News & Updates
🌼 SPRING BINGO CHALLENGE! 4/14 thru 5/17🌷
Join in for biggest challenge ever. (By far!)
SIX special events. 27 ways to win. Countless ways to have fun, try something new, learn, and challenge yourself! Open to members and non-members alike.
Monday 4/14 thru Saturday 5/17
Get FIVE in a row (including diagonally) on the bingo card to qualify for prize drawing.
10 winners will each get:
★ a $50 Gift Card for 3 Monkeys in Harwich Port (co-owned by Chatham Works member Mike Strangfeld)
★ a $50 Chatham Works Gift Card
Thank You to Our Co-Sponsor!
3 Monkeys Street Bar + Kitchen + Sushi
3 Monkeys is an open air concept in Harwich Port, inspired by Japanese cuisine & Cape Cod style.
(Stay tuned for details about a Chatham Works gathering at 3 Monkeys when they open in mid-May!)
The Bingo Card below contains links to additional information about (almost) every square. Click the link to learn more.
For squares containing regularly scheduled classes, the links point to our Class Schedule. For squares containing other items, you'll be directed to a section on this web page that contains additional information and instructions.
➔ IMPORTANT: Multiple entries per participant ARE permitted. But no single class or workout can be counted more than once per entry!
Paper copies can be picked up at our Front Desk. To submit your completed entry, please return your completed and signed card to us no later than Tuesday, May 20th.
SQUARE DESCRIPTIONS & DETAILS
★ Bring a Friend
Bring any non-member friend to a class per the provided guidelines in the square. Their class will be free. (Sorry but yours won't!)
Free classes CAN NOT be used for Around the Works classes or the Octathlon.
There are 3 "Bring a Friend" squares:
- Bring any (non-member) friend / relative for FREE to a Night Class 🌛.
- Bring a MALE (non-member) for FREE to a Class ♂.
- Bring a FEMALE (non-member) for FREE to a Class ♀.
Instructions: Please have them create a profile in our system if they don't already have one, and mention in the note 1) which class they want to attend, and 2) your name. We'll take care of class registration from there!
★ Share your Myzone workout on social media 📱
Myzone is a heart-rate monitoring system that helps you stay motivated, keep accountable, and make your workouts safer, more effective, and more fun!
Watch the brief video below to learn how to share your workout details to your social media account.
★ Buy a CW logowear item (hat, t-shirt, sweatshirt, etc.) for 20% off
Challenge participants can each get 20% off ONE Chatham Works logowear item during the Challenge.
CLICK HERE for more info about our Retail Shop.
★ Bike from CW to Pleasant Lake Pizza Shark, and back. FREE EVENT Sunday 5/4 at 10AM. Family and friends are welcome!
Join CW staff and other members for a group 19.4 mile round-trip ride from Chatham Works to Pleasant Lake Pizza Shark. The route will be almost entirely on the Rail Trail. Please note that this will be an unsupported ride. Ride at your own risk and at your own pace.
CLICK HERE for the route.
★ Concept2 Test: Row or Ski 500 meters OR bike 1000 meters for time ⏱️
Doing a test workout on one of the Concept2's is a great way to gauge your cardiovascular fitness, power output, and anaerobic capacity. It's also a great way to challenge yourself mentally. Our goal here is to encourage you to push yourself, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and set a baseline time to measure against in the future. The Concept2 page on our website has lots of additional information about proper technique, training resources, and more.
Note: The BikeErg distance is double because the BikeErg accumulates meters at twice the rate as on the RowErg or SkiErg.
Watch the video below to learn how to program the PM5 monitor.
RACE STRATEGY:
You don't want to "fly and die". But you don't want to leave anything in the tank, either. A common approach is to 1) start with a 90%+ sprint for the first 25-30% (~150 meters on the rower/skier, or ~300 meters on the bike), 2) settle in a bit for the next 30% to 40%, and then 3) dig in, hang on, and sprint to the finish.
Rower ➔
- Set the damper between 4 and 6. You want it to feel like a sleek racing shell - not a sinking rowboat. Setting it higher risks injury - especially in a longer sprint like this.Even Olympic rowers almost NEVER set it to 10! (See more detailed guidance here, but the bottom line is that if you want more resistance, generate more force to make the flywheel spin faster and have to move more air.)
- Aim for a stroke rating / cadence of 28+ strokes per minute (SPM), but not much higher than 35spm unless you have some experience rowing at this intensity for this duration. Remember that speed is measured by how fast you're covering distance - not how many strokes per minute you're rowing. Make sure you don't compromise technique or power trying to row at a high stroke rating - you'll just be spinning your wheels.
SkiErg ➔
- The SkiErg allows you to safely use a higher damper setting, and a higher stroke cadence (40-60 spm).
- The same general race strategy applies: start with a sprint, settle a bit for the middle, and sprint to the finish.
BikeErg ➔
- It's designed to feel like a bike. So set the damper wherever you feel you'll be able to maintain at a pedaling cadence of at least 60RPM, and ideally 80 or higher. Remember that - if you're pushing yourself appropriately - things will start to feel a lot heavier as you near the finish. So don't set the damper so high that you risk losing momentum. But don't set it so low that you're "beating eggs" for the first half either. (More info on BikeErg resistance and cadence here.)
- Again, the same basic race strategy applies.
FYI ...
- If you want to see how you compare, Concept2 has an excellent online logbook and ranking page with workout data from people of all ages, from around the world.
- If you like to row/ski/bike on the C2's, we highly recommend you use their dedicated app - ErgData - which pairs with the monitor and has a number of great features.
- FYI you can pair your Myzone to the monitor so you can see your real-time heart rate. ErgData will also record and upload your HR data, and it doesn't interfere with the Myzone app. (To find your Myzone device ID, open the Myzone app ➔ "Menu" ➔ "Devices" ➔ click the gear icon to see your device details.)
★ Join us for 🌎 EARTH DAY 2025 Beach Cleanup at Lighthouse Beach! (11AM, Tues. 4/22). FREE EVENT - family and friends are welcome!
CLICK HERE for more information, and to sign up. (We kindly ask that you register in advance so we can make sure Chatham Conservation Foundation is able to provide us with enough equipment.)
★ Take an AROUND THE WORKS Class [Sat. 4/26 & Fri. 5/2]
Join us for two special 90 minutes classes. Rotate through our building in three 30 minute mini-classes, each taught by a different Trainer/Instructor.
This is part of our Spring Bingo Challenge, but it's also open to non-challenge participants. Regular class pricing and policies apply. Sign up below, or from our app.
April 26th
- GROUP-EX: Marie - Pilates
- SPIN: Diane - Spin
- TURF: Jason - Strength
May 2nd
- GROUP-EX: Amy - Yoga
- SPIN: Kate - Spin
- TURF: John + Brittany - Strength
Please bring a mat, water bottle, and towel! And be sure to hydrate well - especially if you plan on taking a sauna later.
★ Take a Class type you've NEVER taken before 🆕
We all need variety. Cardio, strength training, and mobility each offer different and important benefits. All three should be a part of your fitness program. Click here for additional perspective.
Full Class Schedule
★ Perform 2 minutes of 4/4/4/4 box breathing at least 1x per week 🫁
Box breathing is a deep breathing technique that can help regulate the autonomic nervous system, leading to reduced stress, lower blood pressure, and a sense of calm. This technique is beneficial for managing anxiety, depression, PTSD, and insomnia, and can even aid in pain management.
Watch the video below to learn.
★ Do 🔥 Sauna + 🧊 Cold Plunge [Special paid event 4/26. 10% early bird discount!]
Join us for a 50 minute Sauna + Cold Plunge contrast therapy session, featuring Sweat Sauna of Cape Cod's mobile, wood-fired 8-person sauna + two plunge tanks.
$36 for members. $40 for non-members. Book by 4/20 and save 10%!
Contrast therapy (moving between hot and cold) has a number of proven benefits:
- Improves breathing and recovery.
- Supports cardiac function.
- Eases muscle soreness and alleviates pain.
- Supports hormonal balance.
- Promotes weight loss and boosts metabolism.
- Boosts immunity.
- Enhances mental clarity and mood, and reduces stress.
- Builds mental fortitude. 😉
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & TO BOOK YOUR SESSION
★ Take a Rest Day 💤
The harder you work, the greater emphasis you need to place on recovery. Balance is key. (Sometimes, less can even be more.)
Taking a planned rest day gives your mind and your body time to repair and rejuvenate. BONUS: You'll probably find that you're able to go just a little bit harder on your next workout!
Click here for more perspective on the importance of balance and recovery.
★ Take the Myzone Fitness Test 2.0 📐
Background: VO2 max is the measure of how much oxygen your body consumes while exercising. It's expressed as ml/kg/minute - milliliters of oxygen consumed per kilogram of body weight per minute of exercise.
The higher your VO2 max, the more effectively your heart and lungs are able to supply blood to your muscles, and the more efficiently your muscles are able to extract and use oxygen from your blood. That's why VO2 max is widely considered to be the gold standard measure of cardiovascular fitness level. Not surprisingly, VO2 max is also one of the best predictors of longevity.
The best - and only - way to accurately measure VO2 max is to take a specialized - and arduous - fitness test in a clinical setting with a heart rate monitor and a mask to measure the volume of your breathing. It's an expensive and time consuming procedure.
The Test: A feature within the Myzone app, the MZ-Fitness Test 2.0 is a 12-minute submaximal "Zone Match" workout that estimates your VO2 max based on your heart rate recovery (HRR). Research conducted by Myzone and Loughborough University found a high correlation between HRR and VO2 max, and deemed the test to both effective and efficient. (But we want to be clear that's it's not as reliable as a laboratory VO2 max test.)
➔ Take the test using either an upright bike or a treadmill, wearing your Myzone heart rate monitor. The test will have you gradually ramp up your heart rate through 10 minutes of exercise, followed by a complete stop. After two minutes at rest, the test calculates your HRR (the number of beats your heart rate dropped). From there they calculate your estimated VO2 max using their fancy algorithms.
The test can be found in the app under MENU ➔ ACTIVITIES ➔ MZ Fitness Test 2.0. CLICK HERE for additional information.
★ Set a SMART Goal and Write it Down 🎯
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. These simple criteria help structure your goals, making them more manageable, and more attainable.
Even if your goal is to just exercise regularly - or you don't really have a goal at all - giving some thought to your "WHY" is a valuable exercise that might yield helpful insights.
★ Earn 1300+ MEPs in Myzone for the Month 📊
Myzone is a heart rate monitoring system that helps you stay motivated, keep accountable, and make your workouts safer, more effective, and more fun! The chest-mounted monitor works by detecting the electric signal from your heart, and is 99.4% as accurate as a medical grade EKG ... and far more accurate than smart watches.
1,300 MEPs (Myzone Effort Points) corresponds to the World Health Organization's exercise recommendations.
➔ All annual THE WORKS members get a Myzone monitor free when they sign up. Monitors are also available for purchase in our Retail Shop.
★ Do a 45+ min. steady state Zone 2 Cardio Workout (conversational pace) 💙
There are many proven and significant benefits to longer, lower intensity steady state (LISS) cardio workouts. (Almost no fitness businesses offer them, but that's only because they're a tough sell to clients!)
This roughly corresponds toZone 2 within Myzone, or 60 to 69% of your maximum heart rate. If you don't have a Myzone, you can use the "talk test": find a pace at which you can't speak in long sentences without having to periodically catch your breath. That's the top end of your Zone 2.
Many elite cardio athletes (including cyclists and even rowers) spend 60 to 80% of their many training hours doing low intensity, steady-state cardio to increase their aerobic capacity.
Benefits of regular Zone 2 training include:
- Increases the number and efficiency of mitochondria, which provides numerous health and performance benefits.
- Improves insulin sensitivity and metabolic health.
- Burns fat and trains your body to become more efficient at burning fat.
- Reshapes and strengthens your heart.
- Increases oxygen capacity (VO2 max) and predicted longevity.
- Improves heart rate variability, and lowers resting heart rate.
- Helps improve sleep.
- Helps you avoid acute fatigue by enabling you to still get training in, but at an intensity that isn't as taxing.
★ Do the CW Octathlon Challenge [Fri. 5/16]