April Group Orders Due This Weekend

A quick reminder that we've had the group/bulk order form out this week on the gym desk, and we'll be ordering snacks & supplements on Monday.

For those of you who would like to place orders but haven't yet, please make sure to write your items down on the form this weekend - and help us out by writing legibly (i.e. before your workout and not after, when you're shaking uncontrollably and dripping sweat all over the paper... haha).  

To clarify - these are personal orders that we place for you in group/bulk format to take advantage of reduced shipping and/or bulk order rates (they are NOT orders for inventory we normally carry at the gym for individual sale). 

The following items/brands are available for Monday's group order (Stronger Faster Healthier/SFH orders were already placed on Thursday):

Perfect Bars, Fuel For Fire, Rx Bars, Nick's Sticks, Rise Bars, NutriForce, Revive Rx

Thanks for your attention!

WOD for 04-23-16:

ON A RUNNING CLOCK, WITH A PARTNER*...

A) From 0:00 - 16:00

AMRAP 16 Minutes:

600m Run

16 Power Cleans @ 155/105 lbs

32 Lateral Bar Burpees

Only one partner working at a time.  Run & reps are shared and may be divided in any fashion. 

From 16:00 - 18:00

REST

This is forced rest. Deadlift warm-up reps are not allowed during this 2 minutes, but loading the bar for the first set/attempt and gathering plates is allowed.

B) From 18:00 - 30:00

12 Minutes for Both Partners to Establish a Heavy Single Deadlift 

Partners must use the same bar.  Weights can be added or removed in-between sets/attempts. 

*Score the WOD by rounds + reps completed in the AMRAP and total pounds lifted (both partners combined) in the deadlift.

2016 Masters Qualifiers Workouts Announced

The 2016 CrossFit Games Masters Qualifier workouts have been announced, and Kim has until Monday to complete the events and submit her scores.  It should be a fun weekend as our Mighty Mini hits these workouts hard!  You can check out the four events on the CF Games website here, complete with movement standards/loading and video explanations. 

We'll keep everyone posted either here or on the private Arena Ready Facebook group with any details on days/times that Kim might want some supportive cheering & screaming, or perhaps some pacing rabbits to do the WOD(s) with her.   

GO KIM GO!!! You got this!

WOD for 04-22-16:

ON A RUNNING CLOCK...

A) From 0:00 - 15:00:

Snatch Balance + 2 Overhead Squats:

5 Sets of (1+2)

(Add to your top set from 03-21-16 if possible)

-then-

B) From 15:00 - 40:00:

Back Squat (Week 2, Day 2):

6x4 @ 80%

Across

Squat Program FAQ

A reminder that Kim's 2016 CrossFit Games Masters Qualifier workouts will be released on Thursday at 5pm on the CrossFit Games website.  Last year, among two other tough workouts, she faced a "Double Jackie" and a 1-rep Max Snatch.  What will 2016 bring?!

Also, we've received several questions regarding the current squat program, so I thought it might be helpful to answer the most common ones here on the blog.

Is this the same squat program we did last Fall or last Spring?

No. Both of those previous squat programs were original creations we mixed into the regular class programming with varied days and slightly less structured loading.  We had a ton of PRs at the conclusion of both of those programs, and we expect the same this time around even though this current program is more deliberate and structured (for reasons explained previously before the program started), with back squat days on Tuesdays and Fridays.

This current program is an adapted version of the "Russian Master's Squat Program."  If you're a bit of a weightlifting geek and find yourself thinking "Why don't we do the full Russian Squat Program?" - which is quite a bit more volume in a shorter period of time - my honest answer is "because you have a job, and a life, and want to be a useful human... and mostly because it might actually break you."  For nearly everyone at the gym the 2x per week program (aka "Masters") is plenty, given that we program so many other days of lifting and conditioning on a weekly basis.  I think the full Russian Squat Program is great if you're 22 years old, are weightlifting full time, have the the luxury of being able to take a nap in the middle of every training day, have daily access to a cold plunge and ice baths, eat like you're going into hibernation, and have no aspirations of wanting to do things like breathe hard for twenty minutes, be useful at work, or make it through the day without falling asleep at your computer because your CNS is on empty.    

Wait, it's 6x2 @ 80% again?! 

Yup. Every other session is 6x2 @ 80%.  Which means that every Tuesday is exactly that.  The progression in it's entirety is as follows:

Volume Phase (Weeks 1 - 4)

Tuesday: 6x2 @ 80%  EVERY WEEK

Friday: 6x3 @ 80% (Week 1), 6x4 @ 80% (Week 2), 6x5 @ 80% (Week 3), 6x6 @ 80% (Week 4)

Intensity Phase (Weeks 5 - 8)

Tuesday: 6x2 @ 80%  EVERY WEEK

Friday: 5x5 @ 85% (Week 5), 4x4 @ 90% (Week 6), 3x3 @ 95% (Week 7), New 1RM (Week 8)

But this 6x2 feels easy. Should it?

Well, it shouldn't feel hard.  I mean, it's 80% for two reps.  It should feel like you have to focus & work, but you shouldn't be "grinding out" the reps.  Some may experience that the 6x2 feels easier as we go along, and may be tempted to add more weight on those days as that phenomenon happens - don't.  Just let it happen.  Enjoy the "easy" days every other session.  Focus on your positions and tempo, and make every rep as perfect as it possibly can be.  Assuming you used a recent/accurate/reasonable 1RM calculation then stick with what you're using and trust in the program.  Don't be that guy or gal who gets pinned at 80% on the 6x6 day because you went up after thinking 80% "felt easy."  

Actually this 6x2 feels really heavy. Should it?

No, not really.  Like I said above it should feel like you have to focus and work on holding positions and tempo, but not like you're grinding out reps or in jeopardy of missing.  If you feel either of the latter, and it's not due to an accidental technical issue (i.e. I rushed a rep and simply forgot to maintain tension), then you may be using an 80% that's too heavy (i.e. not actually 80% of your "current era" 1RM).  That's another way of saying "you don't squat that much right now so stop lying to yourself."  I've seen a few really grind-y reps on 6x2 days and it makes me worried for a few of you when 6x5 and 6x6 comes around (let alone 5x5 @ 85%, 4x4 @ 90%, and 3x3 @ 95%).  Sure, you're going to build up some ability to handle those larger/harder working sets over the next few weeks, but if you're numbers are way off then it might be time to reassess and be real with yourself about what you're actually capable of right now.  Set yourself up to succeed, don't put yourself in a position to fail due to ego. 

I might miss a day, how can I make it up?    

This particular program works if you work it.  You have to make all the training days, be precise, take recovery seriously, and fuel yourself well.  If you know that you may not be able to hit that first point, and have to miss a day (Tuesday or Friday), then you have two options to make up the session: 1) come in on Sunday Open Gym to make up the missed day; or 2) come to Wednesday 7pm Barbell Class, assuming there is space in the class & you've notified the coach that you're making up a squat session.  Either way please sign-up for the class (Open Gym or Barbell) as you would with any other CF class.

Remember that making-up a day up throws the timing off a bit, so it could make the session a little more difficult if you're going on less days rest and/or fewer days in between squat sessions.  If it's important to you that you really crush it on this squat program then you may want to take that into consideration during your other training days (days you're doing the class WOD but we're not back squatting) by moderating intensity a bit and/or reassessing relative scaling options.  The weeks are obviously programmed with the overall context of the stimulus in mind, but it's not necessarily programmed with make-up days in mind (that would limit things too much) so you'll have to be smart about your workload if you need to make-up a back squat session and are still training pretty regularly otherwise.

Dude, 6x6 is going to take me a while.  Are you going to make me do a 20-minute AMRAP that same day?

No, of course not.  The higher volume days and higher intensity days will have more time to complete the sets.  You're already seeing that 6x2 @ 80% doesn't take very long for most of you once you find your rhythm, so those sessions will stay about the same in terms of time during class.  But the harder days both in the volume phase and intensity phase will get plenty of time to complete the work sets.  That said, the "slow squatters" (you know who you are) will have to try to keep moving at a reasonable pace - I know the old stories of lifters sitting down for 15 minutes, smoking a cigarette, drinking some coffee, and reading the paper in between sets sounds glorious to some... but unfortunately we don't have that kind of time in a 60-minute class.   

Have any other questions that I didn't address here?  Feel free to shoot me a message or ask me in the gym - I'm happy to help!  

WOD for 04-21-16:

5 Rounds, Start Every 6 Minutes:

250m Row

20 AbMat Sit-ups

40 Double Unders

100m Kettblebell Farmer Carry, HAP (Heavy As Possible)

40m Bear Crawl

2016 Regionals: May 13-15

Here we come!  Again.

The CrossFit Games California "Super" Regional takes place at the Del Mar Arena from May 13-15, and like every year will be one of the most competitive CrossFit competitions in the world.  Last year over 40 members and coaches from Arena Ready made the trip down to cheer on Coach Sarah, and we'd love to get another big group together again this year.

Who's in? 

This will be Sarah's fifth Regionals appearance in the CrossFit Games.   It should be a fun one!

WOD for 04-20-16:

Alternating EMOM for 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):

ODDS: 2 Push Presses, climbing

EVENS: 12 Hollow Rocks

(Add to your top set from 04-04-15 if possible)

-then-

For Time:

20 Calorie Row

30 Handstand Push-ups

40 Pull-ups

50 Overhead Walking Lunges w/Plate @ 45/35 lbs

600m Run

GO Kim GO!!!

I just couldn't resist posting a classic "post-WOD Kim pain face" picture above (captured of course by the amazing Jenny M), as we are now two days away from the 2016 CrossFit Games Masters Qualifier. 

Our very own Kim crushed the Open once again this year, earning her second consecutive invite to compete in the Masters Qualifier, which is the final qualification phase before the big show - the CrossFit Games in Carson, CA (and on ESPN).  By finishing 8th overall in the Northern California Region (and well inside the top 100 in the world) in her age division, Kim has moved on to this next stage of competition, and the folks at CrossFit HQ will announce her workouts this Thursday, April 21st.  Kim will have until Monday to complete the workouts at Arena Ready and submit her scores and video validations - the top 20 scoring athletes in her division will earn a spot at the CrossFit Games to compete for the title of "Fittest on Earth."

Once the workouts are released we will keep everyone posted on potential days and times Kim will be completing the workouts at the gym, and specifically which ones she will want the cheering support of her Arena Ready family.  I'm sure that if she so desires we could assemble a nice crew of crazies that will gladly scream their heads off to help her get a few more reps.       

Anyone who knows Kim is well aware of how hard she works, how dedicated she is to setting and achieving her goals (both inside and outside of the gym), how welcoming she is to everyone in our community (she's often the first person to say hello to a newbie and chat them up), and how much of an inspiration she is to practically everyone at Arena Ready.  I've said it before many times, but it bears repeating because of how true it really is... when I grow up, I want to be Kim Tom.

So if you see Kim in the gym during the next few days make sure to wish her good luck... and hell, even give her a high five or two.  Maybe some of her fitness and badassness will rub off on you if you're lucky.    

GO Kim GO!!!

WOD for 04-19-16:

Back Squat (Week 2, Day 1):

6x2 @ 80%

Across

-then-

"Kim's Burpee Box Over Knockout"

EMOM Until You Cannot:

10 Burpee Box Jump Overs @ 24/20 in

(Compare to 04-22-15)

Congrats Megan!

On Friday I posted a video to the private Arena Ready Facebook group of Megan D snatching her bodyweight (from the hang, plus an overhead squat), which is a pretty damn cool accomplishment.  Congratulations, Megan!

What's the big deal, some of you may ask?  The bodyweight snatch is a milestone for many CrossFitters, and even some Olympic-style weightlifters - a gold standard of proficiency and one of the hallmarks of the beginning of mastery.  By my count I believe she is the fifth female athlete at Arena Ready to snatch her bodyweight (I think the mens count is somewhere around thirteen), which is pretty cool considering we are a fairly small gym that predominantly runs a CrossFit program in our classes (not a pure weightlifting program).   

The snatch is (as just about all of you know) a very complex movement, and an athlete's ability to snatch relatively heavy weights can often tell a lot about said athlete's abilities in other areas of fitness.  If an athlete can snatch his/her bodyweight it likely means that he/she is pretty darn strong, powerful, flexible, coordinated, agile, fast, and has a sound sense of both balance and accuracy.  Coincidentally those are 8 of the 10 "General Physical Skills" as defined by CrossFit in their classic, 14-year old article "What Is Fitness?" and it's arguable that snatching relatively heavy weights can also help in building capacity with the other two skills they define, cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina (assuming the athlete is spending time training other modalities and domains, and not just weightlifting).  In Megan's case I think the argument is pretty solid - not only can she snatch her ("fighting" ;-P) bodyweight, but I'm pretty confident she can run a sub-6-minute mile, do multiple strict pull-ups, pick up heavier objects than most men & women, run a decent half marathon time (if for some reason she wanted to do that to herself out of the blue), and probably embarrass more than a few people in a pick up game of her choosing.  Last week it was clear that she could still do ring muscle-ups no problem, even though she almost never practices them (she would admit this herself so I don't feel bad saying it, haha).      

What does this mean for many of you?  Well, since we love to teach weightlifting at AR we have a membership base that generally likes to snatch (and clean, and jerk, and squat, etc) and appreciates spending time getting better at the movement.  But there's always some folks who just don't quite understand the point of trying to learn how to do this awkwardly dynamic movement, and who may not appreciate what it does for herself/himself when they build proficiency in such a seemingly novel pursuit - the snatch.  I can guarantee you that the better you are at snatching the better you will be at an overwhelming majority of physical tasks in your life - carrying your kids, moving your furniture, hauling luggage in an airport or on an airplane, skiing, surfing, running, jumping, playing catch with your grandchildren, chasing your dog, telling snot-nosed bag boys at the grocery store that "No thank you, I don't need help out... these aren't actually that heavy for me."     

It'll be cool to see who will hit the bodyweight snatch milestone next. 

WOD for 04-18-16:

Every 2 Minutes for 6 Rounds (12 Minutes):

3 Power Cleans

-then-

A) AMRep 4 Minutes:

400m Run

15 Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs

Max Rep Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

REST 4 MINUTES

B) Repeat A. 

The Saturday Sweats

Giddy up, teams.

WOD for 04-16-16:

IN TEAMS OF THREE...

For Time:

600m Run

100 Calorie Row

100 Burpees Over Rower

100 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs

100 Burpees Over Rower

100 Calorie Row

600m Run

Only one athlete working at a time. All movements, including the run, can be shared/split/partitioned in any fashion by the team. 

Learn From My Dumb Arse. Literally.

Here's a re-post (from July of last year) that we thought would be helpful to share once again. Enjoy!

I recently read an article on PubMed titled Prevalence of gluteus medius weakness in people with chronic low back pain compared to healthy controls.  It reminded me of how stubborn I had been over the years regarding my own low back pain, and the role my glutes played in that pain.

It took me years to learn that my chronic lower back pain came from my weak glutes & hip dysfunction.  I didn't understand it.  I mean, I was a good athlete all my life... and one hell of a dancer up in tha' club.  These hips don't lie, son (real talk).

CrossFit forced me to further my understanding of what my body was doing right and what it was doing wrong.  Then, as I started to understand it better I fought the notion. "How could I have weak glutes?!  I deadlift 2.5x my body weight.  I can dunk a basketball (well, I could... at one point... haha).  Nonsense!!!"  Turns out my adductors and spinal erectors are overachievers and like to outshine my slacker booty.  Hence adductor strains whenever I'm being lazy and not potentiating my glutes on the regular (i.e. I stop doing my banded glute walks/steps, various bridges, planks, and other activation exercises).  Also turns out I couldn't separate hip flexion from spinal flexion, meaning I couldn't bend at my hip without bending my back (pretty common for many of us).

As athletes at Arena Ready your progress and safety is our main concern.  Please learn from my own stubborn mistakes.  Let my pain save you pain.  Trust me when I say that the glute activation movements we do in warm-ups are important, and not just "time fillers" for you to go through the motions.  They are also a minimum for most everyone - to really effect change you have to do a bit more, and be consistent with it.  We just purchased a batch of new "glute bands" for the gym - please use them (they are stored next to the larger stretch bands & PR gong). Get in 5-10 minutes early and add glute activation to your pre-class foam rolling routine.  If I told you 5 minutes of glute work every time you're in the gym could potentially save you a ton of back pain in the long run would you do it?  Well, I'm telling you.  Ask a coach if you're not sure you're doing the exercises correctly - we're happy to help, and will be thrilled to see you implementing the movements in addition to our normal class warm-up and mobility. 

My low back pain is pretty much gone these days.  After 15 years of competitive sports with chronic back pain my dumb ass finally started to figure it out (pun intended).  The last 4 years have been spent trying to understand WTF I've been doing incorrectly and then actively correcting it.

Join me.  Don't accept chronic back pain as your fate.  Determine your fate.  Say NO to back pain!

WOD for 04-15-16:

Back Squat:

6x3 @ 80%

Across

(Use the same 80% loading from your 6x2 on Tuesday 04-12-16)

-then-

Hang Squat Snatch + Overhead Squat:

5 Sets of (1+1)

Climbing

Tradeoffs and Optimizing Health

Elite athletes think of the world in terms of tradeoffs - every decision boils down to how and whether each choice will affect their performance at practice today, or the competition next month.  Fun activities like snowboarding or waterskiing often present an unacceptably high risk of injury, to the point that doing those things is off limits even in the written terms of a coach-athlete agreement.  Colleges are chosen based on scholarships, as is the decision to even go to college. Degrees are evaluated based on how time intensive they are and whether they will affect practice, careers are delayed to pursue Olympic or professional sports goals.  Family events are missed with regularity, relationships can be fractured.  An elite athlete's entire life has to revolve around sports performance, if he or she wants to reach the highest level.

Personally, I made many of these choices and most of these sacrifices.  I missed my brother's high school commencement address to set and hold the Pac-10 record for a few minutes.  My college GPA suffered - I was the co-valedictorian of my high school, only to score a 2 something in my first quarter of college because I was spending almost all of my time and energy at practice.  Since college, I've pursued a meaningful career in financial services, and also opened my own CrossFit gym with my husband, trying to make an impact in the world and provide for our future. During this time, I fell short of making the Olympic team in 2008 essentially because of a technicality, and missed qualifying for the CrossFit Games by a point equating to a single second in one event, and a single rep in another.  For a long time, I thought I just didn't try hard enough, but I've learned that in reality I was trying to achieve too many things at the same time. Therein lies the truth - I didn't want success enough to make the necessary sacrifices, or I didn't understand the effect of my choices.

In today's world, so many people believe those who sell products or services claiming that success is on the other side of some magic pill or fad diet. This culture leads us to believe we're the only ones not experiencing the easy path.  The truth is, day in and day out, successful people choose painful tradeoffs and necessary sacrifices, knowing that the pursuit of anything other than their goals will delay or even defeat the objective.  They're as consistent as they can humanly be in their pursuits, not to say they're always perfect, but they strive to make the best choices they can day after day.  Success requires assessing these tradeoffs, and truly understanding what it means to choose - family, career, a second career, fitness, nutrition, health, money.  Complete focus in one area necessitates complete neglect of something else.  Consciously compromising to choose balance is the right choice for many people.

I regularly talk with people about how their lives impact their health choices - obligations to family or work prevent them from exercising, choosing nutritious food, or getting enough sleep. I also talk with people who feel guilty for underperforming in sports when they're choosing to succeed as parents or as entrepreneurs.  Because time and energy are finite resources, these tradeoffs are real, but they don't have to be dissatisfying.  If you are conscious about how your priorities and goals relate to each other, you can choose an acceptable level of sacrifice in one area in order to enjoy success in another.  Doing this consciously puts you in the driver's seat, and gives you control of your life.

WOD for 04-14-16:

Alternating EMOM for 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):

ODDS: 5-7 Toes-through-Rings

EVENS: 30-45 sec Handstand Hold

-then-

For Time:

8 Muscle-ups

80 Double Unders`

40 Kettlebell Swings @ 53/35 lbs

6 Muscle-ups

60 Double Unders`

30 Kettlebell Swings @ 53/35 lbs

4 Muscle-ups

40 Double Unders`

20 Kettlebell Swings @ 53/35 lbs

73

73.  That's the number.

I've been a Golden State Warriors fan my entire life. I grew up playing basketball here in the city and although I eventually became a collegiate tennis player it was basketball that was my first love.  And when I say I was a Dubs fan my entire life I mean it... as a youth I scrounged to buy tickets when they were terrible, I stayed in the arena during 20+ point losses cheering for Manute Bol three-pointers so that we could get free Taco Bell with our ticket stubs, I had the Pizza Hut calendars with Run TMC, Alton Lister, and Sarunas Marciulionis on them, I booed when they drafted Todd Fuller, Joe Smith, and Adonal Foyle, wondering if we were trying to field a book reading squad instead of a sports team.  I used to say things like "Sprewell is the best guard in the league not named Jordan" and "C-Webb just gets a bad rap."  A bunch of nonsense statements really, indicative of dumb things a true fan says from time to time.  Hell, I even thought that maybe, just maybe, that 8th seeded team in '06-'07 could actually go all the way after beating the 1st seeded Mavs - I lived two blocks away from Baron Davis at the time and thought perhaps it was a sign from the basketball gods.  Silly me.

So nowadays, with all the recent success the team has had, I try not to talk it up too much and be one of those obnoxious bandwagon fans, pretending like they were here all along. You know who I'm talking about:

So you'll have to excuse this one (for now) post about the Warriors and their quest for history - 73 wins in one season.  I realize that even if they make it to 73-9 all the Bulls fans and other haters will say that Jordan and Co. would have swept my Dubs 4-0 if they played with both teams at their peak.  Obviously I don't agree.

Go DUBS.  AR folks, you know which socks I'll be wearing on Wednesday. 

WOD for 04-13-16:

"Run TMC"

6 Rounds, Start Every 4 Minutes:

20/17 Calorie Row

200m Run

6 Unbroken Hang Power Cleans @ 155/105 lbs

3 Unbroken Front Squats

6 Lateral Bar Burpees

If the barbell movements are not completed unbroken (i.e. performed as one set of nine total reps) the athlete must add 3 lateral bar burpees for every time the bar is dropped.  

It's the Vernal Equinox, Bro

The beauty of a structured squat program is that - for just about everyone - it works.  Assuming you consistently make all of the training days, use reasonable and correct loading (i.e. don't start calculating based off of a "fantasy" max that you technically have NEVER made but think you could in ideal conditions when the weather is just right, you've eaten your ideal breakfast at the optimal time, and you're using your lucky bar and rack that you wish everyone else would stop using because WTF don't they know it's yours), take your recovery seriously, and trust in the program.  Unless, of course, it's the vernal equinox - in which case there's no way you can do legs today, Bro:

(Some language NSFW)

Sadly the vernal equinox has already passed this year, so you're outta' luck with that excuse.

In all seriousness, if you want to reap the most benefit these next couple of months then trust the program, be consistent in making the training days, recover like an athlete, and hopefully 8 weeks from now you'll be enjoying the rewards.

Here's some Day 1 motivation for you.  Fist, the Squirrel with a PR of 235 lbs (at 108 lbs bodyweight) following our last squat program:

And Coach Sarah with a PR of 353 lbs (at 165 lbs bodyweight) the last time she did a very similar program we're about to start on Tuesday:

I need some new PR videos at the end of these 8 weeks so I can stop posting these two.  Who's it gonna be? 

WOD for 04-12-16:

Back Squat:

6x2 @ 80%

Across

(Calculate using your top set from 11-24-15, 02-23-16, 03-09-16, or a more recent 1RM if you have one)

-then-

AMRAP 8 Minutes:

10 Shoulder-to-Overhead @ 115/80 lbs

10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

20 Air Squats

SKWATS: The Next 8 Weeks

The 2016 Open is now in our rearview mirror and accordingly - as we do several times throughout the year - we start to guide the "constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity" ship in a slightly different, targeted direction.  Those of you who really geek-out on programming, and/or who have been with us for a several years, may have a sense of the phases and cycles that weave their way into and out of the general programming throughout the year.  Some pieces are very obvious, others not so much, and some we (believe it or not) intentionally "hide" in the fabric of the workouts and weekly/monthly programming in an effort to make the overall program as simple & elegant as possible while also allowing for vicious/evil/wicked intensity.  This presents the opportunity for "flat out go hard" as often as possible for the individual athlete, assuming that consistent training, sound mechanics, and intelligent scaling are all in play.  The goal of all of this is simple - increased fitness ("work capacity across broad times and modal domains") and a elevated state of general physical preparedness (GPP).

One of the components over the next couple of months will be an 8-week squat program.  The program will have us squatting (from the rack) twice per week, Tuesdays and Fridays.  In the past we have rotated squat days on different days of the week during our squat programs, mostly to keep the complimentary movements & workouts fresh and to allow for an element of variance surrounding the structured cycle.  This time around we have chosen to set the days on Tuesday & Friday for several reasons: 1) it allows for a "flex" day on Sunday Open Gym if you are unable to make one of the sessions during the week; 2) it works quite well for our competitive Olympic-style weightlifters who train 3x per week (in addition to CF class) at Barbell Club; and 3) it gives all athletes, who truly want to complete the program from beginning to end, advanced notice of training days and exactly what to expect in order to complete the cycle.

More info to come here and in class.  If you're the type of person who likes to get into the nitty gritty of it all feel free to contact us or chat us up at the gym.  If you couldn't care less about the method behind all the madness and/or are perfectly content just showing up, trying hard, and trusting the program then just keep doing what you do.  Either way get your butt in here and have fun getting even stronger, fitter, and faster over these next couple of months!

WOD for 04-11-16:

Deadlift:

2-2-2-2-2

Climbing (add to your top set from 03-28-16 if possible)

Superset:

7-10 Hollow Rocks

-then-

"Running Christine"

3 Rounds for Time:

400m Run

12 Deadlifts @ Bodyweight

21 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

(Compare to 04-30-15 and 09-29-14)