Month: January 2019

Skill

Tabata Double unders

Today’s skill work is an opportunity to work on the difficult double under.  If you have the movement down but are still working on knocking out sustainable sets this will be a great time to build your stamina by finding a sustainable work level.   Stay relaxed in the shoulders and jump with as much efficiency as possible.  If you are new to the movement make 1-3 attempts during every work period. Start by performing single unders and introduce a double under attempt every 3-4 minutes. When you attempt your double unders perform the same jump as with your single unders but get more height with an explosive jump and speed up the turn on your rope.  If you’re expert level at double unders and certain you would go unbroken every round use this time to work on Triple Unders!

WOD

6 Rounds of 1 minute on each station
Row for calories
Two arm dumbbell front rack walking lunge 50/35 lb
Box jumps 24/20″
Rest

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a six round interval workout with three stations.  The total workout time is on the longer side but we do have a minute rest in every round so keep the intensity high and use that minute rest to recover and prepare for the next round.  Row at a strong but sustainable level to avoid hitting failure prior to knocking out lunges and box jumps. When it comes to front rack dumbbell lunges the only requirement is that one head of the dumbbell makes contact with your shoulder.  One minute of lunges is a fairly long time considering how difficult the movement is so use weights that are well below your max effort. Both the row and the lunges are primarily leg movements so be careful when you get to those box jumps.  Slow down your rate at first to make sure you clear that box!  Your score will be the total number of repetitions you complete in all six rounds.

Skill

Front squat
1-1-1-1-1

Today we’re working up to a strong effort 1 rep front squat.  With the front squat we want to focus on keeping the elbows up and chest as upright as possible.  As with any kind of squatting you’ll want to practice keeping your knees out and tracking over your feet. Remember to release the grip on the bar a bit in the front squat and load the bar onto your torso which should help you keep your elbows and chest up. If you have a mobility problem holding you back from keeping your elbows up you can always try crossing your arms across the bar or modifying that in some way.   Feel free to choose one weight and work there for all sets rather than adding weight as you go.

WOD

AMRAP in 10 Minutes

25 Toe-to-bar
75 Wall ball shots 20/14 lb 10/9′

Workout notes

Today we have a short AMRAP  that will be scored by the total number of rounds and reps that you complete in ten minutes.  Both movements come in a difficult higher rep format.  Most of us will want to chip away at both movements by breaking up the sets into smaller sustainable chunks rather than trying to go all out and hitting failure early on. Scale the toe-to-bar as needed so that you are able to work on the kipping skill under fatigue.

Skill

10×1 Lunge Kick to Freestanding handstand OR Handstand Walk practice

Spend some time working on a handstand skill of your choice today.  For beginners start by just gently rocking up into the upside down position and increase the height of your legs with each attempt.  Don’t go all out in the beginning and turn over too far.  Make sure to start with locked out arms and have a bail out plan or partner assist in place so you don’t come crashing down.  If you are newer to this skill start against a wall with some handstand holds or wall walks if you are not quite ready to kick up yet.  If you are comfortable kicking in to a freestanding handstand on your own spend today practicing walking on your hands or try tackling an obstacle or two!

WOD

With a clock set for 18 Minutes

3 Minutes of sandbag cleans 100/70 lb
3 Minutes of burpees
3 Minutes of air assault bike for calories
2 Minutes of sandbag cleans 100/70 lb
2 Minutes of burpees
2 Minutes of air assault bike for calories
1 Minutes of sandbag cleans 100/70 lb
1 Minutes of burpees
1 Minutes of air assault bike for calories

Workout notes

For today’s workout we’ll gather in groups of three and work through three stations completing as many reps as possible in descending intervals.  The clock will be set for eighteen minutes and you will have three minutes for each station, then two and finally one minute. Treat each interval as a mini AMRAP and complete as many reps as possible. Attempt to work at a sustainable pace with increasing intensity in each round.   With the clock counting up, your first round start times will be at 0:00, 3:00 and 6:00, the second round starts at 9:00, 11:00 and 13:00 and finally 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00 for your final round.  After the clock hits eighteen minutes your final score should be one large number of your total reps completed.

Skill

Tabata squats *
* squat hold during rest periods

Tabata sit-ups *
* hollow hold during rest periods

Tabata push ups
* plank hold during rest periods

1 Minute rest between Tabatas

For our skill work we will use the Tabata timer which is eight rounds of twenty seconds on and ten seconds off.  We have three separate Tabatas and we’ll rest for a minute between them.  We’re going to mix it up a little bit today and add some work during the ten second rest periods.  For each Tabata complete as many reps as possible during the twenty second work periods and hold a static position during the ten second “rest” periods.

WOD

AMRAP in 5 Minutes

1 Squat clean & jerk 155/105 lb

Workout notes

Today we have short, single element weightlifting movement for our workout. Your score will be the total number of clean & jerks you complete in five minutes.  The best strategy is most likely performing single repetitions with short rest between each rep. The suggested load is on the moderate side so consider a weight that is slightly heavier than sixty percent of your max but make sure you can keep the intensity high and maintain good form under fatigue.

SKILL

Deadlift
2-2-2-2-2

Work up to a strong effort set of two deadlifts.  This doesn’t necessarily mean you go up to max effort, but work up in weight as you feel comfortable. Judge your effort by the strain it takes you to achieve each lift.  New lifters should keep the load light and work on proper body mechanics as they increase in weight.  Start with a light weight and make sure that you have established a straight back and an  appropriate setup as you address the bar.  Be sure to maintain your posture as you progress through each set and as you increase in weight.

WOD

4 Rounds for time
30 one arm russian kettlebell swings 32/24 kg
200M Run

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a simple couplet of running and odd object work.  We’re pairing a large set of one arm swings with a short two-hundred meter sprint.  Knock out the one arm swings by alternating between both arms in small sets. Switch off between arms as often as you like if you want to keep the kettlebell moving and keep the intensity high but try to distribute the work evenly across both arms.  The one arm swing complicates things a little bit as that movement is a bit more difficult than its two armed cousin.  Swinging the kettlebell with one hand takes away most of the pulling force from the arms and puts a premium on the glutes and low back.  Do your best to create vertical drive from the hips and core rather than just pulling the kettlebell up with your arms. The run is fairly short so do your best to keep your pace up here.

WOD

AMRAP in 30 Minutes

1000M Run
50 Front squats 45/35 lb
30 Pull-ups

Workout notes

The inspiration for today’s workout comes from the classic CrossFit workout “Jackie“.  We have a long duration mono-structural  movement paired with a light lifting movement and a large set of pull-ups.  You’ll be able to complete multiple rounds with a thirty minute time cap so plan for a longer, endurance style metcon. That means you should start out at a sustainable effort and try to hold the same split times as the reps accumulate.  The benchmark load for the front squats is an unloaded barbell which suggests a very light load.  You should be able to knock out each set of fifty in at least two to three sets. To scale the squat load use a training bar or light dumbbells.  Expect a little fatigue when you get to the pull-up bar so break that up into smaller sets and work through that section in smaller repeatable sets rather that going all out and hitting failure early on.

WOD

10 Rounds of 1.5 Minutes on 1.5 Minutes off
15 Sit-ups
10 two arm dumbbell power cleans 50/35 lb
Max reps two arm dumbbell push press 50/35 lb

Workout notes

We’ll have thirty minutes on the clock today and a 1:1 work:rest ratio.  There will be ninety seconds in each work period and your score will be the total number of two arm dumbbell push press you complete after ten rounds.  The suggested load for the push press is on the heavier side so consider that you are using dumbbells rather than a barbell.  The dumbbell seems to act like a multiplier when it comes to difficulty.  Use dumbbells that you can knock out fairly large sets with when you are fresh.  Grab a whiteboard and write down your reps after each round so you can come up with one score at the end of the workout.  If classes are large we will pair up and share equipment so that one partner works while the other rests.  If that’s the case be sure to clear out quickly at the end of your three minutes so your partner can start working.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes

1 Power snatch + 1 Squat snatch

Spend ten minutes working on a two rep barbell complex of snatches today.  We’ll start with a power snatch taking the barbell from the ground to overhead.  Catch the bar in a partial squat and finish the rep by standing tall. Reset the barbell on the floor and for your second rep of the complex do your best to catch the bar overhead while dropping into your deepest squat.   If mobility becomes an issue at this point you can catch the bar above parallel but try to push the depth as far as you are safely able to do so.

WOD

3 Rounds for time

400M Run
21 Power Snatch 95/65 lb
12 Overhead squats 95/65 lb

Workout notes

Your score for today’s workout will be the total time it takes for you to complete three rounds of a four hundred meter run and two barbell movements.  Both the power snatch and the overhead squat should be familiar after today’s skill work.  The suggested barbell load is on the lighter side so we’re looking for a barbell weight that gets you through each round of twenty-one in a small number of sets and the same goes for the overhead squat.  High rep snatches and overhead squats have their own unique difficulties so be sure to test out both movements with your chosen weight and scale based on the harder of the two.  If needed the overhead squat can be switched out for a front squat.

Skill

10×1 Rope Climb

Pack your long socks or knee sleeves today to protect your ankles and shins! Spend today’s skill practice working on learning to climb the rope!  A good way to establish that you have the baseline strength to attempt a climb is by performing a bodyweight hang test with your legs off of the rope while you are just above the ground.  If you are not quite ready perform rope pull-ups and practice jumping to the rope and locking in your feet. There are several methods to wrap the feet and make the climb easier so work with your coach to find which works best for you! For those of you that are comfortable with rope climbs use the time to work on efficiency by utilizing the legs as much as possible and ascending the rope using a minimum number of pulls.  If you have rope climbs in the bag and would like to scale up attempt legless or l-sit climbs!

WOD

With a clock set for 12 Minutes

1 minute of Strict Pull-ups
1 minute of Deadlifts 225/155 lb
2 minutes of Strict Pull-ups
2 minutes of Deadlifts 225/155 lb
3 minutes of Strict Pull-ups
3 minutes of Deadlifts 225/155 lb

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a total of twelve minutes long and we will use a six round interval format adding a minute after you complete both movements.  We’re pairing deadlifts with strict pull-ups.  Both movements will fatigue your grip and combining them will make each especially difficult so be conservative as you are scaling for this workout.  Strict pull-ups can be scaled to jumping pull-ups, using a band or performing ring rows.   If you are frequently scaling pull-ups in the same way this would be a great opportunity try a slightly more difficult scaling option than what you normally do.  Whatever method you choose try to keep the original stimulus of a strict pull-up intact.  The deadlifts will feel much harder in the last round versus the first so adjust your load to one you can maintain at least small sets in those later rounds.

Skill

5 minutes of single unders
20 double unders or 20 seconds of double under attempts EMOM

Today’s skill work is all about the jump rope!  The clock will be set for five minutes and we’ll start out with twenty double unders or about twenty seconds of double under attempts.  After your double unders spend the rest of each minute stringing together as many single unders as possible.  Continue in that fashion for the rest of the five minute interval.  If you are new to the movement add some additional rest in so you can make a solid effort at those double unders.

WOD

5 Rounds with one minute on each station

Row for calories
Wall ball shot 20/14 lb 10/9′
Air assault for calories
Sandbag cleans 100/70 lb
Rest

Workout notes

This workout will be scored in the same way you would score the CrossFit workout ” fight gone bad”.    Count up your total reps across all four stations and five rounds to come up with one large number at the end of the workout.  All four of these movements are fairly simple to execute but require a high level of intensity to maintain continuous reps.  Start you with a moderate effort on the row and bike in order to get a bit of recovery and do your best to hold that effort across all five rounds.