"A rising tide lifts all boats." — John F. Kennedy Adapted from a newsletter sent June 02, 2026 I want to take a minute to tell you something about what's happening at Cornerstone, and about the part you've played in it without even knowing. Last week, Cornerstone Fitness ran their first week of classes following Comptrain's Complete Training program. The same program we've been following here at CrossFit Fairfield for about 18 months. The same daily structure, the same stren

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." — Phil Jackson Re-post from Newsletter published May 13, 2026 This week's article explores the ideas behind what makes a gym community actually alive — and why the training days you're most tempted to skip may be the ones doing the most for your future. Hope you enjoy it! What a Real Community Builds There's a version of a gym that functions like a vending machine. You put in time,

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." — Aristotle Re-post from Newsletter published May 01, 2026 This newsletter goes out to that special kind of athlete that doesn't get enough credit.Not the one who posts the best time. Not the one who hits a new PR every week. But, the one who showed up on the Tuesday when they were exhausted, the Thursday when work blew up, the Saturday morning when every other version of their day would have chose

"The purpose of training is to tighten up the slack, toughen the body, and polish the spirit." — Morihei Ueshiba Re-post from Newsletter published April 21, 2026 It's been too long since the last email, but I'm committed to getting back to this more regularly. Anyway, I wanted to highlight a topic that I've been talking to folks about a lot in person, but haven't written down, yet. And, that's the fact that there's a big difference between working out and training. Working ou

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 Re-Post from Newsletter published March 30, 2026 This past weekend was a reminder of what makes this community so special. First, congratulations to all of our Quarterfinals athletes on the successful completion of all four workouts. You showed grit, resilience, and composure under pressure. But beyond the performances themsel

"Pressure doesn’t create character. It reveals it." Re-post from Newsletter published February 13, 2026 There’s something special about this time of year in CrossFit gyms all over the world. The whiteboard fills up a little faster (Just not this past week... Where have you all been!?) People linger a little longer after class. There’s a quiet question floating in the room: "Are you doing the Open?" In two weeks, it begins. Three workouts. Three weeks. One shared experience. B

"Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success." — Henry Ford Re-post from Newsletter published February 08, 2026 In case you missed it, just a few days ago, we announced that we officially stepped into new ownership of Cornerstone Fitness. But the idea behind what comes next?That’s been a year in the making. Long before any paperwork was signed, there was a shared vision taking shape—one rooted in a simple belief:fitness is better

Re-post from a newsletter published February 3, 2026 Hey CrossFit Fairfield family, I wanted you to hear this directly from us. As part of the Community Fitness Lab vision we’ve already shared with you, I’m excited to let you know that we’re officially stepping into ownership and leadership of a second location: Cornerstone Fitness in West Chester. Before anything else, I want to be clear about why this matters — and it starts with you and our coaches. What makes CrossFit Fa

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Will Durant (paraphrasing Aristotle) As 2025 comes to a close, I want to pause and say this clearly: Well done. You showed up this year — through early mornings, busy seasons, tough workouts, hard conversations (sometimes REALLY hard), small wins, big breakthroughs, and everything in between. We’re just wrapping up the Fortify strength cycle, and it’s been incredible to watch this community get s

Athletes working on band assisted or banded pullups as they develop the strength required to perform unassisted strict pullups. Every so often, a question comes up in class or from one of our coaches that deserves more than a quick answer — it deserves a full conversation. Recently, one of our coaches asked about kipping pull-ups: when we’ll bring them back, how to coach them, and why we emphasize strict strength first. The question was great. And it made me realize something

“There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” —Ernest Hemingway Today, we take on a benchmark workout: the CompTrain Beep Test. It’s a demanding “death by” style challenge that will test your grit, pacing, and mental discipline. The format is simple, but deceiving: A run A set number of burpee pull-ups A growing number of thrusters each round Each round gets harder. The window of time allowed to complete t

“The signature of mediocrity is not an unwillingness to change. The signature of mediocrity is chronic inconsistency.” —Jim Collins I watched something special happen last week. It wasn’t a new PR. It wasn’t a flashy movement. It was just Coach Mark, quietly crushing a Threshold Thursday workout—with near flawless execution. For those of you who missed it, it was a simple format: 1:00 on, :30 off for 30 minutes. Each round started with light-to-moderate barbell work, followed

“Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.” — Nelson Mandela You’ve probably noticed the whiteboard notes: Target scores. Intent. Movement standards. Hopefully, you've also been involved in the post-class chats: “Did you hit the goal?” “Were you close to the target?” But, here’s the truth: missing the target isn’t failure—it’s feedback. We write standards and targets not to create pressure, but to help create clarity. To giv

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps." — Proverbs 16:9 (NIV) A few weeks ago, I turned 40. To mark the milestone, I laced up my shoes and set out on my 18th annual birthday workout—this time, a 24-hour trail race. The stretch goal was 100 miles. I finished 81. And somewhere in the middle of the dark woods, with only my headlamp lighting the trail ahead, I learned what might be the most important lesson yet: You don’t have to see the

"Wherever you are, be all there.” — Jim Elliot Today, one of the Coach's Notes in CompTrain hit me especially hard: “Each AMRAP should...

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Hey team, Over the past couple months we’ve climbed the pyramids, dialed in on how we think about Strength, Conditioning, and Mobility,...

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“Success is built like a pyramid—one intentional layer at a time.” Why Three Pyramids Tell the Whole Story Hey team, This newsletter gets...