Have Fitness. Will Travel.

This summer many of our athletes/members have been dropping-in at other CrossFit affiliates to get their WOD on during their travels.  It's always great to see our people posting pics of themselves representing Arena Ready around the country, and around the world - so if you're taking your fitness on the road please continue sharing your snapshots with us!

Cara recently dropped-in at CrossFit Helena in Montana

G-Dub & C-Dub at Front Range CrossFit in Denver, Colorado

Yami snapped this shot of the gym in Mexico City during her travel WOD

Molly S found everyone's favorite road during her recent trip to Boston

WOD for 07-09-16:

3 Rounds For Time:

600m Run

20 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

30 Walking Lunges

20 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs

YEAH BUDDY!

Context of language is important.  Especially when you regularly speak in a manner that includes inside jokes to yourself, pop culture references, and/or obscure terminology.  A small sample of questions I get regularly are:

Why do you call someone's hair "salad" or "head of lettuce"?

What do you mean "new rides?" Oh, you mean my shoes?!

What exactly are "courtesy" shorts?

I've known my wife for over 6 years now, and only recently (when she finally saw the the original Star Wars trilogy for the first time in her life) did she understand why I sometimes wave my hand past her face and tell her, "these aren't the droids you're looking for."  It's usually when I sense an interrogation coming on, whether it be about who ate all the dark chocolate covered almonds in the house or whether or not I used her jump rope and then got it all tangled when I haphazardly put it back in her gym bag. 

Move along! Move along!

On Thursday I wore a t-shirt that had a phrase on it which I (and many other folks) often say/exclaim at the gym... YEAH BUDDY!  You might have even heard it at other gyms you've been to, as it's somewhat of a ubiquitous figure of speech these days in the fitness world.  A lot of people say it (as an exclamation of of excitement or accomplishment, or as a cheer of encouragement to another athlete), but not a lot of people know where it comes from...   

Am I doing this right, kids?  Is this, like, what snapchat is?! 

The term YEAH BUDDY! which can often be followed by the term LIGHT WEIGHT BABY! is credited to Ronnie Coleman, 8-Time Mr. Olympia and a man regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time.  There are many videos on the interwebz of Ronnie training hard and exclaiming his signature catch phrase.  He is quite the character, to say the least.  Exhibit A:   

The #yeahbuddy t-shirt I'm wearing above has a more local-slash-functional-fitness significance as it is in reference to our buddy (pun completely intended) - and Coach Sarah's NPGL/GRID San Francisco Fire teammate - Buddy Hitchcock, who can do some incredible things with a barbell and with bodyweight movements as well.  He may also be one of the most explosive athletes I've ever seen who isn't/wasn't an elite level Track & Field competitor or NFL/NBA athlete.  Here he is making a 225-pound touch-and-go power snatch set of 5 (click for the video link) to win the season opener against The Phoenix Rise (remember this guy weighs about 180 pounds, maybe... sorry, Buddy).  

Holy crap, right?

Not exactly.  More like YEAH BUDDY! LIGHT WEIGHT BABY!     

WOD for 07-08-16:

Push Press:

4-4-4-4

Climbing. No rack (barbell cleaned from the floor).
 

-then-
 

EMOM 14 Minutes:

INUTES 1-4:
3 Snatches, Moderate (~65-70% of 1RM)

MINUTE 5: 
REST

MINUTES 6-9:
2 Snatches, Moderately Heavy (~75-80%)   

MINUTE 10:
REST

MINUTES 11-14:
1 Snatch, Heavy (~85-90%)

Use the same weight across for all four triples, then all four doubles, and then all four singles, changing the weight only during the rest minutes. The goal is make all 12 sets with no misses, so remember that "heavy" does not mean "max." Percentages shown are of a 1-rep max, and are simply rough guidelines.  Power or full snatch is allowed (athlete's choice today), and touch-and-go for the triples and doubles is not required.    

Short-Term Pain & Long-Term Gain

"The secret to success is simpler than you might realize. The single factor that separates the ultra successful from everyone else is that successful people endure short-term pain (even seek it out) for long-term gain, while unsuccessful people give-in to short-term pleasure (even seek it out) and experience long term pain."

-Ben Bergeron

Where do you fall in this spectrum?  In your training?  In your career?  In your life/relationships?   

WOD for 07-07-16:

Alternating EMOM for 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):

Minute 1: 8-12 Pistols, alternating

Minute 2: 30-Second Tuck Sit

-then-

"Mighty Mini Nightmare"

IN TEAMS OF TWO...

AMRAP 18 Minutes:

18 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

15/12 Calorie Row

Only one athlete working at a time.  Athlete A completes one full round and then switches so that Athlete B can complete one full round.  Score is the team's total rounds + reps completed. 

10 Years of CrossFit

Pat Sherwood was the "Flowmaster" at our CrossFit Level 1 Seminar nearly seven years ago when Sarah and I decided to become CrossFit trainers.  The Flowmaster is in charge of running the weekend-long course, leading some of the most important lectures and managing the rest of the HQ staff on hand as they guide the attendees through hands-on training instruction and classroom lectures.  Sarah went on to work for the HQ Seminar Staff with Pat for a few years, traveling around the world spreading the good will of CrossFit to eager wannabe trainers and gym owners.  Pat was a great mentor and is a friend - and as one of the "OG" CrossFitters his perspective and observations are always insightful, entertaining, and helpful.

Last year, Pat shared his thoughts on CrossFit after having his 10-year anniversary since doing his very first WOD:  

"Aug. 18, 2015, marked my 10-year anniversary since doing my very first CrossFit workout. This last decade has taught me a lot. Looking back, I did a lot of things right, and even more things wrong. In sharing my observations and lessons learned, perhaps I can help some people as they progress toward their 10-year anniversary.

10. Take training seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. Have more fun. When you are new, every day seems like it's raining PRs. That will eventually slow down. Always strive to improve, but learn to enjoy going to the gym, working hard and going home … regardless of how the workout went.

9. Read the CrossFit Journal from the very first article, which was published in April of 2002. There is a wealth of information buried in those old articles.

8. Eating healthy is important, but please don't be the weirdo that turns down cake and ice cream at a birthday party because it does not fit your diet.

7. The first time someone told me about CrossFit, I thought it sounded ridiculous. This was due to my ignorance of what CrossFit's methodologies truly were. I was closed minded and thought I knew everything. If you encounter people like that (like I was), be patient. CrossFit is fun and effective; there is no denying that. Most of us thick-headed know-it-all types will eventually come around if you give us enough time and some sound information. (See No. 9.)

6. When it comes to getting fit, you can't beat the classics: couplets, triplets, chippers, EMOMs, heavy lifting, gymnastics, running, etc. I've been very lucky to interview and spend a lot of time with the fittest people in our community. I will let the cat out of the bag: There is no secret training. Don't cherry-pick workouts. Work your weaknesses. Train with variance. You will improve.

5. Get out of the gym. Working out is awesome! CrossFit is awesome! It's safe to say that I'm a CrossFit fanatic. That being said, if 10 minutes after meeting you we are still talking about your back squat, I'm secretly bored to tears. Seek balance in your life. Go for a hike. Learn to play a new sport. Go use your fitness. Enjoy life.

4. Crawl. Walk. Run. Master the basics. These days people see the CrossFit Games and they want top-level lifts and times immediately. That's not the way it works. Those men and women have put in years of work to be able to do what they do. You will have to do the same. Don't be in a rush to advance. Do not blow off the fundamentals only to develop bad habits you will one day need to break.

3. Support other communities. If someone does not do CrossFit because they choose to only Olympic lift, power lift, run, do pilates, yoga or something else … WHO CARES? Obviously, I'm biased and think CrossFit would better prepare them for a long, healthy life, but at least they are not sitting on the couch stuffing their face with sugar.

2. Be humble. If you walk around with an attitude because you have fast times or big lifts, well, there's no other way to put it … you're a douche bag. Also, one day you will not be the strongest or the fastest. Someone will be better than you, and then you will be left with nothing and surrounded by people you did not treat with kindness.

1. Help others on their journey. Remember when you first picked up a barbell or tried a muscle-up? Remember when you could not kip or even do a single pull-up? Remember when proper nutrition seemed overwhelming and confusing? Do you remember the person who did not look down on you for being inexperienced, but rather genuinely cared and helped you? Be that person.

I look forward to the next 10 years."

—Pat Sherwood, CrossFit HQ

WOD for 07-06-16:

Front Squat:

4-4-4-4-4-4

Climbing

-then-

For Time:

500m Row

400m Run

30 Burpees

20 Double Kettlebell Front Squats @ 53/35 lbs (each side)

10 Muscle-ups

Independence Day WOD

Thanks to everyone who came in on Monday for a 4th of July hero WOD, "Hotshots 19."  We had a great time coaching such an energetic and determined group, and as always it was a fun time with friends and fitness at its best.

Thanks once again to Jeff B for snapping some great shots of the workout and our amazing athletes!

WOD for 07-05-16:

Behind-the-Neck Strict Press:

5-5-5

For Quality

-then-

Push Jerk:

3-3-2-2-1-1

-then-

AMRAP 3 Minutes:

9 Push Jerks @ 155/105 lbs

9 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

REST 3 Minutes, THEN...

AMRAP 3 Minutes:

9 Push Jerks @ 155/105 lbs

9 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

July 4th: Hotshots 19

Please make sure to cancel ASAP if you're not able to make it in for the "Hotshots 19" hero WOD on Monday (and had previously signed-up), so that someone can take your spot.  If you're waitlisted and want to work out then come on in and we'll do our best to accommodate everyone.

We wish everyone safe and happy 4th of July!

WOD for 07-04-16:

"Hotshots 19"

6 Rounds For Time:

30 Air Squats

19 Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs

7 Strict Pull-ups

400m Run

(Compare to 07-04-14)

Training For Life

"You can sit back and do nothing, feel sorry, waiting for something to happen.  Or you can make it happen.  Where you have some control over how it all happens...

... The excellence of how you do things is the measurement of a good life.  And it's a life where it's up to you to make it better, to make it meaningful."  

-Jim Whistnaut, CrossFitter (80 years of age)

WOD FOR 07-02-16:

In Teams of Three Athletes...

AMRAP 17 Minutes:

Athletes A and B Share & Complete (only one working at a time):

7 Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs

7 Overhead Squats

7 Lateral Bar Burpees

Athlete C Completes:

500m Row

There must always be one athlete rowing, and the athlete must always switch after 500m. The team's score is rounds & reps completed of the triplet.

Stress and Living on the Roof

A post from my (Rob) favorite nutrition coach (for the original article click here)...

All of my clients, and I believe nearly all people, would love to build a beautifully balanced life, to eat perfectly Paleo meals and be free from cravings for salt, sugar or alcohol.  They'd like to sleep eight or more hours per night and wake up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.  They'd like to work out consistently except for their perfectly coordinated rest days, with always flawless technique.  There would be no need for stress management, because each day would represent an oasis of fresh, colorful fruit and veggies, plenty of clear, cold water, clear mind, full heart, and joyous exercise.  Chris Kresser defines these four elements: nutrition, exercise, sleep, and stress management, as the "four pillars of health," and I tend to agree with him.

Many of my clients have limited ability to focus on these four pillars because they have created a world in which they feel like they are fighting for survival - trying to make ever more money to support lifestyles ever more extravagant in cities which are ever more expensive.  Fear of not having enough - money, time, accolades - drives us to enter survival mode. If you feel like you are fighting for survival, eating nutritious food, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly can't be among your top priorities.  In survival mode, all you care about is living to fight another day.

When we exist in survival mode, our bodies respond with cortisol and adrenaline, potentially fueled by caffeine.  We are constantly ready to fight - no time for sleep- we stay up late and wake up early.  We go from email to phone call to meeting to flight to traffic to bills.  No time for nutritious meals - we forget to eat until we're starving, and then we eat whatever quick and easy calorie bomb will get us through. No time for exercise - we sit in a screen-induced trance, forgetting to even move for hours on end, slouching further into our chairs, and sagging into our standing desks, wondering why our atrophying bodies hurt everywhere.  No time for stress management - we can't even breathe, much less breathe deeply, and we can't imagine finding time to go outside or play with dogs and children with no agenda.  Every single moment feels urgent, critical, and time-sensitive.

If you are existing in survival mode, there are two things to evaluate: what do I really need/want, and am I doing what I need to be doing/can do to get there?  Through evaluating your priorities, you can sift through the things that are meaningful - the things that bring you joy or fulfillment, and/or the things that are necessary to ensure the survival of your family - and make choices to ensure that the things taking your time or money, are also bringing you joy or fulfillment, and contributing to your survival.

Once we've fixed the foundation, and are no longer feeling threatened, we can then focus more effectively on building health. These four critical elements enable us to thrive, and the absence of any or all of these components will lead to feeling gross in the short-term, and being sick in the long term.

The foundation relates to basic survival.

The pillars relate to optimal health.

Then we can focus on the future.

Too many people confuse the roof and the foundation.  You can't fight for the roof in survival mode as though your life depends on it, without crumbling in the pillars.  You can't realistically talk about the luxury of fulfillment or achieving lofty goals if you're unsure whether you will actually live to see the day that you experience them.

Your life plan should absolutely ensure your foundation is solid - that you have enough money to keep a roof over your head, food on your table, and time to enjoy the people you love. If you're truly stressed because of flaws in your foundation, pay close attention to that - manage your income, your lifestyle, and your expectations so they're in sync.

If you've established that you're striving for goals that represent luxuries versus necessities,slow down, stop stressing, and focus on building the pillars. Learn about nutrition - food quality and quantity, meal prep and cooking.  Get enough sleep - turn off the lights, put down the phone.  Exercise regularly - find a routine you like and stick to it consistently.  Manage stress, but only to recognize when it's overtaking you, and decide whether it's your foundation that's stressing you, or your roof.  If it's the roof, take a step back, do more deep breathing, and realize that you're only one person, and Rome wasn't built in a day.

WOD for 07-01-16:

Alternating EMOM for 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):

Minute 1: 3 Deadlifts, climbing to your working weight for the AMRAP

Minute 2: 3 Pull-ups + 2 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups + 1 Bar Muscle-up 

-then-

AMRAP 10 Minutes:

3 Deadlifts @ 315/225 lbs

1 Round of "Cindy"

1 Round of 'Cindy" is:

5 Pull-ups

10 Push-up

15 Air Squats

We Talkin' About Practice

Wednesday's "for quality" good mornings and clean pull + power clean technique session reminded me of a post from last winter.  As I watched most athletes actually do the two exercises for quality and with position, technique, and balance in mind I thought to myself "yup, that's gonna transfer over eventually."  By contrast, the few who loaded up and struggled through the exercises (even as my facial expression and Randy Jackson impression of "that wasn't your best, Dawg... it was a little pitchy, Dawg" articulated my feelings on the performance) likely spent time re-enforcing existing bad habits (sadly).  

Of course there's a time and place to load it up, go heavy, and push the limits.  But when we're tying to develop movement patterns and fix technique, that has to be done at sub-maximal loads.  Through practice.

Number of times AI says the word "practice" in this video... twenty-five.

John Welbourn once told me, "when the bullets start flying EVERYONE drops to their level of training."  

Another way of saying this is "when the clock starts running or the weights get heavy, the body gets tired, and the fight or flight response kicks in, every athlete starts moving the way they always move... in training... in warm-ups... in PRACTICE... in everyday life."  No one ever starts "rising to the occasion" and miraculously looking perfect, as if all they ever needed to move well was simply the pressure of intensity and/or heavier loads.

In thousands of hours of coaching I can tell you that this is one of the truest concepts of training.  We see it all the time, day after day.  The athlete who moves well in warm-ups, and has put the work in on doing just that, generally moves well in workouts, in strength sessions, and in competition (even if that "competition" is simply life).  The lifter who looks sharp and precise with the empty bar usually looks pretty damn good with heavy loads.  Alternatively, the guy or gal who consistently goes through the motions and lazily moves their body until things get heavy or hard usually has a tough time holding position when things become just that... heavy or hard.  Sometimes said athlete thinks, "well the people who look good in warm-ups and with low weights are just lucky... they're born that way and they're just really flexible/mobile/short/tall/etc."  In some cases there can be truth in that statement, but in most I would argue that those people have worked really damn hard to be able to put their bodies in the right positions.  But since fixing movement with little or no load isn't glamorous, and can be crushing to the athlete's ego and patience, most who aren't good at it chalk it up to "I'm just not built that way, and I need some more weight to make it look and feel better."  Not true.  You "need some more weight" to make it look passable... until of course the weight is heavy enough, or the workout hard enough, that passable can no longer complete the task.  Then he/she usually enters one of two territories - Miss-ville (the land of a thousand misses) OR Snap City (sometimes referred to as Sketch City or "holy crap I hope no one was watching that").  Very strong athletes who are also very limited in their mobility can likely identify with that situation (although they're not the only ones in this boat) - it feels hard with little to no weight, then it feels fine with moderate loading, then it just gets frustratingly impossible at heavier loads which are still well under his/her perceived maximum potential. 

I don't think Dr. Dave or Charles (two of our members at Arena Ready) would ever consider themselves in the same mobility/flexibility/position sphere as Kate F.Sq. - in fact I think both would freely admit that certain elements of position are extremely challenging for them, and have been for some time.  But both of them have worked hard to get better posturally and positionally over the last couple of years, and as a coach who has had the pleasure of watching their progress I can say that their efforts have made a huge difference - in their lifts, in their workouts, and in their general day-to-day movement (some might call that "daily life"). 

Here's Dr. Dave with a PR deadlift at 315 lbs: 

Here's Charles with a PR at 305 lbs:

Perfect?  No.  Pretty damn good though?  Yes.  And a hell of a lot better than it was 12, 18, 24 months ago. You might watch that and say "well those guys had a lot left in the tank for more!"... and I wouldn't necessarily disagree with you.  But on that day, for that lift, the bar was MUCH heavier than either of them had ever lifted in their lives before (i.e. "the bullets were definitely flying"), and yet that's what it looked like (pretty damn good) in the above videos.  In a few weeks or months when the bar is even heavier I would be willing to bet it will look about the same, if not slightly better, and with a few more plates on each side - and many will still think "damn, those guys had a lot left in the tank for more!"

And perhaps, on that day to come, I'll still agree that in fact they did.  But the next day Charles will be playing with his kids or going for a run, and Dave will be in the ER treating patients and not at home treating his own tweaked back.

So yeah.  We talkin' about practice.

And just for fun, here's Kate F.Sq. with a PR of 255 lbs at roughly 105 lbs bodyweight:

WOD for 06-30-16:

Back Squat:

12 minutes to build to your working weight

-then-

On a Running Clock...

At the 0:00, 4:00, 8:00, 12:00, 16:00, 20:00 Mark:

4 Back Squats

Across

At the 2:00, 6:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, 22:00 Mark:

200m Medicine Ball Carry

Pick loading

4th of July Holiday Schedule

We'll be open on the 4th of July (Monday), and will run a holiday class schedule for a traditional "Hero" WOD.  Classes will be slightly longer to accommodate a bigger group if needed, and we'll have class start times at 9:00am and 10:15am.  Please sign-up for class in advance as usual (and make sure to cancel ASAP if you're not able to to make it, so someone can take your spot!).

Thank you, and please let us know if you have any questions.

WOD for 06-29-16:

Barbell Good Morning:

8-8-8

For Quality

-then-

Clean Pull + Power Clean:

5 Sets of (1+1)

Climbing to 80% of 1RM power clean (not a max set). Prioritize position and finishing your leg drive in the 2nd pull. 

-then-

5 Rounds of Row Intervals:

1:00 Max Calories

1:30 Rest

Score by total calories across all 5 rounds.

Finding Your Swolemate

#Infarkle

Some time ago Lisa G posted her blog "Finding Your Swolemate" - it's a great read, and fun to hear her perspective on the community of athletes at Arena Ready whom she considers her partners in crime.  The full article can be found here, and below is an excerpt: 

I’m lucky in that I have my husband, who has been my biggest supporter and fan throughout all my endeavors. I don’t like to get overly mushy, but Greg’s definitely my soulmate. He gets me, and occasionally knows more about me than I do about myself.  I am absolutely a lucky girl to have such a person in my life.  That being said, Greg and I have always agreed that me and my lifting/CrossFitting is separate from his exercise regime.  So, while I’m truly fortunate to have him, I’m even more lucky to have more than one “swolemate” or training partner at my gym.  Finding one swolemate isn’t easy, and having a whole team of them is something that has certainly taken a lot of time.  But I rely on each and everyone of my swolemates to get me through my training. If I were to do a breakdown of where I spend the most time that isn’t my office, it’s at the gym.  I’m a creature of habit too, and most of us crazies who workout at 6AM are just as passionate about making sure exercise is a priority as I am (because let’s be honest…waking up to lift heavy things requires some serious dedication).

The most awesome part about having more than one swolemate is that each person gives me inspiration or motivation in different ways.  And just to be clear, I have both girl and guy swolemates.  So to capture the reasons why having a swolemate at the gym is better than suffering solo, I thought I’d put together a few reasons why having a swolemate makes exercise much more palatable and fun!

Gary, Lisa, Kim, and Coach Laura

WOD for 06-28-16:

Alternating EMOM for 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):

Minute 1: 12 Unbroken Handstand Push-ups

Minute 2: 36 Unbroken Double Unders

-then-

4 Rounds For Time:

200m Run

12 Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

12 Toes-to-Bar

Arena Ready at The Track & Ballpark!

Track Day Saturday

On Saturday morning forty of our Arena Ready athletes made their way out to the track for a morning workout in the sun with friends new & old.  It was a blast getting outside the gym and enjoying some exercise in the sunshine among trees, grass, and a beautiful track.  Thanks to everyone who came out (what a big, energetic group!) and made it a fantastic kickoff for the weekend!

A big shout out to Jeff B for snapping some awesome photos of our athletes attacking the Sweaty Saturday WOD - a few of his pics are included below (as well as in the banner of this post):

Ballpark Sunday

On Sunday another big group of Arena Ready folks headed out to AT&T Park to watch the Giants beat the Phillies under sunny San Francisco skies: 

If you're a member at Arena Ready but aren't in our private Arena Ready Facebook group (where a lot of the news and organizing of these types of events are posted) then make sure to click on the link and request to be added!

WOD for 06-27-16:

"Partner Death By Barbell"

10 Rounds For Time, Split Evenly:

15 Deadlifts @ 135/95 lbs

12 Hang Power Cleans

9 Front Squats

6 Push Jerks

One athlete working at a time.  Partner A completes one full round and then Partner B completes one full round, etc.  Each athlete will complete 5 rounds for a team total of 10 rounds.

(Compare to 10-05-13)