Workout of the Day
Western Conference Finals: SF Fire Fall to the PHX Rise, 19-14
What a great turnout for our Labor Day WOD "The Seven" on Monday! Thanks to everyone for being such awesome athletes and encouraging members - it was fun to see and hear folks cheering each other on to finish and/or keep moving when things got tough.
As those of you who were at the gym on Monday saw, Sarah is back (woohoo!) from her month away which was spent playing in the 2016 GRID/NPGL season for the San Francisco Fire. Sadly the Fire lost to a very talented Phoenix Rise team on Saturday night in the Western Conference Final by a score of 19-14. Things looked a little rough early on in the match, but the Fire fought back in the final four races (8 through 11) to make things much closer than they once seemed. But alas, some injuries and mis-steps proved too much to overcome and the Rise had surmounted a lead that was immune to a comeback (for the full match recap from the NPGL click here). The Rise will now move on to play the Boston Iron in the 2016 NPGL Final on Wednesday evening for the right to hoist the "Pinnacle Trophy." The SF Fire's matches (and many of the GRID matches from this season) will be re-broadcast on television starting later this month, and we will update the blog with dates and air times once they become available (it's fun to be able to watch your coach on television, so get ready to set your DVRs!).
If you were one of the many who were closely watching the GRID matches live, and are sad that the watchable competitive exercise is drawing to a close, fear not! Kim heads out to the 2016 Kill Cliff Granite Games in a few days to throw down with some of the fittest athletes in the world - and we'll post information on how to stream Kim's events, as well as all of the other divisions which includes former and current CrossFit Games champions, Masters Games champions, and other high level competitive exercisers. Cheer on Kim and feed the fix for watching fitness!
WOD for 09-06-16:
Hang Power Clean:
12 Minutes to Establish a Heavy Triple
-then-
For Time:
500m Row
1000m Run
50 AbMat Sit-ups
100 Double Unders
50 Hang Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
(Compare to 09-08-15)
Labor Day: The Seven
What has become the tradition on Labor Day at Arena Ready continues this year - the hero WOD known as "The Seven."
As mentioned previously, classes on Monday will be run at 9:00am and 10:15am, with a Gladiators session at 11:30am. Since these holiday WODs usually draw a big, enthusiastic group please MAKE SURE TO CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION ASAP IF YOU KNOW YOU CANNOT MAKE IT. Don't be that person who late cancels or no shows to a full class, potentially leaving others out of a workout (yes, we can see who cancels at the last minute... and yes, we can see if you're double-booked for a class, so please don't do that). We understand that life happens and that sometimes you cannot predict what might get in the way of making it to the gym... we're simply asking that you be considerate toward your fellow athletes (thankfully that's generally not an issue around these parts, but a little reminder in anticipation of a busy holiday WOD can't hurt).
If you want to workout and are on the waitlist then COME IN and we will make it work! As long as everyone plays nice, scales appropriately, and is mindful of their classmates it should be a great (and challenging) workout.
And just so everyone knows the background on this WOD, and who we are honoring when we do it, here is the explanation courtesy of CrossFit.com:
A suicide bomber killed seven CIA officers and one Jordanian officer at a remote base in southeastern Afghanistan on December 30, 2009 after posing as a potential informant reporting on Al Qaeda. Seven new stars will be etched onto the memorial wall at the CIA where every star represents grieving friends, family and colleagues dedicated to fight against the enemy, forever in their name.
Killed in the attack were CIA officers Jennifer Lynne Matthews, 45; Scott Michael Roberson, 39; Harold E. Brown Jr., 37; Darren LaBonte, 35; Elizabeth Hanson, 30; and security contractors Jeremy Jason Wise, 35, and Dane Clark Paresi, 46.
Thank you for your attention and cooperation.
WOD for 09-05-16:
"The Seven"
7 Rounds For Time:
7 Handstand Push-ups
7 Thrusters @ 135/95 lbs
7 Knees-to-Elbows
7 Deadlifts @ 245/175 lbs
7 Burpees
7 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
7 Pull-ups
(Compare to 09-07-15 and 10-17-14; Gladiators also compare to 04-12-14)
Western Conference Final: SF Fire vs PHX Rise - Saturday 6pm PT
It's GO TIME and the 2016 NPGL playoffs are here - the San Francisco Fire will once again do battle with the Phoenix Rise (for the third year in a row) in the Western Conference Final. The winner will take on the Boston Iron who served two-time defending GRID champions, the DC Brawlers, their first-ever loss in franchise history on Friday night in the Eastern Conference Final.
You can watch Coach Sarah and the SF Fire versus the PHX Rise LIVE on Saturday at 6pm PT on GRID TV. The match will also be re-broadcast on NBC Sports Network this fall (click here for more details).
What does the "Gridmaster" predict? Well, here you go...
Overview
Last year in the Western Conference Final, San Francisco was plagued by some injuries, a stomach virus and general fatigue. Phoenix, on the other hand, was executing at the top of their game. This match sets up a rematch of the 2015 conference final, but we should see a much tighter Fire. The Rise will be looking for an undefeated season, and San Francisco is hoping to take back what Danny Nichols took from them in the regular-season showdown in Race 11. It’s on.
Key players
The Fire’s Sarah Hopping-Estrella has been a standout all season. She will be a strong presence in this Denali format in much of the match, moving heavy weight throughout. On the other end of the spectrum, Courtney Walker will figure heavily in Jack and Jill, who along with Eric Cardona, will do a fair amount of skilled excellence with bar-muscle-up roll-overs. One of the Echoes, which close with 40 hang cleans, will be a face-off of the best closers in the league.
For Phoenix, Laura Poling was built for the Denali Echoes. Her task will be hang cleaning 145 lb for multiple reps, which for her is easy. Similarly, few athletes cycle a barbell in Quadrant 4 like Jessica Phillips and between her, Poling and Jamie Hagiya, they make a strong wall of defense against the Fire women.
For the men, San Francisco’s Cam Pernich, Ian Daniel and Ger Sasser will face off against Phoenix’s Danny Nichols, Blaine McConnell and Craig Kenny in Quadrant 4 and at various other places in the match. The Phoenix men showed why they are winners in the previous match against San Francisco, winning two of three men-only races, and with the dumbbell burpee box jump-overs, the Rise’s Nichols invented the speed on this move and will be hard to beat here. If Nichols positions Marcus Filly and McConnell to work through the chest-to-bar pull-ups quickly, the Phoenix men will be an stoppable force on the final cleans.
Keep an eye out for the Fire’s Cardona on Jack and Jill.
Race to watch
The Mirror, with its 40 front squats at 175 lb/285 lb is relatively heavier for the men than it is for the women. Ergo, the women don’t really factor as much as the men do. In other words, the teams will only be as fast as their slowest men. Both teams have won the Mirror twice against other teams. Head-to-head, San Francisco won against Phoenix. With Ian Daniel, Cam Pernich, Buddy Hitchcock and Jamie Lee, you have a solid lineup against Nichols, Kenny, McConnell and Filly. The slight edge may go to San Francisco on the strength of Daniels and Pernich in Quadrants 3 and 4.
The Men’s Echoes should be a wild ride through the dumbbell burpees-over-box. Nichols showed how this was done in the 2015 running of this match and he and McConnell will be extremely solid on this element. Similarly, the Rise women, lead by Poling and Phillips, should dominate these, as well. If this is the case, the generalists like Hagiya, Loeffler and Filly, will get through the chest-to-bar pull-ups setting up the cleans. It’s very possible that Phoenix could sweep races 3-6.
Jack and Jill tends to lean toward the Fire. With Cardona and Walker, they make a solid body-weight focus duo. Phoenix, however, may unleash Braden Rubey here. Rubey has not gotten the press and the notice that Cardona has but he is actually a powerful body-weight specialist who happens to be firing on all cylinders at the moment. He and Calhoun could give the Cardona/Walker pair a run for their money. While the edge goes to San Francisco, I am not counting Phoenix out to take this.
As we did with DC and Boston, let’s imagine a scenario where the match is close (and I suspect this one will be). Let’s imagine that it comes down to the Relay.
Where might one team take an advantage?...
(Click here for the full article and match prediction)
REMINDER about our Labor Day class schedule (click here for details).
WOD for 09-03-16:
On a Running Clock...
A) At The 0:00 Mark
With a Partner For Time:
800m Run TOGETHER
30 Squat Clean & Jerks @ 165/115 lbs
600m Run TOGETHER
20 Squat Clean & Jerks @ 185/125 lbs
400m Run TOGETHER
10 Squat Clean & Jerks @ 205/135 lbs
Partners run together, but squat clean & jerk reps are shared and can be split in any fashion (with one partner working at a time; does not have to be equally partitioned). C&J reps cannot start until both athletes have completed the preceding run.
B) At The 25:00 Mark
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Sets)
If possible add to 08-30-16, 08-09-16, 07-22-16, and 07-12-16.
Camp Sparkle Reminder and "Complaining and the Brain"
Camp Sparkle: Labor Day Weekend
Attention Parents! Camp Sparkle is on for Saturday (Sep 3rd) during the 8am and 9am classes, AND on Monday (Sep 5th) during the 9am Labor Day class. Click here for more details including how to reserve a spot (and request to be added if you're not already in the private Arena Ready Facebook group!).
"Complaining and the Brain - How 'Bad Karma' is Created"
The other day I was joking about whining and complaining with some of our athletes as they prepared for Wednesday's "Mini Fortitude" sweatfest. Although we were having fun with the topic I think most of the group agreed that complaining is contagious and can affect one's own perception of their surroundings (and their fate, as it were... certainly on Wednesday, haha). Recently there's been several articles floating around on the subject, some even delving into the notion that complaining can essentially re-wire the way your brain works. One such article titled "Complaining and the Brain - How 'Bad Karma' is Created" talks about how this sort of negativity can impact one's well being in more ways than one. Click here for the full article - here's an excerpt:
It is intuitive that a negative attitude and constant complaining are bad for us – but can it really affect our brain? It turns out that there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that negativity can alter our perception of life by changing the connection of the neurons in our brain. This would then result in increased stress levels, which is linked to chronic diseases and mental health problems.
A common perception of complaining, or “venting”, is that people feel better after getting their emotions out. Contrary to popular belief, however, studies have shown that expressing negativity can be bad for the mood of both the complainer and the listener, and here we briefly discuss a few findings on how negativity can impact our well-being.
Do negative thoughts affect the wiring of synapses in our brains?
The synapses in our brain are separated by spaces known as synaptic clefts. When we think, synapses “fire” and send signals across these clefts to other synapses. This forms a bridge by which signals and information and transferred. The exciting thing here is that upon each trigger of an electrical charge, the synapses involved are actually brought closer in proximity to each other. This increases the likelihood that the correct synapses will share the appropriate link and fire together. Consequently, it becomes easier for that particular thought to be triggered.
What all this means is that thinking about something initially makes it easier to think about it again in the future. As such, if a person is constantly unhappy, it makes it more likely that he or she will continue to have negative thoughts if nothing is done about it. On the bright side, though, this also suggests that if we make a conscious effort to think positive thoughts, the positive feedback cycle helps us to become a more optimistic personality as well.
By repeating pessimistic thought processes, synapses that represent these negative inclinations gradually grow closer. Given that the thought that is most likely to surface is the one which can form a bridge between synapses in the shortest period of time, it is unsurprising then that in this case a pessimist would be more likely to remain the way he or she was...
-Viatcheslav Wlassoff, PhD (BrainBlogger.com)
REMINDER about our Labor Day class schedule (click here for details).
WOD for 09-02-16:
Every 2 Minutes For 6 Rounds (12 Minutes):
2 Overhead Squats
Start light and then climb to a top set as technique allows.
REST 2 MINUTES, THEN...
Every 2 Minutes For 6 Rounds (12 Minutes):
3 Back Squats
Start light/moderate and then climb to a top set as technique allows.
-then-
AMRAP 6 Minutes:
20 Push-ups
20 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
20 Overhead Walking Lunges w/Plate @ 45/35 lbs
Labor Day Weekend
We'll be open every day during the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend, with a normal class schedule on Saturday and Sunday, and a holiday class schedule on Monday, September 5th. Classes on Monday will be run at 9:00am and 10:15am, with a Gladiators session at 11:30am - and you can expect a challenging "Hero WOD" on the board when you arrive at the gym (if you remember what we did last year on Labor Day then you know what's coming!).
Since these holiday WODs usually draw a big, enthusiastic group please be sure to sign-up for class ahead of time and (perhaps more importantly) MAKE SURE TO CANCEL YOUR RESERVATION ASAP IF YOU KNOW YOU CANNOT MAKE IT. Don't be that person who late cancels or no shows to a full class, potentially leaving others out of a workout (yes, we can see who cancels at the last minute). We understand that life happens and that sometimes you cannot predict what might get in the way of making it to the gym... we're simply asking that you be mindful of - and considerate toward - your fellow athletes (thankfully that's generally not an issue around these parts, but a little reminder in anticipation of a busy holiday WOD can't hurt).
Thank you for your attention and cooperation!
WOD for 09-01-16:
Deadlift:
3-3-3
Climbing
-then-
For Time:
600m Run
30 Deadlifts @ 205/145 lbs
60 AbMat Sit-ups
30 Deadlifts
600m Run
What Am I Going To Do With All This Fitness?!
One of the coolest parts of helping people increase their level of fitness is seeing how they apply that fitness outside of the gym. After all, the idea is to train hard inside the walls of Arena Ready in order to be... well... Arena Ready - prepared for whatever life may throw at you, or perhaps for whatever you seek out in life. Our members certainly seek out some pretty cool stuff - much of it comprised of things that I would never really dream about doing - and it gives us a huge sense of pride when we hear about how their increased work capacity allowed them to basically kick ass out in the big bad world.
One such example is David G - this gentleman has been dedicated to his training at AR since day 1, and his progress is nothing short of impressive. In the 13 or so months since he's started CrossFit we have witnessed huge gains in his strength, flexibility, speed, power, endurance, balance, and stamina among other things. And some of the feedback he's been kind enough to provide us this year has made us incredibly happy to have been a part of his fitness journey.
He sent us this awesome message at the start of the year:
I just wanted to drop you guys a quick note and say thank you for everything you've done for me over the last 5 months. A few months ago I thought CrossFit was basically a competitive "bro cult" and that a clean was something I had to do to my apartment -- last week I did "The Chief" with an awesome group of people and not a "bro" in sight. I think I mentioned to you guys that I'm a pretty avid skier. Yesterday I had a really big day in the backcountry (~10 miles of skinning and several thousand vertical of climbing) -- no way would I have been able to do it without the past few months of training at Arena Ready. This is by far the strongest skiing I've done since back in my race days. My cleans might not be perfect, but the effect of practice is definitely showing! I really appreciate all the coaching, encouragement, and the general environment you guys create and foster. Thank you guys so much for everything you do.
And this is perhaps an even cooler note he sent us just this week, after he spent the better part of a month in Patagonia:
WOD FOR THE PAST THREE WEEKS...
For Quality/As Many Rounds As Possible:Skin, bootpack, ice axe to the top of a mountain, and ski down.
Fitness provided by Arena Ready. That squat program/assault bike/all your secret fitness sauce paid off in dividends. Couldn't have done it without you guys. Thanks a million for facilitating the trip of a lifetime!! Bummed to be leaving Patagonia/South America, but super excited to get back to AR.
-David
Thanks so much for sharing, David, and for letting us be a part of your lifetime journey of fitness.
WOD for 08-31-16:
Tabata: Double Unders
(Rest 1 Minute)
Tabata: Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work/10 seconds of rest repeated for 8 rounds. This is NOT an alternating Tabata, so you will complete all 8 rounds of the double unders, rest 1 minute, and then complete all 8 rounds of the chest-to-bar pull-ups. Your score is the lowest round for each of the two movements.
-REST 5 Minutes, then-
"Mini Fortitude"
Alternating EMOM For 10 Rounds (20 Minutes):
MINUTE 1: 15 Calorie Row
MINUTE 2: 15 Burpees
Start with 15 reps for both movements and progress for as long as possible. If you drop to 14 reps for one of the movements then attempt to hold 14 for that movement for the remainder of the workout. If you drop to 12 then attempt to hold 12 for that movement for the remainder of the workout, etc.
Ivan
THIS is CrossFit.
Every time CrossFit HQ posts another part of Ivan's story I can't help but feel grateful for what we get to do.
WOD for 08-30-16:
On A Running Clock...
A) From 0:00 - 15:00
Strict Press:
3-3-2-2-1-1-1
Establish a heavy single for today OR current 1RM.
B) From 15:00 - 32:00
Front Squat:
3-3-2-2-1-1-1
Establish a heavy single for today. If possible add to 08-09-16.
C) From 34:00 - 40:00
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Sets)
If possible add to 07-12-16, 07-22-16, and 08-09-16.
SF Fire Win & Advance To Playoffs; Yoga Class Jumpin'; Kim "Eye Chart" Shirts Representin'
San Francisco Fire: Bring on The Western Conference Final!
Saturday night's "win or go home" match between the San Francisco Fire and the Miami Surge was dead even after 8 of 11 races - and then Coach Sarah and the Fire turned it on to shut-out the Surge in races 9, 10, and 11, securing a 20-12 win in emphatic fashion. In winning this regular-season finale the Fire earned a spot in the playoffs and will face the Phoenix Rise once again in the Western Conference Final (taking place on Saturday, September 3rd at 3pm PT).
Check out the NPGL's match re-cap (click here for the full article) - an excerpt is posted below:
“Before the match, I just pulled the players together and had them look around, and told everybody, ‘Only one team gets to move on,’ and they had to go out there and fight for each other, for the opportunity to play again.” said Adam Wells, interim head coach of the Fire.
As has been the case in previous play of the Amazon match format, Partner Forward was an ebb and flow of lead-trading. Both teams moved fairly smoothly through the first three quadrants, but Miami had a several rep advantage as the teams moved into the fourth quadrant.
As both Marco Coppola for Miami and Cam Pernich for San Francisco got their dumbbell ground-to-overhead reps out of the way, it literally came down to a side-by-side dash across the finish line between the Surge’s Brooke Haas and San Francisco’s Sarah Hopping-Estrella. Haas had trouble with the first rep and the 75-lb dumbbells dropped back to her shoulders. By the time she reset, Hopping-Estrella had split jerked the first rep and was starting her second. Haas somehow recovered, and both athletes crossed the line in a photo finish. Only a review of the tape allowed the refs to determine that in fact it was Miami who had broken the plane first.
“Of course you’re disappointed because you want to win,” Hopping-Estrella said, “but at the same time I thought we executed pretty well. Everybody tried hard and as a team, we continued to just take it one race at a time.”
The Mirror was more in line with Fire’s execution strategy. Rookie Ashley Gatewood showed tremendous effort in Quadrant 2, hitting a set of 10 jerks at 175 lb, and that smooth effort and the Fire’s quick transitions allowed San Francisco to get into Quadrant 4 first. Meanwhile, Miami struggled in Quadrant 2, with Reid Fitzgerald split jerking — a little slower movement in this race. Miami trailed San Francisco by nearly a full quadrant by the time the Fire started their reps in the fourth. Pernich and Hopping-Estrella demolished the final 10 reps for an easy San Francisco win. Miami beat the cap but the score was 3-3...
-Pat McCarty (NPGL)
Yoga Class
Sunday morning's yoga (make-up) class was jumpin'! Well, not literally - I mean, there was some jumpin' going on downstairs in Open Gym and Barbell Class, but the yoga group was holding their own and was definitely out in force. If you've never tried a yoga class with Dani then you should certainly give it a go - check out the details here if you'd like more info, and then sign-up for class. Yoga classes are free for Arena Ready members and the next class is Monday night at 7pm!
Kim Tom "Eye Chart" Granite Games Shirts Still Available
As expected the Kim Tom "Eye Chart" Granite Games shirts are a hit, and several members have already been spotted wearing their "Mini Mighty" swag to the gym and while running around town. There are still sizes left, so if you missed out - and would like to support Kim's trip to the 2016 Kill Cliff Granite Games - be sure to grab one at the gym (all proceeds from the $25 shirts go to cover travel expenses for our resident Mini's mission to kick ass in Minnesota in 2 weeks!).
The Webbs, as always, know what's up. Not to mention this family has great salad.
(For you slang-challenged folks, "salad" is "hair")
Adorable Baby Iris sporting her Kim T "Eye Chart" with pride. See what they did there?
WOD for 08-29-16:
Alternating EMOM for 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
MINUTE 1: 8-12 Pistols, alternating
MINUTE 2: 2 Power Cleans, climbing
-then-
5 Rounds For Time:
12 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
9 Toes-to-Bar
6 Power Cleans @ 185/125 lbs
SF Fire vs MIA Surge: Saturday, Aug 27 6pm PT
On Saturday evening Coach Sarah and the San Francisco Fire take on the Miami Surge in their regular season finale, with the winner earning a spot in the 2016 NPGL playoffs (and the loser going home for the year). The match will air live at 6pm PT on GRID TV, and then will re-air via network broadcast on NBC Sports Network in September. For more details on how to watch all of the 2016 GRID matches check out the details here on the NPGL website.
Go SF Fire! GO SARAH!!!
WOD for 08-27-16:
In Teams of THREE Athletes, On a Running Clock...
A) From 0:00 - 15:00
AMRAP 15 Minutes:
Athletes A & B share and complete the triplet (only one working at a time)...
5 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
10 Overhead Squats
15 Lateral Bar Burpees
Athlete C completes...
400m Run
There must always be one athlete running and the athlete must always switch after 400m. The team's score is rounds + reps completed of the triplet.
B) From 15:00 - 18:00
Rest 3 Minutes
This is forced rest. Back squat warm-up reps and/or loading the bar are not allowed during this 3 minutes.
C) From 18:00 - 30:00
Back Squat:
12 Minutes For All Three Athetes to Establish a Heavy Triple
From a rack, starting with an empty bar at the 18-minute mark. Record each athlete's top set for the day (not necessarily a 3RM).
The 2016 Kim Tom "Eye Chart" Granite Games Shirt
As many of you already know, our very own Kim qualified for the 2016 Kill Cliff Granite Games and will be competing in Minnesota with some of the fittest athletes in the world. The Granite Games will take place from September 9th - 11th in St. Cloud (at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center) and Kim will be on the competition floor with hundreds of the top CrossFitters from around the globe, including former CrossFit Games champions, Masters Champions, and perennial Masters Qualifier contenders.
It goes without saying that we are so proud of Kim, and are in awe of her dedication, competitive spirit, and determination to constantly improve herself both as an athlete and as a person. Her presence in the gym and in our community is an inspiration to us all, and I know that I consider myself lucky to have the opportunity to coach her, watch her perform, and enjoy her friendship.
And what trip to The Granite Games would be complete without a commemorative shirt in honor of "the fittest optometrist in San Francisco" and her MINI MIGHTY spirit?! Thus, the Kim Tom Eye Chart Shirt was born. We'll have a limited supply of these shirts (men's tees and women's sleeveless) available in the gym for purchase on a first come first serve basis. The price is $25 and all of the proceeds will go to help cover travel expenses for Kim's trip to the Granite Games.
I'll have the shirts with me on Saturday morning, so get in on it this weekend when you come in for your Arena Ready Sweaty Saturday team WOD!
GO KIM GO!!!
Actual shirts look cooler in person than in the mock-ups!
WOD for 08-26-16:
"Rowling":
10 Frames (to 100m) For Lowest Possible Score
Rowling is a rowing game that uses a similar format to that of bowling. Each athlete will row 10 “frames” to 100m - the goal for each frame is to stop the counter as close to 100m as possible. If, when the counter stops, it reads 102m, your score for that frame is 2 (the score would be the same if the counter read 98m). If the counter stops at 100m exactly, your score for the frame is 0 and would be equivalent to a strike in bowling (best possible frame score). The goal is to have the lowest score for each frame and the lowest accumulated score for the game.
Much like a strike in the 10th frame in bowling, if you row 100m exactly in the 10th frame then you get another frame to row - and if you row 100m again you get a third (and final) attempt. Any 100m rows in the 10th frame REPLACE a frame of your choice from frames 1-9 (thus lowering your total score).
Half pulls and quarter pulls on the rower are allowed if desired, but stopping the stroke or chain completely constitutes the end of the frame (i.e. you cannot intentionally stop and re-start the stroke or chain in an effort to slow the meter counter to your advantage). There is no required speed at which you must row, but let's be grown-ass men and women and row fast - there's no glory in winning if you rowed like a wimp.
-then-
AMRAP 12 Minutes:
400m Run
30 AbMat Sit-ups
20 Double Kettlebell Front Rack Walking Lunges @ 35/26 lbs (per side)
If time expires on the run you are credited with the last 50m marker you passed.
NC Fit Blood Drive September 24
Many of you know, or know of Jason Khalipa, 2008 CrossFit Games Champion, founder of NC Fit, friend of Arena Ready, and father of Ava Khalipa, who was diagnosed with Leukemia at age four earlier this year.
Jason has organized a nationwide blood drive on September 24th to support Ava's fight, and to support children everywhere battling cancer. He's invited our gym to participate at their NC Fit Santa Clara location (near the San Jose airport). I've made an appointment to donate at 2pm. If you'd like to join, please let us know so we can coordinate.
Ava's fight against Leukemia, and Jason's efforts to help her win and simultaneously bring awareness to childhood cancer has made a deep impression on me personally, and I'm hoping the Arena Ready family will band together to support him in this effort. You can find more information and sign up to give blood at www.nc.fit/ava.
WOD for 08-25-16:
5 Rounds NOT For Time (For Quality & Load):
3 Thrusters (climb in loading with each round)
5-7 Strict Pull-ups OR Ring Rows
5 Burpees OR 100m Row (increase pace with each round)
Climb to a top set on the thrusters, and end with your fastest set of burpees or row. Get your heart rate up, your breathing going, and break a sweat if you can. Then enjoy what's next...
-then-
"The Bergeron Beep Test"
EMOM For As Long As Possible:
7 Thrusters @ 75/55 lbs
7 Pull-ups
7 Burpees
(Compare to 10-28-14; Gladiators also compare to 03-14-15)
Fire vs Rise Western Rivalry Match Decided By Inches
It was a hard fought match that went down to the wire, but Coach Sarah and the San Francisco Fire fell to a tough Phoenix Rise team 18-16 in week 2 of the 2016 NPGL season. The match literally came down to a matter of inches as the teams, tied 15-15 going into the final relay (AKA Race 11), sprinted to the finish line with Phoenix's Danny Nichols crossing the finish line just inches ahead of San Francisco's Cam Pernich. You can read the NPGL's match re-cap here, and we've pasted a portion of the article below:
Two teams with a 1-0 record met Tuesday night to try to position themselves for a postseason berth. An almost classic rivalry dating back to the first season of GRID, the Phoenix Rise faced off against the San Francisco Fire in a battle for Western Conference domination. The teams did not disappoint, with victory coming down to the final element in the final race — an 18-16 win in favor of the Rise...
... The match got underway with a pair of Fire wins. A fault set Phoenix behind early in Quadrant 1 of Race 1. Danny Nichols and Jessica Phillips made up time and brought the race to dead even but left one rep on the table as Nichols left the hash box to cross the finish line before Phillips had finished her final rep. This gave San Francisco the win and the point.
Race 2, the Mirror, was a back-and-forth pitched battle through 40 thrusters for the finish line. Phoenix had some trouble in Quadrant 1 but the Fire’s Tyler Cummings was faulted in Quadrant 3, allowing Phoenix to move into Quadrant 4 first but the victory was not to be. Blaine McConnell got nine reps in but was unable to hit the 10th rep without a reset, which allowed the Fire to capitalize on the slow-down and finish first. At the end of two races, the score was 4-2 San Francisco.
“We’ve been up multiple times in the first two races and we’ve had teams come back,” said Phoenix Head Coach Mike Lee. “So I just told these guys, ‘We’re in it now, so let’s get started.’ We knew the Echoes were good races for us and we knew we had some opportunities to gain some points.”
In the Women’s Echoes, the Phoenix women roared back with a win in Race 3. Entering Quadrant 4 with a dead-even number of reps, Laura Poling, Hagiya and Phillips destroyed the snatches at the end to give Phoenix the win. However, an official challenge regarding Sarah Hopping Estrella’s rope climbs led to a replay of the final two elements of Race 3, and again, the crowd watched a near rep-for-rep replay of the race. Once again, Poling, cheered on by Phillips, banged through the reps so quickly that San Francisco couldn't keep pace and once again, the Rise woman hit the finish zone first....
-Pat McCarty (NPGL)
The Fire will take on the Miami Surge on Saturday for their regular season finale, with the winner moving on to the Western Conference playoffs. You can read details on how to watch the archived SF Fire vs PHX Rise match on GRID TV and the network re-broadcast on NBC Sports Network in September by clicking here.
Time to bounce back SF Fire!
WOD for 08-24-16:
6 Rounds, Start Every 3 Minutes:
3 Strict Muscle-ups
6 Deadlifts @ 245/175 lbs
9 Box Jumps @ 30/24 lbs
100m Sprint
Want to dial up the intensity? Run faster.