Workout of the Day
Unbroken Double Unders
Remember that one time when a woman named Molly Metz did 10 straight minutes of unbroken double unders? That's 1,434 reps UNBROKEN.
It sorta makes 26 unbroken reps ten times look like child's play, no?
WOD For 08-16-18:
With a Partner For Time:
5000m Row
***At 0m (to start the workout) and every 500m thereafter BOTH partners must complete:
26 Unbroken Double Unders
6 Pistols (alternating legs)
*Only one athlete rowing at a time - share the same rower and switch whenever you like.
*The row cannot start each time until both partners have completed the DU and pistol reps.
The Back Squat Strength Sandwich (Again)
You saw it two weeks ago in a similar format but with slightly different time constraints, and very different movement demands on the legs in general. This week's version uses what feels to most of you as the "lighter" kettlebell in a triplet AMRAP to kick things off -- can you start unbroken in the AMRAP movements and hold on all the way through?
WOD FOR 08-15-18:
On a Running Clock...
A) 0:00 - 10:00
AMRAP 10 Minutes:
21 KB Swings @ 53/35 lbs
15 Wall Balls @ 20/24 lbs to 10/9 ft
9 Hand-Release Push-ups
B) 12:00 - 24:00
Back Squat:
12 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Triple (Not a 3RM)
*If possible, add to your top set from 08-01-18
C) 26:00 - 30:00
Tabata:
Dead Bugs
3-2-1 Contact
If you're around my age, were at least moderately (and perhaps proudly) nerdy as a child, and were allowed to watch educational public television, then you likely know this opening theme fairly well:
When I named Tuesday's WOD I looked up the old "3-2-1 Contact" opening theme and was surprisingly reminded of how many times that opening sequence actually includes sports movements and activities. It literally shows athletes doing gymnastics, throwing (which is closely related to weightlifting), and jumping in various forms.
How serendipitous indeed.
WOD For 08-14-18:
"3-2-1 Contact"
15 Rounds For Time:
3 Box Jumps @ 30/24 in
2 Ring Muscle-ups
1 Clean @ 225/155 lbs
12 Consecutive Climbing Sets
If your legs are feeling like wet logs from last week's sequence of workouts then have no fear... we're not squatting, lunging, or pulling on Monday. In fact, we're not even met-conning (is that even a word?).
But just as we talked about last week with "Simple vs Easy" don't mistake Monday's WOD for less than what it is. To give this your max effort and truly complete it as prescribed (12 consecutive climbing sets with bar only going up in weight once you start) is one heck of a session. If, however, your technique is not yet there on the push presses and/or jerks then scale appropriately (i.e. drop the loading when needed to safely complete challenging sets) to get the most out of the training day.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
WOD For 08-13-18:
Strict Press:
4-3-2-1
Push Press:
4-3-2-1
Push Jerk:
4-3-2-1
If performing this workout as Rx (Black Level) the goal is to increase the weight every set, for a total of twelve consecutive climbing work sets (i.e. the bar only goes up in weight). If that is unreasonable (be honest with yourself!) decrease the weight when starting the next movement, then climb back up again to a heavy single in four sets.
An example of performing this workout as Rx is as follows:
Strict Press 4x135, 3x145, 2x155, 1x165 directly into...
Push Press 4x175, 3x195, 2x210, 1x220 directly into...
Push Jerk 4x225, 3x235, 2x245, 1x255
(Compare to 07-03-17, 07-27-16, 08-19-15)
A Wise Man Once Said
"Every day is leg day... when you're running from your problems."
Happy weekend, friends!
WOD For 08-11-18:
WITH A PARTNER, ON A RUNNING CLOCK...
A) 0:00 - 10:00
Power Snatch:
10 minutes for both partners to establish a triple (NOT a 3RM) using the same barbell
*Touch-and-go is not required but is encouraged for as long as safely possible in order to prep for the lighter reps in Part B
B) 13:00 - 32:00
FIVE Cycles of 3:00 Work / 1 Minute Rest:
3 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
6 Lateral Bar Burpees
9 Air Squats
*Partners complete ONE FULL ROUND themselves then switch
*Re-start each cycle exactly where you left off (i.e. score this continuously with one grand total of rounds + reps for all 5 cycles)
How To Eat Better: A Simple Guide
1. Eat minimally processed foods. Omit processed grains and seed oils, added sugars, artificial sweeteners, and chemical additives. In other words, eat foods that don’t need their ingredients to be listed on the label.
2. Eat enough protein. Eat at least the RDA which is .8 grams per kilogram of body weight, and for athletes, up to .9 grams per pound of body weight, as recommended by the ISSN. This can and should come from a variety of plant and animal sources.
3. Eat lots of plants. Eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and tubers. Eat organic if you can afford it, particularly for the dirty dozen. If uncooked plants give you a stomachache, try cooking them thoroughly.
4. Eat when you’re hungry. Listen to your body’s hunger cues, and eat accordingly. If you first follow steps 1-3, you’re unlikely to overeat.
5. Drink mostly water. Avoiding sugar and sweeteners takes care of most of the empty calories associated with beverages, but coffee, tea and alcohol shouldn’t substitute for water, or be a substantial part of your daily routine either.
WOD For 08-10-18:
Every 2 Minutes For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
1 Power Clean + 1 Squat Clean + 2 Front Squats
Climbing
-then-
For Time:
200 Double Unders
100 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs t 10/9 ft
50 AbMat Sit-ups
25 Front Squats @ 185/135 lbs (no rack)
Simple vs. Easy & Cooking vs. Baking
Sometimes in CrossFit people tend to confuse "simple" with being "easy." In the context of Thursday's AMRAP I would ask some of those people to show us 8+ rounds as prescribed to see if they truly felt the workout was "easy."
In a somewhat related line of thinking -- when we write programming we generally start with ideas organized by movement pattern, loading, time domain, and intended stimulus. As you can imagine this can sometimes get a bit messy and over-complicated (if we don't constantly edit along the way) as we attempt to keep constant variance, intentional practice, and opportunities for intensity front of mind. In many ways writing a periodized program for Olympic weightlifting or a sport-specific strength athlete can be much easier than doing so for CrossFit as the frequency, volume, repetition, and percentages are much more exact and logical. For building General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and enabling stronger, faster, better humans to improve at nearly everything (i.e. a "broad" fitness) without specializing in any one thing, programming can be much more of an art than a science.
Sometimes I liken the art versus science in programming to cooking versus baking. When programming an athlete's training leading up to Nationals in weightlifting we "bake" much more than we "cook" (via exact measurements, exact volume requirements, exact percentages, exact timing of it all) -- but when training athletes not to suck at life we often "cook" much more than we "bake." Yes, there's obviously some very intentional guiding principles, a focus on a set of priorities at any given time, and a close & methodical regulation of the stimulus for each day's/week's/month's workouts -- thus the astute programming geeks among you have picked-up on the patterns over the years at Arena Ready -- but the "art" and fun of "cooking" CrossFit will always remain. And I would argue that the cooking has been quite successful based on the performance of any regularly-training athlete at AR (from multiple-time Regional competitors to those who simply want to be fit and healthy).
On Thursday we present to you a 10-minute AMRAP that is very simple, but certainly not easy. It's some of the best ingredients in "cooking" distilled down to an elegant (if I must say so myself) set menu -- no over-seasoning needed... no desire to put 17 movements in there to make it seem fancy... no aspirations to make it 30 minutes long to try and kill everyone. Just simple, quality, demanding fitness in three little movements. This workout started as something completely different (but closely related in terms of movement patterns and systemic demand), and was edited down and revised 3-4 times before it made its way onto Thursday's plate. We "tasted" and "re-tasted" -- we've tested and re-tested the ingredients in other contexts over and over again.
Constant variance, but not random. Simple but not easy. Cooking and not so much baking.
Bon Appetit!
WOD For 08-09-18:
3 Rounds For Quality (NOT For Time):
12/9 Calorie Assault Bike, Ski, or Row (easy, medium, fast)
12 KB Goblet Cossack Squats @ pick load (6 R / 6 L)
6 Inchworms to Plank
6 KB Turkish Get-ups @ pick load (3 R / 3 L)
-then-
AMRAP 10 Minutes:
30 ft Handstand Walk (15 ft down & back)
10 Burpees
World Record Deadlift + lululemon
Here's Brian Shaw deadlifting 1,128 pounds:
Here's Brian Shaw trying on lululemon at the mall (enjoy):
WOD For 08-08-18:
2 Rounds For Time:
500m Row or Ski
40 Walking Lunges
30 Box Jump Overs @ 24/20 in
20 Deadlifts @ 275/195 lbs
Main Site Tuesdays: "Complex Fran"
Why did Monday's WOD "feel" so much worse than it looked on paper? Welp, Monday's WOD involved what we like to call "movement interference" -- the concept that multiple movements which comprise the workout have redundant patterns, therefore the accumulated fatigue never quite clears your system the same way it would in a more complimentary couplet or triplet where the movements are opposing patterns. Tuesday's WOD is just that -- a complimentary couplet(ish... sorta) which is a variation on quite possibly the most famous couplet of them all in CrossFit... Fran.
The "Complex Fran" WOD comes to us courtesy of the CrossFit.com main site and was the final event in the Masters 35-39 and Teen 16-17 divisions at the CrossFit Games this past weekend. To watch those fire-breathers do this workout check out the archived footage of the event on the CrossFit Games website here (click on the "Age Groups" tab > EVENTS: CF > then select the division & heat you want to watch by clicking the colored circles below the video feed). CrossFit's Youtube channel should also have the archive up in a few days or so if you want to watch a later date.
Enjoy this twisted twist on Fran!
WOD For 08-07-18:
Alternating EMOM For 4 Rounds (12 Minutes):
1) 4 Thrusters (climbing in load)
2) 10 Lateral Bar Burpees (climbing in pace each round)
3) Rest / Change Weights / Warm-up Kips, Pull-ups, Bar Muscle-ups
-then-
"Complex Fran"
For Time:
7 Bar Muscle-ups
7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
7 Chin-Over-Bar Pull-ups
21 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs
5 Bar Muscle-ups
5 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
5 Chin-Over-Bar Pull-ups
15 Thrusters
3 Bar Muscle-ups
3 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
3 Chin-Over-Bar Pull-ups
9 Thrusters
(Workout courtesy of CrossFit.com)
2018 Fittest on Earth
The "Fittest on Earth" were crowned on Sunday and what a test it was this year! What was your favorite moment of the 2018 CrossFit Games?
WOD For 08-06-18:
4 Rounds For Max Reps (0:45 Seconds per Movement / 0:15 Seconds Rest Between Movements):
Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 115/75 lbs
Ring Dips
KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
Row or Assault Bike Calories
(REST 1:15)
-then-
Tabata:
Dead Bugs
Games Watching Get Together
When you're done competitively exercising in class on Saturday you should come back to the gym (or just continue to stay) so we can then watch other people competitively exercise on the TV to find out who is the best competitive exerciser in the world... you know, among all competitive exercisers.
In other words, we'll be having an impromptu CrossFit Games Watching Get Together at Arena Ready on Saturday -- we'll set-up a TV in the gym and just generally hang out to watch the fittest in the world do some crazy events, complete with horrible play-by-play commentary that's par for the course every year.
Bring some snacks to munch on if you like, and feel free to also bring a camp chair to sit on if you don't want to sit on a box, bench, or the gym floor. I'm sure we'll also get our share of foam rolling in as well, so think of it as recovery work for your body haha.
We'll likely just start setting-up the TV after the last Saturday class ends at 11:30am and will probably watch for a few hours -- nothing formal just a casual Saturday afternoon watching fitness. Come join us!
WOD For 08-04-18:
"Loco Moco v3.0"
With a Partner For Time:
BUY-IN: 1298m Row OR 1000m Ski
Then BOTH Partners Complete...
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Hang Power Cleans @ 155/110 lbs
Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
BUY-OUT: 1298m Row OR 1000m Ski
Both partners must complete the 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sequence, with one partner working at a time to complete a FULL ROUND before switching (e.g. Partner A performs 10 HPCs and 10 BBJs, then Partner B performs 10 HPCs and 10 BBJs).
The row/ski can be shared in any fashion and does not have to be split evenly.
Friday Skills & Staples
Happy Friday, everyone - here's a fun one with a little something for everybody... enjoy!
WOD For 08-03-18:
4 Rounds For Time:
5 Bar Muscle-ups
10 Pistols (alternate)
15 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft