Hello Fort Collins CrossFit members,
On this upcoming Monday, May 25th we have an annual tradition upon us. Each Memorial Day we honor the fallen soldier Michael Murphy by performing the hero workout "Murph". Murph consists of a 1 mile run followed by 100 pull-ups, 200 push-ups, 300 air squats, and all capped off with another 1 mile run. Athletes are encouraged to wear a weight vest while performing the workout (20 lbs for men, 14 lbs for women). The workout is as much about having mental toughness to persevere along with physical stamina. As you perform the workout I encourage you to think less about the pain/suffering you may momentarily be in and shift your focus to the sacrifices made by those who protect our freedom and safety in this amazing country where we get to live. 

This year with the current conditions we are living in, Murph will have to be run differently. We want to continue this annual tradition and hope that we can accommodate as many of you as possible in the gym. That being said, currently we will offer class spots on Monday, May 25th to members first before opening up any spots to outside athletes. Phil has been hard at work this week making pull-up stations outside the gym. We will have 6 pull-up stations that can be used by athletes to perform Murph while not being required to wear a mask. Inside we can have up to 8 people in a class performing Murph but those athletes will be required to wear a mask while inside the gym. There is a sign-up genius (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45ACAD29A2FE3-murph) where you can sign up for a time slot and also a pull-up station for Murph on Monday. Also there is a spot to note if you will be borrowing a weight vest from the gym for this workout. We have 2 ladies 14 lb vests and 3 mens 20 lbs vests that you may borrow. Time slots are 60 minutes and there are 15 minutes between heats to pick yourself up from the floor, clean equipment, and leave the gym before the next heat arrives. If you think it will take you longer than an hour to complete this workout I suggest you sign up for the last heat of the day which is scheduled for 1 hr 15 min. Otherwise if you are signed up for an hour long slot we will have to time cap you at 60 minutes so we don't throw off the following heat times. Please come fairly warmed up to the gym and be ready to start on time. You may arrive up to 15 minutes ahead of your heat but please stay out front of the gym and a coach will come out, take your temperature, run through a quick warm-up with you, and get everyone briefed on their heat. Usually we celebrate with a post-Murph cookout but given the ban on gatherings over 10 people we will not be able to have this cookout. 

Also, this year it is more important than ever to really evaluate your current level of fitness before deciding how you want to tackle Murph. Many of us have not touched a pull-up bar in 2+ months so knocking out 100 pull-ups as one small part of a long workout might not be the best practice. The last thing we want is for any of our athletes to push themselves to a point of damaging their body. So please, if we suggest a scaled option of the workout don't be offended. We know all of you are rockstar athletes but Murph might not be the best re-entry into that rockstar life. Or perhaps there have been extra cookies, banana bread, ice cream, etc in your diet during this quarantine and you are rocking a built-in weight vest? Awesome, no need to throw a weight vest on top then! Whatever route you choose to go when taking on Murph be proud of yourself for putting in the work to do hard things! And if you are looking for scaling options talk to a coach. We've got all sorts of different scaling options that will still give you a good physical and mental challenge. 

Last but not least, Murph shirts have been shipped and are scheduled to be delivered today. I will have shirts at the gym on Friday and if you are coming to class you may pick up your shirt then. Otherwise you may pick up your shirt on Monday. Also, things related to mask wearing inside may change before Monday if the state of Colorado grants variance to gyms in Larimer County. If I hear any news regarding this I will relay that information to members as quickly as possible. Fingers crossed....

So if you are in for Murph on Monday get yourself signed up for a heat time! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A45ACAD29A2FE3-murph
First come, first serve on heat times. Weather forecast looks perfect for Monday. Cloudy and 62 degrees! 
​
Peace, love, and health,
Erin 

Alright FCCF members,
Here is the information you have all been waiting for. Without further rambling…I’m happy to say that we have made the decision to open the gym back up on May the 4th!!! And yes, you are required to come dressed as your favorite Star Wars character! Now, things are going to look a bit differently in terms of class times, how classes are run, and what you have to wear while working out. 
First, we are following the guidelines set forth by both the State of Colorado and also Larimer County to open the gym and run classes in the safest manner possible. Current guidelines allow a maximum of 4 people to 1 trainer in a personal training environment. BOTH THE TRAINER AND THE TRAINEES WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK AT ALL TIMES WHILE ON THE PREMISES OF FORT COLLINS CROSSFIT!!!!!!!!
HOW CLASSES WILL BE RUN:

• Classes will be capped at a maximum of 8 athletes and 2 coaches
• Classes will run for 60 minutes. One half of class will be a WOD done outside with 4 athletes, while the other 4 athletes will be inside doing a strength workout. 25 minutes will be given to each component and then those who were outside will come in for the strength component and those who were inside will go outside for the Metcon. Equipment will be cleaned between the two groups switching. 
• There will be 15 minutes between classes to clean all equipment used by the individual and to allow time to leave the gym before the next class arrives
• Please do not arrive more than 5 minutes before your class is scheduled to start. Upon arrival after sanitizing hands, you will be directed by a coach as to whether you will start with the outside workout or the inside strength
• Please leave promptly after your class has finished and you have sanitized your equipment. You must exit out the door in the lounge area that is just north of the double glass entrance doors. 
• You may sign up 72 hours in advance of classes using Wodify
• I will continue to post an at-home workout option on the webpage for those who do not feel comfortable working out in a mask or coming back to the gym yet. We will not have Zoom times for the at-home workout though. 

CLASS TIMES:
We are going to try this schedule out for the week. Things may change if classes are not full or we receive changes in guidelines from the county or state.
Class Times:
M-F: 5:45 am, 7:00 am, 9:00 am
M-W-F: 12:15 pm, 4:30 pm



SIGNING UP FOR A CLASS TIME:
You must sign up ahead of time for a class. You can sign into a class up to 72 hours before the scheduled class time on Wodify. To sign up for a class on Wodify you need to click on “Schedule” at the top of the page. You will then see a list of classes for the week. These classes are all labeled as "time of class COVID wod". There is a calendar icon to the right of the class time and you simply click on the calendar to register for that class. Once the class has reached capacity a wait list will be generated and if there is a cancellation those on the wait list will receive an email. Let’s be kind and only sign up for classes we can attend and if something comes up and we can’t attend please cancel as soon as possible. 
GYM PROCEDURES:

• MASKS ARE TO BE WORN THE WHOLE TIME YOU ARE ON THE FORT COLLINS CROSSFIT PREMISES!!! 
• The gym has taped off large sections which are to be used by the athletes during the workouts
• You will be given a shower caddy to carry with you through both the inside and outside parts of the workout. The shower caddy will contain hand sanitizer, a bottle of spray disinfectant and cleaning cloth, and a whiteboard with marker. Please clean these items when you are finished with class
• 6’ of space must be maintained between individuals while inside the gym. 
• Please bring your own water bottle filled with water to class. The water fountain will be off limits
• Also no sharing of the chalk bucket. You can bring your own chalk to class or we will sell you a block of chalk ($3) or a pair of one time use hand grips (3 pairs for $5).
• At this time we will not allow children to come with you to the gym. We realize this may be an inconvenience to some but we do not have childcare currently at gym nor do we feel that we can provide childcare and safely comply with the regulations regarding social distancing set forth by the State of Colorado

WELLNESS PROTOCOLS:

• Temperatures will be taken upon entering the building. Any person with a temperature of 99.5F or greater will be asked to return home
• If you have had a cough or a fever we ask that you remain home and quarantine yourself for 14 days prior to returning to the gym
• Upon entering the gym and before touching any equipment we ask that you sanitize your hands via soap or hand sanitizer
• If you aren’t feeling well, stay home. Period.

Whew- it's a lot I know. We've have been really working hard to get the right system in place so that we feel comfortable opening up. There will be some hiccups along the way and the first class on Monday might seem super disorganized. Let's keep our fingers crossed that we do really well with this set of guidelines that the county and state open things up a bit more in a few weeks. 
Last but not least- we need equipment back to run classes! If you have borrowed equipment from us we most likely need some if not all of it back. First priority of items we need back are:

• Rowers (need at least 4 of these to be returned)
• Boxes
• Barbells
• Bumper plates
• Assault bikes (be honest I bet you are ready to get rid of that devil contraption!)
• Ab mats (at least 4 returned) and any outdoor horse stall mats 
• Benches
• Db's and ketttlebells

You are probably thinking- geez that sounds like they need all the equipment back! If you think you will be coming to the gym to workout we kindly ask you bring back all the equipment that you borrowed. But if you are not ready to come back to the gym and would like to continue doing the workouts at home then please feel free to keep the equipment you have borrowed for the time being. If we find that we really are short some equipment needed to complete the workouts at the gym then I will reach out and request return of those pieces of equipment. 
EQUIPMENT RETURN AT THE GYM TOMORROW (5/2) FROM 9 AM-3 PM. IF YOU CANNOT MAKE IT TOMORROW REACH OUT TO ME TO SCHEDULE A DIFFERENT TIME.