I don't know about y'all, but these past 6 weeks have been my favorite. Clean & Jerks are my favorite. There's just something about cleaning a bunch of weight and throwing it over your head that totally makes you feel like Tia-Clair Toomey (okay, maybe not). It’s so fun to perform; it’s a beautiful, complex, total body movement that requires you to harvest a lot of power and I just love it. Anyway, how did we do after this 6 week cycle? Uh, two words: NAILED IT. Not only did 1RM increase, but many of you guys drastically improved your mechanics. You learned what it meant to pull your body under the bar (fast), you learned proper foot positioning, you kept your core tight, and you became masters of explosiveness. Regardless of how much your PR increased, having better form on this lift is a great accomplishment in and of itself! But PR increases are fun, so let’s take a look at some of our gym notables: Ladies who hit BIG Lifts: 
Jillian Myles is fairly new to CrossFit. It was fun to see her get amped up when it came time to find her new 1RM. She improved her clean and jerk by 20#! Making her new 1RM 105#! This girl does not know how strong she is. Julia Essington easily hit a 15# PR, finally breaking into the triple digits with her 100# 1RM. Julia cleaned that bar with ease. Give her a few weeks and she’ll be breaking into the 110s and 120s no problemo. Katie Michner fought for that 110# Clean and Jerk. She was excited about the 5# improvement, but she has her eyes set on 115#. You've got that lift Katie! She is one who comes into the box everyday, and doesn't make a big scene when she lifts. However she is STRONG and will fight for those heavy lifts. She has great form and is aggressive with the clean and jerk. Julie Crowley hit a 10# PR, making her new 1RM 140#. Ladies watch out, this girl is sneaky strong. After recovering from a very long ankle injury, Sadie Flynn improved her 1RM by 15 pounds. She and Becca Harris are neck and neck (once again) for the heaviest lift from the ladies. Both of them completed a 160# Clean and Jerk. I think it’s time we have an all out lifting duel with these two. Macho Men: 
You wouldn't know that he is the eldest member at our box. He has more energy than most of our athletes, and he is always ready for more after the WOD is over. He is infamous for his one liner "Lets do it again!" and mid-WOD claps. Michael Vasko, way to go on that 130# 1RM! You are an inspiration to us all. 
Cole Erderly started coming to CrossFit back in November. He continues to impress me with his ability to push himself. He has an excellent attitude when he comes into the box, and he is willing to lift lighter to improve his form. His patience has paid of, hitting a new lift of 165#. Keep pushing Cole; you are crushing it. Michael Lynton has been coming to CrossFit Renew for years. He is an excellent mover and never complains about the work required. His hard work paid off, hitting a 15# PR; only 10# away from 200, with a new 1RM of 190#. Tony Psaromatis, welcome to the 200 club!!! Like Cole and Michael, Tony comes into the box ready to work hard. He is humble and will accept constructive criticism. That humility and work has resulted in a new 1RM of 205#. Way to go! Brian Lange has been working out with us for a while and is a huge asset to the team. He is such an encourager and cheers for everyone. Sometimes a little push is all someone needs to hit a new goal, and I'm sure Brian has provided the encouragement behind a new PR or two this week! The biggest jumps in PRs (drumroll please) go to: For the fellas, we had a three way tie between Stephen Crawford, who went from 245# to 265#, and Michael Vasko, who went from 110# to 130# and Cole Erderly, who went from 145# to 165#. For the ladies, we had Jillian Myles go from 85# to 105#! Great job to all of you! Keep increasing those numbers! I am so proud of all of you, and I speak for all the coaches when I say it is such a blessing to coach you all. It’s so fun to see you get excited about new PRs, connect the dots on mechanical lifts, and master new movements. You each inspire and encourage me every day. -Whit
Jillian Myles is fairly new to CrossFit. It was fun to see her get amped up when it came time to find her new 1RM. She improved her clean and jerk by 20#! Making her new 1RM 105#! This girl does not know how strong she is. Julia Essington easily hit a 15# PR, finally breaking into the triple digits with her 100# 1RM. Julia cleaned that bar with ease. Give her a few weeks and she’ll be breaking into the 110s and 120s no problemo. Katie Michner fought for that 110# Clean and Jerk. She was excited about the 5# improvement, but she has her eyes set on 115#. You've got that lift Katie! She is one who comes into the box everyday, and doesn't make a big scene when she lifts. However she is STRONG and will fight for those heavy lifts. She has great form and is aggressive with the clean and jerk. Julie Crowley hit a 10# PR, making her new 1RM 140#. Ladies watch out, this girl is sneaky strong. After recovering from a very long ankle injury, Sadie Flynn improved her 1RM by 15 pounds. She and Becca Harris are neck and neck (once again) for the heaviest lift from the ladies. Both of them completed a 160# Clean and Jerk. I think it’s time we have an all out lifting duel with these two. Macho Men: 
You wouldn't know that he is the eldest member at our box. He has more energy than most of our athletes, and he is always ready for more after the WOD is over. He is infamous for his one liner "Lets do it again!" and mid-WOD claps. Michael Vasko, way to go on that 130# 1RM! You are an inspiration to us all. 
Cole Erderly started coming to CrossFit back in November. He continues to impress me with his ability to push himself. He has an excellent attitude when he comes into the box, and he is willing to lift lighter to improve his form. His patience has paid of, hitting a new lift of 165#. Keep pushing Cole; you are crushing it. Michael Lynton has been coming to CrossFit Renew for years. He is an excellent mover and never complains about the work required. His hard work paid off, hitting a 15# PR; only 10# away from 200, with a new 1RM of 190#. Tony Psaromatis, welcome to the 200 club!!! Like Cole and Michael, Tony comes into the box ready to work hard. He is humble and will accept constructive criticism. That humility and work has resulted in a new 1RM of 205#. Way to go! Brian Lange has been working out with us for a while and is a huge asset to the team. He is such an encourager and cheers for everyone. Sometimes a little push is all someone needs to hit a new goal, and I'm sure Brian has provided the encouragement behind a new PR or two this week! The biggest jumps in PRs (drumroll please) go to: For the fellas, we had a three way tie between Stephen Crawford, who went from 245# to 265#, and Michael Vasko, who went from 110# to 130# and Cole Erderly, who went from 145# to 165#. For the ladies, we had Jillian Myles go from 85# to 105#! Great job to all of you! Keep increasing those numbers! I am so proud of all of you, and I speak for all the coaches when I say it is such a blessing to coach you all. It’s so fun to see you get excited about new PRs, connect the dots on mechanical lifts, and master new movements. You each inspire and encourage me every day. -Whit
