Workout of the Day
Squat Program FAQ
We've received several questions regarding the current squat program, so I thought it might be helpful to answer the most common ones here on the blog.
Is this the same squat program we did last Fall or last Spring?
No and yes, respectively. The Fall squat program was an original creation we mixed into the regular class programming with varied days and slightly less structured loading. We had a ton of PRs at the conclusion of both programs last year, and we expect the same this time around - particularly since this deliberate and structured method (which was covered previously before the program started), has y'all back squatting on Tuesdays and Fridays.
This current program is an adapted version of the "Russian Master's Squat Program." If you're a bit of a weightlifting geek and find yourself thinking "Why don't we do the full Russian Squat Program?" - which is quite a bit more volume in a shorter period of time - my honest answer is "because you have a job, and a life, and want to be a useful human... and mostly because it might actually break you." For nearly everyone at the gym the 2x per week program (aka "Masters") is plenty, given that we program so many other days of lifting and conditioning on a weekly basis. I think the full Russian Squat Program is great if you're 22 years old, are weightlifting full time, have the the luxury of being able to take a nap in the middle of every training day, have daily access to a cold plunge and ice baths, eat like you're going into hibernation, and have no aspirations of wanting to do things like breathe hard for twenty minutes, be useful at work, or make it through the day without falling asleep at your computer because your CNS is on empty.
Wait, Tuesday is 6x2 @ 80% again?!
Yup. Every other session is 6x2 @ 80%. Which means that every Tuesday is exactly that. The progression in it's entirety is as follows:
Volume Phase (Weeks 1 - 4)
Tuesday: 6x2 @ 80% EVERY WEEK
Friday: 6x3 @ 80% (Week 1), 6x4 @ 80% (Week 2), 6x5 @ 80% (Week 3), 6x6 @ 80% (Week 4)
Intensity Phase (Weeks 5 - 8)
Tuesday: 6x2 @ 80% EVERY WEEK
Friday: 5x5 @ 85% (Week 5), 4x4 @ 90% (Week 6), 3x3 @ 95% (Week 7), New 1RM (Week 8)
But this 6x2 feels easy. Should it?
Well, it shouldn't feel hard. I mean, it's 80% for two reps. It should feel like you have to focus & work, but you shouldn't be "grinding out" the reps. Some may experience that the 6x2 feels easier as we go along, and may be tempted to add more weight on those days as that phenomenon happens - don't. Just let it happen. Enjoy the "easy" days every other session. Focus on your positions and tempo, and make every rep as perfect as it possibly can be. Assuming you used a recent/accurate/reasonable 1RM calculation then stick with what you're using and trust in the program. Don't be that guy or gal who gets pinned at 80% on the 6x6 day because you went up after thinking 80% "felt easy."
Actually this 6x2 feels really heavy. Should it?
No, not really. Like I said above it should feel like you have to focus and work on holding positions and tempo, but not like you're grinding out reps or in jeopardy of missing. If you feel either of the latter, and it's not due to an accidental technical issue (i.e. I rushed a rep and simply forgot to maintain tension), then you may be using an 80% that's too heavy (i.e. not actually 80% of your "current era" 1RM). That's another way of saying "you don't squat that much right now so stop lying to yourself." I saw a few "grind-y" reps on Tuesday and it made me worried for a few of you in light of the 6x5 and 6x6 that will come around before you know it (let alone 5x5 @ 85%, 4x4 @ 90%, and 3x3 @ 95%). Sure, you're going to build up some ability to handle those larger/harder working sets over the next few weeks, but if your numbers are way off then it might be time to reassess and be real with yourself about what you're actually capable of right now. Set yourself up to succeed, don't put yourself in a position to fail due to ego.
I might miss a day, how can I make it up?
This particular program works if you work it. You have to make all the training days, be precise, take recovery seriously, and fuel yourself well. If you know that you may not be able to hit that first point, and have to miss a day (Tuesday or Friday), then you should come in on Sunday Open Gym to make up the missed day (with the exception of Sunday, September 3rd, when we'll be closed for the Labor Day holiday weekend).
Remember that making-up a day up throws the timing off a bit, so it could make the session a little more difficult if you're going on less days rest and/or fewer days in between squat sessions. If it's important to you that you really crush it on this squat program then you may want to take that into consideration during your other training days (days you're doing the class WOD but we're not back squatting) by moderating intensity a bit and/or reassessing relative scaling options. The weeks are obviously programmed with the overall context of the stimulus in mind, but it's not necessarily programmed with make-up days in mind (that would limit things too much) so you'll have to be smart about your workload if you need to make-up a back squat session and are still training pretty regularly otherwise.
Dude, 6x6 is going to take me a while. Are you going to make me do a 20-minute AMRAP that same day?
No, of course not. The higher volume days and higher intensity days will have more time to complete the sets. Next week you'll likely already feel as though 6x2 @ 80% doesn't take very long (especially once you find your rhythm), so those sessions will stay about the same in terms of time during class. But the harder days both in the volume phase and intensity phase will get plenty of time to complete the work sets. That said, the "slow squatters" (you know who you are) will have to try to keep moving at a reasonable pace - I know the old stories of lifters sitting down for 15 minutes, smoking a cigarette, drinking some coffee, and reading the paper in between sets sounds glorious to some... but unfortunately we don't have that kind of time in a 60-minute class.
Have any other questions that I didn't address here? Feel free to shoot us a message or ask in the gym - we're happy to help!
WOD For 08-25-17:
Back Squat:
6x3 @ 80%
Across
(Use the same 80% loading from your 6x2 on Tuesday 08-22-17)
-then-
AMRAP 8 Minutes:
20 Russian Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
30 AbMat Sit-ups
50 Double Unders
Learn From My Dumb Arse. Literally.
Yesterday's re-post from Sarah made me think it might be helpful to re-share a post I wrote a couple of years ago on the subject of... what else? BOOTY (ok, well only sort of). Enjoy!
I recently read an article on PubMed titled Prevalence of gluteus medius weakness in people with chronic low back pain compared to healthy controls. It reminded me of how stubborn I had been over the years regarding my own low back pain, and the role my glutes played in that pain.
It took me years to learn that my chronic lower back pain came from my weak glutes & hip dysfunction. I didn't understand it. I mean, I was a good athlete all my life... and one hell of a dancer up in da' club. These hips don't lie, son (real talk).
CrossFit forced me to further my understanding of what my body was doing right and what it was doing wrong. Then, as I started to understand it better I fought the notion. "How could I have weak glutes?! I deadlift 2.5x my body weight. I can dunk a basketball (well, I could... at one point... haha). Nonsense!!!" Turns out my adductors and spinal erectors are overachievers and like to outshine my slacker booty. Hence adductor strains whenever I'm being lazy and not potentiating my glutes on the regular (i.e. I stop doing my banded glute walks/steps, various bridges, planks, and other activation exercises). Also turns out I couldn't separate hip flexion from spinal flexion, meaning I couldn't bend at my hip without bending my back (pretty common for many folks).
As athletes at Arena Ready your progress and safety is our main concern. Please learn from my own stubborn mistakes. Let my pain save you pain. Trust me when I say that the glute activation movements we do in warm-ups are important, and not just "time fillers" for you to go through the motions. They are also a minimum for most everyone - to really effect change you have to do a bit more, and be consistent with it. We just purchased a batch of new "glute bands" for the gym - please use them (they are stored next to the larger stretch bands & PR gong). Get in 5-10 minutes early and add glute activation to your pre-class foam rolling routine. If I told you 5 minutes of glute work every time you're in the gym could potentially save you a ton of back pain in the long run would you do it? Well, I'm telling you. Ask a coach if you're not sure you're doing the exercises correctly - we're happy to help, and will be thrilled to see you implementing the movements in addition to our normal class warm-up and mobility.
My low back pain is pretty much gone these days. After 15 years of competitive sports with chronic back pain my dumb ass finally started to figure it out (pun intended). The last 5 years have been spent trying to understand WTF I've been doing incorrectly and then actively correcting it.
Join me. Don't accept chronic back pain as your fate. Determine your fate. Say NO to back pain!
WOD For 08-24-17:
2 Snatch (High) Pulls + 2 Power Snatches:
10 Minutes to Establish a Top Set (NOT a Max)
-then-
On a Running Clock...
A) At 0:00 For Time:
40 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
30 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
20 Lateral bar Burpees
B) At 10:00 For Time:
REPEAT!
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.