Our February 2025 Newsletter
fitness calendar
Friday Night Lights, Fittest of the Coast, and our annual thROWdown
Take on the 2025 CrossFit Open with Team Feast!
Ready to put your fitness to the test, have some fun, and train with friends? We hope you’ll say “Yes,” and join us in participating in the 2025 CrossFit Open.
This annual event brings athletes of all levels together to test their capabilities and celebrate their progress. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or just curious to try something new, the Open is for YOU.
What's the crossfit open?
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What's the crossfit open? 〰️
The CrossFit Open is a three-week global competition where athletes complete one workout per week. These workouts are designed to test your strength, endurance, skill, and grit—and scores are submitted online so you can see how you rank against athletes worldwide. It's a fun way to measure your progress, showcase your hard work, and share in the camaraderie at Feast.
who's the open for?
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who's the open for? 〰️
The Open is for everyone! It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced athlete. There are three workout options—foundations (easiest), scaled (in between), and Rx (the most difficult)—to ensure every athlete can participate. It’s all about having fun, challenging yourself, and cheering on others as they do the same.
how do i sign up?
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how do i sign up? 〰️
Simply head to the CrossFit homepage to create your account and register. Be sure to select Feast Fitness as your affiliate gym so we can celebrate your participation together.
Beginning February 28, we’ll host Friday Night Throwdowns every week during the Open. Workouts kick off at 5:30 PM, offering an encouraging, team-oriented atmosphere for all participants. Friday’s in-class programming will also feature the Open workouts during those three weeks, so everyone will have an opportunity to experience a version of them together.
Feast Athletes Head to Fittest of The Coast!
We’re proud to share that Feast members Danny Campagna, Aiden Kreml, Bobby Corro, and Vince Nardi are competing February 7- 9 in this year’s Fittest of The Coast in Charleston, SC. Their dedication and grit has earned them each a spot in this competition and we can’t wait to watch them showcase their strength.
Danny will be competing individually, and then Danny and Aiden will compete as a team, as will Bobby and Vince. Follow their journey and progress during the competition by visiting the official Fittest of The Coast leaderboard.
Up Next? Our Annual ThROWdown
Mark your calendars for April 6 — and start putting together your team of 10! Our annual thROWdown is back, and we can’t wait to complete this marathon row with you and your buddies. Reach out to Coach Greg if you want to captain a team: 10 Friends, 42195m, 1 Good Time.
community news
A look at what you shared and how we’re growing together…
Your Feedback Fuels Our Growth
A look at what you shared and how we’re growing together
At Feast, our members are at the heart of everything we do, and your feedback is invaluable in helping us grow and improve. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete our recent member feedback survey to share your thoughts. Your insights highlight what you love about Feast and offer opportunities to improve. Here’s what we learned, along with a few ways we’re turning your feedback into action.
Community Culture
You gave us: 4.65
How important it is to you: 4.48
Our insights: We’re knocking this one out of the park because our score exceeds importance. This means a lot because we care a lot about your experience. This is encouraging and motivates us to continue to lead by our values of grit, gratitude, and humility to ensure Feast is a place you want to visit every day.
Coaching Quality
You gave us: 4.7
How important it is to you: 4.86
Our Insights: We’re doing well, but there’s room to exceed your expectations. You care a lot about quality coaching and so do we. This year, we’re focusing on offering actionable cues to each of our members, multiple times within the hour. We’ll continue to keep time at the whiteboard concise so we can optimize your time on the training floor.
Programming
You gave us: 4.52
How important it is to you: 4.65
Our insights: We’re succeeding—yet there’s an opportunity to excel. Feast’s programming is built with intention and focuses on developing strong, gritty athletes, in accordance with the latest science on the types of workouts that build the most fitness with the least risk. We’ll press on this path and consider new ways to keep you motivated, like sprinkling in a few more CrossFit classics.
Facility Quality
You gave us: 4.78
How important it is to you: 4.48
Our insights: We’re glad our hard work pays off. Our team is diligent about keeping Feast clean and welcoming so you can have a great experience every time you train with us. Thanks for noticing this and inspiring us to maintain our high standards.
A few other things we’re addressing…
“Can you clean the pull up bars?”
Easy! We can do this. We’ll encourage athletes to wipe down bars after workouts, and add this to our staff cleaning list.
“Can we get some lighter dumbbells?”
Yes! We already have some, but they’re hiding. There’s a dumbbell rack by Ignite’s west wall stocked with lighter dumbbells (and kettlebells) that we share with Ignite. Feel free to use those dumbbells anytime. Just remember to return them to that rack!
“Can you increase open hours during the holidays?”
Yup! We hear ya, loud and clear. We’ll be adjusting our holiday hours this year so you have more training time at Feast.
“Can we have a second coach for larger classes?”
This is a great idea. We’re taking this request very seriously and looking into ways we can make this work. It would be really helpful if everyone would register for class ahead of time, and then sign in for class when they attend, so we can anticipate larger classes, and keep track of them when they happen.
Thanks for participating in our annual feedback survey to help us build the best gym in Chicago, together! We really appreciate your input.
nutrition corner
Protein for Breakfast? Ground breaking.
4 Reasons You’ll Want to Eat a Savory Breakfast Every Morning
With our Feast Fifty Nutrition Challenge underway, we’re reminding athletes about the importance of starting their day with a “savory breakfast” — which includes at least 4 ounces (113g) of protein, but does not include any sugar.
The nutrition you use to start your day will impact what follows, which is why we prioritize protein intake. Committing to a “savory breakfast” packs a punch and offers the following benefits…
#1. SUSTAINED ENERGY LEVELS
Protein helps stabilize your blood sugar levels, preventing sudden spikes and crashes that can lead to energy dips and cravings later in the day. A breakfast high in protein keeps you feeling satiated and energized throughout the morning.
In contrast, consumption of high sugar foods typical in the U.S. breakfast, such as cereals and breads, causes blood sugar spikes and ultimately increases the risk of metabolic disorders, such as type 2 diabetes.
#2. APPETITE REGULATION
Protein is highly satiating, meaning it helps you feel fuller for longer. By consuming a protein-rich breakfast, you're less likely to experience hunger pangs or cravings before your next meal.
#3. MUSCLE MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR
Protein is essential for muscle maintenance, growth, and repair. Starting your day with a protein-rich breakfast helps give your body the necessary building blocks for muscle tissue. Additionally, you really NEED to eat protein throughout the day–starting with breakfast–if you want to hit your overall daily protein intake goals, which should be 1g of protein per lb. of target body weight.
#4. IMPROVED NUTRITION BALANCE
Opting for a protein-rich breakfast means you are prioritizing nutrient-dense foods that provide a better balance of essential vitamins and minerals. Many breakfast foods that are high in added sugars tend to be low in essential nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
what our coaches are eating
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what our coaches are eating 〰️
““El milagro corn tortillas topped with a lean ground beef or ground venison, tomatoes, guacamole, and hot sauce.””
““I’ve been enjoying ½ cup of oatmeal mixed with ½ cup of almond milk, 4 tbsp of collagen protein, and some fruit. My second breakfast is a protein shake, after my workout.””
““I love a good ol’ breakfast bagel with egg, cheese, and meat. I switch up the types of bagels, cheese, and meat to keep it from getting old. Sometimes, I’ll add some avocado too!””