Rest Day/Theory

After home and work, there are “third places.” Eleanor Brown examines why we lost them and how CrossFit affiliates are bringing them back.

Melissa Chernaik spent 17 years working as a political consultant in Portland, Ore. She was driven and focused on her career, and her work was a large part of her identity.

“A big chunk of my friends were all in that same field,” she says. When she met new people, there would always be… Continue Reading

About 10 years ago, a man called Giant started the Bartendaz fitness movement in the United States’ black-culture capital. Today, he’s spreading his message beyond Harlem and seeking to change more than your body.

Most call 5-foot-7 Hassan Yasin-Bradley “Giant.” The name was born of being “the shortest guy with something really big to say.” At 44, Giant—and the Bartendaz group he founded—is known throughout Harlem, and he and his crew are… Continue Reading

The period between Christmas and New Year’s can destroy your fitness. Proceed with caution.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is the Death Valley of fitness.

I’d wager more pounds are gained and more fitness lost in this period than during any other eight-day stretch of the year that isn’t spent on an all-inclusive cruise ship.

Many people simply stop caring about a lot of things when… Continue Reading

At Noble Street College Prep in Chicago, Ill., administrators rearranged the school’s schedule to allow for a fitness-leadership program involving CrossFit. Likewise, the founding campus, Noble Street Charter School, got rid of its gym’s machines, replacing them with rowers and bumper plates.

“It has supercharged the culture in the school to orient towards teamwork and pushing each other, developing grit and optimism—all those things that… Continue Reading

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children under the age of 4 in 23 U.S. states. Nationwide, it ranks second only to vehicle accidents. On average, 11 children drown every day.

“With ISR training, just because a child wanders to the pool alone doesn’t mean he has to die there, and that’s our mission,” says JoAnn Barnett, Infant Swimming Resource president and CEO.

Infant Swimming Resource, or ISR, is a 47-year-old program… Continue Reading

Noble and Empower charter schools find CrossFit fits their mandate to pursue excellence in education.

The Noble Network of Charter Schools is located in the worst neighborhoods of Chicago: Englewood, Garfield Park, West Humble Park. Ninety-five percent of its students live below the poverty line, and many of the schools in the neighborhood are equipped with metal detectors to curb violence. When students enter Noble schools in the ninth grade… Continue Reading

Chicago student wins charter-school “education lottery” and earns full college scholarship.

Daniel Rodriguez won the lottery when he was 13.

A kid from Chicago’s inner city, Rodriguez faced a bleak outlook. His mom is from Puerto Rico, his dad from the Dominican Republic, and English is not the first language of either parent. Rodriguez struggled in elementary school, and his parents feared for his future in high school.

“I was so far behind… Continue Reading

No yoga pants can contain Emily Beers’ legs. And she’s fine with that.

Recently, Lululemon Athletica founder Chip Wilson was reprimanded by mainstream media, Facebook users, angry Tweeters—you name it—for comments made during a Nov. 8 interview on Bloomberg TV.

In March, Lululemon recalled yoga pants due to “a level of sheerness in some of our women’s black Luon bottoms that falls short of our very high standards,” according to a… Continue Reading