The 2024 Open is here… AND WE ARE EXCITED!

First things first, if you don’t know about the CrossFit Open, please read HERE.

The Open is a fun worldwide mini-competition that we join in on at the gym! Don’t let it intimidate you. It doesn’t matter where you place! There are multiple versions/modifications of the workout so don’t worry if you are unsure about your ability level. All are welcome and highly encouraged to participate.

HOW IT WORKS

We do the Open every year, and split the gym into teams to earn points. If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ve experienced the open before.

We have three teams led by co-captains (one athlete and one coach/intern). These captains are huge parts of our Ampersand community, they work hard, have great attitudes and are sure to help us keep it FUN! Because, that is our aim. Fun. No trash talking [well maybe a little.. ;)]. Just throwing down on some good ol’ fashioned CrossFit style workouts with the rest of Ampersand while we all compete against each other in a friendly fun competition.

Each Thursday, the CrossFit Games will announce the workout worldwide. Then we’ll do them with a Friday Night Lights WOD. If you can’t make it Friday night, the other classes on Friday will also do the open workouts, but we’d definitely encourage you to show up on a Friday night when possible. 

POINTS

Don’t worry, you won’t “drag a team down”. Everyone can contribute points. All you have to do is show up and do the workout. (And there are at home bodyweight versions you can do if you can’t make it in to join us!) 

Here are ways to help your team earn points:

• 1 pt = did the workout and recorded a score in SugarWOD (in the gym or at home!)

• 1 pt = participated in that week’s theme/dress up

• 1 pt = posted on Bright Spots Friday post in FB group

• 1 pt = judged during FNL

• Other points opportunities to be announced as we go!

REGISTRATION

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THE CROSSFIT OPEN IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE AT AMPERSAND. However, if you’d like to see your scores against the rest of the world, region, or state, you can register online. Registration for the Open can be done at games.crossfit.com and is live now and please make sure to choose CrossFit Ampersand as your Affiliate.

DRAFT

We have 3 teams this year led by one of our new coaches and a gym member. All athletes in the gym will be automatically put into the Draft pool and will be randomly selected onto a team. Teams will be written on a whiteboard at the gym.

Our Open workouts will take place at every group class time on Friday, building to Friday Night Lights which will begin at 4:00 pm and run til 7pm. There will be heat sign-ups, which will be available first come first serve. Please show up early to sign up for a heat, help judge, take pictures and cheer everyone on! 

THREE WEEKS - Mar 1st - Mar 12th

Friday, March 1st @ 4:30 p.m. – 24.1 (Favorite Animal/Animal Print)

Friday, March 8th @ 4:30 p.m. – 24.2 (Roaring 20’s)

Friday, March 12th @ 4:30 p.m. – 24.3 (Ampersand Spirit)

Athletes may make up workouts or re-test on Saturdays after 9 am by appointment only.

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OUR FOCUS IS ON FUN. WE WANT PARTICIPATION BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FITTER, AND IT WILL GET YOU HIGH-FIVES AND YOU’LL BE HAPPY AND LOVE LIFE MORE AND GLOW AND STUFF.

Welcome Greg to the Ampersand Team!

We are excited to welcome Greg to the Ampersand team!

Greg walked in to Ampersand after a hard recovery from an injury while racing his dirt bike. His main goals were to recover from his injury stronger than before, and increase his fitness to better improve his racing results.

His work ethic and determination towards his goals have proven in his increased work capacity and his speed on the course when he is on his bike. It is exciting as coaches to hear that CrossFit is doing its job when you hear reports of improved times, or personal bests outside of the gym. We get even more excited when those people who have worked so diligently see the value, and want to bring that to others.

Greg is another reminder that CrossFit is for everyone! So we asked him a few questions about his CrossFit journey. 

What are your passions?
My passion in life is Desert Racing. Ever since I started to ride that little word "racing" popped up and seemed to take over my mind and soul.

Why did you start, and how did you find CrossFit?
I found CrossFit online just surfing the web. I chose CrossFit because I needed to change my
routine and challenge my body. Which all of the coaches are happy to challenge what you are
capable of doing.

What was your first impression?
My first impression of the gym was clean and very open. Everyone really cared that you came
to classes and did your best on good and bad days.

What are your goals?
One of my goals that ties into racing is I want to become a Expert Racer. So far I have lost over 100lbs from before and after I started CrossFit.

What has CrossFit done for you?
CrossFit has showed me I can push myself harder and in multiple different ways. The recovery time from my achilles injury went so much smoother than I expected with the help of training at Ampersand. Also I really like the atmosphere of working out with a group of people.

What’s one accomplishment you’re proud of during your time at CrossFit Ampersand?
I am proud of myself for being able to do kipping pull ups, handstand pushups, and having the
ability to use my whole body to do more complex movements.

Would you recommend CrossFit Ampersand to others?
Heck yes, I've told so many people about the benefits from CrossFit and that they should come join the team.

What advice would you give someone who is interested in CrossFit?
My advice to others would be no matter how hard something may seem you only have to beat yourself not others. Giving a 100% with everything from the amount of weight or speed. Give your 100% and the coaches and everyone around you will do the same for you so you can excel and achieve your goals.

Welcome to the Team Greg!

The 2023 Open is here… AND WE ARE EXCITED!

First things first, if you don’t know about the CrossFit Open, please read HERE.

The Open is a fun mini-competition worldwide that we join in on at the gym! Don’t let it intimidate you. It doesn’t matter where you place! There are multiple versions/modifications of the workout so don’t worry if you are unsure about your ability level. All are welcome and highly encouraged to participate.

HOW IT WORKS

We do the Open every year, and split the gym into teams to earn points. If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ve experienced the open before.

We have three teams led by co-captains (one athlete and one coach/intern). These captains are huge parts of our Ampersand community, they work hard, have great attitudes and are sure to help us keep it FUN! Because, that is our aim. Fun. No trash talking [well maybe a little.. ;)]. Just throwing down on some good ol’ fashioned CrossFit style workouts with the rest of Ampersand while we all compete against each other in a friendly fun competition.

Each Thursday night at 5pm, the CrossFit Games will announce the workout worldwide. Then we’ll do them with a Friday Night Lights WOD. If you can’t make it Friday night, the other classes on Friday will also do the open workouts, but we’d definitely encourage you to show up on a Friday night when possible. 

POINTS

Don’t worry, you won’t “drag a team down”. Everyone can contribute points. All you have to do is show up and do the workout. (And there are at home bodyweight versions you can do if you can’t make it in to join us!) 

Here are ways to help your team earn points:

• 1 pt = did the workout and recorded a score in SugarWOD (in the gym or at home!)

• 1 pt = participated in that week’s theme/dress up

• 1 pt = posted on Bright Spots Friday post in FB group

• 1 pt = highest score for men and women for that week

• Other points opportunities to be announced as we go!

REGISTRATION

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER FOR THE CROSSFIT OPEN IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE AT AMPERSAND. However, if you’d like to see your scores against the rest of the world, region, or state, you can register online. Registration for the Open can be done at games.crossfit.com and is live now and please make sure to choose CrossFit Ampersand as your Affiliate.

DRAFT

We will draft everyone onto teams after team captains are chosen. Each team captain will get to pick 2 people they must have on their team (typically family members or best friends) and the rest will all be pulled out of a hat! All athletes in the gym will be automatically put into the Draft pool and will be randomly selected onto a team. 

Our Open workouts will take place at every group class time on Friday, building to Friday Night Lights which will begin at 4:00 pm and run til 7pm. There will be heat sign-ups, which will be available first come first serve. Please show up early to sign up for a heat, help judge, take pictures and cheer everyone on! 

THREE WEEKS - Feb 17th - Mar 6th

Friday, Feburary 17 @ 4:30 p.m. – 23.1

Friday, Feburary 24 @ 4:30 p.m. – 23.2

Friday, March 3 @ 4:30 p.m. – 23.3

Athletes may make up workouts or re-test on Saturdays after 9 am by appointment only.

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Get your 2023 Open T’s and Tanks here!

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OUR FOCUS IS ON FUN. WE WANT PARTICIPATION BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FITTER, AND IT WILL GET YOU HIGH-FIVES AND YOU’LL BE HAPPY AND LOVE LIFE MORE AND GLOW AND STUFF.

Meet our next Intern, Janine!

Hi, I'm Janine and I've lived in the Carson Valley since 2006. My passions are my family, hiking, backpacking, and helping people find meaning and health on all levels. I have formal training as a yoga instructor and taught for several years in the Lake Tahoe area.

The discovery of CrossFit Ampersand came along for me in August 2017. I feel very fortunate to have our Box be my first exposure to CrossFit. I enjoy sharing the benefits of CrossFit and am committed to furthering my training in this field. I love that just about everyone can benefit from CrossFit... from the grandparent to elite athletes and everyone in between. Increased strength, power, speed, cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, flexibility, stamina, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy benefits everyone of us!

Our training in the gym makes our lives better outside of the gym. My favorite thing is when I do something outside the gym that I wasn't previously able to do prior to joining CrossFit Ampersand. I look forward to hearing about what that is for YOU!

Meet James! Intern Extraordinaire!

I am a Texan transplant at the age of five, so I claim the Carson Valley as my home. I've tried to leave multiple times but always come back. Nevada is just so free and open! Tahoe and the mountains really help keep life in perspective. Getting to see the stars every night and I love being able to hike, climb, camp, snowboard, hit the beach or fish at anytime I want.

I also love taking photos of nature, moss and little ecosystems. Drawing has been a passion of mine since I was a child.

I've always been competitive, but my fitness journey began with sports. I played football from age 12 till I was 19 and ran track all through high school and have trained in numerous other sports just for the fun. I was never the most talented, so i had to train harder to actually play or get noticed. My coaches gave me a good base of understanding of my body and fitness.

I had been coaching throughout my playing career and continued coaching football after it ended. I still lived the training aspect more so I started training kids on the side getting them ready for the season and helping at camps. Between my own training and coaching youth, I decided to try personal training. There was a lot within the industry I just didn't agree with at the time and didn't quite fit the mainstream fitness mold.

Around then I was trying to join the military and started developing my own programming to fit the skills of the job I was going for. What I developed worked, but then I found CrossFit. Compete in and coaching CrossFit was my new passion. It had everything I wanted. Torturous workouts, full body movements, heavy lifts, could coach anyone and everyone, no mirrors or squat racks being used for flexing sessions, growing in knowledge was encouraged, and it was FUN!

What really hooked me was the community! In sports, supporting the community was essential. As an athlete you are to uphold the best in people and represent the best of the community outside yourself and the team. Without it, you have no team. You have no athletes. Your coaches are useless. The mainstream industry was way more individualistic. I missed that while trying to find where my life was headed and doing it in my own was terrifying at the time. In CrossFit everyone is an athlete and capable of the same great things and each of us is there to support their journey as well as pursue our own.

At Crossfit Ampersand after 8 years in the sport and 3 boxes. A gym that has everything that got me into CrossFit is my home. The community support in this gym helped motivate me and helped me rediscover my passion for fitness. Helped put myself out there in ways I hadn't before. I look forward to returning the favor, helping people move and live full lives, building this community further and of course having some fun!

Meet Daunelle!

I was (almost) born and raised in South Lake Tahoe in the early 1970's. I played "sports" with the kids down the street in the vacant lot, climbing rocks and trees, for hours! The only organized sports available to girls back then were swim team, ski team, and tennis. We couldn't afford the ski team, so I swam for almost ten years for the city of South Lake Tahoe, and for my high school, South Tahoe High. I also spent my four years of high school on the nordic ski team, where you "don't become king of the mountain by riding a chair lift." In college, I tried out for and made the lightweight varsity boat for the crew team. I was the "Stroke"...the first rower in the boat of eight that set the tempo for the rest of the team. I LOVED rowing! I would have continued with rowing had I not had the opportunity to study in Grenoble, France my junior year in college.  In France, I tried to stay fit, in between bites of baguette and yummy cheese! However, I did coach a local swim team while I lived in Grenoble. 

After college, I moved back to Tahoe and started teaching English at South Tahoe High School and French at Lake Tahoe Community College. I coached the high school's nordic ski team for a few years, but then left the high school and taught only at the junior college.  We raised two active daughters in South Lake Tahoe. Between skiing, soccer, swimming, horseback riding, and hiking, we were never bored. However, my husband must have thought otherwise because in 2009, he and his two friends opened South Tahoe CrossFit. 

Initially, I thought CrossFit was a joke. How could anyone get a workout in a four minute Tabata or a 12 minute AMRAP? Well, the joke was on me. After a few workouts, I was hooked. It is the variation and functionality of the exercises that kept my attention, but the  community that is created between members was and still is the reason why I CrossFit. In 2010 I got my Level 1 cert., and then in 2012, I got my Level 2 and a Mobility certificate from CrossFit. I loved coaching, managing, and organizing events for and at our gym. We held several competitions and fundraisers for our region and community. A few years ago, I even won the Masters level at a regional competition! However, in 2017, we decided to sell our partnership to one of our awesome trainers because we had moved down to the valley and we couldn't give as much time to the gym as we used to. 

I discovered CFAmpersand when my daughter started the Douglas Girls Lacrosse Club in 2017. She had asked me to coach the team, and we desperately needed some dry-land training. I approached Jeff and Harmony with our need and they graciously allowed us to use the facility for the two years I coached my daughter's team. From box jumps to burpees, those high school girls strangely looked forward to our time in the gym! While I no longer coach lacrosse, I have continued to stay active. Last fall I completed my first Spartan race, the Beast, at Squaw Valley. That race made me realize that I needed to increase my fitness, so I joined CFA. It was difficult getting to the gym this winter, but when Jeff and Harmony asked if I was interested in coaching again, things started to get back into focus for me. After I emphatically said, "Yes!" I realized that I had let my certificates expire last October...So, I will be taking my coaching certs again this month! 

Thanks to Jeff and Harmony, and all the CFA members I've met these past few months. CrossFit Ampersand is a fantastic community of supportive members . You are the reason why we keep coming back day after day, difficult workout after difficult workout. 

2020 CrossFit Re-Open and Ampersand's 3rd Annual Intramural!

The Open is coming… again… AND WE ARE EXCITED!

First things first, if you don’t know about the CrossFit Open, please read HERE.

This year we are excited to make participating in the Open even more fun! 

Don’t let it intimidate you. It doesn’t matter where you place and YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOT BE LAST! There are countless thousands of people every year who don’t finish all 5 workouts and we want to help you avoid that. Also, there is a SCALED division so don’t worry if you are unsure about your ability level. All are welcome and highly encouraged to participate.

HOW IT WORKS

We typically do the Open every year, with a Friday Night Lights WOD. But this year will be different. We will follow along and do all the same workouts on the exact same timeline BUT we choose two captains to run teams in our gym. This years Captains will be chosen by us!

These captains are huge parts of our Ampersand community, they work hard, have great attitudes and are sure to help us keep it FUN! Because, that is our aim. Fun. No crazy cutthroat attitudes. No nasty trash talking (well maybe a little.. ;). Just throwing down on some good ol’ fashioned CrossFit style workouts with the rest of Ampersand while we all compete against each other in an internal, CrossFit Ampersand-only competition.

POINTS

Don’t worry, you won’t “drag a team down”. Everyone can contribute points. All you have to do is show up AND there will be surprise opportunities to gain points for your team that don’t require you to do any working out!

REGISTRATION

You do not have to register for the crossfit open in order to participate. If you would like to see how you fair against the world, region, or state, definitely register online!

Registration for the Open can be done at games.crossfit.com and is live now and please make sure to choose CrossFit Ampersand as your Affiliate.

DRAFT

We will be doing a live video on September 19th to have our Draft. All athletes in the gym will be automatically put into the Draft pool and will be randomly selected onto a team. We will release all the details of the Draft ASAP so you can find out what team you are on.

Coaches will be split up and placed onto different Intramural teams to keep it fair and even. Captains choose athlete names in random order out of a hat. Team Captains will rotate draws, and then notify the athletes of their team that they have been drafted!

Our Open workouts will take place at every group class time on Friday, building to Friday Night Lights which will begin at 4:30 p.m. There will be a heat sign-up on a whiteboard which will be available first come first serve. Please show up as early as possible to sign up for a heat, help judge, take pictures and cheer everyone on! Bring friends or family to spectate and contribute to the cheering crowd!

FIVE WEEKS - OCT 11th - Nov 8th

Friday, October 11 @ 4:30 p.m.  – 20.1

Friday, October 18 @ 4:30 p.m. – 20.2

Friday, October 25 @ 4:30 p.m. – 20.3

Friday, November 1st @ 4:30 p.m. – 20.4

Friday, November 8th @ 4:30 p.m.  – 20.5

👇🏼Peep the sweet slideshow 👇🏼

Athletes will be allowed to make up workouts or re-test Saturdays at 10am, or by arranging an appointment with a Coach. If you plan to makeup on Saturday, please let us know ahead of time and find another member of the gym to judge for you ahead of time!

OUR FOCUS IS ON FUN. WE WANT PARTICIPATION BECAUSE IT WILL MAKE YOU FITTER, AND IT WILL GET YOU HIGH-FIVES AND YOU’LL BE HAPPY AND LOVE LIFE MORE AND GLOW AND STUFF.

Mindfulness: Why is it Important to Your Overall Health?

Mindfulness mind·ful·ness

/ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/

noun

the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

"their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition"

A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique

What Is Mindfulness?

Taking into consideration the definition; how can mindfulness be applied to our daily lives; or even better, how can it change our daily thought process? As a coach I hear it all the time, “I can't do that.” or “it’s too hard.” Being mindful and in tune with our thoughts and our physical abilities will help us push through barriers and challenges. Instead, I urge people to ask themselves, “Do I trust my coach? And do I trust myself?” If the answer is yes, then we will proceed with the task that was asked.

Surrendering ourselves to the unknown in this way can be scary. Allowing ourselves to not question the ‘what if’, to not be stalled by fear and to fully open ourselves to the new possibilities that are offered will exponentially improve our outlook and allow us so many opportunities that might have otherwise been missed. By trusting our own body, by listening to what it is telling you will take you too many new places.

How Does Mindfulness Fit into Health and Fitness?

Being mindful asks us to look internally, to be aware of how my body is feeling. How is it reacting to something new? As coaches we ask our clients all the time “how does that feel?” We aren't looking for a generic answer. No, we want to really know how that felt. Was it challenging, but doable? Did it cause a twinge of pain in that old injury? Did performing that movement for the first time successfully, instantly bring you joy? We want to know the real answer to help our clients start becoming in tune with their own body.

How Does it Affect the Long Term?

Working towards our goals mindfully isn’t going to make it happen over night, but it will help us get there quicker and more successfully. Being mindful, knowing when it's time to take a break and let your body heal from will allow your body to progress forward steadily and safely without pushing through an injury or on a day that a workout just isn't going to happen.

Yes, goals vary, many have the goal to lose weight, to be healthier long term, to run a marathon, to play with the grandkids, but what all these different goals have in common, is the conscious decision to be mindfully present with their bodies and needs and choose what is necessary to make the changes to meet these goals. When asked what was it that triggered the change, it was always a mental change. Mentally they wanted it. Mentally they needed it. They chose to be mindful with themselves, allow the change mentally and what is being asked of their bodies and of their psyche to ensure long term success.

If you are ready to set some goals of your own, book a goal setting session with a coach!

Conquering Adversity with Andrea

So let me begin by saying what a joy it is to have met and grown close with Andrea and her family. Her story combined with her driven nature is nothing less than inspiring to me as a coach and to our community. I am really excited for everyone to get to know Andrea a little more and be inspired as well by seeing just how strong and powerful women are and can be. We have all heard of the saying 'cancer survivor', but from where I stand as a coach and a friend, Andrea is a conquerer... and cancer had no chance. So without further adieu, here is her story! Enjoy!

"CrossFit wasn’t something even on my radar. I grew up being active and always was up for taking a class or two at the gym. Then at the age of 20 I was diagnosed with stage 3 muscular cancer. Boom, all that was more norm, going to the gym every day, college, an active lifestyle was out the window for a while. Fast forward to almost a year ago. I was trying to find something to challenge me again. Get me active and get me out of the house. I work from home 10+ hours a day and needed not only to get out but to interact with people. Not really interested in much there was to offer in my area, a girl I knew through a friend has suggested I try CrossFit. Um, yea... NO. One, I have no idea what that really was, and two, what I do know of it I could NEVER do. That is not for me. I can’t do that because of my limitations from having cancer…. Blah blah blah, you know, all the excuses we like to tell ourselves to keep us from doing scary things. Well, one day, when I guess I was just crazy enough to try, I posted a question on our community blog and everyone was giving me the same answer: CrossFit Ampersand.

A few clicks, some research, and reading a few clients stories I set up a meeting. I am not a weight lifting kind of gal. Throw me in a cardio class I am ready! But showing up for CrossFit I thought, what am I doing, can I even do this?! All the weights and medicine balls and chalk!? Why do we need chalk?! But the other thing driving me was, behind all the lifting and sweat and learning, was the challenge. I needed a challenge. I had become distracted from life with work and kids, and all the adult things that make us responsible. I needed something that was mine and was going to challenge me. That was what I set out for and that was what I got.

Some of the toughest times in the beginning and still today, are recognizing that I can’t always do what everyone else is doing. Not because I wasn’t or am not strong enough, yet, but because of something from my past. Cancer. That was a part of my life, my story, I tucked away, I conquered, and moved passed. But here I was, in the gym, trying to lift something my hand didn’t have the strength to hold. But then with the help of the amazing support, community and coaches at CrossFit Ampersand I saw that there is a way to get through every lift, every jump, every challenge. The coaches encouraged me to do what I could and taught me how to modify movements so that I could build strength and keep going. That is one thing I was most amazed about. The coaches never made me feel like I was inadequate or “broken”. They just said “ok, then do this instead” and that was that.

One of my proudest moments to date was conquering box jumps. Yep! I can jump on a box and do it over an over again. When I first started CrossFit I would jump on stacks on weights. Then over time I just worked my way to feeling more confident and trusting my body and I did it! It’s not just the physical aspect of growth you find in CrossFit, it’s the mental. I have gained so much more trust in my body and what it is capable of. Confidence, yes that too, but knowing that months before I couldn’t do something and to work and see myself lifting more weight, improving in many different aspect and also having all the awesome coaches and other members at Crossfit Ampersand cheering you on. Helping you see you really can do more than you think you are capable of, you can’t help but try harder and be better.

At the end of the day I look forward to every workout. I want to see my friends, who have become more like family, because that’s how it is at CrossFit Ampersand, a family. I want to be with my tribe, pushing myself to see how far I can go. Is CrossFit tough, yes! I would be lying if I said it was easy. But pushing yourself and being with people who want to see you reach your goals and support you makes every sore muscle worth it. If you have ever questioned trying CrossFit I would say do it. We all have things that can create excuses not to try, but honestly, do it, please try. You may just find your not as broken as you once thought you were. You may become stronger, happier, more focused, less anxious, or more determined then you have been in a long time. What have you got to lose? I am so thankful one crazy day posting something on a community page lead me to a much healthier and better place. One sore workout at a time…GAME ON!"

"Some days I am more wolf than woman and I am still learning how to stop apologizing for my wild." -Nikita Gill

Ready to begin your journey? Book a No Sweat Intro and come see what we are all about! 

Welcoming Bree to the team!

We are excited to announce that Bree is joining the Ampersand team soon! If you haven't had a chance to meet her in class, she has taken the time to tell us a little about herself today! She brings experience and passion to helping people reach their potential and will be a great addition to the coaching team. For a brief time she will be interning with the coaches and getting the lay of the land! So, feel free to reach out to her and welcome her to the fam!

Hello all, my name is Bree! I am getting ready to intern and coach with you all so I just wanted to introduce myself for those who have not yet met me! I just recently moved back to Nevada with my fiance, Ian and our baby girl, Elowyn, from Saint Louis Missouri. I grew up in Minden so I am very excited to be back in the area, especially with the new edition to our family.  Saint Louis was a fun adventure where Ian and I were able to explore a part of the country we might not have otherwise seen. Ian was a professional motocross rider so we spent a lot of time going to races all over the country.

Once race season settled down I began looking for a job and started trying to meet people.  Making friends when you’re older is a bit harder than I expected. Luckily one of my best friends who is presently living in Oklahoma came to visit us in Saint Louis and forced me to go to a CrossFit gym with her.  I love being outdoors, hiking, camping, cycling and I grew up playing competitive soccer so I always thought I was in pretty good shape until I took a CrossFit class! My friend kept checking in with me until she convinced me to get a membership.  Finally I gave in and got one. I was pleasantly surprised by the close knit community that CrossFit provided and I quickly settled in at the box, and made some wonderful friends who I am still in constant contact with!

I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology and always saw myself working as a social worker or going back to school to become a registered nurse.  When I moved to Saint Louis I was unable to get a job which was very discouraging; I couldn’t see myself doing anything but working in the mental health field. The more time I spent at CrossFit the more I realized that the coaches were literally changing the members life’s, much like what I wanted to do with my career. I knew that I could fulfill my life’s calling by helping people reach their fitness goals just as much as I could sitting in an office counseling them.  Sometimes the only medicine you need is a good workout!

The box I was attending coincidentally was looking to hire a new coach and was hosting a Level 1 certification course the following month.  I took the plunge and got my certification and started working with them. Having a job where you are helping change people's lives, is the most amazing feeling. God works in mysterious ways, moving Ian and I to Saint Louis and not allowing me to find a job right away was the greatest blessing.  

Once I got my level 1 certification I wanted to train as personal trainer and coach CrossFit so I could be as well rounded as possible and learn the stark differences of the two.  While I loved working with my clients at Club fitness, I did not enjoy working in a large global style gym. I started working exclusively at CrossFit, coaching classes and I quickly began building a personal training client base at the box.  Working with my clients and the members, watching them meet their goals and become not only more fit but more confident in themselves was so rewarding. One of the proudest moments of my coaching career thus far, was when one of my diabetic clients came back to me after a checkup telling me not only had he lost 40 pounds but his A1C score had dropped considerably and his doctor was changing his diabetic medication.  I was so proud of him and in that moment I knew for sure I was doing what I was called to do!

I got pregnant in April of last year, being a coach and an athlete, and pregnant was very interesting and fun.  I had to learn how to modify workouts for myself which required a lot of research which stemmed a passion in pre and postnatal fitness. A goal for my future is to become certified in a program specifically for pregnant and postpartum athletes and create my own program to bring to our community here in Minden. Even as a CrossFit coach I was sometimes intimidated by working out. I hear from a lot of women that they would like to continue working out during and after their pregnancies but just don’t know what to do. I would like to help guide these women and teach them correct form and have a safe space for them to be comfortable working out in!

I look forward to meeting all the athletes of CF& and becoming part of the team!

-Bree

The Intramural Open!

The Open is coming… AND WE ARE EXCITED!

First things first, if you don’t know about the CrossFit Open, please read HERE.

This year we are excited to change things up a bit and make participating in the Open even more fun! 

Don’t let it intimidate you. It doesn’t matter where you place and YOU DEFINITELY WILL NOT BE LAST! There are countless thousands of people every year who don’t finish all 5 workouts and we want to help you avoid that. Also, there is a SCALED division so don’t worry if you are unsure about your ability level. All are welcome and highly encouraged to participate.

HOW IT WORKS

We typically do the Open every year, with a Friday Night Lights WOD. But this year will be different. We will follow along and do all the same workouts on the exact same timeline BUT we choose three captains to run teams in our gym. This years Captains will be chosen by us!

These captains are huge parts of our Ampersand community, they work hard, have great attitudes and are sure to help us keep it FUN! Because, that is our aim. Fun. No crazy cutthroat attitudes. No nasty trash talking (well maybe a little.. ;). Just throwing down on some good ol’ fashioned CrossFit style workouts with the rest of Ampersand while we all compete against each other in an internal, CrossFit Ampersand-only competition.

POINTS

Don’t worry, you won’t “drag a team down”. Everyone can contribute points. All you have to do is show up AND there will be surprise opportunities to gain points for your team that don’t require you to do any working out! Here’s the scoring system:

+1 Point – Attendance: every member of a team that completes an Open workout at CrossFit Ampersand each week earns one point. Maximum one point per athlete per workout. This goes for Rx AND Scaled competitors!

+1 Point – Top 3: every male AND female member who places among the Top 3 at CrossFit Ampersand for each workout (Rx only) gets an extra point for their team.

+5 Points – Spirit of the Open: Each week we will pick one athlete who displays amazing SPIRIT during that week’s workouts. You’ll find this person cheering others on, volunteering to judge others, helping people get prepared, doing something amazing they never thought possible, gaining a new skill, etc etc.

+ 5 points – Hardest Worker: Each week, we will pick one athlete who we believe worked the hardest in that week’s workout. That athlete will earn their team 5 extra points. The person DOES NOT have to complete the workout RX to win.

REGISTRATION

The only thing you need to do to participate in the Intramural Open is to register for the CrossFit Games Open! Don’t worry if you are new or unsure about your ability level. THERE IS A SCALED DIVISION!

Registration for the Open can be done at games.crossfit.com starting January 11th, 2018 and please make sure to choose CrossFit Ampersand as your Affiliate.

DRAFT

We will be taking the Captains out to lunch the last weekend in January to have our Draft. All athletes who are registered for the CrossFit Games Open before that date will be automatically put into the Draft pool and will be randomly selected onto a team. We will release all the details of the Draft ASAP so you can find out what team you are on. After the Draft, the Captains have freedom to recruit the remainder of the gym and they’ll be asking YOU!

Coaches will be split up and placed onto different Intramural teams to keep it fair and even. Captains choose athlete names in random order out of a hat. Team Captains will rotate draws, and then notify the athletes of their team that they have been drafted!

THATS WHERE YOU COME IN! If you are not signed up for The Open by the time of the Draft then you’ll be courted by one of our Team Captains to join their team – probably more than one. Pick the funnest team!

Our Open workouts will take place at every group class time on Friday, building to Friday Night Lights which will begin at 5:30p.m. There will be a heat sign-up on a whiteboard which will be available first come first serve. Please show up as early as possible to sign up for a heat, help judge, take pictures and cheer everyone on! Bring friends or family to spectate and contribute to the cheering crowd!

FIVE WEEKS - FEB. 22-MARCH 26

Friday, February 23 @ 5:30 p.m.  – 18.1

Friday, March 2 @ 5:30 p.m. – 18.2

Friday, March 9 @ 5:30 p.m. – 18.3

Friday, March 16 @ 5:30 p.m. – 18.4

Friday, March 23 @ 5:30 p.m.  – 18.5

TBD – Closing Ceremony and Presentation of Championship Belt and FOOD party!

Athletes will be allowed to make up workouts or re-test Saturdays, or other arranged class times with a Coach. Also, please find another member of the gym to judge for you ahead of time!

Our focus is on FUN. We want participation because it will make you fitter, and it will get you high-fives and you’ll be happy and love life more and glow and stuff.

Barbell Club & Open Gym

BARBELL CLUB & Open Gym are here!

Barbell Club & Open gym begins tomorrow! This a great addition and we are really excited to have this as an option for our members. Here is an idea of how it will work.

Open gym is time to come in and work on skills and/or hop on our Ampersand Weightlifting program. This is a minimally coached time where a coach will be there, but is not there to be your personal coach (i.e. they will not be leading you through the class time). This is important due to the amount of people that will be in Open Gym. This is also not a normal class structure, so your warm up and your time is dictated by you.

The coaches will be on hand to assist in minor coaching, but it will not be uncommon for coaches to be training alongside you. This gives you, the athlete, the opportunity to see the coaches in action and, as my mentor would say, "learn by osmosis."

How much is it?
The next week is FREE – come try it out and see what you think

The schedule will be the following for two weeks while we evaluate the new addition!
Tuesdays 7:00pm-8:00pm
Thursdays 7:00pm-8:00pm
Saturdays 11:00am-12:30pm

We encourage you to utilize this time and open forum coaching to hone your skills such as Olympic Lifting, gymnastics, and technique. You may also use this time to make up a WOD that you missed during the week or the week before.

'High Fructose Corn Syrup' is getting a makeover!

'High Fructose Corn Syrup' is getting a makeover!

So what happens when the corporations who mass produce food get clever?

Get this, consumers are actually getting smarter with their food choices and in some ways are filtering what they are purchasing based on what they can find in on the box. There are tons of trends that seem to come up all the time. "All natural"; "Minimally Processed"; "No added preservatives"; and in this case, "All natural." Now, we have to learn the new name of the all to easy to produce, "High Fructose Corn Syrup."

Instead of food companies doing what the consumer wants, they will cut corners and protect their bottom line first, by tricking the consumer into 'thinking' they are getting what they want. Of course there are many companies out there that have integrity in their products but in the mainstream products, we seem to need to shy away more and more altogether.

So when they get creative, we need to get wiser!

Companies are now masking the ingredients we are always trying to avoid. There was a time when there was hardly any sugar in anything. But now, it's nearly impossible to purchase products that are lacking. I'm not talking about sugar in natural things like fruits and veggies, no no, the all to popular, high fructose corn syrup.

"The product is General Mills’ Vanilla Chex, an updated version of the Chex cereal sold in most conventional grocery and discount stores for many years. The front of the box clearly states that the product contains “no high fructose corn syrup” (HFCS), but turn it over to read the ingredient list and there it is – the new isolated fructose."

So whats the big deal?

'The Corn Refiners Association is now labeling high fructose corn syrup as fructose. Packing on products such as General Mills Vanilla Chex cereal now states the product contains no high fructose corn syrup, while the ingredients list contains the simple word, "fructose." This fructose is actually a manufactured sugar called HFCS-90, and is made up of 90% pure fructose. High fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, contains 42% or 55 percent fructose. Health issues relating to free fructose include diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, and liver failure.'

Well, according to the CRA:

 “A third product, HFCS-90, is sometimes used in natural and ‘light’ foods, where very little is needed to provide sweetness. Syrups with 90% fructose will not state high fructose corn syrup on the label [anymore], they will state ‘fructose’ or ‘fructose syrup’.”

“Simply eliminating the high fructose corn syrup designation for the laboratory sweetener that’s nine-tenths fructose and calling it what it really is: fructose. And that’s how a processed-food product like Vanilla Chex that contains “fructose”, a substance that, according to the corn refiners, used to be called HFCS-90, can now declare itself to be high fructose corn syrup-free.”

So, while looking for HFCS on the back of your foods ingredients, you will now see it as just "fructose." Don't be fooled by their sorry attempts to get you comfortable. We have very little regulations in this country on our food companies to begin with. It's up to you to know and make good choices.

So what do we do?

I would suggest that you buy organic as much as possible and stay away from foods that ecould possibly have added artificial sugar in them. Buy local at farmers markets and actually prepare your own food. Stay away from anything that is in a box that you know is NOT good to put in your body. Especially while you are training. Sure if you want to occasionally have a doughnut or some cookies, GO FOR IT! But if you are taking in those kinds of processed foods on a regular basis, you will not only see your fitness deteriorate in the gym, but your health as well outside of the gym... Not to mention not losing the weight or putting on muscle. Also, you have heard me say before,  if it is not good enough to put in your body, its not good enough to put in your families bodies either!

"The CrossFit Way"

We believe that nutrition is the cornerstone of health and fitness, and that achieving your fullathletic potential is impossible without tuning up your diet.

The CrossFit rule of thumb is: eat real food.  Base your diet on vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar.  If it has ingredients you don’t recognize, don’t eat it.  If you can’t imagine its path from a farm to your plate, don’t eat it.  If that path must have included some sort of factory, don’t eat it. Pretty simple, yeah?

Some say well it's too expensive... Look I get it. It's not cheap, so do your best! Changing your lifestyle won't happen over night, but one step at a time. But you have to be taking those steps to get anywhere.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you are struggling in this area and would like us to assist you!

- Jeff

Source: 'www.hlfteam.com'