Workout of the Day
Bon Voyage S&S
As we mentioned last week both Coaches Steven and Seiji are off — and a group of us gathered on Saturday afternoon to bid them bon voyage. Thanks to Vivian for snapping a few great shots of some of the goodbye crew!
While Steven has already left, Seiji will be around for another few days and we’d love it if some of you can join him on Wednesday evening at the 6pm or 7pm for his last two classes as a coach at Arena Ready.
WOD For 06-10-19:
3 Sets For Quality, With Two Dumbbells or Kettlebells:
8 Seated Z Presses
8 Single Leg Deadlifts
8 Ring Rows
For each set move with intention through all 8 reps. Avoid leaning backwards on the Z press. Focus on hollow-body position throughout the ring row. If ring rows are easy, elevate the feet and move slower.
-then-
“Mary”
AMRAP 20 Minutes:
5 Handstand Push-ups
10 Pistols (alternate)
15 Pull-ups
(Workout courtesy of CrossFit.com)
Farewell Coaches Seiji & Steven!
Yeah, you read that correctly. I know, I know… don’t shoot the messenger. They have both profusely apologized for violating The Arena Ready Moratorium. Is nothing sacred anymore?!
If you’d like to join us in sending them off and giving them crap then check out their Bon Voyage gathering here on the private Arena Ready facebook group — all AR members & their friends/family are welcome, particularly if you’re/they’re persuasive enough to make these two stay. You know where we’ll be starting starting at 1:00pm on Saturday afternoon (it’s where AR memberships and coaching tenures are put out to pasture).
This one hurts, gentlemen. This one really hurts.
(Oh, and this workout will hurt as well… you can blame these two traitors for it. Or Coach Kate. Just don’t look at me, I had nothing to do with it.)
WOD For 06-08-19:
With a Partner, 4 Rounds For Time:
400m Run TOGETHER
Then, 21-15-9 SHARED Reps of…
Thrusters @ 75/55 lbs
Lateral Bar Burpees
*Both partners run together and the faster athlete may start on the thrusters immediately once they are in the gym.
*The 21-15-9 movements are shared with only one person working at a time, and reps do not have to be split evenly.
Friday: Randy on The Rings
Here’s a Flashback Friday to “Randy” (without the rings, but with a whole lotta speed!) at the 2015 CrossFit Games Regionals.
Coach Sarah and a "pre-Arena Ready" Cassie Ann Ludwig were actually in the same heat - as it turns out that was the last time that would ever happen, including in 2017 when they both qualified as Arena Ready athletes for the 2017 Regional (not once did we get a heat with both of them together that year!). Their times of 2:48 and 3:21 are still not too shabby four years later, even including the requirements to run out to the barbell, move the barbell every 25 reps, and then run to the finish mat.
WOD For 06-07-19:
Alternating EMOM For 8 Rounds:
1) 2 Power Snatches
2) Ring Muscle-up Progressions
*Climb as your technique allows on the barbell.
**Come in to the gym for the Ring MU progression exercises!
-then-
”Randy On the Rings”
For Time:
75 Power Snatches @ 75/55 lbs
*You MUST Perform 4 Ring Muscle-ups at the top of Every OTHER Minute, including at “3-2-1 Go!” (i.e. at 0:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, etc on the clock).
Thursday: Run, Pull, Squat, Push, Plank
What sort of clip can you run that will start you out on a good, fast pace but won’t sabotage your ability to attack the deads & wall balls with a purpose? If your movement is dialed-in and you love this combo, then we challenge you to go unbroken on the wall balls for as long as you can to push the pace. Remember that sloppy deadlifts are not only unacceptable and irresponsible, but they hamper your ability to actually go faster in the workout by forcing your body to make up for lost position somewhere else — i.e. your other stuff suffers in ways you didn’t plan on. So pick it up like you care about your back AND your time… they are not mutually exclusive desires.
We’ll finish with some static mid-line work after yesterday’s dynamic mid-line volume AKA toes-to-bar.
Enjoy, Thursday exercisers!
WOD For 06-06-19:
For Total Time:
BUY-IN: 1000m Run
… then, 5 rounds of…
10 Deadlifts @ 185/135 lbs
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
-then-
Weighted Plank Hold:
3 x 0:45 (Rest 1:15 Between Sets)
Add to 05-23-19 if possible.
Congratulations Coach Steven!
…or as we must call him now, “Doctor Coach Steven, PhD.”
If you weren’t able to attend Steven’s PhD exit talk on Monday and want to watch the archived video you can check it out by clicking here — given how nerdy (and I mean that as a compliment) and awesome this group is I’d imagine many of you would find it just as cool as we did.
He does an amazing job explaining something extraordinarily complex in an approachable, interesting, and entertaining way. And his sense of humor shines through just as it does every day at Arena Ready (the AR community even got a super rad shout out in his presentation which made more than a few of us teary eyed).
Bravo, Steven, and congratulations on your incredible achievements! We are all lucky to know you, to train alongside you, and to be coached by you.
WOD For 06-05-19:
Alternating EMOM For 6 Rounds (12 Minutes):
1) Power Clean + Front Squat + Squat Clean + Jerk
2) 3 to 6 Reps of Toes-to-Bar Progression:
-Kip Swings
-Knees Above Hips
-Knees to Elbows
-Feet Above Hips
-Feet Above Chest
-Toes-to-Bar
*Barbell complex climbs ONLY as technique allows
**For the Toes-to-Bar Progression start at the first movement and progress to the next movement in the following round OR stay at the movement you can safely perform & repeat that for multiple rounds
-then-
5 Rounds For Time:
5 Power Cleans @ 155/110 lbs
10 Toes-to-Bar
Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. If you don’t normally hookgip your cleans you’re going to wish that you started a long time ago.
Virtuosity: Doing the Common Uncommonly Well
Long long ago, as an aspiring hammer thrower at Stanford, I was fortunate to be coached by a very wise man. Time and again, I’d go to him complaining that my progress wasn’t fast enough, or that I was afraid someone was going to beat me at Nationals, or in general that I just wasn’t good enough yet.
Time and again, his patient response boiled down to: are you doing your footwork?
Now, things that are fun and exciting when you’re training to throw the hammer:
Throwing the hammer
Throwing light or heavy hammers
Throwing anything that’s sort of like a hammer
Weight lifting
Circuit training
Running sprints
Things that are not exciting when you’re throwing the hammer:
Turning left (i.e. footwork) over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Yet, not unlike the air squat in CrossFit, the footwork forms the basis of everything else in the throw. Just like tiny flaws in the air squat magnify themselves as an athlete tries to add weight in back squats and snatches, flaws in the footwork take centimeters or even meters off of the throw itself.
When I think about virtuosity, which Coach Glassman defines as doing the common uncommonly well, I think back to those days next to the hammer ring. I think back to learning to turn left, to feeling the weight of my body through my feet, to paying attention to my posture for every degree of that 360 degree rotation, to trying to repeat exactly the same thing in each successive rotation, even though I was getting dizzy, and even as I added speed.
I have to admit, I didn't fully appreciate those basics at the time. Now, as a CrossFitter, a weightlifter, and even more so as a coach, I’m so grateful for that lesson because with the benefit of hindsight and a little more patience I understand that ultimately our success with heavy weights and high skill movements really does often boil down to how much effort we put into maintaining stability through the last centimeter of our range of motion, through truly KNOWING whether our ribs and hips are staying aligned throughout the movement, and through doing what’s needed to establish full functional range of motion in each of our joints. Meeting movement standards like passing below parallel, or achieving full lockout is of course one part making the rep “count” but the remaining parts are about striving to take responsibility for your body, and ultimately your success.
No particular inspiration for jumping on my soap box, but I do think it always bears a mention: how you do one thing is how you do everything. Get the basics right, and lay a solid foundation for success now and in the future.
WOD for 6-4-2019:
Three Rounds for Time:
Row 250m
16 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs.
8 Burpee Box Jump @ 24/20 in.
Family Day Recap
A huge thank you to Laika, Annie, Gen and the other AR Mamas who put together an epic family day on Sunday. Complete with bouncy house and legit park permit, the day was super fun for the kiddos (and the adults too!) This should definitely become an annual tradition!
WOD for 06-03-2019:
Back Squat
4-4-4-4 ACROSS
Warm up to your working weight and try to complete four sets of four at that weight, without allowing technique to break down, of course.
THEN
AMRAP 16 Minutes:
4 Back Squat @ Bodyweight
8 Push-Ups
16 UNBROKEN Double Unders
To complete this workout as prescribed, if you miss during your set of double unders, stop, reset, and start your double under set back at zero.
Reminder: AR Family Day Sunday, June 2nd
A reminder & re-post from earlier this week…
A shout out to the fun mamas of AR who have scheduled a family day complete with bouncy house for Sunday morning, June 2 starting at 10am. Please message us or check the Facebook group to RSVP and for details about where and precisely when.
While the focus will be on the little ones, all are welcome, and rumor has it that adults are also welcome in the bouncy house as long as they don’t jump on any kids.
To make it a real party, please consider bringing drinks or snacks to share. If anyone knows how to make balloon animals I’m sure that would also be a big hit!
WOD For 06-01-19:
In Teams of THREE Athletes AMRAP 27 Minutes:
10/8 Calorie Row
8 Single Dumbbell Hang Clean to Overhead @ 50/35 lbs (4 R / 4 L)
6 Toes-to-Bar
*Complete ONE FULL ROUND then switch to the next athlete.
*During your “rest” period you MUST complete 8 burpee box jumps @ 24/20 in (facing the box) before you can go again.
Friday Bar Fight
Happy Friday, friends!
WOD For 05-31-19:
Alternating EMOM For 6 Rounds (12 Minutes):
1) 3 Power Cleans*
2) 3 to 6 Reps of the Bar Progression**:
-Scap Pull-ups
-Kips/Beat Swings
-Chin Over Bar Pull-ups (gymnastics kip, not butterfly)
-Chest to Bar Pull-ups (gymnastics kip, not butterfly)
-Belly near Bar Pull-ups (gymnastics kip, not butterfly)
-Bar Muscle-ups
*Power Cleans climb ONLY as technique allows
**For the Bar Progression start at the first movement and progress to the next movement in the following round OR stay at the movement you can safely perform & repeat that for multiple rounds
-then-
For Time:
12-9-6 of
Power Cleans @ 185/135 lbs
Bar Muscle-ups
Hunter McIntyre: Yay or Nay?
If you’re a CrossFit Games fan, and you’ve been trying your best to navigate the new Games Season and Games qualifying process, then you may have read or heard a little bit about Hunter McIntyre. Hunter, who is NOT a competitive CrossFit athlete, does have an impressive record of athletic achievements:
six-time Obstacle Course Racing World Champion
four-time Obstacle Course Racing National Champion
three-year Steve Austin’s Broken Skull Ranch Champion
two-time Tough Mudder X Champion
But it’s Hunter’s claims (which he has often made boldly and in confident, boisterous fashion) that he can hang with the big guns in the world of competitive CrossFit that have brought much attention to this multi-disciplinary sport athlete. Here he is recently in an interview with Morning Chalk Up discussing why he deserves the newly minted “wild card” entry into the CrossFit Games:
Well, he officially got the nod this week and accepted the at-large wildcard bid to compete later this summer in Madison against the fittest in the world.
Many past and present CrossFit Games athletes have engaged in trash talking exchanges with Hunter (including some VERY heated words with perennial podium favorite, Brent Fikowski), but others in the CrossFit community have also welcomed him and offered to train with him to help develop some of the more technical aspects of the sport of competitive fitness.
What are your thoughts on this “wild card villain of CrossFit” — yay or nay? Are you Team Hunter or do you hope to see him fall on his face on the big stage? One thing is for sure, it makes for some interesting debate — and a lot of us will have our eyes on Hunter in a couple of months when the lights come on and the Games go down….
I don’t think anyone feels he has a chance to unseat the undisputed king of CrossFit, Mat Fraser, but the question is can Hunter make an impact in a field of athletes who train specifically for competitive CrossFit at the highest level?
WOD For 05-30-19:
3 Rounds For Quality (Not For Time):
10 Handstand Shoulder Taps (alternate)
10 Single Arm Dumbbell Overhead Squats @ pick load (5 R / 5 L)
100m Single Arm Dumbbell or Kettlebell Farmer Carry @ pick load
-then-
A) With a Partner, MAX CALORIES in 6 Minutes:
Partner 1: 20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 109 ft
Partner 2: MAX CALORIES Row, Ski, or Assault Bike
Partner 1 performs 20 wall balls while Partner 2 performs MAX CALS row/ski/bike.
Switch after Partner 1 completes 20 wall balls.
Continue switching in this fashion until 6 minutes expires.
Score = total # of calories completed by the team.
B) REST 4 Minutes
C) With a Partner, MAX CALORIES in 6 Minutes:
Partner 1: 36 Double Unders
Partner 2: MAX CALORIES Row, Ski, or Assault Bike
Partner 1 performs 36 double unders while Partner 2 performs MAX CALS row/ski/bike.
Switch after Partner 1 completes 36 double unders.
Continue switching in this fashion until 6 minutes expires.
Score = total # of calories completed by the team.
*** This is a FAST back-and-forth if your team is good at double unders, which means TRANSITIONS MATTER!
AR Family Day this Sunday
A shout out to the fun mamas of AR who have scheduled a family day complete with bouncy house for Sunday morning, June 2 starting at 10am. Please message us or check the Facebook group to RSVP and for details about where and precisely when.
While the focus will be on the little ones, all are welcome, and rumor has it that adults are also welcome in the bouncy house as long as they don’t jump on any kids.
To make it a real party, please consider bringing drinks or snacks to share. If anyone knows how to make balloon animals I’m sure that would also be a big hit!
WOD for 05-28-19:
Every Two Minutes for Six Rounds:
2 Hang Power Snatch + 1 OHS + 1 Hang Squat Snatch
Climbing, as technique allows
-- then --
3 Rounds for Time:
Row 250m
20 OH Walking Lunge w/ Plate @ 45/35 lbs
15 Box Jumps @ 24/20”
10 Plate Burpee @ 45/35 lbs
Tuesday Deads
How’s that for the exact opposite of Monday’s “Murph” met-con?
WOD For 05-28-19:
On a Running Clock…
A) From 0:00 - 18:00
Deadlift:
15-10-5-3-3-3
*Recommend starting at roughly 40% of current 1RM, and working up to 80% or more if technique allows.
B) From 18:00 - 20:00
Deadlift:
Max poundage in 2 minutes (you pick the weight)
*Score = reps x weight