Alchemy Community Fitness
67 Frid St Unit 14 L8P 4M3 Hamilton, ON, Canada

What’s better than new gym shoes?! New CUSTOM gym shoes that you won @alchemycommunityfitness Social Bingo!! Congrats to Hamilton Member Megan Evans on winning some custom @nike Metcons and thank you to all of our members for participating!!... #ACF #Community

Any one else looking forward to reestablishing some routine after the holiday season?! As another week of HomeWOD’s kick off, we’re wondering, what’s one of your goals this week? #ACF... #2021 See more

We asked the Alchemy Community Nutrition Challenge participants: What are you most proud of? We’ve developed an approach that identifies food as a source of strength an energy, not just as a source of calories, and in doing so we’ve helped hundreds of people shift their mindset about their health and nutrition. ... Metrics are a cool way to measure progress, but the end of the day your body fat percentage matters way less than the amount of energy you have to play with your kids, make dinner for your loved ones, or walk your doggo after a long day of work! This years challenge kicks off January 11th And we still have a few spots available Send us an email to: [email protected] If you’re interested in joining or Hit the "Send Message" button with any questions!! Not a member? No worries. Our Nutrition Challenge is open to everyone!! #ACF #FOODISFUEL See more

On January 1st we host our annual Jeff Burton Charity Workout. Each year we host this event to raise money and awareness for mental health and addiction within our home cities. The event will start at 1PM and will require partners to complete a challenging and friendly workout! No partner?... No worries. We’ll set you up with someone to throw down with! JUST FOR FUN: With every donation, you will be given a vote to decide on which workout you’d like to say that day, as programmed by our coaching staff! Where to donate and where to bid is available in our bio, and will be included our nightly email! - Your Alchemy Family #ACF #COMMUNITY

Operation HomeWOD is under way and here’s a look at what’s coming this week!! #ACF #HOMEWOD

Good things are coming! Our January Nutrition Challenge is back Jan 11-Feb 21, and what better time to dial in your self care routine! With the lockdown ahead, we want EVERYONE, members or not, to feel supported in their goals which is why we’re hoping to broaden the reach of this years challenge. ... Our challenge focuses on whole-foods, water intake, sleep and other lifestyle changes that facilitate sustainable change to your current system. Our Facebook group will be the connection and inspiration we are all craving during this time, and serves as a tool for motivating participants to stay committed to their goals. Whether or not you’re an @alchemycommunityfitness member, we want to help you start 2021 dialled in! Interested in joining our challenge? Send us an email today to [email protected]!

We’re doing something we’ve never done before we’re giving a way an ENTIRE YEAR of training @alchemycommunityfitness. In an effort to motivate all of you to stick to your routine that much more, we’ll be gifting one lucky winner a free year long membership with us! All you have to do to enter is keep track of your HomeWOD participation on zen planner, and keep your fingers crossed!... #ACF #lockdowncantstopus

Who's Ready for a BIG week of training?! #ACF

"The Pain Cave", "The Suck Factory", "The Dark Place", whatever it is that you call it, we all know what it feels like and exactly how to get there. Here's a few tips on navigating the Pain Cave! 1. Stay Calm & Don't Panic!... Whether you're trying to PR your Fran time or a throw down a good score in a long AMRAP with lots of burpees, odds are at some point it's going to start to hurt. When things start to feel scary we have a simple remedy @alchemycommunity fitness and it comes in the form of one quick sentence; "I'm okay, they're okay, we're okay". When hits the fan, say that in your head or out loud, take a couple of DEEP breaths, and keep on trucking! 2. Run Your Own Race, Not Someone Else's! Running your own race means having a plan and executing it (if you don't have a plan consult a coach!). Too often do athlete's guesstimate their fitness level and pacing based on the other athletes in the room, but little do they know, those athletes are probably doing the same, and what ensues is an endless cycle of trying to keep up with who knows which person. Run your own race. Have a plan. Execute that plan. When things get crazy, remember the plan! Rely on the plan! "If you fail to plan you plan to fail" If you're going to the cave make sure you have a map! 3. Focus on your Breathing/Don't Lose Control! Respiration is one of the ways we talk to our Central Nervous System! If you'd like to test it, just hold your breath for as long as possible, and you'll feel your nervous system start to talk back! If you're going on a stroll to the pain cave, be sure to be extremely attentative to the rate and depth at which you're bringing in oxygen. Keep things calm, smooth and cyclical and you'll navigate the cave just fine!

Big week of training coming up after a long weekend with food, friends & family!! Can't wait to see all you 's in the gym!

It's a pretty well known fact that most of how we communicate is non-verbal, and that's certainly the case in the gym. As a Coach, it's my responsibility to pay close enough attention to your body language, so that I can accurately relay to you ways to improve/sustain your current effort. Now hear me out....... I know that staying poised and in control of your self (including your face) during a 20 minute AMRAP doesn't solicit the same degree of positive feedback that a new PR might.... BUT That does not mean that mastering the craft of looking like you're in control isn't a HUGE WIN in the gym (and your life in general). My challenge for the entire @alchemycommunityfitness community is to hop on zen planner, find a workout that you think will be really tough, and complete it without making any of the following faces: I think what you'll find is an overwhelming sense of self awareness and self control, kind of like a, "I dominated that workout, it didn't dominate me". AND I think if you focus on that over any degree of time, you will find yourself more prepared for the, "holy crap this is a lot of wall balls", feeling, and that you'll build a routine of saying, "but it's nothing I can't handle" when those alarms start to ring. The recipe is simple: Do Something Hard. Make it Look Easy. Feel Really Great. Repeat. Give it a try & Let me know how it goes! - Coach Andrew

Who's fired up for another week of fitness??

When the going gets tough... When the workout starts to sting little... When you're packing your bag and heading to the gym...... We want to know... What keeps you motivated? What's your why?

"How do you feel?" & "How did that feel?" This has got to be the most commonly used phrase in my coaching vocabulary, and usually the response I get is, "okay", or, "pretty good" (accompanied by a confused look of exhaustion). It's important to know that your answer to this question will dictate the entire coaching experience you receive. ... It boils down to a simple premise: the more we know about how YOU'RE feeling/doing (related to your sleep, stress, energy, anxiety, injury, recovery, etc), the better WE can be at helping you get the most from your workout. For example: if we know you're tired and burnt out from a long week of work and parenting, we can adjust the workout to ensure that you're not destroyed both mentally and physically when you leave! Your answer to how "that" felt will provide me with a ton of feedback with which I can provide you with better/more specific coaching in the moment, on the fly! For example: if you move better on rep 2 than rep 1 but it feels the exact same then I can explain what you did better OR if your movement felt good I can confirm the successful execution OR if you felt pain on any of the reps we can try to figure out a safer path or structure to your movement/a different movement working the same muscle group ... So, what can you do to help us help you?! Provide thoughtful feedback. Tell us how you feel. Communicate your goals and intentions for the workout when asked. The Coach/Athlete relationship is interpersonal, which means we rely on you for feedback to help serve you better! Keep that in mind the next time you hear "how was it?" in the gym! - Coach Craig

A look at what's to come this week @alchemycommunityfitness! Tag your gym buddy to remind them about Friday's Partner WOD

Over the coming month's we're going to be re-introducing our staff for all the newcomers @alchemycommunity fitness, and today it's Coach @andrewwilhelm_! We asked him all the same questions that we've asked the ret of the team, and here's what he had to say! 1. Describe yourself briefly.... Around Alchemy I'm known as the warm-up lots, stay calm always guy and I'm really quite proud of that! Away from the gym I spend a lot of time learning as much as I can about all kinds of different things, and I also work part time as a personal chef for my best friend and roommate @social.bree. It's a tough job - but someone has to do it! 2. How did you get involved with @alchemycommunityfitness? I was walking my dog one day and I saw @duncanmcneill_ meditating in the middle of the turf at the Brantford location, and I thought to myself, "wow, what a weird guy". The next day on another dog walk I passed the gym again to make sure @duncanmcneill_ wasn't caught in some sort of meditative trance, and I noticed a lot of people doing a lot of really impressive things, and so I booked a trial class and the rest is history! 3. What's your favourite thing about the community? I mean... the community is the best part about the community! Being surrounded by a bunch of hard working, dedicated, passionate, kind, and caring people is what helps me cultivate greatness in my own life! 4. What do you bring to coaching based on your background? My focus has and always will be self mastery - which means I spend a majority of my time trying to help our members tap into their untapped potential. Whether I'm helping athletes relax during a long workout, or maintain the integrity of their movement when the load get's heavy, the focus is ALWAYS to move well and stay calm!

The last long weekend of summer has wrapped up, which means a brand new week of training @alchemycommunityfitness! Our new strength phase includes front squats, snatches, push press & deadlifts - which is your favourite?!

The beginning of the school year can bring up feelings of excitement for both kids and parents. But this year may look (or feel) a little different as we navigate our new "normal." Whether you're sending your kids to school or they're learning remotely, it's important to create routines and structure in your life -- for EVERYONE'S sanity! Who better to share her tips and tricks for navigating the back-to-school season than one of our very own expert mamas, @anitabliss15!... 1. Most of us fall off track with our normal routines in the summer, which means late nights and lazier mornings. This week, practice setting up a bedtime routine: set a bedtime, and prepare for the morning by setting out clothes, planning/prepping for breakfast, and whatever else will help you have an easier start to your day. 2. Get kids involved in lunch making. When kids are involved in the food-making process, they're more likely to enjoy their food. Again, you can work with your children to prepare food the night before so everyone feels ready to face the day ahead. 3. Be patient and optimistic. This year is unprecedented and can stir up a lot of emotions for both kids and parents. With masks, social distancing, distance learning, changing schedules... it's a lot of change for the whole family. Just like any major change in life, this will take time to adjust. Make time to have open conversations within your family to check in on how everyone is feeling emotionally as we navigate these uncharted waters. Everyone at @alchemycommunityfitness wishes you a safe and healthy back to school!

Weightlifting is back and I can’t wait to see you all again! As is tradition we will be either snatching or clean and jerking or maybe both! Three things things to keep in mind as you ease back into throwing heavy weights over your head. ... 1. No one cares how much weight you lift. 2. If anyone does care they aren’t good enough at math to calculate how much is on their own bar AND your bar. 3. You don’t have to do every rep as perfectlyl as possible, just the ones you want to actually make you better. See you all tonight! - Coach Mark

As the old adage goes... Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast (because slowing movement down exposes weaknesses we may not have known about). It's in this vein that we've added a BRAND NEW CLASSO FORMAT to our LOCKE STREET schedule!!... Introducing - Functional Mobility; A mat-based class with one focus; to move precisely and under control. Members who attend this class can expect to improve their mobility, amplify the connection between their body and mind, break through longstanding plateaus in their fitness, help prevent new injuries AND help recover from old ones, While we cannot guarantee that attending this class will help you set a world record, we CAN guarantee that after you try it you'll feel awesome! Hope to see everyone there! #alchemy #community #family #brantford #hamilton #locke #lockestreet #hamont #fitness #mobility #conditioning #strength #fitness #gym #crossfit