Workout of the Day
Contra Costa Throwdown Sunday Heat Times
As mentioned a couple of days ago Arena Ready has three teams competing this Sunday (June 10th) at the 2018 Contra Costa Throwdown, and several AR folks will be heading over to watch and cheer them on! Here are the scheduled heat times for our athletes so that you may plan your carpooling and competitive exercise watching accordingly:
Seiji & Coach Steven AKA "It's All in The Kips":
8:16am, 10:40am, 11:00am, 1:56pm
Patricia & Coach Kate AKA "Squirrel & The Hulk":
9:00am, 11:00am, 12:08pm, 12:28pm
Coach Hillary & Coach Kim AKA "The Old Fashioneds":
9:44am, 12:50pm, 1:58pm, 2:18pm
The competition will be held at Contra Costa CrossFit:
2395 Monument Blvd, Suite F
Concord, CA 94520
Come on out and cheer for our teams, and maybe join for some post-competition food & drinks with the AR crew!
WOD For 06-07-18:
EMOM For 10 Minutes:
1 Power Snatch + 2 Hang Power Snatches + 1 Overhead Squat
Climbing as your technique allows
If possible add to your top set on this complex from last week 05-30-18.
-then-
For Time:
100 Double Unders
30 Power Snatches @ 135/95 lbs
100 Double Unders
Congrats Coach Kate!
Amidst all the moving and gym set-up craziness we failed to give a shout out to Coach Kate a few days ago for her solid performance at the SPS Championship this past Saturday. Kate took the competition platform and went 2 for 3 on the snatch and (a dramatic) 1 for 3 on the clean & jerk, coming back from a missed opener and second attempt to post a 144kg total under some serious pressure. Nice job, Kate!
It wasn't a PR day for Kate but given the fact that she's been helping so much with the gym's move and set-up, coaching classes, and handling her day job(s), a performance like this - among some of the best lifters in the PWA - is definitely impressive under the circumstances.
Props also to Coaches Hillary and Liz who, as usual, were on-site at the meet to help Kate and handle the coaching of her warm-ups and attempts (an important job at any weightlifting meet). All three of them were of course back at AR shortly thereafter to be their general awesome selves, jumping in to move things and direct traffic during the transition chaos.
Great work, Squirrel, and thanks for sharing your strength with our community in more ways than one!
WOD For 06-06-18:
"Lateral and Coronal, Oh My!"
3 Rounds For Completion (NOT For Time):
30/24 Calorie Row, Ski, or Bike (Easy, Medium, Fast)
30 Med Ball Russian Twists @ pick load
5-10-15m Shuttle Run (Easy, Medium, Fast)
This is untimed, but move with a purpose.
-then-
4 Rounds For Time:
15 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
15 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
15/12 Calorie Row, Ski, or Bike
Contra Costa Throwdown: This Sunday
Lots going on at the new AR HQ! More blog posts covering gym updates and and other information coming this week. Meantime, for the drivers among us, check out this street sweeping schedule for the immediate area surrounding the new gym location (thank you Darrell!):
http://propertymap.sfplanning.org/ (search our address on the link if you can't zoom-in enough on the image below)
A more detailed parking strategy will be posted soon - if anyone has insight or tips to add please do let us know.
Changing gears for a bit...
This Sunday, June 10th, Arena Ready has three teams competing at the 2018 Contra Costa Throwdown: Coach Kim & Coach Hillary, Seiji & Coach Steven, and Patricia & Coach Kate. Heat times will be posted later this week for those who want to come out to Contra Costa CrossFit (in Concord) and cheer on our teams along with some other AR supporters. For now, we'll be doing Event 3 of this competition as part of our Tuesday classes - so you'll all get a small taste of what our three teams will be doing this coming Sunday!
We didn't have anyone signed-in for the Tuesday noon class as of 8pm on Monday night, so we're taking the opportunity to try and use the time to complete the gym flooring and a few other critical projects. Thus, Tuesday's 12pm class is cancelled - thanks for your understanding.
WOD For 06-05-18:
"2018 Contra Costa Throwdown Event 3: Hulk Smash"
Power Clean + Hang Squat Clean + Front Squat + Shoulder-to-Overhead:
15 minutes for both you and a partner to build to a top set of the complex
Partners use the same barbell and load/unload building sets accordingly. No, I did not name this workout.
-then-
"It Tastes Like Burning"
AMRAP 8 Minutes:
16 Power Cleans @ 95/65
8 Front Squats
16 Shoulder-to-Overhead
***Perform 6 pistols (alternating) every minute, on the minute, starting at 0:00
Yes, I did name this workout.
We're Moved (And Still Working)!
It's been a long couple of days and we're ecstatic and exhausted - but we are, indeed, moved. Our normal class schedule will resume on Monday as planned in our new location at 3250 Cesar Chavez (at Shotwell, just off of South Van Ness).
A "thank you" post (directed at all who have helped up to this point) is coming shortly, as are continued updates on new developments at the gym in its new home. I know Dani is also working on a parking landscape post following her survey of the area and its various parking options. And, of course, some sentimental thoughts will be shared in the coming days to mark the transition from one amazing place to another.
As our anticipation grows for some of the fancy new toys that are still in transit and yet to arrive (e.g. a brand new gigantic pull-up rig, new equipment storage systems, sparkling water filter, etc.) we hope you please excuse the transitional state of the gym for the next couple of weeks as we try our best to incorporate all the cool new stuff without impacting the class schedule too much. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
It will be interesting to see who wants to peep the new space on Monday after reading this treasure of a workout...
WOD For 06-04-18:
With a Partner, 10 Rounds For Time:
250m Row
10 Burpees
(1 Minute Rest Between Rounds)
This is "you go, then I go, then we rest one minute." Both partners complete 10 rounds each.
(Compare to 05-19-17)
Moving Day: Saturday Track WOD With Coach Kim!
You read about it here on the blog all week, but just to confirm we are indeed closed this weekend (Saturday & Sunday) as we move the gym to our new home at 3250 Cesar Chavez. If all goes well our normal class schedule resumes on Monday, June 4th, and we'll update you ASAP if anything changes.
Meantime, you should still get your Sweaty Saturday workout fix by meeting Coach Kim and a bunch of your Arena Ready buddies for a track WOD! Kim will gather the group on Saturday morning at 8:00AM at the newly remodeled City College of San Francisco track - Google Map "324 Havlock" for directions to the stadium parking lot where everyone will meet.
Catch you all on the flip side in our new digs!
WOD For 06-02-18:
Aerobic Capacity Track WOD with Coach Kim!
Run 700, 1300, 900, 500 meters with 5 minutes rest between intervals.
Every interval alternates between 200 EZ, and 200 fast with a 15 second rest before a 100 meter sprint.
10 burpee broad jumps right after every sprint, go hard and go fast, open your hips at the top of each burpee!
5 minute rest between intervals. Pace for the fast 200's should be PR mile pace, pace for the EZ 200's should be 2:00/mile slower than mile PR pace (SLOW!).
***NOTE FROM KIM: it's super helpful if you have a watch with timer. It sounds like a lot but it's less than 3 miles! And this stuff really works, not just for running, but for conditioning for all of the things!
Let's Make Like a Sheep...
... and get the flock outta here.
The move is upon us! After what feels like an eternity of anticipation we're finally making the official transition just one mile west to 3250 Cesar Chavez this weekend, and as such it's looking like we will be closed on Saturday and Sunday (June 2nd and 3rd) - check the blog on Friday evening just to be 100% sure, but that's the plan as of this writing. Thanks for your understanding, folks.
If all goes smoothly we'll be back up and running for a full/normal class schedule starting on Monday (June 4th) and will update everyone ASAP if we hit any snags. Settling-in to the new space will be a process since we want to get everything just right and set-up the most premium experience possible for our awesome members, so exciting items like a brand new (& much improved) pull-up rig and fancy equipment storage systems are on their way and will be a part of Arena Ready 3.0 shortly.
Friday will be the last day to claim your weightlifting shoes, Lost & Found items, and Clothing Swap items before we consolidate everything for donation.
If you want to say goodbye to Connecticut Street and send us off with a proper Arena Ready farewell, then come on in for Friday's WOD and drop that barbell to your heart's content. We may even have an informal toast after the 6pm class concludes, any and all are welcome to hang out and say "Audi 5000" to the place that's been our fitness home for nearly six years.
Onward!
WOD For 06-01-18:
"The AR Deconstructed Duo DT"
With a Partner, 2 Rounds For Time:
60 Deadlifts @ 155/105 lbs
45 Hang Power Cleans
30 Push Jerks
Both athletes must complete 4 burpees every minute, on the minute, starting at 0:00.
Only one person working at a time on the barbell, and reps do not have to be split evenly. You do not have to wait for your partner to complete his/her burpees before starting back on the barbell.
Phase 2 Moving Update
The latest update we've received puts our moving dates as this Saturday and Sunday (June 2nd and 3rd), so we wanted to give you all a heads-up as we'll need to close shop on our actual moving days once confirmed. This scenario impacts the least amount of classes, so if things stay on schedule for a weekend move it would be about as ideal as it gets - fingers crossed!
Stay tuned though as things are constantly in flux (the crew in the new space is working like mad to finish the final details before we bring all our fitness over) and we're doing our best to provide updates as soon as we have more info - for now this weekend's classes remain on the Mindbody schedule until we are 100% confirmed on the moving dates. As mentioned previously we'll keep all our usual channels of communication updated (here on the blog, in the private FB group, and in the gym) as we approach the switch to Arena ready 3.0!
Feel free to give us a shout if you have any questions or concerns.
Reminder about AR Clothing Swap and Lost & Found (click for details)
Reminder about claiming your weightlifting shoes and taking them with you (click for details)
WOD For 05-31-18:
3 Rounds For Quality:
30 Second Handstand Hold
10 Single DB Overhead Squats (5 Right / 5 Left) @ pick load
100m Single KB Farmer Carry (50m down, switch sides, 50m back) @ pick load
-then-
A) AMRAP 6 Minutes:
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
10 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
B) AMRAP 6 Minutes:
36 Unbroken Double Unders
12/8 Calorie Row or Assault Bike
Rest 4 minutes between A and B.
Yes, even if you miss double under rep #36 you must start over at 0 (or consider the workout performed scaled).
Clothing Swap Final Reminder (4 of 4)
As detailed recently on the blog, the second and final phase of the gym's move is nearly upon us. As such we need to start clearing out the building, including the AR Clothing Swap items in the upstairs space next to the storage cubbies.
This is the last chance to grab some pretty sweet gear, including several pairs of nearly brand new Reebok Nano, Nike Metcon, and Inov-8 training shoes, new or nearly new baby clothes, and some fancy baby and toddler toys (somehow the swap expanded into different departments of goods).
If you're interested pop upstairs to check out the loot and take anything that you can use. We'll be donating the remaining items when we move (likely later this week). The gym's Lost & Found items have also been moved upstairs near the Clothing Swap area, and we'll be donating those contents (and any other random gym belongings with no owners) shortly.
Thanks for your help!
WOD For 05-30-18:
Every 90 Seconds For 7 Rounds:
1 Power Snatch + 2 Hang Power Snatches + 1 Overhead Squat
*Climbing as your technique allows
-then-
4 Rounds For Max Reps (0:45 work / 0:15 rest):
Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
Med Ball Sit-ups @ 20/14 lbs
Burpee to Jump Touch*
(REST 1:15)
*Ideally pick a target that is at least 6 inches above your max reach when standing. Touch the target with BOTH hands for the rep to count.
Calling All Weightlifting Shoe Owners
Thanks to everyone who participated in our Memorial Day "Murph" hero WOD on Monday - we had a couple of great groups who tackled the beast of a workout for yet another year.
As detailed last week here on the blog, Phase 1 of moving to Arena Ready 3.0 started on Friday - and as many of you who did "Murph" on Monday saw, the second side of the gym has been cleared, moved, and shored-up. It's like a flashback to 2012 and Arena Ready 1.0! We'll be operating out of the main gym side (1263 Connecticut Street, or "AR South" as it's affectionately known to many of us) until Phase 2 of the move starts later this week. Since the new space is still being worked on and finalized, with details constantly in flux, we remain unsure exactly on which days this Phase 2 move will occur, but it's looking like Saturday and Sunday (June 2nd and 3rd) would be likely. We will, of course, keep you updated here on the blog and in the private Arena Ready Members facebook group as soon as we have any new details (the Mindbody class schedule will also be updated ASAP when changes are necessary).
In the meantime (as mentioned during class on Monday) we are asking that everyone who has weightlifting shoes stored in the gym's shoe cabinet to please come in and retrieve your shoes ASAP. The existing shoe cabinet will not be making the journey to the new space and will die an uneventful death here on Connecticut Street. Once we are up and running with full equipment and layout in the new space we'll brainstorm and execute on a new weightlifting shoe storage system and will notify everyone when the time comes - in the interim we ask that you keep your lifters with you and not stash them at the gym for the time being.
Any weightlifting shoes (and other gear) left behind when it comes time to move will be grouped together with the leftover Clothing Swap items and Lost & Found and taken away for donation.
Let us know if you have any questions, and thank you for your attention and assistance as we work hard to get through this transition!
Tuesday brings us a little post-Murph restorative work (for "Quality") and then some complimentary movements in a work/rest scheme to counterbalance the stimulus from Monday. Enjoy and have a great week...
WOD For 05-29-18:
With a Partner or As a Group of Three, 3 Rounds For QUALTY (Not For Time):
15/12 Calorie Row or Assault Bike (easy, medium, hard)
15 Hollow Rocks
100m Single DB or KB Overhead Waiter Carry @ pick load (50m down, switch sides, 50m back)
Prioritize overhead position (neutral spine, armpit forward, biceps near the ears, arm fully locked out) over DB/ KB loading on the carry. Start on different stations and cycle through the movements as a duo or trio.
-then-
With a Partner, 10 Rounds For Time:
10/8 Calorie Row or Assault Bike
10 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
10 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Complete one FULL round then switch (5 rounds for each athlete, for a total of 10 rounds). Tagging is not required.
Memorial Day Murph
As we posted about last week, we'll be doing "Murph" as tradition on Memorial Day, and we wanted to take a moment (and a WOD) to remember the meaning of Memorial Day. I saw this posted on Instagram a couple of years ago 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.
Monday'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 single 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 - it's not honorable to do so, it's just plain dumb.
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 and so desire - but the same time cap will apply to you as it does to the rest of the group.
(Compare to 05-30-17, 05-30-16, 05-26-15 and 05-27-13)
(Workout courtesy of CrossFit.com)
Reminders For This Weekend & Memorial Day
Memorial Day Weekend Moving
As many of you saw in last week's thread in the private Arena Ready facebook group, the first phase of Operation Arena Ready 3.0 (AKA move the gym one mile west) will begin this Friday, May 25th, as we shut & move the AR North side of the gym. As such, we'll be closed on Saturday and Sunday, May 26th and 27th, and depending on the status of the initial work we may also need to close on Friday afternoon, May 25th (we don't think this will be necessary but will update the facebook group and Mindbody ASAP if we hit any unforeseen speed bumps).
Since we aim to prioritize a safe environment for our members we want to avoid training hours during times which could involve dust, fumes, equipment being displaced, etc. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
Memorial Day Monday "Murph"
As per worldwide CrossFit tradition we'll be doing the hero WOD "Murph"on Memorial Day Monday, May 28th at 10:00am and 11:15am. We added the second class to accommodate the increased capacity, so please sign-up well in advance, and cancel ASAP if you know you cannot make it so someone else can take your spot (and we also ask that you do not double-book yourself in both classes).
Happy Friday, friends!
WOD For 05-25-18:
DB or KB Turkish Get-up:
1-1-1-1-1 (each side)
For Quality
-then-
With a Partner, 5 Rounds For Time:
Partner A - 250m Row Sprint
Partner B - 250m Row Sprint
Partner A - 50 Unbroken Double Unders
Partner B - 50 Unbroken Double Unders
Throwback Thursday: 2017 Regionals
Last year at this time we were all gearing up to cheer on these two awesome ladies at the CrossFit Games Regional competition!
With the newly formed "West Regional" going down in Del Mar this weekend (Friday through Sunday) it's hard not to think back to the last seven years of Regional competitions during which so many of us traveled near and far to coach, cheer, support, and generally be the noisiest little section in the stands as we screamed our heads off for Cassie, Liz, Sarah, and/or Amy.
Since careers and babies and moving have made 2018 a competition year "off" for some of our highest level athletes, we're watching from home this year and instead focusing much of our hopes (and stress LOL) on the soon-to-be home to Arena Ready 3.0. But it doesn't mean we can't throw it back a little to last year...
Here's Dr. Cassie in Event 4 showing some smart strategy/pacing and blazing fast handstand walking... and almost catching Lindsey Valenzuela at the finish! (video start at 1hr 32min):
And Sarah in Event 6, wearing her vintage "2013 Smile Like Sarah, Eat Like Liz" Regional tank top, hitting the gas pedal and not letting off of it (video start at 1hr 2min):
Can't wait to watch this weekend's events and cheer on some of our old friends who are hitting the competition floor to represent the OG NorCal exercisers!
Memorial Day Weekend Moving/Closure and "Murph" Reminder (click for details)
WOD For 05-24-18:
4 Rounds For Time:
3 Rounds of "Cindy"
12 Deadlifts @ 255/175 lbs
1 Round of Cindy is:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats
This workout contains 12 total rounds of "Cindy." Consider it your final bodyweight "training run" prior to you know what on Monday.