By Coach Craig of ACF Hello Alchemy Family The 2024 Alchemy Open has come and gone and we are so proud of the amazing support our community gave each other throughout this 3 week event. We saw over 200 of our members (150 in our Brantford location) jump in to tackle the Open WODs every Friday – whether in class or during our epic Friday Night Lights events. This year also marked one of the most accessible and inclusive Opens to date with 2 out of the 3 Open WODs having all of the movements being something that everyone could jump into, whether Rx or Scaled. On top of this, we were blown away ..read more

By Duncan McNeill of ACF We are about to jump into week 1 of the CrossFit Open and our year’s biggest event the Alchemy Open kicks off Friday.  If this is your first year, I am so excited for you. With complete certainty I can say you will be propelled to new heights being surrounded by your peers and it may stoke a flame in you that you never knew you had. One of my favourite aspects of the Open is that it is a completely level playing field. I have never been anywhere close to moving beyond our gym level in the competition but still had the chance to go head to head with some of the to ..read more

Tell us about yourself! Hi! I’m Jess. I’ve been living in Hamilton with my partner, 3 year old son, and 15 year old shitzu mix pup since 2020. We made the move during the thick of Covid from Toronto (where else!) and couldn’t be happier.  What got you into CrossFit? When I went back to work after mat leave, I decided it was time to find a new gym. I was adjusting to being a “working mom” so I wanted something relatively close to home. I have always done group workouts, but never CrossFit and was actually scared to try since what I had been told from friends were things like “you run ’til ..read more

What got you through the Alchemy doors?  Brad gave me a “Free Month” card and have been hooked ever since. What has been your proudest Alchemy moment to date?  100 Classes in the books! What movement have you grown to love?  Barbell lunges If you could design the perfect workout, what would it include? EMOM – cardio, lift, cardio, lift ….. lots of variation in movements  What kind of playlist gets you fired up?  Early 2000s punk/ska What’s the biggest change you’ve seen in yourself since you started CrossFit?  More gains in a consistent 8 ..read more

Tell us about yourself! I have two young kids and a started a company a few years ago so honestly lately that’s about all there is. Been in Hamilton area most of my life other than some stints in Toronto for work. Built a house during COVID and moved basically three times in 14 months so I don’t plan on relocating again for 40-50 years. I love to travel and hope to do that again in 15 or so years. What got you into CrossFit? I started in 2012 ironically at the old Alchemy. The only reason I switched to Steel City back then was the fact there were no showers/change rooms at the old Alchemy loca ..read more

What got you through the Alchemy doors?  I actually started at Alchemy back when I was a student in Hamilton. A classmate of mine was a member and she dragged me to a class. Suffice it to say I was hooked! When I moved into the Brantford area and found out that Alchemy had a gym nearby, it was a no brainer! What has been your proudest Alchemy moment to date?  After being ‘stuck’ for a long time, I was super happy to finally hit a snatch PR! What is your favourite movement?  Any Olympic lifting is fine with me If you could design the perfect workout, what would it i ..read more

Tell us about yourself! Hello! I’m Kat, and I’ve been coming to Alchemy since the end of 2019. I moved to Toronto shortly after for two years while my partner finished his training, and now we are back in Hamilton. I’m very excited to join the Alchemy community again and be back in the city that I missed dearly. Along with making a big move this year, I decided to quit a career that I hated, and now I’m trying to figure out what my next chapter is.. What got you into CrossFit? I spent years trying to find something that would keep me active. I tried lots of home workout programs, tried going t ..read more

What have you loved about Alchemy?  The People! Most especially Duncan, Broder and the coaches who are all fantastic. What has been your proudest Alchemy moment to date?  Just sticking with it through some lean periods when my schedule’s been tough or motivation low. What song would get you through a tough part of a workout?  Anything loud and up tempo works but always appreciate when a bit of classic rock gets mixed in. If you could design the perfect workout, what would it include?  I love a nice mix of lifting and cardio – and sorry everyone but love those workou ..read more

By Kasey Maguire of ORE Movement Studio Instead of the usual hustle, bustle, get it done, wrap it up, cook it up, get in all the workouts, see all the people, it might be nice to try a little grace this holiday season. And no, I don’t mean 30 clean-and-jerks for time. What I mean is, rest, rejoice, enjoy your damn self and all the good people around you.  Here are 8 ways to give and get more grace this holiday season: Keep up your regular gym schedule. Routine keeps us grounded and rooted in our days when things get chaotic. It can also be a wonderful reset. Skip the gym! Hah. Taking a ..read more

What got you into CrossFit? After varsity sports came to an end, I needed something that could scratch my competitive itch and keep me moving. I stumbled into Auxillary Fitness in Toronto, and met some really cool people of the same mindset (and same story) – Safe to say that scratch was itched.  What have you loved about Alchemy?I really love the programming – I spent a few years programming for myself and it’s really freaking hard to do. I don’t think a lot of people realize how much work and talent goes into the workouts that are on the board every day. Everything we do is focused ..read more