Starting this week, we’ll be offering two new classes which will run concurrent with Open Gym time at 2pm.
Do you see those kegs, tires, and Atlas stones in the back of the gym and wonder how on earth you’re supposed to lift them? Have you seen World’s Strongest Man and thought “wow, that looks so cool?” Well, starting Tuesday, September 20th and running every Tuesday at 2pm, GRCF will have a dedicated Strongman class to learn how to correctly lift and carry various strongman implements. Please note that despite the name, you do NOT have to be super strong OR of the male gender to participate in strongman. In fact, strongman is for everyone, and is pretty much the ultimate in “functional fitness,” as you will be working with irregular objects like the ones you would encounter in everyday life. Plan on practicing technique and getting conditioning in via AMRAP, EMOM, and medley formats with all the fun strongman toys!
In addition, we’ll be offering a Flexibility class on Fridays at 2pm, starting Sept. 23rd. The flexibility class will be aimed at improving range of motion to help facilitate improvement in posture, technique, and strength. The class will offer a holistic approach to flexibility, including dynamic mobility drills, static stretching, and self-myofacial release techniques. Think of it as a “ROMWOD” meets “MobilityWOD” kind of mash-up to fully and thoroughly improve positioning, as well as loosen up problem muscles, joints, and tendons. Most importantly, it will be fun enough that you’ll actually want to do it!
The coach of both these classes is our newest addition to the coaching team (and resident superhero), Patrick Barnes! Patrick is a dancer, parkour coach and athlete, a competitive highland games athlete, and of course, a badass strongman. An unlikely mix of super-strong yet incredibly flexible and graceful, Patrick studied Modern Dance at the University of Utah while also honing his skills in strength sports and parkour. Those of you who have spoken with him know he is fantastically knowledgeable in all things training related, from anatomy, technique, mechanics, power development, and just about anything else in the strength and conditioning world.
Come welcome Patrick to the team, check out the classes, and let us know if you are interested in either class but can’t make the time slot. We are testing out the 2pm time for now, but we may add additional times or change up the schedule if we get enough feedback.
