Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Team Series Teams


Nick
Omar
Shelby
Jen C.

Cody
Eric Cross
Chelsea Cox
MBC

Jordan
Evan
Kate
Sunshine

Chris S.
RT
Jenny
Maria

Alex
Jesse
Jen K.
Mackenzie







Thursday, August 11, 2016

Skulls shifting

Hey guys - We are going to shift skulls to 8/20 & 8/27 since we have a group competing at Flannagan's this weekend - we'll go to cheer them on! Also we're going to start organizing our Team Series teams for this year ASAP - so begin to think about that, we can chat about it that Saturday 8/20. 

Friday, July 29, 2016

Skulls 7/30

Pumped for Skulls tomorrow - 11am arrival, 11:30am start time. We'll be hitting a Mash:

0-60

1) 0-20:
EMOM15:
a) 20/14 Cals AD
b) 15 Power Snatch (75/55)
c) 2 Rope Climbs

2) 20-45:
E2MOM20:
3 Back Squat @ 85%

3) 45-55:
10min AmRap:
3 Power Clean and Jerk @ 225/155
6 Muscle-Ups (Bar/Ring)
9 Bar Facing Burpees
200ft Empty Sled Push

4) 55-60:
5min AmRap with Partner - Alternating Stone/Sandbag to Shoulders (175/115)

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

June 20, 2016

Our first Skulls Throwdown will be Saturday, July 9th from 11am to ~2pm. It will be a bit longer and MORE than many of you traditional Skull enthusiasts remember. I will be posting programming ahead of time, and athletes on the bubble of the requirements can inquire with me about coming/scaling, etc. July 30th will be our second, and I would like to look at some sort of a social gathering afterwards for those who are interested...trying to get to the pool more often, or a movie if the weather is shitty. July 30th - new Star Trek, July 9th - new Independence Day as options. I have done a lot of thinking on this and am excited to have this as more of an event, that we can work together to make something special. Rather than something "obligated" each week that became less special and almost a hassle at times. Getting back to our ROOTS!  

Without further ado - This week's blog post:

  http://johnwelbourn.powerathletehq.com/2013/02/26/42-things-i-learned-leading-up-to-2013/

http://www.oldtimestrongman.com/strength-articles/iron-henry-rollins

Here are a couple of my favorite reads that get after understanding your why, understanding your passion and having a voice in your soul strong enough to understand your own values. When I first went down to the Tomb my head trainer made us sit down and write down values we thought we had. He then read them and said that he was going to test us in these values every day, until he left. This was an exercise that I continued on when I became the head trainer and here are a few things I learned:
1. The people who put too many words or too many values, always failed all of them within the first week. They didn't even understand what "values" meant.
2. Those who put what they wanted the trainers to hear, always failed every test. This exercise wasn't about pleasing us, it was about understanding who you are. 
3. You could tell in 2 seconds who did this 5 minutes before I asked for it and scribbled it on a piece of paper. Slackers, procrastinators and those always looking for the "quick hack" will never succeed.

Each year I read and re-read the same articles, blogs, books & watch my favorite CF videos over again. I think hard about my values and how far I have come with them...and how much work I still have left to do. The reason I speak on this now is that if you don't have a firm list of the things you want to stand for in your life, then you cannot find your purpose in your endeavors...be it work or social. I keep my list prioritized in an order that allows me to keep my focus and I encourage you to write down 3. Only 3, do not add to the list until you feel you can go 3 months, 6 months or a year without any lapses in them. 

Competition is fun for me, it forces me to be the best human I can be - makes me wake up early, go to bed early, eat well and lead a disciplined lifestyle. It is in line with my values (hard work, discipline being two of my first 3) and understanding that I need to be pushing myself to keep my life in line with my values gives me purpose in my training. Because of this, tangible goals inside of CF don't mean much to me...I don't care about PR'ing lifts, setting better times, etc...I care about the process driving me to push my own limits and do what is right in my life. In that it removes the cares of ego, or comparison to others/numbers...it is simply if I felt good about my effort in every part of every day. 

Often times individuals will get into competition because it's what they think the coach, or their social circle in the gym or other competitors want to hear.  Often times they will set goals on lifts or work on nutrition for competition when those might not be in line with their life values. As a coach and gym owner this is one of my driving purposes...to not only help you accomplish your goals in the gym, but provide the purpose and help you see the value behind those goals. In this respect it has always been easier for parents and those with families and firm roots established. The more things they have in their life to keep things in perspective, the more relevant these virtues become in their lives. I was blessed to have that opportunity doing funerals in Arlington and guarding the Tomb, few things will put life into perspective better than being around grieving families of those who lost their life in the line of duty. To this day it has made many of the petty squabbles in the gym community seem so relatively unimportant. If you have nothing in your life providing these perspectives I definitely encourage you to involve yourself with veterans, at children's hospitals or rehabilitation clinics. There are so many things that we can offer our community to help, exercise and nutrition give people the gift of health and happiness. Everyone in the world from sick children to the richest CEO's in the world need health and happiness. We speak the universal language. Get out there and share your gifts, establish your personal values and establish habits that allows you to flourish in a purpose driven lifestyle. 

Challenge workout: 
Kalsu:
100 Thrusters for time (135/95)
*EMOM 5 Burpees*
**Cap at 20minutes, score is reps at 20mins or time**
I'll leave this up for 10 days since Validus is this weekend. This is commonly regarded as the most difficult CF workout ever written. Amanda is regarded as one of the highest skill requirements to achieve to complete the workout. So we're starting off with a bang on these. Last week's winner was Jesse Ramirez, he has won a free month into a Gymnastics Club or Barbell Club in July!  




Sunday, June 12, 2016

June 13-June 20

I have decided to keep the blog around for my own writings on CrossFit, trends, thoughts, comments, etc. I used to write a lot when the gym first started and always had a passion for it - It is where this blog began. Then I'd post a challenge workout with my post, or the skulls workout ahead of time, etc. and it grew from there. The challenge workouts were fun, and I think I'll bring those back along with my weekly writing. 

Every off-season beginning I find it important to go back and read Greg Glassman's original CrossFit documents on the CFJ. For many of you the CFJ is before your time - but once upon a time, before any of these exhaustive sources of information was available - that was it. I used to be proud to have read every article ever written on it, memorized every video, every workout on it, etc. etc. It fell off after awhile (as did my readership), and writers for the Journal began starting their own websites, progressions, and areas of expertise with more and more information in them. (K-Star being one of the first & most notable). "Foundations" and "What is Fitness?" ( http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Trial_04_2012.pdf ) are some of the most important, well-thought out and influential documents ever written in the health and fitness industry. If you plan to compete or if you just plan to be a recreational CrossFitter / athlete, you should read, understand and re-read these documents every year. They will take on more value the more you learn about yourself and the sport. How many of you know the metabolic pathways you hit each week, how many of you have learned or played a new sport in the past year, past 5 years? How many of you know the 10 general physical skills and put work in on each of them every day? How many of you have made dedicated efforts to get out of the gym and involve others in a fitness related adventure (hiking, climbing, shooting, camping, swimming, canoe'ing, etc.)? This is understanding THE why...next week I'll talk about understanding YOUR why. 

All of these are extremely important parts to finding health.  Health isn't defined by your Snatch or Squat max, health isn't defined by your 5k row, or your Fran. True health is having balance, both in the gym and in fitness, but also in your mind, in stress management, sleep, adventure, relationships and quality of life. If you have true health, you will be far more likely to find elite fitness and if you don't (find elite fitness) you have a happy and fulfilling, long-lasting pain free life full of relationships and happiness waiting for you. This week I was able to go to the pool, spend leisure time with friends, enjoy a steak and wine dinner with friends that's been overdue for years, spend time with my family and training my mom to be healthier, build a better relationship and a better business. All of these things suffered when I got too far down the rabbit hole of competing, and I would caution everyone against that. We are not and will not be Rich Fronings...none of us will likely ever make a life or a living off of this sport -- so best to know your why's, get to work, then get to the fun!  Take some time this week, go to http://journal.crossfit.com/2002/04/ and do some reading, educate yourself and if you want to - post to comments what you learned or thought was interesting. 

Challenge workout:
"Amanda"
9-7-5:
Muscle-Up
Squat Snatch (135/95)
*Video this and submit top times/videos to Youtube then link in the comments - I'll pick some winners based on best efforts and give out some prizes*
Get this and read it if you can, its like $7 on Amazon.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

June 6-June 11

Week 10:
As many of you may have heard, the blog is in it's final 2 weeks of existence. After Regionals I knew that I had to do some harsh analytics on the gym & it's priorities, what I needed to switch as Jay/KJ phase out, as well as my time and what I could afford to do and what I could not. This previous week I did nothing in the way of working out, instead I took meetings with every coach, athlete and member of 5+ years that could/would as well as my main advisors. Unfortunately with my programming load taking on 4-5 separate programs at a time, as well as my time coaching being mainly spent on classes, I was left with little time to work with developmental athletes, specialty athletes, or build personal relationships with new members. I find this situation unacceptable.

A lot in the way of the gym's mechanics will shift and change, and with that shift the blog & extra work will shift with it. We will finish out the next two weeks and then have a small off-period which will work well with slightly less volume before Validus - then shift into the new style. Since I am taking over Barbell Club I saw this as a major opportunity for me to program strength work for the extra work group that is mainly focused on strength, and get a chance to dedicate an hour of my (already scheduled) time to their improvement. Therefore if you were doing the RS group and would like to continue on that path, you can join Barbell Club starting in July. Along those same lines I have asked Jenny to completely take over the Gymnastics programming, re-start the Gymnastics club and dedicate an hour of her time to the betterment of everyone's gymnastics. Right now our plan is to run Gymnastics at 5:30pm Monday/Wednesday, Barbell Club at 6:30pm Mon/Wed, and both at 9am on Saturday. Class will still be your base and honestly I want everyone to take a step back from their extra work to give class more serious attention. I have not seen the intensity and the push I need to see in class from this group, the warm-ups I wanted to see out of everyone have fallen off, and it seems that the extra work has been the focus - when it is meant to be an accessory to build weaknesses.  We are also looking into a group Endurance program / Aerobic Capacity Tuesdays & maybe Fridays - but this will be down the road a bit. 

On the whole the auxiliary area will have a firm schedule, with the priority being specialty classes, kids, and personal training. Gone are the days of personal training going on and extra work being done, unless you individually get with the coach of that training ahead of time and get an okay for you (not a group). We need to do what is best for the business right now so that you all have a space and a gym to continue to use and call home and with me owning and running it -- all of this is approaching a sustainable build for that, the coaches and everyone involved, unfortunately the path we are on now is not accomplishing those goals. My hope is that the people who are serious and focused on improving take part in the Barbell Club / Gymnastics Club and see greater improvement with the addition of hands on coaching for every piece of extra work. My hope is also that with less days of extra work you will have a more focused intention in your warm-ups and on class workouts. 

Lastly - I hope that you all can use Sunday's or Saturday afternoons as a chance to get out of the gym to hang out, workout, organize hiking outings, paintball, pick up volleyball/football/basketball games, go golfing, frisbee golfing, see movies, go to bars/restaurants, create long-lasting friendships that go beyond our walls & use your fitness in building those relationships. That will be a major focus of mine this year, it is something I walked away from years ago to build myself and my gym's competitors, and something that is sorely missing in my life right now that I want to get back -- But I want it to be organic, not forced or created by me. 
For those of you who have known me for awhile you know that everything uttered in the gym comes back to me. I know there has been clamoring for Skulls / Championship Sunday - a desire to get that Throwdown feel back. And we WILL do those, but they will be special, they will be an occasion, and they will be better because of it. I hope you all can respect my hopes to build a better business and a better life for myself, Maria and Blitz without me at the gym for 22 hours every weekend and will trust that I still have your best interest in mind and will still work my tail off to provide you the tools for you to accomplish what I KNOW WILL make you a better athlete. 

Monday, June 6th - D-Day:
I want you to take tomorrow as an opportunity to refocus your energy, channel your intensity and come in with a purpose. Have an intentioned warm-up, with a goal and a purpose to improve yourself. Attack the squats, and go a true 100% in the workout - WANT the pain that it will provide you - and leave absolutely nothing left. Go home satisfied knowing that you gave everything and got better...see if you can do that. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT3q8tba_lw

Tuesday, June 7th

Class:
1) Pull-up/pulling work
2) Core/Ab work

Extra:
Everyone:
1) Snatch:
EMOM15:
Begin at 50%, build every minute until 1 failure. If you fail once, drop 5lbs and continue the rest of the 15mins at that weight. 

2a) 5x3 Snatch Grip Push-Press (Goal is 80% of best weight from #1)
2b) 5x3 OHS (same weight from a)

Wednesday, June 8th
Class:
1) Clean work
2) Classic Triplet MetCon

Extra:
NOT FOR TIME!
20-15-10:
Strict Ring Dips
False-Grip Ring Rows
*The entire goal of this is to move slowly, methodically, with a perfect hollow body position and full range of motion. For some of you that will mean doing one rep at a time, and this could take 20-30 minutes. That means you need it most, put in the perfect work with perfect reps & get better. 

Friday, June 10th
Class:
1) Squat/Pull-up workout
2) Atlas Stone/Rope Climb accessory work

Extra:
Everyone:
Front Squats:
3x8 @ 75%
1x10 @ 70%

Monday, May 30, 2016

May 31-June 5

Week 9:

Tuesday:
Class:
1) Back Squat 10-Rep program
2) C&J + Machine workout w/ partner ( Default to AirDyne if big class)


Wednesday:
Class:
1) Pull-Up work + Press work
2) Sprint interval workout FOR INTENSITY - Run super hard.

Extra:
Everyone:
1) Mid-Hang Snatch (At Knee) - 2 Reps EMOM15:
Begin around 40-50% - and build only when your reps are perfect. You may not go up if:
- You have to move or shift your feet forward or backward when standing up. 
- Your head and eyes are not up on the horizon when you catch and stand. 
- You're toe-sy.
- You're slow. 
Keep track of how many out of the 30 reps you felt were perfect. We will aim to improve on this next week. Practice in Olympic Lifting DOES NOT make perfect, perfect practice does. Goal is to hit AT or ABOVE the weights of last week and hit more perfect reps out of 30. 

RS:
1) 4 x 10 Bulgarian Split Squats/Leg - Hold 2 smaller sandbags into chest for these.
2) 50 Kroc Row Reps - As heavy or heavier than last week. Go NUTS on these, this is the main exercise for building the upper back. 

GS:
1) False-Grip Strict Muscle-Ups - Attach a band to the high rings, achieve a false grip and get enough assistance to do 2-3 in a row. Watch top regional athletes and mimic their form - notice the importance of the hollow position and strong dips to achieve these good MU. 10 sets, 25-30 reps total. 


Thursday:
http://aerobiccapacity.com/  -- Choose a workout



Friday:
Class:
1) Front Squat 10Rep
2) KB / Pull-Up Bar metcon

Extra:
Everyone:
Option:
400m Sled Push - Guys (2) 45s on sled, Ladies (1) 45 on sled. 
400m Individual Sandbag Carry - Guys Grey/Red, Ladies Black/Grey

Saturday:
Class:
1) Move some weight
2) Thruster/RC workout from Regionals

Extra:
Everyone:
1) Build to a heavy 1 Clean and Jerk
2) EMOM8: 4 TnG Power Clean & Jerk @ 60% of Heavy 1

Sunday, May 22, 2016

May 23-May 30

Happy Week 1 of Jeff programming for main class:

Week 8:
This week we are off our deload week and we will be getting into what I consider the most difficult of all the training cycles this year. This will require you to be very, very dialed in with recovery, nutrition and SLEEP! I know some of you have a competition around the end time of this cycle - This should prep you well for it and a PR there should you get a max lift, but you HAVE to maintain your bodies. 

Monday, May 23
Class: 

1) Back Squat 1RM
2) Thruster/Burpee MetCon (Your welcome JKap, this combo coming for you ALL YEAR #Sub9SixteenPointFive)

Extra:
Everyone:
1) Hi-Hang Snatch x 2 Reps - EMOM15:
Begin around 40-50% - and build only when your reps are perfect. You may not go up if:
- You have to move or shift your feet forward or backward when standing up. 
- Your head and eyes are not up on the horizon when you catch and stand. 
- You're toe-sy.
- You're slow. 
Keep track of how many out of the 30 reps you felt were perfect. We will aim to improve on this next week. Practice in Olympic Lifting DOES NOT make perfect, perfect practice does. 

Raw Strength:
1) Take 60% of our 1RM Back Squat today and complete 4 sets of 10 Reps.
2) 40 Kroc Row Reps / Arm with 115/70lbs (or as heavy as you can)

Gymnastics Strength:
1) EMOM7:
Pick your group based on ability (need to be able to make at least a few rounds to chose your option):
a) 7 Muscle-ups - Broken up 4/3 every round.
b) 5 MU - Broken up 3/2 every round.
c) 3 MU - Broken up 2/1 Every round.
*If these are NOT accomplishable then you will hit 5 Strict Ring Pull-Ups + 5 Strict Ring Dips each round, and then hit 5 x 5 MU Transitions before & after the EMOM7. (and every day, all the time, until eternity...Right Jade/Sunshine?)

Tuesday, May 24
Class:
1) Griff
2) Farmers Carry/SB Carry medley

Extra:

Everyone:
1) Sled Drag w/ Strap backwards (around hips, like a belted squat) -- Go 100m w/ bodyweight on sled, then trade off with a partner. After trading off and getting OFF the sled, perform 25 Air Squats as fast as possible. Then jog to catch up to your partner. 800m total as a team - so 4 legs of 100m + 100 air squats. 

Wednesday, May 25
Class:
1) Gymnastics work
2) Partner Squat Clean work

Extra:
Everyone:
1) E90s for 15mins (10 rounds):
2 Jerks - Begin at 60%, same rules as Monday - You may build only if balance and footwork for both reps are perfect. 
2) 5 x 3 Push Press @ 80% of 1RM

Thursday, May 26
1) 12 x 250m Row Sprints - Rest 1min between efforts. 1st Attempt should be for a 250m PR, then note times as they deviate from your best. 
2) Squat Program:
Front Squat:
3 x 10 @ 65%
1 x 8 @ 70%





Sunday, May 15, 2016

May 16-May 22

Week 7:

Monday:
Class - 1) Reverse order of last week, more emphasis on completing the high skill movements under fatigue - focus in on pushing the first 3 movements quickly.
2) Core work

Extra:
Everyone:
This will be a deload week in class - The goal will be to drop volume and weight. Extra work will switch to gymnastics only, raw strength group can hit additional core work but nothing compound. 

GS:
1) 5 Rounds for form of:
a) 10 Ring Swings
b) 5 MU Transitions w/ purple band, feet off ground - working positioning (dip out each rep)
c) :30s L-Sit (or tuck sit) at ring support (top of a ring dip) - Work on not shrugging shoulders. 
*This week will be a transitional week for us as well -- Gymnastics Strength will begin to work Ring & Bar Muscle-Up progressions and strength building. Raw Strength will begin to focus the DL a bit more. 


Tuesday:
Extra - 5 Rounds:
:30s Bear Hug Walk with Grey/Black Sandbag (taken off ground)
10 Strict Pull-Ups

Wednesday:
60 Ring Push-Ups for form-- Goal is a perfect hollow body planked position, full range of motion. Use a box to get even with the rings with your feet. 

Thursday- Off

Friday:
EMOM10 - 1 Legless Rope Climb -- If you fail to achieve a Legless inside the minute, begin the next minute on 2 15' RopeClimbs EMOM until the 10 minutes is completed. 

Saturday:
5 Rounds of 3 minutes:
Inside the 3 minutes you should achieve:
- One or two HS Walk attempts, as best you can.
- One perfect wall-climb
- Hold at least :30 working every second to achieve a tighter, better position. 

Enjoy the Deload week -- Next week things will ramp back up to quite a bit more volume. Everyone will have extra lifting work, individualized GS/RS will be slightly less time consuming due to this. 






Monday, May 9, 2016

May 9-May16

Week 6:

Monday:
Class -- 1) Split Press max - Work on bracing overhead and not over extending to press.
2) OH Stability MetCon - Depending on weather might do this with DB or KB, same thing though, work to not extend overhead.

Extra:
RS:
1) Push Press 5x5 @ 80-85% of 1RM (or 10lbs + from last weeks)
2) EMOM12:
a) Landmine Row - 10R/10L 
b) 15 Banded Goodmornings (Black or Green)


GS:
1) 6 x 5 Wgt'd Pull-ups - Goal to use weight from last 2 weeks.
2) EMOM12:
a) 4 Strict Pull-up Negatives (4s lower)
b) 5 Strict Leg Raises @ 3331 Tempo
c) :30 Wall-Facing HS Hold - Nose & Toes touching the wall only.

Tuesday:
Class - Back Squats
6 @ 75%
6 @ 80%
4 @ 85%
3 @ 90%
2 @ 95%
6 @ 75%

2) Thrusters/Dubs workout - High intensity.

Extra:
Individual - 44/35lb KB/Hand -- Alternate carry for 400m. One hand overhead, the other hand at your side in a farmers carry. Be patient with this and try to keep your core set strong without letting your ribs raise. Change sides when needed. 

Wednesday:
Class - 1) EMOM HS Work & Ring Rows - Gymnasts stay tight!
2) Ohhhhhhhh just a brutal test. Pull-ups need to be dialed in, feet tight - start putting your work into practice. 

Extra:
RS: 
1) E2MOM14: DL Heavy 3 - Build each round until your last two are ~85-90% of your 1RM
2) 4 x ME / Hand - Kroc Row @ 100/65lbs

GS:
1) EMOM10: 1 MU + 5 Ring Dips (perfect hollow & controlled - but no tempo)

2) 50T2B in as few of sets as possible. 

Thursday:
I want you to come in today, hit a warm-up 3k on the Rower and the Front Squats from class:
5 @ 75%
4 @ 80%
3 @ 85%
2 @ 90%
1 @ 95%
5 @ 75%

Friday:
Class:
1) Snatch EMOM - Building
2) Sled Work

No Extra unless you missed Thursday make that up here.

Saturday:
Class:
1) BS
2) Quick Tabata

Extra:
Jeff will not be in so the gym will close up more quickly as we have to travel to find a stupid TrueForm runner to test workouts on. 

I want everyone to get in:
For Time:
9 Squat Cleans @ 185/135
4 Legless Rope Climbs (Scale to: 20ft Legged RC)
7 SC
3 Legless
5 SC
2 Legless

This has been a LONG - 6 day week this week, full of HEAVY squats. The extra work volume is down a bit and will be down for another week or so to maximize our Squat #Gainz and focus a bit more on recovery and intensity. Ensure that you sleep at lot and eat a lot this week and going into next week. Pay close attention to your CNS, if you feel foggy or slow, or body isn't recovering. If that is the case this week, sneak in an extra rest day somewhere and re-center yourself.














Sunday, May 1, 2016

May 2-May 9

Week 5:
Monday:
Class - a) Back Squat
6 @ 70%
6 @ 75%
6 @ 80%
4 @ 85%
3 @ 90%
6 @ 75%
b) KB Workout

Extra:
RS:
1) Push Press - E2MOM10 - 5 x 5 Reps @ 75-80% of last weeks 1RM
2) EMOM12:
a) Max Set Kroc Row R
b) Max Set Kroc Row L
c) 20 Glute-Ham Raises - Strict

GS:
1) 7 x 3 - Strict Weighted Pull-up -- Use the highest weight from the 10x2 on April 12th.
2) EMOM12:
a) 3 Strict Pull-Up Negatives - 5 second lower
b) 12 Band Pull-Aparts
c) 2 reps - 20 second push-ups (5s lower, 5s pause 1" off ground (perfect hollow), 5s raise, 5s plank) 

Tuesday:
Class:
1) Power Clean + HSC + Jerk - Max
2) DL/Burpee WV workout -- should be max intensity, goal is sub-4:30

Extra:
400m Sled Push - Solo - Weights are 70/25# on top of the pushing sleds. Do not start at a walk just because its long, treat them still as a speed piece when you're working. 

Wednesday:
Class: Front Squat:
5 @ 70%
5 @ 75%
4 @ 80%
4 @ 85%
3 @ 90%
5 @ 75%
2) Partner workout

Extra:
RS:
1) 20 Atlas Stone Shoulders @ 175/115 for time - No cap, just finish.
2) AmRap10:
10 Single-Arm KB Suitcase DL (100/70lbs) L
100m (Curb to dumpster) Single-Arm Farmers Carry L
10 Single-Arm KB Suitcase DL (100/70lbs) R
100m (Curb to dumpster) Single-Arm Farmers Carry R

GS:
1) 20 Strict Tempo Dips @ 33x3 For form/completion. Goal is to pair 2-3 reps together at the tempo.
2) AmRap 10 for form:
2 Skin-the-Cats
10 Ring Swings
15 Strict Form Burpees (feet/legs glued together)

Thursday:
4 x 1mile Repeats
rest 1min between rounds - Goal for this workout is to play with pacing changes a bit. Work to run each mile differently, some faster sprints with some recovery jogs, some steady pace, etc. Learn from it.


Friday:
Class - 1) Back Squat
2) WB / T2B workout - You will need to scale the WB Weights AND height up for this workout. And go unbroken on them.

Extra: 
Bring the Yoke outside and work on 50ft Unbroken (Dumpster to sidewalk) overhead carries. If you cannot get the Yoke overhead for a carry, supplement with Double Kettlebell walks overhead (heavy) for 50ft. Try to accumulate at least 6-8 sets total, adding load if you can. 

Saturday:
Class - SB Step-Ups / HS work + Rope Climb/Sprint workout.

Extra:
RS: E2MOM12:

3 DL @ 70, 75, 80, 85, 90%, 90%+ if possible
then..
50 DB Strict Press for time with 55/35/hand.

GS:
E2MOM12:
Complex of:
5 Kips + 5 T2B + 5 Kipping Pull-ups (no butterfly) w/ 2s hold at top of each pull-up. 
then...
10mins Strict Muscle-Up Work -- Work seated position on low-rings first & build/work on false grip. Very similar to a transition drill. 

















Monday, April 25, 2016

April 25-May 1

Week 4:
Monday:
Class:
1) TnG Squat Snatches - Scale up to 115/75, Candle-Sticks work on hollow and control
2) Pure intensity workout - Push it as hard as you can

Extra:
RS:
1) Push Press - Build to a 1RM
2) EMOM15:
a) 5 Push Press @ 75% of 1RM for the day
b) 10 Atlas Stone Lunges (115/93) - Held up on the chest, arms may not touch legs
c) Banded March full minute (Green or black band)

GS:
1) 3 x 10 Kips - Build power and position as you go
2) For form - 40/30 Strict Ring Dips for time.
3) EMOM10:
a) 10 Band Pull-Aparts +10 Hollow Rocks
b) 3 Strict Pull-Up Negatives - Use a box to get chin above the bar, then slowly lower (5-7s) in a hollow position on the way down. 

Tuesday:
*Sorry guys, I'm running very short on time early this week, I'll have the full week up tomorrow*

Class: 
1) Back Squat - 10 @ 60%, 8 @ 65%, 6 @ 70%, 6 @ 75%, 6 @ 80%, 4 @ 85%
2) WB 2for1s!!! yay!

Extra:
With a partner - 5 Rounds: 100ft Sled Push (Dumpster-to-curb) (guys (3) 45s, girls 2), rest while partner works.
Tons of squatting today - Do your absolute best to recover your legs post workout, sleds will help but then hit 20-30mins rolling, mashing, stretching. Hit feet, calves, quads, hamstrings glutes.

Wednesday:
Class:
1) Rowling with Gymnastics penalties -- Work on perfect gymnastics positions, tight bodies - not rushed.
2) DT -- Board workout that we did ~6 months ago -- this will be a great retest. Ensure you read back your notes/comments on BTWB tonight and prep a good plan.

Extra:
RS:
1) 30 Sandbag Over Shoulders for time. Guys - Grey (165), girls - Black (120) - No scaling, 10 minute cap. 
2) EMOM12:
a) 5 Single-Arm Strict Press + 30ft overhead walk - Try to get both arms done in the minute. Go heavy.
b) 8-10 Glute-Ham Raises

GS:
1) 5 x ME -3 Strict Pull-ups (Take your max strict from Saturday, subtract 3 reps and perform 5 sets of that number. Perfect form, rest 90s-2mins between sets). 
2) EMOM15:
a) 12 Strict Form Burpees - Feet Glued together, strict push-up (no hips touching ground).
b) 5 Strict Leg raises + Negative (3s raise, pause slightly above parallel, 3s lower = 1 rep)
c) :45s Towel Farmers carries (Grab (2) 70/53lb KBs and wrap towels around the handles and carry/walk for :45s)

Thursday:
Rest or Aerobic Capacity
Choose a modality you have not yet done for Aerobic work: Light sled drag for 4 x 400m, Ski-Erg 5 x 1000m, rest 3mins between, swim, run, ruck - Your option. 30-45mins of work, vary your intensities a bit. Nothing crazy this week due to the squatting volume being the focus. 

Friday:
Today we will be hitting our extra work instead of Saturday. We will be going to the annual Rogue Garage sale on Saturday, so I am unsure if/when we'll be back --Do not plan on sticking around after the 10am class as coaches will likely be looking to leave. If you want to get something done extra on Saturday plan to do it between 9am and 10am - the gym should be pretty open, if you communicate with coaches - However I would really evaluate how you feel after this week and the squatting volume we've hit. 
Class:
1) L-Sit/Single Leg DL superset - Great opportunity to put some of your strength/gymnastics work to the test. Go heavy on the DL and ensure you're using a hip hinge properly. 
2) High intensity intervals - balls out each round.

Extra:
EVERYONE - 1) Front Squats - 
5 @ 60%
5 @ 65%
5 @ 70%
5 @ 75%
4 @ 80%
4 @ 85%

RS:
1) Establish a 10RM Front-Rack Walking Lunge. We will be working a small once/week program off of this number so make sure it is a true max. Make sure you take good time to warm this up, and hit at least 3-4 sets.

GS:
1) EMOM12:
a) 10 Kipping T2B UB  + Hollow Hold :20
b) 5 Tempo Ring Dips @ 22x1

Saturday:
Class:
1) Back Squats:
10 @ 55%
8 @ 60%
6 @ 65%
6 @ 70%
6 @ 75%
4 @ 80%

2) DB Snatch + Strict pull-up workout -- Use 85/65 for DB if you can, or 70/55.

No extra! Enjoy the weekend, relax and really focus in on squat/leg recovery. 

Sunday, April 17, 2016

April 18-April 25

Week 3:
Monday will post tonight - The week will fill in as we finalize some programming tonight/tomorrow for later in the week!

Monday:
Class - 
1) Back Squats:
6 @ 60%
6 @ 65%
6 @ 70%
6 @ 75%
6 @ 80%
2) DB Carry/Snatch workout -- Ladies try 55's if you can!

Extra:
RS:
1) 10 x 1 Hang Power Clean - @ 90-95% of Max (Should be at least 10-25lbs heavier than last week at least)
2) EMOM12:
a) Single-Arm DB Strict Press x 10 Reps - As heavy as possible L
b) Single-Arm DB Strict Press x 10 Reps - As heavy as possible R
c) Double DB Bent-Over Row x 8 Reps (Floor to chest in an RDL position)

GS:
1) 5 x 5 Strict Pull-ups @ 2222 Tempo for each
2) 5 Rounds for form:
:30s HS Hold - Wall facing, nose and toes
10 Hollow-Lat Pull-downs hanging on pull-up bar (Demo at :33) - Slow and controlled
20 Hollow-Rocks

Tuesday:
Class - Strongman day

Extra:
For Time complete:
30 Squat Cleans @ 185/125
rest 3mins then...
EMOM until failure: 18/13 Cals Airdyne

Wednesday:
Class - FS - 5@ 60, 65, 70, 75, 80%
2) Helen - Mandatory PR -- This means channel every ounce of intensity you have in your body, focus and crush this. 

Extra:
RS:
1) E2MOM10 (5sets): 5 TnG DL @ 80-85% 
2) Superset - 5 Rounds:
a) Z-Press 10 Reps @ Combined weight of DB for Monday's Single-Arm DB press
b) Kroc Row @ 100/70lbs or same as last week - Mandatory 2-3 reps more each round.

GS:
1) 10 x 3 Tempo Ring Dips @ 22x2 - Perfect hollow maintained throughout.
2) Superset - 5 rounds:
a) Chest-to-Ring hold as long as possible (Do a strict pull-up on the rings until your chest touches and hold there as long as you can. Maintain body position, use a band if necessary - minimum time :10)
b) GHD Sit-Up Complex: 5 Sit-Up + 10s Hollow hold + 5 Sit-Ups + 10s Hollow Hold + 10 Sit-ups

Thursday:
Aerobic capacity Swim/Row/Bike/Run workout - Your choice


Friday:
Class - BS - 6 @ 55, 60, 65, 70, 75%
2) Repeat workout with Lateral bench jumps from a few months back. Find time, retest intensity.

Extra:
Grab two black (50lb) sandbags together, bear hug both into your chest and walk out to the 400m turn around. Once there, get both onto your shoulder(s) and run back (think a swing clean). For every time you drop them during the 400m do 5 Squats with them bear hugged into your chest at the end. 


Saturday:
1) TGU 2RM -- Test your newly build core strength and shoulder stability side-to-side!
2) Great partner workout - Try to get C&J done with only 2 sets/person!

Extra:
RS: Establish a new 1RM Hang Power Clean

GS: Establish the following:
1) Max Strict UB Pull-Ups - take one good attempt
2) 1RM Pull-Up (for weight added to dip belt)

Everyone:
5 Rounds:
25/20 Cal AD Sprint
1 Empty sled sprint Full parking lot length AND back
rest -- 4 Partners cycling on the same equipment, rest until your turn is back up. 









Sunday, April 10, 2016

April 11-April 17

Week 2:

Monday:
Class -
1) Push Press 1RM - Testing. Get a solid warm-up and max out. 
2) MetCon w/ Stone-to-Shoulder + Wall-Climbs -- Immediately upon finishing the 5-1 ladder, complete 20 Strict HSPU for time. 

Extra:
RS: 
1) 7 x 2 Hang Power Clean (Below Knee) @ 85% of Power Clean Max
EMOM16:
a) 10 Single-Leg, Single-Arm DL (100/70lb KB) R
b) 10 Single-Leg/Single-Arm DL L
c) 10 Face-Pulls (Should be hard for 10) Demo

GS:
1) 10x2 Weighted Pull-Up (Use a dip belt, and go up by 1lb if needed - every set should be heavier until failure, then stick at a weight you can handle for the remaining sets)
2) EMOM15:
a) 5 Tempo Ring Dips @ 33x2
b) :30 Tuck Hold on bar (Underhand grip) - Knees as high as possible
c) 10 Band-Pull-Aparts  (Mandatory watch: Demo )


Tuesday:
Class:
1) Back Squats - 8 @ 60, 65, 70, 75%
2) AmRap10: Bear complex (Scale to 75/55, mandatory unbroken), Ring Rows, DU

Extra:
Rest 5 minutes from class then grab two 100/70lb DBs and head outside with a partner. 400m Farmers carry trading off with partner -- No hook grip. 

Individual PT / Functional drills for 15-20 minutes. 

Wednesday:
Class:
1) Snatches
2) Butt heavy metcon, should be interesting!

Extra -- EVERYONE:
1) Front Squat - 4 x 5 @ 60, 65, 70, 75%
RS:
Superset x 5 Rounds:
2a) Kroc Row -- Max Effort R / L @ 100/70lbs (Scale down if you cannot get more than 10 to chest) (Demo )
2b) Sled Push Dumpster-to-Sidewalk - Guys (5) 45s, ladies (4) 45s on sled.
**Rest 90s between exercises - so R-Hand Kroc row, no rest, L-hand KR, 90s rest, Sled push, 90s rest - back to Kroc Rows for 5 rounds each**

GS:
Superset x 5 rounds:
2a) Work on 15-20 Ring Swings (Demo and full instruction: Mandatory full watch )
2b) 20 Hollow Rocks + 20 Superman Rocks
2c) 10 Dumbell, Hollow-Lat Pull-downs -- Demo


Thursday:
Aerobic Capacity work or Rest Day:
Row / Run / Bike (Use distance where .15 = 100m):
1000m: 600m (Fast), 200m (Hard), 200m (Soft)
900m: 500m, 200m, 200m
800m: 400m, 200m, 200m
700m: 300m, 200m, 200m
600m: 200m, 200m, 200m
500m: 100m, 200m, 200m

For this workout:
Fast = 2k PR + 10s/500m
Hard = 2k PR pace
Soft = 2k PR pace + 25s/500m
So if my 2k PR is 6:30 (Pace /500m = 1:37 - so my F/H/S paces would be 1:47, 1:37, 2:02 )

Friday:
Class - Holleyman -- Goal for this is strict HSPU in a very tight position. Wallballs will be 30/20lbs.

Extra:
Grab the 160/120lb Sandbag (Grey/Black) and with a partner take it out for 400m -- We are going to get better at these!

Saturday:
Class -
1) Back Squats 8 @ 55%, 60%, 65%, 70%
2) Sprints + Strict Pull-ups

Extra:
RS:
1) 7 x 3 Snatch Grip Deficit Deadlifts (Enjoy the best to ever do it, doing it: Demo )
EMOM8:
a) 8 DB Snatch AHAP - Alternating hands, to the floor
b) 10 DB Bench Press AHAP
GS:
Complete for form:
8 Rounds:
a) 5 Strict Ring Dips + 5 Kipping Ring Dips
b) 5 Strict T2B (Or strict straight leg raise) + 3second lower for each rep

AC:
Grab a partner and complete:
15 minute running clock:
Complete a ladder as high as possible of calories on the AirDyne & Ski-Erg:
5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, etc.
*One partner on Ski-Erg, one on AirDyne - once both partners complete 5 cals, they switch machines and move onto 7 cals, each time they achieve their goal calories they switch and move onto the next rung of the ladder*








Sunday, April 3, 2016

April 4-April 10

Week 1:

Monday:
Class: Squat Cycle Day 1
Position strength group - Every squat set begins with the first 3 reps as 3s Pause Squats for the first 2 weeks of this cycle.
All other groups do the cycle as written, make any adjustments in squats that have been needed.

Extra:
Raw Strength/Strength position (Moving forward will just be "RS"):
1) 5 x 3 Hang Power Clean @ 80% Power Clean max
2) EMOM15:
a) Supine Barbell Row x 10 Reps @ 95/65
b) Front Rack Bulgarian Split Squats x 10 Reps R leg (95/65, same barbell)
c) Front Rack Bulgarian Split Squats x 10 Reps L leg

Gymnastics Strength (Moving forward will be "GS"):
1) 5 x 3 Strict Pull-Ups --- Last pull-up is held with Chin-Over bar for 20 seconds in a perfect hollow position, elbows under the hands/wrists, no chin touching the bar. Use a band to achieve perfect positioning.
2) EMOM15:
a) 2 Full skin-the-cats, perfect hollow position and straight body. No tucking as you rotate.
b) 10 Strict Ring Dips
c) 3 Strict straight leg raises (or strict T2B if you can make it that far), on the lower of the third rep, hold in an L-Sit for max length. Must be pronated grip.

Tuesday:
Class - Go heavy on the single-arm press in part 1 & bump KB weight up to 70/53. Full intensity in the AmRap is the sole focus for the day. UB on all KB swings, hard as you can on the burpees. Remember, a major goal this off-season is to drop volume and increase the focus on intensity. 

Moving forward, outside of rare circumstances the only KB you are allowed to use are 70/53, and the only WB you are allowed to use are 30/20lbs. I will note otherwise if this instance comes up. 

Rest 5 minutes from class workout ending, then grab a sandbag (girls bigger black, guys red or grey) and make 3 full laps around the gym with it. Goal is to bear hug it at your chest, not have it up on the shoulder or down into the crotch. 

Extra - Grab a partner (preferably someone who maybe doesn't do extra) and coerce them into doing 20-30 minutes of mobility, stretching, or PT exercises with you. Rehab. 

Wednesday:
Class: Squat Cycle Day 2
Position/strength group - Every squat set begins with the first 3 reps as 3s Pause Squats for the first 2 weeks of this cycle.
All other groups do the cycle as written, make any adjustments in squats that have been needed. For the front squat I would like everyone to work on or build to a full hand grip on the bar (i.e. NOT just fingertips).
Scale the DB Weight up to 55/45 but do not sacrifice speed. 

Extra:
RS:
1) 5 sets of Deficit, tempo RDL x 8 reps -- Stand on two 25lb plates (side by side) and load the barbell. Begin at 185/125 or 40% of DL 1RM and build as necessary. Demo
2) EMOM12:
a) Push Press - Build to a heavy 3 or 3RM, hold 3rd rep overhead for 10-15s
b) Max UB Set Strict Pull-up (rep goal between 4-8, add resistance or assistance as needed to fall in this range)

GS:
1) Inverted, tempo, false-grip, Ring Row (YUP!) 5 x 5 with a 5s lower. I will try to get a video up on this before Wednesday for everyone.
2) EMOM12:
a) Hollow Lat Pull-downs (Demo at 33seconds in) -- Scaling options are before in the video. I cannot stress how important it is to remain hollow and have the action happen from the shoulder.
b) 8 Barbell Roll-outs (3rd exercise in video)

Thursday:
Aerobic capacity OR Rest day -- Testing week 1 Options:
Run - 2 Mile time trial (preferably on a track)
Row - 2k Row, rest 3 minutes, 2k Row 
Bike - 10min Airdyne - Max Cals
Swim - 800m Time Trial

Friday:
Class: Squat Cycle Day 3
Position/strength group - Every squat set begins with the first 3 reps as 3s Pause Squats for the first 2 weeks of this cycle.
Curtis-P's for this class are mandatory unbroken, I. Do. Not. Care. If it messes up your muscle-ups, in actuality...I need it to. 
There is an opportunity to work Muscle-Ups in a workout today. Please be aware that if you are in the Gymnastics group, and I am unhappy with your gymnastics positioning I need you to ensure you are working on your positions and not repeating bad habits!!!

Extra -- Recover, take care of body for Saturday. It's a doozy. 

Saturday:
Class -- Snatch Balance + OHS heavy work. Work speed to the bottom and footwork. Opportunities for Olympic lifting will be few and far between, utilize these opportunities to stay sharp and move fast. 
Metcon -- Nancy, oh yes. Sweet Nancy. This is, hands down, a top 5 test of pain threshold and intensity in CrossFit. Embrace the pain, go as hard as you can, we will be retesting this. 

Extra:
RS: 10 Rounds:
Max Weight Sled Push - Dumpster to sidewalk
Max Weight Yoke Carry - Sidewalk to Dumpster
Rest 2mins (Should be only enough to add weight)

GS:
10 Rounds:
5 Kipping Pull-ups (No butterfly), with a 3s Hold at the top of each rep
5 Kipping T2B with perfectly straight legs. 
Rest 1min

Aerobic Capacity:
Choose a second test from Thursday (one you didn't do) and complete that here. We should have 2 pre-tests. 

Monday, March 28, 2016

Off-Season Week 0

My goal for this off-season are complicated, numerous and very exciting. I will be posting out the work for the week on Monday's (Monday's extra work will be posted Sunday night, then the post will be edited throughout the day for the remainder of the week).  There will be weekly benchmark tests, varying groups and goals and focused intentions for every session.  Wednesday of this week is CF Total, I would like everyone to eat and prep for that this week and see where you currently sit on your strength numbers. We will use this as one of our benchmarks moving forward. The rest of this week will be transition and goal setting weeks, and deciding on what you feel is of more importance to you:

1. Raw Strength (most common)
2. Speed Strength
3. Strength position (I.e. I can FS 350, but doing 3x3s Pause Squats @ 285 kills me)
3. Gymnastics Strength (Can hold a hollow hanging just fine, but can't do a strict pull-up/dip)
4. Gymnastics Position Strength (Can do pull-ups or dips just fine, but can't hold a hollow position when I do them to save my life)
5. Fundamental Concepts -- (Still don't know how to breathe or brace in lifts, can't kip properly, don't keep a neutral spine when pulling off the floor, can't keep head up in OHS positions, etc.)

*6*. Raw Endurance/Aerobic Capacity -- This is for people who are limited absolutely by their cardio in everything -- while often times moving more efficiently will go hand-in-hand with this, and thus we want to keep a bigger focus on our weaknesses #1-5 - some of you need to begin working this now and continue on the entire season. 

Remembering the focus from my previous post our priorities will remain the following:
1. GPP -- Class & being coached and moved on a timeline has always been our bread and butter. Maria, Jenny, K$, myself, Kit, Cash, Sunshine, Jade all made 95% of their gains over years of dedicated work inside of our group atmosphere. 
2. Fun -- I only want you to participate in extra work & class if you're actively looking forward to it -- if not switch your focus and ask yourself why you're doing this. CrossFit is not and never has been standing around doing Olympic lifting sets & pull-up work. It is preparing for anything - lifting stones, sandbags, doing animal crawls, lifting people, running, etc. all provides great value and is just as good for your mind as your body. Embrace it, and find the positive in every class / extra session. 
3. If you are willing to commit 2 hours to the gym each day, target two major areas of improvement. These should be specific (i.e. not pull-ups, but strict pull-ups in a perfect hollow position -- or not "Snatch" but improving my second pull and positioning off the ground in the Snatch).  If you are willing to commit 90 minutes to the gym, target one major area. Initial cycle will last ~8 weeks, with Week 1 & Week 8 being test weeks. 
4. Most importantly -- at ANY given time, I need to be able to walk up to you in an exercise and ask you what your focus and goals are for EACH lift, ANY workout, or any movement. Everything needs a focus, everything needs a goal. Nothing is going through the motions. 


Week 0
-- Finish reading & homework - begin work on goals. Finalize one or two, sleep on them - and see if you want to change them.
-- Schedule a meeting with Jeff
-- Develop 2 warm-ups that you will do throughout the week that hit on a major weakness - and work them. This isn't just "doing them" - That won't make it better. Get better at them, try new things, play and improve.  
-- Hit CF Total (if not Wednesday in class, then on your own)
-- Get your body to 100% - If you have ANYTHING wrong with you, I will not move forward with an off-season plan until you have begun actionable steps to improve those flaws. 



Friday, March 25, 2016

Saturday, March 26

For tomorrow there isn't much strategy -- Think about breaking up 14/7, 12/6, 10/5 on the first three sets of thrusters if you get slow on burpees when you're very tired. Other than that, I'd recommend step burpees and just keeping moving. 

Heat 1 - 11:20am - Omar, Starfox, Jesse, Dru, Brode, Ed, Jordan, ARaph
Heat 2 - 11:50am - Jade, Jen K., Sunshine, Shelby, Mo
Heat 3 - 12:20pm -Jibs, CSans, JSans, RT, Maria

Thursday, March 24, 2016

Friday, March 25

Well we finally get an opportunity to show some improvement - And without a major skill, you can simply show if you have the ability to go harder now than in 2014.  I do recommend breaking 21 and 18 thrusters at 11/10 and 10/8 if you think you'll burn up -- I remember going unbroken and just dying at 15/12 sets.  Practice and work your step-back burpees, they will be pivotal for this. 

Prep -- 

1) 2k Row, every 500m Get off and do 15 Air Squats -- Done @ moderate pace.
***PM Group please do: Airdyne 2.0 distance, every 0.5 distance do 15 squats**

2) 5 x 3 - Thruster from floor @ 95, 95, 115, 135, 155 // 65, 65, 75, 85, 95 -- Work speed out of the squat clean into the Thrusters.

3) 3 rounds:
2 Muscle-Ups
3 Thrusters 95/65
4 Bar Facing Burpees
5 Box Jumps
6 KBS
8 Wall-Ball
10 Mountain Climbers
30 DU
Rest 2mins

4) Perform the 15&12 sets of the workout, practice your burpee pacing. Should be roughly 1:20-1:30 pace for 15 burpees, and 1:00-1:10 pace for 12. 

Thursday, March 24

As we prep for the final Open workout we can begin to think and make our plans for the 2017 season. Nothing needs to be decided now, or soon -- You are free to take what time off you feel you need, and you are ALL always free to simply follow this blog and the extra work for fun if you like.  Below is mostly written for people who have aspirations to make the CrossFit Games Regionals or beyond - which means they have a specific training off-season, macro and micro cycles, etc. If that is not you, enjoy your rest day today and relax as needed (the bottom links are still worthwhile IMO). 

Today's reading and homework is meant to give you a better idea and mental approach to the first cycle of the off-season. Hopefully you all are looking forward to this, I know I am to program it, and work intensely to 'fix' you all - I am also already looking forward to whenever my off-season begins because my list of things to implement is massive, and you all get to have the fun earlier than I do.  I have worked (and will continue to work) hard to explain the WHY, to help create educated athletes that own their own training, and prepare you for your upcoming journey.  Your involvement and approach to this will determine your success. If you require hand-holding, skip out on the homework's I assign to help you mentally, don't work to educate yourself on new exercises, seek help from professionals, etc. your success will be limited.  As always - effort wins - but don't mistake this with "But I come to the gym everyday you say to and do the extra work" -- It is so much more than that to be great. 

There are a few things that I will ask athletes who want to continue in a competitive element moving forward to do. *Write these down*

1. Evaluate your performance in each Open workout, frustrations throughout the Open and what you feel limited you from finishing in the Top 100 or Top 50.

2. Set 2 goals for next year: a) A placing, a workout placing, a team placing, etc. - b) One movement that hindered you, or that you want to make a noticeable change before next years Open.

3. Make a list of your most common hurt body part(s). It is not normal, or okay to always have back issues, or shoulder issues/pain. 

4. Make a list of movements that consistently give you physical struggles.

5. Make a list of movements that consistently give you mental struggles. 


The number 1 most important thing leading into the off-season is knowing your purpose, and guiding everything you do to your purpose. Strength is one of, if not the most important component of the off-season, but it is not JUST raw strength that we need to build. It is also positional strength, this requires an increased focus on HOW you do something, not just doing it. Some of this will be programmed in, some of this will be on YOU to know what you need to get better at.  Strength takes time, that is why we need to focus it so much now -- intensity, cardio, endurance, etc. comes more quickly (and will still be something we hit everyday).  Due to the fact that we will be hammering Strength and positional strength, the volume needs to drop drastically from the conditioning work we do between December-March. This will do the following:
- Provide our body and CNS time to recover and build muscle.
- Provide you the opportunity to go as hard/heavy as you can on one or two pieces for the day, with nothing lingering (no excuses) to slow you down. 
- Allow you to focus on 2 or 3 things to make a noticeable change on, rather than 75 things to get marginally better at. 

Understanding that removing the distracting obstacles of competition, and all of the components it entails will provide you the opportunity to focus on the fundamentals you desperately need to improve on. If you think that you need 5 workouts a day, competition workouts, and 'harder, harder, harder' then you don't understand the sport yet, and that's perfectly fine, it's why you have a coach and a great gym that has a proven system for getting you there.  

My favorite coach, programmer, mentor in CrossFit is Ben Bergeron. I had him for my L1 and went to his seminar in Vegas, his knowledge and ability to work with athletes is second to none.  One of my favorite parts of his online "general" programming is that he offers a group called "Open Athletes" - which is basically anyone who wants to maximize their performance solely for the Open each year, in hopes of making it further. Take some time to look through what it entails at the beginning of last off-season: http://competitorstraining.com/2015/04/  -- It is THE simplest training you will find. It is that way for a reason, so that you can focus all of your energy, all of your intensity into ONE thing (just like the Open) and giving that one thing a true shot at getting better.  I feel as though many of you are getting caught up in the "Magic Pill" dilemma, where you feel like you're missing some piece, or not doing enough to get "ahead."  In almost every sport, and in almost every life situation, the most common answer to fix this is to go back, and shift the focus entirely to improving on the fundamentals. 

Basketball coaches don't cut kids for not being able to do a 360 through the legs dunk...they cut kids for not being able to shoot free throws, or for turning the ball over. Give me a point guard who can go left and never turns the ball over any day over the kid who chucks up 3/12 from 3-point line, scores 20 and turns the ball over 8 times (I know some of you won't get that). 

I feel like if I programmed for you all some of the days Ben programs I would get a lot of "That's it?" and I find that to be a fundamental problem within our developmental athletes. Anytime something is not enough for you, then you lacked the proper focus, intensity and purpose for that day. 

Let your bodies heal up over the week following the Open, do your homework (listed above), along with reading these:
Convo 1
Convo 2
Watch/listen to these: 
Julian Pineau 1
Julian Pineau 2

I will not take conversations, discussions or meetings with anyone who has not done their homework in their entirety. If you are willing to spend 2-3 hours at the gym each day, you need to take the time to read and listen, learn, goal set, and come into 2017 with the right mindset. I have sacrificed a lot of my time, energy and effort this entire past year, and I will continue to do so provided that I get met half way with all of this -- I appreciate everyone's hard work, dedication and time spent in the gym, but realize that being competitive is more than just coming in and logging some workouts. 

Or, as Doug Chapman says: 

Think about it. Do you REALLY want to go to that level? You can be really fit and healthy without training for the games. It is a lot of fun to workout and do the open and test your fitness. Local comps are fun and great social events. You don’t have to kill yourself to train for the games to get a lot of benefit from that. Doing fitness as a job is different than doing it for recreation and good health. Why don’t you really think about it and get back to me. "


I am very much looking forward to having everyone back into regular classes, enjoying the social atmosphere and having fun again! Meet some of the new people, engage them and help them -- I'm sure when you first started some of the "Beasts" seemed intimidating, it is always so nice to see that they are just great people who are willing to help.  Remember before this season Jade, EVE, Jen K., ARaph, ACon, etc. weren't a major part of competition group - now they are a more closely knit part of our family.  You never know who might join us, and you never know the friendships you might build from just inviting someone to work with you. Be open to anything, talk with me about your decisions and let me know if/when you're ready to sit down and discuss.  I will schedule meetings once the Open is over, provided my requirements are met!