Workout of the Day
AR Pride Shirts For a Cause
The new Arena Ready "Pride" shirts arrived on Wednesday and some of you have already snagged one, or even a few styles. There are FIVE different "styles" of shirts if we're going off of the shirt manufacturer's descriptors: the Unisex T-shirt, the Unisex Baseball Tee, the Men's Tank Top, the Women's Muscle Shirt, and the Women's Tank Top.
There are a lot of shirts for sale as we knew these would be popular but I would still try to get in to the gym ASAP to purchase one since nothing was done on a pre-order basis. The shirts are currently all sorted by style and by size, alongside our latest AR "Athlete in The Arena" shirts - please help by keeping everything folded and organized so that everyone has an easy time finding the right items.
You may purchase the shirts on the iPad register at the gym - kindly choose the "Pride" shirts vs. the regular shirts during checkout - ask a coach if you have any questions. It's important that your purchases be made/processed correctly as the proceeds for the sale of every AR Pride shirt will be donated to the "Bay Area Girls Rock Camp" in Cash Askew's memory.
From the "Bay Area Girls Rock Camp" website (which played a major role in Cash's life):
Bay Area Girls Rock Camp is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers young people through music, promoting an environment that fosters self-confidence, creativity and teamwork. Although our camp centers the experiences of young women, we are committed to gender justice and creating an inclusive environment that supports a wide range of marginalized gender identities and expressions.
BAGRC challenges gender stereotypes, encourages collaboration and tolerance among peers, and provides a comfortable space for people of all backgrounds to express themselves. Through music lessons, workshops, group activities, and performances, rock campers acquire skills that help guide them throughout their lives.
WOD For 06-21-18:
2 Snatch (High) Pulls + 2 Power Snatches:
12 minutes to build to a top set (NOT a max)
Climb only as your technique allows. Doing this incorrectly at progressively heavier weight simply helps to reinforce your bad habits in the snatch.
For the snatch high pulls focus on a vertical leg drive and tall finish by continuing to push through the floor at the top. The bar should stay close to the torso, with elbows up & out. At the top you should not be falling or leaning back, leaning forward over the bar, leaving the ground with your feet, or re-bending your legs.
For the power snatch focus on replicating the same tall, vertical leg drive and close proximity of the bar immediately after contact with the hips - but then add the active pull under to receive the bar overhead.
-then-
2 Rounds For Time:
20 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
50 Double Unders
20 Toes-to-Bar
50 Double Unders
AR House Rules: Weightlifting Shoe Cabinet 2.0
Some of you have already started to enjoy the fruits of Sarah's furniture assembly labor in the form of the new weightlifting shoe cabinet at Arena Ready. The little blue boxes are for AR members who have weightlifting shoes (which ideally see some regular action) and would like to leave them at the gym. Instead of charging folks for the boxes and/or storage term we simply ask that you help us keep the cabinet clean, tidy, and odor free.
Here are the simple rules for the little blue cubby boxes and their fresh new cabinet home:
1) Write your first & last name clearly on the box with a Sharpie. If I don't know who it belongs to I'll donate or throw out the contents. Requests to bring in your own (non-matching) box will be politely declined.
2) The box should close completely and maintain it's original dimensions and shape. I'll donate or throw away anything not physically inside the box or causing the box to protrude like your next door neighbor's annoying crabapple tree.
3) If I identify anything smelly coming from your box (insert juvenile/asinine chuckle here) I'll throw away everything inside of it. I reserve the right to not have to tell you beforehand since the stench should have been your warning, and perhaps at that point you need a wake-up call or intervention anyway - for more on the topic, including solutions to personal odor problems, click here and read this.
4) Please no contraband or anything alive inside the box (see #3 above for anyone who thinks it would be funny to leave a bottle of kombucha in their cubby).
5) If you're tall use one of the higher shelves. If you're short use a lower shelf. If you're just plain ol' average height then remember that I care about you and that you have other special, unique qualities despite your middle-of-the-road stature. You know, just try to keep in mind the concept of other people.
6) If in doubt, always default to the simple question: "If everyone did what I'm about to do, would the system work?" I'll give you a hint - if you're asking yourself that question the answer is probably "no." So take the rest of that stuff with you when you leave, homeslice, because we love you but we don't necessarily love your gear all over the place.
As a matter of fact, let's go ahead and make Rule #6 apply to the ENTIRE gym in general, and not just the weightlifting shoe cabinet. Please take your stuff home with you, folks - clothes, shoes, workout accessories, dog toys, personal grooming products, water bottles, bicycle parts, small kitchen appliances, children's toys, random home gym equipment castaways that you think "maybe somebody could use someday", unwanted baby hand-me-downs, Tupperware... ok you get the point. And yes, those are all things that get left at the gym more regularly than you'd think.
We endeavor to organize official clothing swaps (and other types of gear/stuff/goods swaps) at the gym with specific instructions and timelines so that our community can take advantage of the generosity and thoughtful contributions of its members. So let's kindly try to reserve bulk exchanges to when we're able to mobilize a concerted effort and specific community event.
Here's to a tidy and organized fitness experience!
Look how pretty organization can be!
WOD For 06-20-18:
With a Partner For Total Time (including penalties*):
5000m Row
Switch every 250m, exactly.
PENALTIES:
*For every meter over 250 when the counter stops, there is a 2-rep Wall Ball penalty (e.g. if the counter stops at 256m the team owes 12 Wall Balls).
*For every meter under 250 the team owes the difference plus 5 AbMat Sit-ups (e.g. if the counter stops at 247m the team owes 8 AbMat Sit-ups).
The penalties accumulate and must be performed at the end of the 5000m row. The team's time includes the time required to complete the penalty reps, which can be divided/shared in any fashion with ONLY ONE person working at a time.
(Compare to 03-11-16)
Color-Coded Barbell Storage
You may notice that the new vertical barbell storage racks have been color coded so as to help keep things in order. It turns out that Sarah may actually be even more OCD than me when it comes to some things! I wanted to make a PSA video about gently lowering the barbells into place when replacing them in the new storage racks but alas the recent days have gotten away from me, and a written reminder will have to do. So, like all things in the gym, please treat the bars like your own when putting them away in these new holders. Thank you.
But, on a related note, there's always this gem from Coach Hillary about NOT dropping the empty barbells on the floor when unloading them (or ever really, unless you're in danger for some reason during an empty barbell lift... which would be weird for about 99% of you).
I basically do everything Hillary tells me to do, and I suggest you do the same. Or feel the wrath.
WOD For 06-19-18:
Every 2 Minutes For 7 Rounds (14 Minutes):
3 Back Squats
Quickly warm-up to a working weight prior to the first round, then either climb in small jumps or stay at a challenging weight across several (or all) of the seven rounds.
-then-
AMRAP 7 Minutes:
7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
14 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
21 Air Squats
Congrats Level 1 Trainers!
Congrats to four of our Arena Ready members who took their Level 1 trainer course this past weekend at Pacific Strength. Angela, Megan, Brian "B-Dom" D., and Jason E. all went through the trainer course and represented AR as their usual awesome selves. For Jason it was his second time taking the Level 1 (he was renewing his credential), as he took his first Level 1 course nearly five years ago (and Coach Sarah was one of the CrossFit HQ Head Trainers teaching that seminar!).
It's pretty cool to think about just how many AR members also have their Level 1 trainer credential - we probably have 30+ in our little crew which is quite the percentage of our gym's presence. Our community benefits immensely from how many amazing individuals actually care about CrossFit (as it's intended to be done), health, fitness, and helping others around them.
Gotta LOVE those four Arena Read shirts front and (sorta) center/right-ish!
Last week we did a very similar complex on a 12-minute clock but with push jerks - this week it's push presses. Focus on driving the barbell with the legs and then finishing overhead by pressing, and NOT re-bending underneath the bar (squeeze your glutes and quads until the bar has reached full lockout overhead).
Enjoy!
WOD For 06-18-18:
1 Power Clean + 3 Push Presses:
12 minutes to build to a top set
-then-
"Betty"
5 Rounds For Time:
12 Push Presses @ 135/95 lbs
20 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
Push presses means no re-bend of the legs when receiving the bar overhead - those are called jerks. If you find yourself struggling to actually push press the barbell, particularly if you have a hard time not re-bending your legs, then scale accordingly so that you can do the written movement. Yes, it's harder to push press in this workout - that's the point. Enjoy!
(Compare to 06-28-17, 09-09-16, 10-19-15, 04-16-15, 11-03-14, and 04-23-14)
(Workout courtesy of CrossFit.com)
Saturday On-Boarding This Weekend!
REMINDER (click for last week's post) that our free June "On-Boarding Series" for newcomers starts on Saturday with the Introduction to CrossFit class at 12:00pm. The second class of the two-part series, Beginner's CrossFit, will be held the following Saturday (June 23rd).
Last chance to tell your friends and family to sign-up and get started at Arena Ready (click here for more details and to reserve a spot)!
Now let's officially break-in this brand new GIGANTIC pull-up rig with a proper Sweaty Saturday Partner Special, shall we?
WOD For 06-16-18:
With a Partner For Time:
60/54/48 Calorie Row, Ski, or AA Bike (MM/FM/FF Pairs)
60 Toes-to-Bar
50/45/40 Calorie Row, Ski, or AA Bike
50 Hang Power Cleans @ 155/110 lbs
40/36/32 Calorie Row, Ski, or AA Bike
40 Front Squats
30/27/24 Calorie Row, Ski, or AA Bike
30 Push Jerks
20/18/16 Calorie Row, Ski, or AA Bike
20 Squat Clean Thrusters
Only one person working at a time, switch whenever you like. Tagging is not required.
The Bodyweight Snatch
Over the last 5+ years the relatively long list of members who have snatched their bodyweight at Arena Ready has been fairly impressive given the smaller size of our community, the low turnover of our membership (i.e. no steady flow of new athletes to artificially bolster this statistic), and the fact that we are - at our core - a CrossFit gym (and not an Olympic weightlifting facility, or a CrossFit gym that's a "wannabe" weightlifting gym). I stopped counting when we got close to two dozen total (men & women) so I don't know what the official number is anymore.
What's the big deal, some of you may ask? The bodyweight snatch is a milestone for many CrossFitters, and even some Olympic-style weightlifters - a gold standard of proficiency and one of the hallmarks of the beginning of mastery.
The snatch is (as just about all of you know) a very complex movement, and an athlete's ability to snatch relatively heavy weights can often tell a lot about said athlete's abilities in other areas of fitness. If an athlete can snatch his/her bodyweight it likely means that he/she is pretty darn strong, powerful, flexible, coordinated, agile, fast, and has a sound sense of both balance and accuracy. Coincidentally those are 8 of the 10 "General Physical Skills" as defined by CrossFit in their classic, 16-year old article "What Is Fitness?" and it's arguable that snatching relatively heavy weights can also help in building capacity with the other two skills they define - cardiorespiratory endurance and stamina (assuming the athlete is spending time training other modalities and domains, and not just weightlifting).
In the case of our athletes who have hit this milestone I think the argument is pretty solid - not only can they snatch their bodyweight, but I'm pretty confident most of them can run a 6-7 minute mile (give or take, assuming they "wanted" to LOL), do multiple strict pull-ups, pick up heavier objects than most men & women, run a decent half marathon time (if for some reason they wanted to do that to themselves out of the blue), and probably embarrass more than a few people in a pick up game of their choosing. I'd bet that nearly all (if not all) of them can do muscle-ups too.
What does this mean for many of you? Well, since we love to teach weightlifting at AR we have a membership base that generally likes to snatch (and clean, and jerk, and squat, etc) and appreciates spending time getting better at the movement. But there's always some folks who just don't quite understand the point of trying to learn how to do this awkwardly dynamic movement, and who may not appreciate what it does for herself/himself when they build proficiency in such a seemingly novel pursuit - the snatch.
I can guarantee you that the better you are at snatching the better you will be at an overwhelming majority of physical tasks in your life - carrying your kids, moving your furniture, hauling luggage in an airport or on an airplane, skiing, surfing, running, jumping, playing catch with your grandchildren, chasing your dog, telling snot-nosed bag boys at the grocery store that "No thank you, I don't need help out... these aren't actually that heavy for me."
It'll be cool to see who will hit the bodyweight snatch milestone next. Complexes like Friday's WOD help to build comfort, confidence, and neurological adaptations to eventually make your snatch better over time - and for most of us this type of workout is just plain fun... lifting a barbell on a Friday with some friends!
WOD For 06-15-18:
Every 90 Seconds For 20 Rounds (30 Minutes):
Power Snatch + Hang Squat Snatch + Overhead Squat
Use FOUR different weights:
Rounds 1-5: "LIGHT" (approx 40-50% of 1RM Snatch)
Rounds 6-10: "MODERATE" (60-70% of 1RM Snatch)
Rounds 11-15: "MODERATE-HEAVY" (70-80% of 1RM)
Rounds 16-20: "HEAVY-ISH" (85% 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 movements looking the same in rounds 16-20 as it does in rounds 1-5. If you miss during rounds 16-20 you MUST reduce the weight in the following round.
Beginners may modify the complex (if needed) to:
Power Snatch + Hang Power Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats
New Toys: A Progress Update
The essentials of the brand new GIGANTIC pull-up rig are installed and complete, and while we have a bunch of cool & fun accessories we're still going to add the heavy lifting of the construction is done for this particular project. Hooray!
You'll likely also notice some other details (some subtle, some not so subtle) that we've implemented or are in the process of doing so -- new premium equipment storage units, chalk receptacles, plate stackers, pulling blocks, wall-mounted foam roller storage, indoor bicycle rack, wall ball targets, multi-phone charging station, vertical barbell racks, and several others in the works. It's a ton of new stuff we're excited about and we hope you enjoy it for years to come!
Thanks for your patience as we make our way through the list of new toys to assemble and enjoy at Aren Ready 3.0.
WOD For 06-14-18:
Deadlift:
5-5-5-5-5
Climbing
-then-
For Time:
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs
Front Rack Lunges (alternate)
Lateral Bar Burpees
What Can Brown Lose For You?
In our case, everything we ordered from Rogue Fitness for the new gym. For nearly two days. As in, UPS literally had no idea where it was. A delivery truck even arrived on Monday to deliver the four gigantic pallets of gear and when the driver went to start getting the stuff he discovered that none of it was actually in the truck. So what was supposed to be here on Monday at 9am finally arrived on Tuesday afternoon - and the perfectly timed installation workflow we organized with our contractor, which originally worked around our class schedule in phases, went down the toilet. As gym owners for six years we should have known better than to plan around UPS, haha. But with our contractor going on paternity leave as of Thursday (you can't make this stuff up) we had little choice than to try and squeeze this pass into double coverage.
Anyhow, we apologize for the cancelled classes on Tuesday and thank you for your understanding as we do everything we possibly can to get this project completed.
Wednesday's 6am, 7am and 12pm classes are cancelled as well - hopefully we'll be nearing the final stages of the install by Wednesday afternoon and are aiming to be at a decent stopping point by the 4pm class.
Thanks for your attention and patience - and for putting up with my American football sports analogies and digs at that stupid UPS slogan.
WOD For 06-13-18:
"Tabata This!"
Tabata Row for Calories
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Air Squat
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Pull-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata Push-up
Rest 1 minute
Tabata AbMat Sit-up
This is a 24-minute workout, including the 4 rest minutes. The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals. Score is the least number of reps performed in any of the eight intervals.
(Compare to 12-04-14)
Congrats To Our Contra Costa Throwdown Teams!
Congrats to our six athletes (three teams) who competed at the 2018 Contra Costa Throwdown on Sunday! In particular a big shout out goes to Patricia and Seiji for crushing it at their first ever local comp, and next to their teammates Coach Kate and Coach Steven they looked like experienced pros. We were so proud of the effort, solid movement, and positive attitudes these four displayed throughout the entire event - they definitely represented themselves and Arena Ready with integrity (hello, movement standards!) and grace.
And, of course, Coaches Hillary and Kim (AKA "The Old Fashioneds") deserve major props for winning their division and showing some of those masters teams what's up. I mean, how can you not root for this one-two punch!!??
Yes, Coach Hillary is barefoot with a beer on the podium
Nice work everyone, can't wait to cheer you all on again at the next competitive fitness fiesta... wherever that may take us!
WOD For 06-12-18:
1 Power Clean + 3 Push Jerks:
12 Minutes to Build to a Top Set
-then-
AMRAP 12 Minutes:
21 Russian KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
21 Push Jerks @ 135/95 lbs
21 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
I Want To Cheer For You
Two weeks before my (Sarah) senior year of high school started we lost our class president to suicide. He was handsome, popular, and by all accounts had a bright future ahead of him, yet it seems he saw no future for himself and chose to end what could have been a totally different story.
Immediately afterward, I was consumed with thoughts of what if, if only, why didn't I, and so many other feelings of deep regret. I missed him, I missed my innocence, and I wanted so very badly to write a different ending.
Interestingly, I spent much of that subsequent year battling my own demons. While I don't think I was suicidal, I certainly dealt with more than my share of suicidal thoughts, and I'm touched by the semicolon movement - to indicate a pause, not the end.
I was a huge fan of Kate Spade's brand, and Rob has always been a fan of Anthony Bourdain. These recent suicides have brought back floods of memories, yet at the same time my fear of losing someone else I love to this tragedy is never far from my consciousness.
I know that many of us in the CrossFit world (AR included) participate in CrossFit in part because it gives us a scheduled time to just be, potentially a place to escape, and an opportunity to be surrounded by friends facing the same tangible obstacle in the form of the day's WOD.
AR friends (including those of you whose lives have taken you far away): I see you, I love you, I empathize with your struggles, and I believe that there can be life and hope in the future, even if it feels like there's no end to the struggles you're facing right now. I've never judged you for the room for improvement in your squat form, or your overhead mobility, never for your food choices, or your sleep habits, and I certainly wouldn't judge you if you needed my help to overcome feelings of hopelessness.
When I ask how you are, please know that I really want to know. And I want to cheer for you today, tomorrow, and forever.
WOD For 06-11-18:
Every 2 Minutes For 7 Rounds (14 Minutes):
1 Squat Clean + 2 Front Squats
Build quickly to a working weight before starting with your first "work set" - then climb with small increases or stay at the same weight across all 7 sets.
-then-
For Time:
30 Hand Release Push-ups
15 Front Squats @ 155/110 lbs (no rack)
20 Hand Release Push-ups
10 Front Squats
10 Hand Release Push-ups
5 Front Squats
Yes, you may squat clean into the first front squat rep (and you should because you fancy, huh). No, you cannot snake your way down or up on the push-ups and then call it "Rx" - and if your toes leave the ground at any time that's called kipping (and is not allowed).
Summer On-Boarding + The Return of Sweaty Saturday Specials!
Sweaty Saturday Specials Return!
We're moved and ready to break-in the new space with a spicy Sweaty Saturday Partner Special. As an homage to the new building that houses Arena Ready 3.0 we'll use the (alternate) address numbers in the workout. It seemed mean to make you all row 3250m twice (3250 Cesar Chavez) so we'll give a nod to the backside address, the B-side if you will.
Thanks again for everyone's understanding as we settle in to our new home - more fun things coming next week to be installed and enjoyed for years to come. Exciting times!
Summer On-Boarding: June 16th and 23rd
At long last - now that we're finally moved - we're opening the membership to newcomers with our June On-Boarding Series. It's the first time in nearly a year that we'll be welcoming a new cohort of beginners to the AR community, so we're excited about the new potential members. As always, space is limited since we only on-board a small number of new athletes as membership spaces become available (usually because a couple of existing members moved for a job/school/etc) - and since it's been nearly a year we have several more open spots than usual, but we will still uphold our membership cap.
We're lucky to have a community of members with a very high retention rate, and as such we have dozens and dozens of folks who have been with us for 2, 3, 4, and even 5+ years (from the very beginning!). This creates the sort of unique and welcoming atmosphere we have at the gym... a close knit family of like-minded people from all different walks of life, who support and encourage each other in the pursuit of getting better. While we receive inquiries nearly every day from new people looking to join Arena Ready, we keep the intake & on-boarding process deliberate in order to keep our membership at a constant number - putting us in that sweet spot of knowing everyone in the gym, and being able to coach each athlete in a personal manner that ultimately leads to real progress.
The FREE On-Boarding Series starts on Saturday, June 16th, with the "Introduction to CrossFit" class and continues the following Saturday, June 23rd, with the "Beginner's CrossFit" class. Both 90-minute classes are free, and the completion of both allows a prospective athlete to then select a membership and start taking group classes as a member at Arena Ready. Existing members who would like to sit-in on the first half of the "Introduction to CrossFit" class are also welcome to do so, as the first 45 minutes cover the methodology of CrossFit and our specific approach to the application of that methodology at Arena Ready (a great way to get a refresher on that info if it's been a while since you've given it any thought).
Why am I telling all of you this? Because we want you (the members of AR) to help us continue to build Arena Ready with the sort of amazing people we already have in the building. We want your significant others, your family members, your friends, your neighbors, your loved ones - those are the folks we want to be a part of this incredible community, and those are the people who tend to stick around and really make fitness a lifestyle... because they already have you as a built-in advocate and support system. That's not to say we don't love the complete strangers who find their way to us and eventually become big parts of the AR family - we certainly have our fair share of those stories as well. But since so many of you ask us on a regular basis when the next on-boarding opportunity will be (because you have someone special in mind who you think might really enjoy it and benefit from the program) we wanted to post this here to let everyone know.
So send them our way and help us fill the place with the incredible people in your life. They can register for the free classes (up to ONE WEEK PRIOR to the class date & time) on our website here! Existing AR members who would like to sit-in on the first half of the "Introduction to CrossFit" class can simply show up and hang out - no need to register for the class online.
Thanks, and let us know if you have any questions!
WOD For 06-09-18:
"Shotwell"
With a Partner For Time:
BUY-IN: 1298m Row
... then...
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
BUY-OUT: 1298m Row
Partners split the rows with only one person working at a time.
Both partners must complete the ENTIRE 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sequence, with one partner working at a time to complete a FULL round before the other partner starts their FULL round (e.g. Partner A performs 10 deadlifts and 10 burpee box jumps, then Partner B performs 10 deadlifts and 10 burpee box jumps).
Tagging is not required.
The KB Bear Crawl
While it's not necessarily a big part of Friday's class programming, it's likely the movement we'll get the most questions about - so here's a good (and short) video explaining what we're looking for during this FOR QUALITY piece during class.
WOD For 06-08-18:
3 Rounds For Quality:
10 Barbell Upright Rows
0:30 sec Medicine Ball (Bottom Position) Squat Hold
Most should use an empty barbell or very light weight for the upright rows (here's a hint: if you can't do strict handstand push-ups, or aren't very good at them, then go light and focus on doing this correctly in oder to address what's likely holding you back in overhead pressing movements).
The squat hold should be "on tension" and not relaxed.
Take your time on the KB bear crawl if needed, focusing on your body position relative to the KB and how best to use your position to advance the object (and watch the video above!).
-then-
4 Rounds For Max Reps (0:45 sec work / 0:15 rest between movements):
Medicine Ball Cleans @ 20/14 lbs
Single Dumbbell Hang Clean-to-Overhead @ 50/35 lbs
Overhead Walking Lunges w/Plate @ 45/35 lbs
(Rest 1:15)
Switch sides whenever you like on the dumbbell.