Does your lower back round during a deadlift?  Can you squat to full depth without your knees or ankles collapsing? Do you struggle to correctly perform an overhead squat?  Do your shins and knees hurt after running?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is very likely that you have one or more limitations related to mobility and motor control.  These limitations lead to compensations in your basic functions that can, over time, result in injury.With a simple 15-minute test called the Functional Movement Screen, we can identify the specific mobility and/or stability limitations that are hindering your performance and provide you with a plan to fix them.

The Functional Movement Screen (“FMS”) is an assessment technique which attempts to identify imbalances in mobility and stability during fundamental movement patterns.  This assessment tool amplifies the individual’s compensatory movement problems, allowing for easy identification and grading.  The test comprises seven fundamental movement patterns that require a combination of mobility and stability.

Individuals who are unable to perform these simple movements resort to utilizing compensatory movement patterns during their activities, sacrificing efficient movements for inefficient ones in order to perform at higher levels.  If these compensations are left unchecked, then movement dysfunction will be reinforced leading to increased risk of injury.

The FMS creates a baseline to mark progress and provide a means to measure performance.  It identifies specific exercises based on individual FMS scores to create customized corrective warm-up routines.

The FMS takes only 15 minutes to complete.  We will begin offering the FMS on Tuesdays from 5:00pm to 6:30pm in 15-minute intervals starting October 18th.  The cost is only $40, and it includes the test as well as a comprehensive corrective exercise prescription. To reserve your spot, click here and select a time slot. If you do not know your zenplanner login, please comment below and we will resend your password to the email we have on file.

We are excited to help our members better understand the limitations they are experiencing and learn how to go about eliminating them.

DISCLAIMER:  The FMS is not intended to diagnose orthopedic problems but rather to demonstrate limitations or asymmetries in healthy individuals with respect to basic movement patterns.

**Due to the limited number of time slots available each week, a minimum of 24 hours notice is required for all cancellations or to reschedule.**

Event Location
Bank of America Plaza
901 Main St.
Dallas, TX 75071

9:00 am 70 story start
9:30 am 42 story start
9:45 am 23 story start

Registration Info

Are you looking for the tallest stair climb in Dallas? You found it!

Please join us as we race up the TALLEST building in Dallas to raise awareness and money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! The Bank of America Plaza, also known as “The Green Building” has generously donated their building, staircases and lobby area for this fantastic event, taking place on Saturday, September 24, 2011! With 23, 42 and 70 flights, there is a challenge for everyone.

The CF Climb for Life begins at 9:00am starting with those climbing 70 stories. Climbers will be sent up one at a time with a gap between each to ensure everyone has room to climb at a comfortable pace. Start times will be assigned 1 week before the event so that teams and individuals will know when to arrive and will not have to wait in long lines. The finish line after party will include awards, music and food. So bring your friends and plan to stay a while.

You don’t want to miss this fabulous event, please contact Ryan Minter for more information at 214-871-2222, or wminter@cff.org

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a life shortening, genetic disease affecting approximately 30,000 children and young adults in the US. A defective gene causes the body to produce an abnormally thick, sticky substance in the lungs and digestive system that hinders the body’s ability to breathe and absorb nutrients. Currently, there is no cure. The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is aggressively pursuing a cure for CF by efficiently investing in cutting edge, life saving science.

Three competition-style WODs to see who comes out on top.  First WOD will begin at 9am with the gym open by 8:30 for participants to begin warmups.  Second and third workouts will begin at approximately 10:30 and Noon, respectively.  If you are interested in competing, please email russell@crossfitdeep.com to register for a spot.  Registration will close on Sunday, August 7, so be sure to reserve your spot.

The free Saturday workouts at both Deep Ellum and Uptown will be canceled on Saturday August 13, so be sure to come support all the athletes competing in the Who Dares Wins competition at CrossFit Deep Ellum.  Additionally, there will be no Olympic lifting class on Saturday August 13.

To celebrate the hard work and dedication of all the athletes, we will be heading to the Backyard Beach Bar after the competition for sand, sun, beach volleyball, food and adult beverages.  All are welcome to join.  Hope to see everyone there!

This is not just for aspiring runners, the new Uptown Endurance class is great for anyone who wants to improve their running technique, cardiovascular endurance, and more. If you are an aspiring endurance athlete preparing for your first longer run, triathlon or more, then this is definitely for you. You will learn new training techniques and methods that will improve your results.

This intro session is one of two opportunities to try out the class. We will be covering running analysis, learn some new skills, do a workout, and engage in Q&A at the end of class.

We are really excited about where this is headed and the ability to offer even more options for our members.

When: July 28th and August 4th @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Where: CrossFit Uptown

It may seem a bit dramatic to say my life is changed, but it’s true. My life today after a year and a half at CrossFit Deep Ellum is quite different from when I started.

I had always considered myself “somewhat active”, and for most men of my age, I certainly was. I backpacked, hiked, and camped. I own two kayaks, which I used when I could get some time off from work. I even dabbled in rock climbing and rappelling, but my weight kept creeping up. I was flabby with extra body fat. I was tired during the day. I had huge mood swings. My nutritional habits were a disaster. My battle with sugar addiction was consuming my life and ruling my days. I took fistfuls of prescription medications daily to ward off a list of ailments and conditions common to my age.

Steven at 285

I had always hated gyms. I felt awkward, old, and out of place. I never felt I knew what/when/how to do things. One time I even spent $1200.00 for three months with a “personal” trainer. At the end of it, I just felt confused and frustrated.

Then, one day I was discussing this with my chiropractor, who is also a close friend of mine. He asked if I knew what CrossFit was. I’m sure I rolled my eyes because I remembered stacks of old VCR tapes of The Jane Fonda Workout littering my old New York apartment many years ago. But as he described it, I was intrigued. He said, “Steven, if you try this, and dedicate to it, you won’t ever have to see me in this office again.” As it turns out, he was right.

So I did some research and thought I’d try CrossFit Deep Ellum. Intimidated? Scared? Yes, and that was just to write the email to the coaches. Later that week, when I came by the gym for the first time to sign up, I actually sat outside in the parking lot for 10 minutes trying to talk myself into coming inside. It did not look like some place I belonged. I had told myself that I was too old and too out of shape for this kind of place. This looked like a “serious gym”, but my emails with Eric had been encouraging, and already I knew something was different with these guys. So, I told myself “Okay, Steven, just go in and sign up for Elements Class. No harm in that”.

The minute I walked in, I felt at home. I was immediately and warmly greeted by Coach Russell who introduced me to some of the people standing around. I signed my waiver, paid my money, and began the most amazing, fun, and rewarding fitness journey of my life.

I’m doing things today I never dreamed I could do. With CrossFit coupled with Paleo nutrition, I’ve slimmed down, leaned, and toned up for sure. And I’m stronger, faster, and have more energy as you might expect. But something else happened quite unexpectedly. I have more confidence in myself in my daily life than I have ever felt my entire life. Yes, I am the fittest, most confident man I have ever been in all my 52 years. Those fistfuls of prescription drugs? Down to a few pills a day. My doctor is starting to ask more and more questions about what I’m doing. My friends are amazed at how I look and how much energy I have. And yeah, I get “checked out” in public like never before. (I’m still not quite used to that one.)

Now, through this year and a half, I have seen firsthand many other CrossFit gyms, and I can tell you that what we have at CrossFit Deep Ellum is something pretty special. The owners and coaching staff are dedicated to having everyone, regardless of fitness ability, achieve their individual visions for themselves. I’ve never seen a gym where I get calls or emails saying “Hey, where ya been? We miss you” if I’ve been slacking off on attendance.

And there’s something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it hit me the other day in class. Spencer was coaching on proper air squat form (yet again for the thousandth time!) and said something that sums up the CrossFit vision beautifully. He said, “People, I’m not trying to be mean about this. I just want so badly for you to be able to get up and out of a chair when you are 70!” I had heard something similar in my Level One Certification, but that day with Spencer it hit me hard. I
know 40-year-old men who have trouble with that. For a fitness philosophy to have that much of a far-reaching vision is pretty profound.

CrossFit Deep Ellum is so much more than just a gym. It’s a community of people who are dedicated to improving their lives and helping each other do the same. Yeah, I can write that with a straight face ‘cause it’s true, not some silly slogan. I’ve made some amazing and deep friendships at CFDE. I wouldn’t give that up for the world.

If you are new or considering CrossFit Deep Ellum, just remember:

• Everything, and I mean everything, is scalable to your physical abilities.
• Every workout’s movement is retaught, practiced, and coached before each workout. These guys are maniacal about safety and proper form!
• You will make some of the fastest improvements in your physical (and mental!) abilities you have ever seen.
• The coaches are dedicated to having you achieve your individual goals, whatever those may be. You won’t believe how much harder you can push yourself when your class buddies are cheering you on.
• You always have workout buddies and individual coaching attention every time, every class.

I love CrossFit and especially CrossFit Deep Ellum. I want to thank the Coaches and my friends and workout buddies in the evening classes for helping me dream and achieve so much more than I ever knew was possible. I can’t wait to see what this year brings!

Sincerely,

Steven Cralle

Here is Steven today!

We will be hosting the event at CrossFit Uptown only and using the Katy Trail and our new pull-up rig! We hope you will have time to come out and join us from 10am-12pm!

As quickly as possible:
Run 1 mile
100 Pull ups
200 Push ups
300 Air Squats
Run 1 mile

If you have body armor, wear it.

After high-school Drew received a baseball scholarship to play at Rice University, and in 2003, won a National Championship. After his baseball career was over, his competitive drive led him to experiment with other outlets such as triathlons, Brazilian jiu jitsu (BJJ), and Crossfit. Moving on from triathlons, he has found lifelong pursuits in BJJ and Crossfit! His quest for constant improvement has also created an insatiable desire for knowledge, and he is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Biomechanics and Exercise Physiology at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is also a master ab-wheel roller.

Time for the next Social Event!

Friday, April 15th come spend some time with your fellow CrossFitters at the new Katy Trail Ice House! Plan on meeting up after the Friday 6pm class. The theme for the social will be Sorority and Fraternity attire, so pop your collars, wear your coolest khaki shorts and come have a few drinks with us. If you aren’t sure what fraternity or sorority attire is, just locate the closest SMU grad at the gym…

1st Place:  Justin D.
Prize: $300, 3 Private Training Lessons, Lululemon top or bottom of choice

Justin lost  4.75″ around his waist and increased his pull-ups from 6 to 25!

2nd Place:  Courtney H.
Prize: $100, 1 Private Training Lesson, Lululemon top or bottom of choice

Courtney lost 5.25″ around her waist and increased her pull-ups from 26 with a green band to 35 with a blue band!

Best Team:  Dawson C. and B.J. A.
Prize: 1 Private Training Lesson, Lululemon top or bottom of choice

Dawson lost 1″ around his waist and increased his pull-ups from 18 to 25!

B.J. lost  2″ around his waist and increased his pull-ups from 9 with a blue band to 27 with a blue band!

Thank you to all those who participated.  We hope that you learned a lot about how proper nutrition can affect your daily life and performance in the gym.  Keep up the hard work!

If you are impressed by these result and would like to begin your own transformation, contact a coach to get started.

Thanks to Casey, Justin D, Adrian, and Julianna. Also, big thanks to Eric V for making these designs come to life. We really appreciate all of the submissions we got, you all rock!

Right click the image and download or open in another tab to view at full res.

When
Wednesday evenings at 7:30 pm
Friday afternoons at 4:30 pm

Class info
The Olympic classes will include only the Olympic Lifts and various assistance movements and variations of the full lifts (hang, power, pulls, etc). This does not mean you will not get stronger on this program, heavy snatches, clean and jerks, and variations will definitely make you stronger. We want to be able to dedicate a full hour to improving your technique on the lifts.

How it works
The classes will count against your current membership, which means you can choose how to spend your classes during the week. There is only 1 catch.

The catch
If you want to attend the Olympic Lifting classes we require everyone to commit to attending at least 1 class, preferably both each week for a minimum duration of 4 weeks. This is for a couple reasons. First, it ensures that the athlete is exposed to the progression of skills, and continuing advancement of movement and work load according to the program. Second, it is all around better for the athlete for retaining skill specific improvements and strength improvements. So for instance, a member with a 4x a week membership could do 2 CrossFit and 2 Olympic classes.

Other important info
The classes will be capped at 10 to ensure proper individual help during the class so be sure to sign up quickly if you are interested.

There are two ways to join after the classes have begun:

1. Wait for a cycle to end (we will announce and let you know)
2. Schedule private classes with Spencer or Eric to get caught up and then enter the classes when ready

Is this really the thing for me?
That depends on what your goals are. Have you ever felt that strength is your primary issue when dealing with a workout? Have you ever felt that your technique really holds you back from adding more weight and moving faster? If you answered yes to either or both, then this class is perfect for you. Training the Olympic lifts will not only make you stronger, but it will improve your coordination and body control. It will also allow you to feel more comfortable moving weights in a fast-paced CrossFit WOD.

Have other questions? We have set up a forum in our Olympic Weightlifting group for just that reason. Head on over by clicking the link below and ask away.

New Olympic Lifting Classes!!

Because we are limiting the class to 10 people at first let us know you are interested by emailing one of the coaches. Also, it should go without saying that dedication is key. If you can’t commit to completing a full cycle and attend regularly, please let someone else take advantage of the class for now.

Please email Eric or Spencer to register.