CrossFit Optimistic

In the San Antonio Community

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 22:53:00 GMT

For more than 10 years, CrossFit Optimistic has been in the San Antonio community doing what we love – sharing our love of health and fitness through coaching CrossFit. Let’s reflect on some highlights from the past decade!

2010: Victory 400

After serving in Iraq from 2004-2005, Coach Mike felt the need to give back to his brothers and sisters in the Armed Forces. Coach Mike created the fundraiser Victory 400, a 312-mile run from Fort Worth to San Antonio, Texas in September 2010 raising money and awareness for our Wounded Warriors. Packing up the family in Austin, they moved to San Antonio where Coach Mike began coaching CrossFit and training for over a year for Victory 400 . The run along with a classic CrossFit fundraiser, Fight Gone Bad, their community raised over $35,000.

2010-2011: Fight Gone Bad

Fight Gone Bad originally started as a CrossFit Fundraiser, with proceeds going to nonprofits such as the Wounded Warrior Project. When Coach Mike and Coach Angelina worked at Alamo CrossFit, the gym raised $35,000 in 2010. Then in 2011, they raised over $70,000, the highest amount of any worldwide CrossFit affiliate that year.

Ever wondered where the workout name came from? Fighter B. J. Penn asked Coach Glassman, Founder of CrossFit, to make him a workout that simulated the intensity of a fight. So, Coach Glassman created the following workout:

3 Rounds For Total Reps in 17 minutes
1 minute Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lb)
1 minute Sumo Deadlift High-Pulls (75/55 lb)
1 minute Box Jumps (20 in)
1 minute Push Press (75/55 lb)
1 minute Row (calories)
1 minute Rest

Afterwards, Glassman asked what Penn thought of the WOD and he replied “that’s a fight gone bad.”

2011: Adaptive Athlete Summit

Filmed in August of 2011 in San Antonio, Texas, at Alamo CrossFit, the first ever Again Faster Adaptive Athlete Summit featured some of CrossFit’s best coaches as they came together with a group of adaptive athletes for two days of gymnastics, olympic lifting and mobility work. Athletes went through different seminars including weightlifting, nutrition, and even did the CrossFit Girl WOD “Cindy.”

Coaches Jeff Tucker, Jay Leydon, Austin Malleolo and James Hobart joined with Olympians Chad Vaughn and Kendrick Farris to put the guys through skill sessions and CrossFit workouts, proving — if it even needed to be proven — that CrossFit is for everybody and further showing the world what is possible when you stop looking for excuses and start to adapt.

2015-2019: Bataan Memorial Death March

This 26.2 mile ruck march in White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico is to memorialize the tens of thousands of American and Filipino WWII prisoners of war who were forced to march 65 miles with little food or water. Coach Mike has participated in the Bataan Memorial Death March since 1998, completing the event over 10 times in a wide range of the divisions. He has done the March in the Military Heavy (individual, COED teams) and Civilian Heavy (individual, COED teams) divisions. The Optimistic Ruck Team won the COED Civilian Heavy Division in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

2017: The Arena Competition: Adaptive vs Able Bodied

In 2017 Crossfit Optimistic put on the Arena Competition. Another first-of-its-kind event, this competition had both adaptive and able bodied athletes competing in a series of unique workouts. This event raised $3,000 for the San Antonio non-profit Operation Comfort .

SABO Warhawks Basketball Team

For more than 5 years, CrossFit Optimistic has been the strength and conditioning arm for the San Antonio Basketball Organization, SABO Warhawks. CrossFit Optimistic works with these basketball players in weightlifting and sports specific exercises. We are proud to see many of their athletes get college baseball scholarships!

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Transitioning from Clean to Split Jerk

Wed, 13 Jul 2022 20:10:00 GMT

CLEAN AND JERK / verb: jumping a barbell from a stationary position on the floor and receiving it in a supported, active position, first in the front rack and secondarily the overhead position.

If you can jump, you can clean and jerk! In the words of Coach Mike Burgener: “We need to learn to JUMP the barbell through a range of motion creating acceleration and elevation on the barbell; while that barbell is moving up, I am moving down and under the barbell.”

Clean and Jerk fundamentals are fairly similar to the Snatch, which we talked about last month . Today, let’s focus on the transition from the Squat Clean to the Split Jerk.

Elbows are down and out, and in front of the barbell.
Full, relaxed grip on the bar. The hook grip is released while performing overhead movements.
The bar is resting on the shoulders and supported by the body.

Split Jerk: The Basics

JERK: a dip + drive + punch into an active, overhead receiving position. The split jerk facilitates athletes in moving greater weights more efficiently and provides a greater base of support in the receiving position.

First, the DIP: shoulders remain stacked over hips with knees corkscrewed over feet. The dip is short, straight down and smooth.

Second, the DRIVE: generate bar speed by using the lower body to jump the bar straight overhead, creating weightlessness.

Finally, the PUNCH : punch your body under the bar and into the split position, receiving the barbell on locked out arms directly overhead.

Weight is on the heel of the lead leg.
Front knee is stacked over the ankle or slightly back.
Upright torso – bar is stacked over the shoulders, hips and back knee.
Back leg is bent, back knee is pointing down, back glute is tight.
Weight is on the ball of the back foot, with the heel off the ground.

Marking Your Feet for a Split Jerk

To start, determine your lead leg: L unge forward and place back knee on the ground; forward leg is likely the dominant/ lead leg.
Then, mark your toes with chalk: W ith your feet in the jumping position, draw lines across the top of the toes and the back of the heels. Next, m ove your feet out to the landing/receiving/squatting position and mark the toe box with chalk.
Now, mark the lead leg: M ove your lead leg forward from the landing position to where that heel is aligned with the forward (toe) line, and m ark halfway through the lead foot and draw a U above that line. In the split, the lead foot heel should land in that U.
Lastly, mark the rear leg: M ove your rear leg from landing position back until the toe is aligned with the back (heel) line. Mark heel of rear foot with an inverted U. In the split, the rear foot toes should land in the U.

Jerk Skill Transfer Exercises

Push press behind the neck x 3 reps
Push jerk behind the neck x 3 reps
Split jerk behind the neck x 3 reps
Push press x 3 reps
Push jerk x 3 reps
Split jerk x 3 reps

If you’re interested in building your Olympic lifting skills, Coach Tori offers personal training where she’ll work with you one-on-one to improve whatever your weightlifting hangups may be! Interested? Call us at 210-708-7472.

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If You Can Jump, You Can Snatch!

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 14:02:00 GMT

SNATCH /snaCH/ verb: jumping a barbell from a stationary position on the floor and receiving it in a supported, active position overhead. If you can jump, you can snatch!

In the Snatch Skill Clinic, lead by Coach Tori, she focused primarily on good setup, keeping the bar close, and getting to the full open-hip position. This is where the explosive power comes from in order to get under the bar more successfully. The fundamental drills are intended to be an ongoing practice and when done consistently will help to instill the muscle memory for the correct movement under load. Training overhead squats with good mechanics will also improve strength and stability in the receiving position of the movement and will ensure that you safely and successfully receive and stand the lift up.

Stance

Stance focuses on what position your feet are in. There are two stances to a snatch. The jumping stance is where our feet start, feet directly beneath hips. The landing stance is where we end, feet roughly squat width apart. This makes room for hips in bottom of squat, which can’t be done if your feet are too narrow.

Jumping Stance (starting position):

Feet are hip width apart.
Toes turned out slightly.
Weight is balanced and evenly distributed in the feet.

Landing Stance (receiving position):

Feet are shoulder width apart.
Toes turned out slightly.
Knees are tracking over the toes.
Chest and eyes are on the horizon.
Weight is balanced and evenly distributed in the feet.

Grip

Grip focuses on where your h ands are in relationship to barbell. There are two grip considerations with the snatch: hook grip and grip width on the barbell. Hook grip is how we hold the bar. Grip width is how far your hands are outside our shoulders. We cannot express enough the importance of hook grip, for safety and efficient movement.

Hook Grip:

Thumb wraps around the bar.
Pointer and middle fingers pinch the thumb into the bar.

Grip Width:

Wide grip to facilitate 6-12’’ space overhead.
Straight arms.
Barbell hits about crease of the hip when standing tall.

Positions

There are two positions of importance in the snatch and they reference the body’s position in relation to the bar at start and receipt of the barbell.

Setup:

Barbell starts at rest and is positioned over the middle of the foot.
Shoulders should be over and slightly in front of the barbell.
Shoulders are higher than hips, hips are higher than knees.
Spine is neutral and back is active; tuck your shoulder blades into your back pockets.

Receiving position:

Active shoulders = External rotation + internal torque.
Armpits point forward and crease of elbow points up.
Bar is stacked over the shoulders, hips and middle of the foot.
Upright torso.
Weight is balanced and feet are in a stable receiving position.

Pulls

There are 3 distinct pulls to a snatch, and each pull impacts the next.

Liftoff/ First Pull:

Maintain tension and control from ground to above the knee, around mid thigh.
Keep shoulders on top of the bar as long as possible, allowing legs to do the work.
Keep the bar close, allowing for efficiency and continual acceleration into second pull.

Triple Extension/ Second Pull:

Shoulders move from over the bar to on top/behind the bar.
Violent extension of the ankles, knees and hips resulting in maximal velocity of the bar.
Creates momentary weightlessness of the bar allowing the athlete to begin the third pull.

Pull Around and Under the Bar/ Third Pull:

Active and aggressive “pull” around and under the bar
Receive the bar in a supported overhead position.

Now that we’ve broken down the fundamentals of this movement, we wanted to share a few warmups to get your arms, legs, and hips firing.

Are you looking to improve your snatch? You can spend one-on-one time with one of our CrossFit coaches to focus on technique and drills to improve your lift. You can learn more about personal training sessions here or to get more info, send us an email at info@crossfitoptimistic.com.

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Prep Workouts for Murph

Tue, 10 May 2022 16:08:00 GMT

1 mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, 1 mile run

Last year, we broke down different strategies you can use to break up Murph reps, like the Leg Saver and Pushup Saver. This year, we want to show you different workouts you can do each week in May to prep you for Memorial Day Murph . The foundation of CrossFit was built on variety and intensity, and these workouts bring just that!

Prep Mentality

It’s a gym classic to prep for Murph with rounds of Cindy – first 5, then 10, all working your way to 20 rounds. But that can start to feel monotonous. These are different than your usual 5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats. These prep workouts are designed to keep you moving and motivated. Note: you can wear a vest for any of these workouts for extra intensity and Murph prep.

Depeche Murph

In this workout, the goal is to do as many reps as you can in the 20 second window. Consider focusing your effort on the movement you feel most confident in, and setting goals a little bit past your comfort zone on the other two movements. For example, completing 12 air squats in 20 seconds, then pushing yourself to complete 3 kipping pull-ups or 5 RX push-ups.

200 reps for time:

20 seconds of pull-ups

10 seconds of rest

20 seconds of push-ups

10 seconds of rest

20 seconds of air squats

10 seconds of rest

The Phantom Murph-nace

This prep workout is heavy cardio and endurance. There’s also more running here than the other options, which is important in prepping for Murph! A mile run is no joke, and finishing 8 rounds of this workout equals one mile before you even know it. Set a goal for the number of rounds you want to complete and really push yourself to hit it!

20:00 AMRAP:

3 pull-ups

6 push-ups

12 air squats

200m Run

Excali-Murph

If your goal for Murph is to complete it straight through without breaking up the reps, then this workout is for you! High volume means high fatigue, so use this workout to get your body used to working through that fatigue. Focus on large sets of reps, test how many reps you can do without stopping!

2 RFT:

75 air squats

25 push-ups

25 pull-ups

21 Murph Street

There’s two ways you can approach this one – pushing the pace, or using it as a test environment. With a short run and few rounds of Cindy, you can sprint through the reps and see how fast you can go. OR you can use this as a chance to test yourself- can you do a few RX pull-ups or pushups in each round of Cindy? Then after the 6 minutes of rest, see if you can do it again!

400m Run

5 Rounds of Cindy

400m Run

-REST 6 minutes-

400m Run

5 Rounds of Cindy

400m Run

Scaling Options

A key thing to remember is that CrossFit is infinitely scalable. Murph looks intense at a glance, and you may see movements you can’t yet complete RX. Let’s scale! Depending on your goal, like if you want to finish under 60 mins or want to RX a new movement, here are options to scale:

Push-ups – from the knees , from a box

Pull-ups – jumping pull-ups , ring rows

1 mile run – scale to 800m or 400m

Also consider 1/2 murph! 800m run, 50 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 150 air squats, 800m run.

If you try any of these workouts, we want to know! Comment on this post which workout you tried and your score. We hope this year’s Murph feels faster, lighter, or heavier if you decide to wear a weight vest �� Good luck!

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What to Expect at CrossFit Optimistic

Thu, 14 Apr 2022 14:51:00 GMT

We built CrossFit Optimistic to foster a healthy and fit community built on meaningful relationships, forged through CrossFit Optimistic. Our mission is to provide a value-based service that develops and empowers individuals and gives hope to everyone striving to meet their fitness goals. Are you interested in CrossFit and want to learn more about it? Or maybe you’re ready to improve your fitness but don’t know where to start? Let us help you!

What is CrossFit?

CrossFit is a group workout class for anyone at any fitness level. CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity. All CrossFit workouts are based on functional movements, and these movements reflect the best aspects of gymnastics, weightlifting, running, rowing and more. The class is always lead by a coach who will show you how to do each movement. At CrossFit Optimistic, we take everyday movements and put them into a fun and effective fitness program.

Why should someone workout at CrossFit Optimistic over their current gym/workout?

CrossFit is something that ANYONE can do. You are going to see results and have fun while working out. You’ll be with a group of people who have the same goals as you do: to have an active, healthy lifestyle. At CrossFit Optimistic, we empower our members and build confidence, strength, and flexibility that extends into their non-CrossFit world.

We are genuine in our desire to help people get healthy and be active. We have been coaching in San Antonio longer than almost all CrossFit gyms in town. You will be sure to get competent and caring coaches that will help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

Is CrossFit for me?

Yes! CrossFit is for all ages and fitness levels, from 5 years old to 100 years young!

For the person who wants to stay fit: For some athletes, their fitness goal is simple – to stay moving. CrossFit can help you stay fit so you can take care of kids, grandkids, and express your fitness in the real world- hike the Grand Canyon, throw the kids in the swimming pool, or move that heavy furniture upstairs!

For the person who wants to lose weight: We have seen some amazing transformations, but most importantly, we see the confidence to take control of your life without feeling deprived.

For the person who works out at Globo Gym: We know it’s hard when you have to make up your workouts, research what and how, decide when you have had “enough,” or you just get bored! We have the plan, and we are going to show you how to do it. We have people to push and encourage you, and we change it up every day so you stay interested.

How do I start at CrossFit Optimistic?

To start, please schedule a No-Sweat consultation with a coach!

What happens next?

Through your No-Sweat Consult with one of our coaches, we will talk with you about your goals and your level of CrossFit knowledge. We offer several different pathways for new athletes to reach their goals, based on individual needs.

CrossFit 101: This is designed for athletes that are the perfect fit for a group environment. CF101 preps them for our CrossFit classes.
Personal Training : This training is for those that would feel more comfortable in a one-on-one setting, those that have particular circumstances, or those who desire a more flexible schedule.

Strategic Advantages

We offer a great class schedule with many choices 7 days a week.
Classes start on time—we respect your schedule.
We authentically reflect our demographic. Our coaching staff consists of parents, business owners, students, and professionals. We love CrossFit as a lifestyle!
We build relationships that empower athletes, build confidence, strength, and flexibility that extends outside the gym. Through our doors, y ou will find a welcoming and friendly atmosphere.
We provide competent and caring coaching for your overall health and fitness.

Interested? Call us today and let’s talk about how CrossFit Optimistic can help you meet your goals! Just walk through the door, and we’ll take care of the rest.

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The 2022 CrossFit Optimistic Open Wrapped

Thu, 24 Mar 2022 19:39:00 GMT

Just like that, the 2022 CrossFit Open is over! Three weeks of competition = three weeks of community fun and Free Beer Fridays. As a gym, our favorite part of the Open each year is watching athletes push themselves to try movements or weights they’ve never done before. First pull-up, first wall walks, some athletes even touched their first 35/50# dumbbell!

As a coach , I thought this year’s Open was especially great because none of the workouts seemed unapproachable compared to previous years. To do well, you needed mastery of movement AND general CrossFit ability (weight, cardio, etc). Three weeks felt just long enough to keep athletes engaged and motivated. Let’s reflect on the Open week by week…

22.1

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of: 3 wall walks, 12 dumbbell snatches, 15 box jump-overs

What I liked about this workout was how moldable it was for different levels of athlete, to either pace or push yourself. The quantity of box jumps was manageable, dumbbell snatches are a relatively common movement, and the wall walks were just tricky enough that each level of athlete could attack it differently. Newer athletes could stay on pace to finish as many reps as possible, and experienced athletes could maintain a fast pace and test the limits of their cardio. The amount of skill required was just enough that you had to push to get a good score but also hang in for the long time cap.

22.2

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps for time of deadlifts and bar-facing burpees

These first two workouts were very grunt-style. There was so much hinging in 22.1, that with 22.2 having even more hinge movements, the body was taxed and the weight felt heavy. All in all, this workout was short and fast – leg strength and lungs on burpees was a good combo. It was a deceptive workout, you see the reps and think it’ll be a breeze, then you add it up and see exactly how large the challenge really is. Completing the burpees however you want was great, not as much about movement technicality but about capacity.

Highlight as a coach – watching an athlete complete the workout at Foundations and RX age group level. They did well in both, and it was great to see the level of athleticism achievable. All scaling options were accessible!

22.3

21 pull-ups, 42 double-unders, 21 thrusters (weight 1)

18 chest-to-bar pull-ups, 36 double-unders, 18 thrusters (weight 2)

15 bar muscle-ups, 30 double-unders, 15 thrusters (weight 3)

Push and pull, what CrossFit does best. With “soft caps” in ability (what I call it when at athlete gets stuck at a movement they’ve never done before, like a muscle up), you can still get through a good chunk of the workout, even if you can’t do the highest technical movement. Athletes can finish as many rounds or reps until they hit the soft cap, and then have time to challenge themselves to attempt the movement.

What I love about this is it sets the road map for your progression on how to improve your own CrossFit. You can do pulls, but can you do chest to bars? If you can do thrusters at 65#, then the next weight to work on is 75#.

A workout like this also shows a culmination of your fitness journey. Do what you know you can do and then push yourself to do more. When people are so tired but really want it, they will find a way to make it happen. You can also see direct growth year to year – several athletes barely did pull-ups last year and got at least one C2B this year.

The Open Wrapped

This was a good Open season , accessible to all levels of athletes, dialed in on how to scale each group. More so than any other year, this Open was accessible to all. No scaling option felt “too easy.” It asked a good amount of every athlete, and was designed well to show both mastery of higher level athletes and motivation of newer athletes. I’m excited to see next year, and even more excited to see this year’s quarterfinals compared to last year.

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Remembering Lisa “LFR” Starr Rosenstein

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 20:12:00 GMT

Lisa “LFR” Starr Rosenstein was a vibrant member of the Optimistic community. On March 6, we are honoring Lisa’s memory and love of running with a 5k run. The most important things to Lisa were her family, friends and fitness. Any time she could combine her loves together, she was supremely happy.

Lisa Starr Rosenstein passed away on May 2, 2021 in a tragic hit and run accident while out on her morning run. We will always remember Lisa as a mom, wife, friend, sister and daughter who absolutely loved running. Her husband, Alan, and their two kids, Emma and Nathan, were her greatest supporters in her running adventures. Often you’d find her family at her races high fiving her as she crossed the finish line. Lisa was proud to have completed 27 races in the last four years with her all-time favorite being the New York Marathon. Here, we’re sharing stories and memories from people whose lives were impacted by LFR’s big and loving heart.

“Happiness is…”

“Intensity for Life”

“Larger Than Life Expressions”

“I’ve taken so many photos of LFR at the gym. Everytime my camera pointed in her direction, she gave a big smile, or stuck out her tongue. She had big, larger than life expressions. What I can never express in words, I can show in photos. I love you, LFR.” – India Martinez

As you can see, Lisa left a big impact on everyone who came in contact with her. We hope you’ve enjoyed these memories, and we invite you to join us in celebrating her life and legacy at the LFR Memorial 5K Run on Sunday, March 6th, 2022. You can register online here . See you there!

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The 2022 CrossFit Open is Here!

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 22:08:00 GMT

Just like that, it’s time for another CrossFit Open season. Is this your first year competing in the Open? Maybe your fifth? However many years it’s been, we hope this is the year you reach a new PR, try a movement you’ve never done before, or RX a WOD you thought would be especially tough.

What is the CrossFit Open?

The CrossFit Open is three-week long competition series where you complete one workout each week and rank yourself among athletes around the world. You and your friends at the gym are tackling the same workouts as the pro athletes you see at the CrossFit Games. Cool, right??

When is the CrossFit Open?

This year, the Open season starts February 24, 2022. Traditionally, the workout is released Thursday evening, and you have Friday – Monday to complete the workout. Scores must be submitted by Monday evening, so if you want to take one last shot at getting a better score, Monday is the day to do it.

How do I sign up?

You can register online at CrossFit’s mainsite HERE . There’s a small fee to register; this puts you on CrossFit Optimistic’s leaderboard and the worldwide leaderboard so you can see where you rank among the community.

If you’re a member of CrossFit Optimistic, print out your registration confirmation and we’ll add you to the wall. We want as many members to sign up as they can, let this be our biggest Open participation yet!!

Can I scale the workouts?

Absolutely! In the CrossFit Open, there are RX, Scaled, and Masters divisions, and each gets their own version of the workout. In 2021, CrossFit introduced the Foundations and Adaptive divisions, to give even more options to fit every person’s fitness level. No matter your skill level, you can do these workouts!

Any tips or tricks?

Each week the workouts will be a surprise, even coaches and affiliate owners won’t know what the workout is until it’s released. Once the workout is announced, you better believe that our coaches will give you all the best tips they have so you can be the most successful at whatever weight or movement you want to attempt! Coaches are there to cheer you on, push you harder, and also keep you safe.

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2021 Wrapped

Wed, 15 Dec 2021 16:16:00 GMT

January

A Word from Coach Mike

Widowmaker

What better time for new challenge than a new year? January 2021 started with a back squat series called “The Widowmaker” – max weight for 20 back squat reps. Every Friday for 8 weeks, athletes challenged themselves to make their back squats a little bit heavier.

February

Skill Clinic with Coach Tori & Coach Chip

Coach Tori & Coach Chip taught a 90-minute skill clinic, instructing athletes on the foundational gymnastic movements – the hollow and arch shapes. The coaches walked athletes through warm up drills to get their arms, legs, and core ready for time under tension. The word of the day was “ virtuousity” – great ability or skill.

800g Challenge

Starting February 8, Optimists joined the 800g Challenge , aiming to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Our hope is that athletes find routines and habits, and make changes in their diet that make you feel better and inspire you to move your body! That’s what challenges like this are all about – finding what works for you.

March

CrossFit Open

This year’s CrossFit Open was the first year of a new schedule, 3 weeks instead of the usual 5. As always, we ended each week with a Free Beer Friday, to cheer on athletes throwing down the Open WOD and enjoy a beer with fellow Optimists.

Diploma Dash

On March 20th, Optimists gathered at CrossFit Optimistic Alamo Heights to run the UTSA Diploma Dash , a fundraiser 5K in support of college scholarships! Randy aka “Wall Street” and Jacy aka “Cereal Killa” Daniels are proud UTSA Alumni , and they wanted to bring together the school they love with their gym community. Birds Up!

April

CrossFit Quarterfinals

Following the 2021 CrossFit Open, Coach Forrest and Coach Kyla qualified for the CrossFit Quarterfinals! From April 22 – 25, they completed a series of 5 workouts alongside Coach Sheina from CrossFit Dagda.

May

Revolution Competition

May started off with a bang – an in-house competition and Second Chance Prom in one day!

Second Chance Prom

Murph

Our biggest community event every year is Murph, a Hero WOD named after Lt. Michael Murphy. One mile run, 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and another one mile run for time. Was 2021 the year you PR’ed your Murph time?

June

Optimistic Podcast – What Pride Means to Us

CrossFit Optimistic celebrates Pride Month ! Coach Forrest talked with Abby aka “Horse Whisperer” and India aka “Tickle” about what pride means to them, their coming out stories, and advice they’d give to their younger selves. Their advice for anyone ready to come out to their friends and family?

Before you come out, accept and love yourself first. You don’t have to come out to everybody all at once, take it one step at a time and know you’re not alone.
Surround yourself with people that love you. Make sure you’re in a safe space before you come out and tell the world. It’s great to be yourself and live the life you want to live.

July

NC 8 Year Anniversary

A few more words from Coach Mike to celebrate this anniversary…

Kids & Teens

One of CrossFit Optimistic’s favorite programs to host each summer is our Kids & Teens sessions. Seeing the joy in their faces when they do the same workouts as their parents, sharing their feeling of success when they master a brand new movement, and just the infectious energy of our youngest Optimists make these summer sessions simply the best . CrossFit, at its core, is infinitely scalable. We apply this to CrossFit Kids & Teens by often taking the same workout that the adult classes did that day and modifying movements so that young athletes can complete the same WOD.

August

Ringing PR bell

A new addition to both gyms this year was a PR bell! When athletes hit a new max weight or max reps, they can ring the bell loud and proud for everyone to cheer.

BCS Classic

This year three Optimistic teams went to College Station, TX to compete in the BCS Classic. Forrest & India, Panky & Tori, and Kyla & her sister Alex competed alongside countless others teams and did very well! Congratulations to all for a hard-fought weekend of fitness!

September

AH 4 Year Anniversary

CrossFit Optimistic celebrated the Alamo Heights location’s fourth anniversary with a community workout. Coach Forrest, Kate, and Coach Chip reflected on what this community means to them and shared some of their favorite moments from the past four years.

Men & Women Only WOD

We love to hear from our members of what they want to see at the box. After a member suggested more after-hours community events, the Men & Women Only WODs were born! It’s always great to see the camaraderie of Optimists from different locations and class times. So many new faces come in every day and these events are also a great time to meet new people!

October

Skill Clinic with Coach Forrest

Coach Forrest lead a skill clinic teaching new techniques or movement modifications for Pull Ups and Double Unders.

Million Meter Row

Coach Mike set a challenge for 2021 for anyone who accepts the mission to row 1,000,000 meters. Two Optimists achieved this! Judi aka “Unchained” from Alamo Heights and Shawn aka “Shirtless from North Central. What an achievement, way to go!

November

Garage Games

The Garage Games is a nation-wide competition series that tracks athletes performances and ranks them throughout the year! The Garage Games includes events hosted by gyms across the country, including the event at CrossFit Optimistic on November 6. Several Optimists competed against athletes from all over Texas in a series of workouts that tested all modalities of fitness.

Thanksgiving

There is no better season than Thanksgiving to take stock of what we have in life and how incredible our gym is. The Martinez family shared what they love about CrossFit Optimistic in a recent blog post . If you made it this far, thank you! Thank you for reading and for supporting our community.

December

White Elephant

One of our favorite community events every year is the White Elephant Gift Exchange. Everyone brings a wrapped surprise gift and we take turns picking a new present or stealing someone else’s present.

2021 Wrapped

At CrossFit Optimistic, each year is better than the last and 2021 is no exception. The community grows bigger and stronger each year, milestones are celebrated, PR’s are reached, and the Optimism for life keeps flowing. We can’t wait to see what 2022 brings.

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Thankful for CrossFit Optimistic

Fri, 19 Nov 2021 20:32:00 GMT

There’s no better season to reflect on what we’re grateful for than Thanksgiving. CrossFit Optimistic, and the community of members that make up the gym, has changed the lives of the Martinez family in countless ways. We wanted to take a moment for each family member to share why they are thankful for CrossFit Optimistic, and what the gym means to them.

Coach Mike

Goes without saying that I’m thankful for my family that has believed in me from day one. From the day I said “mom and I are leaving our jobs in Austin, moving down to San Antonio and starting this thing called CrossFit” to today. Beyond grateful for the members, our CrossFit Family, that has been my “rock” in both the highs and the lows. Without them there wouldn’t be Team Martinez. I have wonderful memory after memory from our box: From seeing athletes get their first toes to bar in the CrossFit Open to a member running their first mile, EVER (and shedding a tear or two) to a member sending us a note that they are off their anti-depression medication to seeing my wife throw down next to Julie Foucher…right there…in our box. We have a once in a lifetime community with kind, loving human beings.

Coach Anjo

Thanksgiving, the season of thankfulness and family, is my favorite time of year. Our Optimistic community has watched my kids grow up in the gym and it has been such a blessing to Mike and I to have so many good people touch their lives. It is such a special experience to know they all understand hard work, commitment, and being part of a community through CrossFit . I cannot think of a better way for them to learn those values that will serve them well throughout their lives. The people who have been woven into the fiber of our family are a piece of our story that will continue on to the next generations. Thank you to CrossFit Optimistic Optimists for being an extension of our family and Happy Thanksgiving.

Coach Forrest

I’m thankful that CrossFit Optimistic is filled with fun and caring people that I can talk to and will give me true advice about life. That never gets old. All the greatest people I know are at CrossFit Optimistic.

I think it’s cool that my whole family does CrossFit and we’ve grown closer through these workouts. The idea that fitness is a way for us to have fun together is so cool; it’s a joint activity that we can all bond over. I love that CFO is a space for other families to experience that too, parents alongside their kids getting a good sweat in.

Coach India

It takes a village, or in this case a CrossFit community, to raise a kid…. or four Martinez kids. The Optimists at the box have been a huge part of my life. They have seen me from a high schooler to college student and beyond. They are the people I can count on to push me in a WOD, give me their wisdom, and share laughs after class sitting on the benches outside the gym. Our Optimistic family continues to teach me in my daily life- to be a better person, a better coach, and so much more. I’m thankful for this community!

Sierra

I am thankful for CrossFit Optimistic because it’s where my family is! Not just my family by blood, but also the extension of it in the community. What is so special about everyone at the box is that they’re not just someone you workout alongside, they’re also people that are just wonderful to be around and to talk too.

Maya

The community at the box, my second home, are like family. I have grown very close with all the loving and caring people who make up CrossFit optimistic. I think overall the memories of me growing up at the gym doing CrossFit kids, holiday WODs, and potlucks are my favorite. At the box everyone brings a different individual energy that clicks so well with one another. Working out has always just been a level ground for everyone in my family to connect on and have fun family competition . I am so grateful for the amazing safe space my parents have created and that they were able to share it with others.

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