Member of the Month – SEPTEMBER 2018 This months member of the month is Don Ringham!  As most of you know, Don will be headed back to his homeland of St. Croix, USVI.  Don has been a stand-out part of this community from the moment he stepped through the door in April.  Before he goes, we want to take the time to recognize him as well as share his story.  Make sure to read until the very end! 🙂  What led you to try Crossfit? 4 years ago, I saw it on TV an I said to myself, I got to try this!  I did and fell in love!  I have been doing Crossfit for 5 years now and counting.  I will continue to do so till I can’t lift anymore .. lol What do you like most about UpReach? From the first day I walked in, I fell in love with...Read more

Member of the Month – AUGUST 2018 Heather Cox is this month member of the month!  Heather has made incredible progress since joining UpReach.  Whether it be gymnastics skills, lifting skills, or cardio, Heather has tackled the challenge!  Here are some facts about how Heather made the choice to start this journey and what she loves about it. What led you to try CrossFit? I’ve been CrossFitting since I tried a CrossFit boot camp over 6 years ago. I’d read about it, and I really had no idea HOW to exercise or eat. It seemed like it might be a good fit, but diving in was intimidating. When the opportunity to try it in a boot camp structure arose, I jumped on it. I was, of course, immediately hooked. Two moves and three boxes later, I still love it, and I don’t foresee that changing any time soon. What is...Read more

“You Stretch Too Much” Before you upset and comment, hear me out. Foam rolling and stretching are GREAT tools.  When done correctly they can effectively improve recovery, mobility, and performance. However, most people only stretch and never strengthen correctly. To use a very basic example try this:  Flex your bicep.  While your bicep is flexed, notice what your tricep is doing.  Now reverse it.  Flex your tricep and notice what your bicep is doing.  In both cases, for one muscle to flex the other has to extend.  Another word we could use for extend is STRETCH. Let’s try another experiment.  I want you to try to touch your toes.  Mark how far down you went.  Notice how it felt.  Were you tight? Did it feel difficult?  Now find a chair or a bench.  I want you to sit down and raise both feet up off the ground and flex your...Read more

With the summer upon us, it’s important to remember to hydrate before, during and after our workouts.  We have recently reviewed some products that assist in maintaining adequate hydration levels.  That review can be found here.  Below are some recommendations for maintaining proper hydration during the hot summer months. Hydration Before Exercise Drink about 15-20 fl oz, 2-3 hours before exercise Drink 8-10 fl oz 10-15 min before exercise Hydration During Exercise Drink 8-10 fl oz every 10-15 min during exercise If exercising longer than 90 minutes, drink 8-10 fl oz of a sports drink (with no more than 8 percent carbohydrate) every 15 – 30 minutes. Hydration After Exercise Weigh yourself before and after exercise and replace fluid losses. Drink 20-24 fl oz water for every 1 lb lost. Consume a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein within the 2 hours after exercise to replenish glycogen stores. Staying hydrated...Read more

Member of the Month – JULY 2018 Many times, members from the morning classes and members from the evening classes do not have much interaction due to the the fact that classes do not overlap.  Even though this is the unavoidable truth, you will find Mark at many of the Saturday morning community workouts.  He is always welcoming to the new faces that attend on Saturdays as well as eager to get to know some of the somewhat familiar faces from other classes.  Here are some fun facts about Mark that will help you the community, get to know him! What led you to try out Crossfit? I had been looking for a CrossFit gym closer to home but struggled with leaving my current gym.  That is, until I found UpReach CrossFit.  I had trained beside Coach Dre in the past, so I was excited to learn that he was coaching...Read more