Recurring Events

Please don’t forget to register AND check in for classes on our Push Press Members app.

If you don’t, you’ll receive harassing text messages from Tiffany…we may even implement a burpee penalty! Jk, jk, jk…or are we? 🙂

HOW TO USE THE NEW SCHEDULE

Step 1: Download the app

Step 2: Log in. It will look like this, but will say “Hi [your name]”.

Step 3:  Clicking the hamburger menu in the upper left-hand corner. It will reveal a left sidebar menu. Click Classes. 

Step 4: Once you click “Classes”, select the classes you would like to schedule.

Step 5: When you arrive for class, either on your app or at the front desk, follow the same steps to check in. This time you’ll go to the “RESERVED” TAB (A) and then touch the green button  RESERVED (B). 

Click CHECK IN and you’re all set to train!

UPCOMING &  IMPORTANT DATES AND EVENTS

THE NEXT BRING A FRIEND WOD IS DECEMBER 12TH!

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY SCHEDULE…

Wednesday, November 25th
Open regular class times from 6am to 10am. Legends at 10am and then we will close for the day.

Thursday, November 26th
CLOSED FOR TURKEY DAY

Friday, November 27th
Regular hours: Bring your running shoes, headset and whatever else you need to PR your 10K, 5 mile, 5K or 1 mile today!

Saturday, November 28th
8am: Open Gym
9am: Team WOD

Saturday, December 5th
7am: Open Gym & Team WOD
8:30am-5:00pm THE BARBELL PT WORKSHOP – box closed for this event

Sunday, December 6th
Come with us to Four Leaf CrossFit in Wesley Chapel to support our CrossFit Kids competing in the Winter Woderland competition!

Saturday, December 12th
8am: Open Gym
9am: DECEMBER’S BRING A FRIEND WOD!

Saturday, December 19th
8am: Open Gym
9am: Team WOD

Thursday, December 24th, Christmas Eve, Box closing early
Hours: 6,7,8,9am

Friday, December 25th
BOX CLOSED FOR CHRISTMAS

Saturday, December 26th
8am: Open Gym
9am: Team WOD

UPCOMING
CROSSFIT COMPETITIONS 

Saturday, January 16, 2021
CROSSFIT ABF NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION
Location: Valor Fitness
Price: $180 for a team of 2 (Discount code posted at Rebels)
The New Years Revolution event will feature opposite-sex teams of two competing in novice, intermediate, Rx and masters division.
Registration: link here

RESCHEDULED Saturday, April 24-25, 2021
CLEARWATER RUNNING FESTIVAL
Location: Clearwater Beach
Price: $35.00 for the mile up to $100.00 for the marathon
Races: 1 mile, 5K, 5mile, Half Marathon, Marathon (plus greater distances)
Registration: link here

Saturday, February 6, 2021
THE VALOR GAMES
Location: Valor Fitness
Price: $150 for a team of 2
Divisions: Novice, Intermediate, Masters 35+, Rx
Registration: link here

Thursday, March 11th – Monday, March 22nd
THE CROSSFIT “OPEN”
Location: Hosted at Rebels
Price: $20.00 for the 3 weeks, paid directly to CrossFit
All age and ability divisions.
Registration: link here

Saturday, May 8th
MASTER’S MAYHEM
Location: CrossFit Palm Harbor
Price: $70 per person
Individual competition: beginner, intermediate, elite
Age divisions: 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50+
Registration: link here

OPEN REGISTRATION NOW LIVE!

We plan around the Open Season – it’s our annual goal.  And IT IS HERE!

First, what’s the Open? Once a year ahead of the CrossFit Games, CrossFit hosts an online qualifier that is accessible to ANYONE AND EVERYONE! It’s a $20 investment for 3 weeks of local competition to see where your fitness levels compared to last year, to others in the box, and to others across the world in your age bracket and gender.

The Open is returning to beginning March 11! This year the Open will be the most accessible Open in CrossFit history, as they will be providing equipment and equipment-free options for participants.

Register online here: https://games.crossfit.com/open

WHAT WE KNOW

These are the Open Movements…every year since 2011. This is how many times they have shown up in the Open. And THIS is what you need to work on – in isolation for technique, in a WOD for capacity, and strategically as different combinations of movements produce differents metabolic and strength needs.

Time to get on it…We have events leading up to the Open that will help you prepare!

PLEASE!  LET THE REBEL COACHES “COACH”

 We know you all have the best of intentions. You want to help your fellow athletes as much as we do! BUT….when it comes to coaching…please let the blue shirts coach. Lately, we’ve witnessed some of you “trying to help” and while the good intention is there, it’s sometimes confusing to the athlete because what you’re telling them is in direct contradiction to what we have told them, or worse, we’ve told them “not yet” on a skill they don’t have the strength for, and you’re encouraging them to try it anyway.

Our coaching team communicates A LOT – text messages, emails re: injuries, where athletes are in a progression….and it works best if the adult program (meaning the CrossFit Class) coaches that have taken the CFL1 and are in the loop with the communications of the whole team are the ones directing the progress.

Please know this isn’t mean to demean anyone’s efforts, but rather, to help keep the athletes on a safe and linear path in their development.

OPEN WORKSHOPS!

Our tentative schedule for Open Workshops is as follows: (all Saturdays at either 8:00 am or 10:00 am unless otherwise noted). Cost is $30.00 per athlete and the workshop will last an hour (longer if needed). Limit 10 athletes per workshop. If we fill up we’ll consider opening a second, but it’s not guaranteed.

BEYOND THE WHITEBOARD: TRACK YOUR FITNESS

The newly enhanced BTWB app is the longest-running statistics tracker in the sport of CrossFit. It’s like your WOD Book or Workout Journal, only smarter!

Check out @crossfitbtwb on Instagram or Facebook.

As we’re all trying to figure out “how good we are”, BTWB has the most data you can use to determine not only your rankings by gender and age group, but by the style of training we do…from CrossFit Total…to Cindy…to a 500M Row.

If you’re not tracking your WODs, shame on you. Seriously, you’re losing the statistical benefit of seeing your progress.

CrossFit is our SPORT. We measure progress from month to month, year to year, workout to workout. Humans, in general, need to progress in life, and your training is no different.

You can use BTWB THROUGH BTWB and enter your own WODs and reps and scores.  Or, y0u can subscribe to BTWB THROUGH REBELS, for $7.00/month, and well do all the hard work for you. All you have to do is enter your score and whether you Rx’d or scaled it.

Included Features:

• Rebels WODs will be pre-loaded (No more writing down your workouts, only
  submitting your score!).
• Get tomorrow’s WOD the night before!
• No more figuring out a ton of percentages. Weightlifting and gymnastic percentages will be automated based off prior input.
• See where you ranked in the WOD against all the Rebels who submit throughout the day.
• Tracking of benchmarks and lifts will be recorded and easily sorted.
• Track not only your fitness but also your sleep and mobility.
• Analyze your weaknesses.
• See where you rank in popular workouts (Cindy, Fran, etc…).
• You’re special: this is only offered to current athletes of CF Rebels.

Inquire with a head coach for details.

BEST KEPT SECRET AT REBELS….REBEL RUNNERS!

Rebel Runners – Every Sunday at 8am, for years now, starting with a rag-tag sleepy crew, a group of Rebels started meeting at downtown Safety Harbor Spa to run, jog, walk….and socialize. Call it active rest day. The kind of running…about 60-70% of max heart rate that borders on being ‘guilt-productively” slow, but also accomplishes the rover-style sub-maximal type of training we’d love to see you all do on a Rest Day! If you’re interested, find us on Facebook or ask Coach Moana as she leads the group.

PLEASE DON’T DROP SINGLE 10# PLATES FROM OVERHEAD. #SAVETHE10’S

Dropping your bar with single 10’s on each side from overhead has always been dangerous and frowned upon. Bumper plates are designed to absorb the impact of a loaded bar on the platform. Primarily they protect the bar and the ground from impact. Some offer a dead bounce so when they hit they don’t bounce erratically and cause an injury to the lifter or others nearby.

Ten-pound bumper plates bounce erratically,  don’t do a great job of protecting the bar from impact, and because of their width, tend to fracture when dropped from overhead. They also have a 90-day warranty and are prone to breaking very quickly. Dropping a bar loaded to 55-65lbs or less from anywhere above the waist is unacceptable, it has been our policy (and will remain) that this is unacceptable and the coaches have been asked to aggressively enforce this.  

Further, if you have to do some Googling, please do for images. With single 10# plates on the bar, once you are locked out overhead, bringing the bar to your shoulders and then down is proper;  or if the bar has 25# plates or greater on it, bars can safely be DROPPED from overhead.  They are not to be “thrown up” from the locked out position.  We’re seeing this a lot at ….1) it looks ridiculous, 2) shows you’re not in full control of the bar at lockout and 3) increases the distance between the bar and floor before it falls. Lower your bar with control. This applies to every athlete, every WOD, every lift. If you’re unable to control the lowering of your bar properly, the load is too heavy and you need to scale down. Period.   Of course, in matters of safety, drop the bar.

We are enforcing this policy across the board, every athlete, coach and visitor following any one of our 5 lines of programming, you get one warning then we stop your WOD and you go home.

OPEN GYM TIMES AND STRUCTURE ON THURSDAY (& Saturday)

Friendly reminder about “Open Gym”

Thursdays Open Gym times are class times. If you want to train, you’ll show up at the top of the hour for the class you’re scheduled into. It’s not a free for all, meaning you can’t just show up at half past and do your thing. We are a class-based box and each hour still has to remain organized so the coaches can manage what all is going on during each class. The explanation for the posted WOD will occur at the top of the hour. Showing up at H:30 for an H:00 WOD will get you nothing – no explanation and probably no help as we should ask you to wait till the top of the hour for the next class. Please respect the class times regardless of the day.

Additionally, due to the fact that we have classes, and we’re not an all-day 24/7 Globo Gym, your classes are still about an hour. The same rules apply for the 6am class that apply to the 9am class (fair is fair). We close at 10am so the 9am class has an hour. If you train at 6, 7, or 8am you have the same options as the 9am.

Finally, “Open Gym”, when we added this option, is meant to be used for Strength or Skill. Not metcons. We run you guys pretty hard on M,T,W, and F.  Thursdays are mean to break from the high-intensity metcon to work strength, skills, and deficiencies. If you feel you’re “deficient in metcon”, show up more on M, T, W, and F!

Thanks in advance for your cooperation. All coaches have the authority to enforce these rules.

NEW PALEO STORE ITEMS

Our paleo store has been restocked and new items have been added!!!! New protein, new kill cliff flavors, RX bars, recovery water and MUCH more! Check out all the new goodies at the Box.

SKILL LEVEL TESTING -WHAT IS IT?  – PART 1

The crux of this is that CrossFit creates a balanced athlete…IF (IF, IF, IF) you have coaches that ensure you’re not getting stronger at the expense of speed, and not getting faster at the expense of strength, and not missing your gymnastics and mobility entirely! It’s so easy to get caught up in what we love and what we’re good at and miss other essential elements to becoming a balanced athlete.

The 4 Skill Levels were created by CrossFit Seattle. We have made some adjustments to accommodate the older athlete. And we have rounded them out as CrossFit has introduced higher level and “other gymnastics” that are now considered essential (such as handstands/inversions).

This is Skill Level 1. The “game” is, you must test out of Skill Level 1 before you can move to Level 2. ALL (repeat ALL) of Level 1 must be successfully tested out before you can move on to Level 2. Once you have worked through the list, you’ll find the areas that are lacking are probably consistent: either speed, strength, or gymnastics, or further broken down into pushing, pulling, core, or “work”. There is a Skill Level 2, 3 and 4. Skill Level 1 is considered minimum standards for a healthy individual and represents a healthy beginner.

TESTING OUT CAN BE DONE ON THURSDAYS AND SATURDAYS during Open Gym, or IF we have a regular programmed day where the work is completed with more than 15 minutes to spare…then your coaches can help test you out (time permitting).

TEST OUTS must be observed and signed off by a coach! “This is a test”.

Further, if you have areas that need work, that’s where your coaches come in. The “crate” that the skill levels will reside in will also include work sets (linear progressions) for speed and strength to help you “fix” those deficient areas faster. This part is in the works, and while it’s in final development stages, just ask your coaches for help.

SKILL LEVELS PART 2:

…THE ENTRY TO THE COMPETITORS’ PROGRAM

Our ultimate goal with this system was to use it as an objective qualifier for the competitors’ program. The RX+ Program was designed years ago, with the intent that after building a balanced, capable athlete in Skill Level 1, and beginning Skill Level 2, we begin to refine many of the movements, skills, and level of capacity needed to compete in a higher-level program…safely…and without “preferential treatment” or subjectivity. When things get busy it’s easy to lose sight of the basics sometime, and this is what happened with the Skill Levels. We actually had some issues with them not being fair for masters athletes, which is why we pulled them off the shelf to amend them.

Let’s face it, when we speak of competitors, we shouldn’t have to worry about scaling. The athletes at this level should have the basics in the sport for competing at an RX level. And should scaling be needed, this level of athlete will know how to scale as well.

Our daily programming includes two open gyms, specific skill work on higher-level gymnastics, structured strength…so if you have a deficiency in an area, there is time and you have resources to help you bring that deficiency up to where you want and need it to be.

Note the “check marks” below – these are things essential for competing in the sport of CrossFit. They fall nicely into  a pattern in Skill Levels 1 and 2.

Use these tools to help you achieve your goals!

CHALK FOR SALE!

Due to the lack of comfort we have in putting the community chalk buckets out during COVID, we have decided to sell chalk blocks. This will be your personal chalk bag – dress it up however you wish – but please follow normal chalk rules:

1. Use chalk “in bag”
2. We know, chalk makes you stronger, but too much chalk plus sweat just equals paste
3. Clean up chalk mess on floor, barbells, dumbbells, pull up bars, rings and spilled chalk bags with mops provided at box.

$4.00/block. Cash or venmo…sorry, can’t swipe CC’s or set CC’s on file for this at this time. “grab and go”. As usual, ticket goes in “pay here” box.

The Blue Shirts

You know your Rebel coaches wear blue shirts; that’s our “uniform” and we wear them proudly. The blue shirts are a visual for you to know which coaches are on the floor in a coaching capacity. Many of your coaches train during your class times and when this is the case, we change our shirt from the blue coaching uniform.

We always want to be available to you, to answer questions, and to help guide you. For some of us, we have a hard time turning that off during our time be to an athlete training in class along side of you. We recognize we are offering you a service and of course, we want to see you succeed.

Just like you, an hour of training is a form of self-care for us, stress relief, time to chip away at personal goals, and relate to you athlete-to-athlete. This allows us to be the best coaches we can be and provide the best service to you.

Help us, by seeking out a blue shirt when you need help with scaling, have general questions, need to turn in dues, change your credit card, pay for protein, etc. That doesn’t mean we want you to ignore us while we are training with you. Treat us just like any other athlete during the WOD from talking strategy, encouraging words, or maybe even a little trash talking.

HYDRATE WHEN YOU TRAINING IN THIS HEAT

This is hanging in the entryway to the box, but in case you missed it:

The number one thing people mess up if they CrossFit or even RUN in Florida, in the summer, is re-hydration. Water is not enough!

Just chugging water can lead to hyponatremia, a serious condition that CrossFit HQ has been battling with many of leaders in sports science to help athletes at large understand!   And buying “common electrolyte supplements” is almost throwing away money.  Your goal in “rehydrating” is to replenish what you’ve lost, not dilute things with simple water. Yes, water is important but your sweat is more than just water!

The makeup of your sweat is described above and is predominantly sodium and chloride…which is salt. PREDOMINANTLY. So why is it that all of the “electrolyte” supplements you can purchase have very little to no sodium chloride? SEARCH ME!

I searched “electrolyte replacement” and some of the top brands that came up were truly disappointing:

So what should you do?

DIY or buy it.

DIY: Add some salt to your water. I know – it’s not very tasty…or is it? If you carry a large water vessel around, it takes on about 1/2 of a teaspoon of salt to give you a little over 1,200 milligrams of sodium. (1 teaspoon of salt is 2,300 mg of sodium chloride). Add a squeeze of lemon and maybe some lemon zest and you’re just contributing to the nourishment. Or soak some watermelon chunks in your water – you choose – you can’t go wrong. Just don’t forget the salt! This is the most cost-effective way to rehydrate.

BUY IT: WE ARE NOW SELLING LMNT: $2.00/STICK OR $3.00/2 STICKS.

Regardless of your choice, be smart. What you see on commercials and the internet isn’t always right. You have the facts now as to what’s in your sweat – replace what you lose, Rebels!

SOUTHERN LIGHTS BREWING COMPANY…OUR NEIGHBORS!
NOW OPEN

Our friends next door, Billy, Kirby and Benton have been working for the last SEVERAL months. You know how it is…City Planning Department, permits…but good news…they are now OPEN for business!!

A little about them, from their website:

We are a brewery located in Clearwater, FL. Founded in 2015 by a group of beer lovers with a passion for trying different beers from around the U.S. and throughout the world. That led to home brewing with the goal of developing new recipes that combined the flavors and characteristics of our favorite beers while also adding our own unique touch. We specialize in handcrafted small-batch ales and lagers with an emphasis on quality and taste. By using only the finest hops, grains and natural ingredients we strive to produce unique, world-class beers that appeal to a wide array of tastes and palates.

Whoop There It Is
(I know, we are cheesy)

You may have seen some of your coaches and fellow athletes wearing a wrist band that looks something like this.

This is a Whoop. It collects physiological data to provide you with data on your body’s sleep, recovery, strain and more.

Ask one of your fellow athletes (We know Tracy, Chris B and Kelly Mc wear one) or coaches Moana, Andy, Fields, Leigh, Derek, or Tiff for their invitation code for you try try 30 days of Whoop for free!

Along with learning how to optimize your training through your Whoop data, you can join communities of friends and family, and those of similar demographics, region or interests.

Rebels has a Whoop community!! If you’ve got a Whoop and we don’t know it, join our group!!

Learn more about Whoop here: WHOOP – The World’s Most Powerful Fitness Membership.

PERSONAL / PRIVATE TRAINING AT CROSSFIT REBELS

We have always had a different mindset here at Rebels…at least in our opinion, different from other CrossFit boxes – and it has nothing to do with our thinking we’re “better”, but rather, believing in education, experience and offering a complete “package” for health and fitness. CrossFit IS THE BOMB! If we didn’t believe in it we all wouldn’t still be committed to it. The combination of fast strength and power from the Olympic Lifts with slow, raw strength from the power lifts, and the mobility, flexibility and strength of gymnastics coupled with the sheer nastiness of bikes, rowers, ropes and sprinting…CrossFit training is the answer to the health crisis in our world! We truly believe that! From young to old.

But sometimes, LIFE gets in the way:

• diet is hard to control in our fast- and convenient-food lives
• sleep is underrated as we try to pack in too much “stuff” every day
• time and life stress happen:  training can be sporadic or seen as an afterthought
• finding a community or friends to support being “healthy” is also fleeting
• injuries happen…just the other day the Warped Wall on a well known obstacle course claimed another victim, also one of our athletes!
• imbalances in our training can cause frustration;
  • being well over ideal body weight can make gymnastics and running/jumping harder
  • simply being dominant in the lower body can make upper body movements harder (and vice versa)
  • fear can create imbalance – as in “the fear of being inverted” can make learning handstand movements more difficult
• fear of working complicated movements in a crowd can prevent some athletes from using Open Gym time to work weaknesses

Sometimes a little extra training in any one of the above areas can make all the difference in your overall progress.  And sometimes, we just want a specific plan or more one-on-one training to help us out of a rut. And then there’s the desire to compete and sometimes having a trainer work with your through the mental side of things.

So what’s the different mindset? Education and experience. All of our coaches who provide personal training services are also NCAA certified personal trainers.  Now, we know CrossFit’s position on personal training, but our experience has been, having trainers who are educated full-on in anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology allows us to work through the common issues we all hear about CrossFit. We are able to work through tweaks and postural issues that affect your training, and not only prevent but help rehabilitate injures. Only coaches who have their personal training certification AND have had solid hands-on experience offer personal training and nutrition coaching at Rebels.  Outcomes are important to us and we believe in an individual approach to everything: training, diet, and advising in general!

If you ever feel stuck in your training, talk to one of us about Personal Training. We’re not big “sellers”. Our goal is progress.  Sometimes this can help! While some of the trainers’ list “limited availability”, that’s for full/frequent packages. We will always make time to help!

Coaches available for private work:
Nicole
Tiffany
Ed
Sam

WE RUN ON A PUBLIC STREET

This is Joel. Joel enjoys long weighted runs on the side of the road. Be like Joel.

Here at Rebels we have a decent run set up. We can utilize our back door to run to our straight, flat road and go down and come back without any hills, obstacles or obstructions.
Here are some situations our coaches have experienced while visiting other boxes on vacation:
-Have had to run down/up stairs leaving and entering the building
-Have massive hills as part of their 400m (talk about slowing your times)
-Crossing train tracks at a busy intersection
-Big rocks and gravel to be avoided
-Running through bushes to get to the trail that is the actual run path.

All these things can make your run much more challenging and a lot scarier. We’re not running on a residential road, so there are no dogs chasing us. But this is a public road so we have people flying to and from work at all hours of the day. All we have to do here at Rebels is KEEP OUR HEADS UP and STAY OUT OF THE STREET! …And wear the occasional reflector when it’s dark out.
We all know how tired we can get while running, especially a few rounds into a workout. Being on a busy road like we are we ask that you keep your head up and be vigilant while you run. It is the cars job to avoid humans and it is the humans job to make themselves easily avoidable. =-)

If you were driving to work at 7 in the morning and it was still dark out and you are half awake would you be 100% ready to avoid someone running in the road? This is how we have to think. It is a two-lane road, metaphorically and literally. So let’s hug the side of the road as closely as possible.

PARKING AT REBELS

Welcome to a sport where typically our neighbors who don’t CrossFit:

1) don’t understand what the heck we’re doing,
2) think we’re weird, and
3) feel like we’re IN THEIR WAY all the time.
It’s the nature of the CrossFit-gym-beast.

Parking is a bit of a premium during busy classes so this is aimed at directing you on how and where to park without ruffling the neighbors’ delicate feathers and preventing your car from being towed😬!

DO NOT PART ACROSS THE STREET! YOU WILL BE TOWED! Mega Seating has already made good on that threat, please don’t tempt them.

Please do not park in front of THE NEW (NORTH MOST) BAY DOOR in the west-adjacent building in our parking lot. The new tenent is building out…a brewery! Can’t wait right?  We try to put cones out to prevent parking there. If our lot is full please park in the street, to the west, and not at any of the neighboring businesses lots. Our neighbors are fairly tolerant of our activities on Sunnydale and beyond. Yes, occasionally our athletes have WOD-brain and run in the middle of the street. Occasionally we swing wide out of the parking lot and forget to see if there are cars coming. Yes, we’re not perfect. Some of our neighbors have taken more aggressive stands to prevent us from parking where we don’t belong. There are three “don’t do’s”

1. Don’t park in the spots across (north side of) the street where Mega Seating is now in business. They have a towing contract and threatened to use it.
2. Don’t park in the spots in front of any other building– adjacent/west-most building  – so facing south, directly across from Mega Seating. West facing parking against that building is OK.
3. NEW: Our landlord is working to get us more parking! He has commissioned the back “junk lot” to be turned into a graveled parking lot! You can park back there – and in the back of the building. Just be careful not to block our running path!

YOUR REBELS’ COACHING TEAM HAS SOME CLOUT!

Coming to you from Head Coaches Tiffany, Ed and Sam. As we embark on year 10 at CrossFit Rebels, we feel it’s time to do some bragging! We never brag about our size because regardless of our membership, we always maintain that small community feel.  One of the secrets of our “old school” management!   But the three of us think it’s time to boast a bit!

Your coaching team is INVESTED. Invested in you, in CrossFit as a sport, and in getting better as coaches, confidants and “influencers” in your lives.  All of us…every single one:

CROSSFIT PROGRAM COACHES

Nicole          Tiffany        Haylee        Crum        Moana
Slice             Terry           JBone          Fields
ANewd        BNewd        Kimmy           AJ             Kyle
Ed                 Sam              Whit          Andy          Kat

CROSSFIT KIDS & LEGENDS PROGRAM COACHES & ASSISTANT COACHES

Nic            Junior           Gabi
Ed             Sam                Trish
Bill         Charmaine    Tracy
Courtney (CFLO)   

COACHES ON SABBATICAL! (because we’re flexible with “life”!)

Nick H      Joel     Leigh    

Over the years, keeping diversity in mind, we have invested a lot in continuing education…sometimes on Rebels’ dollar and sometimes at our own expense for the love of the sport. CrossFit’s programming is rich in diversity, featuring disciplines such as Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Gymnastics, Anaerobic and Aerobic Conditioning, to name a few. We train across broad times and modal domains, meaning we don’t just power lift, or we don’t just train gymnastics…we train EVERYTHING! And in doing that, to do it right and coach it right, our coaches 1) have to know our athletes, and 2) have to be knowledgeable in the movements and how to break them down and build them up. This takes time, education, practice and experience coaching.

The images below represent JUST SOME of the certifications and experience your coaches have invested in to make you better. And that makes us proud!

How do you capitalize on this? Focus on foundations. It’s one thing to RX the WOD, its another to do it well, efficiently, and in a way that makes other athletes stand up and notice that you’re an “excellent athlete”.  Going into 2020 and throughout, use the resources you have in your coaches to enhance your training!

YOGA …DO IT!

Yoga Coach Extraordinaire Tiffany Wimmer of Wimtastic Wellness teaches our Yoga Classes. These yoga classes are designed for you. Tiffany knows you’re sore, that after 3 days of CrossFitting your muscles are not at all like a supple leopard.   She will never assume you can fold yourself up like a pretzel!  Tiff’s yoga classes increase range of motion to improve performance and reduce the risk of injury. They are a great recovery strategy, too! Classes will help you mobilize, increase body awareness, and also learn breath control! 

As a part of your membership, you can practice Yoga with Tiffany:

Saturday morning at 8:00 am
These classes are  free to all active Rebel Athletes
You may bring a friend to SATURDAY Yoga Class for FREE!

Tiff understands how the CrossFitter’s body moves, don’t be shy and give her classes a try! 

SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESSES…THE MITCHELLS ARE LONG TIME SUPPORTERS OF REBELS AND IN TURN, WE ARE SUPPORTERS OF THEIR APPAREL COMPANY!

Also, if you’d like to sport some official Rebel Runner apparels exclusive to our group, you can purchase a shirt like this from Whatevs Apparel HERE.  Congratulations Matt Mitchell for filling a serious void in our operations! 🙂 

REBEL GIRLS FACEBOOK PAGE

Rebel Girls facebook page  – Just the ladies of CrossFit Rebels hanging out! Occasionally we coordinate an activity, some ladies are looking for partners for competitions, some looking
for equipment or clothing recommendations…it’s all there.  All women, all CrossFitters. Good forum if you need us.  Find us using the link in the title and ask to join.

Rebels has been around for a good little bit…coming up on 10 years! We did not make it this long by running the box like a garage gym, with cliques and favorites. Our goal is to make you better – regardless of your job, income, or abilities. We’ve heard a lot that we’re the box “with rules”…heck yea. We don’t know any company, organization….or even branch of the military that succeeds without structure and guidelines. And we’re no exception.

The funny thing is our “rules” are more like common sense guidelines for simply being a better human being….check them out!

1. LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR
   ..or we’ll check it for you. Never forget, somewhere a high school kid is warming up with your PR.
2. SET GOALS FOR YOURSELF
   Never say “I can’t.” You won’t get pity here.
   
3. GET ON THE SCHEDULE
   It helps us ensure we have enough coaches, can do 1:1’s/onramps, and keep coach to athlete ratios perfect.
4. ARRIVE ON TIME
   If you’re late, your workout with be shortened, not your warm up. If you don’t have time to warm up, you don’t have time to workout
5. WARM UPS ARE POSTED FOR A REASON, DO THEM!
6. SET UP YOUR OWN STATIONS AND UNLOAD YOUR BARS WHEN YOU’RE DONE
   We are “coaches” and though many of us are personal trainers, we don’t unload/load or clean your bars.
7. HAVE STANDARDS
   Chest to ground, chin over bar, full extension, drop below parallel. Get familiar with these cues and know what they mean.
8. TECHNIQUE, CONSISTENCY, INTENSITY.
   First comes form then comes weight. Don’t argue with your coaches when they suggest you scale the load.
9. USE CHALK OVER YOUR PERSONAL CONTAINER 
   Just don’t make a mess with your chalk bags, please.
10. COUNT YOUR REPS ACCURATELY AND HONESTLY
    No one cares what your score is but everyone cares if you cheat. You really think we don’t know? Don’t make us question your integrity.
11. DOCUMENT YOUR SCORES AND PROGRESS
    Write your d@!* times and loads in your WOD Journal or record them in your app! If you aren’t tracking these, how do you expect us to help you know where to go and what to do?
12. CLEAN UP YOUR DNA
    EX: Blood, sweat, vomit, and clean every piece of equipment you use.
13. DON’T MAKE US ASK YOU FOR MONEY
    Dues are due on the first of the month.
14. LET THE REBEL COACHES COACH
    While support is great, giving technical advice and coaching is not. We have experienced coaches who know it’s their job to inform, instruct and coach technique. Even if you have your Level 1, our coaches are constantly briefed on our athletes, and our policy is that we intend our athletes to be coached by Rebels Coaches.
15. INTRODUCE YOURSELF
    We are more than a gym. We are a community. If you see a CrossFitter you haven’t met yet, introduce yourself, as they may need to revive your unconscious body later!
16. IF YOU DON’T KNOW, ASK
    If there is something you are unsure about, please ask.  We would much rather you ask so we can address any issues and not risk any injury!
17. LAUGH! Come on!
    We all look funny doing this stuff… especially you!
18.  WE DON’T PIMP OUT COACH MOUTH (ED) AS A PT
    We have a triage system if you tweak or hurt something.  Please don’t “grab” him on the fly.  Our system is in place so athletes use the right resources at the right time.  Ask a head coach, we’ll advise and if a solution cannot be found we’ll ask Ed for a consult. So, ask a Head Coach if you have a “tweaked” question.
19. THE WOD IS THE WOD
    We will sub out movements if you have a tweak or aggravated body part, but we don’t do yesterday’s WOD because you missed it, and we don’t make up other WODs because you don’t like today’s WOD.  Welcome to CrossFit: making you prepared for the unknown and the unknowable.
20. UNDERSTAND LOGISTICS
    Be aware of athletes in the middle of their WOD when you are a) coming in the gym for you WOD at the top of the hour and b) if you finish early and decide to clean up before others are finished.  This includes the active CF Kids Classes as they rotate through the gym for training outside, water and bathrooms. If you see an accident about to happen, help prevent it

CF KIDS ROOM RULES

We have the largest and longest running (and most successful, if we don’t say so ourselves) CrossFit Kids Program in the Tampa Bay Area.  We have a special room they “hang out in” until their coach comes to get them for their class and then releases them back into the room for their parents to pick them up.  We are lucky enough to have this secure and air-conditioned space with tables for coloring or playing games or watching videos (yes we have wifi!).

This room is and can also be used for paretnes who have kids at ages they can sit by themselves and play while mom and dad train. There is a large windown that opens up to the gym so kids can see parents and parents can see kids!

While we feel this is a luxury (to have a whole room, air conditioned 300 sf room), it can also be a curse.

Can you believe the following has occurred?

• dangerous rough-housing
• “scaring” younger kids also residing in this room
• food and drink spilled and not cleaned up
• toys being thrown around, stools overturned, “forts built on top of and around other kids”
• doors left wide open with AC turned on
• lights flipped on and off repetitively to bother other kids in the room
• kids leaving the room to:
  • found vandalizing the shower bathroom in the adjacent room
  • roam the entryway and front yard
  • chase balls ACROSS THE STREET without supervision
  • fetch water without a parent (walking through the adult gym area)

We don’t need to go on, but we could.

We need your help. As parents, this room is the ability for you to train while your kids hang tight for just an hour. Please obtain a list of the Kids Room Rules (they’re in the Kids room – please ask and we’ll get them for you) and review them with your kids. We’ve never had issues like we’ve had of late and we’re sure together we can get things under control.

The coaches have all been instructed that they have the authority to enforce the kids room rules, which will most commonly be taking the parent out of the WOD to deal with any issues in the room with their kiddos.

We’re concerned about his as while this issue was peaking, Coach Nic had to cut off a Pre-Teen Class after 15 minutes because the kids were “disrespecting each other and her”. We have rules at Rebels and sometimes when we’re too slack in enforcing, things get out of control. We’re asking for your help as we tighten up the rules

As a result of all of “THIS”…which truly means time the coaches are away from the class managing this new chaos, we’ve removed the toy boxes – not more toys in the room – at least for a month or so until we get things under control again.

THE BASICS OF THE “KIDS ROOM”

We have some rules for this room to keep the kids safe and secure.

• No food or drink in this room, please. Kids can have closed water bottles, but that’s it. It’s always going to be the case where we food is spilled or crumbs left on the floor. We’re an open-air warehouse – crumbs -> bugs! It’s one hour – they can handle it.
• No running back and forth in and out of the room. Once in the Kids Room, please instruct your kiddos they must stay in there until you come and get them….this includes now having to disallow them to use the shower bathroom through RebelHealth without being accompanied by an adult. During the 6 & 7 pm classes, that shower bathroom almost has appeared vandalized (footprints on top of the toilet seat, toilet paper dispenser dismantled, rugs put in the shower stall…coaches will now be enforcing them without any hesitation). 
  • Please take your kids to the restroom before you or they train. Unfortunately, due to some misuse, we can no longer allow the kids to go back and forth through the RebelHealth room to the shower/restroom unaccompanied.
• Children need to play politely together. No throwing toys, stools or anything in the Kids Room.
• Parents need to ensure that they help their kids leave the room neat and tidy. Please clean up after your kid(s) when you collect them to leave.
• Lastly, however odd this may sound, if kids stand on the benches to watch their parents train through the window, please advise them NOT TO PICK THE PAINT OFF THE WINDOW SILLS….update, and now the doors! The kids’ room door to the gym is now a new art project.  Please help us stop this!

Thank you for your cooperation!

DO YOU HAVE HUMANA AS A HEALTH INSURANCE PROVIDER?

If you have Humana as a health insurance provider you may be able to get credit for training at Rebels.  We are a participating gym for the Humana Go365 Program. Ask a Head/Lead Coach if you have questions on how to register Rebels as a provider and earn points for training.

FIRST OF THE MONTH: MEMBERSHIP DUES ARE DUE!

Athletes!  This is our friendly reminder to you all, seeing as we do not do contracts, that dues are due at or around the first of each month!

Please don’t make us chase you or there will be a burpee penalty! 😉

No, seriously, if you are not on a recurring credit card, please see a coach and pay this month’s dues…if it’s past the 5th they’re technically “late” 😬.

S.M.A.R.T. TRAINING

(SMART: SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE, RELEVANT AND TIMELY.  SMART goals.  As you set your training goals, make sure you use the SMART priniciples to setting actions plans to achieving them)

CrossFit is hard.  It’s also strategic, though it may seem “constantly varied”.  It’s supposed to be:

• hard and fast,
• heavy,
• sometimes light,
• of a high level of skill that needs to be practiced and drilled often,
• grounded in basic fundamental skills that are simpler to learn,
• long and sustained,
• taxing to multiple body parts with compound movements in one WOD,
• taxing to the same body part with multiple movements in one WOD,
• need the ability to tolerate high volume training without always “competing” at high volume training

…in a nutshell, sometimes you have to be smart about your WODs and know, for you, if you should go heavier in a WOD with maybe a slower time, or go faster in a WOD with a lighter load.  Why? If your metcon ability is good but your strength is not, going heavier might help you depending on what the rest of the week looks like. If your strength is good but your cardio is not, then going lighter and faster might help you.

Your coaches work with you every day and know your body, know your abilities and your strength and weaknesses and very likely “what” you should do.  Keep that in mind the next time you hit a WOD and your body is feeling run down. Think about that as you think about your training and all the facets: strength, cardio, SKILL (both on the barbell with your Olys and your gymnastics skills)…time to dial it in and think about your fitness as a “whole package” versus just beating the shit out of yourself every day. That’s not what CF is…and that’s not what our programming is all about.

Talk to us and let us help you. The weekly programming is released in advance to help you plan your week. Use it!

ARRIVING EARLY…STAYING LATE….OUR BIGGEST SOURCE OF “AGITA” AT REBELS…..

COME IN…WE’RE OPEN!

We open the box APPROXIMATELY 15 mins prior to the top of the hour for the 6am, 11am and 4pm classes…the three classes where the hour or hours prior to those classes we actually CLOSE. Yes, we have three hours a day we close… we clean, catch up on administrative, operational or maintenance tasks and sometimes we try to train (because we like to train too!).

When we are ready to “receive athletes”, which means the coaches are changed and coherent if they trained, we are organized and able to be on the floor to supervise, we will unlock the door (both doors, CF Kids, and the main door) and flip the Closed Sign and the lights and BOOM – YOU’RE IN!

We are not a 24 hour gym.  We don’t allow unsupervised training.  Entering before we’re open isn’t permitted.  Letting yourself in, opening the door and flipping the sign yourself “to help us out” isn’t permitted.  Please don’t take the liberty to “open the box for us”. We promise we’ll let you in with plenty of time to warm up and get your WOD on!

Please recognize that if we don’t get you guys out, for example, the 9am class, until 10:15am….we have 30 minutes to either clean, work or train.

ARRIVING EARLY/STAYING LATE

Class times: we run classes at Rebels…and actually, there are times we are running four of the five lines of programming all at the same time, all in the same hour:

WOD
RX+
Kids
Legends
Strength…

It can truly be a challenge to place everyone…ensure they all have equipment needed – wall space, bar space, running lanes, rowers and bikes, rings for muscle ups….

In our onramp process we inform everyone that we’d like you show up no more than 15 minutes before your class and please don’t try to encroach on the next hour more than 15 minutes as well.

In 10 years, we have not figured out a way to allow EVERYONE (which would mean that all athletes have the same privilege whether you are a veteran or a newbie) to come as early as they want or stay as late as they want. We have to allow every athlete the same courtesy, and if you’re one who lurks late or tries to sneak in at half past (30 minutes early)…look around and see what would happen if everyone else in your class did the same things. During the busier classes we can guarantee someone from another class would absolutely be in the way of you trying to WOD or warm up. When its you warming up it’s not a big deal…but when someone is in your way or doing PVC pass throughs right under the bar you want do to pull ups on in your WOD, I can tell you you’ll be upset.

Every year we wrangle this problem and try to find solutions. In our coaches meetings we do the same. We’re not numb to it, but we need a solution for all. Please respect the current rules as they stand.

WARMING UP, CLEANING UP AND BOX ETIQUETTE

We’ll admit that it can be painful watching some of you warm up…or not warm up!…and we mean that with the greatest of respect and the most love!

Some helpful hints for those of you who arrive 15 mins prior to class to “warm up”:

• 15 min prior but no earlier right?…and if earlier, you hit the street for a solid mile run warmup… probably THE best overall circulatory and muscle warm up to start your class with….but we’re just sayin’…better than rowing or biking? Yes. It’s the most primal and total body warm up you can do
• you should include and begin with a general cardiovascular effort of 2 -5 mins.  Running is preferred as it’s total body and it’s never going to be in the way of your fellow
  classmates who are training at the time
• stay off the rollers and bands (unless it’s Thursday and that’s what your day consists of); start moving!  Move first …warm those muscles and tendons up FIRST…geesh guys…we take for granted that you guys understand that body and understand that trying to stretch a cold muscle or tendon is similar to a cold rubber band…a warm one will stretch better and be more supple.  Small circuits of movements that are compound and that warm up the movement or the muscles you’re about to use are the best.  Here are two that seem simple, but they’re likely better than what you are currently doing:  CROSSFIT WARM UP   and TRAIN HEROIC’S “HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR CROSSFIT WARM UP” and CATALYST SQUAT HELP
• your warm-up should take no more than 15 minutes…we know everyone thinks they are a “unique snowflake”…but you’re not! 😂.  Our Legends Athletes (70 y/o +) warm up with compound movements and circuits…and they actually squat and have an overhead range of motion as good as ours!
• if you have areas that need extra help, like hips, shoulders, ankles…do your structured warm up first AND THEN attack the problem areas...after they have improved circulation and blood flow,  Things you might be used doing (habitually) might not be the best for your warm-up each day. Bicep curls are great…if you’re doing rope climbs…but so are chin-ups and ….rope climbs!  Foam rolling might feel good….but if that’s solely what you’re doing, your squat is not going to be deeper or improved – rather, Samson stretch or spiderman lunge, goblet squats, sitting in the bottom of a squat with a barbell on your back….guys: warm up the movement!  There’s a reason Yoga takes you through a series of poses over and over again and moves from one to the next in succession…it causes continuous movement…it increases blood flow to the muscles and movement makes muscle and tendons more pliable – able to move with more fluidity.
• if you arrive 15 minutes early with the intent on chatting up your coach who needs to be working with other athletes in the class prior to you…STOP IT! If you get in early – get to work. You’re paying to train – socialize after.

If you remain stiff, and continue to take forever to warm up…and never feel warmed up…maybe you need to change things because “more of the same often yields more of the same”. Talk to your coaches.

MORE ON ETIQUETTE…

IF YOU DO COME IN EARLY to “get your warm up on”…please know that others may be in the middle of, or ending their WODs.  Recently we’ve developed a bit of a complex having to move some of you “out of someone else’s workout”. Or worse, had complaints that the next class is walking “through” your workouts while you’re still on the clock.

Please be respectful that if you do arrive early to warm up, you cannot be in the working space of anyone’s WOD.

Additionally – classes typically have a sense of community within them.  And by community, you care and want the rest of your class to finish strong! The worst thing that can damper your mojo when finishing your WOD is when you’re doing the last set of Burpee over Bar and someone walks or stands in front of your bar as you’re trying to finish. Whether cleaning up or setting up…if your class is still in play, on the clock, help your fellow athletes finish.