Vanquish Newsletter August 10th

Steve Jarecki • August 10, 2026

“There’s no crying in baseball!”


⚾ Week 11: Achilles Finale — Batter Up!


We’ve reached the final week of Achilles 2026! To close out the cycle, we’re stepping up to the plate with a Baseball-themed week inspired by the qualities the game demands: patience, precision, explosive power, and the ability to perform when the pressure is on.


This week is about putting everything you’ve built throughout Achilles to the test. Expect a little bit of everything — strength, gymnastics, conditioning, barbell cycling, and plenty of opportunities to push yourself.


Here’s what’s on deck:


⚾ Monday: Rowing + pull-up chipper
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Tuesday: Bench press + running and push-up triplet
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Wednesday: 5x5 Sumo Deadlift test + steady-state conditioning
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Thursday: Wall walks + dumbbell thrusters to light up the shoulders
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Friday: Snatches + a challenging AMRAP featuring toes-to-bar and barbell cycling
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Saturday: Partner workout featuring rowing + farmer’s carries
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Sunday: Bar muscle-up skill work + a two-set chipper to finish the cycle


This is the final inning of Achilles. You’ve put in the work, built your strength, developed your skills, and showed up week after week. Now it’s time to see what you’ve got.


Trust your training. Stay patient when you need to. Turn it on when it’s time.


2026 CrossFit Community Cup


The CrossFit Community Cup is coming to Vanquish! From August 1–31, athletes around the world will take on four workouts designed to test fitness, have some fun, and build community.


We’ll be programming each workout in class so everyone can participate. And the best part? You can repeat each workout as many times as you’d like throughout the competition window.


Community Cup Workout Schedule:


🏋️ Workout 1 — August 10
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Workout 2 — August 14
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Workout 3 — Later this month
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Workout 4 — Later this month


Whether you’re chasing a score, testing your fitness, or just looking for a fun new challenge, come see what you’ve got!


👉 Learn more about the Community Cup


  🚧 Brookfield Road Construction Update


The traffic pattern is changing again! Starting Monday, August 10, Brookfield Road traffic will switch directions.


➡️ Northbound traffic will remain open on Brookfield Road.
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Southbound traffic will be detoured via Capitol Drive → Barker Road → North Avenue.


Additionally, River Road at Brookfield Road will close beginning Monday, August 10. Access to the recycling center on Riverview Drive and Wilderness Way is expected to remain open, with some short-term interruptions possible.


With the new traffic pattern, please allow yourself a few extra minutes when heading to Vanquish next week as everyone adjusts to the changes. Follow the posted signage and take your time moving through the work zone.


We know the construction has been a little… challenging 😅, but we appreciate everyone's patience!


For the latest updates, visit the City of Brookfield's construction page:
Brookfield Road Construction Updates


As always, give yourself some extra time and we'll see you at Vanquish! 🚗💨


  🧩 The Fitness Riddle: Build Slow, Lose Fast?


We all know building fitness takes time, but losing it can happen surprisingly quickly.


A 2024 review from Stanford’s cardiovascular medicine department looked at how our cardiovascular system adapts to training — and what happens when we stop. The big takeaway? Consistency matters.


Building fitness is a long game. Your heart, blood vessels, and overall cardiovascular system adapt to training over time. Improvements like increased stroke volume, better blood pressure control, and more efficient blood flow don’t happen overnight. They’re the result of months and years of consistent work.


Losing fitness can happen much faster. VO₂ max can begin to decline after just a few weeks without training, and some cardiovascular adaptations can fade even sooner. The longer the break, the more fitness you can lose.


But here’s the good news:


Maintaining fitness is easier than building it.


You don't need to train at 100% all the time to maintain your progress. A few workouts each week can go a long way toward keeping the fitness you've worked so hard to build.


Traveling? Injured? Busy week? That's okay.


Do something instead of nothing.


Go for a walk. Ride a bike. Swim. Work on mobility. Scale your workout. Get in what you can.


It doesn't have to look like your normal training to count.


The goal isn't perfection. It's consistency. Keep moving, keep showing up, and protect the fitness you've worked so hard to build.


STOP TRAINING AROUND PAIN. FIX IT.


That shoulder that won’t quiet down.
Knees that hate squats.
Hips that feel locked no matter how much you stretch.


You don’t have to work around it anymore.


At Innovate Sports Medicine, Lara (your on-site Athletic Trainer + Gym Manager) will pinpoint the real issue, treat it, and give you a clear plan to keep training—without guessing or sitting on the sidelines.


No band-aids. No fluff. Just real answers and real progress.


If it’s been bothering you, it’s time to handle it. 💪


MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA


Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. 💥

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“You can’t be afraid of failure. You have to be willing to fail in order to succeed.” - Geno Auriemma  Hercules Week 4: Familiarity With a Twist This week might feel a little familiar — and that’s intentional. You’ll see workouts that borrow from past experiences, with a few twists along the way. Repetition builds recognition, and recognition builds confidence under fatigue. Expect muscular endurance, midline work, mixed-modal conditioning, grip challenges, and plenty of opportunities to practice pacing and repeatable effort. Monday — Echo: Speed deadlifts followed by pull-ups and Echo Bike intervals. Tuesday — Jamais Vu: Front and back squat work followed by a descending ladder of kettlebell thrusters and burpees. Wednesday — Doppelganger: Two 12-minute pieces featuring running, rowing, GHD/V-ups, kettlebell swings, sit-ups, and dumbbell snatches. Thursday — Identity Crisis: Push press and push jerk work followed by bench press, double unders, and farmers carries. Friday — 9/11: A 2001m row buy-in followed by nine rounds of eleven reps. A workout built around remembrance and resilience. Saturday — Familiar Stranger: A two-person waterfall workout featuring running, hang power snatches, and back-rack step-ups. Sunday — Double Take: A 30-minute strength EMOM featuring bench press, sandbags, rows, carries, and planks. The Challenge Pick your number. Then hold yourself to it. This week isn’t about going out too hot. It’s about knowing what you can sustain, sticking to the plan, and owning the result. Set the plan. Trust the plan. Own the score.  🚧 Brookfield Road Construction Update Starting September 3, Brookfield Road will be closed to through traffic for approximately 2.5 weeks. Vanquish will remain accessible, but you’ll need to approach the gym from the south during this phase of construction. Please follow posted detour signs and flaggers and allow a few extra minutes for possible delays. Thanks for your patience!  What’s On Our Watchlist? The Dynasty: UConn Huskies . Apple TV’s The Dynasty: UConn Huskies takes a look at one of the most successful programs in women’s college basketball. But what stood out to us wasn’t just the championships. It was the standards. UConn didn’t become UConn because they discovered a secret training method. They built a culture where excellence was expected , and then passed that expectation from one group of athletes to the next. Geno Auriemma’s coaching style is demanding and, at times, confrontational. But the bigger lesson isn’t that everyone needs to coach like Geno. In fact, coaches like UCLA’s Cori Close show that you can have incredibly high standards while leading in a very different way. The important part is not lowering the standard just because the approach changes. Listen to players like Rebecca Lobo, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, and Paige Bueckers talk about their experiences, and you hear the same theme: they weren’t looking for comfort. They wanted to find out how good they could become. That’s something we can all take from. At Vanquish, we believe training should challenge you, support you, and help you become better than you were yesterday. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s showing up, doing the work, and continuing to raise the standard. Great cultures don’t happen by accident. They’re built one workout, one rep, and one expectation at a time. STOP TRAINING AROUND PAIN. FIX IT.  That shoulder that won’t quiet down. Knees that hate squats. Hips that feel locked no matter how much you stretch. You don’t have to work around it anymore. At Innovate Sports Medicine, Lara (your on-site Athletic Trainer + Gym Manager) will pinpoint the real issue, treat it, and give you a clear plan to keep training—without guessing or sitting on the sidelines. No band-aids. No fluff. Just real answers and real progress. If it’s been bothering you, it’s time to handle it. 💪 MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. 💥
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“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.” - Dolly Parton  🧠 Hercules Week 3: The Mandela Effect Things may look familiar this week… but don’t trust your memory. Week 3 is all about The Mandela Effect —when we collectively remember something that never actually happened. Each workout takes something recognizable and adds a twist, flips the script, or sends you in a different direction. Expect power snatches, toes-to-bar, burpees, wall balls, double-unders, strict handstand push-ups, deadlifts, bench press, back squats, running, and plenty of barbell work. The big focus this week? Pacing and execution. A workout may look familiar, but the demands are different, so don’t let your memory dictate your pace. Coaches will help you spot the difference during the whiteboard brief. Listen for what’s changed, understand the intended stimulus, and attack the workout that’s actually in front of you—not the one you think you remember. 🧠💪  🚧 Brookfield Road Construction Update Starting September 3 , Brookfield Road will be closed to through traffic for approximately 2.5 weeks. Vanquish will remain accessible , but you’ll need to approach the gym from the south during this phase of construction. Please follow posted detour signs and flaggers and allow a few extra minutes for possible delays. Thanks for your patience!  🇺🇸 Labor Day Schedule We’re keeping things simple this Labor Day! There will be no regularly scheduled classes , but we’ll have one all-levels class at 8:00 AM for anyone looking to get their holiday workout in. Open Gym will remain available 24/7 as usual, so you can train on your own schedule. Enjoy the holiday! 💪   STOP TRAINING AROUND PAIN. FIX IT. That shoulder that won’t quiet down. Knees that hate squats. Hips that feel locked no matter how much you stretch. You don’t have to work around it anymore. At Innovate Sports Medicine, Lara (your on-site Athletic Trainer + Gym Manager) will pinpoint the real issue, treat it, and give you a clear plan to keep training—without guessing or sitting on the sidelines. No band-aids. No fluff. Just real answers and real progress. If it’s been bothering you, it’s time to handle it. 💪 MAKE AN APPOINTMENT WITH LARA    Show up. Put in the work. Let’s go. 💥
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