Month: July 2019

Skill

Back Squat

7-7-7

Today we’re performing 3 sets of 7 Squats working up to a moderate set of squats. This rep range may be unfamiliar territory so spend some time thinking about how you would perform a large set of heavy squats. The best strategy is to take a moment to take a few slow and deep breaths at the top of every rep to allow some recovery before you start your next rep.  This will help you to avoid hitting failure. A weight that is in the 70% range would be appropriate for more experienced lifters.  Start light with an an empty bar and make sure you are performing all of your reps to your full range of motion.  We do this not only to warm each joint through it’s entire range but to reinforce proper mechanics.  Maintain an upright and rigid torso through each rep.   You should NOT be hitting failure on this but just in case be sure to review how to ditch a back squat and use spotters when needed. Please respect other lifters during their sets by waiting rather than walking in front or behind them during their sets.

WOD

for time

10-1
Burpees
1-10
Power cleans 135/95 lb

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a short workout with a weightlifting and a bodyweight movement. We have a total of fifty-five reps of each movement.  Each round has eleven reps starting with ten burpees and one clean.  The burpees will descend in number in each round and the cleans will ascend until your last round has one burpee and ten power cleans.  The workout is front loaded with burpees so start out in those first few rounds at a sustainable pace so you can keep the intensity high for the entire workout.

Skill

EMOM for 10 minutes

Hang power snatch from above the knees

Today’s skill work focuses on the difficult barbell snatch.   Start by deadlifting the bar to the hips and then descend into your start position for the hang snatch by working backwards through the second pull.  First, bend at the knees while keeping the chest upright and second, close the hips and lower the chest so that your shoulders are in front of the bar.  Aggressively open the hips and catch the bar in a partial squat before standing up.  Note that you can perform the setup quickly so long as you hit the right positions.    Use a weight that is a little heavier than what you might use in a metcon but remember that this is positional work so we’re not maxing out our lifts today!

WOD

“Strict Cindy”

AMRAP in 20 Minutes

5 Strict Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a classic CrossFit triplet with three fundamental bodyweight movements. In this version we’re going to perform strict pull-ups to increase the difficulty a bit.  Your push-ups should also be as strict as possible. Avoid bending or sagging at the hips.  The set size for each movement is small so the priority should be moving quickly from movement to movement and choosing a sustainable pace with the more difficult pull-ups and push-ups.  Scale the push-ups by working from the knees or using a box to elevate your hands.  Perform banded, jumping pull-ups or ring rows if you are still working on getting an unassisted pull-up.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
30 seconds of strict handstand push-ups

Today we’re working on handstand push-ups in their strict form.  Strict hspu require more strength than kipping so scale if you need to but keep the stimulus intact. Keep your feet on the ground or use a box and perform push-ups in a pike position if you are still building the strength.  If you are just learning the movement using 1 or 2 abmats is okay but remove them over time as you gain proficiency.  Focus on finding the same tripod position that you do in kipping hspu and keep your body tight as you lower yourself down and press back up. Handstand push-up sets are hard to maintain so keep that in mind when deciding how many to do during each work period. If you require more than 2 abmats to get the reps done you will be better off using dumbbells for some seated dumbbell presses.

WOD

4 Rounds for time

20 Box Jumps 24/20″
400M Run

Workout notes

Today we have a simple four round couplet of two bodyweight movements.  Choose a box that you are able to safely jump to and make sure to guarantee each jump as you get tired.  Focus on landing softly on your box with an upright chest and your weight in your heels.  Do your best to recover on each run so you can get right back to the box jumps as you make your way back into the gym.  If you can, scale the box jump by height first or use a low stack of plates rather than switching to step ups if possible. If you are not jumping or want to reduce the volume step ups are good scaling option.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
1 Hang Squat Clean

We’re working on lifting technique today. Start by deadlifting the bar into the hang position. You will then retrace the bar slightly down your legs by bending first at the knees and then bowing forward with the hips. Pull into full extension and squat clean the bar.  Practice catching the bar with your elbows up and bearing the load on your torso.  If you are new to lifting practice a smooth transition from where you catch the bar into the bottom of your squat.  Plan to add weight as you go to end up with a few challenging lifts in the last 2-3 minutes. If you are confident with this lift and are feeling good build up to a PR attempt in minute 10!

WOD

AMRAP in 12 minutes *

Wall ball shots 20/14 lb 10/9′

* 8 Alternating dumbbell hang snatch 50/35 lb EMOM

Workout notes

Today’s workout will be scored by the total number of wall ball shots you complete in twelve minutes.  Starting at 0:00 you will complete a set of eight alternating dumbbell hang snatches.  In the hang snatch you will deadlift the dumbbell to the hang postion and drive the weight overhead by aggressively opening the hips to create vertical hip drive.  Ideally the weight you choose will be one you can get all eight reps in a single set.  If you are forced to break up the set early in the workout you have chosen a weight that is too heavy.

WOD

for time

10 alternating dumbbell power cleans 50/35 lb
400M Run
20 alternating dumbbell power cleans 50/35 lb
400M Run
30 alternating dumbbell power cleans 50/35 lb
400M Run
40 alternating dumbbell power cleans 50/35 lb
400M Run
50 alternating dumbbell power cleans 50/35 lb

Workout notes

Today we have a higher volume, long duration workout with a total of one mile running and one hundred and fifty dumbbell power cleans.  The cleans are presented with an ascending rep scheme so we’re increasing the difficulty as you get deeper into the workout.  With a rep scheme like this you will want to make sure you have a dumbbell where the first couple of round are fairly easy.  A set of ten or even twenty should be doable.  Most of us will break up the sets as the workout progresses but that should be a strategic choice and not because you have chosen a weight that is too heavy.

WOD

In teams of 2 or 3

AMRAP in 30 Minutes

200M Sandbag bear hug carry 100/70 lbs
30 Thrusters 95/65 lb

Workout notes

We’ll be tackling today’s workout in pairs or in groups of three.  Grab a sandbag and setup a barbell with a weight that you and your partner(s) can agree on.  Start with a 200M sandbag carry trading the bag as often as you need to to work continuously.   The carry doesn’t have to be distributed evenly but break up the work so that all partners are sharing in the effort.  After you finish the carry start into a set of thirty thrusters.  Remember that you can also split the thrusters into any number of smaller sets with each partner attempting an appropriate number of reps. At thirty minutes total we’re looking at a fairly long workout.  The best approach will most likely be to treat this like an interval style workout where you are resting while the other partners are working.  That means no one should be performing set sizes that are way outside of their capabilities.  Use the additional rest to your advantage and make sure someone is always working.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
1 Power Snatch

Perform 1 Power Snatch every minute for a total of 10 rounds. The weight you choose should be in the  moderate effort range but consider this as primarily skill work.  An appropriate weight would likely be 65-70% or less for newer lifters. Consider starting with a weight you are very familiar with and increasing by small increments if  the lifts are going well.  The pace will be fairly rapid if you are lifting every minute so for that reason go a little lighter than you might with more resting time in between attempts

WOD

AMRAP in 10 minutes

10 Kettlebell swings 32/24 kg
10 Left leg step ups 24/20 ”
10 Right leg step ups 24/20 ”

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a short couplet of a weighted movement and a bodyweight movement.   We start with a small set of kettlebell swings where the benchmark load is on the heavier end of the spectrum.  The rep count in each round is only ten reps so this would be a great opportunity to test a heavier weight if that is something you have been considering. If you do decide to bump up the weight you can always start with russian style swings and progress higher as you feel more comfortable. Either way you should be able to get all ten completed in two sets or less.  For the step ups you’ll stick with one leg for ten reps rather than alternating every rep.  That will increase the difficulty a bit so you may need to slow your cadence slightly by resting momentarily on top of the box.

Skill

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

If you are new to this skill start by gently kicking up to a wall or practice wall walks to build the upper body strength and midline positioning that this skill requires. If you are comfortable in a handstand start by gently rocking up onto your hands and increase the height of your legs with each attempt.  Save yourself from a crash and burn by being conservative and trying to find a vertical balance point before you start barreling across the gym.  You will need to be able to hang out upside down with locked out arms so make sure to have a bail out plan or partner assist in place if this is new to you.  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

AMRAP in 15 Minutes

21 Push press 95/65 lb
15 Sumo deadlift high pull 95/65 lb
21 Front squats 95/65 lb

Workout notes

This workout is a time priority triplet with three weightlifting movements.  The benchmark load on the barbell is on the lighter side for all three movements.  That means we’re looking for a weight with which you can start each set with a very large number of reps.  For all three movements getting half of the reps completed in your first set should be a reasonable goal. From there you should be able to finish each movement in 1-2 sets.  You’ll use one barbell for this workout so test out all three movements and adjust your load based on the most difficult of the three.

Skill

1RM strict weighted pull-up

Work up to a strong effort single weighted pull-up.  Perform sets 0f 2 or more strict pull-ups without weight rather than kipping if you are not quite ready for weighted pull-ups.  If you do not have strict pull-ups yet perform 5-10 sets for max reps of supine ring rows, jumping pull-ups with a slow negative, banded pull-ups with as little assistance as possible or a combination of any of these three options.

WOD

5 Rounds of 3 minutes on 1 minute off

3 burpees
6 hang power clean 135/95 lb
9 sit-ups

Workout notes

Today’s workout is a triplet with five rounds of three minutes of work.  Treat each work period as a mini AMRAP starting with the burpees in every round as you would start the workout “The Chief”.  Score the workout by your total number of rounds completed plus any additional reps. Pay special attention to the barbell weight.  You’ll want to be able to hang on to your barbell for a set of six when you are fresh.   The rounds in this workout are meant to be short and fast so use a load light enough that you can move quickly with fast transitions.

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

AMRAP in 10 Minutes

2-4-6-8-10-12 …
Kettlebell snatch 24/16 kg
Box Jumps 24/20″

WORKOUT NOTES

The kettlebell snatch is a difficult movement to master! Initiate the movement very much like you would a kettlebell swing, but lead with your elbow and rotate your wrist around the kettlebell before pressing out at the top.  Try not to just flip the KB end over end and let it smash into your arm.  You do not need to bring the kettlebell back to the floor between reps, each rep is initiated from the hang.  Break up the reps however you want but distribute the work evenly across both arms.  Most of us will want to use a kettlebell that is a little bit lighter than what you normally swing rather than attempting a heavier weight.  If you feel like you need a little more practice before snatching the kettlebell in a workout feel free to use a dumbbell.