Jes' CrossFit Blog: CrossFit South West

CrossFit South West!

Last week I was in Arizona for work so I decided to stop by CrossFit South West in Tempe. I stopped by during their last week at the Cedar St location. They are moving to a much bigger location on E. University this week! The new location will have new equipment, including a new rig, and air conditioning! Exciting!!

I dropped in for the 6am class last Thursday with the owner, Ken. It was the only class I could make, and given how hot it gets in Arizona, it may be the only class time I won't wilt =P. Working out in the heat adds a whole new level of complexity!

Anyway, this is what we did:

Warm-up: roll out calves, hip mobility, jump rope, shoulder cap mobility
Strength: Weighted Strict Pull Ups 3x(1-2-3)
For time:

50 DU
10 Burpees
40 DU
8 Burpees
...
10 DU
2 Burpees

4x70m Farmer's Carry, heavy

Some things I really liked here:

One of the first CrossFit gyms out there! CrossFit SouthWest was established in 2005 when there was only 18 affliates!
Facility upgrade. I visited CF SW during their last days at the Cedar St location. Their new facility is twice as big (5400 sqft) and has air conditioning!! They are also getting some new equipment :)
I absolutely love how this gym has a lot of home made equipment: from the pull-up structure (steal) to boxes to parallettes. For example, they have a rope tied together that can be used as a dip belt. Hey, it works and will save you ~$100. There's also that nice old CrossFit garage gym feeling that is hard to come by nowadays.
Classes. You find out about the workout as class progresses. Way to keep suspense high. Ken is friendly, accommodating, experienced, and kind of snarky... all of which contribute to the fun and motivating atmosphere.
The members and the community. More of a younger crowd, as ASU is within walking distance. Laid back.
Clean showers and bathrooms.
Visitor friendly. No drop in fee :)