Workout of the Day
GOT Team Names
This week I saw a post on the interwebs where someone was asking for help with a “Game of Thrones” inspired team name for her upcoming CrossFit competition — these were my favorite responses:
Hodor! Hodor! Hodor! (the competition was for Teams of 3)
A Team Has No Name
Buns of Valyrian Steel
A Lannister Always Counts Their Reps
Fitness is Coming
Khaleesi SnatchEasy
What would your team name be for Wednesday’s WOD? If your partner doesn’t watch GOT then make them do two rounds of the AMRAP for every one of yours.
The Army of Weightwalkers is lunging south to the HSPU wall and OMG I CAN’T STOP WITH THE GOT PUNS PLZ HALP
WOD For 04-17-19:
With a Partner On a Running Clock…
A) 0:00 - 10:00
10 Minutes For BOTH Partners to Establish a Top Set of The Complex:
2 Power Snatches + 1 Overhead Squat + 1 Squat Snatch
*Use the same barbell and load/un-load the weights accordingly between sets
B) 12:00 - 24:00
AMRAP 12 Minutes:
3 Power Snatches @ 135/95 lbs
6 Overhead Squats
9 Lateral Bar Burpees
*This is “You Go, I Go” format — i.e complete one FULL round then switch
C) 26:00 - 32:00
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:15 Between Efforts)
*If possible add to 04-02-19
M > C > I > V
Some thoughts on the evolution of a CrossFitter from Coach Sarah...
Step 1: Mechanics
Learn the movements. Learn the difference between what the movement is supposed to feel like and what it is not supposed to feel like. What does the coach mean when they say "get tight"? Which muscles drive your knees out, and why should you do that? What about chest up? Or elbows fast? Or external rotation? All of these words and phrases should be meaningful to you (and you should be able to apply them to your movement before you consider moving on to consistency in those movements).
Step 2: Consistency
They say that practice makes perfect, but the truth is only perfect practice makes perfect. Not until you understand what you should be doing should you strive to make what you are doing habitual. But, when you do, each movement in CrossFit should become like breathing. You should practice so much that you are able to execute a perfect air squat without a demonstration or description, without thinking about it, and honestly, without even warming up. Same goes for every other movement (unweighted). Every time you execute a movement it should look and feel the same.
In addition, consistency applies to consistency of workouts. If you are working out inconsistently (i.e. 4 days on, 17 off, or 1-2 on, 4-5 off), you should hold yourself at this level. If you aren't working out consistently, you don't know how your body will respond to workouts, you don't know how hard you can push yourself on any given day, and you can't expect your joints and muscles to withstand a beating in which you're trying to make up for lost time. Establish a workout schedule and stick to it so that you can earn progression into Step 3.
Step 3: Intensity
Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, defined CrossFit as "constantly varied, functional movements executed at high intensity." Some make the mistake of thinking that that means everyone from newbie to competitor should approach each workout with maximum fire and enthusiasm, fighting for each and every rep, rolling on the floor afterwards. The truth, in a better executed scenario, is that intensity must be earned. If you don't have the mechanics nailed down in a movement consistently, you have no business doing that movement with intensity. If you aren't working out consistently, you can't expect to safely push your limits (since you don't know where your limits are at any given point in time). Now, let's say there's a workout involving burpees, power snatches and situps. Let's say your burpees and situps are at Step 3, but your power snatches are still well at Step 1. In this case, you may want to push yourself super hard on the situps and burpees (to maximize your performance and results), but hold back, slow down, and concentrate hard (at light weight) for the power snatch.
Step 4: Volume
At Arena Ready, we program with the expectation that people will work out AT LEAST 3 and as many as 6 days per week. We believe that most people who CrossFit less than 3 days per week will fail to achieve meaningful results, will struggle to learn and properly execute the movements, and will likely not get sufficient volume. We believe that people who CrossFit more than 3 days in a row are likely to experience the symptoms of overtraining - insufficient recovery marked by consistent fatigue, susceptibility to injury, and declining performance. In between is a sweet spot of consistent improvement due to thoughtful training and recovery.
Many among us at Arena Ready are solidly in Steps 1-3, and that's fantastic. If you find yourself primarily in one of those steps, your goal should be to build your understanding of the mechanics, begin to consistently execute on them, and finally, to start pushing yourself by adding increasing levels of intensity to your workouts. Another way to measure your intensity besides how hard you feel you're working, is to check where your times/scores rank on the board, and at what level you typically perform workouts. For most people, working to be in the top half of scores consistently within the black or red level is all the fitness you need to meet your goals and win at life. That's awesome, and that's what we recommend for the majority of our clients: strive to perform all workouts at the red or black level with competitive times or scores, and be here 3-5 times per week consistently.
Some Arena Ready members are at a point where the above is true, and they are able to work out 5-6 times per week and still feel like they need or want more training in order to meet their goals of becoming competitive CrossFitters. This is the competitor group for whom we sometimes program extra strength, skill, or accessory WODs. If you are in (or want to be in) the competitor group, the above all remains true. Every element of all workouts should be performed with consistently good or excellent mechanics, and as fast as possible.
WOD For 04-16-19:
Deadlift:
5-5-5-5-5
-then-
For Time:
BUY-IN: 200 Double Unders
Then, 5 Rounds of…
25 AbMat Sit-ups
20 KB Goblet Walking Lunges @ 53/35 lbs
The Picture That's Tearing The Internet Apart
There are some serious coffee opinions at Arena Ready, and the history & tradition on the subject runs deep within these walls. So when Delish recently posted the image below on the old Instagram it nearly broke the internet by sparking heated debate on something other than politics or GOT.
So, the question is, which one are you?
(Click the image for the original IG post courtesy of @delish)
WOD For 04-15-19:
AMRAP 21 Minutes:
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
12 Hand-Release Push-ups
15 Calorie Row, Ski, or Assault Bike
18 KB Swings @ 53/35 lbs
21 Air Squats
Can you hold 3-minute rounds (or faster) all the way through?
Sweaty Saturday: The Barbell Don't Stop
As if Friday weren’t enough (or this whole week for that matter). Enjoy it while it’s hot because at this rate it’s going to be “Cindy” and rowing repeats every day next week.
Kidding. Or am I?
WOD For 04-13-19:
With a Partner For Time:
100 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
100 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
100 Power Clean & Jerks @ 115/80 lbs
50 Box Jumps
50 Wall Balls
50 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
25 Box Jumps
25 Wall Balls
25 Synchronized Bar-Facing Burpees
*Only one person working at a time, switch whenever you like.
On-Boarding For Newcomers This Saturday
Spaces are still available for this Saturday’s On-Boarding, so tell a friend or family member to sign-up!
Our free April 2019 "On-Boarding Series" for newcomers starts this Saturday (April 13th) with the Introduction to CrossFit class at 12:00pm. The second class of the required two-part series, Beginner's CrossFit, will be held the following Saturday (April 20th). There are only a handful of membership spaces that will be available before we close the membership again for 3 months, so if anyone you know has been wanting to join as a newcomer make sure to spread the word!
For more details on how & why we on-board newcomers in small groups at carefully chosen intervals throughout the year click here to read a previous On-Boarding" post which details a bit of the background on our philosophy. To lazy to read it? OK then, here's the basic scoop: we do what we do to maintain quality, an ideal coach-to-athlete ratio in every class, and a caring community composed of like-minded people who consider fitness a sustainable, long-term lifestyle.
So tell your friends and family to sign-up for this Saturday and get started at Arena Ready (click here for more details and to reserve an On-Boarding spot)!
WOD For 04-12-19:
Squat Clean Thruster:
10 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Double
No “thruster jerks” allowed (AKA re-bending of the legs… that was yesterday, friends).
Touch-and-go is not required but doing both reps within a 20-second window is (otherwise that’s called “two singles”).
-then-
For Time:
50 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs
40 Toes-to-Bar
30 Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs
20 Lateral Bar Burpees
10 Squat Clean Thrusters @ 135/95 lbs
*Use one barbell — change your own weight for the final 10 reps.
WCTTIBW?
#TBT to one of the greatest stickers ever made (thanks, Coach Jason). WCTTIBW???
WOD For 04-11-19:
Push Jerk:
2-2-2-2-2
Use a rack. Climb only as your technique allows.
-then-
AMRAP 10 Minutes:
20 Single-Arm KB Snatches @ 53/35 lbs (switch sides after 10 reps)
10 KB Box Step-ups @ 24/20 in (alternate sides, use the same KB as for your snatches)
10 Deficit Handstand Push-ups @ 4/2 in
For the snatches you may support the KB in any fashion EXCEPT on top of your head, on your neck, or resting on your leg. We recommend a front-rack hold, goblet hold, or shouldering the KB securely (with your hand on the handle).
Choose Your Own Adventure
If you’ve been at Arena Ready for a while you’re familiar with the WOD format of Wednesday’s workout. Occasionally we do medium-longer EMOMs with the intention of a higher intensity output (think of the ones where you thought to yourself “OMG Rob I HATE YOU RIGHT NOW”) — generally those days have a very specific set number of reps and loading, and sometimes we make it even spicier by seeing if you can “hold a number throughout the entire WOD” (like a sort of expanded Tabata torture method HAHA).
In other instances we allow for a range of experiences in our athletes by giving the choice of loading, and in many ways intensity, to the person doing the workout. Another way of thinking of this is “Choose Your Own Adventure” — lighter loading and a more intentional focus on movement quality for those who seek movement in the vein of a recovery day or lighter intensity stimulus, and heavier loading for those who feel primed to take on more intensity and work. The WOD can feel very different to different people, and that’s exactly our intention.
So, check-in with yourself and take a quick inventory of how your body is feeling this week — have you trained several times over the last few days, how has your sleep, nutrition, and recovery been, what’s the climate like at work and/or home, did you travel recently, etc — and make a smart decision on how to approach this mid-week WOD so that you get the most benefit. Remember that the goal is to be able to come back tomorrow and/or for the balance of this week and continue to train productively and intelligently. Opportunities abound for intensity, speed, and other outputs in the days to follow — so when given a clear choice of how to guide your ship make sure to point it in the direction that best suits your current training/recovery/life situation.
On the other hand, if you look at this workout and think “that’s it?” or think that the Monday Tuesday program was “too easy” then I have a message for you — you don’t need harder workouts, you need to go harder. Trust me, I see all the scores (from in the gym, from remote athletes, from coaches and competitors testing the WODs for me) and NONE of the people posting the fastest times and highest scores report that the workouts are “easy.”
Know thyself, train smart, train hard, be an athlete.
WOD For 04-10-19:
7 Rounds, Start Every 3 Minutes:
5 Back Squats @ pick load
15 AbMat Sit-ups
30 Unbroken Double Unders
*Warm-up to a working weight on the back squat before starting your first round, then either climb in weight with small increases as you go OR stay at the same challenging weight across all 7 rounds.
*Unbroken DUs means if you miss at rep 29 you must start over at 0 to complete that round (or consider the WOD scaled).
Heavy to Light, Pull to Push
Monday featured heavy powers from the floor and an upper pulling focus, so Tuesday’s menu is filled with a lighter, longer met-con and an upper pushing focus. Enjoy!
WOD For 04-09-19:
Strict Press:
5-4-3-2-1-1
*Quickly build to two attempts at a heavy single in 10 minutes
then-
Tabata (19 Total Minutes):
Row, Ski, or Assault Bike For Calories
Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
KB Swings @ 53/35 lbs
Push-ups
*Tabata = 8 Rounds of 0:20 Work / 0:10 Rest
*Complete all 8 Rounds of a Movement Before Moving on To The Next Movement (i.e. do not alternate)
*Rest 1 Minute Between Movements
*Score = Your Lowest Rep Round for Each of the 4 Movements
April On-Boarding Starts This Saturday!
Reminder that our free April 2019 "On-Boarding Series" for newcomers starts this Saturday (April 13th) with the Introduction to CrossFit class at 12:00pm. The second class of the required two-part series, Beginner's CrossFit, will be held the following Saturday (April 20th). There are only a handful of membership spaces that will be available before we close the membership again for 3 months, so if anyone you know has been wanting to join as a newcomer make sure to spread the word!
For more details on how & why we on-board newcomers in small groups at carefully chosen intervals throughout the year click here to read a previous On-Boarding" post which details a bit of the background on our philosophy. To lazy to read it? OK then, here's the basic scoop: we do what we do to maintain quality, an ideal coach-to-athlete ratio in every class, and a caring community composed of like-minded people who consider fitness a sustainable, long-term lifestyle.
So tell your friends and family to sign-up for this Saturday and get started at Arena Ready (click here for more details and to reserve an On-Boarding spot)!
WOD For 04-08-19:
Alternating EMOM For 5 Rounds (10 Minutes):
1) 3 Power Cleans: climbing
2) Strict Pull-up Complex: 1 Scap Pull-up + 1 Lat Activation + 1 “One-Half’ Strict Pull-up + 1 Strict Pull-up
*For the pull-up complex add 1 rep every round if possible: 1+1+1+1, 2+2+2+2, 3+3+3+3, etc...
-then-
AMRAP 7 Minutes:
5 Power Cleans @ 205/145 lbs
7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
9 Box Jumps @ 30/24 in
-then-
Tabata:
Hollow Rocks
Today we will score this by TOTAL reps
Partner Buns of Steel
Is that an appropriate thing to write in the headline? Oh well, it’s true and you’ll know what I mean when you wake up on Sunday morning.
Happy weekend, friends!
WOD For 04-06-19:
With a Partner, 2 Rounds For Time:
1000m Row
30 Toes-to-Bar
30 Single Dumbbell “Curtis P” @ 50/35 lbs (alternate sides)
30 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs
30 Burpees Over The Rower
*Only one person working at a time, switch whenever you like
*ONE “Single DB Curtis P” rep is:
Hang Power Clean
Forward Lunge Right
Forward Lunge Left
Push Press
(switch hands then repeat for the next rep)
Friday Intensity: Yes Please
Happy Friday and welcome back, intensity (my old friend)…
WOD For 04-05-19:
4 Rounds of 4:00 Work / 2:00 Rest For MAX REPS:
60 Double Unders
30 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
15 Hand Release Push-ups
MAX REPS Hang Power Cleans @ 165/115 lbs
*Start at the top with double unders in every round
*Score is the total number of hang power clean reps at the end of 4 rounds
*Remember that for every crappy hand release push-up you do you get closer and closer to looking like Donald Trump Jr. doing “Murph” on Instagram
We Talkin' 'Bout Practice
Thursday's "for completion & quality" WOD reminds me of an old post post…
As we (the coaches) watch most athletes actually do the two exercises for quality and with position, technique, and balance in mind we think to ourselves "yup, that's gonna transfer over eventually to bigger numbers or bigger sets if they just keep on doing that." By contrast, the few who load up, go through the motions without much intent or mindfulness, and struggle-bus through the exercises will likely spend time re-enforcing existing bad habits (sadly).
Of course there's a time and place to go fast & hard and to push the limits. But when we're tying to develop movement patterns and fix or improve technique, that has to be done at sub-maximal loads… and with un-timed sets or progressions. Through practice.
Number of times AI says the word "practice" in this video... twenty-five.
John Welbourn once told me, "when the bullets start flying EVERYONE drops to their level of training."
Another way of saying this is "when the clock starts running or the weights get heavy, the body gets tired, and the fight or flight response kicks in, every athlete starts moving the way they always move... in training... in warm-ups... in PRACTICE... in everyday life." No one ever starts "rising to the occasion" and miraculously looking perfect, as if all they ever needed to move well was simply the pressure of intensity and/or heavier loads.
In tens of thousands of hours of coaching I can tell you that this is one of the truest concepts of training. We see it all the time, day after day. The athlete who moves well in warm-ups, and has put the work in on doing just that, generally moves well in workouts, in strength sessions, and in competition (even if that "competition" is simply life). The lifter who looks sharp and precise with the empty bar usually looks pretty damn good with heavy loads. Alternatively, the guy or gal who consistently goes through the motions and lazily moves their body until things get heavy or hard usually has a tough time holding position when things become just that... heavy or hard. Sometimes said athlete thinks, "well the people who look good in warm-ups and with low weights are just lucky... they're born that way and they're just really flexible/mobile/short/tall/etc." In some cases there can be truth in that statement, but in most I would argue that those people have worked really damn hard to be able to put their bodies in the right positions. But since fixing movement with little or no load isn't glamorous, and can be crushing to the athlete's ego and patience, most who aren't good at it chalk it up to "I'm just not built that way, and I need some more weight to make it look and feel better." Not true. You "need some more weight" to make it look passable... until of course the weight is heavy enough, or the workout hard enough, that passable can no longer complete the task. Then he/she usually enters one of two territories - Miss-ville (the land of a thousand misses) OR Snap City (sometimes referred to as Sketch City or "holy crap I hope no one was watching that"). Very strong athletes who are also very limited in their mobility can likely identify with that situation (although they're not the only ones in this boat) - it feels hard with little to no weight, then it feels fine with moderate loading, then it just gets frustratingly impossible at heavier loads which are still well under his/her perceived maximum potential.
If any of your goals includes snatching better/heavier, getting muscle-ups, developing athleticism, increasing balance/strength/coordination/agility/speed/flexibility/power, or just generally heightening your awareness of how your body moves though space and how it can also move external objects… then I would recommend using Thursday’s WOD as a tool for mindful practice. The practice of all of those things.
Because, yeah, we talkin’ ‘bout practice.
WOD For 04-04-19:
For Completion and Quality (NOT For Time):
10-8-6-4-2
Power Snatches
5-4-3-2-1
Ring Muscle-ups
*Alternate between movements (10/5-8/4-6/3-etc...) but rest as needed between movements and sets
*Climb in load as your technique allows on the Power Snatches (touch-and-go not required)
*Scale mindfully & intelligently for the MU as needed to work on progressing skill level and/or positional strength required for the next step (don't just "go through the motions") -- if MU are "your jam" then do them unbroken and with perfect technique