Blog Archive

Meet Tim “Timbo” Mullin. When Tim walked through the doors of the RAW School of Fitness he was on a journey. He had gone through a break up which sparked him to make some changes in his life. At his heaviest, Tim weighed 311 lbs and standing at 6”3, he was a heavy guy. In June 2012 he changed his diet cold-turkey and started eating lean meats, lots of veggies, fresh fruit and nuts. The weight started melting off and so began phase 1. He got himself a membership to the local YMCA and started an exercise routine but quickly found something was missing. He wanted to learn, he wanted to know proper form and build muscle and he wanted to do it right. This is when Tim stepped through our doors.

“Finally it just struck me that I had to change something. I decided that once I worked my way through all the not so great food in the house I was going to start eating this paleo diet, and join the gym. I wanted to do crossfit but I was still terrified of it at that point. I thought I would go in and there would be all these people there staring at me like why is this guy even here.” Tim, on his initial thought of getting fit.

When Tim came to us he had lost a lot of the excess weight to begin with but because it had happened so quickly he had a lot of excess skin and very little muscle definition. Working with Coach Whitney, Tim went through 10 Personal Training sessions to educate him on proper movement and lifting form as well as establishing progressions, range of motion and limits. He was hooked. He asked lots of questions and knew that ‘Can’t” was no longer a word in his vocabulary. He was coming off a severe ankle injury where he had cracked the talus in his right foot in 2 and splintered his tibia. He would never have full range of motion on his ankle again, but that wouldn’t stop him. He was told to take up biking, as running would be impossible. With practice and mobility training, he runs like a champ to this day.

Today, Timbo, as our RAW family knows him, holds the top time on the leaderboard for 500m row and has gone from a time of 11:14  for 75 wallballs to 8:24 for 150 of them! He had to start somewhere, and it is never easy for anyone. It is hard work.

“I remember the WOD was a bunch of overhead squatting. I got my butt kicked. I was a little dejected, but I went back the next day, and the day after and the day after. Things started getting easier.”, says Tim reminiscing about his first-ever group class.

At 31 years of age and weighing in at 195lbs of lean muscle, Tim is in the best shape of his life and his lifestyle and outlook have dramatically changed. He is a riot to have at our box making guest appearances to a variety of class times and making friends with all who meet him. His witty disposition and comedic approach to life are contagious to be around. If you don’t find him shredding trails on his mountain bike, you’ll find him mooning the members, mid-competition at the box just for a laugh.

What does Timbo, a member of the RAW family for over 2 years suggest to those beginning a similar journey? “Don’t skip out and join somewhere else [thinking you need to get fit first] – Go straight to RAW School of Fitness.”

Way to go Timbo, we couldn’t be more proud of you and your accomplishments!

When I first entertained the thought of opening my own CrossFit gym, Pentanguishene was definitely not top of the list of possible locations.

I knew I wanted to bring my love for the CrossFit program home to Georgian Bay where I grew up, but exactly where was undecided almost until the nth hour. Collingwood, Midland, Barrie? All of these presented better potential markets for a new startup personal training and functional fitness facility.

How did RAW CrossFit come to be established in Penetanguishene then?

From a business sense, cheap rent and lots of available space, but the deciding factor had to be the strong sense of community. The love for community in the Midland/Pentanguishene area is fierce. As much as some people try and deny it, there is a very strong sense of pride in this community, and we are a fairly tight knit group.

I have traveled throughout Canada and the world, and have found the theory of “six degrees of separation” to hold true. It would appear that almost 1 in 6 people know of, have been to, or know of someone from Midland or Penetanguishene.

This community has latched on to this CrossFit idea and it amazes me daily the amount of dedication some of you show to improving yourself as athletes, and people, both in your workout training, and on a personal development level.

With help from an army of amazing people, I have worked hard to develop RAW CrossFit as a place where people come to GET BETTER! Be it working on their nutrition, strength, flexibility, or their social reach, RAWCF is a place you can come to to perform valuable self-maintenance.

This is the vision that guides everything from how we program our workouts, to the social events we host. It is all about bettering the community that supports us.

That community is you Midland and Penetanguishene! And I would like to thank you all for placing your trust in our facility and coaches to help you achieve your health and fitness goals.

Thank you.

Devin Glage
Founder- RAW CrossFit

Want to get your 500m rowing split a few seconds faster?

Want to learn how to keep your power output up over the course of an entire 2000m?

Come out this Saturday February 12th at 12:00pm to pick up some technique fixes as fellow CrossFitter John Hauser shares some knowledge on how to maximize your potential on the C2 rowers.

John is a 2-time MVP Varsity Rower (University of Guelph), has coached at the high-school and varsity level, and is a National Coaches Association of Canada accredited Rowing Coach.

Some topics covered will include:
-personalizing your rower setup
-proper pull form
-energy management and race strategies
-catch, drive, and recovery phases
-rowing terminology

This clinic is FREE to all members, and $5 for anyone else interested in improving their rowing technique.

See you there!

Anyone interested in entering a team or two in this event should sign-up on the board at the gym.

CROSSFIT WINTERFEST

The first annual CrossFit Winterfest will be held Saturday, Mar.5th, at Scenic Caves in the beautiful Blue Mountains. Teams of 4 (minimum one female ) will combine traditional CrossFit movements with the snowy landscape to create a fun, challenging competition. This is an OUTDOOR event, so come prepared for the elements.

Please RSVP to [email protected] , with your team names as soon as possible to ensure your teams participation.

The registration fee of $120.00 per team is payable at the event.

Volunteers Wanted

If you don’t feel up to competing, but still want to be part of the event, come up and help out. We will need certified judges, as well as event organizers. Contact us for any details.

Come to the After Party

We will be hosting an After Party at the Village of Blue. Make a weekend out of it and join us for a couple of your favourite Paleo/Zone beverages!

Lodging

You can contact Blue Mountain Resort at 877-445-0231 to reserve a hotel room. You can use the code Xfit2011 for our preferred rates. Tyrolean Village is another option as well, as they have chalets ranging from 4-12 bedrooms. You can use the same reservation code with them as well, Xfit2011.

Thanks for your time, and I look forward to meeting you up at Blue!

For More information or to book a space for your team please contact:,
Scott Thornton at [email protected] or call CrossFit Indestri at 705-444-0006

You read correctly!

We been working with Harry Stoddart of Stoddart Farms to make RAW CrossFit a drop point for their grass-fed meat and egg CSA.

The process is simple.

Sign-up at the gym, or online (the easiest method) .

Choose you option, meat share, egg share, or both. You may sign up for multiple shares of you don’t think one will be enough.

On check-out, make sure you choose Penetanguishene as your drop point, and you’re good to go. You meat and eggs will be delivered at the beginning of each month. Meat will be flash frozen at the butcher and wrapped in paper.

Duck eggs are also available on special request.

For those of you that were at Mat Lalonde’s seminar on the weekend, you will remember that grass-fed meat is FAR HIGHER in CLA and Omega-3 content than factory farmed meat. It tastes better, and is better for you. Also, at $8.25/lb it is a heck of a deal. This is cheaper than store-bought premium cuts!

Grass-fed meat is also a WAY more sustainable method of farming as grain production destroys soil, requires tons of petro-chemical fertilizers and gallons of water. Also… and most importantly COWS ARE RUMINANTES… which means their digestive tract is design to eat only GRASS!

To see the life that Stoddart Farm’s animals live, check out the video below.

Many thanks to the always awesome Mat Lalonde who gave an eye opening nutrition talk at the gym on Saturday. I will speak for the 30+ people that made it out that it was definitely an educational experience.

From the discovery that fructose is basically equivalent to alcohol as far as your liver is concerned, to reasons why nitrates and nitrites in bacon may actually lower your blood pressure, I’m sure that everyone there picked up one small change that they can make to their eating that will have some amazing health benefits.

Mat also shared some insights into training protocol and it’s effects on your cortisol levels that we will be implementing in the gym immediately. We are always looking to advance our knowledge on training and nutrition, as we feel that this is what our clients deserve. We have phased out sit-ups based on current spine health research, and prescribe our nutrition protocol based on current scientific evidence (and not observational or epidemiological studies as Mat made abundantly clear on Saturday).

We have many intelligent people in our community, and I would like to put the ball in your court. If you come across ideas or research that may improve how we train at RAWCF, please share it with us.

Through the evolution of our training knowledge, we all become stronger.

One of the most common questions we get during or after our Nutrition Seminars is “How do I feed my family on Paleo? My kids won’t eat anything that looks like a vegetable?”

If this sounds like you, then you’re in luck, because Robb Wolf’s latest podcast is a must listen for anyone with questions on how to feed a family the paleo way.

Here is a list of that Robb covers in the show along with special guest Sarah Fragoso from EverydayPaleo.com :

1. Keeping Paleo Fun
2. School Lunches
3. Pizza Day At School
4. Breastfeeding
5. Breastfeeding Part 2
6. Starting A Family Paleo
7. Kids & Cooking
8. Any Specific Problems Women Notice
9. How To Do Paleo Without Being Neurotic
10. How To Handle Kids At School
11. Day Care Workers
12. Kid Doesn’t like Veggies
13. PMS / Teens

I highly recommend giving it a listen if you are stuck on what to feed picky kids… or spouses.

Click here to listen.

To bring the topic of freedom into the context of CrossFit may seem out of place. RAWCF, for many of you may seem like a personal sanctuary. Four walls and a roof, inside of which you can be sheltered from the stress and drudgery of the outside world. But I wish to pose a differing perspective.

What does freedom have to do with CrossFit you might ask?

Let me frame a situation for you:

Imagine you are a world famous stone sculptor; a genius in your own right. You have been tasked with creating your masterpiece. The culmination of years of mastering your craft, honing your skills, and learning from the best will now be put to the test of taking a large block of virgin marble from square to sculpture.

There is a catch however.

Being the modest sculptor that you are, the workshop that you own -though well equipped- is small. The stone you have been given (the most perfect piece of marble you have ever seen) is very large, and while it fits securely in your workshop, it leaves very little room around the stone to move and especially to carve.

You are not discouraged however, for you have had years of learning, and expert teaching and you know all the tricks and methods needed to make the stone bend to your tools. There is one dilemma that bothers you though. Due to to the size of the stone, and the confines of your workspace, you are only able to see the stone from one side.

While this alone is not a problem for a skilled sculptor like you, you often find your creative mind perplexed by being unable to visualize the project in its entirety. And while you begin work, and see your masterpiece begin to take shape, you often lose sleep trying to grasp what the finished stone will look like.

One night, mid-construction, there is a huge wind storm, the likes of which you have never seen before. As you lay in bed listening to the howling winds you do not fear for your stone, as it is heavy and unaffected by the torrent of powerful gusts, but you are unsure if your workshop, being constructed of modest means, can stand the test.

Confirming your fears, you awaken at sunrise to find the scattered remains of what used to be your humble workspace. To your horror, all that remains is your giant stone, unshaken, and wet from the driving rain. A situation such as this would leave many disheartened, and overwhelmed with a feeling of hopelessness.

But as the warm sun begins to strike the wet stone, and glistening light radiates off the rough cuts and tool marks, you begin to view that stone with a new perspective.

With the workshop destroyed, the confines that you were restricted to just a day ago, no longer exist. You are able to freely walk around the entire stone, and absorb its scale from all angles. Your creative fire instantly flares up and you rush to grab your tools and begin carving, for you can finally see the sculpture in its entirety now that the limits that the physical location of the stone used to place on your creative eyes are removed.

You are free to create your masterpiece.

As our sculptor found out, once you remove the mental limitations that you let frame and define you, your creativity can run wild. It has been set free.

In this example, it was the removal of a physical barrier that allowed for a renewed perspective, but this can be done in a purely psychological sense, and more importantly, it can be applied to your athletic pursuits.

Many of you know how strict I am that you may not use the word “can’t” in reference to your physical abilities. I do this in a effort to train you not to give yourself limits.

Giving yourself permission to frame your performance within the limits of what you currently “think” are your abilities is like throwing out an anchor and then trying to win a yacht race.

In reminiscing recently with a long-time client, we were both amazed at the difference in scores between the day they walked into RAW, and their most recent WOD times. Without the perspective of time, the achievement seems unfathomable. Had I told that client on their first day, as they struggled to get even one pull-up, or one ring-dip in a green band, that a year from now they would be butter-fly kipping with ease, and banging out 10 unassisted dips without breaking a sweat, I would have been laughed at and told that I’m crazy.

The idea we are working towards here is the freedom of your mind. The openness to allow yourself to be taught, and learn, and try new things, and not get stuck in a rut of thinking that you have reached your limits.

Many of you have seen marked improvements in your flexibility, and technique that have allowed you to achieve goals that once seemed lofty. The trick is to keep this train moving and be sure that with each new milestone, you take the time to reset your mindset. Kick down the box that holds you down, and allow yourself to explore outside it.

The reality is that current limits are just “not yet” scenarios. Can you snatch 135lbs? Not yet, but with time and attention to technique, you will. Can you run Pose? Not yet, but once you open your mind to the notion that everything you may know about running may be wrong, you will finally be free to learn how.

Take some time today to identify a few personal limitations that you know hold back a few of your WOD times. Tight shoulders? Trouble keeping your knees out? Lazy core stability? You all know where your strengths and weaknesses are by now. Lets do some work to remove the things that limit our performance.

—-

Hint: This philosophy doesn’t just apply to sport. You are at the mercy of your brain. Learning how to better control it, how to identify when your ego is working to keep you in your comfort zone (the little voice that tells you you’re tired), will allow you to better manage stress in your life.

If you don’t like a situation, change it. If you can’t change it, change how you think about it.

I will take ownership. I will take ownership of my thoughts, words and actions. I will take ownership of my diet. I will take ownership of my lack of flexibility. I will take ownership for not training strength. I will take ownership for the decline in my METCON. I will take ownership for my commitments and responsibilities. I will take ownership for myself and my wolf pack. I will take ownership of my integrity. I will take ownership of my financial situation. I will take ownership of my goals and dreams. I will take ownership of my relationships to my family, friends and loved ones. I will take ownership of my ownership.

I commit to pushing my potential. I commit to achieving that potential. I commit to being my best every single day and giving my all in each and every situation. I commit to taking opportunities presented and converting them into successes. I commit to creating something from nothing. I commit to turning dreams and goals into realities. I commit to this life, this world and the rest of eternity.

The gospel according to Winchster.