Workout of the Day
Every Day Is Leg Day
Every day is leg day. You all know that.
But this gem never gets old thanks to my asinine sense of humor (language NSFW):
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
WOD For 04-09-18:
Back Squat:
6-6-6-6 Climbing to a Heavy Top* Set, then...
Two Drop Sets:
1x6 @ 85% of your top set
1x6 @ 80% of your top set
*If possible, add to your top set of SIX from last week 04-02-18.
-then-
"Are You There, Legs?"
AMRAP 8 Minutes:
10 Front Squats @ 135/95 lbs (no rack)
50 Double Unders
Clean the barbell from the floor. Yes, you may squat clean into the first rep of each set. Use a weight you can do unbroken for at least the first 2-3 rounds.
Rainy Saturday Sweat Session!
Grab your #swolemates, get in the gym, and hit this fun one with all you got.
Happy weekend, friends!
With a 1:2 work rest ratio how bad could it really be?
WOD For 04-07-18:
In Teams of THREE Athletes, AMRAP 27 Minutes:
12/8 Calorie Row
9 Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
6 Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Only one athlete working at a time and tagging is not required: "I go, then you go, then she goes." EACH athlete completes ONE FULL ROUND of 12-9-6 before the next athlete starts his/her round. Sprint through the three movements, and as soon as you stand up the final burpee box jump your teammate may start on his/her row.
Can your team get to 20 total rounds?
Friday Clean & Jerk Dubs
Last week we snatched singles on an EMOM clock for 20 rounds, and this week we're hitting clean & jerk doubles (that's "clean & jerk then clean & jerk") for 16 rounds on a 90-second clock.
Come on in and get your Friday weightlifting on!
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
WOD For 04-06-18:
Every 90 Seconds For 16 Rounds (24 Minutes):
2 Clean & Jerks
Technically both Power and Full/Squat Cleans are allowed - but let's be honest, unless you're injured you should be cleaning this workout with full squats to get the most out of the stimulus as possible. Both Push Jerks and Split Jerks are allowed.
Use FOUR different weights:
Rounds 1-4: "LIGHT" (approx 55-60% of 1RM)
Rounds 5-8: "MODERATE" (65-70% of 1RM)
Rounds 9-12: "MODERATE-HEAVY" (75-80% of 1RM)
Rounds 13-16: "HEAVY-ISH" (85-90% of 1RM... note this is NOT a max)
The goal here is technical consistency and developing confidence (i.e. "not overthinking it") at increasing loads. Ideally we want to see 16 out of 16 rounds made for 32 total good lifts (no misses). If you miss during rounds 13-16 you MUST reduce the weight in the following round.
Thursday Tabata
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
WOD FOR 04-05-18:
Tabata:
Row, Ski, or Bike For Calories
Deadlifts @ 185/135 lbs
Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Hollow Rocks
(Rest 1 Minute Between Movements)
The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, and is repeated eight times (over the course of four minutes). Your score is the lowest rep count among the eight intervals for each movement.
This workout lasts 24 total minutes, including the 4 rest/transition minutes. The movements do NOT alternate - you complete all eight intervals of the movement, rest 1 minute, then move on to complete all eight intervals of the next movement.
Coach Kate: AR Clothing Swap
From Coach Kate:
Clothing Swap at AR!
I've put a bin upstairs, next to the cubbies, for clothes swapping. It might be a bit small, but something to get started. Add and subtract as desired. I'll donate everything (including the lost and found) before the AR move.
There's demand for a men's clothing swap too, I'll drum up another container for the boys. Guys, bring some clothes to share!
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
WOD For 04-04-18:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (25 Minutes):
1) 21/15 Calorie Row
2) 40ft Single DB Goblet Walking Lunges @ pick load
3) 15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
4) 200m Run
5) Rest
If you're a ninja at C2B pull-ups then do every round of pull-ups unbroken for as long as possible. The DB can be as heavy as you like but you must maintain solid lunge mechanics, and you're not allowed to rest or rack the DB on the shoulder(s). If your reps for the row and/or the pull-ups fall then attempt to hold the new number for the remainder of the workout for that movement. Need to up the intensity? Run faster.
The Jerk Store Called...
Hey, George, the ocean called... they're running out of shrimp.
Classic.
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
WOD For 04-03-18:
5-5-5
For Quality.
-then-
Push Jerk:
3-3-2-2-1-1
Climbing as Technique Allows.
-then-
A) AMRAP 3 Minutes:
9 Push Jerks @ 155/105 lbs
9 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Rest 4 minutes, then...
B) REPEAT!
Use a rack for the push jerks. Set-up your equipment with enough safe space for box jumping clear of your neighbors and dropping/missing the barbell if needed. Be mindful when re-racking the barbell so as not to miss the j-hooks.
(Compre to 04-04-17 and 07-05-16)
Monday Squats + Isabel Interrupted
The album cover?
WOD For 04-02-18:
Back Squat:
6-6-6-6 Climbing to a Heavy Top* Set, then...
Two Drop Sets:
1x6 @ 85% of your top set
1x6 @ 80% of your top set
*If possible, add to your top set of SIX from last week 03-27-18.
-then-
"AR's Isabel Interrupted"
For Time:
100 Air Squats
30 Power Snatches @ 135/95 lbs
100 Air Squats
(Compare to 04-03-17 and 05-09-16)
Waterfalls
You're welcome.
Happy Weekend!
Please note: the gym will be closed on Easter Sunday (April 1st).
WOD For 03-31-18:
"Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls: Version 3.0"
In Teams of THREE Athletes For Total Time:
BUY-IN: 1000m Run, Starting TOGETHER
Then, 2 Rounds EACH With "Waterfall" Start:
30/21 Calorie Row
25 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
20 Toes-to-Bar
10-8-6 Curtis P Complexes @ 95/65 lbs (Athlete 1-2-3)
BUY-OUT: 100 Lateral Bar Burpees SPLIT
The Curtis P Complex is: Power Clean + Lunge Right + Lunge Left + Push Press
*All three athletes start the BUY-IN run TOGETHER and all three athletes must complete 1000m.
**The "Waterfall" start can begin with the first athlete to complete the run starting the row immediately (he/she does NOT have to wait for the other two athletes to complete the run). An athlete cannot start on a movement station until the teammate before him/her has cleared that station (e.g. Athlete 2 cannot start the wall balls until Athlete 1 has completed the wall balls, and Athlete 3 cannot start the row until Athlete 2 has completed the row).
***Teams cannot start the BUY-OUT until all three athletes have completed 2 full rounds - and the burpees over the barbell are shared and may be SPLIT in any fashion, with only one athlete working at a time (they do not have to equally split, step-overs are allowed).
Double Under Progression
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
Please note: the gym will be closed on Easter Sunday (April 1st).
If double unders continue to elude you the video above shows a great progression for practicing the movement in a step-by-step fashion. You've likely seen many (if not all) of these progression pieces before at Arena Ready, but sometimes hearing and seeing the instruction from a different source can make that last little bit click for someone - especially in a movement as fickle as the double under.
Practice, practice, practice!
Happy Friday, friends.
WOD For 03-30-18:
Tabata:
Side Plank (alternate sides for 4 total intervals each of right and left)
-then-
Sumo Deadlift:
6-6-6-6
Prioritize quality position over load.
-then-
5 Rounds For Time:
10 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs
10 Pistols (alternating)
50 Double Unders
Jenny Captures Open 18.5
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
Please note: the gym will be closed on Easter Sunday (April 1st).
Jenny documented the final 2018 Open workout at Arena Ready, and once again she captured some amazing shots of our people and community. Thank you so much, Jenny, for all that you do!
Check out the full gallery here - and give Jenny a hight five when you see her!
WOD For 03-29-18:
3 Rounds For QUALITY:
100m Single KB Front Rack "Waiter" Carry (50m Right / 50m Left) @ pick load
20 Hollow Rocks
-then-
EMOM 20 Minutes:
1 Snatch
Technically both Power and Full/Squat Snatch are allowed - but let's be honest, unless you're injured you should be snatching this workout with full squats to get the most out of the stimulus as possible.
Use FOUR different weights:
Minutes 1-5: "LIGHT" (approx 55-60% of 1RM)
Minutes 6-10: "MODERATE" (65-70% of 1RM)
Minutes 11-15: "MODERATE-HEAVY" (75-80% of 1RM)
Minutes 16-20: "HEAVY-ISH" (85-90% of 1RM... note this is NOT a max)
The goal here is technical consistency and developing confidence (i.e. "not overthinking it") at increasing loads. Ideally we want to see 20 out of 20 makes (no misses), with the snatch looking the same in minutes 16-20 as it does in minutes 1-5. If you miss during minutes 16-20 you MUST reduce the weight on the following minute.
The Ring Push-up
EVANS AVENUE PARKING REMINDER During Construction (click for details).
Please note: the gym will be closed on Easter Sunday (April 1st).
The ring push-up is a great exercise that most of you have performed during your time at Arena Ready. It's a great training tool to teach body position and awareness, and to show how that position can translate into the actual upper-body push. You begin to realize that the position & engagement of your body is just as important to the movement of a push-up (if not more important) than the actual "pushing up" itself.
The two videos above give you a good one-two punch review of the ring push-up - the first is a quick snippet from Matt Chan and the second video features our old buddies Kelly and Carl diving further into the importance of position and external rotation at the shoulder. That last part is key for any of us who have experienced the "hot elbow" sensation described at the end of the video - which is why the ability to externally rotate at the shoulder is so important in so many movements (not just push-ups and ring push-ups!).
It was strength and sprint-y day on Tuesday so here comes the aerobic ninja's jam on Wednesday - a nice long & light AMRAP for some mid-week sweatiness. Enjoy!
WOD For 03-28-18:
AMRAP 22 Minutes:
18/12 Calorie Row, Ski, or Bike
18 KB Swings @ 53/35 lbs
18 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
18 Ring Push-ups
18 KB Goblet Squats @ 53/35 lbs
What Now?
The CrossFit Games season has come to an end for those of us at Arena Ready - another competitive year in the books, and another opportunity to review what went well, what could have gone better, and potentially to start thinking about goals for next year.
The first thing to keep in mind, as always, but as very easy to forget, is that this is a sport we are fortunate to have the opportunity to play. Getting to go to a gym on a daily or near-daily basis to pursue competitive exercise alongside friends, being cheered for by these peers during competition, and having the opportunity to watch and learn from each other during a world-wide competition, is a really cool opportunity that really is quite a luxury. I'm thankful to have been a part of the 2018 Open at Arena Ready, and I'm thankful so many of you chose to come along for the ride.
Thinking about what went well - we saw lots of really cool performances. We saw first HSPU, first MU, first C2B, first pull-ups, weightlifting PRs, and a whole lot of sweat and high fives. We saw people push themselves harder than they'd previously realized they were capable of. We saw people make the difficult but very wise choice to step back from top intensity in order to avoid injury, We saw a lot of self-awareness build, and we saw some competitive fires get lit. Looking back through the performances, it's clear that a lot of work went into the training our crew did in the past year! I hope that everyone has an opportunity to look back and find at least one moment of which they can be totally proud! I have at least one of those moments for each of you.
Thinking about what could have gone better - sometimes competition has a way of highlighting weaknesses. Not surprisingly, everyone has them, no matter how hard they train, no matter how competitive they want to be, and no matter how much they wish they didn't. It's actually one of the beauties of being a human, and certainly a CrossFitter - if you look at it the right way it really keeps things interesting. Can you imagine how boring life (and CrossFit) would be if you were already perfect at all the movements, and also the strategy? Ugh. I'd choose the opportunity to find weaknesses to improve on any day. Sure, weakness (or even perceived failure) can be an opportunity to beat ourselves up, wish things had gone differently, second guess our choices throughout the year, and generally feel bad about everything, but it doesn't have to be that. It can simply be a source of an objective data point, and one which can help to enlighten the fun part: goals for next year, but first, recovery.
After each track season, every coach I ever had made me take two weeks off. In those two weeks I was supposed to sit on the couch, or do something fun, or whatever I needed to do to not train for hammer (or jumping, or heptathlon) for two straight weeks. It was SO hard not to go from completely fired up about nationals or the Trials to the most intense training sessions I'd ever had with the intention of getting a head start on next year, but in actuality that time let my brain and body get back to normal, and gave me time to subconsciously process in order to come back settled and ready to thoughtfully approach the next season.
How does this apply to us? It's probably not necessary for most of us to take two weeks totally off - our entire lives haven't been revolving around training for the Open for the past year, and we're probably not going to spend the coming year focusing our entire beings on success in next year's Open. That said, for those who have been really really focused on the Open even just for the last five weeks, a few days away to rest, recover, think about things other than CrossFit and the leaderboard may do you some good. No matter what, now is not the time to be fired up and start training for next year (that's likely to be a pretty fast track to injury and/or burnout).
Once your body and mind have recovered is the time to start thinking about goals for next year. This phase is awesome. In my opinion, this is a two step review of how the Open (and prior year's training) went. The first phase is to think about how you feel about each of the workouts - how the tests went, what you wish had gone differently, what you wish had been different about your fitness, and potentially which workouts were your worst (and best) finishes, and why. If you identify things you don't feel great about - lack of a particular skill, overall metabolic capacity, overhead mobility, etc. those are great things to focus on for next year. The second phase is to think about where you'd like to be competitively next year - within the gym, the state, your age group, etc. and within that group identify weaknesses based on which workouts were your worst finishes. To clarify this point, in my case, I'd be stoked each year with my year over year improvement in burpees and hspu, yet despite my pride in my progress it seemed everyone else was still improving faster than me, so those remained weaknesses even though my performances kept improving a lot. Once you have a clear view of your weaknesses (much more powerful than "I just am not fit... wah...") you can go to the goals phase.
CrossFit as a general physical preparedness (GPP) program will help you get better at everything through working out 3-5 times per week, scaling appropriately, and pushing yourself a little harder than you'd like, all while paying close attention to recovery. We watched this be true for most of you at the gym this year. If you're good with that, keep doing what you're doing! If you're disappointed with where that puts you relatively speaking, or you feel like your capacity isn't what you'd like it to be in particular skills or movements, pick the three that you feel make you weakest, and add a little bit of thoughtful extra volume (and appropriate corresponding increased recovery) each week - this could be three sets of strict (or banded) pull-ups. It could be muscle up drills. It could be strict overhead pressing, or a Recon Ron strict hspu program (that one's hard!) It could be going to barbell once that gets started back up, it could be 50 burpees for time on a regular basis. It could be overhead or farmer carry, it could be good mornings or upright rows, a minute for max cals on the bike, or a 1k for time on the rower, a post-workout stretching/cooldown routine, or any number of other things, depending on what you'd like to improve. It needs to be effective, thoughtful, and likely minimal, in order to be something you will actually do once the emotion of the Open wears off, and once the reality of your busy life sets back in. Even 10 extra minutes a week focused on your weakest weakness will have a surprising impact on your proficiency in that movement, and even your competitive fitness overall. If your three weakest workouts had been materially stronger as a result of being stronger in the weakest component of that workout, how much closer would you have been to where you wanted to be? No time like the present to start patiently chipping away to make next year is a little closer to what you want it to be (and feel free to talk about these plans with a coach, especially if you'd like guidance).
Finally, again, congratulations on finishing the Open. Congratulations for the firsts. And for the self-awareness you gained. Congrats on caring enough about your performance to be a little disappointed when you failed to live up to your expectations. Congrats for cheering wholeheartedly for your friends (even when they were beating you). Thank you for judging, for facilitating, for cheering, and for making it another really fun year.
The 2018 Open is in the books!
WOD For 03-27-18:
Back Squat:
6-6-6-6 Climbing to a Heavy Top* Set, then...
Two Drop Sets:
1x6 @ 85% of your top set
1x6 @ 80% of your top set
*Add to your top set of EIGHT from the last five weeks
-then-
FOUR 2-Minute Cycles For MAX REPS:
15/11 Calorie Row
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
MAX REPS Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
(Rest 2 Minutes Between Cycles)