad day, but what the rest of us do–not so much during a bad day, but in its aftermath. I’m interested here in how we handle the disappointments of a competition, a workout, a race, an event when things don’t go our way. How do we process our failures? Where do our thoughts go, why do they go there, and how does this affect our functioning in the future?….

…Invest yourself in your training and your goals, for sure, but don’t over-indulge in the process. Bad days happen, but so do good ones. You may even have an awesome day (or ten) if you don’t get bogged down in the bad ones. Read more…

We’re introducing a new program…CrossFit 101. Sometimes we need to put the barbell down, leave out the complexity and just let it rip!

You’ll see all your favorites…kettlebells, wall balls, slam balls, pull-ups, box jumps and of course…burpees! Cindy, Kelly, Barbara…they’re all still there. CrossFit 101 is all about speed, fitness and intensity. Best of all…it’s included in every CrossFit membership. It all starts March 31st with morning, evening and weekend classes.

We’re also introducing a stand-alone 101 membership that will be perfect for anyone looking to get into CrossFit but is not quite ready to step up to the barbell or needs a little general fitness. “101″ workouts are great for everyone because they focus on movement quality and intensity. Like all of our workout options, these workouts are scalable and can be made as difficult as one could imagine. People can stay in 101 forever or move up to CrossFit when they’re ready.

One more update: Beginning March 31st…Unless someone has CrossFit experience, 101 classes are the only classes for free intros. We want want you guys to have our full attention!

See the new schedule starting March 31st.