Workout of the Day
World Burpee Day + Patrick Vellner
And to think, we didn't even make you do burpees yesterday (don't worry, Saturday will make up for it)...
I'm actually a big fan of Patrick Vellner - even though he may not get all the press and attention of some of the other top names in CrossFit, his approach to training resonates with how we like to work at Arena Ready - more is not better, better is better. Or perhaps, more fitting for those looking to specialize in the sport of fitness - more is not better, more is the byproduct of better.
Vellner was featured in an article titled "How Patrick Vellner did it all wrong, and how it ended in a CrossFit Games podium finish" which Sarah and I really enjoyed reading a couple of months ago. Click the link and give a quick read if you're a into the sport of CrossFit and the training systems of the top athletes. Basically he states that training for 8 hours a day doing multiple sessions/pieces (which has become the norm among top CrossFit athletes, and those looking to become top CrossFit athletes) is not necessarily the way to success:
Vellner's busy school schedule last year forced him to be efficient with his time, which he said is the way he likes it.
“Some people will spend seven or eight hours in a library and get nothing done. I’d rather do two hours of focused work. The same is true at the gym: You don’t need to do seven pieces a day like so many athletes are doing. At least, I don’t need to,” he said.
The only time Vellner did dabble with being a full-time athlete was during the few weeks between regionals and the Games, and he quickly grew bored.
“I was living and training with Michele Letendre right before the Games, and they were such long days of doing nothing really. So then I’d feel guilty about doing nothing, so I’d say, ‘OK, maybe I”ll stretch a little bit,’ he said.
I can't tell you how many times I get asked "what more should I be doing?" Often the answer is "focus on getting better at what's on the board today" - which is not always met with a positive response, haha. The old adage of "you don't need harder workouts, you need to go harder" applies to every level in the gym, from new athlete (assuming mechanics and consistency of movement are dialed-in) to aspiring CrossFit Games competitor.
On her way to a top-10 CrossFit Games 2016 California Regional finish, Sarah's training journey included about 6 months of Arena Ready class & Barbell class programming, nearly an entire MONTH OFF of training (when she thought she hadn't made the cut after The Open), and about 30 days of Regional-specific prep which were largely composed of 1 (or occasionally 2 sessions) per day. That's it. Sure, it's more than many of us do on a regular basis, but I'd be willing to bet that's it's less than half of what most top Regional and Games athletes do on average. She tries like hell to move well, to be better at what's on the board than last time, and to go hard like somebody's chasing her. I love that Patrick Vellner basically did the same thing and took that method all the way to the podium on ESPN this past summer.
More is not better. Better is better.
WOD for 10-13-16:
Back Squat:
8-6-4-2
Climbing
If possible, add to your top set from last week 10-06-16.
-then-
3 Rounds for Max Reps:
Row OR Assault Bike Calories
Overhead Walking Lunges w/Plate @ 45/35 lbs
Kettlebell Swings @ 53/35 lbs
Ring Dips
This is 0:40 of work per movement followed by 0:20 rest. There is 1:20 rest between rounds. Your score is total reps completed across all 3 rounds.
Power Supply: Real Food For an Active Life
Haven't tried the Power Supply meals available for pick-up at Arena Ready yet, but are curious? Many of our members have been ordering from Power Supply for nearly a year now, and the meals have been quite popular and well received. Ask a coach or any one of the seasoned Power Supply aficionados for the lowdown on the food, and for any tips on navigating some of the most popular eats on the menu.
It's easy to try - simply place your order online, then pick up at the gym. Easy, real food. Click the link to get started, and let us know if you have any questions!
https://www.mypowersupply.com/yum/arenaready
WOD for 10-12-16:
Strict Press (Cycle 2, Week 2):
***USING your current "Base" weight (95% of your 1RM + 5 lbs)...
70% x 3
80% x 3
90% x 3+ (Max Effort, i.e. as many reps as you can safely make)
***FOR EXAMPLE: if you lifted 120 lbs as your 1RM on 08-30-16 then 95% of that + 5 lbs (119 lbs) is your CURRENT cycle 2 "base":
70% of 119 lbs = 83 lbs x 3 reps
80% of 119 lbs = 95 lbs x 3 reps
90% of 119 lbs = 107 lbs x 3+ reps (Max Effort)
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
25 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
20 Handstand Push-ups
15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
Chris Moore: The Best Advice I've Ever Found
Those of you who have followed Barbell Shrugged for a while are familiar with Chris Moore and some of his writings. Sadly he passed away in June, but many of his fans and followers remember him through his essays and articles. One of my favorites was one he wrote nearly two years ago - here is the post in its entirety:
The Best Advice I've Ever Found
Most advice seems to apply to everything and nothing at the same time. One of the most commonly repeated lines has to do with your life’s work and purpose. “Follow your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
It’s a great bit of advice because no one will argue with it, particularly those caught in a bad gig or on a wayward path. We all want to make a life out of what we love most. Say the line out loud and you’ll feel the hope bubbling up in the back of your throat. But there’s a reason you’ll likely find some iteration of this advice in most motivational eBooks, life blogs and Tony Robbins keynotes. It’s an easy thing to say, but what do you do with it?
With endless options and indefinite answers it’s easy to feel paralyzed. But if you manage to keep reading and searching you’ll find other pearls of wisdom that resonate. Maybe you will find Oscar Wilde, who aptly wrote, “The only good thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.”
That could explain the endless flow of sugar-rush motivational quote-pics currently polluting your Instagram feed. It’s always easier to share advice than to take action.
I don’t want to bullshit anybody. I love a good sugar rush. There’s always plenty of room for pop, so to speak. But when it comes to figuring out how to get your shit together, or what to do with your precious portion of time, you should do what resonates. As Oscar would say, find something that is useful to you. Great advice should not only pop and inspire you, it should leave you with something real – You should be able to see actions that might fill your life with passion.
Like I said, I don’t want to bullshit you. And I don’t want to be guilty of dishing out shallow, generic advice. So, I’ll do the honest thing. I’ll tell you what helped me.
I’m a late bloomer, which is a quality that I’ve grown to love, mostly. But during the bulk of my twenties this was a burden. I had no idea of what to do, or what was possible. So I took all the advice I could get.
I tried to be all kinds of things – football player, doctor, professor, corporate team player, the list is long. It’s hard to say exactly when my passions stopped being the most important thing.
Along the way I was fortunate enough to find some advice that would eventually change my life. It came from Christopher Hitchens, a drunken contrarian journalist who also happened to be one of the most prolific, powerful, and honest writers that I had ever encountered. While addressing a crowd, Christopher was asked to give his best advice to young writers. This immediately resonated with me because a “Writer” was one of the things I hoped I might be some day.
The advice was crystal clear and actionable. “There are two kinds of advice for writers,” Christopher replied. “The first thing is that, if you want to write, it must be what you HAVE to do. Not the thing you want to do, or would like to do. It must be that without which you could not live. If you’ve got that much you’ll be alright. You’ll survive the disappointments.”
Christopher’s next line made be believe that I could actually improve, and that I could find a voice of my own. “The second thing I try to say to all of my students…If you can talk, you can write. The idea is to find a voice. I try to write as if I were speaking with people. In fact, I often hear from readers that they do feel personally addressed, which is vindicating.”
You probably don’t want to be a writer, but I doubt you’re exactly what you want to be, right? Some big goal remains. If that’s true, you might consider this same advice.
Don’t worry about everything you could do. Don’t burden yourself with the search for your destiny. Just focus right now on what you can’t live without. The thing you have to do. Get better at it. Do it harder, much harder than you think is possible. And please learn how to use your unique voice along the way. In the end speaking up for what you love most is a very important thing to do.
It’s not perfect advice, but I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me.
-Chris Moore
WOD for 10-11-16:
Alternating EMOM For 6 Rounds (12 Minutes):
MINUTE 1: 3 Deadlifts, climbing
MINUTE 2: 12 Hollow Rocks
If possible, add to your top deadlift set from 09-20-16 and 09-01-16.
-then-
"Sugar Daddy"
For Time:
21 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
400m Run
15 Deadlifts
400m Run
9 Deadlifts
400m Run
Workout courtesy of Ben Bergeron.
(Compare to 07-09-15)
Monday Motivation: Optimism
Optimism is everything. Because the alternative doesn't produce results and isn't any fun. Think about it...
-Gary Vaynerchuk
We've covered most of the above video's contents in class before, but it's a good little reminder in preparation for Monday's WOD.
Hope you all had a great weekend. Enjoy!
WOD for 10-10-16:
In Teams of Two Athletes...
AMRAP 18 Minutes:
40 Toes-to-Bar
80 Calorie Row
80 Burpees Over Rower
80 Front Squats @ 155/110 lbs (no rack)
40 Push Jerks @ 155/110 lbs
Only one athlete working at a time. Reps may be shared in any manner and do NOT have to split evenly. Yes, you have to use the same rower even if you'e in a small class, and even if you're partner has tiny feet and you are a Sasquatch - it's called teamwork.
Salute Your Shorts: Camp Anawanna
Last year around this same time I thought to myself, "Self, I really want to program a variation of the WOD The Chief..." since that was the workout Sarah and did on our wedding day at Arena Ready several years ago, and we recently celebrated our anniversary last week. Because I'm a nerd I thought about what to call it - a Chief obviously needs a camp or tribe of some sort... which made me think of the fictional "Camp Anawanna."
Some of you who know me are aware of my strange fascination with TV show theme songs. And if you're around my age and were lucky enough to have cable (or, in my case, a black market cable box from the shady guy that used to work at the cable company) you probably wasted many an afternoon singing this song.
IT'S I HOPE WE NEVER PART. NOW GET IT RIGHT OR PAY THE PRICE!
Thus ends my random tangent that has nothing material to do with CrossFit.
You're welcome.
WOD for 10-08-16:
"The Anawanna Mile"
4 Rounds For Time:
4 CYCLES of "The Chief"
400m Run
1 CYCLE of "The Chief" is:
3 Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
6 Push-ups
9 Air Squats
(Compare to 10-03-15)
Friday Barbell Therapy
Well, with some conditioning in there for good measure... obviously.
WOD for 10-07-16:
Power Snatch + Hang Power Snatch:
5 Sets of (1+1)
Climbing as technique allows
-then-
Against a 9-Minute Clock for MAX POUNDAGE LIFTED:
30 Calorie Row
30 Push-ups
60 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
Max Rep Power Snatches @ "You Pick The Load"
You choose the load for power snatches. Your score is the total poundage lifted (reps completed x weight used = total poundage).
Evans Avenue Parking
Wednesday classes had me talking about the Evans Avenue parking option at the gym, since Wednesday 12pm and 4pm classes can be the toughest times during the week to find parking immediately next to the gym (thanks mostly to street cleaning up the hill). One option that's usually a great alternative (whether it be Wednesday or not) is parking on Evans Avenue, just off of Cesar Chavez.
Evans Avenue puts you just 1,000 feet or so away from the gym (through two crosswalks), and there's almost always plenty of free parking available - check out a visual orientation by clicking here:
WOD for 10-06-16:
Back Squat:
8-6-4-2
Climbing
-then-
For Time:
50 Double Unders
30 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
30 AbMat Sit-ups
50 Double Unders
20 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
20 AbMat Sit-ups
50 Double Unders
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
10 AbMat Sit-ups
What Do They Call Russian KB Swings in Russia?
A whole lotta' NASTY some of you would like to forget in yesterday's WOD, so today you get a picture of my dog, Bo, and a kettlebell. It's all about balance - in life and in WOD blogs. She has her harness on because the camera scares her - sometime in her earlier life (before we adopted her) she became terrified of clicking noises, so the shutter sound makes her nervous. Jenny was kind enough to Photoshop the leash out of the background so she could look tough next to the kettlebell.
Bo only does Russian kettlebell swings. Unless she's in Russia, then she just does kettlebell swings. Obviously.
WOD for 10-05-16:
Strict Press (Cycle 2, Week 1):
***ADDING 5 lbs to your "Base" from the last 4-week cycle...
65% x 5
75% x 5
85% x 5+ (Max Effort, i.e. as many reps as you can safely make)
***FOR EXAMPLE: if you lifted 120 lbs as your 1RM on 08-30-16 then 95% of that (114 lbs) was your "base" during the last 4 weeks, so your NEW "base" is 119 lbs:
65% of 119 lbs = 77 lbs x 5 reps
75% of 119 lbs = 89 lbs x 5 reps
85% of 119 lbs = 10 lbs x 5+ reps (Max Effort)
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
400m Run
30 Walking Lunges
20 Russian Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
When Wellness Becomes Fitness
This is pretty cool to see - and with so many of our Arena Ready members being healthcare professionals, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this concept.
WOD for 10-04-16:
Alternating EMOM For 4 Rounds (8 Minutes):
MINUTE 1: 10-14 Shoulder Taps (5-7 per side)
MINUTE 2: 7 Hollow-ups + 7 Arch-ups
-then-
6 Rounds, Start Every 3 Minutes:
15 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs
10 Bar Facing Burpees
5 Muscle-ups
Squirrel & Jeff at the 2016 Max's Gym Open
Kate "The Flying Squirrel" and Jeff G. both competed at the PWA's 2016 Max's Gym Open on Saturday, and both lifters provided some drama and an entertaining session! Squirrel nailed her opening attempt for snatch and then had a PR clean & jerk attempt of 79kg/174lbs well over her head but just couldn't quite find the lock-out. Jeff went 4 for 6 in his attempts, including a competition PR snatch of 95kg/209lbs and competition PR clean & jerk of 120kg/265lbs (with a close attempt at 125kg/276lbs) - not too shabby for a first meet back in over a year!
Great work, lifters! We're looking forward to seeing some more big numbers this Fall as the gym looks ahead to the 2016 CrossFit Liftoff in early November (more info on that in the coming weeks)!
And speaking of cleaning heavy...
WOD for 10-03-16:
Power Clean:
17 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Single
-then-
AMRAP 9 Minutes:
12 Air Squats
9 Box Jumps @ 30/24 ins
6 Power Cleans @ 205/145 lbs
"Antsy" Nancy
What was your first ever CrossFit Workout?
Mine was "Nancy"...
5 Rounds for Time:
400m Run
15 Overhead Squats @ 95 lbs
I did the workout on a track with a relatively experienced group, used 35 lbs on the bar, and it took me over 17 minutes. It stung like nothing I had never experienced before in my life, sports or otherwise. I thought to myself, "That's impossible at 95 lbs. Just impossible. No way. These people are crazy."
Turns out it's not. And they're not.
It's amazing to come to work at Arena Ready and see newbies with that same look in their eyes that I once had-- thinking to themselves, "There's no way I can do that, ever."
And then, little by little, with consistent effort applied over a long period of time, that former newbie is doing what they once thought impossible. And a new newbie is watching them, and thinking, "That person is crazy. There's no way I can do that, ever."
Saturday's Sweat-Fest will include a fair share of overhead squats, as we tackle a variant of the classic benchmark WOD “Nancy" - the reps are front-loaded toward the beginning of the workout in our “Antsy Nancy” version. Every time we do the WOD “Nancy” - or some variation of it - I can’t help but think of that first workout, how far I’ve come since that day, and far I still have yet to go.
WOD for 10-01-16:
Partner Medicine Ball Sit-ups & Russian Twists
-then-
"Antsy Nancy"
For Time:
25 Overhead Squats @ 95/65 lbs (no rack)
800m Run
20 Overhead Squats
600m Run
15 Overhead Squats
400m Run
10 Overhead Squats
200m Run
5 Overhead Squats
(Compare to 08-29-15; ALSO compare, for reference, to your "Nancy" times from 02-15-16, 01-10-15, 08-23-14, 04-17-14, and 12-05-13)
2016 Max's Gym Open This Saturday
Two members of the Arena Ready weightlifting team will be taking the competition platform on Saturday, October 1st, at the PWA's 2016 Max's Gym Open in Emeryville. If you're around this weekend and would like to watch some big lifts and cheer on our athletes - Kate "The Flying Squirrel" and Jeff G. - then coordinate transportation with other AR members through the private Arena Ready Facebook group, and come on by Max's Gym (inside of CrossFit Oakland)!
Meet location and scheduled session start times are listed below - good luck, lifters!
Location:
Max's Gym (CrossFit Oakland)
1313 67th Street
Emeryville, CA 949608
Session Start Times:
Squirrel - 12:00pm
Jeff - 6:00pm
WOD for 09-30-16:
"Lynne"
5 Rounds For Max Reps:
Bench Press @ Bodyweight
Pull-ups
This is not for time but move with a purpose. Transition directly from the bench press to the pull-ups, and rest as needed between rounds. Each movement is ONE unbroken max set - record reps for each movement by round, as well as your total reps across both movements for all five rounds.
(Compare to 01-16-15, 04-18-14, and 02-28-13)