WOD
10 rounds-
1 Rope Climb
7 Thrusters
30 DU
Time Cap: 22 min
Fx: 75/55, 2:1 Singles
P: 95/65
O: 95/65, Legless
ACCESSORY
6 rounds Tabata (3 minutes)-
Lunge + Jumping Air Squat + Lunge
right into
6 rounds Tabata (3 minutes)-
Pushups
Coach Tips:
WOD
AMRAP in 21 minutes:
8 Pistols
4 Power Clean
1 Rope Climb
Fx: 20 Air Squats every round, 115/75, 3:1 Rope Climb Scale
P: Pistol Scale of choice, 185/125
O: 225/155, Legless
Coach Mattie’s Tips: You’ve got your rope and pistol. Cowboys and cowgirls… SADDLE UP!
PARTNER WOD
3 rounds-
10 Sync Power Snatch
10 Sync Overhead Squats
20 Sync Box Jumps
20 HSPU (shared reps)
Time Cap: 18 min
Fx: 75/55, Piked Pushup, 20/18″
P: 115/75, 24/20″
O: 135/95, 24/20″
FINISHER
For Time:
20 Burpees over your partner (in low plank)
then.. other partner does 20 burpees over partner
Cap: 4 min
Coach Madison’s Tips:
Synchro WODs are all about planning and communicating. Practice tempos for each move before the WOD and make a plan that you can stick to. For example, when Daniel and I do this, we will do 5-4-1 on the snatches and the last snatch will be used to get into the 10 OVHS that we would hope to do unbroken. Designating one partner to say “3, 2, 1” to make it clear when to start each set can help streamline communication and maximize time to catch your breath. Daniel always does this job because I would rest too long if he didn’t 😉
Finisher: Keep your plank as low as possible.
WOD
Every 3 minutes for 12 minutes:
15/12 Calorie Row
15 Wall Balls
Max TTB
right into…
Every 3 minutes for 12 minutes:
12/9 Calorie Bke
15 Wall Balls
Max DBalls over Shoulder
Fx: 14/10, 50/30, Hanging Leg Raise
P: 20/14, 70/50
O: 20/14, 100/70
Coach Sarah’s Tips: For the first part of the Metcon, try to relax your grip on the row. Plan on your forearms getting toasty from the TTB. Catch your breath on the wall balls – maybe break up the sets and don’t let your heart rate sky rocket! On the second part, your arms might be feeling it more than your legs so push those heels down to the petals. Focus on form for the DBalls!! Deadlift to the quads, get down low and wrap your arms around the ball and stand fast. When you reach the top, fling your arms up and over your shoulder.
WEDNESDAY WINS JO-AN B.!
We are thrilled to announce we are bringing back Wednesday Wins and even more excited to celebrate Jo-An B. as our first featured athlete in 2020! No one works harder than this amazing woman. She rises at an ungodly hour to find that one hour for herself — she’s a registered nurse who loves her career choice and a mom to three year old daughter Adaline. So between caring for family and others at work, time for her own self-care is at a premium.
WOD
For time:
21-15-9 reps of-
Bar MU (reps divided by 3)
Deadlifts
DU (reps x 3)
Time Cap: 14 min
Fx: J-Hook Row (keep reps at 21-15-9), 135/95, SU (reps x 6)
P: 185/125
O: 225/155
ACCESSORY
4 rounds-
15 Glute Ham Bridges
12 GHD Situps
Scale: 24 Regular Situps
Coach Alea’s Tips: For the Metcon, make sure to be patient on the muscle up pull to avoid the chicken wing. Focus on keeping your glutes engaged during the deadlifts. Pick a weight that you don’t have to break up more than 3 times per set. During the accessory work give the GHDs a try! Even if you don’t do all the reps, at least try a few.
Jo-An sneaking some time (and some space) for accessory work after class, per usual…
CLASH AT THE COVE IN-HOUSE COMPETITION
HOW IT WORKS:
TRUST US that while this format is slightly different from what you might be used to, we WILL make this a competition to remember!
DIVISION STANDARDS:
In order to select which division is right for you, we have developed some ‘division standards’ as guidance. The weights listed should be “working weight”, meaning you should be able to perform 4-6 reps (not necessarily unbroken) for each of the movements below. It does not mean these movements will appear in the workouts, rather it is to help you judge your own individual capacity vs. the load demands of the two divisions. Also understand that you will be paired with a teammate so if a particular movement is a challenge for you then you will be able to lean in your teammate to help you out. It’s part of the fun of a team competition.
Scaled
Clean and Jerk 95/65
Deadlifts 135/95
Jumping Pull Ups
Single Unders
Knees to Waist
RX
Clean and Jerk 155/105
Deadlifts 225/155
Pull Ups
Double Unders
Toes 2 Bar
So, put your name up on that sign-up board. We want to see that thing FULL!
8,000 STEP UP CHALLENGE
Most of you saw the post on the Cove Club FaceBook page, but in case you missed, February is our 8,000 Step Up Challenge! The goal is to do 8,000 step ups to a box (weighted or unweighted) during the month of February. And lucky for you, it’s a leap year so you get an extra day! You can either use a 20/14# Medball or you can also opt out of a weight. No big deal, you’ll still get a great workout.
If you do this challenge you MUST commit to doing it incrementally. Unlike the rowing challenge wehre you can adjust intensity super easily (we’ve often seen 20-30k in one go at the very end to make it in under the wire) doing over 1,000 step ups in one go could be a recipe for serious injury. You need to be responsible for yourself as we simply cannot monitor volume for everyone — but if we see you on a box for too long, we WILL make you stop!
This challenge was inspired by the Hero WOD “Chad”. It was named after Chad Wilkinson, a 22-year active duty SEAL stationed in Virginia Beach, who took his own life on October 29th. Please honor his memory by being humble and staying safe.
WOD
“Heavy Grace”
30 Clean and Jerks
rest 2 minutes
into
“Regular Grace”
30 Clean & Jerks
Time Cap: 18 minutes
Fx: 115/75, 95/65
P: 165/115, 135/95
O: 205/135, 135/95
ACCESSORY
3 rounds-
20 Shoulder Taps
:30 Handstand Hold
Rest 1 minute
Coach Daniel Tips: Essentially it’s double grace, but a little harder. The first Grace should be a weight where you really shouldn’t be stringing together any reps. This part should be singles pretty much the entire way through to really emphasize good lifting technique at a moderate load. Think of the pacing as counting to 2 mississippi seconds before lifting your next rep and sticking with that the entire 30 reps.
For the second Grace, the weight should feel great now that it’s lighter. Try to start with sets of 5-6 before breaking into singles if necessary. This part is a sprint. Minimize the rest and try to finish in glorious fashion.
8,000 STEP UP CHALLENGE
Most of you saw the post on the Cove Club FaceBook page, but in case you missed, February is our 8,000 Step Up Challenge! The goal is to do 8,000 step ups to a box (weighted or unweighted) during the month of February. And lucky for you, it’s a leap year so you get an extra day! You can either use a 20/14# Medball or you can also opt out of a weight. No big deal, you’ll still get a great workout.
If you do this challenge you MUST commit to doing it incrementally. Unlike the rowing challenge where you can adjust intensity super easily (we’ve often seen 20-30k in one go at the very end to make it in under the wire) doing over 1,000 step ups in one go could be a recipe for serious injury. You need to be responsible for yourself as we simply cannot monitor volume for everyone — but if we see you on a box for too long, we WILL make you stop!
This challenge was inspired by the Hero WOD “Chad”. It was named after Chad Wilkinson, a 22-year active duty SEAL stationed in Virginia Beach, who took his own life on October 29th. Please honor his memory by being humble and staying safe.
WOD
EMOM for 8 min:
3 Back Squats followed immediately by 10 air squats
*Lighter load as not to be destroyed for the MetCon
WOD
5 rounds-
10 Single Arm DB Thruster
10 Other Arm DB Thruster
10 Burpee Box Jumpovers
5/3 MU
Time Cap: 20 min
Fx: 35/25, 20/18″, 7 Ring Rows + 7 Hand Release Pushups per round
P: 50/35, 24/20″, Bar MU Option
O: 50/35, 24/20″
Coach Holden’s Tips: Since weights are light, today’s squats are a perfect opportunity to dial in your technique. Don’t just bounce out of the bottom on air squats. Focus on your tripod foot and engaging your glutes. It’ll prepare you for the unilateral work in the Metcon. Challenge yourself on scaling today! Try working on transitions if you’re close to muscle ups but don’t exactly have them yet.
Dan H. working hard per usual. Sans headphones this one time.
OPEN GYM 9A-NOON
Get your fitness on before you hit any Super Bowl parties today! Open gym will be from 9a – Noon. As usual our little fire-breathers are welcome to come in for a workout too. Kids classes with Coach Katie run: 9-:9:45a 4-7 year olds and 9:45 – 10:30 is for 8 – 11 year olds.
CONGRATS TO OUR BATTLE OF BALTIMORE ATHLETES
A huge congratulations to teams “Afternoon Delight” (Maria, Keith & Dom) and “Two Men and a Baby” (Jenna, Holden and Carlos). It is always fun to see our athletes put themselves out there by pushing their limits, but also having fun at the same time. We couldn’t be prouder of all of them! And a huge thank you to all the fans who came out to cheer. You have no idea the difference that makes!
MONDAY WOD
Strength:
EMOM (8 Minutes)
3 Back Squats followed immediately by 10 air squats
*Lighter load as not to be destroyed for the MetCon
MetCon:
5 Rounds of the following:
10 Single Arm DB Thruster
10 Other Arm DB Thruster
10 Burpee Box Jumpovers
5/3 MU
Time Cap: 20 min
Fx: 35/25, 20/18″, 7 Ring Rows + 7 Hand Release Pushups per round
P: 50/35, 24/20″, Bar MU Option
O: 50/35, 24/20″
WEDNESDAY WINS! STEF M.!
Today we highlight the one of the most amazing athletes and genuinely wonderful people we know — Stef M. She’s a data analyst by day and Super Woman by night. She comes regularly, works hard, listens to the coaches and is so darn humble. Coach Josh agrees “she a great community person and always having fun — always smiling.
She’s been at the Cove for two years and the the results of her approach are beyond extraordinary. She comes consistently 4-5 days a week (Saturdays are out because “I need to sleep in at least one day”. It’s really just been about consistency for me. I just want to keep getting better. I play sports outside of here. I play football and soccer. And for me it’s really helped.”
“Before I came here I was doing the same old stuff at the gym. Lifting, running. But I was like ‘I want more than this’. There wasn’t a lot of improvement happening. Then I joined here and I’ve seen more improvements that I ever have in my life. In two years, I’m better, stronger and faster. And I’ve been active my whole life. It’s been amazing.”
Yes, her time at the Cove has helped her endeavors outside the gym, but what happens inside the walls of Cove are nothing short of remarkable. She’s become the rabbit (sorry ladies, but she’s Coach Katie’s favorite rabbit to chase). And even when we tell her this, she almost doesn’t believe it. “I’m still the one chasing people. I love that environment.”
CrossFit and her sports are also her way of staying connected to people and provide her community of support. “I’ve always been competitive. With sports I play with a lot of people I went to college with; it’s how we keep in touch. And at the Cove, It really helps to have a score and an environment where I can thrive.” She got bestie Joey F. to join the Cove. “I pulled Joey in almost a year later. He looks miserable, but inside he loves it. I’m like, ‘you’ve got to push’. I push him hard.” As Coach John said, “Her presence pushed everybody to do better, especially Joey….poor Joey.”
“I’ve always played sports. I love the team thing. And when I’m here in my head I’m competing with myself and everyone else in class. I just love the community. You’re not alone. You’re dying together and we secretly love it. And I totally appreciate that.”
And although you’ll see amazing benchmarks set by her each evening, she still finds motivation from those around her. Even the ones she’s doesn’t really know. “The 5:30am women I see on Wodify are amazing. Every day I see their scores and think ‘oh my gosh, they’ve already been to class and crushed it’. They’re my virtual rabbits. I’ve spoken to some of them a handful of times, but they have no idea that I’m watching what they do. I’m so glad they are in the morning so I can see what they’ve done.”
Some of her biggest breakthroughs came at the Open this year. She got her first strict handstand push ups AND first bar muscle ups. The handstand push-ups came first in 19.3. “That was crazy. I didn’t know where that came from. I did singles, but had no idea I’d get through six. I can’t even tell you the last time I even tried to do one. I didn’t know I was strong enough. Sometimes I just need that extra nudge. But I tried it and it worked.”
Next came her first bar-muscle ups in 19.4. “I was so excited. I got up there and was like, ‘whoa, where did that come from?’. So I went back up and tried again. I got three. I think the first thing I said when I got down was ‘that was weird! It’s such a different view from up there!’”
She credits adrenaline as well, but we think she’d do just as well in a quiet Open Gym. It’s a simple but powerful formula she has nailed. When we asked how she’d sum it up for someone new or trying to get to get better she said “ Just show up. Trust the programming. You’ll see the changes. But showing up is the biggest thing. It’s about consistency.”
She’s caught the competition bug too. She’s done three competitions and is signed up for “Flex on the Mall” this Spring. Her friends and family are fully supportive of her efforts even though “they still can’t believe I do this all the time.” She had a huge crew at the Battle of Baltimore — almost like her personal paparazzi crew. “They come to support me fully. They might make fun of me for doing it before hand, but they always are there to support me.
She’s also taking her passion for fitness to another level outside the gym. “I’m taking my Fitness Nutrition Specialist certification class now. I just started it. I took my Personal training certificate last August.” While it’s a passion project for now, we can’t wait to see where she goes with it.
Shorter term, what’s next on her list? “Ring muscle ups. The rings just seem so different from the bar. It’s gonna be a while but I’d like to get one.” We’re guessing she has it in her. Just like all her other victories, she just has to try it.
WOD
“DP”
Until you can no longer fit in the work in a minute anymore
EMOM until failure:
__ Burpees
Fx: 10
P/O: 15
Time cap: 20 minutes
WOD
“Full Speed Ahead”
__ Cal row
30 Alt. DB Snatch
30 Box Jumpovers
Time Cap: 10 min
Fx: 18/14 cal, 18/12″, 35/25 DB
P/O: 25/20 cal, 24/20″, 50/35 DB
Coach’s Tip: Find a pace of the first metcon that you keep up with for at least 5 rounds. The second metcon is a sprint. No real pacing but make sure your legs are good to go when jumping up on the first Box Jumpover.
A ‘vintage’ shot of Stef from two years ago. Yup, always smiling!
WEDNESDAY WINS! KATHY L.!
Today we highlight one of our favorite athletes — the amazing and inspiring Kathy L. She turns 70 this fall, but her energy, enthusiasm and ability rival that of people half her age (or even a quarter of her age!). She’s proven that age is just a number and her approach to fitness is something people of any life-stage should strive for!
“In my past I’ve had poor luck with physical fitness. I kept hurting myself trying to do it on my own. I have a shelf full of fitness books that failed me. Then I pried open my wallet and hired a trainer one day. I really enjoyed working with a personal trainer, but it got really expensive working out twice a week. I’m kind of a cheapskate and hated spending all that money.”
I joined my county gym and I was looking for a class setting with guidance so I wouldn’t hurt myself. I thought I’d get the benefits to help keep me improving but also keep me safe — and I could save a little money too. But the classes were hard to get in to. They’re crowded and you need to sign up. And sometimes I couldn’t even get in because I got shut out and I didn’t get the personal attention I needed.” So that’s when she decided to give the Cove a try.
She’s been at the Cove just over a year and a half and continues to just get faster, stronger and more agile. She credits the coaches, the environment and her fellow athletes for her successes here. “One of the first sessions I couldn’t do a single burpee, box jump or jump rope. The coaches are all so awesome. Everyone is so patient. I am learning something new every day and I keep seeing improvements.”
Oh, and she’s been injury-free. “No aches and pains. Not a one. The only ‘injury’ I’ve had is sciatica from my desk job! I honestly feel it’s because of the guidance of the coaches. I know I’m responsible for myself as well, so I’m really careful. There’s personal responsibility there, but they are amazing.” She also loves the fact that we properly prepare her for the workouts. “I really love the warm ups. It’s something I’ve never had the discipline to do on my own. Some are really grueling for me. But it’s part of the reason why I think I haven’t been injured.”
Besides staying injury-free, her biggest overall goal is just to see continued improvement. “I think for me it’s notable that I can actually expect to continue to improve at my age. Even starting this so late, I think I can continue to see improvements for at least the next 10 years until I’m 80.”
She also has specific and measurable goals, and she’s ticking them off quickly. “One of the goals I put on the goal wall was to be able to do a box jump. And I just did my first 12” jump today. Maybe I’ll try to put a plate on it soon to make it higher, but for now I’m just happy I can do it”. She also has a goal of doing a full push up. “I haven’t done one since I was in my 20’s. Holden has really been working with me on it. I can do a plank for a full minute now so I know it’s not my core strength, it’s my upper body that needs to get stronger. I’m confident I’ll get here. I do a tiny bit every day”.
“Everyone is so wonderful and friendly. And like I said, the coaches are just all awesome. And I’m inspired by everything these amazing athletes do. It’s so thrilling to see the young fellas lift so much weight the bar is gong to break. And these women — they do a chin up and then keep going. Those (muscle ups) are amazing. I love watching it all. I know I can’t compete with those great athletes, so mentally I strive for 2/3rds of the RX. I scale myself to finish in the middle of the pack and I get a FANTASTIC workout.”
And she’s seeing and feeling the results outside the gym too. She just came back from a skiing trip to Utah where she claims much more stamina and strength on the mountain than she’s felt in a long time. “I hike more. I do the things I love like golf and enjoy generally staying active.”
As we age, things like protecting bone density and performing simple movements like getting up and down off the floor are really important. Strength and power output are key elements to living a long and productive life and she’s increasing hers daily. “My friends are really struggling — with degenerative diseases and age related things. I’m kind of an outlier now. “ Actually, we’d prefer to say she’s exceptional.
So exceptional that all of the things she could do when she came in, she can now. “I can’t believe I can jump on a 12” box. I can’t believe I can jump rope 40 or 50 times unbroken. In our first classes I couldn’t do a single one. I can even do burpees now. I was away and saw Brian’s note about “out of town workouts”. And there was one that said “100 burpees for time”. I didn’t do 100 — I did 70 — and it took me a long time, but I did them.
And best of all, she’s so intelligent about all of it. She doesn’t over-reach, but she also doesn’t go soft. She comes out sweaty, more fit… and safe too. We think it’s the ultimate win-win relationship. She is inspired by the athletes around her and they are inspired by what she is doing. When you see her, please give her a huge high five and tell her job well done!
WOD
“Hypoxia”
AMRAP in 7 min:
8 Burpees
8/7 Calorie Bike
30 DU
*Rest 1 minute
AMRAP in 7 min:
8 Burpees
8/7 Calorie Bike
30 DU
*Rest 1 minute
AMRAP in 7 min:
8 Burpees
8/7 Calorie Bike
30 DU
*Each round you pick it back up from where you ended from in the last AMRAP
P/PP Mod
-Modify Burpees: Up-downs or incline / box burpees
-Mod cals if necessary
-Sub 25 light & fast russian KB swings
ACCESSORY
Tabata Style
4 rounds straight – Handstand/Inverted Hold
4 rounds straight – Jumping Air Squats
4 rounds straight – Purpees (Pushup first + Burpee)
P/PP Mod
Tabata Style
-Can opt for legs up the wall if it’s comfortable being on your back – if not going upside down, L-sit DB hold (holding DBs in OH position)
-Omit jump in Air Squats
-Sub wall, box or knee push ups
Coach’s Tip: Bodyweight bananza today for the Cove. If you are working on DUs, today would be a good dy to stick with them.
Hassan shows us how it’s done!
