Hey guys the next data dump from the mind of Clint is getting postponed.  I had the majority of it typed up and then shut down my computer without saving it.  Rebuilding from scratch is going to  cost me some time, but it will definitely be out sometime this weekend.

As a quick aside, the fundraiser last Friday raised $1,510 for badge number 343.  Nice job everyone, for a hard 29 minutes of work!

Also the up coming partner competition on Feb 29th will be needing judges and volunteers.  If you don't want to compete, please talk to Kelia about helping out!  If you do want to compete, sign ups are on the cork board in the bathroom.

-C- 

Hey Everyone,

This is getting out to you all later than I had hoped.  Thursdays are usually the slow day of the week.  Today it was steady the whole time, so I didn't get the to write as early as I had hoped. 

With memberships being up, the gym is feeling a little crowded in the evening.  Last Tuesday was a perfect storm consisting of lots of people, a workout with 6 stations not counting the runs and a barbell being required at each end of the workout.  Thankfully it didn't have multiple rounds.  Normally Tuesdays and Thursdays are slower, but almost everyone in the evening crowd showed up for "Luke."

Lots of members enjoy the camaraderie of working out with each other and that is what the gym is all about.  People feeding off the energy that happens when more people workout together.  If you are a regular in the evening crowd and not one of these people, or would prefer a little less of the extreme, I would like to suggest changing the hours you come in. 

The morning crew at 5:30 A.M. is extremely consistent and fun, with only a hand full of regular players.  It is more of a light version of the ESPN hours that take place in the evening with Todd, Annie, Tom, Michelle and Henry currently on the regular crew.   Back in the day it was the Holly and Susie show!

The lunch hours from 11 AM to 1 PM are slower with Roni Sue and Sami holding down the fort, while different floaters are here on different days.  If this works for your schedule, I highly suggest it.  After recording workouts for 15 years, my strongest and best performing part of the day is 11 AM.  If that works for you, give it a try.  I know that not everyone can get away during lunch.  However, there is a shower here if you  are worried about feeling too sweaty to go back to work.

The rest of the day from 7 - 11 AM and from 1 - 4 PM you can generally have the gym to yourself, with only one or two people here at any given period of time.  This obviously requires a pretty generous work schedule.  If you are a master of your own time, you can receive a lot of attention during these hours.

The gym is currently bigger than it has ever been and we are considering ways to make even more space usable.  However, we don't have any way to increase the building's foot print.  We are on the property line after the addition.  

During the warmer months I want to make some workout space available alongside the building - Venice beach style.  This being Montana, obviously this will only be a seasonal solution, but it does sound like fun.  Not sure where I am going to put the clock, but I will make it happen.

This weekend we are going to move the bleachers down by the heater  to free up the choke point between them and the assault bikes.  If we need more space in the future we might remove them completely but will still have places for people to sit during martial arts classes and competitions.

We are possibly going to put more platforms both in the middle of the gym and in the back room, after we have figured out the kids area.  However, these changes will only increase space if we start setting up workouts on the platforms specifically.  We have had extra space for so long that we are all used to having our equipment spread out where ever we want and not putting our stuff away right after the workout.  

Don't get me wrong, I don't want anyone to start "Tylering" the workouts by cleaning up gear before the workouts are done.  However, consolidating our workouts to the platforms and cleaning up after ourselves will let us all know who is using what, so that we can follow members using similar weights and be aware of what is currently in use.   During the busy hours we need to think about making room for the next person in line.

We are making it a point to have more trainers during the ESPN hours so that we can have more eyes on you all and not have anyone getting ignored.  Trainers is the subject that will be covered tomorrow!

I would love to get rid of "Chippers" and workouts with more than three stations all together, but I know that some of you would lose your mind.  Don't worry, as much as I hate chippers, we will keep them for the people that love them.

Once again, these are my thoughts and I would love to hear yours.  Post any ideas in the comments below.

Clint

Hey everyone,

Membership is up and that brings it's own circumstances.   This isn't a new situation, but every time it happens is unique.   Right now we are feeling the push on 4 fronts.  There is feeling of a  shortage on space, shortage on equipment, shortage on trainers and a new generation of kids growing up in the gym.   There are possible solutions to all of these issues and I want to give each one the time to be addressed in a separate post over the next several days.  This way I'm not taking up your time by combining them all in a 2 hour read.

For many of you, when you read that first paragraph, something popped in your head.  Something important to you.  When you consider this point, I want you to come up with possible solutions that are viable. Below are my thoughts, but I want to hear yours as well.  The idea that comes to your mind is the thing that I want you to use to start a conversation with myself, or  any of the trainers, and as a collective unit we will work on the solutions.

I am choosing these topics in random, because they are all equally important (but also why they won't follow the list above.)  I love having kids in the gym.  This is a long term perspective.  With people in general being plugged into technology, we have chronic conditions rising that simply can be fixed by being more active and eating less crap.  If this starts when kids are young and they see it in the adults around them, maybe we can set them up for success.  Just because your job isn't active doesn't mean you shouldn't be.  In reverse you can use your workout to help combat the repetitive motion injuries that can occur with physical labor.  I know that I am preaching to the choir, but this is my reason for having kids in the gym.  This is also my reason for not mandating that kids be restricted to the bleachers, but sometimes that might be the only solution available.

That being said, this is a recent situation for us, but not a new one.  From day one we had kids in the gym.  Lizzy, Norah, Cecilia, Sam, Sullivan and Gwen are all fast friends from having grown up in the gym at a very young age.  Now I love watching this generation come through and all the things that come with it. Last year was filled with workouts named after new children and we are just starting a new cycle that will continue until as long as we are open for business.

On that note we are at a pretty full membership, and some education is going to be required.  Kids growing up in a gym is the same as visiting a parent in a dangerous work environment or growing up around livestock and pets.  Until we teach them or they learn through accidental injury a child has no experience to know not to walk under a barbell or behind a horse, just as they don't know that they can't rough house with a strange dog or stare at a welder's arc.  

I don't expect any member to have to stop their workout for a child passing through, but on the same note kids are innocent and it is going to take each of us to inform them of gym etiquette.  A parent in the middle of a workout cannot parent and not all of us are working out at the same time.  We can all help police problems as they occur.

My Grandfather had a quote that I always loved. 

"A boy does a boys work,
two boys do half a boys work,
and three boys do no work at all."

I think that this relates to children and their ability to pay attention.  One child, all by themselves tends to pay attention pretty well.  Two kids tend to pay attention and remember less.  Finally three, or more, kids will have to be repeatedly reminded.  This is the human nature of the pack animals we are.  All the kids that I have talked to directly have been really polite and responsive.  If we let them know ahead of time that we are going to be using the pull up bars, or where we are going to working out, they respond well.  However, as the number of kids increases it will be on all of us to remind them when they are being distracting or unsafe.  

Let any of us trainers know before hand if you think that there is going to be an unsafe condition during your workout and we will do our best to address it before it happens.  We cannot be everywhere at once nor be aware of all things as they happen.  No one at present is being paid to be a baby sitter, so the responsibility falls on the parents to have well behaved children for the child's own safety.

On that note I am also considering any or all of the following solutions: hosting a kids class that corresponds with the adult class, having a dedicated child area as we have done in the past and/or bartering membership/paying for child supervision hours.  This can be for either members directly or responsible older siblings. That being said most parts of the day there are no kids in the gym and if parents would like to take advantage of these solutions, for scheduling purposes, I would need to know ahead of time when they would be bringing kids into the gym.

These are my thoughts please post yours in the comments below.  Tomorrow I will discuss solutions to overcrowding at peak hours.

-C-

Whether you are a member of the early morning crew or just like to hit the gym right after you wake up, this article from CrossFit Invictus has some great information on training in a low fuel state and why it is not the best for high intensity exercise.

Training on an Empty Stomach

An easy weeknight meal of pork and apples using just one skillet.