THE OPEN 2022 SPECIAL….AND A FEW OTHER COOL THINGS!
Hey Team and welcome to February’s newsletter and the 2nd of 2022.
We wanted to kick off this month’s newsletter with a great big thank you to all of those who came and helped us on our gym working party afternoon. It’s a big old space Valesco but the work we all managed to do in that time is super noticeable and we thank you for the bottom of our hearts for coming to help. You are all complete legends and we hope the pizza helped refuel your efforts. We will be putting the next one in the diary in the summer and hope to follow it with a BBQ and a few drinks so if you missed this one or are keen to help again then keep your eyes peeled on FB and/or weekly member comms.
The Open tomorrow and this newsletter certainly has that focus. Whether you have been with us years or only a few weeks there is no reason why you can’t get involved. With RX, Scaled and Foundation categories there really is something for everyone. Coach James and Coach Ella have been putting a huge amount of work into making these three Friday evenings the very best they can be and we want to thank them in advance for all the pre work and the work that is about to come in making these evenings a realty.
We would love as many of you to get involved as possible (again more on this below) but if you are unsure please talk to one of us or check out the recent posts on the members FB group. If you don’t have access there is a link in Gym Notices to request it.
Talking of competition we have released our first home competition of the year – Scale It Up Triple Threat 2022. This is an entry-level competition made up of same sex teams of three hosted at your very own box. We would love to have as many home teams as possible taking part so check it out here on FB or here on the website…again if you can do a class you can do this competition. It’s a lot of fun and a great all round experience. Sunday 24th April, get it in your diaries and get signed up ASAP (spaces are limited).
Final thing to mention is our first social WALKIES! And whether you have a dog or not if you enjoy meeting new people, a walk in the countryside and a pub lunch this is the social for you. Drop us an email at hi@valesco.fitness if you would like to come and of course partners, kids, friends and sociable dogs are all welcome.
Right think that’s its form us, so grab a cuppa and settle in for another bumper read and lets get pumped for the Open 2022.
Lots of love and positive Open vibes,
Amy, Ellie and Leila xx
MEMBER SHOUT OUTS
Welcome to the monthly Member Shout out section where we like to celebrate some of the good things we see in the gym day in and day out.
Shout out from Coach Stew – Anna and Beau. ‘I want to give a shout out this month to Anna and Beau. They only joined a few months ago but have really thrown themselves into everything Valesco has to offer and have already become 6am regulars!’ Great work team, this is such good feedback to hear and so pleased that you found Valesco and seem to be loving it.
Shout out from Coach Leila – Huge shout out to Miranda Nicholes. ‘who has been selected to represent Team GB Lacrosse team in Portugal this week!!.’ We wish you the very best of luck Miranda, go smash it and have a brilliant time!
Shout out from Coach Ella – Will Holmes. “He has been coming in early to classes to practice pull ups and his gymnastics and has made a massive effort with his training so far in 2022.” Awesome work Will, what a shout out!
PODCASTS
Team.
With this Open focused newsletter we wanted to take the opportunity to take a look back and a few PODCAST archives and revisit a few that would be great to listen too in preparation for the open so we have listed a few below.
Whether you have heard them before or not they are always worth a revisit, so get your headphones in and get involved.
GYM NOTICES
WALKIES!
Sunday March 20th we’re going for a walk and a pub lunch with our pups and we would love you to join us! Whether you have a dog or not you are more than welcome to join us. We will be doing the Chew Valley circular which is a really scenic walk that is just less than 5 miles long. After a good old stomp we will be having a (late) pub lunch at the Pelican – a dog friendly pub with really great food! If you intend to come please let us know, as we will need to book tables at the Pelican in advance.
MEMBERS FACEBOOK GROUP:
ARE YOU ON OUR MEMBERS ONLY FACEBOOK GROUP? It’s an awesome little place to ask questions, find out information or just share funny memes or moments from the gym. If you aren’t a member but would like to be please follow this link and request access.
Members FaceBook Group
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN CLASSES?
stamina, endurance & flexibility) and to ensure we facilitate opportunities to work on all 10 pillars, we write programmes for the classes – they may feel totally random to you, but trust us, they are not. We plan and write in blocks of 12 working weeks (with deload weeks at weeks 7 and 14) and they each have specific focus’s, goals and intended results for you.
The focus for the next 12 (14 including deload) weeks is as follows:
Monday: Strict Press – There will be a variety of single arm overhead movements included to help improve shoulder stability, work on shoulder health and address any imbalances you have. FOCUS: Increasing shoulder strength & stability, and addressing posture & shoulder mobility
Tuesday: Front Squat – Expect to see some tempo and single leg accessory work built in. FOCUS: Increasing leg and core strength & improving hip mobility
Wednesday: Metcon Mayhem – we would never take this away from you diehard fans! FOCUS: Increasing cardiovascular fitness & getting a good sweat on!
Thursday: Deadlift / Pull – This will be programmed in 2 halves… the first 6 weeks will be sumo deadlift with a glute strength focus, the 2nd half will be back to regular deadlifts with a focus on core strength and stability so think farmers carries and lots of other fun stuff… FOCUS: Building a really solid posterior chain and working those glutes!
Friday: Skills and drills – Pistol squats will be our focus for the first 6 weeks and iof anyone has any specific requests on what we should look at after that, please feel free to let us know! FOCUS: have fun learning a new skill
Weightlifting: This will be programmed in 2 halves… the first 6 weeks will be Power Snatch only, working on power & confidence. Following a mid-cycle deload, the next 6 weeks will then focus on the Squat Snatch & OHS.
Gymnastics (17:30 Thursday & Saturday): Handstand Press Ups will be our focus so if learning the skill or working on core strength (or both) are a goal for you then get signed up to 1 of the 2 gymnastic classes that run each week. Whether you are a total beginner and haven’t been upside down since you were a kid or you can do HSPU but want to improve technique & increase volume, THIS IS FOR YOU! The programming in each class is the same so you only need to come along to 1, leaving you with plenty of time in the week so work on lots of other things, too!
PUP CORNER
Hey Pup Fans,
It’s Leo here and I have been around for the most highly anticipated 3 weeks of the CrossFit calendar for the last 5 years. I have witnessed the blood, sweat, tears and numerous PB’s.
I may look like a ginger nutter with no idea of personal space. However I know a thing or two about box jumps and in particular the open that I would like to share with you.
1) Enjoy it! The last year has been tough. With something to look forward to or maybe not ;) if it’s Thrusters. Try and enjoy this time, friendly competition and something structured to stick to.
2) Make a plan and stick to it. Don’t go into a workout blind. Have a game plan and try not to change this half way through. You know you! As always don’t try and maintain pace with someone around you. Give it your all and be proud of whatever score you achieve.
3) Find a friend. Working out with a buddy is always much more fun. Find someone to workout alongside. We will be doing a Friday night showdown each week. However if you can’t make this try and rearrange a time when someone can do it alongside you. Suffering together is less sucky than suffering alone.
4) Aim for a one and done approach. Unless your headed for the CrossFit games aim to do each workout only once. This is why its super important to have a game plan from the start. Trying to fit in multiple attempts of one workout is super taxing on your body. Let alone the disruption to your normal training programme.
5) Pick the category that is your level. Don be tempted to try the rx version if you know deep down you won’t be able to do many of the reps. Likewise don’t pick the scaled option for an easier ride if you know you can Rx it. Albeit with a few blood, sweat and tears.
I will be there to bark at you, supply post open licks and inappropriate sniffing.
Go out there, do your best, be proud of where you are now. ENJOY IT!
Lots of licks and love the ginger ninja aka LEO.
EXBAND
HAVE YOU JOINED THE EXBAND GAINZ TRAIN YET?
These are 15 minutes fully coached pre recorded sessions that you can do anywhere at any time so what’s not to love? You even get to see some familiar Valesco faces!!
If you are looking to build endurance in your muscles, prevent injury or generally just look and feel better THIS IS FOR YOU and with only 15 minutes of your day? You’re getting a huge bang for your buck.
With a two-week FREE trial and only £7.99 per month after that it’s a bit of a steal.
EXBAND.fitness to get signed up or https://www.instagram.com/exband.fitness/ to see what all the fuss is about – go on, give us a follow…….please!
COACHES CORNER
Hi Team!
Welcome to February’s coaches corner! I hope you’ve all had a lovely 2022 so far, it’s been amazing to see so much progress across so many members in the gym this year and long may it continue!
I’m here to have a little chat with you guys about …. THE OPEN. I’ve had countless questions about this years Open, whether it be about workouts, scaling options, the number of workouts, how to register etc. So I thought what better place to share some nuggets of information/wisdom regarding the open!
The Open is a worldwide competition that is ‘open’ to absolutely anyone that wants to get involved. To find your name on the international leader board all you have to do is head over to the CrossFit website and Register. That way you can see where you place in the world, in this country, in Bristol, at Valesco.. the list continues. (Registration is optional though, if you just want to come and get sweaty then that’s more than okay!)
So, the workouts. 3 meticulously programmed workouts (1 per week for 3 weeks) are released 1 per week, for 3 consecutive weeks, and are aimed at testing all areas of an athletes ability. The goal is to bring the community together. Whether you’re taking the Open seriously with the intent of competing at a high level or just want to get involved and have some fun with your gym buddies, it’s about bringing people together and supporting your tribe.
What are we doing here at Valesco to celebrate the Open I hear you ask? Well, we’re hosting a weekly throw down every Friday night starting from 25th of Feb and have opened up 2 sessions for people to come down to, to do the released workout. If you’ve not fancied taking part this year or just fancy coming down to support then that’s awesome too. The bigger the crowd, the better for the Open!
There will be RX’d workouts, Scaled workouts and Foundational workouts meaning that everyone can get involved (we’ve posted examples of last years workouts on our Instagram). All workouts will be released at 8pm on a Thursday night worldwide but keep your eyes on our Instagram as we’ll be sharing them all too!
It’s a great opportunity to have a laugh, get sweaty and embrace the strengths and weaknesses in our skill set. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask any of the coaches about how to get involved, what level workout we’d recommend for you and anything else you can think of.
BRING IT ON TEAM
Yours truly,
Ella xxx
Peanut Butter Smoothie!
Looking for a bit of post Open workout fuel or recovery? Then this month we have you covered with this all round great smoothie. We recommend adding in a scoop of your favourite protein powder to boost the grams of protein to make it an ideal pre or post Open workout snack.
Who said smoothies are just for breakfast??
Until Next Time, Big Love Team Valesco xxx
Save The Date
Spring Social – Chew Valley Dog Walk – Sunday 20th March
Scale It Up – Triple Threat – Sunday 24th April – EVENT NOW LAUNCHED ON FB AND WEBSITE
Mental Health Week Events – Monday 9th to Sunday 15th May
Summer Social – Saturday 11th June
Scale It Up – 4 of a Kind – Sunday 3rd July
Valesco is 7 years old. Birthday Party – Saturday 10th September
Scale It Up – Safety in Numbers – Sunday 9th October
Strength in Depth Finals weekend – 26th and 27th November
The Valesco Christmas Party – Saturday 10th December
Who Wore It Best
Check out this month ‘Who Wore It Best’ from Coach Stew and Rob Yard – that awkward moment when you take your jumper off and see the guy in the square behind you is rocking the same Tee? Eeekkk! But is he wearing it better than you? This is really the question!
Have you turned up looking the same as another Valesco member? Then we want to see. Send your snaps to hi@valesco.fitness to be in the next newsletter. We love seeing them!