Workout of the Day
Tradeoffs and Optimizing Health: A Re-Post
A Re-Post From Coach Sarah...
Elite athletes think of the world in terms of tradeoffs - every decision boils down to how and whether each choice will affect their performance at practice today, or the competition next month. Fun activities like snowboarding or waterskiing often present an unacceptably high risk of injury, to the point that doing those things is off limits even in the written terms of a coach-athlete agreement. Colleges are chosen based on scholarships, as is the decision to even go to college. Degrees are evaluated based on how time intensive they are and whether they will affect practice, careers are delayed to pursue Olympic or professional sports goals. Family events are missed with regularity, relationships can be fractured. An elite athlete's entire life has to revolve around sports performance, if he or she wants to reach the highest level.
Personally, I made many of these choices and most of these sacrifices. I missed my brother's high school commencement address to set and hold the Pac-10 record for a few minutes. My college GPA suffered - I was the co-valedictorian of my high school, only to score a 2 something in my first quarter of college because I was spending almost all of my time and energy at practice. Since college, I've pursued a meaningful career in financial services & sales, and also opened my own CrossFit gym with my husband, trying to make an impact in the world and provide for our future. During this time, I fell short of making the Olympic team in 2008 essentially because of a technicality, and missed qualifying for the CrossFit Games by a point equating to a single second in one event, and a single rep in another. For a long time, I thought I just didn't try hard enough, but I've learned that in reality I was trying to achieve too many things at the same time. Therein lies the truth - I didn't want success enough to make the necessary sacrifices, or I didn't understand the effect of my choices.
In today's world, so many people believe those who sell products or services claiming that success is on the other side of some magic pill or fad diet. This culture leads us to believe we're the only ones not experiencing the easy path. The truth is, day in and day out, successful people choose painful tradeoffs and necessary sacrifices, knowing that the pursuit of anything other than their goals will delay or even defeat the objective. They're as consistent as they can humanly be in their pursuits, not to say they're always perfect, but they strive to make the best choices they can day after day. Success requires assessing these tradeoffs, and truly understanding what it means to choose - family, career, a second career, fitness, nutrition, health, money. Complete focus in one area necessitates complete neglect of something else. Consciously compromising to choose balance is the right choice for many people.
I regularly talk with people about how their lives impact their health choices - obligations to family or work prevent them from exercising, choosing nutritious food, or getting enough sleep. I also talk with people who feel guilty for underperforming in sports when they're choosing to succeed as parents or as entrepreneurs. Because time and energy are finite resources, these tradeoffs are real, but they don't have to be dissatisfying. If you are conscious about how your priorities and goals relate to each other, you can choose an acceptable level of sacrifice in one area in order to enjoy success in another. Doing this consciously puts you in the driver's seat, and gives you control of your life.
WOD For 08-23-17:
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
20 Calorie Row
30 Walking Lunges
20 One-Arm Dumbbell Snatches @ 50/35 lbs (alternating sides)
30 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
20 Ring Dips
Bro, The Vernal Equinox?
The beauty of a structured squat program is that - for just about everyone - it works. Assuming you consistently make all of the training days, use reasonable and correct loading (i.e. don't start calculating based off of a "fantasy" max that you technically have NEVER made but think you could in ideal conditions when the weather is just right, you've eaten your ideal breakfast at the optimal time, and you're using your lucky bar and rack that you wish everyone else would stop using because WTF don't they know it's yours), take your recovery seriously, and trust in the program. Unless, of course, it's the vernal equinox - in which case there's no way you can do legs today, Bro:
(Some language NSFW)
Sadly the vernal equinox has already passed this year, so you're outta' luck with that excuse.
In all seriousness, if you want to reap the most benefit these next couple of months then trust the program, be consistent in making the training days, recover like an athlete, and hopefully 8 weeks from now you'll be enjoying the rewards.
Plus I need some new PR videos at the end of these 8 weeks so we have new material... who's it gonna be?
WOD For 08-22-17:
Back Squat:
6x2 @ 80%
Across
(Calculate using your top set from 08-17-17, 08-04-17, or a recent 1RM if you have one)
-then-
AMRAP 7 Minutes:
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
10 Hang Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
20 Air Squats
Squatty Summer: The Next 8 Weeks
Late summer is in full swing (or, at least "Fogust" is around these parts) and as we do several times throughout the year we'll be guiding the "constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity" ship in a deliberate & targeted direction. Those of you who really geek-out on programming, and/or who have been with us for a several years, may have a sense of the phases and cycles that weave their way into and out of the general programming throughout the year. Some pieces are very obvious, others not so much, and some we (believe it or not) intentionally "hide" in the fabric of the workouts and weekly/monthly programming in an effort to make the overall program as simple & elegant as possible - while also allowing for vicious/evil/wicked intensity when & where appropriate. This presents the opportunity for "flat out go hard" as often as desired for the individual athlete, assuming that consistent training, sound mechanics, and intelligent scaling are all in play. The goal of all of this is simple - increased fitness ("work capacity across broad times and modal domains") and a elevated state of general physical preparedness (GPP).
One of the components over the next two months will be an 8-week back squat program. The program will have us squatting (from the rack) twice per week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. In the past we have rotated squat days on different days of the week during our squat cycles, mostly to keep the complimentary movements & workouts fresh and to allow for an element of variance surrounding the structured cycle. This time around we have chosen to set the days on Tuesday & Friday for several reasons:
- It allows for a "flex" day on Sunday Open Gym if you are unable to make one of the sessions during the week
- It works quite well for our competitive Olympic-style weightlifters who train weightlifting in addition to CF classes 3x or more per week
- It gives all athletes, who truly want to complete the program from beginning to end, advance notice of training days and exactly what to expect in order to complete the cycle
More info to come here and in class. If you're the type of person who likes to get into the nitty gritty of it all feel free to contact us or chat us up at the gym. If you couldn't care less about the method behind all the madness and/or are perfectly content just showing up, trying hard, and trusting the program then just keep doing what you do. Either way get your butt in here and have fun getting even stronger, fitter, and faster over these next couple of months!
WOD For 08-21-17:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
1) 3 Deadlifts, climbing
2) 8 Barbell Upright Rows, for quality
-then-
"Total Eclipse of Descartes"
4 Rounds For Time:
9 Strict Handstand Push-ups
15 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
21/17 Calorie Row OR 17/14 Calorie Assault Bike
Sweaty Saturday Team WOD: Down & Up The Ladder
You had to know something like this was coming after a day of focused snatching - happy weekend, athletes!
WOD For 08-19-17:
In Teams of THREE Athletes, For Time:
100 Calorie Row
90 Burpees Over The Rower
80 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs
70 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
80 Thrusters
90 Burpees Over The Rower
100 Calorie Row
Only one athlete working at a time. Reps may be shared in any fashion and do not have to be split evenly. Teams must use the same rower.
Friday Funday: Snatches
Similar to what we did last Wednesday with clean & jerks, we'll spend Friday classes focusing on snatches. Our EMOM workout should give athletes an opportunity to incorporate what we've practiced these last few weeks in maximizing leg drive and "finishing the 2nd pull" (as it's often described by many) - and with 12 work sets comprised of triples, doubles, and singles it should be a fun class of lifting.
Happy Friday, everyone!
WOD FOR 08-18-17:
3-3-3-3
For Quality
-then-
EMOM 14 Minutes:
MINUTES 1-4:
3 Snatches, Moderate (~65-70% of 1RM)
MINUTE 5:
REST & Change Weight
MINUTES 6-9:
2 Snatches, Moderately Heavy (~75-80%)
MINUTE 10:
REST & Change Weight
MINUTES 11-14:
1 Snatch, Heavy (~85-90%)
Use the same weight across for all four triples, then all four doubles, and then all four singles, changing the weight only during the rest minutes. The goal is make all 12 sets with no misses, so remember that "heavy" does not mean "max." Percentages shown are of a 1-rep max, and are simply rough guidelines. Both power and/or full snatches are allowed (athlete's choice today). Touch-and-go for the triples and doubles is not required.
(Compare to 07-08-16 and 01-22-16)
Nutrition Talk Turnout!
Thanks to everyone who attended Sarah's Nutrition Talk on Tuesday evening - we had a great turnout and there was a lot of information covered. The talk was streamed to Facebook Live in the private Arena Ready Facebook group, so if you're interested you can go back and watch it at your convenience (you'll just need to bear with the less than ideal acoustics).
Thanks also to Vivian for capturing a few images of the talk!
WOD For 08-17-17:
On a Running Clock...
A) From 0:00 - 8:00
AMRAP 8 Minutes:
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
10 Hand Release Push-ups
10 Toes-to-Bar
B) From 11:00 - 31:00
Back Squat:
7-5-3-1-1-1
Use the rep scheme to build to a heavy single top set.
C) From 34:00 - 40:00
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Efforts)
Add to last week 08-11-17 if possible.
Mid-Week Partner WOD
Not quite what we meant, Molly and Molly...
WOD For 08-16-17:
With a Partner For Time:
1000m Row
42 Deadlifts @ 165/115 lbs
1000m Row
30 Hang Power Cleans
1000m Row
18 Push Jerks
One athlete working at a time. Reps may be shared in any scheme and do not have to be equally split. Partners must tag during the transition from the rower to the barbell and vice-versa.
Sarah's Nutrition Talk: Tuesday Evening at 7pm!
REMINDER: we're hosting Coach Sarah's "Macros Management aka How to Paleo your Macros" nutritional talk on Tuesday evening at 7:00pm at Arena Ready.
Nearly everyone agrees that healthy eating is a key component of optimal health and performance, but reaching consensus on the definition of "healthy" is typically quite another matter. This talk is intended to help you make informed decisions about what and how much to eat, taking into consideration your unique goals, lifestyle, and preferences. Optimizing food quality and nutrient density is important, as is managing the quantity and ratio of macronutrients you consume. Ultimately, what and how much to eat is also very uniquely personal, based on lifestyle, preferences, and even genetics (but that's beyond the scope of this talk!) We hope you'll join us to learn more!
Sarah holds the CISSN and is a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified Coach. She is part way through a Masters degree in Nutrition and Human Performance, and was formerly a Head Trainer on the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff (whose weekend seminars include an in-depth lecture on nutrition). In short, she has a wealth of formal knowledge on the topic of nutrition, and as a high level athlete in track & field, CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, and GRID she's built a ton of experience in athletic performance nutrition through the constant refinement and improvement of her own regimen. She's also counseled many other athletes and every day folks to help them find feasible nutrition strategies they can stick to in order to meet their various goals.
This talk is FREE to Arena Ready members and all are welcome and encouraged to attend! We'll allow for Q&A time so that you can get some of your nutrition questions answered, and will also provide some light snacks and drinks for those in attendance (thanks to Territory!). You're encouraged to bring in any regular snacks or food items you regularly consume that you'd like help accounting for in your diet (e.g. "hey, I have these almonds and a banana which I brought from my office and I eat all the time - how do I account for this when balancing my macros?").
Please sign-in for the Nutrition Talk in Mindbody (just like you would for a class) so that we can plan refreshments and seating ahead of time. We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday at 7:00pm!
WOD For 08-15-17:
Snatch Pull + Power Snatch + Hang Squat Snatch:
5 Sets of (1+1+1)
-then-
4 Rounds For Max Reps:
Overhead Squats @ 95/65 lbs
Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
This is 40 seconds of work per movement followed by 20 seconds of rest & transition time. There is 1 minute of rest between rounds. Score by total reps completed across all four rounds.
Lost & Found: Last Call!
LAST CALL! The gym's Lost & Found has reached a near overflow, and quite random status. Gym clothes, shoes, flip flops, wrist wraps, lifting straps, small kitchen appliances (LOL), books, opened but apparently undesired packages, baby stuff, water & shaker bottles, and kitchen utensils are some of the items that are currently looking for their owners.
We will sweep the items in the gym's storage cubbies and Lost & Found bin in a few days - anything left over will be donated to charity before the end of this week.
Thanks for your attention!
REMINDER: Sarah's Nutrition Talk this Tuesday evening, Aug 15th at 7:00pm! (click for more details)
WOD For 08-14-17:
3 Rounds For Time:
10 Deficit Handstand Push-ups @ 4/2 in
20 Calorie Row
30 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
40 Walking Lunges
50 Double Unders
Sarah's Nutrition Talk: Tuesday, August 15th at 7pm
We're hosting Coach Sarah's "Macros Management aka How to Paleo your Macros" nutritional talk on Tuesday evening at 7:00pm at Arena Ready.
Nearly everyone agrees that healthy eating is a key component of optimal health and performance, but reaching consensus on the definition of "healthy" is typically quite another matter. This talk is intended to help you make informed decisions about what and how much to eat, taking into consideration your unique goals, lifestyle, and preferences. Optimizing food quality and nutrient density is important, as is managing the quantity and ratio of macronutrients you consume. Ultimately, what and how much to eat is also very uniquely personal, based on lifestyle, preferences, and even genetics (but that's beyond the scope of this talk!) We hope you'll join us to learn more!
Sarah holds the CISSN and is a Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified Coach. She is part way through a Masters degree in Nutrition and Human Performance, and was formerly a Head Trainer on the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff (whose weekend seminars include an in-depth lecture on nutrition). In short, she has a wealth of formal knowledge on the topic of nutrition, and as a high level athlete in track & field, CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, and GRID she's built a ton of experience in athletic performance nutrition through the constant refinement and improvement of her own regimen. She's also counseled many other athletes and every day folks to help them find feasible nutrition strategies they can stick to in order to meet their various goals.
This talk is FREE to Arena Ready members and all are welcome and encouraged to attend! We'll allow for Q&A time so that you can get some of your nutrition questions answered, and will also provide some light snacks and drinks for those in attendance (thanks to Territory!). You're encouraged to bring in any regular snacks or food items you regularly consume that you'd like help accounting for in your diet (e.g. "hey, I have these almonds and a banana which I brought from my office and I eat all the time - how do I account for this when balancing my macros?").
Please sign-in for the Nutrition Talk in Mindbody (just like you would for a class) so that we can plan refreshments and seating ahead of time. We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday at 7:00pm!
WOD For 08-12-17:
With a Partner, Against a 25-Minute Clock:
BUY-IN (one athlete working at a time, split anyhow):
75 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
75 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
-then-
In the Remaining Time, AMRAP of (one athlete completes a FULL ROUND, then athletes switch):
15 Deadlifts @ 135/95 lbs
12 Hang Power Cleans
9 Front Squats
6 Push Jerks
The team's score is the rounds + reps completed of the 15-12-9-6 barbell sequence.
August Yoga Classes: A Friendly Reminder
REMINDER that Dani will be teaching yoga classes in August on the following dates (starting this weekend!):
Sunday 8/13 at 9am
Monday 8/14 at 7pm
Monday 8/21 at 7pm
Sunday 8/27 at 9am
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 08-11-17:
AMRep 16 Minutes With a Partner:
PARTNER A
12 Dumbbell Bench Presses @ 50/35 lbs (each side)
6 Strict Pull-ups
60 Double Unders
PARTNER B
25/20 Calorie Row OR 20/15 Calorie Assault Bike
Partner A completes AMRep of the 12-6-60 triplet while Partner B rows or bikes, then athletes switch. The team's score is total reps completed of the triplet PLUS total calories rowed and/or biked.
-then-
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:00 Between Efforts)
Add to last week 08-02-17 if possible.
Throwback Thursday
#TBT to Coaches Liz, Sarah, and Amy in the rope climb/squat clean event at the 2013 Regionals:
WOD For 08-09-17:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
1) 3 Back Squats, climbing
2) 30-45 Second Double Kettlebell Front Rack Hold, pick load
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
21 Walking Lunges
15 Burpees
9 Double Kettlebell Front Rack Squats @ 53/35 lbs (per side)