Workout of the Day
Sweaty Saturday: The Barbell Bonanza
Reminder about our Holiday Schedule through Jan 1st (click for details).
Come in on Saturday morning and get your barbell fix with this Sweaty Saturday Partner Special… then it’s a Christmas Eve Track Workout on Monday, Dec 24th at 9:00am. We’ll post details about the track WOD (meet-up location, workout details, etc.) on Sunday afternoon to the blog — hope we see you at AR on Saturday (and/or Sunday) and then outside at the track on Monday (RAIN OR SHINE!!!).
Happy weekend, friends.
WOD For 12-22-18:
With a Partner For Time:
60 Calorie Row (FM Pairs = 54 Cal / FF Pairs = 48 Cal)
50 Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
60 Calorie Row
50 Push Jerks @ 115/75 lbs
60 Calorie Row
50 Hang Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
60 Calorie Row
50 Lateral Bar Burpees
Only one person working at time, switch whenever you like.
Teams are responsible for changing their own weights.
Upcoming Holiday Schedule
Please note our class schedule over the next two holiday weeks:
Friday, Dec 21 through Sunday, Dec 23:
Normal class schedule
Monday, Dec 24 (Christmas Eve):
No class
Holiday Track Workout at 9am (RAIN OR SHINE!!!)
Tuesday, Dec 25 (Christmas Day):
No class
Wednesday, Dec 26 through Friday, Dec 28:
CrossFit classes at 7am, 12pm, 4pm, 5pm
Saturday, Dec 29 through Sunday, Dec 30:
Normal class schedule
Monday, Dec 31 (New Year’s Eve):
Holiday WOD classes at 9am, 10:15am
Tuesday, Jan 1 (New Year’s Day):
No class
Wednesday, Jan 2:
Normal class schedule resumes
Thanks for your attention and please let us know if you have any questions.
WOD For 12-21-18:
For Time:
BUY-IN: 800m Run
… then…
21 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
21 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
7 Ring Muscle-ups
15 Deadlifts
15 Box Jumps
5 Ring Muscle-ups
9 Deadlifts
9 Box Jumps
3 Ring Muscle-ups
ZATSIORSKY, SCALING, AND POWER (And Thanks Coach Steven)
Coach Steven will be leaving us for four months while he does some science-y stuff in Washington DC. Yeah, I know right? Science… who needs it anyway?! Well, he’s going no matter what we say and he claims it is not a violation of the Arena Ready Moratorium since he’s returning in the Spring.
When I asked Steven what workout he would like to do in his final week before his departure THIS IS THE ONE HE PICKED so don’t blame me for the joy it brings you AKA “everything was fine for a while and then all of a sudden it got really bad really fast.”
THANKS, STEVEN.
(below is the original blog post I included with this same workout back in June of 2016)
Originally published six years ago, the article "Zatsiorsky, Scaling, and Power" by Jon Gilson (founder of Again Faster and former member of the CrossFit HQ Seminar Staff) is as useful today as it was back in 2010. Check it out:
You could struggle like a rocket trying to take off on regular unleaded, or you could actually get stronger.
You’re the kid who saw one phenom go from high school straight to the Major Leagues, and figured “What the hell? If that skinny punk can do it, so can I.” Attention, achievement, some sliver of recognition, nothing less will do.
You’re Rx’d. You made the Major League jump. Except, you really, really shouldn’t have, and now you’re striking out. Slow your roll, tee ball slugger.
It’s okay. I did the same thing, and if I don’t admit it, the pot would definitely be calling the kettle another piece of kitchen equipment. Learn from my stupidity.
This is not what we meant.The whole point of our sport is power output: do more work faster. Intrinsic in this little missive is “faster”, but every guy secretly wants to be bigger and stronger, and figures that what we actually meant was “heavier”.
It comes down to simple physics: power is the product of speed and strength. Too much of either (without the other) will result in extremely blunted power.
Imagine speed and strength on the see-saw together, and strength is the fat kid. The really fat kid. In fact, he outweighs speed by a factor of ten. The see-saw stays stuck, and no one has fun at recess. Escaping my metaphor, if the load is too large and speed is too small, power is zip, much like multiplying by zero always gets you zero.
Now, imagine speed and strength are balanced, each kid weighing about the same. This parity allows them to act in concert with each other, and the see-saw really flies. We get power.
“Heavier” isn’t the answer. Balance is the answer.
On page six in The Science and Practice of Strength Training, author Vladimir Zatsiorsky posits that maximal power output occurs at approximately 30% of maximal velocity and 50% of maximal load. I’m in love with page six, and simultaneously dumbfounded by its mathematical exactitude.
Applied to CrossFit and our never ending pursuit of power, this unforgettable page states that we’re looking for a load that you can move with 30% speed, one that tends to occur somewhere around your 50% of one-rep maximum.
Of course, CrossFit won’t ask you to move the bar once, but perhaps ten or twenty or fifty times. To maximize your power across this broad spectrum of work, you’ll want to load to less than 50% 1RM, and continue to try to move the hell out of the bar.
Holy sh*t. A formula for scaling.
For too long, we’ve focused on strength bias this and power animal super athlete that, when this entire program is predicated on power. Stop thinking of scaling as something to keep Grandma in the game. We scale to the physical and psychological tolerance of the athlete for one reason: it enables the individual to produce as much power as possible.
Following Zatsiorsky’s formula, if you can’t thruster at least 190 pounds, you shouldn’t be doing “Fran” with 95. If you can’t clean and jerk 270, don’t do “Grace” with 135. You’re blunting your power output. Scale that weight down; it will make you more powerful.
I did not just tell you to abandon heavy weights. In fact, I want you to lift heavy. A lot. Just not in the middle of your WOD.
If you increase your 1RM, through any number of methods, your 50% 1RM will go up as well, and you’ll climb into the Rx’d echelon via this prescription. You thruster 150, you do “Fran” at 75 pounds or less. You thruster 200, welcome to the Big Leagues.
In other words, don’t strength bias your WODs—strength bias your strength, and scale your WODs to your current strength level.
Proof? Take a look at the strongest men in the world, not by fiat, but by actual numbers lifted, the gargantuan boys of Westside Barbell. Their program regularly calls for moving 50% 1RM as fast as possible. In fact, it was a conversation with Louie Simmons, the founder of the Westside Method and its Dynamic Effort Days, that persuaded me to pick up a copy of The Science and Practice of Strength Training in the first place.
I’m sure he’d be disappointed I never made it past page six, but I bet he’d love it if you stopped trying to do Fran with 65% of your 1RM.
The successful implementation of scaling demands a simple recognition: there are an infinite number of weights that can be loaded on a barbell, and every one must be removed from ego and firmly affixed to power. When this mental shift occurs, we’ll get more powerful athletes, guaranteed.
-Jon Gilson
This article is a great segue into Thursday's workout below, which was a CrossFit.com main site WOD from the Fall of 2014. The WOD looks so simple on paper - it starts out harmlessly in terms of loading - and some athletes may be convinced that they can start at the Rx weight of 75/65 lbs (as we have scaled it) and have no problems getting into the 20+, 25+, or even 30+ minute range. Here is where understanding 1) what the intended stimulus of the workout is; 2) how your current strength and fitness levels fit into that intended stimulus; and 3) how best to scale & approach the workout in order to get the highest possible power output and overall benefit can greatly improve the effectiveness of the workout and the positive adaptation you glean from doing it at an appropriate sequence of loading.
Here are two former CrossFit Games athletes, and still some of the fittest guys out there, doing the WOD starting at 75 lbs. Their final scores were 25 minutes (Pat Barber) and 35 minutes + 4 reps (Wes Piatt):
WOD For 12-20-18:
With a Continuously Running Clock...
Complete 5 Thrusters Every Minute For As Long As Possible:
0:00 - 5:00 use 75/65 lbs
5:00 - 10:00 use 95/75 lbs
10:00 - 15:00 use 115/85 lbs
15:00 - 20:00 use 135/95 lbs
Etc...until you cannot complete 5 reps within the minute
*Continue adding 20/10 lbs every 5 minutes for as long as you are able.
*Score is minutes completed plus any reps in your final partial minute.
(Compare to 06-14-16)
Push-Push to Pull-Pull
The last two days saw variations of pushing/pressing (both lower body and upper body) so we see Wednesday’s program shift to a pulling focus with power snatches and chest-to-bar pull-ups. And how about some double unders and a repeating interval sprint format to add skill and intensity following that aerobic piece on Tuesday?
Enjoy.
WOD For 12-19-18:
Power Snatch:
4-4-3-3-2-2
-then-
FIVE Cycles of 1:30 Work / 1:30 Rest For MAX REPS:
10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
50 Double Unders
MAX REPS Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
Holiday Party Snaps
Thanks to Vivs for sending us a few snaps of the Holiday Party! By my count we had 100+ people come through at some point during the evening and true to form the food & drink were pretty top notch as far as potluck-style shindigs inside of a gym can go.
The “Get To Know You AR Swolemates Bingo” and “AR Trivia” games were hilarious and we are already getting lots of requests to bring them back next year — so props to Coaches Hillary, LGB, Megan, Molly, Liz, and others for doing such an awesome job putting that together. WHAT. COLOR. TANK. TOP. IS. BRET. WEARING??!!
We hope you had a fun time and were able to mix it up with your AR friends old and new. Here’s to a wonderful rest of the Holiday Season — may the close of 2018 be happy, healthy, and full of fitness as we all look to make 2019 the greatest year yet!
After a heavy day under the barbell on Monday here’s a “light & polite” aerobic piece for Tuesday’s program that should keep you moving at a constant rate for 20 straight minutes.
WOD For 12-18-18:
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
20/16 Calorie Row, Ski, or Assault Bike
20 Single Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunges @ 35/20 lbs (switch arms after 10 reps)
20 AbMat Sit-ups
10 Burpee Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
1-3-1-5-1-7
Did anyone get pics of the Holiday Party??!! We are terrible hosts and somehow managed not to snap any of our own photos. There are plenty of after-party pics on the socials for those who closed down the activities at AR and then headed out afterwards… but seriously, any good shots from the evening inside of AR?
Hope you all had a great weekend. Here’s some time under the bar to start the week off right…
WOD For 12-17-18:
Strict Press:
5-5-3-3-1-1-1
Use the seven working sets to build to a heavy single for today.
-then-
Back Squat:
1-3-1-5-1-7
The goal is three heavy singles, each followed by a “down set” of multiple (and ascending) repetitions. The athlete should build to their first single with 3-4 warm-up sets, and then once the first single is taken there should be no “in-between” or “test” sets during the SIX total work sets.
Since this type of session requires the athlete to “go by feel” some will inevitably ask for advice on loading - here is a rough idea of what a typical progression might look like for someone who squats approximately 250 lbs as a 1RM (keeping in mind that athletes will vary!):
Empty Bar + Three to Four Warm-up Sets, then…
1 @ 225 lbs
3 @ 205 lbs
1 @ 235 lbs
5 @ 200 lbs
1 @ 240 lbs
7 @ 195 lbs
Keep your rest strict at approx 1:30 - 2:00 between sets. There is no “rule” about the singles going up or down in weight, and the same goes for the sets of 3, 5, and 7 (they can go slightly up, go slightly down, or stay the same) - it all depends on the individual athlete and how they feel today. Take what’s there today, come back tomorrow.
AR Holiday Party: See You on Saturday Evening!
I’m re-posting the final detailed reminder about the Holiday Party from earlier this week below — I gotta say I’m pretty excited about what some of the coaches (led by Coach Hillary, with an assist from Matty Mc) have put together for a few Holiday Games… so curious to see what they’ll have us do!
Get your partner WOD on in the morning then we’ll see you for the party in the evening starting at 5pm!
Holiday Party: Saturday, Dec 15th
Another friendly reminder that the 7th Annual Arena Ready Holiday Party is this Saturday, Dec 15th! We plan on getting started around 5:00pm, hopefully allowing those who have other parties or obligations later that evening to attend. We'll probably wind things down around 9:00pm. Due to the popularity of the party over the years we expect that the space may get fairly full at times so please leave the furry friends at home.
Potluck: Paleo or Not!
Back by popular demand we will continue the tradition of making the party a potluck-style shindig, so feel free to bring a dish/treat/drinks to share if you like. Healthy options are of course appreciated but by no means required, and for small fee I’m available for text message reservations of perennial favorites that go fast (e.g. Mini Rex Spam Musubi, K&K Asian Chicken Salad, Ribs De Paris, anything Chef Bob makes, DLee Dungeness Glass Noodles, etc, etc, etc… there are far too many to list).
Bring The Fam!
Our holiday parties, like many of our events, are generally family friendly - so bring your loved ones (including little ones) if so desired. I hear that the coaching team has some hilarious trivia format planned (rumor has it that Coach Hillary has even created an Excel sheet with pivot tables and algorithms to organize said trivia).
WOD For 12-15-18:
With a Partner, 3 Rounds For Time:
50 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
40 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
30 Burpee Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
20 Single Dumbbell “Forward Lungesters” @ 50/35 lbs (must alternate sides w/DB)
*Only one partner working at a time, switch whenever you like
*ONE rep of "Single DB Fwd Lungester" is:
-Hang Clean
-Lunge RIGHT then LEFT (step forward)
-Thruster
Marky Mark Friday
REMINDER: Holiday Party This Saturday From 5-9pm (click for details)!
Many of you probably remember this little piece we originally programmed back in the Fall of 2015. Some of you may even remember the feeling of being tricked by it (I’ll simply leave it at that). Regardless, it’s Friday and we’re benching — so leave the sleeves at home, and get ready for Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch on loop as the soundtrack to your BRO-AND-ROW sesh (someone please punch me for actually writing “sesh”).
Peep that weird bench press at 1:56 in the music video. BTW I never realized how scandalous this video actually was until I re-watched it just now as a new dad. My goodness… cover your eyes, kids.
WOD For 12-14-18:
5 Rounds For Load and Row Sprint Times:
5 Bench Press
8 Evil Wheels OR 16 Hollow Rocks
250m Row Sprint
*Rest as needed between rounds.
*Record bench press loading for each set and time for every row interval. Goal is to maintain +/-2 second pace for every 250m row.
(Compare to 08-31-17, 01-20-17, 05-19-16, 11-19-15)
Karabel
REMINDER: Holiday Party This Saturday From 5-9pm (click for details)!
Depending on the type of athlete you are this could either be considered as “ruining Karen” or “ruining Isabel” — but I prefer to view it as the colliding of two worlds to form a superworld of fitness and fun. Because if we can’t all complain about delayed onset quad soreness and shoulder fatigue together at the Holiday Party in two days then did we even work out?
You Loved One Who Doesn’t Do CrossFit (at the Holiday Party): “Everyone is complaining about some woman named Karabel.”
You: “Damn right. That’s called community.”
WOD For 12-13-18:
Power Snatch TRIPLE:
8 Minutes to Quickly Build to Something Heavier Than To Be Used in “Karabel” (NOT a 3RM)
-then-
“Karabel”
6 Rounds For Time:
5 Power Snatches @ 135/95 lbs
25 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
(Compare to 04-09-16, 08-08-15)
AR Holiday Party: This Saturday, Dec 15th
Holiday Party: Saturday, Dec 15th
Another friendly reminder that the 7th Annual Arena Ready Holiday Party is this Saturday, Dec 15th! We plan on getting started around 5:00pm, hopefully allowing those who have other parties or obligations later that evening to attend. We'll probably wind things down around 9:00pm. Due to the popularity of the party over the years we expect that the space may get fairly full at times so please leave the furry friends at home.
Potluck: Paleo or Not!
Back by popular demand we will continue the tradition of making the party a potluck-style shindig, so feel free to bring a dish/treat/drinks to share if you like. Healthy options are of course appreciated but by no means required, and for small fee I’m available for text message reservations of perennial favorites that go fast (e.g. Mini Rex Spam Musubi, K&K Asian Chicken Salad, Ribs De Paris, anything Chef Bob makes, DLee Dungeness Glass Noodles, etc, etc, etc… there are far too many to list).
Bring The Fam!
Our holiday parties, like many of our events, are generally family friendly - so bring your loved ones (including little ones) if so desired. I hear that the coaching team has some hilarious trivia format planned (rumor has it that Coach Hillary has even created an Excel sheet with pivot tables and algorithms to organize said trivia).
Due to several close calls over the years, which nearly gave my wife a heart attack on a couple of occasions, we’re likely retiring the infamous “Bottle Game” from AR Holiday Party service. To pay our respects here’s a tribute to many years of near misses, broken belts, ripped pants, belly flops, and out-of-context inappropriate snapshots… RIP BOTTLE GAME.
SOUND ON to hear the crowd since most of them are behind the camera (smart, LOL)
PS - how many of you thought the Tuesday workout looked so easy on paper and then were surprised at how rough it got (assuming you scaled appropriately)? I saw exactly zero on-site completions of the 9 hang squat cleans for all 4 rounds at Rx, and only one from a remote athlete who “barely” made it by hanging on for dear life. If you made it all the way through I wanna hear about it! Put it in BTWB!
#SimpleNotEasy
Now how ‘bout an all-out sprint for the skilled among us at double unders? Well, let’s pull some triples first… because, you know, we’re in a triples kind of groove these days (for those keeping track at home).
WOD For 12-12-18:
Deadlift:
3-3-3-3-3
-then-
5 Rounds For Time:
11 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs
55 Double Unders
Can the competitors go completely unbroken for all five rounds? If so there’s a chance we might see a sub-5 minute time…
"Rockett" Science
WOD For 12-11-18:
Hang Squat Clean Triple:
8 Minutes to Quickly Build to a Top Set (Heavier Than to Be Used Below)
-then-
Alternating EMOM For 4 Rounds:
1) 21/17 Calorie Row
2) 15 Toes-to-Bar
3) 9 Hang Squat Cleans @ 165/115 lbs
4) Rest
*This workout is scored much like a "Tabata" WOD
*For Rx start at 21/17, 15, and 9 reps and attempt to hold that rep count (or as high/close to it as possible) for the four rounds.
*Your score is the lowest rep round for each of the three movements.
Monday 10-to-1
You know the drill with 10-to-1 workouts — we’re talking 55 total reps for each movement, and once you’re done with the round of 8 you’re basically halfway finished. If you can do HSPU with good, safe movement but the reps might take you a while then Monday’s time cap will allow you to chip away at those HSPUs for a decent amount of time as long as the coach sees solid technique. If you’re a HSPU ninja then make all 55 reps STRICT to add another layer of difficulty to this triplet.
Hope you all had a great weekend!
WOD For 12-10-18:
Strict Press:
3-3-3-3-3
Climbing to a top set
-then-
For Time:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Handstand Push-ups
Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs
Box Jumps @ 24/20 in