Latest News
This Memorial Day!
Okay guys! This Memorial Day we will be closed for the 6 and 7am classes. All other classes are on! We will be having a sweet little workout surprise in honor of our Veterans. Get some rest and come out to the box for some fun on Monday!
Power Snatch
6×2
Followed by,
3 Rounds
20 KB Swings
20 Lunges
400m Run
Then,
3x plank on all sides
Potluck Dinner Tonight!
Bring your favorite paleo food, along with the recipe tonight to the BlackBox Potluck! We will eat good food, listen to good music, and hangout with good friends! The dinner will start around 7:00pm (feel free to bring the kiddos!). The address is 706 Inwood, Bryan TX!
Jyl.
Front Squat
5×5
Followed by,
AMRAP 10 min
15 Wall Ball
200m Weight Sprint
Then,
Prone Cobra x 2 (90 seconds on, 45 seconds off)
NEW BOOK on Pre-Order TODAY!
Okay guys I am so excited to say that I have just received a copy of this book! EEEK, I just love new books. Especially GOOD new books! I’m a big nerd at heart, so anything that has to do with learning I’m all in. School supply shopping was my favorite time of the year, getting all of those new books with new pencils, pens, and binders… Oh man… Sigh, I regress….
Anyway, I have read the first chapter already and can’t wait to tell you more about it! If you know anything about the Whole 9 program with Dallas and Melissa, you would be correct in thinking that this book will NOT disappoint. This is not my official review, just an excited reader wanting to inform you that the release date is June 12th! BUT you can pre-order it NOW! So, what are you waiting for?!?
Super Set the below:
3 Rounds
Max Strict Pull Ups (or 2 negatives holding as long as possible, one supinatied/one pronated grip)
Max Ring Dips (or 2 negatives)
REST ~ 2 minutes
Followed by,
5 Rounds
5 Deadlifts
10 Burpees
15 Sit Ups
Joy
This summer I want to encourage you guys to find joy. I know I know… I’m that trainer that talks about emotions and feelings, don’t block me out just yet guys! Explore the reasons of why you do what you do. What is your favorite thing to do at the box? Is it the pre-workout where we just hangout, roll around, and shoot the sh*t? If it is, make time to come into the gym early. Is it the actual workout? Or post workout? Is it all just pretty brutal and am just I full of it? Maybe I am, BUT a lot of the times our own perspective will change a situation completely! One of my little joys are the people. When I feel like my motivation is down from working out alone, I love going into the group classes and just having fun lifting/working out with friends.
If you are not enjoying working out, maybe it’s a perspective thing… Just a thought, if we go into a situation thinking “This is fun. I love what I do. I am good at this.” The situation completely changes from someone going into the same workout thinking “This is lame. I hate this. I’m no good at this.” Even on our worst days we can aim to enjoy the things we love. Our thought process can really change something from a negative experience to something positive and even make it potentially longer lasting. So, find your joy in the gym, in your work, in the little things that you know will encourage health/wellness and learn to train your mind to find some joy even when the days get brutal.
Ed.
Bulgarian Split Squat
5 x 5-7 each leg
Followed by,
7 Rounds
3 Power Cleans (make this a challenging weight)
100 m Sprint
Recovery Walk back
Happy Tuesday!
Remember to keep up with your Challenge Check marks at the box!
This is week two of a 4 week challenge! Keep up the hard work!
Push Press
5×5
Followed by,
5 rounds
10 KPU
25 Double Unders
Then,
Weighted Plank x3
Potluck this Friday!!!
This Friday at 7:00pm, we will be having our BlackBox Potluck! Bring your favorite “paleo” dish, along with the recipe (so that people can exchange recipes if they so desire!). There will be food, fun and friends… and maybe even a little bon fire! You are welcome to bring the kids, there is plenty of room for them to run and play in the backyard with the chickens! We will meet at the Morchat’s at 706 Inwood Bryan TX!
Justin M.
Back Squat
5×5
Followed by,
5 Rounds
5 Thrusters
10 Box Jumps
Then,
Power Ball 6-8 x 15 sec on, 30 sec rest
Happy Saturday!!
Have an excellent weekend and enjoy the weather outside today!! It sure is a great day for some sleds…
Chris P.
Power Clean
6×2
Followed by,
8-10 x 100m Sled Pulls
Things to consider…
As the weather becomes brighter and as the days become longer, I encourage you to consider your time. Consider where the bulk of your energy goes. Consider who that energy goes towards. What you do and who you surround yourself with does have an effect on you and vise versa. You play a huge role in your family and friends’ lives. If you are a parent, you ultimately can determine if you play outside or if you watch TV, what you eat and when you sleep, you ultimately determine the “ways of your family”.
You have an effect on the people in your life whether you like it or not… people watch people. That is how humans learn. We learn by observing, mimicking, and replicating the actions of others (especially when we are young, but even at an older age this is true). I am not suggesting that you need to be perfect or to watch your back, because someone maybe watching you…. I’m just suggesting that you take notice of where you are in life. It’s beneficial to reflect a little on your actions. It’s good to take notice of the company you keep and to ask yourself:
Are they encouraging me to live well?
And it’s good to look in the mirror and ask the same question. Do you encourage others to live well?
If you ask these questions and both or one of the answers is no, then that is a great place to start. Recognizing that there is a change that needs to take place somewhere is really step one. If you answered no to question number 2, begin to consider where you can start to make changes. You can change your own habits and actions by getting out and doing something. Commit to a program or a person for a month and then reassess your progress. Find something fun that you enjoy, if it is lifting weights find someone to hold you to a program. If it is just being outside with your family, then do just that: go for walks, play soccer, throw the baseball around.
If the people in your life do not encourage you to live well, then find a community that does. There are so many great programs in the BCS area that support healthy lifestyles. We at BlackBox have many programs for men, women, and kids of all areas in life to participate in. BlackBox is different than most places in the fact that you have a coach and a community throughout your journey in fitness. If you have any questions or even concerns with your own journey, email jordan@blackboxstrength.com
Just a few thoughts for today… This month is National Fitness Month, so it’s appropriate to talk about things of health and such 
Jackie.
5 Sets (super set the below)
5 Weighted Pull Ups or 2 negatives (10 second holds, one pronated/one supinated grip)
12 One arm Snatches (6/6 each arm)
Rest 2 min
Followed by,
Tabata: Row or Airdyne
Pick your Poison
Happy Thursday!
Back Squat
3-4 x 10 reps
Followed by,
5 Rounds
2 TGU (each side)
10 Box Jumps
Then,
Power Ball
6-8x 15 seconds on ~30 seconds rest
Recipe of the Week!
Sometimes you just need to keep things simple, we it comes to food. Those easy breezy recipes can be wonderfully delicious and save so much time! So, I will be honest when I post this, this recipe is Danny’s… So, I truly don’t know how labor intensive it is, he just makes it look so easy. I hope you all enjoy!
Yummy Sweet Potato Scramble/Hash
Ingredients:
Sweet Potato diced
1/2 Onion diced
Jalapeno diced/de-seeded (you don’t have to put this guy in if you don’t like the spice)
Some good Sausage
Some good fat
eggs (optional)
salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
Saute your sweet potato in some good fat. Danny has covered his to make it cook a little more thoroughly throughout. In a different pot or all together (I’ve seen it done both ways depending on how dirty the dishes are)… Cook your onions, add the jalapeno, and then the sausage. And let it all cook together! We have also scrambled some eggs into the mix or you could fry them and place them on top of the hash. Oh man this was good!
Enjoy!
Group Classes:
Split Jerk
6×2
Followed by,
“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit Ups
Then,
ROll around and stretch out!
Weightlifting:
Make up for yesterday’s testing or
Clean + 2 Jerks 6×1+2
Snatch Pull 6×2
Then,
1 min Sprint on Airdyne for Cal
Day 2 of the Challenge, Test #2
Just a reminder for the Team Challenge, these are the ways you may earn points:
1. Eat Well – Based off of the whole 30 challenge. (1 point/day, for a total of 7/week)
2. Sleep Well – 10pm -6am, Aim for good sleep, be in bed by 10. If you attend the 6am class you can move that time closer to 9:30 or 9:00pm. (1 point/day, for a total of 7/week)
3. Recover well - These are the same as from the Recovery Challenge. Great examples of recovering are: pvc/foam rolling each muscle group 1 min each, mobility class, yoga class, 10 minutes of active de-stressing (NOT involving electronics or TV), fish/cod oil, epsom salt bath, ice baths, ice compress, hot/cold shower, massage… Other forms are welcome, just talk with your coach first. (1 point/day, for a total 7/week)
4. Exercise – Attend the box and workout! If you are unable to attend you may do an at home workout, this will also count for your point. (only 5 points are available for this section).
Also, we will be recording your test days and will re-test you in a month. You have opportunities to earn points on these days for gains made.
Front Squat Max
Rest ~ 5min
Complete as many reps at 85% of your one rep max from today
Followed by,
“Helen”
3 Rounds
400m Run
21 KB Swings
12 Pull Ups
Team Challenge Begins Today!
Okay guys! The Team Challenge will start today! We are setting up teams and pulling in the stragglers. This is your last day to register for the challenge. The Teams will be set by tomorrow morning. Thanks for being patient with us, if you know of anyone that hasn’t registered, get them in!
In order to register for the Team Challengeclick on the link below, click the EVENTS button, and complete the instructions given! Pretty simple! Have fun today!
Register Here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/ASP/home.asp?studioid=10769
Group Classes:
Snatch Heavy one rep (power snatch is fine here too): We will log your weight/times, but we also encourage you to take this opportunity to begin a training log. There are folders and calendars provided for you at the gym or you can use something more fancy like a notebook. Keep it simple, but start logging your information!
Followed by,
75 Burpees for time
Weightlifting:
Snatch Heavy one rep
If you are in the challenge, do the 75 burpees. If not Push Press 3×5.
Free Workout and TEAM Challenge!
- Remember tomorrow (Saturday) is our Free Community Workout at BlackBox! Bring your family/friends, spread the word!!
- AND Sign up for the TEAM CHALLENGE, by emailing jordan@blackboxstrength.com This will begin on Monday!!! GET EXCITED!
Easy Day for Ali
Back Squat 5×3
Followed by,
50 DU
3 RDS
3 Push Press
6 Front Squat
9 Burpees
50 DU
Then,
3×1:00 min weighted planks
Romanian Dead Lift aka RDL
By Jack Gaines
You may have noticed the letters RDL in our current cycle. It is shortened deadlift following the same bar path as your clean. It STARTS AT THE TOP of the thigh/hip with your hands in a clean grip position. Your knees are going to be slightly bent and they will keep the same angle through the entire range of motion. Your shoulders will be slightly over the bar. This will be the same position you “jump” from in the clean. You will begin lowering the bar down your thigh to just below your knee by pushing your hips back and maintaining your knee angle. You will come back up to your jumping position by using your hamstrings and glutes. These 2 muscle groups should be tense the entire time and it should be eerily similar to the tightness you feel when you do a good morning. You will maintain a flat back through the entire range of motion, NO ROUNDING should occur. When you come to the top, your hips will not fully open. This will keep your shoulders over the bar and maintain tension on your posterior chain (hamstrings/glutes). On your final RDL of each set you can do a clean pull, if and only if you’re able to keep perfect form for the set.
I enjoy incorporating this movement in my training because it gets me used to moving heavier weight through my clean range of motion and it’s not as hard to recover from compared to standard deadlifts. Don’t get me wrong though, if done with a decent amount of weight for your abilities, it is taxing on the body and will still leave you sore.
Addison, Lauren, and Susan from the women’s only class.
If you can’t tell, Addison even dressed up for the Retro Day!
3×3 RDL
3×3 Press
Followed by,
10,9,…2,1
Box Jumps
KB Swings
Push Ups
