Category: Workout of the Day

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
Straight set of HSPU

In this skill work you will be attempting a set of handstand push-ups every minute for 10 minutes. Treat this as skill work and do not do a max set.  Performing 2-3 well timed reps with a solid kip will be more beneficial than trying to max out and hit failure.  A successful EMOM like this would be hitting the same number every round.   This is a higher skill gymnastic movement that requires a lot of upper body strength.  A great way to scale the movement for individuals that are comfortable being inverted and have the strength, is stacking 1 or 2 abmats.  More than 2 abmats will take away from the technique and range of motion of a HSPU. To scale this movement complete pike push-ups, as these work through a similar range of motion and will build up the strength needed for handstand push-ups.  For pike push-ups keep your legs straight as you complete each rep.  At the bottom of each rep your hands and head should create a triangle.  To increase the difficulty of the pike push-up try putting your feet on a box.  Seated dumbbell strict press are also a great scaling option for this skill to help build overhead pressing strength.

WOD

for time
27-21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Medicine Ball Sit-up 20/14 lb
Deadlift 135/95 lb

Workout notes: This task priority couplet pairs two movements we see frequently but each with a different twist.  You’ll use a medicine ball for your sit-ups and the deadlift is prescribed on the lighter side with a high rep count.  Even though the bar is light, focus on form especially as you fatigue.  It can be easy to get lazy here and let your back round.  If possible tap the ground behind your head with the medicine ball and then sit all the way up with it.  If for any reason you can’t do this you can keep the ball at your chest or leave the ball out of the sit-up entirely as a scaling option.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
2 Squat Snatches

Spend ten minutes working up to a strong effort double squat snatch.  It is up to you whether you choose to link your 2 reps together or perform 2 singles.  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 have shoulder or hip mobility issues you may find that you are not able to get into position for the overhead squat portion of the squat snatch.  You can choose to squat to the deepest depth that is safe and comfortable for you or talk to your coach about giving the split snatch a try!

WOD

for time
200M Run
21 Kettlebell Swing 32/24 kg
21 Box Jump 24/20″
200M Run
15 Kettlebell Swing 32/24 kg
15 Box Jump 24/20″
200M Run
9 Kettlebell Swing 32/24 kg
9 Box Jump 24/20″

Workout notes: Today’s workout is a sprint!  Keep in mind that once you get through your first round you are almost halfway done with your total reps. Make sure to choose a kettlebell and box height that allows you to move through your sets at a consistent pace.  You should be able to get through each round of kettlebell swings in 3 sets or less. Choose a box that you can safely jump to when fatigued rather than choosing a higher box and switching to step ups. The runs are short so do your best to keep a quick pace!

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes

[odd] straight set of kipping swings on rings or bar
[even] 40 seconds of double unders

Our skill work is a great opportunity to refine two common movements. You’ll have a total of 5 opportunities each to work on kipping swings and double unders.  Keep in mind we have a high volume of reps on the bar during the workout so go easy on your hands.  For beginners 3-5 reps working on tight and perfect hollow-to-arch reps would be a good place to start. Work on increasing your momentum with each rep so you can easily transfer that skill to toe-to-bar or pull-ups.  If you have been working on muscle ups give the rings a try for your kipping swings!

WOD

with a clock set for 12 minutes

as many reps as possible of

1 minute of toe-to-bar
1 minute of two arm dumbbell power clean 50/35 lb
2 minutes of toe-to-bar
2 minutes of two arm dumbbell power clean
3 minutes of toe-to-bar
3 minutes of two arm dumbbell power clean

Workout Notes:  Today we have a time priority couplet with a classic CrossFit bodyweight movement and the uncommon two arm dumbbell clean .  Your score will be your total number of reps accumulated across all 12 minutes.  If we have a large class and you are experienced with toe to bar and want to increase the difficulty of the movement you can start with cleans to test and build your toe to bar capacity under fatigue.  If you are new to toe-to-bar start with that movement so you can get the first two toe to bar intervals in with only a minute of work on the dumbbells.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
2 Thrusters

This skill work is a warm up for our metcon and also technique review for a unique and difficult movement.  The thruster is a combination of a front squat and push press.  For most athletes the difficulty will come in incorporating the push press after the front squat.  Pop the hips open at the tail end of the squat to drive the barbell upward. Work at a moderate weight across all 10 rounds or increase slowly after you have mastered the technique. Plan to end at a weight that is equal or heavier than the weight you plan to use in the workout.

WOD

AMRAP in 8 Minutes

4-8-12-16-20 …
Lateral burpee over the bar
2-4-6-8-10 …
Thruster 135/95 lb

Workout notes: Today we have classic and difficult couplet on the menu.  You’ll climb as high as you can in today’s workout starting with 4 burpees and 2 thrusters and adding 4 and 2 reps to each movement respectively.  Start with burpees and just remember that your number of thrusters is one half of the number of burpees you completed in that round.  If you finish the round of 20 burpees and 10 thruster and then finish 24 burpees, your score would be 20+24. The benchmark load on the thrusters is on the heavier side. The total number of thrusters is on the lower end in each round so use this opportunity to test out a heavier weight if you feel you are ready. You should definitely be able to perform the first couple of rounds unbroken if you choose to!

WOD

10 Rounds for reps

30 seconds of Power cleans 185/135 lb
30 seconds rest
30 seconds of Box Jumps 24/20″
30 seconds rest

Workout notes: Today’s workout features two difficult movements performed on 30 second intervals. Your workout will be scored by your total number of repetitions completed across all 10 rounds.  Box Jump experts could possibly game the workout by not going hard on the cleans but that is not the intent of this workout!  Use this opportunity to go hard on both movements! The prescribed power clean load is a bit heavier than you might see in a higher volume workout with no rest prescribed.  Use this opportunity to try cycling a heavier load faster than you normally would.  That doesn’t mean you should go to failure or use a load too far outside of your comfort zone, but the weight on your bar should be a little heavier than normal.

WOD

3 Rounds for time

20 Power snatch 75/55 lb
400M Run
20 Overhead walking lunge steps 75/55 lb
400M Run

Workout notes: Today’s workout is a three round triplet with two weightlifting movements separated by a monostructural run. The benchmark load is on the lighter side and we have a long of running so this workout falls into the oxidative time domain. Even though you can treat those runs as a bit of recovery from the barbell be sure not to go so heavy that you are working at max effort and find yourself totally depleted on the runs. Your load should be light enough you can complete each round on the barbell in 2-4 sets.  The OHWL steps will be done in place with the barbell. Be sure to full test out the load overhead and make sure you can maintain an upright torso and locked out arms. If overhead mobility is an issue for you switch to front rack lunges.

Skill

EMOM for 10 Minutes
30 seconds of strict pull-ups, banded strict pull-ups or supine ring rows.

Spend 10 minutes working on building some upper body pulling strength. Give yourself a 30 second limit in each minute and commit to maintaining strict pulling. It’s probably not a good idea to go for a max set early on so work in as many sets as you need to for the full 30 seconds and transition to rest. Use the most difficult movement standard that you can and don’t worry about stringing together reps if it means sacrificing using strict form.

WOD

for time
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Hang power clean 115/85 lb
Front squat 115/85 lb

Workout notes: Today’s workout is a classic CrossFit combination of movements that compliment each other in this format. We saw this combination on 9/1/16 and it was a doozy. This time around we will lighten the load as our benchmark and increase the reps. Combined in a task priority workout where your rep counts drop in each round you should try to maintain a high intensity level as you become more fatigued. Remember to rest prior to each of your last set of hang power cleans so you don’t have to complete an extra rep before starting those front squats!

Skill

Handstand work

Choose a handstand skill to work on today. You can choose to work on your freestanding handstands, handstand walking, handstand holds or wall walks. There is no time or rep requirement for the completion of this skill work so the emphasis should be on quality positions.  For a wall walk ascend as high as you can into a wall facing handstand and hold that position. As you get stronger in this position you’ll have your belly to the wall, pressing up with active shoulders. If you can, remain in that position for 10 seconds and then come down under control. Rest as much as needed between reps. You can also choose to make several attempts to kick into and hold a free standing handstand.  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 getting comfortable with this skill you might be ready to try walking on your hands! If you’re not quite ready for either of these skills practice kicking into a handstand against the wall.

WOD

AMRAP in 15 Minutes
10 Deadlift 225/155 lb
200M Run
30 Double unders

Workout notes: Our metcon today is a time priority triplet.  15 minutes is a longer format so you’ll to choose a weight you can consistently perform each round in at least 2-3 sets for the duration of the workout.  If you find yourself having to perform singles or compromising your form to complete each round you may have gone too heavy. This workout is a great opportunity to work on your double unders so if you are new to them attempt a number you can achieve in every round within at least a minute of work.

Skill

Front Squat
5RM

Today we’re working up to a strong effort 5 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 rather than adding weight as you go.

WOD

AMRAP in 10 Minutes
10-20-30-40-50 …
Sit-Up *
Alternating Dumbbell Snatch 50/35 lb

*you may use your dumbell as an anchor and target if you like

Workout Notes: We saw a similar workout on May 15. In that workout we had the same set size for every round and in this workout we’ll increase the difficulty a good deal by increasing the rep count as we complete rounds. You’ll still complete as many reps as possible but you’ll be more likely to finish in the middle of one of the larger rounds.    For the dumbbell snatches you will alternate arms for each rep. Make sure to return the dumbbell to the ground between each rep but you are free to alternate hands in the air if you would like to perform the reps “touch and go”.   If your dumbbell is heavy enough try using it as an anchor and target during your sit-ups.

Skill

Two rounds of Tabata alternating between both movements

Toe to Bar
Plank Hold

We’ve got two skills on the menu today for our double tabata.  The Tabata interval is 8 rounds of 20 seconds on and 10 seconds off for a total of 4 minutes. We’ll do 8 rounds of each movement so that will be 16 rounds total for 8 minutes total.  The Plank hold is pretty straight forward. You may perform your plank hold on either your elbows or hands depending on your preference. Focus on quality and don’t sacrifice a good body position just to stay up for the full 20 seconds every round.  The Toes to Bar skill is tricky.  Practice your kipping swing and toe-to-bar with a kip. If you are new to the movement start by alternating between the hollow and arch position on the bar and follow that by pulling the knees in and up to the chest. Keep your sets small so that you are able to repeat close to the same set sizes every round of the Tabata.  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.

WOD

5 rounds of 3 minutes on 1 minute off

3 Power Cleans 135/95 lb
6 Push jerk 135/95 lb
9 Lateral burpees over the bar

Workout notes: Today’s workout is in the format of the famous CrossFit workout “The Chief”. We’ll work in 3 minute intervals with 1 minute rest.  Treat each 3 minute workout as a mini amrap accumulating as many rounds and reps as possible in the 3 minute time period.  After 19 minutes you will have a total number of rounds completed and additional reps.  Restart with the power cleans at the start of each interval.   You will be using the same load for power cleans and push jerks so base your weight off of your push jerk load. Going unbroken is never required but in this case you should definitely be able knock out an easy set of 6 jerks when fresh. Pacing will be important here. Sprinting the first round is most likely not a good strategy because this workout is on the longer side.