Workout of the Day
Saturday Classes: Gap Times (and Adjusted Class Start Times)
Last Saturday's "gap times" (15 minutes between classes) seemed to work quite well, so we're continuing the schedule for this Saturday's classes as well (class start times will be 8:00am, 9:15am, 10:30am, and 11:45am for Gladiators).
The feedback has been all positive thus far, and the gap time seemed to help with ease of parking for our athletes, and for organizing the groups for our coaches. I think the next phase of experimentation with gap times will be coming in the next few weeks to the evening and/or morning weekday classes as well - so stay tuned, and as always please let us know if you have any questions or feedback regarding the topic.
Thanks!
WOD for 07-21-17:
3-3-3-3 @ 30X3
Climbing. If possible add to last week's 4s.
For an explanation of the tempo notation click the "Tempo Back Squat" link above to be directed to the appropriate blog post.
-then-
For Time:
21-15-9
Hang Squat Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
Handstand Push-ups
Welp, See You Later!
Summer feels like it's in full swing and we've had three energetic, well-attended days of training so far this week. It's been awesome to have so many folks in the gym getting after it with full force, and the place has been hoppin' for sure. So it begs the question... after reading what's below, shall we plan on seeing you on Friday?
Remember that showing up on the days you wish you could skip (assuming your body feels OK) is exactly how you get better. Plus, look at how much fun Coach Lisa is having in this picture...
WOD for 07-20-17:
Row Technique:
Skills & Drills
-then-
Row Intervals:
5 x 500m
Start every 5 minutes.
Each interval is for time.
Note your delta between the fastest and slowest intervals.
-then-
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Efforts)
Add to last week 07-10-17 if possible.
A Chipper-Style AMRAP & The Fight For The 12-Pound Ball
This one's going to feel a little "Open-like" for many of us. Enjoy your mid-week mash-up of fitness!
WOD for 07-19-17:
"Angela's AMRAP: Fight Over The 12-Pound Ball"
AMRAP 15 Minutes:
5 Ring Muscle-ups
10 Deadlifts @ 255/175 lbs
20 Toes-to-Bar
40 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
80 Double Unders
Oh The Joys of Gym Mysteries
Unlike the GREAT ARENA READY HOLIDAY MYSTERY OF 2016 I think this gym caper has been solved rather quickly. Well played, devoted morning athlete... well played indeed.
WOD for 07-18-17:
3-Position Power Snatch (high hang, knees, floor):
5 Sets of (1+1+1)
Climbing as technique allows
-then-
With a Partner For Time:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Only one athlete working at a time. Partner A completes one full round of the couplet (e.g. 10 hang power snatches & 10 box jumps), partners tag hands, then Partner B completes one full round of the couplet (e.g. 10 hang power snatches & 10 box jumps).
Federer: The GOAT?
This past weekend Roger Federer won his 8th Wimbledon title, which was also his 19th career Grand Slam tournament win. He did this at the (over?) ripe age of 35. It's quite simply an amazing accomplishment near the end of an incredible athletic career - one that must be considered among the best bodies of achievement in any major sport.
As a former tennis player I sometimes get asked questions about the game and about current-era players - and it's always fun to chat about a world that I was once so immersed in for much of my life. Tennis, like many other sports (particularly individual ones), often has constant discussion and debate surrounding who is the best player ever... or as it's sometimes put the "GOAT" (greatest of all time). As someone who doesn't necessarily consider himself a Roger Federer fan per se, I have a hard time denying that he's the best ever. He's just that good, and has been so for such a long time. In fact, earlier this year when he won the Australian Open I made the following post on my Facebook wall:
When someone tells me that Roger Federer is not the greatest tennis player of all time, I ask who they think is. The only acceptable answers are:
Serena Williams
Martina Navratilova
Steffi Graf
If they say Jimmy Connors I vow to never speak to them again.
I still stand by that statement, and with this latest Wimbledon win I think maybe a few others who may have been on the fence now agree with me. Anyone out there disagree? Happy to banter about it with anyone who's interested, but don't even start with that Rod Laver talk, LOL...
WOD for 07-17-17:
Alternating EMOM For 4 Rounds (12 Total Minutes):
Minute 1: 3 Clusters, climbing in load
Minute 2: 3 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups / 6 Push-ups / 9 Air Squats
Minute 3: 12/9 Calorie Row, climbing in pace
-then-
Against a 12-Minute Clock For MAX REPS:
32/24 Calorie Row
8 Rounds of "Chest-to-Bar Cindy"
MAX REPS Clusters @ 115/80 lbs
ONE round of "Chest-to-Bar Cindy" is:
5 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats
Exciting Updates Coming to Your Beyond The Whiteboard App!
Photo courtesy of Beyond The Whiteboard
Your Beyond The Whiteboard app has some new features and a new and improved look on it's way! Check out the video below from the good folks at BTWB, and a quick blurb from them on some of the new interface features...
Design
One of our main goals was to make everything easier to find. To do this we created a card layout to balance aesthetics and usability. When you login to the app you scan scroll through status cards that give you a birds-eye view of a feature. For example, the first status cards in the image below is the “Calendar” card. The status card lets you know that you have a few workouts today. Simply tap on that card to get more detailed information about your WODs. . The same goes for Fitness Level, Training Days, Weaknesses, Modality Analysis, Weigh Ins, Lifestyle, Lifting, Leaderboards, Groups and more. This way we can add more features without hurting usability. Everything will always be one tap away.
Calendar Feature
The new btwb app, being released in the next two weeks, has an awesome calendar feature. Your calendar is where all your WODs that are assigned to you are displayed. From the home screen, the top left number on the Calendar card is your total number of WODs for the current day on all your programming Tracks you follow. To the right is the amount of WODs for each individual track that you're following. When you tap the card you'll see more info on the WODs and easily be able to view WODs, view results from previous days and more. Check out the quick demo video:
Are you a member at Arena Ready and don't know what BTWB is? Well then you're making me cry inside and letting me know that you never read your AR new member welcome email - but I'll get over it eventually and direct you to this blog post and this blog post which outlines some of BTWB's value to the athlete (that's you, friend).
Are you a member at Arena Ready and know what BTWB is but don't use it? Well then I'm crying inside for that also - but I mostly feel sorry for you because you probably have no idea what the hell your fitness is doing from an objective standpoint, since you don't accurately measure or record anything. So read this blog post and get on it!
Beyond The Whiteboard is free to our members, and if you don't have your original invite (check your email and it's spam filter) then let me/Sarah know and we can re-invite you to the BTWB Arena Ready track.
Happy weekend, folks!
WOD for 07-15-17:
"Rob's Aerobic Team DT"
In Teams of THREE ATHLETES, For Time:
BUY-IN:
2000m Row (split anyhow)
while completing
100 Bar-Facing Burpees (split anyhow, only one athlete working at a time)
-then-
12 Rounds of (split anyhow, only one athlete working at a time):
12 Deadlifts @ 155/105 lbs
9 Hang Power Cleans
6 Push Jerks
To complete the "buy-in" one athlete rows while the other two athletes perform bar-facing burpees (with only one working at a time), and athletes may switch whenever they like. The barbell movements cannot start until both the row and bar-facing burpees are completed. Reps for all of the movements may be split anyhow (with only one athlete working at a time), and do not have to be shared equally.
SF City Football Club: Season Finale This Saturday
For those who are not aware, Paddy (who our regular 4pm-ers know quite well) is the head coach of the SF City Football Club (that's soccer, folks). The team's season finale is this Saturday, July 15th at 1:00pm at Negoesco Field (on the campus of USF).
Paddy has graciously set-up an "Arena Ready Guest List" so that all AR members can attend this Saturday's game (match? duel?) for FREE. He wanted us to let you all know that families/kids are welcome and that they have some food and drink options on site for snacking while spectating.
To check out more about the SF City Football Club click here to view their website. Feel free to direct any questions to Paddy if you see him at the gym, or to me (and I'll do my best to answer them if I'm able).
Thank you, Paddy, and best of luck this Saturday!
WOD for 07-14-17:
4-4-4-4 @ 30X3
Climbing. If possible add to last week's 6s.
For an explanation of the tempo notation click the "Tempo Back Squat" link above to be directed to the appropriate blog post.
-then-
For Time:
40 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
8 Ring Muscle-ups
30 Wall Balls
6 Ring Muscle-ups
20 Wall Balls
4 Ring Muscle-ups
Effective Practice Is An Art
Shout out to Natalie for sharing an awesome article in the private Arena Ready Facebook group on Wednesday - it's titled "My 11-year old son auditioned at Juilliard, and we both learned a lot about how top performers practice" (click for the full article). In an very successful (and well played, I might add) gesture of flattery Natalie cited the article as being "like a greatest hits mash-up of Arena Ready's most inspirational blog posts, applied to becoming an 11-year concert cellist."
Aw shucks. Your check is in the mail, Natalie (P.S. how awesome is it to have Natalie back at Arena Ready... and now Bob C, too!?). But seriously, it's a great read and we can only hope to inspire our athlete members as much as this article (and Natalie's posting of it to our community) inspired Sarah and me.
Here's a cool excerpt (full article located here):
The first 3,000 hours of cello lessons are learning how to recognize a wrong note and stop and fix it. And now he has to learn how to recover from failure, very quickly, so when he plays a wrong note in competition he can move on immediately. Even though I don't know if he's sharp or flat, I do know that if he's sulking about making a mistake he can't focus on not making the mistake.
Resilience is about being able to get back up on your feet on your own, so I teach him not to rely on other people to prop him up. "You don't need a teacher to tell you how great you are. Tell that to yourself. Right now."
It's a hard concept. On different days I tell it to him differently. And then I watch hopefully, because I tell that to people I coach all the time and I know it's hard, even for adults...
... It's impossible to put all your energy into something really difficult if everything is riding on the result. The people who are the best at reaching big goals have an obsessive drive toward the goal, but also, they are able to break down the process of meeting the goal into tiny, bite-sized pieces and then take pleasure in completing each part.
When someone is unable to relish the small steps, they just stop, because process starts to seem hopeless if you constantly focus on the end. You have to have a proclivity for hard work (which might be as crucial and inheritable as talent) combined with the ability to take joy in the process itself...
-Penelope Trunk
WOD for 07-13-17:
AMRAP 16 Minutes:
100 Double Unders
80 Walking Lunges
60 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
40 Handstand Push-ups
20 Kettlebell Sumo Deadlight High Pulls
Francesco on "Being Arena Ready"
Francesco was in the gym on Monday and every time he's back in San Francisco and at Arena Ready it reminds me of how much his presence, and of course his lovely wife's presence (miss ya Sarah D!), are missed here at home. This last time it jogged my memory of a post he wrote a little over a year ago following the 2016 CrossFit Games California Regionals - when he initially posted it I remember feeling so touched when I read it. Turns out I still do when reading it today.
The original post is included below - thanks again, FDP, for sharing your thoughts, and for everything you've brought (and continue to bring even as a traveling "part-timer") to this community.
I never thought much of the name "Arena Ready". Watching Sarah compete at the regionals this past weekend, and seeing all of the support we brought for her changed that. It took three years of working out with you all to finally get what Arena Ready really means. I think it can be described as the sum of the parts below.
Athlete: Has a commitment to constant improvement and being comfortable with the uncomfortable, and most times, ugly. This provides an inherent focus and drive keeps the body moving, rep after rep, without hesitation.
Coach: The Third Eye, The Maestro, The Pacemaker. The Coach speaks louder than the pain and chaos and reminds the Athlete of not only their focus, but of their ability...that they have done this before, have been in pain before, have been challenged before, and have always figured a way out. When the Athlete's eyes go dark, the Coach's voice is there to move them forward like a marionette, or a seeing-eye dog. They know when to push, and when to hold back...the right balance to keep the Athlete in the zone without breaking down.
Team: The Team understands, because individually, they have all been there. They can feel the barbell in their hands, smell the chalk in the air, and see the sweat dripping down their faces. They know what it is like to look over and see someone else go on to the next movement and wonder if they can continue to push on. Then, they remember getting stung repeatedly by double-unders, the first time pulling themselves above a bar, and the feeling of landing a perfect split-jerk. The fire in their bellies begins to burn bright, and then they shout and cheer. They are loud and furious, not only because they want their Athlete to know they are in this together, but to let every other competitor out there know that their Athlete is special. Their Athlete is loved and supported. This electricity stirs their Athlete, and pushes them forward. The Athlete inhales, and the Team exhales. They are one.
None of these things stands alone. Being Arena Ready means you have all three, at all times. It is what makes our gym and all of its members special.
Many thanks to Rob and Sarah for creating the anti-gym, the community that we all love and can't live without. Thanks for making us all Arena Ready.
-Francesco D
WOD for 07-12-17:
1 Hang Power Snatch + 2 Hang Squat Snatches:
5 Sets of (1+2)
Climbing as technique allows
-then-
AMRAP 9 Minutes:
12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
12 Lateral Bar Burpees
12 Hang Squat Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
Saturday Classes: Trial Gap Times
As mentioned in our recent post to the community in the private Arena Ready Facebook group, we are testing a few measures to help with logistics for our members, which we hope will make some things slightly more convenient for both athletes and coaches alike, and perhaps even a bit safer overall.
This Saturday, July 15th, we'll be experimenting with 15-minute "gap times" between popular classes in an effort to help with:
A) parking turnover for our members (i.e. athletes who just finished up a class can then vacate the parking spaces for athletes arriving for the next class)
B) coaching logistics (i.e. a bit more time for our coaches and staff to organize the groups effectively)
C) more time officially for a bit of friendly chatting (let's be honest you're happy to see each other, it's awesome to feel that friendly energy in the building, and we feel slightly bad that our attempts at corralling the next class to get started puts a damper on what is, in effect, one of the best parts of our community).
So for this Saturday our class start times will be 8:00am (start time unchanged), 9:15am, 10:30am, and 11:45am (Gladiators class). Keep in mind this is an experiment, so for now this will only apply to this Saturday's classes. We'll see how the flow of things affects the various points mentioned above, so if you have strong feelings on the subject don't hesitate to reach out to us directly to discuss. Similarly if you have any questions, concerns, or feedback whatsoever please feel free to contact me/Sarah and we'd be happy to chat.
Thank you!
WOD for 07-11-17:
7 Rounds, Start Every 3 Minutes:
7 Deadlifts @ pick load
7 Box Jumps @ 30/24 in
21/17 Calorie Row Sprint
Build to a challenging weight for the deadlift in your warm-up and then attempt to use the same weight across all seven rounds for the workout - deadlift reps do not have to be unbroken, however technique and position must be solid throughout (keep 'em pretty!). Be explosive on the box jumps but don't rush the reps. Row hard and fast. Lean in to the "creep" effect. ;-)
Motivation Monday: "Make The Most of Your Time"
We've touched on the topic of time management previously, and in various forms of blog posts in the past, and I recently came across an article that addressed some of the same thoughts. This article titled "Make The Most of Your Time: Be The Dentist" sheds some light on whether or not we truly "don't have the time" to train - or if it's actually something else that's entirely within our control.
The full article can be found here, and here's and excerpt:
Time Isn’t an Excuse
Training can have a remarkable effect on all aspects of your life. Improving physical fitness will make you healthier and better able to cope with stress. You will look better and feel more confident. Your psychological being will be far better off. Training can help make you a better father or mother, a better husband or wife, and it can allow you to enjoy more of the things you love. And yet people still refuse to invest the necessary time.
Much of the training discussion focuses on training and nutrition, but one of the biggest obstacles people have when it comes to training is finding enough time. Time management seems to be the biggest determinant in a person’s success in any given training program.
The first question I always ask when it comes to writing someone a program is, “How much time can you commit each day and each week?” If you tell me you have twenty hours a week and you can train twice a day, I can write you the best program in the world. On the other hand, if you tell me you only have one hour to train each week and can only make the gym twice, my hands are tied. There’s no magic I can work at that point.
I’ve trained many different types of people with varying commitment levels. On average I am disappointed with the amount of time people are willing to commit. So I want to make one thing clear: time is not an excuse. The real issue is usually that a person isn’t dedicated enough or has poor time management skills.
Case in Point:
There are 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week, which totals 168 total hours. That is a lot of time to fit everything you need into your schedule. When I encounter a person who claims he or she doesn’t have enough time, we go through an exercise together. We examine where their time is going. Essentially, I perform an audit on their schedule.
I ask a person how many hours they spend at work in a week. For the purpose of this exercise I will assign seventy hours to work. That is a person who works fourteen hours a day, Monday to Friday.
Then I assign that person eight hours of sleep a night. I don’t ask them, I tell them, because at this point everyone says they can’t get that much sleep (which is entirely another issue I could address). That is a total of 56 hours of sleep in a week. The person now stands at 126 total hours used out of a possible 168.
Then I ask what the hell they do with the rest of their time. I remind them they have 42 hours left. They start shouting out things like, “I have to commute to work,” “I have to go grocery shopping,” “I need to spend time with my family.” I assign them values for these. I give them two hours a day for commuting time, which adds to ten hours for the five days of work. I give them three hours per week to grocery shop, and I give them twenty hours in quality time (without the phone or any outside distractions) to spend with their family per week. That brings their total to 159 hours.
They still have nine hours left to train. Usually the person gets the message by this point.
The funniest thing about this exercise is that most people who say they don’t have time to train don’t actually work seventy hours a week. They don’t sleep eight hours a night, don’t commute that far, and don’t spend that much quality time with their family. So they end up having a lot more than nine hours a week to train. Do you wonder where all their time goes? I have an idea: TV, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, text messages, screwing around, etc.
If you really believe that you can’t find enough time, then two issues need to be addressed. The first is time management and the second is your level of commitment and desire. I can’t help you with the latter. Commitment and desire must come from within. But hopefully I can help you with time management.
Be the Dentist
The first step in taking back your life and freeing up time is to take command of your schedule. Don’t let others plan your schedule for you. It’s your schedule and your life so you make the rules. Your time is the most precious commodity you have. It is the one thing that you can give and never get back. Treat it like it is important. Be dominant and make protecting your schedule your ultimate priority.
Force other people to work around your schedule. When you make appointments don’t ask, “When works for you?” and then get stuck in appointment that you don’t like or that wreaks havoc on your schedule. Tell them when you can make time for them. Start planning your schedule in a way that allows you to train. If you claim your training is important, then you will protect it. People always make time for things that are important to them, like their favorite television show or a night out with friends. Why not do it with training?
I know a businessman who routinely tells people he cannot meet with them between 11am and 1pm. He also tells his secretary not to take meetings during that time. When people ask, she politely says, “I’m sorry, there are already meetings booked during that time. Are there any other times that work for you?” People don’t need to know he is going to gym or doing other things. They respect the fact that he is unavailable and acquiesce to another time. Job done.
Think back to a time you called the dentist and attempted to make an appointment. You ask to make an appointment and the receptionist gives you a time. It’s usually a few weeks out at a time that works best for them. For argument’s sake, say they tell you November 11th at 10am. You say you cannot make 10am because you have to work. So she advises November 19th at 3pm. You say the same thing and tell her you work between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday. So she suggests November 27th at 9am. Once again, it is on a weekday between 9am and 5pm.
So what do you do? You say you’ll take the first appointment and rearrange your schedule to make it work. Why do you do this? Because your teeth are important and you have to make time for them. The dentist isn’t going to come in at some time that doesn’t work for his or her schedule. The dentist isn’t going to come in at 6am on a Tuesday morning because you decided that works best for you. They will not skip their lunch or stay late for you. You are at their mercy. Learn from this.
When it comes to your schedule, be the dentist. You’re the boss, you make the decisions, you make the schedule...
-Bobby Maximus
WOD for 07-10-17:
On A Running Clock...
A) From 0:00 - 10:00 (10 Minutes)
Overhead Squat:
7-7-7
Climbing
B) From 10:00 - 22:00 (12 Minutes)
Front Squat:
5-5-5
Climbing
C) From 22:00 - 36:00 (14 Minutes)
Back Squat:
3-3-3
Climbing
D) From 38:00 - 44:00
Weighted Plank:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Sets)
Add to 06-29-17 if possible
Establish a heavy set of 7, 5, and 3 for the overhead squat, front squat, and back squat, respectively. This is a top set for TODAY, and NOT a 7/5/3-rep max. Loading may be lowered when transitioning from one movement to the next (i.e. this does NOT have to be nine total climbing sets).
(Compare entire WOD to 07-12-16)
Happy Weekend: Sweaty Saturday Team WOD
This one should be interesting...
Have fun, friends!
WOD FOR 07-08-17:
In Teams of THREE Athletes, For Time*:
Athletes A and B Complete
100 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
50 Burpee Box Jump Overs @ 24/20 in (Facing the Box)
100 Toes-to-Bar
50 Burpee Box Jump Overs
100 Wall Balls
-while-
Athlete C Completes:
25/20 Calorie Row
*One athlete MUST always be rowing, and MUST always switch after 25/20 calories. Reps for the chipper may be split in any fashion (does not have to be equal).
*Every calorie on the rower equals one second subtracted from the team's time. Score for the workout is BOTH the original time and the adjusted time.