Category: Grand Rapids, MI

News from Grand Rapids, MI meeting every Wednesday at 6:14AM. Connect with us via Facebook and Instagram.

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Guest Blog: The Pantsuit Lives On (GR)

First things first, it’s warming up and the workouts are hotter than ever. Plus, we’re better when we’re all here sweating, hugging, and kicking ass together. So spread the love and bring a friend. 

Today’s guest blog comes from the one and only Kelly “Pantsuit” Johnson. Kelly has a smile for days and is always the first to high-five, welcome a new member, and bring positive energy to a tough workout. Word has spread of Kelly’s pantsuit and we are privileged today to hear all about it from the source. read more

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52 Weeks (GR)

On Thursday we celebrated our first year of providing free fitness to Grand Rapids. Yoshi and Matt sat down to reflect on the past year and talk about the future of NP_GR.

Matt: Dude, Yoshi, it’s been 52 weeks of free fitness in Grand Rapids. How’s it feel?

Yoshi: The hype is real. The energy, the positivity, the community, the hustle, the freshness. All real. GR has got it. read more

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Stairs. Stairs. Stairs. (GR)

“That’s crazy.”

“You’re crazy.”

“I could never do that.”

Those are common responses that we hear when sharing our athletic/early morning pursuits with others. At times this knee-jerk response can be frustrating. For all of us, there was a point in time when our current goals seemed impossible, crazy. There is nothing about us that makes us athletically superior than anyone else. We all remember a time when running a mile seemed impossible. We all have set impossible goals that now seem trivial. That’s one of the best parts of this NP community. Whether our impossible goal is a 5k, a marathon, or an ultra, there is never anything less than full support from the tribe. read more

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Shovel Crew Assemble (GR)

This week we sent out our first SHOVEL CREW call out.

Ready at a moment’s notice, Jen and Korey met us at the Veterans Memorial to dig through the compacted snow in search of the sidewalk. This newly renovated space is frequently used, as evidenced by the routes created by people walking through the snow. Could we have used the Memorial as we found it, trekking through the snow? Sure. Would it have been a fun, added challenge to compete against the snow? Definitely. read more

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Started from the Bottom (GR)

It’s the dog days of winter. It’s dark till damn near noon, it’s cold AF, and snow is the new normal. Luckily, GR is stronger than a little winter weather.

This week Yoshi brought the FIRE with his best Montell Jordan GR rendition of This is How We Do it. We also celebrated the 2018 Winter Olympics with all sorts of semi-olympic themed exercises with some hills sprinkled in for good measure. The grand finale, a team Iditarod relay. (Shout out to tribe member Jill who is doing the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350 mile bike race later this month) read more

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Recipe Behind the Weirdness (GR)

Wild West, Ninja, Sixer, XMarksTheSpot, TurkeyLurkeyDooWop.

These are just some of the workouts we cooked up at NP GR. If you’ve ever wondered what goes into an NP GR workout, I’ve got the recipe below for you. Take 2 coleaders, a pitcher or two of cheap beer, and stir in a fistful of ideas about how to use our outdoor places creatively to get people in motion and interacting with each other. Add a pinch of stoke and a dash of weirdness to taste. Combine with a group of people willing to show up at the break of dawn to see if the hype is real and bake for about 30 minutes until the edges are crisp.For all the seeming weirdness and randomness that goes down for a NP GR workout, there is an intentional design to them. The biggest factors we plan for are intensity, interactivity, and memorability. Take our Wild West workout for example. For intensity, we targeted quads and designed a circuit compact enough to get high reps. For interactivity, we built in showdown challenges for tribe members to square off and catch a moment of face time before throwing down for burpees. For memorability, we incorporated grade school games and wind sprint shootouts for some low-stakes thrills. We don’t always get the recipe to turn out to intended effect and we modify and adjust when needed. But sometimes it’ll bake just right and the hype proves real and the tribe goes home with a craving for the next serving. Come share in the freshness and crispness. Share it with your friends, family, people who want to build connections with others. UPCOMING 2.1.18 5:30 PM // PR Happy Hour // City Built Brewing 2.18.18 to 2.24.18 // Started from the Bottom // MORE INFO SOON
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#THEGINRIOT- Everything you need to know

We’ve been talking about putting together this race for many months after we watched November Proejct Boston pull off a similarly challenging event. It took a few months of thinking “Hey, wouldn’t that be cool!?”, bleeding into another few months of “How is this thing going to actually work” to finally “What date are we going to make this happen?” For years now we’ve been watching our members push themselves, workout after workout, running more miles at faster paces, taking on ever bigger challenges and gently nudging each other to improve with each new event. Watching everyone improve in this way inspired us to put out a daunting challenge, something that is intentionally just a little bit intimidating. read more

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#Goals (GR)

The greatest philosopher of our generation, Kanye West, once said, “Reach for the stars so if you fall, you land on the clouds.”

We as co-leaders of this worldwide movement are privileged every day to be inspired by the individuals who surround us. The bravery to set audacious goals, to push through barriers, and strive to be the best version of ourselves. read more

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From Carpe Diem GR to NP

For November Project Grand Rapids, 2018 will be a year of “firsts.” Our first workout of 2018 (second NP workout ever), our first NP Blog, our first NP Summit, and many more exciting events that we have up our sleeves. Over the next few weeks, we want to look back at where we’ve been, share our vision for 2018, and crush all our goals for 2018. read more