CrossFit Las Vegas

The Workout:
3, 3, 3, 3 Jerk

For time:
13-10-7
HSPU
Ring dips
Push ups

I gave a quick call to CrossFit Las Vegas to see f I could join for a workout. And, Just like most CrossFit affiliates, they were more then happy to have me join. I freaking love that about CrossFit man, love it! Anyway, I went to grab my rental car from the Vegas airport, then drove about a mile down the road to this huge (and I mean huge) sports complex. From what I could see, the place had everything: basketball, baseball, go carts and of course, CrossFit. Basically, you enter through a sort of side door (tires and such make it pretty obvious which door to go to) and you are greeted by a cavernous space. Ceilings well over 30 feet up, I-beams strung around, metal and concrete everywhere. The whole space is lined with shirts from hundreds of affiliates visited, a really cool sight. The equipment is set up in an almost V formation; racks are off to the left, and beyond them is a massive pull up rig with a couple different width bars. To the right is another area for barbell training as well, with ropes, tires, paralettes, sandbags, KB's, DB's and more. In the middle there is a slew of rings hanging off a collection of I-beams, and bumpers and barbells line the platform areas in both directions. Man what cool place!  I apologies for not having any pictures from the experience, I unfortunately had to rush out early to go pick Lindsey up from work.  I love getting pics of the spaces I visit, and of the coaches and members I got to work out with, so, sorry about not having any for this one.

I met a few of the members and coaches, foam rolled and chatted as people started filing in. In all, I would say about 18 or so people were in there, and besides me (and another guy who hadn't been there in a while) everyone was a regular.  Man, everyone seemed so friendly, and genuinely happy to be there. So we got started. Partnered up, we ht 400 meters on the rower while our partner did 10 jumping jacks at each 100. Then we ran through a set of walking lunges and inch worms before grabbing PVC piping to warm up the shoulders. A very quick jerk run-through, and we were on to the barbells.

I teamed up with two real nice guys and we quickly got after it, loading the bar up, helping each other out and pushing each other a bit. I was able to get 225# very easily for my last set, felt very quick and light and was very happy with that. Between sets, I took a moment to watch the group, see how they all moved and worked. I'm not going to lie, with such a quick run-through of the jerk, I was expecting to see some sloppy form all around, but I was pleasantly surprised at how clean the group looked. That is a testament to a great foundations/on ramp program (I watched the end of on of those sessions when I walked in, and it looked very, very inclusive and personalized). The best part about this is that more time can be spent lifting because everyone is comfortable with the movements. The more time lifting, the faster the gains. Kudos to the coaches for getting this right and being able to run such a strong class, especially when the class size is around 20 members (they have been around for a little over 2 years and have well over 100 members now)!

The metcon, well, a different story for me for sure. I had to use an abmat AND a 25# bumper to get the HSPU's, and even then, my best was 9 unbroken, and after the first set, I went to singles from then on. The dips and push ups were no problem and I finished somewhere around 9 minutes. This time is way off because I started about 30 or so seconds late (partnered with another guy), then had to switch off and on with him for the HSPU's. Not too concerned about the time though, because in my mind, I just needed to focus on that damn exercise!

On the whole, CrossFit Las Vegas was an absolute blast. Just to see how great a space can actually be, I suggest that anyone who visits goes and pokes their head it, it is very motivating to just stand amongst that much awesome equipment. And to add to it, they seem to optimize what CrossFit is all about. They have all the equipment and then some, big classes, down to earth, fun coaches, efficient and clearly effective programming, and a seemingly well-run CrossFit affiliate all around.

CrossFit Las Vegas
info@crossfitlasvegas.com
www.cossfitlasvegas.com

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage