September Newsletter

Kris Gregory • September 1, 2025

September Newsletter

VIDEO WALKTHROUGH OF NEWSLETTER AND CONSISTENCY CREW ANNOUNCEMENT

Click Here for Video

What's in the Newsletter?
• Welcome New Athletes!
• Coaches Leveling Up
• Heart Rate Monitors
• Athlete Development
• Nutrition Coaching
• Equipment Updates
• Upcoming Events
• Consistency Crew


Welcome New Athletes!


Dean Neubauer - AM Classes

Laura Gaber - PM Classes

Sierra Cupp - PM Classes

Ryan Wallace - Any Time

Tori Johnson - 9:00 AM

Tara Johnson - 9:00 AM

Rob Manning - 9:00 AM

Devin Rode - 5:00 AM

Jacob Sund - 4:30 PM



Coaches Leveling Up

Big shout out and round of applause on the pursuit of excellence within our coaching staff.


Dustin Smith

Taking his Level 2 Nov. 15-16th


Jess Carter

Re-certifying her Level 2 Nov. 15-16th


Kris Gregory

Successful Completion of his Level 3 on Aug. 21st

In the CrossFit Trainer world there are progressions we apply and adhere to, similar to an athlete learning more as they enhance their fitness. It's simply a system of "Levels".


Level 1 Course


Required by all CrossFit Trainers to teach the method of CrossFit. This course is a broad overview of the methodology, science, application, and helpful tools for coaches to begin teaching classes.


However, I firmly believe that if you've been doing CrossFit for more than 1 year as an athlete than you should READ the CrossFit Level 1 Guide because it's the core of everything we do. By reading the Level 1 Guide you will develop a heightened awareness and deepen your relationship with every workout, cue from a coach, position to master, the nutrition behind it, and why it's practical for everyone.


Level 2 Course


This course goes deeper into the art of coaching. Six areas the coach will expose themselves and begin developing at a more rapid pace are...


  • Seeing
  • Cueing
  • Correcting
  • Presence and Attitude
  • Group Management
  • Demonstration

Like CrossFit, anyone can be great at one specific output (i.e. marathon runners) but to be overall as fit as possible you need to have balance across all domains. This course helps the coaches see their strong suits and weaknesses and begin to address them for the betterment of the athletes and community as a whole.


Level 3 Certification


This essentially is a formal test that you must submit an application proving you've put in the work as a coach. This requires a minimum of taking the Level 1 and Level 2 courses, coached 1,500 hours, and earned CEU credits for continuing education.


Once approved you are tested in a wide array of knowledge and practical application scenarios over 160 questions to confirm readiness to be a "Certified CrossFit Trainer".


Less than 1% of trainers make it to this tier with the test having a considerably low pass rate.


Level 4 Certification


The highest caliber of coaching in CrossFit. You must pass a live performance evaluation coaching two CrossFit classes being graded on the areas of coaching described in the Level 2 course. You must maintain certain CEU's.



Many coaches at this level move on to a seminar staff position. There are less than 150 Level 4 coaches world-wide as of 2024.



Heart Rate Monitors

Exposure = Results

If you have a heart rate monitor make sure you see Kris to set up your account at the gym. Bring your monitor and we will make sure it shows up on the t.v. so you can...


  • Pacing Each Workout Better
  • Hit the Intended Stimulus
  • Zone Specific Training
  • Which Movements, Loads, or Volume Give You Trouble
  • How Many Calories You're Burning Each Workout
  • Increase Your Max Heart Rate
  • Increase Recovery Awareness (lowering your HR)


No CrossFit Gym in the Des Moines area has this technology and if you're not using it than you are missing out. This will keep you focused and motivated at each workout. And you can store your belt at the gym so it's ready to go each day when you show up.


Examples - Myzone, Garmin, Coospo, Polar


Basically any arm or chest strap you purchase will sync up! From $25 - $150, doesn't matter. I find they all work the same and just as accurate.



Athlete Development

Intended Stimulus


Let's talk.


You have goals, and we have programming that will assist you in reaching them. We give you a workout and you do it. Simple, right?


Wrong.


Each workout has what we call an "intended stimulus". This stimulus helps create and develop the 10 areas of fitness that we seek to develop, including strength, power, stamina, cardio endurance, speed, coordination, accuracy, balance, flexibility, and agility.


Some times we have strength workouts, which we write up with percentages, loads, and reps, rest times, and sometimes even RPE (newer term for most). As beginner lifters you may need to keep loads light to moderate to control form and allow your body to adapt to the newly used muscles and range of motion... increasing intensity over time. Typically a year of lifting 3-5 days a week will give you a solid base for knowing percentages and the general "how-to", although technique is a lifelong commitment.


The Metcons can be challenging for many, even seasoned CrossFitters to understand. In it's simplest terms we have TIME Priority (AMRAPS) and TASK Priority. This is what I want to discuss today.


TIME PRIORITY


AMRAP's - you work a fixed amount of time and your goal is to get as many repetitions as possible. These can be great for testing how many reps of specific movements you can get through in that time. Or develop awareness on how some movements impact others without the pressure of "finishing last". Which also lends itself to challenging yourself in different ways...


Meaning, you want to work on speedier box jumps? An AMRAP is great to decrease your box height to see if you can move faster. OR to lower your reps to see if you can maintain the speed and integrity of the movement. OR increase your box height to see if it's becoming more manageable, even if that means reducing the volume.


TASK PRIORITY


These are the classic looking "For Time" Workouts - There is a targeted effort that we are aiming for when moving through these. We often give a finish time "range" that we expect everyone to aim for. These workouts often look easier than they are and many athletes bite off more than they can chew because they don't allow for enough time in transitions and recovery due to fatigue and high heart rate management.


THESE are the workouts that we can be better at. It's typically best to keep the weight a little lighter than you expect, or reduce the volume of potentially problematic movements (i.e. still developing, or tend to move slower at) like burpees for some, or calories on the bike for others, maybe running distances or even the speed of your lunges and squats may be more conservative.


We typically put a time cap on these workouts as a safety blanket for those who haven't hit the intended stimulus for the day...


BUT THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE NORM.


Your goal as an athlete is to develop a keen awareness of what you can AND CANNOT do. No shame. No guilt. No pride. No ego. Those things will hold you back from developing the capacity and sustainability in your workouts that you ultimately need on a day to day basis.

When you let go of the seemingly higher standards or comparing to others, you find a lot of freedom and less stressful workouts. Allow yourself to dial back some of your movements, reps, loading and even overall intensity (speed) of movements some days so that your body and mind can recover and feel ready as ever to attack it the next day.


Last note here, is that OCCASIONALLY it is okay to challenge yourself with a given stimulus knowing that you will be flirting with the time cap and hard work that day will just look a little different. Typically this will induce one of the higher intensities you'll find in the gym but should not, and cannot, be the go-to goal every time you show-up.


Talk to me or a coach about specific workout goals if you need more attention of guidance. WE LOVE TALKING ABOUT THIS STUFF!



Consistency Crew

August... a great month to get some of those last minute summer plans accomplished. For many, it was navigating some back to school scenarios and changing up some schedules again!



Great job to the 19 people who jumped into the Crew this month! Be sure to check out THE VIDEO to see who won this months consistency crew award!

Click to Watch Announcement


Nutrition Coaching

& Group Challenges

I am extremely happy and eager to announce that I will be doing some individual nutrition coaching again.


I have room for JUST 3 more people right now for the individual coaching. Schedule a Goal Session to discuss this opportunity.


Schedule Nutrition Goal Session

Please only inquire if you can devote 3 months (minimum) of intentionality into your nutrition. This will require nutrition meetings, weigh-ins, honesty, patience with yourself, and eagerness to work hard and use a food scale.

 

In recent years I had let go of some of these things (programming, nutrition, personal training) as I was focused on business development. Turns out, that was likely a mistake because I absolutely love the deeper connection of developing athletes and getting you closer to your goals. Ultimately, the only business development I truly need is to develop the best athletes and humans I can.

 

This year, we have released a large focus on "The Year of Nutrition" and if you've been reading the emails, there's been a ton of information helping arm you with tools and resources regarding the awareness it needs to start taking steps in this area of your life.

 

However, many people need a coach - tailoring specifically to your habits, desires, goals, and even your shortcomings. As I've began working with a couple of people I see that the results come exponentially faster when it's a very specific focus.

 

I've helped many people build muscle and strength. But my new approach is to address your hormones and body composition first. So if you want to...



  • Lose body fat
  • Increase muscle mass
  • Enhance mental clarity and productivity
  • Prevent disease and illness
  • Decrease inflammation throughout your body
  • Recover faster
  • Sleep better
  • Achieve maximum physical performance
  • Not rely on medications
  • Improve blood health markers
  • Decrease blood pressure and resting heart rate
  • Have more energy
  • Reduce your cravings for food


Then you need to start taking your nutrition seriously, and I have confidence that you can achieve it all through food alone. Not some drug. Not some dieting fad. Not the perfect workout program. Not a miracle supplement. Just foods and your habits associated with it.



"800 Gram Challenge"

October Nutrition Challenge

CrossFit West Des Moines...

 

I challenge you.

 

Beginning October 1st we are going to launch our first 30 day community challenge for Nutrition. If you've never heard of the 800g challenge it's a relatively simple idea.

 

The goal will be to consume 800g of fruits and vegetables every day. Most people do not eat enough of these food groups. And even more people don't weigh or measure their food.

 

By incorporating these two habits we will empower you to make some change in your life and help eliminate cravings, as well as boost micronutrients into your nutritional profile so you can start tapping into better health.

 

More details will be released soon... but buckle up. This will set the course for your entire fall and put you in control just before Halloween and Thanksgiving.

View Details Here


Equipment Updates

Shoutout to Coach Jeff


Over the last couple of months, Jeff has taken on a role in the gym. He initially called it "Janitor Jeff"... but I'm here to tell you that he has stepped up and far beyond the initial expectation of helping clean towels and maintain the bathrooms.

 

Jeff has caught a lot of... let's say opportunities... that myself and the outside source cleaner that we hired for a year had been missing. In the past couple of months Jeff has...


  • Taken apart and detail cleaned all 3 wall fans - getting all those gross dust bunnies off.
  • Scrubbed and dusted down every shelf and ledge to give us a cleaner appearance all around.
  • Taken apart, inspected, cleaned the rowers so that they all pull "evenly" and not one is greater than another.
  • Re-greased the rower chains and updated the software on the Monitors (who knew?). Even repaired one so it stops humming.
  • Taken apart every barbell collar to re-grease and clean out any gunk so that each one spins evenly and consistently (GAME CHANGER).
  • Kept me ultra informed on supply needs and keeps bathrooms full.

I've had more drop-ins in the last 3 months tell me how clean and well organized the gym is than ever before. One fully explained he'd been to over 100 CrossFit gyms and said you guys are spoiled with the cleanest gym he's ever been to. Our very own Lauren Springer said the same thing verbatim when she joined.



So please, if you see Jeff give him a hug, a fist bump, or just a genuine thank you for all he's been doing. I notice it every day, and I hope you guys do to!



Upcoming Events

9/11 - Thursday - 9/11/01 Tribute WOD

9/13 - Saturday - Trail Run @ Greenwood/Ashworth

9/20 - Saturday - The Impossible Mile

9/27 - Saturday - Grays Lake WOD

10/1 - 800g Challenge Kick-Off

10/4 - Saturday - Annual 5K Run

 

Celebrating Emily Dekkers and Beth Hansen!

10/10 - Friday - BABY WOD

 

Outdoor Series 2025

*ALL SATURDAYS

September 13 - Trail Run at Greenwood/Ashworth Park

September 20 - The Impossible Mile at Valley Freshman Track

September 27 - Gray's Lake WOD at Gray's Lake

October 4th - Annual 5K at Raccoon River Biddle Shelter


Never stop learning,

Coach Kris

August 1, 2025
CFWDM Annual Outdoor WOD Series Join us every Saturday at 8:30 AM, starting August 30th through October 4th, as we hit the streets of Des Moines and throw down!
By Kris Gregory August 1, 2025
VIDEO WALKTHROUGH OF NEWSLETTER AND CONSISTENCY CREW ANNOUNCEMENT
By Kris Gregory July 31, 2025
Goal: Increase athlete’s strength & proficiency in the Olympic lifts. This olympic Weightlifting cycle will expose you to specific olympic weightlifting strength. Our focus will be on the Snatch, the Clean and Jerk with some accessory movements and squatting. We will be using a progressive overload method, increasing the intensity and the volume of the lifts using both traditional lifting sets and complexes. Tests: 1 Rep Max Snatch 1 Rep Max Clean & Jerk Context: This cycle is designed to increase athletes strength in the two olympic lifts. More importantly, they will also improve their technical ability (assuming you perform 4+ workouts per wek). By the end of the 5 weeks, athletes should have a general understanding of the Olympic Weightlifting discipline and increase their ability to perform both power and squat lifts. Beginner/Intermediate L1: Technical Focus The biggest roadblock for beginner and intermediate athletes in this cycle will be the use of complexes. These will be simplified as needed during the cycle in the scaling options. Movement pattern is more important than load. This is a great cycle for beginner and intermediate because it can help set them up for success in the long run. When your technique improves, your load on the bar will also improve. Technique first, intensity later. Advanced/Intermediate L2: Olympic Weightlifting Athletes in this category are those with good technical ability in the two lifts. They don’t have to be the heaviest lifters but their technique is good and more consistent. These athletes want to be as close to the written percentages as possible. In order for these athletes to get the most out of this cycle, encourage them to get to the gym 4-5x/week and hitting all the accessory work after class. NOTE: Athletes with poor technique but are considered to be advanced or intermediate because of their experience and fitness levels will be the toughest challenge for the coach/athlete. It will be important to get bought into the “technique first” approach. If you need to fix a movement pattern (example: athletes who can power more than they can squat because of how they perform their lifts) it will take a lot of finesse and convincing, however it will be extremely worth it if you stick to the process. Cycle Priorities: Snatch & Clean & Jerk: We will be using a progressive overload method to increase the intensity and volume as the weeks progress. TECHNIQUE One of the most important factors for improvement in our athletic development will not be increasing the load but rather improve their technique. The increase in load will be there but it is crucial that we maintain very high standards when it comes to how they execute the lifts. SQUAT MAINTENANCE There will be 1-2 squat dedicated sessions every week. The squat will change every week from back to front to overhead. The loading for squat sessions will be a mix of increasing load and maintenance. METCONS Our metcons will include one heavy metcon per week, one interval specific per week that will aim to help athletes maintain their power endurance. Otherwise, our metcons will be more classic CrossFit with a GPP focus. ACCESSORIES The accessories in this cycle are closer linked to the goals of the training cycles than the previous cycles. Anyone who wants to really improve their ability to lift heavier in these technical lifts should look to include these accessories in their training for the next 8 weeks. Below is a chart that will outline of the programming during the Olympic Lifting Phase. Please reach out with any questions. Work Hard.
By Kris Gregory July 1, 2025
What's in the Newsletter? • Coach Babies Incoming! • Class Schedule Tweak • Milestones • Consistency Crew • What sugar is bad? • Upcoming Events • Programming Reminder
By Kris Gregory June 11, 2025
What's in the Newsletter? ~Murph Wrap Up ~Caffeine - more harm than good? ~Community Cup ~Consistency Crew ~Zone Training ~Programming Update
By Kris Gregory June 8, 2025
July 7th to August 17th, 2025 Goal: Focus on Pulling Strength using a V-S-I Training system (Volume, Speed/Unilateral & Intensity) In this 6 week cycle, we’re going to focus on increasing the Deadlift and Pulling strength. Test: 1 Rep Max Deadlift The V-S-I system essentially splits up the strength sessions into 3 categories: Volume The volume sessions are lower intensity higher volume sessions that are designed to increase our endurance on the hinging movement pattern and help us gain capacity in the range of motion. This is the base of the pyramid and the wider it is, the more stable the top will be. Gaining endurance and practice in this movement pattern will help us have more consistent and higher quality intensity sessions. Loads between 45-60%, Depending on the level of athlete These sessions will be mainly using a traditional deadlift style and on occasion be combined with another hip extension exercise. The maximum volume we will be performing is 45 reps. You will see some sessions using a tempo to increase time under tension. Speed / Power The Speed sessions are going to be a mix of speed sessions, in which our goal is to perform hard and fast extensions and power sessions in which we will use olympic weightlifting to work on athletes ability to produce force. The difference is that the speed sessions are generally very light and are more focused on athletes having the intention to move really fast whereas the power sessions will have a heavier stimulus but athletes need to be able to apply good speed to that moderate to slightly heavy load. Speed: - Low intensities (20-40%) - Will have some banded sessions - Fast execution - Moderate Volume (20-30 total reps) Power: - Power Cleans, Hang Power Cleans & Hang Power Snatches @ 60-75% best lifts OR RPE 7/10 - Jumping & Band resisted jumping - Moderate Volume (20-30 total reps) Intensity The intensity sessions are the very heavy sessions. These will be combined with light and shorter metcons. Workouts before these sessions will be lower impact and upper body dominant. Loads above 70% We will be doing all of the intensity sessions as Dead Stop Volume goes from 20 to 8 repetitions Linear throughout the phase (loads progressively increase over the course of the 6 weeks) Context: This cycle is a last of 3 cycles that focus on the slow lift strength: Squat, Press & Pull. Between these cycles we will have some transition weeks. Within each cycle we will also include other strengths and/or skills throughout the week. M etcons: In this strength phase, we will be extra careful with our movement choices given that we’re working on strengthening the back and with 2-3 hinging sessions per week, we don’t want to over do anything. Expect to continue to see some strict gymnastics and to see more machines. Accessories: Accessory sessions will be focused on core & complementing the deadlift sessions. Coaching: For the best possible results from this cycle member s should aim to hit 2 pulling sessions / week and try to have the intensity session every week. If members cannot make the intensity sessions for scheduling reasons, They can do it as an accessory or extra work when they can. This training phase is higher risk than others since many members have experienced some level of back pain, injury or have poor flexibility. It is CRUCIAL to assess our members' risk and make the appropriate adjustments if sessions are too heavy or if the movement pattern is too risky. Sunday Workouts: For the duration of the pull strength cycle our Sunday workouts will be dubbed “Successory Sundays”. We will be using our ACCESSORY program + adding in some aerobic training to expose members to our accessory program. The goal here is to make sure there is no conflict with the workouts for the following week. Intensity will be low and can be used as active recovery. Metcons: Overall, the stress on the central nervous system for the shoulder press isn’t as intense as the squats therefore we will see a bit more variety in the metcons. You should see less restraint on heavy metcons when we have our heavy days. Upper Body Consideration Since we’ll be working hard to avoid excessive upper body impact, there will be less kipping gymnastics such as pull ups, ring muscle ups & bar muscle ups. Given that we are in a strength focused cycle you will continue to see strict gymnastics such as strict pull ups & ring dips. In an effort to maintain the focus on the pressing using external loads, we will avoid handstand push ups for the next 5 weeks. Accessories: We will include upper body posterior chain accessories and shoulder health accessories. In addition, some speed and unilateral sessions will be providing some of the pressing section as accessories since the cycle is short and we want to maximize members' exposure to these pressing sessions. Coaching: For the best possible results from this cycle members should aim to hit 2 pressing sessions / week and try to have the intensity session every week. If members cannot make the intensity sessions for scheduling reasons, They can do it as an accessory or extra work when they can. Beginner members in this cycle need to focus on movement quality and should increase in load gradually.
By Kris Gregory May 12, 2025
May 19th to June 22nd, 2025 Goal: Focus on Press Strength using a V-S-I Training system (Volume, Speed/Unilateral & Intensity) In this 5 week cycle, we’re going to focus on increasing the Shoulder Press Strength. The V-S-I system essentially splits up the strength sessions into 3 categories: Volume The volume sessions are lower intensity higher volume sessions that are designed to increase our endurance on the pressing movement pattern and helps us gain capacity in the range of motion. In the Volume sessions we will be performing supersets combining shoulder presses with other pressing / tricep dominant movements. Example: 5 Sets of: 5 Shoulder Press 10 Overhead Band Tricep Extensions The goal with this is to increase our muscular endurance in the pressing mechanics and also offer some variety. Speed / Unilateral These sessions will be a mix of vertical and horizontal pressing and will also come in the form of supersets (not always). The movements will be more dynamic and higher velocity. Example: Bench Press 10 sets of: 2 Bench Press @ 40% 6 Ball Slams The goal of these sessions is to increase member’s rate of force development (Their ability to produce force QUICKLY) but also make pressing more fun, varied and dynamic. Intensity The intensity sessions are the heavy sessions. Since our cycle is so short, we're going to dabble in a conjugate style max effort day. Here is what our Intensity sessions will look like over the course of the 5 weeks: Session 1: Find a 1 Rep Max (Baseline Test) Session 2: Find a 5 Rep Max Session 3: Find a 3 Rep Max Session 4: Find a 2 Rep Max Session 5: Work up to a 1 Rep Max Tests: 1 Rep Max Shoulder Press Context: This cycle is a 2nd of 3 cycles that focus on the slow lift strength: Squat, Press & Pull. Between these cycles we will have some transition weeks. Within each cycle we will also include other strengths and/or skills throughout the week. Metcons: Overall, the stress on the central nervous system for the shoulder press isn’t as intense as the squats therefore we will see a bit more variety in the metcons. You should see less restraint on heavy metcons when we have our heavy days. Upper Body Consideration Since we’ll be working hard to avoid excessive upper body impact, there will be less kipping gymnastics such as pull ups, ring muscle ups & bar muscle ups. Given that we are in a strength focused cycle you will continue to see strict gymnastics such as strict pull ups & ring dips. In an effort to maintain the focus on the pressing using external loads, we will avoid handstand push ups for the next 5 weeks. Accessories: We will include upper body posterior chain accessories and shoulder health accessories. In addition, some speed and unilateral sessions will be providing some of the pressing section as accessories since the cycle is short and we want to maximize members' exposure to these pressing sessions. Coaching: For the best possible results from this cycle members should aim to hit 2 pressing sessions / week and try to have the intensity session every week. If members cannot make the intensity sessions for scheduling reasons, They can do it as an accessory or extra work when they can. Beginner members in this cycle need to focus on movement quality and should increase in load gradually.
By Kris Gregory April 30, 2025
What's in the Newsletter? ~Rounds of Cindy Challenge ~Year of Nutrition Spotlight ~Mothers Day - Kids & Pancakes ~Murph T-Shirt Pre-Order ~Staff Updates ~Gym Updates
By Kris Gregory April 17, 2025
Memorial Day 2025 Monday, May 26 8:00 AM, 9:30 AM The WHY BEHIND MURPH AND OTHER HERO's If you've been around CrossFit for a year or so then you've heard the infamous name - Murph - thrown around. You get done with a long grind of a Saturday workout and someone might say, "That was Murph-esque". Or sure enough the week after Memorial day you'll hear some of the stories of what went on by the groans of someone holding their biceps with sad eyes exclaiming, "Murph got me." Let's not forget... Murph's got us! There are thousands of "Murph's"! These are people who have stepped forward voluntarily to fight for our freedom. However, these individuals have died doing their job and truly became a living sacrifice for our privilege's. This life you have, the comfort of our lives and abilities we have are not free. It takes many large organizations to protect us and these rights we have. It's called freedom - but it's not free - and it's not cheap. Murph is a workout. But Murph is a symbol and tribute before it is a workout. CrossFit has done an incredible job bringing to light the combination of movements and defining fitness as a measurable and repeatable process. By formatting workouts and then saying, "now do it as fast as you're able" brings out an entirely different intensity and quickly becomes a test of the body and mind. When we do a "Murph", a "Manion", or a "Jack" or a "Bert", this is not just a workout but a expression of gratitude towards the men and women just like them fighting every single day. Risking their lives. When you participate and wear your Murph Shirt... it's you saying, "Thank you. I see you. I support you." Their sacrifice is our privilege. So when we mention Murph and invite you to do this "workout"... understand that we are inviting you to pay your respects and suffer a small fraction of what suffering has been done for us. The fact that we can go to sleep and wake up in peace, have the option to go to the gym and spend time with our families is such a beautiful thing. I don't know about you, but one day per year to bow our heads and willingly go through a "tough experience" for an hour while enjoying the rest of the day off to remember and acknowledge our past and present military and armed forces... especially those who died serving, or spent their entire lives doing so... is a low price and an ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE! 
By Kris Gregory April 1, 2025
What's in the Newsletter? ~April 15 Mile Community Challenge ~Year of Nutrition Spotlight ~Manion WOD - COMMIT ~Mothers Day - Kids & Pancakes ~Murph T-Shirt Pre-Order ~Squat & Strict Gymnastics Cycle