Friday, July 19, 2013

CrossFit Roughnecks

CrossFit Roughnecks!

After Portland, I went to Houston for a customer onsite.  With my special needs for this month leading up to Nationals, I had to find a gym that would let me do custom workout.  Lucky for me, the search was easy and I found a CF gym within walking distance!  Thank you CrossFit Roughnecks!

I dropped in at 5:30am and joined the 6:15 class for the workout.  This is actually the last CrossFit workout I've done.. and this was a few weeks ago.  This is what we did:
  • Warm-up: Dynamic & stretch, 3 sets: 5 wall climbs, 20 sit ups
  • For time:
    • 50 Ring Dips
    • 300m Run
    • 50 Push Ups
    • 300m Run
    • 50 Push Press 75#/45#
 
Some things I really liked here:
  • Downtown Houston location.  They're within walking distance to the business district.  They already have a decent sized facility and are in the process of expanding and upgrading the bathrooms at their current location.
  • Garage gym feeling.  They don't have the newest, latest and greatest equipment, but they do have solid, well-built structures.  Steel pull up bars, solid platforms, and multiples!
  • Separate, dedicated lifting room with multiple platforms, racks, and benches.  Win!
  • Variety of equipments: tires, ropes, weighted vests, reverse hyper, slam balls, platforms, and benches.
  • Multiple, gigantic industrial fans and ice cold water.
  • Nice, encouraging, and accommodating trainers.  For the morning classes, they get in early so people can roll out and such.  They ensure you are moving safely and push you and the rest of the class hard.  
  • Full schedule.   Lots of class times to choose from: 3 in the morning, 4 in the evenings, and one at lunch time.  What I don't get though, is why they're different in duration.
  • Class quality.  Classes are 45 minutes long.  The morning classes are small, but still have that big community feel.  Lots of attention, regardless of fitness level.
  • Open gym on Saturdays!
  • Shower to come soon!
  • Visitor friendly

Some things that could use improvement:
  • Ladies bars!  They currently only have 15# and 45# bars.

Some pictures:

2. front.

3. Inside.

4. expansion in progress!

5. Pullup structure.


6. weights.


7. Separate lifting area!

8. platforms & weights.



9. Platforms!!

10. PR boards.

Bummed out I missed Alex, but a big thank you to him and his team for accommodating my special requests: from letting me do my Nationals programming to moving the fan right next to me when I was wilting.

If you're in Houston, you should check out CrossFit Roughnecks!