Month: April 2017

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
30 seconds of Handstand Push-Ups

For today’s skill work we are working on a difficult gymnastics skill.  The strength and skill suggested minimum for attempting handstand push-ups is 10 perfect and unbroken push-ups as well as at least a 60 second handstand hold.  If you aren’t able to perform the base skills, scale the movement to one that gets you working on the movement and addresses your biggest weakness. Spend 30 seconds of each  minute working on either strict or kipping handstand push-ups. Scale with one or two abmats in order to learn the skill but any more than that and you are better off choosing a scaling option that will address strength issues.  There are many ways to scale this skill while still building strength. Pike push-ups with your feet on the ground or on a box are a great option or try some seated dumbbell strict press sitting on the ground with your feet straight out in front of you.

WOD

3 rounds for time
400m Run
10 Clean and Jerks 135/95lb

Workout Notes: Today we have a couplet of running and Clean and Jerks.  You will want to use the power clean and push jerk as that will be the quickest and most efficient way to move the weight here.  The weight on your barbell should be a medium weight. You do not need to be able to do sets of the weight you choose, but quick singles should be possible without much of a set up before each rep.  Keep your runs quick but not so fast that you need to stand at your bar for too long before knocking out your 10 reps each round.

Skill

6×5
Strict Pull-Up with Pause at top of pull-up

Spend some time today focusing on strict pull-up strength.  Hold your chin over the bar momentarily after you reach the top of your pull-up and then practice a controlled descent for every rep. If you are using a band choose one that makes the 5 reps challenging and try to implement the pause at the top.  If you are doing ring rows, pause momentarily with the rings in contact with your chest for each rep.  If you can do strict pull-ups but 5 reps is too much of a challenge, choose a number that you can repeat for 6 sets.

WOD

AMRAP in 15 Minutes

9 Push-Ups
12 Box Jumps 24/20″
15 Sit-ups

Workout notes: Today we have a classic CrossFit triplet of all bodyweight movements. You will be working for 15 minutes so set your pace accordingly.  For most people the push-ups will be where this workout slows down so don’t be afraid to break up your reps early here.  If you can not perform strict push-ups from your toes just yet scale to knee push-ups but keep the movement strict, keeping your torso tight and avoiding resting at the bottom of the push-up. Choose a box jump height that you can jump to safely under fatigue.  Focus on an explosive jump and landing softly on the top of the box in a partial squat with your chest up. If you are not ready for the benchmark box jump height choose a smaller box rather than stepping up to a higher box.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
1 Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats

Today our skill work is the snatch plus overhead squat.  The overhead squat is probably the most difficult barbell movement you will encounter. The lift requires good mobility, coordination and strength.  We’ll be working from the floor so new lifters should power snatch the bar and attempt to catch the bar in a partial squat before riding the bar down into the bottom of the first overhead squat. If you prefer and as you gain proficiency in the overhead squat you can attempt to receive the bar in the bottom of your squat for a full squat snatch followed up by an additional overhead squat.

WOD

“Isabel”

For time
30 Snatches 135/95lbs

Workout notes:  This is a classic “girls” workout from CrossFit.com.  The workout is a single element task of 30 Snatches. Any style of snatch is acceptable but a power snatch is of course the most efficient.  Don’t get caught in the trap of going out too fast and hitting muscle failure.  The weight on your bar should be manageable for quick single reps. You should always be able to guarantee a rep with the weight you choose, but if you are able to do sets through out the entire workout you may have gone too light.  This workout is meant to be a sprint, but with only 30 reps to complete it’s a great chance to challenge yourself with a little extra weight on the bar than you might choose for a higher volume workout.

Skill 

EMOM for 10 Minutes

1 Split Jerk w/ pause in the bottom of split position

Work on the technique of the split jerk with a moderate load.  Adding the pause will increase the difficulty of the lift so focus on an upright dip and drive.  In the split position make sure you are distributing your weight equally over both feet with your front foot toed in slightly and your back foot planted on the ball of the foot.  Start with a light load and add weight in small increments if you are new to the lift.

WOD

AMRAP in 10 Minutes
8 Front Rack Lunge Steps 115/85lb
100m Run

Workout Notes: Today’s workout is a couplet of the difficult front rack lunge and a short run.  Choose a weight for the lunge that allows you to complete the first round unbroken.  Make sure that you are able to keep your chest and elbows up as you step forward to tap your back knee to the ground and then push off your front foot to bring your feet back together.  If you find that you can not keep an upright chest through the entire rep you have most likely gone too heavy.  The run today is short, just out the back roll up doors down to the wall and back, so do your best to keep your speed up!

Skill

With a 10 Minute time cap climb the double under ladder as high as you can.

5-10-15-20-25-30 … of
Unbroken Double Unders.

Start with a set of 5 and add 5 every round.  Stop and rest between rounds as needed  The highest round you complete is your score. If you fail a round start over at the same rung of the ladder.  You do not need to start over at 5.

If you are new to double unders start with 1 or 2 and increase by 1 or 2 every round. If you are capable of 200+ Double Unders in a row attempt Triple Unders or start with 20 and add 20 every round.

WOD 

5 Rounds for reps with one minute on each station

Row for Calories
Wall Ball Shots 20/14lb to 10/9′
Dumbbell Power Cleans 50/35lb
Rest

Workout notes: Today’s workout will be scored like you would score the workout “Fight Gone Bad”. Count your total number of repetitions completed across all 5 rounds and come up with one total score.  In this workout we are performing intervals starting on the rower.  Choose a pace here that allows you to move right into the wall balls without much of a break.  If you participated in the Open, the dumbbell power clean will be familiar.  Only one head of the dumbbell needs to touch the ground at the bottom of each rep, you may find you need to bend your knees a bit more than you would with a barbell power clean to do this.  Just like with a barbell power clean keep a flat back and upright chest in the bottom position and make sure to drop under the dumbbells into a partial squat to catch each clean before standing up to complete the rep.

WOD

Every 5 Minutes for 6 rounds*

Each round for time
400M Run
15 Burpees to a plate

*Start rounds at at 0:00, 5:00, 10:00, 15:00, 20:00 and 25:00 on the clock.

Workout: For this workout you will record the time of each attempt of running and burpees.  This workout is interval training in a short time domain so you should be pushing pretty hard each time through the chipper. Go hard in each round but to use the first round to “test” the workout and try to record negative splits in your later rounds.  If you are not sure you can make the 400M run and 15 burpees in the first rounds with some time to rest you can scale the volume by decreasing the burpees or shortening the run.  Your run and burpee speed should be much quicker than if this were just a 30 minute AMRAP of the two movements.  Make sure to stand tall on the top of your plate for each burpee with open hips to complete the rep. The size of the plate is your choice today! If you are unable to make the interval at any point your workout turns into an AMRAP for the remainder of the time left on the clock.

WOD

AMRAP in 3 minutes of:

3 Deadlifts 225/155 lb
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles

Workout notes: This workout will be scored like you score the classic CrossFit workout “The Chief”.  Score each cycle separately and don’t forget to pace yourself! It’s a good idea to treat this workout like you would a Tabata style workout trying to achieve close to the same score in each cycle.  You have a 19 minute workout and a total of 15 minutes of work so plan for a longer workout!

Skill

1 RM Squat Snatch

For today’s skill work we are working up to a one rep max squat snatch for the day.  The squat snatch is probably the most difficult lift that we do so start light and learn the mechanics of the lift before you start working with heavy loads.  If you are new to the movement start by catching the bar in the power position and slowly ride the bar down into the bottom of your overhead squat. If you are unable to safely overhead squat, talk to your coach about trying out a split snatch instead.

WOD

21-15-9
Kettlebell Swing 32/24 kg
Toes-to-Bar

Workout Notes: Today we have a classic rep scheme of kettlebell swings and toes-to-bar.  The rep totals for each movement are rather small so if you’ve been thinking of bumping up your kettlebell weight this would be a good time to give that a go.  You do not need to be able to do any of the rounds unbroken but you will want to get each set done in 2-3 sets.  Make sure to keep your head and chest up as you swing the kettlebell and be sure you are able to control it overhead.  If you are unable to get your toes to the bar while keeping the rhythm of your kip, lower your target so that you are able to work on the skill of linking your reps rather than slower reps just to get your toes to the bar.

EMOM for 10 Minutes
2 Hang Power Cleans

Work up to a moderate weight Hang Power Clean and perform 2 repetitions every minute for 10 minutes.  Choose a weight that allows you to do all two reps in a row.  For a power clean we’re looking for a little bit lighter weight than you would use in a squat clean.  You’ll catch the bar in a partial squat dropping as low as is needed.  If you end up breaking parallel you have lifted correctly but have possibly gone a little too heavy.  Practice utilizing the “hook” grip so you can maintain control of the bar!

WOD

AMRAP in 8 Minutes
10 Lunges
10 Hang Power Clean 135/95 lb
10 Lateral Bar Hop

Workout notes: Our workout today is to complete as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of bodyweight lunges, hang power cleans and lateral bar hops.  Each movement is primarily driven with the legs so be careful when you get to the bar hops and make sure you can clear the bar as you jump over.  Lunges should be performed with an upright torso while you alternate each leg tapping your knee to the ground prior to standing up.  Don’t forget about the hook grip as you work through the hang power cleans!