Using What We’ve Got for Good

JT Scott | 05/04/2017 | 1

We talk a lot at CFSV about being more functional: the concept of getting stronger not just for the sake of getting strong, but to be better able to enjoy life and help others around us.

That concept gains direction when we have a sense of purpose. The privilege of being healthy and strong, of having resources, allows us to help others with everything we’ve got. In other words, we get to use our powers for good.

I personally am blessed to have a lot of resources. I have a big truck, for example, and so I’m on call for just about anyone anytime who needs to (for example) move a couch. I could just have a truck for the vanity of it, but instead I seek a functional use of that privilege by serving the purpose of helping people who need a big truck. I’m looking to increase my utility to society with it.

(If you ever need help moving a big thing, just ask. Seriously. I can’t tell you how many gym members have been helped by that truck over the years.)

Likewise, we have a big space here in CrossFit Somerville – which is a pretty rare thing, actually. In the densest city in New England it’s hard to find cheap/free space for events, especially fundraiser events that are seeking to do good.

Last year we offered up our space to a group of artists to host an event that would raise money for their art collective and also for the Wolf Hollow. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out! It’s a wolf sanctuary in Ipswich dedicated to the preservation of the wolf in the wild through education and exposure. You can go visit wolves there! That event raised over a thousand dollars to support that sanctuary.

This year they’re doing another private fundraiser event, and I’m glad to let them use the CFSV space again for it. They appreciate the gift of one evening of cancelled classes to help their causes this year: both their art collective, and the Honeybee Conservancy. As a gym that has hosted a beehive for many years now, we care about the cause of ensuring the survival and proliferation of these important pollinators – vital links in our food chain.

So thank you for your understanding – we’ve got a full slate of morning and noon classes on Friday, but consider our Friday night classes a donation to the cause of supporting honeybee populations around the country and supporting local artists at the same time… particularly relevant as we head into the Somerville Open Studios weekend! And in the same vein, I encourage you to keep your eyes open for ways you can use all your hard-earned functionality to help make the world a better place around you, too.

For today’s workout, we’ll be going overhead and working on our footwork in the Split Jerk. After that, we’ll be doing tight little two minute intervals that will get us running, swinging, and filling the rest of the interval with pullups. There’s built in rest, so gather your breath and then get back at it with gusto!

(Our weekend class offerings are unchanged: Yoga, CrossFit Class, and Calvinball on Saturday. Open Gym and Urban Wilding on Sunday.)

STRENGTH:
Split Jerk
2-2-2-2-2

WOD:
6 Rounds of 2 mins work:
Run 200m
10 KB Swings (1.5/1)
Max Effort Pull-ups
* 30 seconds rest

Score is total pullups