Member Appreciation Week 2017

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CrossFit Mudtown is turning 2! All the blood, sweat and tears (literally) that goes into making this a place to be proud of wouldn’t be possible without your dedication. It’s time to celebrate YOU, the members of CrossFit Mudtown with a special member appreciation week. Thanks for letting us be a part of your lives. Here’s to health and happiness!
All next week, April 17th – 22nd, we’re presenting members-only bonuses, fun programing and prize give-aways. Read on for all the details…
Week-Long Activities
  • Facebook Check-In Contest: Each time you’re at CrossFit Mudtown during member appreciation week be sure to check-in on Facebook. The person with the most check-ins will win a $50 Rogue gift card.
  • Log Your Workouts In Zen Planner: Tracking your workout results is really important! Start getting in the habit, if you’re not already, by using your Zen Planer member app. Three winners will receive a $25 Reebok gift card. If you need help learning how to log your workouts grab a coach and they’ll show you.
  • Workout to Win: Each workout you attend during member appreciation week your name will be entered to win various prizes! The more times you workout, the more chances you have to win. Prizes will be drawn at the 2nd Anniversary Party Saturday night (must be present to win). Unlimited classes for everyone!
  • Bring a friend ALL WEEK: Your family and friends are welcome to try out classes all week. Let’s show them how fun it is to be a member at CrossFit Mudtown! Send them this Free Trial link to get registered for a class.
Daily Activities
  • Monday, April 17th:
    • Free FITAID – grab one after class
  • Tuesday, April 18th:
    • Free RX Bars
  • Wednesday, April 19th:
    • 15% off apparel day – $10 sale on old inventory (will be marked)
  • Thursday, April 20th:
    • Free RX Bars
    • Free yoga class at 7pm
  • Friday, April 21st:
    • Snag some homemade paleo granola after your class – recipe included
  • Saturday, April 22nd (morning):
    • Childcare at the 10am class!
    • Preschool kids class (ages 3-5) 10:00am – 10:25am & Kids class (ages 5-12) 10:30am – 11:15am. Please click on the links to register your kiddos.
  • Saturday Night!
    • 2nd Anniversary Party & Muddy Awards – 6:30pm @ Rojo – RSVP on Facebook or respond to this email. Spouses welcome!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE MUDDY! Submit your votes by Tuesday, April 18th

April Member Spotlight

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Amanda Smith

Yesterday we had a little fun with Amanda for a hilarious April Fools joke. Check it out of if you missed it (so funny!). The mediocre member spotlight idea started months ago. Amanda wondered if she would ever get picked for member spotlight. “Can I be picked for mediocre member?” she asked. Of course it was all in good fun. Amanda’s cool like that, she’s comfortable poking fun of herself.

In reality, Amanda does love to crack jokes and is friendly to everyone she meets at the gym. The fan hogging and water dumping does happen, but she cleans up after herself! Amanda is coming up on two years as a Mudtown member and we’re so glad to have her as part of our community.

Member since: June 2015.

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first workout? I started CrossFit in February 2011. My husband started a few months before me and was coming home everyday excited and motivated. It made me want to be apart of what he was doing. My first workout was 4 rounds of 800 meter row with 35 body squats following.
How many days do you CrossFit? What classes do you normally attend? I try to make it 3 to 4 times a week, depending on my schedule. I am a wild card. Different times for different days. That way I am not limiting myself to making friends all throughout the gym.
Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? My favorite crossfit movements are body movements. Squats, sit ups, and burpees. These movements make some people miserable, but when you are short, the distance is not far and I can move pretty quickly through these. As for my favorite workout, it would have to be anything involving these movements, but not mixed with any of my least favorite movements. See question below.
Least favorite crossfit movement/workout? My least favorite movements consist of handstand pushups, GHD sit-ups, double-unders, snatches, and bar muscle ups. Oh, you asked for one movement and I just kept typing. Well, I can only excel from here! My least favorite workout is 75 snatches for time.
What motivates you/keeps you coming back to CrossFit Mudtown? I can not overemphasize how incredible the group of individuals that own or workout in this gym are. It is an amazing community that I am proud to be apart of.
Most embarrassing/funniest gym moment? Really? I can not keep up with the ridiculous thoughts that actually make it out of my mouth, but there have been multiple times I say something that I am positive will cause an uproar in laughter and we will all exchange glances and high fives because it was so epic. That is not the way it happened. Most people do not want to laugh in the middle of Helen.
Favorite thing about Birmingham? Food and Freedom (insert deep south voice)
What accomplishment are you most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? I am most proud of my endurance. Being a mother changes your perspective on life. Quitting is not an option. Being able to do CrossFit empowers me and ironically gives me more energy. It is my attitude that has changed that I am proud of. And all of this is a reflection of me outside of the gym as well. I am proud of my overall confidence in myself and my relationships because of crossfit.
What is your favorite meal? Sushi. Any time. Any day.
What are some of your interests outside of CrossFit? You know, my previous interests from the last interview are not all that different. We have become so close to the people here. When I take my daughter out to do stuff around the city, most likely it is alongside our crossfit friends and their children.
What is one goal that you are currently working on? My goal for this year is a pull up. If I set a goal, I am more inclined to pursue it. It will push me to change my diet and anything else that obscures my path to it.
Do you have a hidden talent? Writing. Is that a talent? Over the years my brother and I have written chapters to a book we eventually want to publish.
Tell us a fun/interesting fact not many people know about you. As much as I loathe running I signed up for my first 10k in November 2011 at Oak Mountain and finished 3rd in my age division. I also competed that year in what was known as an endurance camp. It was 10 crossfit workouts throughout the night, on the hour, every hour. We finished the last workout at 6am as the sun was coming up.

Mediocre Member Spotlight

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Amanda Smith – 

We really need to get some new members, the options are getting slim for Member Spotlight.  Since we are in a little bit of a lull, we have selected Amanda Smith as our Mediocre Member of the Month. 

Why so mediocre?

Need someone to demo a movement?  Amanda’s conveniently in the bathroom.  Trying to keep the gym clean for the next class?  Amanda is dumping all the water in Alabama down her shirt.  Want to try and set up the fans for even air distribution? Don’t bother, Amanda has created a path of fans from the gym all the way back to her house.  Have a social event?  Make a place for Amanda to be sleeping by 9pm. 

If you do happen to see Amanda at the gym, she will be wearing all black and always have an object between you and her.  Its impossible to get within talking range.  She may be mute, we will never know.  We think she came from Trussville, mediocre.

I’m tired… here it is… Amanda’s interview.

How did you hear about CrossFit and what was your first workout? I first heard about CrossFit through my husband. He had been coming home for a week in weighted vests telling me about flipping tires and carrying sand bags through the snow. Literal snow. My initial response was, ” all of that sounds like the most fun I am uninterested in having.” My first workout was a lot of tabatta movements. We had a game at the end of the workout to see who could hold a plank position the longest. I, unfortunately, had to leave 15 seconds in because I had been re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Netflix that week and I was 2 episodes away from the series finale.

How many days do you CrossFit? I usually sign up for all classes during the week, but slowly as the hours creep by, the unsettling anxiety kicks in. That is when my name casually disappears. It’s not uncommon then for the text messages from everyone to start coming in. For example, “I was really looking forward to seeing you,” “Why aren’t you coming?” or my favorite, “I saw that.”

What classes do you normally attend? I try to attend the 5pm, but there are not enough fans to share in that class. So I brought my own. You know, to overemphasize to my buddies gathering around it, that I, in fact, need this fan or I will die.

Favorite CrossFit movement/workout? My favorite crossfit movement is stretching. There is plenty of time to gossip with the locals when we are all manipulating our bodies in to the number 4. My favorite workout is when they set a time on the clock to start the workout and the clock says that time is over.

Least favorite CrossFit movement/workout? My least favorite movement would be running when it is the actual temperature of hell outside. Everyone tends to run like we are doing this for time or something. I have convinced myself that once everyone has run away, I will black out on the pavement and they will not find me. As for my least favorite workout, sometimes I think I can change the numbers of a set or amount of time given by continuously repeating it. For example, the workout could have 10 power cleans in it. “But does it really have 10? or does it say 4? It looks like there is 4 on the board. Are you sure? So 4 right?” The question was what is my least favorite workout? Following directions.

What are some of your interests outside of Crossfit? My interests include incorporating myself into all the lives of the gym members with little to no exercise involved. Just sitting in the air conditioning. Talking to each of them. The people from Crossfit Mudtown were all magically made to be my best friends. Some of them just don’t know it yet.

What accomplishment are you most proud of (outside and inside of the gym)? I feel most accomplished in the gym when the words “No” “Oh gah” or “I am running home” do not come out of my mouth. And in my day to day I am most proud of when the words “No” “Oh gah” or “I am running home” do not come out of my mouth. Those statements tend to filter outside of the gym. So I leave you all with this….”Don’t ever, for any reason, do anything to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter what. No matter…..where. Or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or….where you have been…ever. For any reason, whatsoever.” -Michael Scott