Farewell & Thank You, Coach Nina!

Wednesday morning will be Coach Nina’s final classes with us at Arena Ready before she moves to Marin county. If you’ve been a regular part of her AM classes during the last year you’ve likely come to appreciate her direct coaching style, her depth of knowledge, and her crazy Canadian sense of humor LOL.

Please join your morning fitness crew on Wednesday to bid Nina a fond farewell and thank her for her amazing presence and leadership. We will miss her very much but are excited for her & her new adventures up the road to the “North” (Marin, people not Toronto… take it easy with all that “We The North” nonsense before I have to buy you a Kawhi Leonard Clippers jersey, eh).

Thank you for everything, Nina!

WOD For 07-31-19:

On a Running Clock...

A) 0:00 - 5:00

AMRAP 5 Minutes:

21 Walking Lunges

15 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

9 Double Kettlebell Front Squats @ 53/35 lbs (per side)

B) 8:00 - 23:00

Back Squat:

15 Minutes to Build to a Heavy Triple (Not a 3RM)

C) 26:00 - 31:00

Repeat the AMRAP From Part A

The 2019 CrossFit Games

The 2019 CrossFit Games are nearly here and it will be exciting to watch it all unfold given that this is the first year with all the changes to the qualification process, and to the in-house CF HQ media presence.

The events, and all the divisions, will be streamed via an open-source broadcast and you can check the CrossFit Games website here for updates in the coming days regarding the various viewing options. The athletes will throw down from Aug 1st through the 4th and we are looking forward to some action-packed competitive fitness!

But seriously though, how many events will Hunter McIntyre make it through before he’s cut?!

WOD For 07-30-19:

1 Power Clean + 3 Push Presses:

12 minutes to build to a top set

-then-

3 Rounds For Time:

35 Air Squats

20 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

15 Push Presses @ 115/75

Mainsite Monday!

Straight from CrossFit.com “mainsite” here’s a challenging start to the week for all you lovers of power snatching and burpee-ing. Who remembers this fun one from last summer?

Enjoy!

WOD For 07-29-19:

TEN 1-Minute Rounds of:

10 Lateral Bar Burpees

Max Reps Power Snatches @ 155/105 lbs

(Rest 2 Minutes Between Rounds)

Your score is the total number of power snatch reps completed.

Yes, some have done this as bar-facing burpees and others as lateral over the bar.  We will do the latter like in this video here.

(Workout courtesy of CrossFit.com) 

Sweaty Saturday Special: I Don't Just Rap, I AMRAP

Happy weekend, fitness friends!

WOD For 07-27-19:

With a Partner, Against a 24-Minute Clock:

A) BUY-IN - 5 Rounds of:

Partner A = 20/16 Calorie Row, Ski, or Bike

-while-

Partner B = 40 Unbroken Double Unders

***Each partner completes 5 rounds, switching to alternate movements (i.e. both athletes will each perform a total of 100/80 calories and 200 double unders)

B) THEN, in the Remaining Time AMRAP of:

12 Hang Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs

9 Front Squats

6 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

*One athlete working at a time, switch whenever (reps do NOT have to be split evenly)

Benchmark Workouts & Beyond the Whiteboard

Today’s workout is Diane, a CrossFit named benchmark workout which involves 21-15-9 Deadlifts at a light weight and handstand pushups. This workout was a big zero for me when I started CrossFit (or a big infinity?) because I couldn’t do handstand pushups at all. Little by little I was able to work towards a Black level/Rx score, and then to try to do it faster and faster.

Part of my progress with this workout, and others like it, was the fact that I had tracked my results over time using Beyond the Whiteboard. Because I was able to check my scores from my prior attempts, and I was convinced I was generally making progress, I was able to scale such that I was little by little making the workout harder for myself, or setting my goal time a little faster, and recording my incremental progress. CrossFit always feels difficult (and hspu and deadlifts sometimes particularly so), so I found being able to see concrete improvement really encouraging!

If you don’t generally use Beyond the Whiteboard, and particularly if you don’t have a login, let us know and we’ll help you get set up!

WOD for 07-26-19:

“Diane”
For Time:
21-15-9
Deadlift @ 225/155 lbs.
Handstand Push-Ups

-then-

Tabata Hollow Rock

The Iron and the Soul (Full Version)

As a lifter, and just a human being, I’ve always liked what I just learned is an excerpt from Henry Rollins’ essay titled “The Iron and the Soul”. Always one for detail and context, I thought I’d post excerpts I’d appreciated before, plus a link to the full version for context.

It took me years to fully appreciate the value of the lessons I have learned from the Iron. I used to think that it was my adversary, that I was trying to lift that which does not want to be lifted. I was wrong. When the Iron doesn’t want to come off the mat, it’s the kindest thing it can do for you. If it flew up and went through the ceiling, it wouldn’t teach you anything. That’s the way the Iron talks to you. It tells you that the material you work with is that which you will come to resemble.

That which you work against will always work against you.

I used to fight the pain, but recently this became clear to me: pain is not my enemy; it is my call to greatness. But when dealing with the Iron, one must be careful to interpret the pain correctly. Most injuries involving the Iron come from ego. I once spent a few weeks lifting weight that my body wasn’t ready for and spent a few months not picking up anything heavier than a fork. Try to lift what you’re not prepared to and the Iron will teach you a little lesson in restraint and self-control.

The Iron is the best antidepressant I have ever found. There is no better way to fight weakness than with strength. Once the mind and body have been awakened to their true potential, it’s impossible to turn back.

The Iron never lies to you. You can walk outside and listen to all kinds of talk, get told that you’re a god or a total bastard. The Iron will always kick you the real deal. The Iron is the great reference point, the all-knowing perspective giver. Always there like a beacon in the pitch black. I have found the Iron to be my greatest friend. It never freaks out on me, never runs. Friends may come and go. But two hundred pounds is always two hundred pounds.

For the full essay, you can go here.

WOD for 07-25-19:

5 Rounds for Time:
15 Russian KB Swings @ 53/35 lbs.
15 Box Jump @ 24/20 in.
15/12 Cal Row/Ski or Bike

Twisted Sister

Who remembers the “Karen Kardio” WOD from earlier this year in January? Well I guess you could call this one her twisted sister…

Enjoy.

WOD For 07-24-19:

Front Squat:

4-4-4-4 Climbing

Back Squat:

2-2-2-2 Climbing

-then-

For Time (13 Minute Cap):

150 Burpees

***You must complete 7 Wall Balls every minute, on the minute, including at “3-2-1 Go!” to start the workout.

If you’re time-capped at 13 minutes your score is the total number of burpees completed.

Tuesday: Back to Back EMOMs & an AMRAP

Moderate weight, high skill, high heart rate AMRAPs tend to tempt athletes to overlook foundational principals like maintaining a stable midline pulling from the floor or locking out the overhead position prior to standing with the bar, and instead race through the movements, allowing fatigue or distraction to take away from the opportunity to focus on executing each rep with precision and accuracy.

Today we’ll try to help you avoid this temptation by giving you a chance to really focus on refining the movements beforehand - using two back to back EMOMs of touch & go doubles with focus on mechanics and consistency prior to adding the intensity that comes with 3…2…1…GO! To get the most of this workout, try to make each rep of the metcon feel as good as your best set of each EMOM.

Enjoy!

WOD for 07-23-19:

EMOM 6 Min:
2 Snatch (Touch & Go)

Rest 2 Minutes, then…

EMOM 6 Min:
2 Clean & Jerk (Touch & Go)

Rest 2 Minutes, then…

AMRAP 12 MIn:
3 Snatch @ 135/95 lbs.
6 Clean & Jerk @ 135/95 lbs.
9 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Up
54 Double Under

The BURN of Light & (Im)Polite

The beauty of a light and short-ish AMRAP is that you really have very little reason (or excuse) to stop or rest… which begs the question, “how much is this one going to BURN???”

Happy Monday, everyone.

WOD For 07-22-19:

Behind The Neck Strict Press:

5-5-5-5-5 For QUALITY

Strict Press:

5-5-5-5-5 Climbing

Push Press:

3-3-3 Climbing

-then-

AMRAP 7 Minutes:

Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 75/55

Push Presses @ 75/55 lbs

Summery Saturday?

Enjoy!

WOD for 07-18-19:

With a Partner, Complete as Many Rounds & Reps as Possible in 25 Min:

Run 200m Together
20 Burpee Box Jump Over @ 24/20 in.
Run 200m Together
20 Toes to Bar
20 Pull-Up
Run 200m Together
60 Wall Ball @ 20/14 lbs. to 10/9 ft. Target

Zhivotnoye: Russian for Animal

In honor of our newest member, and in preparation for today’s workout, a helpful description of proper kettlebell technique:

WOD for 07-18-19:

Every Two Minutes for 10 Rounds:
2 Cleans + 1 Jerk

Squat cleans, power cleans, push jerks and split jerks are all acceptable. Start with a weight that feels light and work to maintain consistent technique across all reps and sets as weight climbs. Decrease weight if you miss and/or if your technique begins to break down.

-then-

Zhivotnoye (Russian for Animal)

For Time:
150 Russian Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs.

Sloth Attack!

We were going to be done with the sloth videos, but today Sormeh admitted that she was a little hurt that we didn’t credit her with the great sloth question, so, to make it up to her, a sloth video to answer her question.

What happens if a sloth tries to attack you?

Based on Googling, it turns out sloths actually can claw and bite humans, but they usually don’t. So, don’t try to befriend them or anything, but you’re probably safe in the event of an unexpected encounter.

Also, for today’s workout, it’s only 9 minutes, so it’s probably best to go faster than a sloth. Even one who’s chasing you.

WOD for 07-18-19:

Hang Power Snatch
10-8-6-4-2-[4 DROP SET]

-then-

AMRAP 9 Min:
27 Double Under
21 Cal Row
15 Hang Power Snatch @ 115/75 lbs.
9 Ring Dip