Workout of the Day
Coach Kim's Thanksgiving (Track Day) Turkey Trot
Reminder about our Thanksgiving week holiday class schedule (click here for details).
Coach Kim will be running a holiday “Hero” WOD at the track on Thanksgiving Day this Thursday morning, Nov 28th at 9:00am. The workout will involve a good amount of running and bodyweight movements, so be prepared to get after a tough one with a bunch of Arena Ready friends before you head out to your holiday festivities. Scaling options will be provided and we ask that you please sign-up for the workout in advance (just as you would for a normal class) so we know who & how many to expect on-site.
The workout will take place at CCSF Track (AKA George Rush Stadium at City College of SF) and meet up time on Thursday morning is 9:00am sharp. We will run the workout come rain or shine, so please be prepared for whatever mother nature throws our way that morning. Google map 324 Havelock Street for directions to the base of the parking lot where the group will gather before heading up to the track promptly at 9:00am!
WOD For 11-26-19:
For Total Time:
BUY-IN: 1000m Run
Then, 5 Rounds of…
20 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft
12 Toes-to-Bar
200m Row
Coach Sarah on "The Game Changers"
“The Game Changers” keeps hitting my feed in real life and on the interwebs, so Rob and I watched it in order to form our own opinion.
You might be surprised, but I didn’t actually hate it. Despite the producer being heavily invested in plant-based protein powder (making me question his motives), and taking some liberties with the way the “scientific evidence” is presented, I thought it made some great points about the advantages of a “primarily” plant-based diet.
As a brief background, providing my own personal anecdote, after a lifetime of being 10-20 pounds heavier than I wanted to be, I started eating Paleo in 2010 and essentially never looked back, although I’ve been varying degrees of compliant as my priorities have shifted in the years since. Removing added sugars, dairy, grains (especially those containing gluten) and seed oils from my diet resulted in the “body and performance I’d always wanted” without feeling like I was on a diet. I had found a lifestyle that for me was enjoyable, effective and practically effortless. This is the type of eating plan I think everyone should be striving to find: something that works and feels good to them.
I credit these results with shifting to a primarily plant-based diet, honestly. I replaced the majority of the junk calories I was eating with much more nutrient-dense, bioavailable fruits and vegetables, and much higher-quality (unprocessed) meats, and as a result looked, felt, and performed much better.
I believe nutrition boils most simply down to two things: food quality and food quantity.
We’ll get to meat in a moment, but as it relates to quality, shifting to a primarily plant-based diet which is composed of a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts, seeds, and even legumes and minimally processed (possibly gluten-free) grains is arguably a very high quality diet. This is quite different from a diet of chips & french fries, vegan “cheese”, plant-based cookies, etc. Both diets could be plant-based, but the results from each would be likely to vary widely.
As it relates to quantity, people should eat enough, but not too much (which is a subject all its own). However much you eat in total, the distribution of calories should be fairly even between protein, fat, and carbohydrates. The ideal ratios vary by individual, and depend on body type and activity level, but in general they don’t vary THAT much. People should consume roughly 25-55% Carb, 25-35% Protein, and 20-40% Fat. As anyone who has tracked macros knows, this is a very wide range, and I think macro tracking is a pretty intense lifestyle commitment, and one that I wouldn’t recommend for the vast majority of people hoping to just get healthier.
That said, I think being aware of roughly how much food is needed daily to get the minimum amount of each macronutrient is a helpful exercise:
Eating less than 25% of your calories from carbohydrates (think 150g of carbs, or 600 calories from carbs in a 2400 cal diet), is likely to result in feeling a lack of stamina and energy in workouts. This is roughly 6 bananas, roughly 3 cups of oatmeal or rice, or 6 cups of sweet potato per day. An athlete on a fast food, processed diet is likely getting too much fat, so an increase in carbs could result in notably improved performance.
Athletes need at the very least 0.5g of protein per pound of bodyweight, and most will benefit from 0.75g per pound. Those who work out quite a bit, especially at high intensity, may even need up to 1g per pound of bodyweight (although I don’t believe that amount is often necessary for the average CrossFitter). For a 150 pound person, this would be between 75 and 112g of protein, which would be roughly 12-18 oz of cooked chicken breast (370-600 calories, including a minimal amount of fat), 4-6 cups of lentils (920-1380 calories, including roughly 70% carbs), or 30-45 cups of broccoli (who cares how many calories….). Again here, an athlete on a modern American diet is likely not getting enough protein to support lean mass and muscle recovery, so supplementing with protein of any source (necessary, I would argue for a plant-based athlete) would likely improve recovery and ability to sustain high training volume.
For most of us, eating enough fat requires less focus than the above two, but for completeness, eating at least 20% of your calories from fat in a 2400 calorie diet would be 480 fat calories, or 53 grams of fat. This is equivalent to just over 6 tablespoons of almond or peanut butter, roughly two avocados, one ribeye steak, or 4 tablespoons of olive oil. A fast-food athlete is likely consuming far too much processed oil, resulting in increased systemic inflammation and less ability to recover. Shifting to a Paleo or unprocessed plant-based diet would have material impact here as well.
Striving to get at least 70-80% of your calories (carbohydrates and fat) from plants is a very reasonable goal, and that’s generally the target for fat and carbohydrates for most people, including for athletes. With this type of diet, based primarily on plants, a person will have eaten some protein, but a drawback of entirely plant-based eating is that without being fairly disciplined (or supplementing with protein), the carb ratio can easily shift well upwards of 55%, or, in the case of protein from broccoli, physical stomach capacity can become a real issue. To be fair, a drawback of Paleo is that it can be easy for the fat ratio to shift upwards of 50%. In both cases, getting enough protein to support lean body mass, especially for athletes, can require focus.
Thus, thoughtful protein selection, both for Paleo and plant-based eaters, is a necessary component of optimizing performance and health. For plant-based eaters, this often means supplementing with plant-based protein powders, but attention is needed here regarding possible chemical additives, sweeteners, pesticide contamination and the potential health effects of GMO foods. For Paleo eaters, as a starting point this means humanely raised, organic, grass-fed, pasture raised beef, free range chicken, and wild-caught fish. The problem in our modern society is that these words, once meaningful, are often used incorrectly for marketing, and that the market for these products is too small to support affordable pricing (especially in the face of government grain subsidies). Many athletes also supplement with Whey protein, which is neither plant-based, nor Paleo, however it is a cost-effective source of concentrated protein. Whey protein supplements face the same challenges as plant-proteins as far as sweeteners and additives, and animal proteins as far as sustainability in agricultural methods and quality of life for the animal.
So, to me this basically boils down to being as thoughtful as possible about your food choices, and doing what seems right to you. If it feels right to take vitamins (B12 and Iron would be the most likely deficiencies on an entirely plant-based diet) and supplement with protein powder, and if your health markers and performance improve, that seems like a great choice to me. If it feels right to eat a lot of plants and also some high quality, unprocessed protein, and if your health markers and performance improves, that also seems like a great choice to me. Choosing an eating pattern that feels right, meets your health and performance needs, and is sustainable for you is great. But, don’t blindly buy into the hype of a movie that’s a thinly veiled commercial for the producer’s investment in plant-based protein powder.
WOD For 11-25-19:
3-Position Squat Clean (hip/high hang, knees, floor):
1-1-1-1-1
-then-
For Time:
15-12-9
Squat Cleans @ 185/125 lbs
100-75-50
Double Unders
Saturday Skills + Clean & Jerk Thrills
Reminder about our Thanksgiving week holiday class schedule (click here for details).
WOD For 11-23-19:
With a Partner on a Running Clock:
A) At 0:00 Complete:
30 Strict Handstand Push-ups
60 Pistols (alternate)
30 Bar Muscle-ups
B) From 12:00 - 27:00
Establish a Heavy Single Clean & Jerk
Power are full/squat cleans are both allowed, and push jerks and split jerks are both allowed.
Thanksgiving Week Class Schedule
Please note our class schedule for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday week:
Monday & Tuesday (Nov 25th & 26th):
Normal Class Schedule
Wednesday (Nov 27th):
Normal Class Schedule EXCEPT No 7pm Class
Thanksgiving Day (Nov 28th):
9am Holiday WOD at THE TRACK with Coach Kim!!!
(location details to be posted next week)
Friday (Nov 29th):
Open Gym 9am - 11am
Saturday & Sunday (Nov 20th & Dec 1st):
Normal Class Schedule
WOD For 11-22-19:
For Time:
800m Run
40 Box Jumps @ 24/20 in
40 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs
2000m Row
Thursday: Strict Stuffs & Snatches
WOD For 11-21-19:
Strict Press:
5-5-3-3-3
-then-
For Time:
15 Strict Pull-ups
15 Snatches @ 135/95 lbs
100 Double Unders
10 Snatches
10 Strict Pull-ups
Wednesday: Recover, Flush, Get Moving!
The best way to feel better after two tough days of programming is to MOVE! Move with intention and with purpose, using some complimentary patterns and lighter loading… and hey, why not do so with a buddy since this is supposed to me fun?
WOD For 11-20-19:
AMRAP 18 Minutes For Quality:
Partner A
250m Row OR 15/12 Calorie Assault Bike @ “recovery pace”
Partner B
8 Hand-Release Push-ups
12 AbMat Sit-ups
12 KB Swings @ 53/35 lbs
Switch every 250m and focus on high quality movement. Pick-up where your partner left off.
Every Day Is Leg Day...
… when you’re running from your problems.
Enjoy!
WOD For 11-19-19:
Back Squat:
5 x 5 (with 5 seconds down)
-then-
Alternating EMOM For 7 Rounds (14 Minutes):
1) 10 Wall Balls @ 20/14 lbs (to 10/9 ft target) THEN 8 Med Ball Walking Lunges
2) 30 Sec Wall Sit / 30 Sec Rest
Yami CRUSHES The 2019 SPS Rite of Passage Meet!
Yami did what we all knew she could this past Saturday and CRUSHED IT on the competition platform at the 2019 Rite of Passage Meet — a HUGE congratulations to Yami for going 5 for 6 at her first-ever officially sanctioned weightlifting meet!
Yami went 3 for 3 on the snatch looking like an old pro, and 2 for 3 on her clean & jerks, making her last lift fairly easily but called for a press-out by the judges (boo). She finished with 34/40/74kg to the cheers of her Arena Ready crew of spectators in the crowd.
CONGRATS YAMI!!! You are such an inspiration to so many in our community and it was super cool to watch you shine on a big stage under the bright lights and big pressures of competition.
I should also mention that a thanks goes out to our fantastic team of coaches — Coach Sarah guided Yami through the nerve-wracking experience of the warm-up area craziness, complete with first-time competitors and coaches making last-second changes to their attempts (don’t even get me started on this topic LOL!). Coach Katoa was also a confident presence in the back room, assisting with loading the warm-up attempts and keeping Yami focused on the task at hand. Coaches Laura, Kate, Kim, and Angela were also all on hand as experienced supporters and fairly loud cheer-ers (ha). At these meets it’s so awesome to witness how our team’s calm, cool, collected demeanor and vast competition experience makes for a smooth and successful game day for our athletes — even when the surroundings are chaotic and tense. Great job, Coaches!
Lastly, a thank you to Jeannie (who competed at this same event last year and also KILLED IT), Amy, and of course Vivian for making the trip out to support Yami on this big day. What a fun event and an amazing performance by one of Arena Ready’s most dedicated athletes!
Yami, you rock. WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU.
#CantStopThisYami
Even though Vivs took some great action shots she snuck away before we took our group photo (wassup, Vivs?!)…
WOD For 11-18-19:
AMRAP 12 Minutes:
1 Deadlift + 1 Hang Power Clean + 1 Push Jerk @ 115/85 lbs
3 Burpees
2 Deadlift + 2 Hang Power Clean + 2 Push Jerk
3 Burpees
3 Deadlift + 3 Hang Power Clean + 3 Push Jerk
3 Burpees
4 Deadlift + 4 Hang Power Clean + 4 Push Jerk
3 Burpees
… continue the sequence until 12 minutes expires.
#CantStopThisYami
Come get after this Sweaty Saturday Special WOD with a couple of your Arena Ready swolemates and then get your butts over to watch Yami compete in the afternoon!
As we mentioned last week Yami will be tackling her first ever USA Weightlifting sanctioned event — the 2019 Rite of Passage Meet.
Yami will take the competition platform on Saturday afternoon at 3:30pm with AR coaches and supporters in tow, so make the short trip over to Oakland to watch some big lifts and cheer for Yami. Meet location is listed below — feel free to hop on over to the private Arena Ready Facecbook group to coordinate carpooling for the meet. #CantStopThisYAMI
Meet Location:
Speed Power Strength (SPS Gym)
2140 Livingston Street
Oakland, CA 94606
Yami’s Scheduled Session Start Time:
Saturday, Nov 16th at 3:30pm
WOD For 11-16-19:
In Teams of THREE Against a 24-Minute Clock:
A) Complete:
3000m Row (must switch every 500m)
200 Med Ball Sit-ups @ 20/14 lbs
100 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups
B) Then, in the Remaining Time AMRAP of:
3 Power Cleans @ 155/110 lbs
6 Front Squats
9 Lateral Bar Burpees
Congrats, Coach Kim: 2020 Masters Worldwide Qualifier!!!
For the THIRD time in her CrossFit career Coach Kim has proved that she is one of the fittest athletes in the world by qualifying for the 2020 Age Group Online Qualifier (AGOQ) for the CrossFit Games. She finished the 2020 Open with a 61st place worldwide ranking in her Masters category, besting literally thousands of competitors across all five grueling weeks.
Kim’s incredible run in the Open means that we’ll get to cheer her on again in a few months as she takes on the rest of the worldwide Top 200 in the AGOQ (March 12th through 16th). As the dates approach we’ll be sure to keep you all updated on how you can watch her workouts and cheer her on for some extra Mighty Mini Power!!!
And speaking of inspiring competitors… REMINDER: Yami competes this Saturday afternoon at the 2019 SPS Rite of Passage Meet! Click here for details and come cheer for Yami!
WOD For 11-15-19:
6 Cycles of 2:00 Work / 2:00 Rest For Total Rounds + Reps:
9 Handstand Push-ups
15 Box Jump Overs @ 24/20 in
21 Russian KB Swings @ 70/53 lbs
*Score this continuously (i.e. pick up exactly where you left off) for one grand total of rounds plus reps completed.
Yami at The 2019 SPS Rite of Passage Meet: This Saturday!
As we mentioned last week Yami will be competing in her first ever USA Weightlifting sanctioned event — the 2019 Rite of Passage Meet!
Yami will take the competition platform on Saturday (Nov 16th) at 3:30pm with AR coaches and supporters in tow, so make the short trip over to Oakland to watch some big lifts and cheer for Yami. Meet location is listed below — feel free to hop on over to the private Arena Ready Facecbook group to coordinate carpooling for the meet. GOOD LUCK, Yami!!!!!
Meet Location:
Speed Power Strength
2140 Livingston Street
Oakland, CA 94606
Yami’s Scheduled Session Start Time:
Saturday, Nov 16th at 3:30pm
WOD FOR 11-14-19:
2 Hang Power Snatches + 1 Overhead Squat:
12 Minutes to Build to a Top Set (not a max)
If possible add to your working weight from Friday 11-08-19
-then-
AMRAP 8 Minutes:
10 Toes-to-Bar
10 Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs
30 Air Squats
Wednesday Back Squats & Back To Basics
OK, friends… the intensity and volume of the Open is now behind us. We spent Monday and Tuesday doing some fun workouts focused on upper push-pull and lower body recovery of sorts (120 wall balls, yuck), so now we dive back into some squat strength work with the return of our 5s and drop sets. Wednesday offers us a simple, yet effective 3-part stimulus to control intensity (nothing crazy here, folks!), get the blood flowing, allow some upper body recovery, and enable those feeling strong and moving well to go heavy-ish below parallel and with the hang power cleans.
The intensity will ramp back up mindfully as we head into the latter half of the week. Let’s go!
WOD For 11-13-19:
On a Running Clock…
A) At 0:00
800m Run:
“You Pick The Pace”
B) From 5:00 - 20:00
Back Squat:
Establish a Heavy Set of 5 (not a 5RM), then…
2 “Drop” Sets of:
1 x 5 @ 85% of top set
1 x 5 @ 80% of top set
If you feel good then add to your top set from 10-28-19.
C) From 22:00 - 32:00
Hang Power Clean:
10 Minutes To Build to a Heavy Triple (not a 3RM)