Workout of the Day
See You on Friday?
This one is actually pretty fun based on feedback received over the last several years, and it’s definitely a nice change-up from all the barbell, KB, and dumbbell work.
So don’t hit that cancel button so fast, partner… just get in here and get moving. You’ll be better for it, and your buddy will be happy to have had you as a teammate.
WOD For 07-11-19:
With a Partner, 10 Rounds EACH PERSON For Time:
250m Row
10 Burpees
(1 Minute Rest Between Rounds)
This is "you go, then I go, then we REST one minute."
Both partners complete 10 rounds EACH — so YES it’s technically 20 total rounds (but that just looks nasty when written out, so chill out I can do math).
(Compare to 06-04-18, 05-19-17, 09-27-16)
Mid-Week Deads
WOD For 07-10-19:
4 Rounds For Quality:
4 Deadlifts @ 80-85% of CURRENT 1RM
4 Box Jumps @ 30/24 in
-then-
AMRAP 6 Minutes:
2-4-6-8-10-etc…
Deadlifts @ 155/105 lbs
Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
"Heart Fat. OMG." -CW
Thanks to Dr. Rabbetz for sharing a recent article published on Reuters by Linda Carroll about a recent study indicating that weightlifting may have specific additive benefits to heart health relative to traditional cardio.
“In the small study, researchers determined that a certain type of heart fat, pericardial adipose tissue, was reduced in patients who did weight lifting, but not in those who worked on increasing their endurance with aerobic exercise, according to a report published in JAMA Cardiology. Both forms of exercise resulted in the reduction of a second type of heart fat, epicardial adipose tissue, which has also been linked with heart disease.”
The authors also suspected that while not part of the study, a training regimen combining cardio plus weightlifting might have potential additive effects.
They did acknowledge that they didn’t yet have 10-year data to describe the longer-term effects, or whether these results would be lasting.
I can point to a few 10+ year CrossFitters who might be able to help them form an opinion on that…
Thank goodness there are still at least a few things in life that are not only fun, but also good for you!
WOD for 07-08-19:
Hang Squat Clean
5-5-5
Climbing, as technique allows
-then-
5 Rounds for Time:
10 Hang Squat Clean @ 135/95 lbs.
10 Handstand Push-Up
Monday Snatches to Start The Week
We hope you all had a wonderful 4th and holiday weekend. Back to it with some Arena Ready favorites!
WOD For 07-08-19:
3-Position Power Snatch (“Top Down”):
5 Sets of (1+1+1)
-then-
3 Rounds For Time:
400m Run
12 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
12 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs
Happy Weekend!
WOD for 07-07-2019:
In teams of 3, AMRAP 20 Min:
Athletes A & B...
33 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs. to 10/9 ft.
22 Toes to Bar
11 Burpee Box Jump Overs 24/20 in.
While Athlete C...
400m Run
A & B Split the work anyhow, and keep track of rounds + reps. When Athlete C returns from the run, athlete A goes for a run while B & C continue the AMRAP where A & B left off. Continue rotating for 20 minutes.
Score is rounds + reps of Wall Balls, Toes to Bar and Burpee Box Jump Over.
July 4th Holiday Hero WOD: "Hotshots 19"
REMINDER about our upcoming holiday schedule for July 4th & 5th (click for details).
The hero WOD "Hotshots 19" has become a tradition on the 4th of July at Arena Ready, and we hope you join us for this challenging workout on Thursday. Please make sure to cancel ASAP if you're not able to make it in (and had previously signed-up for a class), so that someone can take your spot. Please also make sure not to double-book yourself for more than one class - be considerate to your fellow members!
We wish everyone a safe and happy 4th of July.
WOD FOR 07-04-19:
6 Rounds For Time:
30 Air Squats
19 Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs
7 Strict Pull-ups
400m Run
(Compare to 07-04-18, 07-04-17, 07-04-16 and 07-04-14)
Because I Was Inverted
REMINDER about our upcoming holiday schedule for July 4th & 5th (click for details).
Here's a great Wednesday QoD, and a favorite from the past: "What popular movie that people always talk about/reference/quote have you NEVER seen?"
In years past this QoD really sparked some discussion and friendly exasperation - particularly in the private Arena Ready Facebook group, where the 2017 thread on the topic had well over 150 comments/replies. As it turns out some of you HAVE NEVER SEEN THE MOVIE TOP GUN AND HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN?! I mean, Coach Lisa even streamed the movie at her wedding reception - yeah, that's right, she streamed it on the walls of Foreign Cinema for all of her wonderful guests to enjoy as modern cinematic art while they celebrated her big day. BECAUSE IT'S TOP FREAKING GUN.
July 3rd is, rather conveniently, one Tom Cruise's 57th birthday - or so the Operating Thetans would have us believe. And so, for every class on Wednesday, we'll be listening to Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins on the gym speakers and playing this clip on loop in the background:
You're welcome.
And Happy Birthday, Tom. May your sequel be fruitful and your Operating Thetan level be 8 (AKA OT VIII) soon enough.
As for Wednesday's WOD it doesn't get more simple than this - and often the simple movement combos are the most challenging. As a compliment to Monday's meaty HSPU and hip-hinge AMRAP and Thursday's upcoming hero WOD, it will be interesting on Wednesday to see if any athletes can hold 33+ and 8+, respectively, on this alternating double trouble Tabata (particularly after some heavy back squat triples)...
WOD FOR 07-03-19:
Every 2 Minutes For 7 Rounds (14 Minutes):
3 Back Squats
Start at a challenging weight and either make small increases each round (or every few rounds) OR stay at a weight for multiple rounds.
If possible add to your loading from last week 06-26-19.
-then-
Alternating Double Tabata:
Double Unders
Burpees
Unlike Monday's hollow rocks, score this by the LOWEST rep round for both of the movements.
(Compare to 07-03-18, 04-12-13)
NorCal Classic Recap
It was quite a rush to be back out in the arena alongside current firebreathers and a few old friends as well this past weekend at the Northern California Classic in Sacramento!
As Rob said yesterday, Coach Kim was amazing. The first night she won an event with burpees and deadlifts working up to 155 lbs, and a few minutes later followed that up with an event win involving rope climbs and berm runs. Saturday morning she woke up and won a 5k, then won a chipper involving her first ever experience with an Assault bike, conquered her double under nemesis, threw in a few box jumps for good measure, then did 30 toes to rings (never having done them before) and still had time to complete 6 muscle ups, finally getting to show off a skill she’s spent a lot of time perfecting.
Having won four out of the first four events, she was sitting pretty in the lead as she went into the second half of the weekend, but stayed calm and collected to approach each event with the same level of grace, grit and determination we all have the fortune to witness day in and day out. She closed out Saturday by nearly tying her clean PR (despite being required to take a 10 pound jump to get there), and finished in 5th place. Sunday morning she woke up to a chipper involving a heavy sandbag and kettlebell carry, sandbags over the shoulder, burpee wall climbs well above her head (she was pleased she could reach!), and finishing with handstand walk. Despite none of this particularly being in her wheelhouse she stayed calm, did what she could, and managed to tie for second. Then, she had the opportunity to face a goat paired with a strength in the form of “Death By” 14 pound wall balls to a 10 foot target, and pull-ups. She did the wall balls in strong sets, and the pull-ups unbroken and managed to get through 15 wall balls in the round of 15, finishing 3rd. In the final event, she sprinted 36 calories on the assault bike, and did 16 dumbbell snatches all in 2:33 which i found incredibly impressive. Again finished in 3, but the placing was practically irrelevant given the complete grit she showed.
She tied for 2 in points, and although they announced her as the third place finisher we’re pretty sure she finished 2nd based on a tie break of more top finishes than the woman she tied with. But either way, a podium finish and quite a few victories in a field including a woman who will be competing at the Games this summer for the third time.
Guys - you train with a superhero day in and day out. We’re lucky to have her in our community. She may be mini, but she’s a force to be reckoned with, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.
As for me… it was an honor to be back out there on the floor as a member of the Northern California Original Elite Team. I’ve spent so much of my life out there, or training to be out there, so to be able to be back in an elite field, on a team of incredibly talented, humble and kind athletes (Katie Hogan, Troy Stinson and Dusty Sulon), alongside OG friends like CrossFit 209 was really special. As the parents out there know, it’s quite an ordeal to even just train consistently with a little one (particularly one who makes a habit of partying all night), and it’s been an adventure to figure out how fast to try to make a come back given the transition my body has been through. Thank you to all of you who’ve asked me about the training, who’ve encouraged me to get back out there, and who’ve given me votes of confidence. Competing is part of my soul, and being able to do it again was a great joy.
As for my performance, I’ll give you the brief highlights from my perspective:
Event 1 - I’m not very fast at synchro burpees, but I can still deadlift 225 pretty fast!
Event 2 - I can still legless rope climb, and so can Katie! But man running stairs is tiring.
Event 3 - My muscle memory still thinks I can run a 5k kind of fast. My side ache disagreed.
Event 4 - My team was so good at muscle ups they did 100 before I had time to finish the 4th leg of the chipper part of the workout (as I was carefully saving my energy to contribute to the muscle ups). Turns out 30 squishy box jump overs for time is a great way to make your legs burn. A lot.
Event 5 - I SQUAT CLEANED 225 and so did Katie! We both cleared the ladder! I haven’t even front squatted 225 recently, so that was a pretty cool moment of digging into my athlete soul and pulling out a performance my team needed from me.
Event 6 - I handstand walked nearly 150 feet kinda fast!!!!!!!
Event 7 - I did a lot of static hanging without dropping off the bar early or even getting angry at anyone. And I HATE static hanging. HATE.
Event 8 - We crushed! Dusty predicted for our team, despite 32 70 & 100 pound dumbbell snatches this workout would come down to our time to complete 170 Assault bike calories. So, we sprinted so hard on the Assault bike and managed to finish 3 overall, our top finish of the weekend. Leaderboard says 1, but that’s a bit of a typo.
We finished in 6 place overall. Not bad considering three of us became masters somehow since the last time we competed, we’re all parents, and we’re training mostly just to not suck at life. And wow, the level of the field and the caliber of the competition was amazing. Anyone wanting to do a fun competition should definitely consider this one next year (but bring sunscreen!)
WOD for 07-02-2019:
Hang Power Snatch:
3-3-3-3-3
-then-
For Time (12 Min Cap):
21-15-9
Wall Ball @ 20/14 lbs. to 10/9 ft.
Front Rack Lunge @ 75/55 lbs.
Hang Power Snatch @ 75/55 lbs.
Coach Kim CRUSHES The 2019 NorCal Classic
We’re just back from a LONG weekend of fitness in the SWELTERING HEAT, so more thoughts coming in tomorrow’s post… but for now, a HUGE CONGRATS to Coach Kim for her 2nd place podium finish at the 2019 NorCal Classic! With four event wins over three days of competition she made a few of the fittest masters athletes around chase her down like the fire-breather we all know her to be — great freakin’ job, Kim!
REMINDER about our upcoming holiday schedule for July 4th & 5th (click for details).
WOD For 07-01-19:
AMRAP 17 Minutes:
17/13 Calorie Row, Ski, or Assault Bike
17 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
17 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
17 Handstand Push-ups
I sometimes get the question from folks doing the workouts from afar with different equipment - "Do I do 17/13 calories on an AirDyne Bike as well?" The answer is no, if you're using an AirDyne then do 26/20 calories instead (if you're ever unsure you can always multiply by 1.5 and then round up).
If you cannot do 17 handstand push-ups in 3 sets or less then consider scaling HSPU reps to 13 per round.
-then-
Tabata:
Hollow Rocks
Today we will score this by TOTAL reps (not your lowest rep round).
Upcoming July 4th Holiday Schedule
Good luck to Coach Kim and Coach Sarah this weekend at the 3-day NorCal Classic Competition in Sacramento! Click here for some of the details and stay tuned to the private Arena Ready Facebook group for updates on the events throughout the weekend.
ALSO, please note our upcoming holiday schedule for the 4th of July and weekend thereafter:
Monday through Wednesday (July 1st - 3rd):
Normal Class Schedule
Thursday (July 4th):
Holiday WOD Classes at 9:15am and 10:30am
Friday (July 5th):
Gym Closed — PG&E and Cahill Construction will be shutting off the power the entire day due to the work in the area to connect the new adjacent building to the power grid.
Saturday & Sunday (July 6th - 7th):
Normal Class Schedule
With that out of the way, how ‘bout an action-packed Sweaty Saturday Team WOD classic?!
WOD FOR 06-29-18:
In Teams of THREE Against a 24-Minute Clock:
A) First Complete...
3000m Row (MUST switch every 500m)
200 Med Ball Sit-ups @ 20/14 lbs
100 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
One athlete rowing while the other two athletes share the sit-ups & pull-ups with only one person working at a time -- sit-up & pull-up reps do not have to be evenly split and the two movements may be intermixed and partitioned in any fashion. The team must switch who is rowing at every 500m increment.
B) Then AMRAP of...
3 Power Cleans @ 185/125 lbs
6 Lateral Bar Burpees
9 Med Ball Squats @ 20/14 lbs
One athlete working at a time to complete a FULL round before switching. The team's score is Rounds + Reps completed of the AMRAP.
Coaches Kim & Sarah at The 2019 NorCal Classic
Tomorrow Coach Kim and Coach Sarah will head to Sacramento to compete in the Women’s 50-54 and Elite Team Categories at the Northern California Classic competition. This will be the inaugural year for the event, but it’s looking like it’s going to be a big production!
Aside from an 8am 5k Saturday morning, no events have been announced yet, but we see some walls, ropes and big dumbbells in the instagram stories people are posting, so it should be an adventure! At least a couple things our athletes like!
You can find out nearly everything you’d need to know from the event website here. Kim is in Heat 17. Sarah’s team name is “Northern California Originals” and she’s paired up with Katie Hogan, Troy Stinson and Dusty Sulon. They’re heat 26.
We’ll try to keep you updated on Facebook, and if we get information about a live feed we’ll post that as well. Please wish them luck!
WOD For 06-28-19:
Every 90 Seconds For 20 Rounds (30 Minutes):
Squat Clean + Front Squat + Jerk
*Use FOUR Weights:
ROUNDS 1-5: Light (50-60% of 1RM C&J)
ROUNDS 6-10: Moderate (60-70%)
ROUNDS 11-15: Moderate-Heavy (70-80%)
ROUNDS 16-20: Heavy BUT NOT Max (80-90%)
It Worked!
I hear there was some blog-inspired racing on Wednesday, despite some alleged cherry picking from those who aren’t Karen’s biggest fan. Nice job blog readers!
On Thursday you’ll have a “guest” coach at 12, 4, and 5pm. A throwback, if you will. Be kind to him!
WOD for 06-27-19:
“AR’s Aerobic Animal”
5 Rounds for Time:
400m Row or Ski (or 25/17 cal bike)
30 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs.
20M Handstand Walk