The Oxford Comma

Welp, a harmless little reference to our friend on Saturday started a bit of friendly debate among members. I’m here to say that there’s nothing more American than an Oxford comma (the MLA would agree), so quit being lazy and just use it already.

And while we’re at it please cut it out with the “Cheers” and “Ciao” at the end of your emails. This isn’t Europe and no one cares that you spent a Semester At Sea in 1998.

Happy Monday!

WOD For 08-19-19:

4 Rounds For Max Reps (0:45 Seconds per Movement / 0:15 Seconds Rest Between Movements):

Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 115/75 lbs

Ring Dips

KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs

Row, Ski, or Assault Bike Calories

(REST 1:15 Between Rounds)

-then-

Tabata:

Hollow Rocks

Fun, Fitness, Friends, and Math

And a little Oxford comma action in the blog title there for all you grammar nerds at Arena Ready (there’s a lot of you, I know).

And if math is more your thing then you’ll be a hot commodity on Saturday morning when everyone is trying to tally their team score whilst sweating and rolling around on the ground in dramatic post-WOD fashion.

Happy weekend, all!

WOD FOR 08-17-19:

In Teams of THREE Athletes, As Many REPS As Possible in 22 Minutes:

Athletes A and B Complete the Triplet of:

30 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

15 Deadlifts @ 225/155 lbs

-while-

Athlete C Completes:

30/24 Calorie Row

*One athlete MUST always be rowing, and MUST always switch after 30/24 calories.

*Reps for the triplet may be split in any fashion (does not have to be equal) with only one person working at a time.

*Every calorie on the rower equals one rep added to the team's triplet total. Score is the grand total of calories rowed PLUS triplet reps completed.

The Return of Friday Barbell Therapy

You may notice the increase in barbell complex frequency as we continue building with several drills and movement combinations.  For Friday classes we re-visit a format we’ve used with great success in previous training cycles for the clean & jerk. 

Let's get get the weekend started right with some Friday Barbell Therapy!    

WOD For 08-16-19:

Every 90 Seconds For 20 Rounds (30 Minutes):

Hang Squat Clean + Front Squat + Jerk

*Use FOUR Weights:

ROUNDS 1-5: Light (40-50% of 1RM C&J)

ROUNDS 6-10: Moderate (50-60%)

ROUNDS 11-15: Moderate (60-70%)

ROUNDS 16-20: Moderate-Heavy-ish (70-80%)

*Technical Consistency! Ideally 20 of 20 made rounds, no misses!

*If you miss during Rounds 16-20 you MUST lower the weight the next round.

*Any style of jerk is allowed.

Snatch Complex & More Snatches

For the first part of Thursday’s program it’s important to climb in weight only as your technique allows. Doing this complex incorrectly at progressively heavier weight simply reinforces your bad habits in the snatch.

For the snatch pulls focus on a vertical leg drive and tall finish by continuing to push through the floor at the top. The bar should stay close to the torso, with elbows up & out.  At the top you should not be falling or leaning back, leaning forward over the bar, leaving the ground with your feet, or re-bending your legs. 

For the power snatch focus on replicating the same tall, vertical leg drive and close proximity of the bar immediately after contact with the hips - but then add the active pull under to receive the bar overhead.

WOD for 08-15-19:

12 Minutes to Establish a Top Set:

2 Snatch Pulls + 2 Power Snatches

Climbing only as technique allows

-then-

2 Rounds for Time:

20 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs

50 Double Unders

20 Toes-to-Bar

50 Double Unders

Mid-Week Partner Piece

This is a fun one… so go hard, try some different strategies, high five each other, and enjoy doing more work in a one hour class than most people will do all week!

WOD For 08-14-19:

With a Partner For Total Time (including penalties*):

5000m Row

Switch every 250m, exactly.

PENALTIES:

*For every meter over 250 when the counter stops, there is a 2-rep Wall Ball penalty (e.g. if the counter stops at 256m the team owes 12 Wall Balls). 

*For every meter under 250 the team owes the difference plus 5 AbMat Sit-ups (e.g. if the counter stops at 247m the team owes 8 AbMat Sit-ups). 

The penalties accumulate and must be performed at the end of the 5000m row.  The team's time includes the time required to complete the penalty reps, which can be divided/shared in any fashion with ONLY ONE person working at a time.

(Compare to 06-20-18, 03-11-16)

Tuesday Meat & Potatoes

Tuesday’s program is composed of some classic strength work and then a fast & furious triplet AMRAP as a follow-up to Monday’s “Betty” re-test. I like to call these types of training days “meat and potatoes” — nothing too fancy, nothing that’s trying to be cute, just good old fashioned strength & conditioning… getting yourself under a heavy barbell and then chasing intensity to finish.

WOD For 08-13-19:

Every 2 Minutes For 7 Rounds (14 Minutes):

3 Back Squats

Quickly warm-up to a working weight prior to the first round, then either climb in small jumps or stay at a challenging weight across several (or all) of the seven rounds.

-then-

AMRAP 7 Minutes:

7 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

14 KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs

21 Air Squats

Mainsite Monday: "Betty"

Monday’s program features an annual re-test of the classic CrossFit.com mainsite benchmark WOD “Betty.”  Focus on keeping these reps as truly push PRESSES and not push jerks by driving the barbell off the body with the legs and then finishing overhead by pressing, and NOT re-bending at the knees or hips (squeeze your glutes and quads until the bar has reached full lockout overhead).  

Enjoy and Happy Monday!

WOD For 08-12-19:

1 Power Clean + 3 Push Presses:

12 Minutes to Build to a Top Set

Add to 07-30-19 if possible.

-then-

“Betty”

5 Rounds For Time:

12 Push Presses @ 135/95 lbs

20 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

(Compare to: 06-18-18, 06-28-17, 09-09-16, 10-19-15, 04-16-15, 11-03-14, and 04-23-14)

Controlled Chaos v2.0

Here’s an updated Sweaty Saturday Team Special classic with a little bit of everything for all you and your fitness friends.

Happy weekend, Arena Ready!

WOD For 08-10-19:

"Controlled Chaos v2.0"

In Teams of THREE, For Time:

A) All Three Working At The Same Time, Each on a Different Movement:

150 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

125 Calorie Row (FMM = 115 Cal, FFM = 105 Cal , FFF = 95 Cal) 

100 Lateral Bar Burpees

B) One Person Working at a Time, Completed in Order as Written (i.e. 75-50-25):

75 Power Cleans @ 135/95 lbs

50 Power Snatches

25 Squat Clean Thrusters

***For Part A game plan how your team will split the work into pre-set rounds & reps with planned transitions.  For example:

5 Rounds of...

Athlete A - 30 Wall Balls

Athlete B - 25 Calorie Row

Athlete C - 20 Lateral Bar Burpees

(Everyone rotates to repeat this 5 times until Part A is complete)

***For Part B there is only one person working at a time, and reps can be split in any fashion as long as the movements are completed in order as written (75 > 50 > 25).  We recommend smaller sets and quick transitions to keep the pace as fast as possible with good technique.  

Friday Fun Stuff

A change-up from earlier in the week with some bench pressing, reduced intensity, skill & accuracy practice, and added mid-line work.

Plus WHO DOESN’T LOVE A LITTLE BENCH ON A FRIDAY?!

WOD For 08-09-19:

For Quality and Load (NOT For Time):

5-4-3-2-1

Bench Press (climbing to a heavy single)

50-40-30-20-10

Medicine Ball Russian Twists @ 20/14 lbs

50-50-50-50-50

Unbroken Double Unders

Build to a working bench press weight for your first set of 5 by taking a few warm-up sets.

Rest as needed between movements & rounds, but move swiftly enough to complete all 5 rounds within the allotted time.

Congrats Coach Lisa!

A big shout out to Coach Lisa for passing her CrossFit Level-2 trainer course and test! Coach Lisa adds herself to the awesome list of coaches at Arena Ready with the CF-L2 (or higher) coaching credential — currently we have eight active coaches with that designation, and we are so proud of this amazing group of leaders.

Lisa, you are certainly a HUGE part of what makes AR special — so thank you for all you do, and for continuing to hone your coaching craft. It benefits us all tremendously!

WOD For 08-08-19:

Deadlift:

5-5-5-5-5

Climbing

-then-

For Time:

21-15-9

Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs

Front Rack Lunges (alternate)

Lateral Bar Burpees

Wednesday Snatchy Snatch

Keep those turnovers snappy and that bar close!

WOD For 08-07-19:

Hang Power Snatch:

3-3-3-3-3 Climbing

-then-

AMRAP 6 Minutes:

6 Hang Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs

9 Toes-to-Bar

12 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

… REST 3 Minutes, Then…

AMRAP 3 Minutes:

6 Hang Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs

9 Toes-to-Bar

12 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

Laziness Does Not Exist

I read this piece Laziness Does Not Exist by Erika Price recently and found it interesting in several ways.  Click the link here to read the full essay - I've pasted one of sections below for a small taste...  

People love to blame procrastinators for their behavior. Putting off work sure looks lazy, to an untrained eye. Even the people who are actively doing the procrastinating can mistake their behavior for laziness. You’re supposed to be doing something, and you’re not doing it — that’s a moral failure right? That means you’re weak-willed, unmotivated, and lazy, doesn’t it?

For decades, psychological research has been able to explain procrastination as a functioning problem, not a consequence of laziness. When a person fails to begin a project that they care about, it’s typically due to either a) anxiety about their attempts not being “good enough” or b) confusion about what the first steps of the task are. Not laziness. In fact, procrastination is more likely when the task is meaningful and the individual cares about doing it well.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the piece and on some of the points the author makes. So go unbroken on those wall balls, row HAM like you mean it, and then chat about the pitfalls of moralizing other people's life decisions.  You know, normal intellectual CrossFit stuff for a Tuesday...

WOD For 08-06-19:

Alternating EMOM For 4 Rounds (12 Minutes):

1) 10 Single Dumbbell Overhead Squats @ pick load (5 Right / 5 Left)

2) Row For Calories @ increasing pace each round (easy > medium > faster > fastest)

 3) 10-20 Hollow Rocks (pick the number of reps you can do with good position)

-then-

FIVE 90-Second Rounds For MAX CALORIES:

25-23-21-19-17 Unbroken Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

MAX CALORIE Row

(Rest 90 Seconds Between Rounds)

This workout is 90 seconds of work then 90 seconds of rest repeated five times.

The wall ball reps start at 25 in the first round and decrease by 2 every round (the fifth & final round starts with 17 wall balls). Unbroken means no dropping of the ball, resting by stopping your movement (e.g. catching & standing/pausing before squatting), or missing the target (i.e. "accidental" no reps).

Score is total number of calories rowed.