Workout of the Day
Row Pro: Meters Vs. Calories
Following last week's "Murph" WOD we had 4 of the last 5 days of programmed workouts in the sub-10 minute time domain. Thus for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of this week you're seeing a longer average time domain across the WODs - although the stimulus for each day is very different via the variance in movement domains, rep schemes, and loading. With back-to-back WODs including the concept of "rowing for calories" I thought it appropriate to share this article from the CrossFit Journal titled "Row Pro: Meters Vs. Calories" (click here for the entire free article).
Too lazy to read that much material? Then read this quick blog from Shane Farmer of Invictus/Dark Horse Rowing which briefly covers some of the same principles. Here's an excerpt:
The first question to answer is whether or not we row differently for calories versus other units. And the answer is no.
The most important part of rowing is that you are efficient and that you are able to connect to the machine. Speed comes from your ability to connect to the machine and not from any gimmick or change in technique. What you should strive for is to optimize your connection to the machine which will allow you to apply as much force, acceleration, and distance as possible...
... When the monitor is measuring for calories what it is actually measuring is calories per hour which correlates to power output which is measured in Watts.
Watts and calories per hour are related in a linear fashion meaning they move together. So when you row for calories you are rowing for power output.
If you wanted to move twice as fast as you were currently rowing, it would require eight times as much energy when rowing for watts or calories. This isn’t meant to scare you but to help you understand the relationship of what is required to go faster.
What this means is that to go that much faster there is an exponential increase in output needed, which reduces both time and the distance necessary to accomplish the required calories.
This concept also works in reverse though. So if you row too slowly, you are punished with an exponentially increasing amount of time and distance.
I like to simplify it all and think of it this way - when rowing for calories you're rewarded exponentially for going faster
WOD for 06-07-17:
Alternating EMOM For 4 Rounds (24 Minutes):
1) 20/16 Calorie Row
2) 40ft Single Dumbbell Goblet Walking Lunges (pick load)
3) 15 Burpees
4) 15 Toes-to-Bar
5) 200m Run
6) REST
Summer On-Boarding: June 11th & 18th
Arena Ready's Summer 2017 On-Boarding Series for newcomers starts on Sunday, June 11th!
Most of you who are members at Arena Ready know that we only on-board a small number of new athletes every few months as membership spaces become available (usually because a couple of existing members moved for a job/school/etc). We're lucky to have a community of members with a very high retention rate, and as such we have dozens and dozens of folks who have been with us for 3, 4, and even going on 5 years (from the very beginning!). This creates the sort of unique and welcoming atmosphere we have at the gym... a close knit family of like-minded people from all different walks of life, who support and encourage each other in the pursuit of getting better. While we receive inquiries nearly every day from new people looking to join Arena Ready, we keep the intake & on-boarding process deliberate in order to keep our membership at a constant number - putting us in that sweet spot of knowing everyone in the gym, and being able to coach each athlete in a personal manner that ultimately leads to real progress.
Our Summer 2017 On-Boarding Series starts on Sunday, June 11th, with the "Introduction to CrossFit" class and continues the following Sunday, June 18th, with the "Beginner's CrossFit" class. Both 90-minute classes are free, and the completion of both allows a prospective athlete to then select a membership and start taking group classes as a member at Arena Ready. Existing members who would like to sit-in on the first half of the "Introduction to CrossFit" class are also welcome to do so, as the first 45 minutes cover the methodology of CrossFit and our specific approach to the application of that methodology at Arena Ready (a great way to get a refresher on that info if it's been a while since you've given it any thought).
Why am I telling all of you this? Because I want you (the members of AR) to help us continue to build Arena Ready with the sort of amazing people we already have in the building. I want your significant others, your family members, your friends, your neighbors, your loved ones - those are the folks we want to be a part of this incredible community, and those are the people who tend to stick around and really make fitness a lifestyle... because they already have you as a built-in advocate and support system. That's not to say we don't love the complete strangers who find their way to us and eventually become big parts of the AR family - we certainly have our fair share of those stories as well. But since so many of you ask us on a regular basis when the next on-boarding opportunity will be - because you have someone special in mind who you think might really enjoy it and benefit from the program - I wanted to post this here, with plenty of advance notice, to let everyone know.
So send them our way and help us fill the place with the incredible people in your life. They can register for the free classes (up to ONE WEEK PRIOR to the class date) on our website here! Existing AR members who would like to sit-in on the first half of the "Introduction to CrossFit" class can simply show up and hang out - no need to register for the class online.
Thanks, and let us know if you have any questions!
WOD for 06-06-17:
"Mini Zeus"
3 Rounds For Time:
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
20 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 75/55 lbs
20 Box Jumps @ 20 in
20 Push Presses @ 75/55 lbs
20 Calorie Row
20 Push-ups
10 Back Squats @ Bodyweight
Use a rack for the back squats. No rack for the push presses. Box height is 20 inches for both men and women.
(Compare to 01-05-16)
A Look Back
A look back at a couple of last weekend's awesome Regional events - first, Cassie in Event 4 showing some smart strategy/pacing and blazing fast handstand walking (and almost catching Lindsey Valenzuela at the finish!):
And Sarah in Event 6 hitting the gas pedal and not letting off of it:
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
WOD for 06-05-17:
3-Position Power Snatch (hip, knees, floor):
5 Sets of (1+1+1)
Climbing as technique allows
-then-
For Time:
20 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
20 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
20 Thrusters
10 Power Snatches
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
10 Thrusters
5 Power Snatches
5 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
5 Thrusters
Sweaty Saturday Team WOD
Happy weekend, all!
WOD for 06-03-17:
In Teams of Three Athletes...
For Time:
BUY-IN: 1000m Run TOGETHER
... then, SPLIT with one athlete working at a time...
1500m Row
100 Burpees Over Rower
100 Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
50 Push Jerks
All three athletes run the 1000m buy-in TOGETHER, then SPLIT the remaining movements thereafter with only one person working at a time. The first athlete finished on the run may start the row immediately, and does not have to wait for the other two athletes - however, burpees, power cleans, and push jerks cannot start until the preceding movement is completed. Split reps may be shared in any fashion (does NOT have to be equal).
Front Squat Friday
tbd
WOD for 06-02-17:
Pause Front Squat:
3-3-3-3-3
(Week 3)
The pause is a full 3 seconds at the bottom, with no "bounce" following the pause. This is all about posture, balance, and upright position - so prioritize those three things over loading (no, you don't have to add to last week's load). Use a rack for these sets.
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
15 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
30 Walking Lunges
15 Toes-to-Bar
June Yoga Classes on Sundays
Sunday morning yoga classes are back for June! Dani will be leading yoga class every Sunday morning at 9:00am - for what to expect during one of Dani's yoga classes click here to read a previous post.
Remember that yoga is available to all Arena Ready members as a part of your membership (there is no charge to attend!) - we simply ask that you sign-up for class in advance so that Dani knows how many to expect, and bring your own mat if you have one (we have a few to borrow if you don't). All levels of experience are welcome!
WOD for 06-01-17:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes);
1) 30-45 Second Handstand Hold
2) 40 Unbroken Double Unders
-then-
AMRAP 9 Minutes:
11 Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
11 Overhead Squats
200m Run
Congratulations, Cassie & Sarah!
Congratulations to our two fierce competitors, Cassie and Sarah, for their amazing performances at the 2017 CrossFit Games California Regional this past weekend! Some detailed thoughts on their weekend of competition coming up shortly, but for now just a few of the outstanding images captured by the one and only Oh Happy Dawn Photography.
What to do after "Murph" as the soreness/tightness sets in? Move, of course! Preferably with some complementary movements to counterbalance that nasty middle portion of Tuesday's WOD - namely shoulder stability and activation, mid-line work, moderately loaded hinging, and jumping. And a time domain much shorter than the slog on Tuesday - in other words, come in to the gym so you can shake it out and set yourself up for a strong second half of the week in training....
WOD for 05-31-17:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
1) 2 Kettlebell/Dumbbell Turkish Get-ups (1 Right / 1 Left), pick loading
2) 12 Hollow Rocks
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
20 Calorie Row
15 Deadlifts @ 205/145 lbs
20 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Murph
As we posted about last week, we'll be doing "Murph" as tradition the day-after Memorial Day since we were closed on Monday. More thoughts on an amazing Regionals weekend in the coming days, but first we wanted to take a moment (and a WOD) to remember the meaning of Memorial Day. I saw this posted on Instagram last year just prior to Memorial Day (thank you @wolfgang2242) and really liked it:
This [day] is for remembering and loving those that have gone before us. It's also a great time to think of those that are with us now. These moments can be fleeting, it all changes, sometimes sooner than we would like. Enjoy those you are with, whether there are many or few. Cherish what is right now. It's the best way to love.
Thank you to all who have served our country, and to those who are serving right now.
Tuesday's WOD is a Memorial Day tradition (and in some years, for us at Arena Ready, a day-after Memorial Day tradition) for CrossFitters and CrossFit affiliates around the country, and around the world. Here's the brief background on who "Murph" is, and how the workout was conceived.
"Murph" is in memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.
This workout was one of Mike's favorites and he'd named it "Body Armor". From here on it will be referred to as "Murph" in honor of the focused warrior and great American who wanted nothing more in life than to serve this great country and the beautiful people who make it what it is.
- CrossFit.com (July 18, 2005)
And for those who have never done the workout at Arena Ready previously - don't worry, there will be scaling outlined and encouraged for those who are in a not currently in a position to perform this workout as prescribed, and there will be a time cap strictly enforced. As a reminder, push-ups only count when your chest actually touches the floor (intent does not equal achievement) - but on the flip-side, today is not the day to try and correct every fault if you have less-than-ideal push-up ROM (i.e. don't strain on the eccentric portion of the movement). And no you shouldn't wear a weight vest if you've never done this workout Rx as written without a vest in under 40 minutes.
WOD for 05-30-17:
"Murph"
For Time:
1 Mile Run
100 Pull-ups
200 Push-ups
300 Air Squats
1 Mile Run
Our recommendation is to partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and air squats as 20 rounds of "Cindy" (5 pull-ups, 10 push-ups, 15 air squats repeated 20 times). If your PR is under 40 minutes, and you've been training consistently (4+ times per week) at the Rx/Black level, then wear a weight vest ("body armor") if you have one.
(Compare to 05-30-16, 05-26-15 and 05-27-13)
Regionals Day Three Heat Times
REMINDER gym closed Sunday & Monday during Regionals/Memorial Day weekend (click here).
Sunday is the final day for Cassie and Sarah at the 2017 CrossFit Games California Regional and their Event 5 & (approximate) Event 6 heat times are listed below - the heats for Event 6 will re-shuffle one more time according to standings after Event 5.
You can stream all of the action LIVE on the CrossFit Games website (click here) - and all events are archived for you to go back and watch as well (click on the "California" tab at the top for the streaming feed).
Day Three (Sunday, May 28th) Scheduled Heat Times:
Event 5 - Cassie at 1:30pm; Sarah at 1:45pm
Event 6 - Heat Times TBD (somewhere between 3:10pm - 3:50pm*)
*Check here following Event 5 for exact Event 6 heat times (click on "Schedule" in the menu)
Good luck on your final day, ladies!
Regionals Day Two Heat Times
Saturday is Day Two for Cassie and Sarah at the 2017 CrossFit Games California Regional and their Events 3 and 4 heat times are listed below. Heat times for Sunday's Day Three will re-shuffle based on standings, so we'll keep you updated tomorrow evening regarding Events 5 and 6.
You can stream all of the action LIVE on the CrossFit Games website (click here) - and all events are archived for you to go back and watch as well (click on the "California" tab at the top for the streaming feed).
Day Two (Saturday, May 27th) Scheduled Heat Times:
Event 3 - Cassie at 1:45pm; Sarah at 2:05pm
Event 4 - Cassie at 4:30pm; Sarah at 4:45pm
DAY TWO - GO GET 'EM LADIES!!!
WOD for 05-27-17:
With a Partner on a Running Clock...
A) From 0:00 - 12:00
Hang Power Clean:
12 Minutes For BOTH Partners To Establish a Heavy Triple
Athletes use the same barbell and load the plates on/off accordingly. Clips/collars must be on the bar for every set. The barbells must be re-set to the hang (and not dropped to the floor) between reps for the set to count.
B) From 12:00 - 15:00
Rest 3 Minutes & Re-Set For AMRAP
C) From 15:00 - 32:00
AMRAP 17 Minutes:
100 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
75 Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
50 Calorie Row
Partners share the reps with only one working at a time. Reps do not have to be split evenly.
The CrossFit Games California Regional is Upon Us!
Cassie and Sarah are all checked-in and ready to rock at the 2017 CrossFit Games California Regional! The three day competition gets underway with Events 1 and 2 on Friday, and we've included both athletes' scheduled heat times below. Heat times for days two and three will re-shuffle based on standing so we'll keep you updated as the competition days progress.
You can stream all of the action LIVE on the CrossFit Games website (click here) - and all events will be archived for you to go back and watch as well (click on the "California" tab at the top for the streaming feed).
Day One (Friday, May 26th) Scheduled Heat Times:
Event 1 - Sarah at 1:30pm; Cassie at 2:00pm
Event 2 - Sarah at 3:50pm; Cassie at 4:10pm
HERE WE GO!!!!! GO CASSIE! GO SARAH!
WOD for 05-26-17:
"Partner Boat Race"
3 Rounds for Total Time*:
PARTNER A
500m Row
400m Run
then
PARTNER B
500m Row
400m Run
*One partner working at a time (one works while the other rests). One athlete must complete their entire round (500m Row + 400m Run) BEFORE the other athlete can begin his/her round. BOTH partners complete 3 total rounds of 500m Row + 400m Run each.
(Compare to 03-25-16)
-then-
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Efforts)
If possible, add to 05-17-17
The House That Hopping Built: 2017 Edition
As stated in yesterday's "Cassie" post you'll have to forgive my verbose nature as I sing the praises of our two amazing athletes competing this weekend at the 2017 CrossFit Games California "Super" Regional. What they have accomplished is nothing short of incredible, not only due to the demands of the sport of CrossFit and all that goes along with it at the highest levels, but also for what they continue to accomplish in life alongside their athletic endeavors. They are, quite simply, some of the most impressive humans I know - next up, Sarah...
#ThePowerOfSHE at the 2016 CrossFit Games California Regional
For the last two years (now three) I've written an updated version of a blog post titled "The House That Hopping Built" which chronicled Sarah's CrossFit Games Open/Regional competition history, and the various paths she has carved leading up to the CrossFit Games California Regional. This year - as in previous years - so much has changed, and yet so much still remains the same. Rather than attempt to recount the history for those who might be interested (we do have a small and enthusiastic contingent of new/new-ish Arena Ready members who were not a part of the gym at this time last year), I thought it best to update & annotate the post to include some new thoughts and still provide the chronological events that led up to this day.
My apologies in advance for the length of this post. To paraphrase Blaise Pascal, if I had more time I would have written less...
2017
Here we are again, for a sixth time, on the eve of the CrossFit Games California "Super" Regional - and Sarah is ready to fight with every last ounce in her being to test herself against some of the best in the world. I could tell you the many reasons why this year's Regionals is not what we thought it would be - the non-barbell workouts, a lower-than-desired Open finish despite feeling that her Open performances & off-season training was at the highest level it's ever been, Sarah's current status of having MULTIPLE jobs at the moment (why is that always a thing every year at this time?!), the pleasant surprise of having two athletes competing this weekend (the first time since 2013 when Arena Ready sent both Liz and Sarah to Regionals), and many other realities that could be seen as things that were not expected. But we've been doing this long enough to realize that in the end, when she walks onto that competition floor, all that matters are the things she can control and the work that's already been done over the last 12 months. I can say with certainty that:
1) Sarah is fitter than she's ever been
2) Sarah is tougher and wiser than she's ever been
3) No one I know is a better game day athlete than Sarah (and we at Arena Ready know some pretty damn good game day athletes)
Lindy Barber, a multiple-time CrossFit Games competitor, once articulated it all so well in a way that I'll never forget:
Earning a spot to the @crossfitgames is about so much more than being good at fitness. It's about overcoming adversity, beating the odds, fighting for something bigger than yourself. It's an extremely emotionally charged weekend, that is fueled by the "whys" of each athlete. We are all putting all of our energy into one focus: for our larger purpose. @crossfit is about so much more than just fitness. It makes us better people. We are all inspired by our own individual "why"
-Lindy Barber
Our own individual why. I love that.
2016
Sarah's road to the 2016 Regionals once again traveled through The Open, but also through some very different and difficult life challenges that neither of us could have ever seen coming. As some of you may have known at the time, Sarah was back-and-forth to Colorado over most of the winter and spring seasons with her dad in-and-out of the hospital - and, as you can imagine, it made for some extremely difficult times for her and for her family. Somehow, even after securing the very last invite to Regionals following a grueling Open performance (which, at the time, was thought of as not enough to gain a Regionals spot), Sarah went on to have her third Top-10 overall Regional finish, completing the final day in 9th position, among some of the fittest women in the country.
The scoreboard at the close of competition in last year's California Regional
2015
In 2015, following an entire year away from competitive CrossFit, Sarah somehow found a way to claw through the 2015 Open and secure a spot to Regionals despite a tighter qualifying window than ever before, a painfully dislocated rib that continued to hamper her training, and the newly added five-day-per-week second job she had taken on (complete with a daily 2.5 hour round trip commute to boot). How she juggled that combined with helping me run the gym and coach classes - and then somehow fit any semblance of high intensity training of her own into her schedule - I truly have no idea. I marveled at her intense drive, her passion for life and those she deeply cares about (including her Arena Ready family), her commitment to excellence in everything she does, and her refusal to accept any of her responsibilities or obligations as excuses for not being the best she can be in any given moment.
The highlight of the 2015 Regional, apart from the 40+ Arena Ready crazies who made their way down to the competition to assemble what was likely the loudest little cheering section in the building, was her world-record setting win in Event 5 (check out a quick glimpse of that moment at 0:50 in the video below):
2014
Sarah spent all of 2014 away from the sport of CrossFit, and dedicated herself to Olympic weightlifting in an attempt to make the Pam Am and World Team for the United States. And although the grueling year presented her with a ton of adversity (including a broken femur prior to Nationals), she ended up just one snatch shy of the former goal. By the close of 2014 she had been fortunate enough to train at the Olympic Training Center multiple times under the guidance of one of the greatest coaches alive, set new personal records in her lifts and her competition total, and finished second in the American Championships in December, bringing home three silver medals.
Sarah at the 2014 USAW American Championships, with background cameos by both yours truly and Coach Hillary (Photo courtesy of hookgrip)
As she moved on from her year of dedicated weightlifting and back into CrossFit, she had gained a new perspective on the sport and community she loves so much, and missed so dearly. For the first time in a VERY long time she was looking forward to actually having fun competing - trying her best and laying it all on the line without the intense pressure or anxiety of years past. She had missed being out on the competition floor with all of the friends she's made along the way during her competitive CrossFit journey - and I'd be lying if I said she wasn't also amped-up to leave it all out there on behalf of her dear friends, training partners, and fellow competitors, Coach Liz and Coach Amy (since, for the first time in a several years, they were not out there competing with her this time).
The official 2013 Regionals "Smile Like Sarah. Eat Like Liz" tank top
2010, 2011, 2012, 2013
At the 2010 Southwest Regional Sarah finished 23rd (including two top-8 event finishes), just three months after she started doing CrossFit (Julian and I actually had to coax her into even entering the Sectional pre-qualifier because she felt like she didn't know what she was doing yet!). In 2011 Sarah had to skip the CrossFit Games season entirely after breaking and then surgically repairing her elbow following a freak accident at the track. That was not a fun year, as the healing and rehab process took much longer than we both expected - but it did light a fire under her to come back even stronger and fitter for 2012 and beyond.
In 2012 she made a big splash at the NorCal Regional, winning two events outright and finishing second in another. She entered the final event of the weekend in 4th place (one spot away from making the Games World Final), and eventually placed 6th overall after realizing mid-workout that she was mathematically eliminated from the podium... and was happier turning around during the workout to slow down and face her crowd of supporters so she could smile and say thank you after each muscle-up. What a nerd! But what can I say, that's her style - and those of you who know her well can grasp how happy it made her to do that, particularly during that exact moment.
Here's Sarah in 2012, setting what would be the "CrossFit Games world record" in Event 5 (the double under/snatch ladder):
In 2013, Arena Ready had been open for about 7 months prior to the NorCal Regional and I think Sarah had slept exactly zero full nights during those trying times of our gym's early existence. But somehow she entered the competition stronger and fitter than she had ever been, and went on to once again win two events outright, including the final event (Event 7, the rope climb/squat clean) in dramatic fashion. When the official scores were entered, and the points tallied, Sarah finished 4th overall, just one point (and as it turns out, just one rep and literally one second) from the podium and a ticket to the Games World Final.
Sarah points and thanks her AR family in the crowd after the final event in 2013
The Arena Ready cheering section at the 2013 Regional (I think they started the wave like 11 times during the final day of competition)
Back to 2017
And now here we are again, on the eve of game day 2017, and Sarah is so grateful for another opportunity to compete and represent Arena Ready and all of our amazing people. Sometimes she doesn't get the chance to say it as often as she'd like to, either because she's exhausted from the million things she does every day, or because she's engrossed in conversation with our members/friends/coaches whom she adores and is so happy to see at the gym, or because I've ordered her to start warming up already so that she can finally train in the hopes of us eventually making it home to eat dinner before her state of sleepy overtakes her state of hunger (we actually argue over why I think she still needs to eat before she goes to bed, and that it doesn't matter that she feels too sleepy to do so). But what I do know is that she feels it every day - a huge sense of pride that we have such an incredible group of people we get to call our AR family, and an overwhelming feeling of love for the individuals that come together every day to create the "home" she helped build on Connecticut Street.
In many ways Arena Ready is The House That Hopping Built. She would never say that herself, and in fact she'd probably adamantly disagree with me on that point. But I know better - I have far more time on my hands than she does to reflect, and certainly more energy (thanks to having two less jobs) to reach rational conclusions. Her determination over the last five years to make our little place in the world a great one is so strong that I think we may have actually done just that. And all the while she's somehow had enough physical energy, mental fortitude, and unrelenting drive to excel individually in the name of Arena Ready collectively.
I couldn't be prouder of my wife, and I'm excited to be along for the ride. And perhaps even more excited that all of you get to come along too - either in person cheering from the stands, or at home screaming at your screen.
Go get 'em, Sarah. I love you.
#ThePowerOfSHE
(Photo, along with the two above it, courtesy of... who else... the amazing Jenny AKA oh happy dawn photography)
Remember that if you're not here with us in Del Mar to cheer in person, you can stream all the action live (events will also be archived) on the CrossFit Games website - click here for all the details on how to stream the events and watch the archived events.
Cassie & Sarah's Day 1 (Friday) event heat times have not yet been officially posted, but will be updated in the next day on the CrossFit Games website here (click on Schedule in the lefthand margin). We will also post the heat times in tomorrow's blog assuming they are released to us in time.
WOD for 05-25-17:
Pause Front Squat:
3-3-3-3-3
The pause is a full 3 seconds at the bottom, with no "bounce" following the pause. This is all about posture, balance, and upright position - so prioritize those three things over loading (no, you don't have to add to last week's load). Use a rack for these sets.
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
400m Run
10 Front Squats @ Bodyweight (no rack)
The barbell is cleaned from the floor.
Compare to 08-22-16 and 10-29-14)