Workout of the Day
Flashback Friday: WCTTIBW?!
Flashback to that amazing day when Jason took the gym’s favorite QoD game to a whole new meta level.
WHAT. COLOR. TANK. TOP. IS. BRET. WEARING???!!!
WOD For 09-28-18:
2 Power Cleans + 1 Push Jerk:
10 minutes to build to a top set
-then-
For Time:
15 Power Cleans @ 185/135 lbs
9 Bar Muscle-ups
12 Power Cleans
6 Bar Muscle-ups
9 Power Cleans
3 Bar Muscle-ups
The Winning Strategy: Upper Back Edition
Between desk jobs, driving, burpees, pull-ups, carrying stuff, and any number of other frontally-oriented activities, many (most?) of us have sub-optimal posture which generally leads to tight upper backs and shoulders. This, in turn, leads to lifting less than our strength would otherwise allow, and potentially unnecessary pain during movements, tweaks that sometimes persist longer than we’d like, and occasionally even injuries that could have been avoided.
There are roughly a zillion stretches and corrective exercises on the internet to address this problem, many of which each of us will find personally useful. That said, there is a short list that we generally like at AR because of the relative simplicity, and the nearly universal effectiveness (not that there aren’t always outliers).
Before class (upper back mobility):
Roll thoracic spine (upper back) and lats (under the shoulder along the ribs) on a foam roller. Do this pre-workout. A minute or so is enough to be effective.
Thread the needle and/or side-lying rainbows or bow & arrows. Do this pre-workout. 5 controlled reps on each side.
Once you’ve done the class warm-up (shoulder mobility):
Stretch pec major (straight arm against the wall or rig) and pec minor (elbow bent at 90 degrees) - gently move arm to full pain-free range 3-5 times. Hold for under 5 seconds. Set shoulder back and down before initiating the stretch.
Stretch lats using a band on the rig (establish a tiny bit of tension on the band, more isn’t better). Hinge at hip, keeping low back neutral. Use the PNF method - pull gently against the band with lats for 3-5 seconds, then relax and increase the stretch. Repeat 3-5 times on each side.
Before lifting overhead (upper back activation):
A’s, T’s and W’s using no more than 2.5 pounds in each hand. “Flap” your arms roughly 6” to the front and back of your body with straight elbows, and initiating each rep by squeezing your shoulder blades together. Follow through with your arms. Repeat 10 times in each position.
Behind the next press with empty bar (assuming this is pain free). Use your jerk grip, and initiate with your upper back engaged - shoulder blades back and down/pushing the chest out (not over-extending lower back!) even as you press overhead. Repeat 8 times - up (concentric) should be faster than down (eccentric).
Upright row with empty bar. Use a narrow grip (same as you would for sumo deadlift high pull). Establish neutral posture - hips beneath your ribs, midline stable, shoulders back and down. Repeat 8 times - up should be faster than down, and bar should stay close throughout the movement.
Post-workout (restoring or potentially increasing range of motion):
“Snow angel” on a foam roller - lay face up on a foam roller with head, back and hips supported. Let arms relax to each side, wrists on the ground with palms up. Elbows may also reach the floor if sufficiently flexible, but don’t force it. Relax into the foam roller for roughly three minutes. Stop if you feel discomfort anywhere or tingling in your arms.
Lots of other things are useful here - arm rolls and swings, push-ups, ring dips, shoulder press, lat pull-downs (and pull-ups), front-rack and wrist-specific stretches, wall angels, and honestly anything else you find makes a difference for you.
If you are aware that your capacity in upper body movements is limited due to tightness or lack of muscle activation (or both) you should have an effective routine that you use at least in part every time you use your upper body. We build these things into our warm ups regularly, and we recommend the “snow angel” in cool downs.
My impression is that with all of the chatter about mobility and activation on the internet it feels a little overwhelming to even start working on something like this on your own. My firm belief (mostly thanks to Dr. Rabbetz!) is that an effective routine doesn’t have to be complex or time-consuming. The most effective routines are the ones that are simple enough that you actually do it.
As always, let us know if you need personalized recommendations. Happy pressing, pulling and jerking!
WOD for 09-27-18:
Part One:
EMOM 12 Minutes for Max Wall Balls:
5 Deadlifts @ 245/165 lbs.
then, AMRAP Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs. to 10/9’ Target
Score is Wall Balls, or time to complete 150 reps
Rest three minutes, then:
Part Two:
Run 800m (Recovery Pace)
Finisher:
Tabata Russian Med Ball Twists
The Push-up: How You Do One Thing Is How You Do Everything
Yesterday Sarah used the push-up as a point of reference in the context of “virtuosity” (AKA doing the common uncommonly well). Today, I offer my (Rob) thoughts on basically the same principal — but from a different angle…
In my life outside of the gym I’ve interviewed hundreds of eager candidates who sought to join a sales and client service team within a demanding, deadline-driven, constantly evolving services and technology industry. Over the years I had culled my interview questions down to just a handful that seemed to work really well for predicting how that candidate might fit into the role we were trying to fill. One concept we tried to investigate and use during this process was "how you do one thing is how you do everything."
Think about it. You all have friends, family, and coworkers and some of them might be good examples. That friend you have who has an organized car that's always sparkly clean? She probably has her act together at work and stays on top of her list of action items with a sense of urgency. Your cousin who has months-old unopened mail and catalogues on his dashboard, and a half eaten pizza on the backseat? I'll bet his email inbox at work has thousands of messages in it, and he "can't figure out why his email thingy keeps crashing" when his boss needs him to follow up with a client.
In the gym, and with human movement, it's often the same thing. How an athlete does one (basic, fundamental) thing usually indicates how they'll do nearly everything else. The guy with the sloppy air squat, who doesn't work to correct it no mater how many times he's cued to do so? He likely moves poorly in just about everything else we do in the gym.
One movement we generally get a lot of comments from both newbies and experienced alike is the push-up. We teach the push-up in On-Boarding and we cue the movement frequently in the gym WODs, sometimes to the point of bewilderment by a few. But the truth remains-- how an athlete does this one thing is generally how that athlete will do nearly everything else. Those that have chosen not to correct their push-up positioning or go through the period of "but it feels way harder when I do it that way!" have generally not progressed in push-up strength, stability, or muscular endurance. Those who have? Well, they're crushing it in push-up WODs and are now the people I point to when I'm trying to get someone into the correct position.
Greg Everett wrote a great article a couple of years ago about the push-up, and I was reminded of it recently when observing some new athletes do push-ups in our free Intro Class. His article - titled "The Push-up: Why Is This So Hard?" - is located here, and I've pasted an excerpt below:
The push-up is one of those things that when done well doesn’t draw much attention—it’s not a flashy feat of athleticism. However, in my opinion, how one performs a push-up is indicative of that individual’s athletic foundation, and possibly more importantly, how committed one is to excellence in movement and performance. Sloppy push-ups suggest to me a superficial interest in athleticism and a degree of laziness. Put a little attention and effort into the simple things and it will pay returns in the more complicated and interesting ones.
How you do one thing is how you do everything.
WOD For 09-26-18:
“Rowling”
TEN 100m Frames For Total Time:
*Attempt to stop the monitor EXACTLY on 100m for each "frame"
*For every meter over or under 100m do one burpee
*Re-set the monitor to zero to start each "frame"
*Record total time required to complete 10 "frames" including burpee penalties
-then-
With a Partner For Time:
2000m Row
200 Double Unders
1000m Row
100 Double Unders
500m Row
50 Double Unders
*Partners share all reps with only one person working at a time -- switch whenever you like (reps do not have to be evenly split)
Coach Sarah: The Perfect Push-Up
With thanks to the awesome person who inspired this post, I wanted to write about a topic near to my heart: virtuosity, or doing the common uncommonly well.
In each rep we do, I believe the goal is to do it perfectly, and if not perfectly, then as well as possible for that day given whatever limitation may prevent perfection (whether that be strength, skill, flexibility, etc.) If nearly perfect isn’t possible, it’s recommended (and really necessary) to go light and slow enough that the weakest link in the sub-optimal chain doesn’t become overstressed and eventually injured.
Despite the many (many, many, many, far too many many’s) times I hear that the reason someone’s form broke down was because they were tired, the truth is that this is even more true under fatigue. Once you are tired, and especially if you’re also operating under the influence of adrenaline, it’s very difficult to feel pain until it’s far too late. Don’t rely on pain as your guide for whether you are moving properly. Stay present, and stick to the fundamentals. Move as fast as you can under this constraint: nearly every rep (at least 8/10) should be as close to perfect as possible.
Now, back to the perfect push-up.
This all works great when your joints and muscles are working properly, and the only reason you don’t achieve perfection is that you don’t have enough skill, or you weren’t concentrating. This gets complicated (super duper complicated sometimes) when things aren’t working properly.
Most of us have at least one (if not many) of the following:
Injuries that weren’t fully rehabbed at some point in the past
Muscle tightness stemming from poor posture at work, driving, sleeping, etc.
Muscle weakness stemming from poor mechanics in everyday things like walking, carrying a purse, typing, etc.
Overdeveloped muscles stemming from bodybuilding, sports, repetitive work, etc.
Unfortunately, some of us also have tweaks as a result of our training
And the list goes on.
It’s highly likely that at least one foundational CrossFit movement - like a pushup, pull-up, air squat, strict press, deadlift, double under, or burpee is hard for you because of something “strange” going on - lack of muscle activation, a bone spur, an unhealed injury, a fundamental lack of understanding about how the movement is supposed to feel, etc. In this case, it’s usually not enough to just go light, or even to go slow. In this case it may be necessary to become a student of yourself - to seek help in the case of a suspected injury (like a bone spur, etc.), to ask a coach for corrective exercises to restore full mobility to a joint, or to activate sluggish glutes, scapula, etc.
If you know that a movement doesn’t make sense to you, or intuitively feels sketchy, or you get the same feedback from coaches no matter how hard you try to correct it - seek out extra help. I personally would love to help, as I’m sure all of our AR coaches would.
In short, never settle for less than perfect. If it isn’t perfect today, that’s ok - scale accordingly, but don’t settle for less than perfect in the long run. Pursue virtuosity, understand the basics, try harder, and then try smarter. Sure, most of us don’t have any interest in participating in the CrossFit Games, but we all want to be the best possible versions of ourselves, and it starts with the perfect pushup (and air squat, and deadlift…)
WOD For 09-24-18:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
1) 12 Double Kettlebell Single Leg Deadlifts @ pick load (6 R / 6 L)
2) 12 Single Dumbbell Overhead Squats @ pick load (6 R / 6 L)
This is “For Quality of Movement” (not time or max weight) so choose your loading accordingly.
-then-
4 Rounds For Time:
300m Row
13 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
26 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches 50/35 lbs
Sweaty Saturday Running Clock
Well here’s a little change-up to the Saturday docket. Inspired (somewhat) by the CFG Team Series workouts, and then gently molded into a whole different breed of evil thanks to Hopping’s “fun run” in the middle, here’s a good one for some weekend partner fitness.
Enjoy!
WOD For 09-22-18:
With a Partner On a Running Clock..
A) From 0:00 - 7:00
For MAX REPS in 7 Minutes:
30 Squat Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
30 Squat Cleans @ 185/125 lbs
MAX REPS Squat Cleans @ 225/155 lbs
Reps are shared with only one person working at a time - switch whenever you like. Score by reps completed at 7 minutes.
B) At 9:00
For Completion (7 Minute Cap):
1200m Run with a Medicine Ball @ 20/14 lbs
Both partners run. Support or carry the ball in any fashion except on top of your head or by holding the loop (which eventually breaks the ball).
C) At 18:00
For Time (7 Minute Cap):
100 Lateral Bar Burpees
Reps are shared with only one person working at a time - switch whenever you like. Score by reps completed if capped at 7 minutes.
Friday Barbell Therapy: Technique is King!
All three parts of Friday’s WOD could be considered as “For Quality” lifting by most of us in the gym — and that’s essentially the point for the bulk of athletes who do come in to do this workout.
These exercises, and derivatives of them, have been used for years by many of our competitive Olympic-style weightlifters at Arena Ready, and have contributed to their technique improvements in the actual “competition lifts” (i.e. the Snatch and Clean & Jerk). And since technique improvements lay the foundation for bigger, heavier lifts down the road we love programming days like this for our general group classes as well — because who doesn’t like learning to move better in order to eventually move more (i.e. more weight!).
So, if these movements are awkward for you, or if you don’t yet have a comfort level with any (or all) of them don’t despair. Treat the movements as “For Quality” exercises, work on improving the pieces at lighter loads, and get the volume of reps in with consistent positions. Loading up the bar heavy to do crappy reps is counterproductive and will encourage EXACTLY what these exercises are intended to FIX.
No, you may not “get heavy a sweat going” or feel like you need to lay on the floor in agony afterward (although advanced athletes may very well be lifting enough to sweat up a storm), but we’ll take care of that on Saturday… don’t you worry.
Happy lifting!
WOD For 09-21-18:
On a Running Clock…
A) 0:00 - 10:00
Behind The Neck Strict Press:
5-5-5-5-5
B) 10:00 - 23:00
Snatch Balance + 2 Overhead Squats:
5 Sets of (1+2)
C) 23:00 - 36:00
2 Front Squats + 1 Split Jerk:
5 Sets of (1+2)
#TBT to Swings in The Outdoors
Who remembers this day?
WOD For 09-20-18:
Bent Over Barbell Row:
6-6-6-6-6
-then-
For Time:
100 Double Unders
50 Russian KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
100 Walking Lunges
50 Russian KB Swings
100 Double Unders
Acceptable or Unacceptable?
Completely unrelated to snatches or muscle-ups, but oh so relevant to the Arena Ready family tradition — the return of “acceptable or unacceptable?”
I’ll start.
Wednesday QoD: Acceptable or unacceptable? Pineapple on pizza.
Discuss.
WOD For 09-19-18:
7 Rounds, Start Every 3 Minutes:
15/12 Calorie Row
3 Ring Muscle-ups
5 Hang Power Snatches @ pick load
You can do this workout as a “measured” effort with low-to-moderate intensity, or up the ante by increasing the intensity within the limits of your technique (both approaches are perfectly acceptable today). How do you increase the intensity? Pick any or all of the following:
-Row faster
-Do the muscle-ups unbroken
-Do the snatches unbroken at a challenging weight (executed with solid technique)
Come at Us, Bruh
Front-loading the week with a pulling focus (and putting a version of burpee box jumps early in the week as well) was a bit self-serving I must admit - NOW YOU HAVE SIX DAYS UNTIL SUNDAY WHEN YOU CAN COMPLETE THE SEPTEMBER OPEN GYM CHALLENGE.
One important note - we have changed the time on the workout to 10 minutes (it was originally 12 minutes). Here’s the revised workout so that everyone has the correct version:
With a Partner Against a 10-Minute Clock For MAX POUNDS LIFTED:
100 Burpee Box Jump Overs*** @ 24/20 in
Max Deadlifts @ pick load
-Partners must use ONE barbell (i.e. the same weight).
-Only one person working at a time, switch whenever you like (reps do not have to be split evenly).
-Your score is the total poundage lifted (reps x weight chosen).
***”Open Standards” (i.e. facing the box is required, jumping up is required)
Sarah and I laid down the gauntlet this past Sunday to fan the flame a little and see if anyone will come in this weekend to take a shot at beating us. I will not disclose our strategy (other than I tried really hard not to slow her down too much) or chosen weight… but the (10-minute) score to beat is 11,800 total pounds.
Come at us, BRUH!
WOD For 09-18-18:
On a Running Clock…
A) At 0:00
For Time:
40-30-20-10
Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
20-15-10-5
Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in (must face the box)
B) From 16:00 - 28:00
Back Squat:
12 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Triple* For Today (NOT a 3RM)
C) At 31:00
NOT For Time:
800m Run (you pick the pace)
Monday AMRAPs Two Ways
Here’s a video of Rich Froning completing the round of 14 + 22 reps (134 total reps) and the round of 14 + 1 rep (113 total reps), respectively, on Monday’s workout:
I love this CrossFit.com workout which is probably why we’ve seen it every year at Arena Ready since its appearance on the mainsite in 2015. It has a little bit of everything and produces a unique stimulus in a way that only an elegant duo of well-designed couplets can.
Simple (but not easy). Spicy. Fun.
WOD For 09-17-18:
AMRAP 7 Minutes (in the increasing rep scheme of 2/2-4/4-6/6-8/8-10/10-etc):
Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
Strict Handstand Push-ups
-REST 5 MINUTES THEN-
AMRAP 7 Minutes (in the increasing rep scheme of 2/2-4/4-6/6-8/8-10/10-etc):
Power Cleans @ 155/105 lbs
Pistols, alternating
(Compare both AMRAPs to 11-20-17, 08-08-16, 10-08-15)
Workout courtesy of CrossFit.com
Sweaty Saturday: Team AMRAP "Fight Club"
Inspired by the CompTrain workout “Fight Club” which is a modern take on the classic benchmark WOD “Fight Gone Bad” we’ve massaged the format and movements a bit, added a buy-in run (because why not?), and AMRAP’d the stimulus into a partner approach.
After touching some heavy-ish weights on Friday it’s time to “embrace the suck” with light & fast movements, and lean on your partner to help keep the pace moving.
Happy weekend, friends!
WOD For 09-15-18:
“AMRAP Team Fight Club”
With a Partner Against a 25-Minute Clock:
BUY-IN: 800m Run TOGETHER
… then, in the remaining time AMRAP of…
30 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs
30 Power Cleans
30 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
30 Pull-ups
30 Calorie Row, Ski, or Assault Bike (FM Pairs = 27 Cal, FF Pairs = 24 Cal)
*The faster runner starts on the thrusters immediately and does NOT have to wait for their partner to complete the run.
*One athlete working at a time on the AMRAP, switch whenever you like (tagging not required).
Friday Barbell Therapy: "The Arena Ready EXPRESS Total"
Friday's Barbell Therapy gives a nod to last Friday’s workout when we took on an "express" version of the CrossFit Total.
The “Arena Ready Express Total” puts a spin on the classic CrossFit Total (back squat, strict press, deadlift) by utilizing three movements we see often here at AR - the power clean, the push press, and the front squat.
To explain the “express'“ designation I’ll simply re-paste part of last Friday’s blog post, since the concept is the same:
Why "express" you ask? Because in order to truly work up to 1-Rep Max territory in all three lifts (as the traditional CrossFit Total calls for) most people would require more time to build-up in weight, and more time to rest between sets & movements. Thus the prescription of our "express" workout states "heavy single" for each movement -- meaning the heaviest single rep you can do for today, given the conditions, and given the specific time restriction. This concept is nothing new to you folks since we lift often, and lift fast most of the time. Ain't nobody got time for slow-mo fitness.
If you need some extra TLC to get your body ready to lift in this fashion then try to come in to the gym a little early to extend your own personal warm-up (e.g. row/bike/ski for a bit, roll out thoroughly, mobilize your challenge areas). But either way remember the intended stimulus of this version of a Total -- heavy singles with good technique, not grip-and-rip-to-max-out-bruh-cause-we-be-short-on-time-but-long-on-expectations. Your body will thank you for it over the weekend when the total poundage you lifted across the entire WOD (i.e. the actual cumulative work you accomplished) was still high, but you also felt good enough to train again on Saturday and/or Sunday... or good enough to just enjoy the weekend with some $25 eggs you didn't have to cook yourself.
Happy Friday!
WOD For 09-14-18:
"The Arena Ready EXPRESS Total"
On a Strict Running Clock...
A) 0:00 - 13:00
Power Clean:
13 minutes to establish a heavy single
B) 13:00 - 23:00
Push Press:
10 minutes to establish a heavy single
A) 23:00 - 36:00
Front Squat:
13 minutes to establish a heavy single