I’ve heard people say “I’m never going to compete in the Olympic Games, why should I bother using Olympic movements when I work out?” There is no question that Olympic lifters are the strongest athletes on the planet. So by borrowing some of their techniques, and filtering these lifts systematically into our program, we can also get stronger, faster and become more accurate. There are 2 Olympic lifts; the snatch, and the clean and jerk. First, practicing the Olympic lifts teaches us how to “explode”, or propel ourselves in a desired direction. For example, if you are playing an on field sport and you suddenly want to change direction to make a play or be in a better position, it helps us react explosively. These movements will help you reposition yourself as quickly as possible and therefore increase your sport specific skills. In addition to being able to generate this...Read more

At CrossFit Thermal, we realize everyone can’t be at the box every single day. Some days are rest days, others are filled with work or with family obligations. We feel that having the opportunity to make up missed workouts is a valuable thing! So every Sunday, you will have the opportunity to chose the workout that most fits your needs and that you couldn’t attend earlier in the week. If you missed out on something that you would have really enjoyed, or saw something challenging that you wanted to tackle, this is your chance. At the 9 and 10 am sessions, you’ll be coached through a full warm-up and through the workout of your choice. If you’re not sure which one to choose, we will be here to help you out!Read more

I came across a fascinating post on NYTimes.com the other day (“Exercise as Potent Medicine”, NYTimes Blog Post) . It was really buried on the website but the title caught my eye – “Exercise as Potent Medicine”. The quick summary is that a recently published study compared – i) how well various drugs succeeded in reducing deaths among people who were diagnosed with several common and serious conditions (such as heart disease and diabetes), versus – ii) people who didn’t take drugs and just exercised. The outcome of the study was that the results consistently showed that drugs and exercise produced almost EXACTLY the same results. As with most medical studies, this emphasized the need for further study and larger sample sets but even on a small scale, but the finding is pretty powerful. We at Crossfit Thermal have been preaching the benefits of exercise as being a life changing...Read more

Some of our new members were a little hesitant to give us a try. We had to explain to them, its not all what you see on ESPN. The top finishers at the CrossFIt Games are the top one percent of athletes who do CrossFit; the fittest of the fit. Our own needs only vary by degree. Everyone has to start somewhere, and everyone has potential. No matter what your fitness level or ability, we can get you on the path to your goals. Our classes are structured so that everyone gets the most out of a particular session for them. We ensure this with appropriate scaling and adjusting of workouts on a daily basis. Here at CrossFit Thermal it’s all about relative intensity. We make sure the workout is appropriate for each individual’s needs. As skill and form improve, we ramp up the intensity and watch the progress soar....Read more

Most people who consider themselves runners fall into the category of distance runners. They grind out two to ten miles, a couple days per week and are perfectly content in doing so. Personally, I have enjoyed some time running distances on trails in Wissahickon Park near my home. It had always been a good release, a reason to be outside, and it probably carried some aerobic benefit that has transferred into CrossFit. Jogging was fun, but I wasn’t getting all of the benefits I could have been. Human beings are wired more for sprinting; short intense bursts of running. Think about our ancestors, and the reasons that they had to run. Whether it was to catch dinner, or to avoid becoming dinner, they generally didn’t do so at a conversational pace. They did so as fast as they could. Modern society makes things a little easier for us, but we...Read more