essays, training notes, writing
56 posts.
Impact Magazine Full Body Workout
the workout you DO beats the perfect one you skip. four moves, one dumbbell, every muscle group covered (built for impact magazine).
Raincity Athletics Community Code of Conduct
the rules we live by at raincity, version 3.2. inclusive by default, accountability over intent, kindness as the floor. open-source so anyone can borrow.
Youth Training Presentation to Langara Education Assistant Program
a talk to langara's EA program on training kids. forget specific exercises, train movement patterns. the best workout is the one your athlete will actually do.
Things to Eat (and do) in Japan aka eating with rwu.
a curated guide to affordable, locally-loved spots in japan. mobile-friendly, filterable, free (no paywall, no gatekeeping).
The Budapest Zoo #thortakespics
photos from a december visit to the budapest zoo. animals, architecture, light.
Sound Proofing a Gym - The Story of the Raincity Floor
fifteen years of trying to solve gym vibration (NOT noise). turns out prep beats complexity. level the concrete, glue your underlay strips, screw it all down.
Lessons learned, and a path forward from the CF3 President
the cf3 president on what went wrong in 2025 and what's next. clearer roles, better funding alignment, standardized event sanctioning.
My Go to Breakfast Protein Sources
50g of protein in one breakfast, no cooking required. high-protein oats plus a siggi's. eat it twice a day if you want.
Free Workout: Ski Strength at Home
free ski strength program for home, minimal kit. three supersets for glutes, hammies, quads, calves. run it 2-4x a week, add load as you go.
Jonah's Journey with Raincity Athletics
jonah came in after a brain tumour and rebuilt motor control with a barbell. he passed in july 2025. his resilience is the thing we keep.
Free Workout Program: Back to Basics Strength
a free strength program for anyone with basic barbell experience who wants to get back into structured training. fundamentals first, on the raincity programming app.
Our Trip to Japan
two weeks across tokyo, kyoto, osaka, hakone. theme parks, animal cafes, every meal pre-planned. food guide coming.
Why You Probably Need to Eat More Salt 🧂
if you train hard you probably need MORE salt, not less. 300-600mg of sodium per hour during long sessions, and don't take this advice if you have hypertension.
Recommended Podcast: Peter Attia 'The Drive'
peter attia's the drive is the health and longevity podcast worth your commute. stanford-trained doc, real experts, deep dives.
The First Decade, Raincity's Zenplanner Wrapped
ten years of raincity in numbers. 1,878 athletes, 161,207 logged results, $50k+ raised for special olympics, 75 dogs. never tried to be the best gym, just a welcoming one.
What is the Bifrost, why?
a place for parents to know who's coaching their kid, and a record of what i actually believe over time. consistency, in writing.
Podcast: Foot Health with Peter Attia & Courtney Conley
peter attia and courtney conley on foot health. preventing injury, building foot strength, picking shoes that don't sabotage you.
Growing Functional Fitness in Canada; a Vision for the Future
functional fitness is a sport, crossfit is a brand. a vision for getting it into canadian schools with proper standards for movement, judging, and coaching.
Remember We Do This For Fun
winning matters, but burning out chasing it doesn't help anyone. treat the comp like another workout and have actual fun. that's the whole game.
Why Supporting Local is More Important than Ever
small businesses don't just sell stuff, they care about the community. wear their gear, tag them, send referrals, give honest feedback. it's a two-way street.
Head Shots & More with Get the Shot Studio
headshots and some epic creative shots with mark whitehead at get the shot studio. portfolio's up on his site.
IF3 World Championships & The Raincity Community
the if3 world championships, and what raincity showed up looking like.
Trip Report: The Spearhead Traverse 2023
four days from blackcomb to whistler across glaciated terrain. day three a teammate got caught in a slide and flew out by heli, the rest of us made it. nature does NOT care about your plans.
Album: Mulligan #skitour
a january ski tour at mulligan, photos only. full album linked.
The Movement Library Database & Schools.fit
the movement library and schools.fit, building the database functional fitness should've had a decade ago.
Album: Wedgemont Lake #hiking
wedgemont lake in late september, two days. photos.
Welcome to Raincity 3.0
raincity 3.0. four group programs under one membership, monthly sessions instead of weekly, saturday throwdowns and monday comp prep. workout tracking back on zenplanner.
Album: Lake Lovely Water 2 #hiking
lake lovely water in august, a multi-day adventure. nine shots and the full album.
Album: Kees & Claire Hut #skitour
kees and claire hut, march into april. ski tour photos, full album linked.
Impact Magazine: Runners Workout
65% of runners get hurt and most never train form. fix the imbalances, fix the pace, skip the pain (full workout in impact magazine, page 20).
Impact Magazine: Top Fitness Instructors 2021
named one of canada's top fitness instructors of 2021. functional fitness should be fun and accessible at every level, that's the whole pitch.
The Return to Training - Coach Liz
raincity reopens june 1 after six weeks closed. two classes a week to start, tempo strict work, lower volume. coming back smart beats coming back hard.
The 'Why' of our Group Class Training Programming
structured but not boring, functional movement at relative intensity. progressive over time, NOT max effort every day.
Why Raincity Athletics is no longer a CrossFit® Affiliate
raincity dropped its crossfit affiliation to own the brand direction. functional fitness is still the work, just without the licensing fee. registering as a weightlifting, powerlifting, ff club instead.
The Thing About Cardio...
the body runs on three energy systems. phosphagen for short and brutal, glycolytic for the middle burn, oxidative for the long stuff. train them all.
My Current Projects for 2018
what i'm building in 2018. raincity, the functional fitness league, the fit club for special needs kids, cfff, special olympics fundraising, and small business consulting. legitimize the sport, expand the work.
The 'How' of our Group Class Training Programming
how raincity actually builds its group class programs. six steps, coach feedback in, constantly varied but NOT random. log your results so we can program for you.
The Top 3 Things That Can Save the CrossFit Games
the games are a televised pro sport now and can't run on volunteer labor. pay the judges, be transparent about events, prioritize athlete safety. three things, fix them.
Raincity Athletics at the CrossFit Games West Regionals - Recap
charli, janel, and taryn at the 2017 west regionals, three first-timers. coach liz on the prep, the gymnastics, and executing the plan when no barbell shows up.
Mark Whitehead - Get the Shot Studios
modeling work with mark whitehead at get the shot studios. seven shots.
RYU Apparel at Raincity Athletics
a ryu apparel shoot at raincity. five frames, kept short.
Pullup Skill Development
a progression for pullups from the ground up. hollow body and scap work, top-of-pull holds, then kipping, butterfly, chest-to-bar. videos for every step.
CrossFit: 5 Things To Know Before Trying
five things to know before you walk into your first crossfit class. research the gym, bring a friend, do the foundations course, be patient, ask the coach questions.
Pistol & DU Skill Development
two skills, one session. four levels of pistol progression from kneeling step-ups to unassisted, then double unders with the arms in close.
Toe To Bar Skill Development
toes-to-bar in four phases. movement patterning with hollow rocks, strength via lat pushdowns and beat swings, knee raises building to the full skill, then volume.
Handstand Pushup Skill Development
handstand pushup progression by julian deschutter, six levels. patterning, position, strength, variation, kip. videos for every step.
BC Living - Athletes Reveal How They Stay Fit Come Fall
featured in bc living on staying fit through the fall, alongside some buddies. honoured to be in the mix.
New Headshots #beard
fresh headshots from mark whitehead at get the shot studio (and yes, the beard).
Project Freakshow; Reebok Commercial
filmed a reebok commercial called project freakshow with a crew of crossfitters. the final cut is OUT and it looks AWESOME.
Lululemon at Raincity Athletics
lululemon at raincity, a shoot from january 2015. mostly photos.
Lululemon at Sugar Rays Boxing
more frames from the boxing shoot at sugar rays for lululemon. great gym, great people, go check them out.
Featured on Lululemon.com
shot at crossfit 604, ended up on lululemon.com. brief, but a fun one.
Featured on Lululemon.com
modeling the pace breaker short for lululemon, shot in squamish with aaron de jong. lightweight and a great fit.
TV Commercial: Ram Trucks - 'Portraits'
a tv commercial for ram trucks, the portraits spot.
Effective Exercise Simplified
the body adapts fast, so the work has to keep getting harder. heavier, more reps, something. otherwise you plateau.
Size Doesn’t (Always) Matter
getting stronger doesn't ruin your wardrobe, it just changes the math. squat went 195 to 240, deadlift 215 to 295 in seven months. body comp over jean size.