“Giddy Up”
2 Min AMRAP for 16 minutes:
(Partner One hits the 2 minute AMRAP then rests while Partner Two goes)
200 M Run
Max Hanging Power Snatch
Directly into
2 Min AMRAP for 16 minutes
200 M Row
Max Hanging Clean and Jerk
Fitness: 75/55
Performance: 95/65
Open: 115/75
Coach’s Tip: Pick a load you can do for at least 5 unbroken reps after the run. The clean and jerks are not easier they are more challenging. Everything is done from the hang so it is very important to keep a good position. Really focus on getting your power from the hip hinge (not an arm pull) and shoot for clean and efficient moment. Remember… when the elbow bends, the power ends!
Welcome back the Griswolds… oh, wait.. the Michelotti’s… from their European vacation. Here’s some family bonding from a few Fridays back!
SKILL WOD
Spend 10 minutes working on Double Unders
(if you are proficient work to find your max set unbroken)
WOD
50 Goblet Squats
40 Sit Ups
30 KB Swings
20/15 Cals on the Assault Bike
10 Pull Ups
Fitness: Pull Ups (35/26)
Performance: Chest to Bar (53/35)
Open: Bar Muscle ups (70/53)
Coach’s Tip: Let’s get some doubles practice in and hit a little chipper! You should be using the same KB for the swings as the goblet squats, so if your legs are toasty from this week, go lighter.
Carlos with a look of focus killing some dumbbell snatches…
Every now and then, someone walks into your life that just makes it better. Coach John just celebrated his one year anniversary at the Cove and we feel so lucky that he picked us. Everything is just better with him here.
Unlike our regular Wednesday Wins features when we focus on the athlete’s story, today we get to celebrate John from our personal perspectives. That is, fellow coaches and athletes alike shouting from the rooftops about why he’s just so darn #amazeballs.
As box owners, we look at our coaches through a very specific, yet very simple lens. Sure, they need credentials and need to move well, but when we evaluate what makes a great coach we look for three things: Hungry. Humble. Happy.
We’d argue if you looked up those three words in the dictionary, you’d see his face. Or maybe this one…
Let’s talk about hungry first. He coaches a ton of hours. He holds a full time job so that he can make enough to move closer to the gym (yes, he likes you that much!) and is among the first to raise his hand if anyone needs help. That means anything from filling coaching hours when a conflict arises to staying after class to help with kipping. He launched our Barbell Club (and created the secret handshake), ran the Men’s Fresh Start Challenge and built the personal coaching model we now have at the Cove. And if you want to talk about literal hunger, no one can meal prep like this guy. We’ve seen more Tupperware photos in the last year from him than all of us combined in our full two years.
Humble is an understatement. He comes in, does the work and kills it every time. Many of us don’t get to see him workout regularly, so thankfully he offered to Facebook Live his Open Workouts. He’s a beautiful mover, strong as s#*t and is the first to circle the room for fist bumps in the sweaty aftermath. He’s the ‘rabbit’ for many scoring-wise, but he is the muse for sound and virtuous movement for all of us!
“Hey John….’Why so serious!?!?’” as some members like to say. But underneath that sometimes laser-focused face is someone who just makes this place FUN.
Even walking in the door becomes an event when John is there. He’ll yell your name out across the room like you’re a celebrity showing up at an event. Angie noted “He makes you feel special just for showing up”. And as Brittany M said, “No one will be more excited to see you come back after some time off than John. He’s not afraid to tell you that you can do better and he can make you believe in yourself again.”
Melissa added, “Coach John is hands-down one of my favorite coaches. From his little words of encouragement to his fist bump at the end of class, he is there for you 100%. He takes CrossFit seriously, but not himself and always has a smile, wave, hug, or hello for anyone who walks in the box.”
We couldn’t have said it better. “He takes CrossFit seriously, but not himself seriously.” That, in a nutshell, is the also culture of the Cove.
We’ve heard lots of stories about John but this anecdote from Simone pretty much sums him up. “I remember the first time I met John. This was before I even knew he would be coaching at the Cove. It was in the middle of a workout and I was sucking badly! He had already finished and said to me (in a completely serious tone), if you finish in under 25 minutes, I’ll do my hair like you. Of course I finished… but I’m still waiting for him to change his hair! The point is, John has a way of saying one thing to motivate and push you beyond what you think you can do. But he also does it with great sense of humor which helps me to enjoy every class with him.”
Robyn Z copped to some of the athletes turning the tables on him. “And now it’s kinda fun to mess with him a bit I don’t know when it started but it’s hilarious when people are like “what did you say? What was the number of reps again?” It’s funny to watch him try to keep his cool”.
John’s impact, however, seeps outside the box in meaningful ways too. Just one of many he’s helped, Jessica adds “Most people know by now that I stopped drinking alcohol back in January, and he was such a source of support at that time, checking in and making sure I didn’t feel alone. It really brought us from coach-athlete to friends. Knowing that I had someone who looked out for me and wanted me to succeed both in the gym and outside of it was really helpful. I’m really grateful for him.”
And the love fest rolls deep through the coaches. Maria said it best with “I adore John… he is unapologetically himself; he’s a weirdo, and he fits right in with the rest of us! His love for fitness, his dogs, chicken wings, ‘Mommy Mondays’ and social media is pure.”
Yep, everything about this weirdo guy is pure. John, from the bottom of our hearts, we want to say thanks for an amazing year and we look forward to many more to come!
Coach’s Tip: This is a classic “push-pull” workout today. The rest is in there to give you recovery time, but also so you can go all out during the ‘work time’. You should be a minute or less on the row and go directly into the push jerks. They do not need to be unbroken but should be done in sets of 5 at least.
Today we tackle the “Chief”! Each year in the United States Navy, a highly qualified and elite cadre of Sailors are selected and promoted to the join the ranks of Chief Petty Officer. Since 1893, “The Chiefs” have been relied upon by subordinates and superiors alike for their personal example, technical expertise and above all, their unique leadership capabilities. “The Chief” honors and recognizes all past and present CPOs. Thanks to them and their families for their self-sacrifice, ability to adapt, tireless dedication to mission and devotion to country.
We will be scoring FULL ROUNDS only which makes it even more challenging but a ton of fun.
WOD
“The Chief”
Max Rounds in 3 minutes:
3 Power Cleans
6 Push-ups
9 Squats
Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.
Post TOTAL number of rounds (ONLY FULLY COMPLETED ROUNDS COUNT!)
Fitness: 95/65
Performance: 135/95
Open: 135/95
Coach’s Tip: Push Ups are always the issue with this WOD, so make sure you are super warm and work on full range of motion. Quick barbell cycling will help (even with only three reps per round) and make sure you hit that depth on the air squats and fully open those hips for a clean rep!
The 6:30am class hit the asphalt for a sunrise workout last week…
Please join us for the second annual Cove Pool WOD on August 19th! This was an incredible event last year and we encourage everyone to attend! A huge thanks to Kim, Steve, Justin and Jenna M. for making this happen. We will have the pool to ourselves for an hour before it opens and plan program somethings special for the occasion! Don’t worry if you can’t swim well (or at all!) as we’ll have plenty of scaling options for everyone.
Plan to show up a little early (10am-ish) to sign your waiver, pay the guest fee and warm up, as we’ll need to finish up by the time the pool opens at 12pm. Cost will be $7 per person at the door, however this fee will allow you to hang out for the rest of the day (if you want and we hope you do!). The pool is extremely kid friendly (playground, volley ball, tennis, basketball, etc.) and there are several grills so definitely plan to stay after to hang out and eat – you can even bring a cooler of drinks (yes, the pool allows beer, but no glass bottles)! We will send a potluck sign up sheet out in the weeks before.
SKILL WOD
Turkish Get Ups
6 Total (three per arm)
30 Second side plank (30 on each side)
x 3
WOD
30 Alternating 1 Arm DB Snatches
20 Box Jumps
10 Burpees
12 min AMRAP
Coach’s Tip: The skill WOD will be a nice shoulder warm up for the metcon, so really dial in on good form and technique. The DB Snatches come from the ground, so please make sure you keep that chest up every time (no hunching over to grab it off the ground!). We are only going 12 min, so make the most of it and push hard the whole time (this is not a slow and steady kinda day). Strive for somewhere between 2-4 rounds!
Sammy J. is only two months into CrossFit and his gains are extraordinary! He even signed up for his first competition in September. Amazing.
To take advantage of more ‘quiet time’ before Open Gym, yoga this Sunday will start at 8:15 again. If you have a mat please bring it. But for those coming at 9 for Open Gym, feel free to start working out! Yoga folks know that this is part of the deal! You may see some new faces from CrossFit Federal Hill (CFH is closed for the Level 1 Certification course) so give them a warm welcome!
The best part about CrossFit is not just what happens IN the box, it’s what it allows you to do OUTSIDE the box. Huge congrats to Hugo, Melissa, Cristi and Julie and crushing the Spartan Race this weekend!
We have just a few spots left for the handstand classes that start SATURDAY AT 8AM! The classes will focus on the following:
Learning to leave the wall behind and/or improve your handstands (and HSPU) by focusing on freestanding work.
– Developing proper body positions and how to use tumbling to exit the handstand.
– Improved body awareness and control when upside down.
– Strength building drills for handstand walking and HSPU’s
The classes will run on Saturday mornings at 8am and it will run for four weeks starting on Saturday, July 22nd. The cost for this course is $60 so if you are still interested, sign up HERE!
WOD
3 Min AMRAP
400 M Run
Max Squat Cleans
Rest 2 minutes
4 Min AMRAP
400 M Run
Max Squat Cleans
Rest 2 minutes
5 min AMRAP
400 M Run
Max Squat Cleans
Fitness: 115/75 (Max Front Squats)
Performance: 135/95
Open: 185/125
Coach’s Tip: The load should be heavy today. Spend the warm up focusing on good squat mechanics The time domain goes up as you get more fatigued, but each run should be attacked fully so you can get more time on the squat cleans/front squats.
Accumulate as many doubles as possible in 6 minutes
(one partner works one partner rests)
WOD
100 Walking Lunges (Synchronized, both people do 100)
50 Sit ups (Synchronized, both people do 50)
100 Burpee Pull ups (one person works one person rests)
16 min AMRAP
Fitness: Feel free to break the burpees and pull ups up. Do 10 burpees then 10 pull ups = 10 reps
Performance: Goblet Lunges (35/26)
Open: Goblet Lunges (53/35) (Chest to bar Pull ups)
Coach’s Tip:
About 4 weeks ago we did another partner workout with 100 pull ups but wrapping the pull up with a burpee is going to make this a much more demanding movement as far as breathing. So look to make frequent exchanges with your to keep the workout moving.
Join Ashley G. for another amazing yoga session this Sunday at 8:15am. Bring your mat and an open mind…
STRENGTH WOD
20 1 Arm DB Clean and Jerk
200 M Run
30 1 Arm DB Power Snatch
400 M Run
40 1 Arm DB Clean and Jerk
600 M Run
50 1 Arm DB Power Snatch
800 M run
25 Minute Time Cap
All movements with the DB are done from the hanging position. Please do not drop the dumbbells. Alternate arms after each rep. 20= 10 on each side.
Coach’s Tip: Weather is calling for very high temps Thursday, so if you prefer to row (vs run), that’s just fine! We will just up the meters slightly to 300, 500, 750 and 1000.
Today we celebrate Lydia M., one of the strongest women we’ve ever met. Sure, she’s strong with the barbell and can crush a WOD, but the strength this woman has goes far beyond what she does in the box.
Denisse W., Lydia’s dear friend, had been trying to convince her to come for months and months, but couldn’t get through. “Naturally, I’m an extreme introvert. Denisse had been trying to get me in since she joined over a year ago. I don’t do crowds. I get anxiety. I didn’t think I could do it. But she was getting stronger and growing muscle at such a rate I had to at least think about it. I don’t want to be skinny, rather I want to be STRONG. I want to show my girls they can be STRONG.”
Many of us can relate to wanting to be a good role model of strength for our children, but for her, it means so much more.
“I came from an abusive relationship. I was broken. I had lost all confidence in myself. I was a young single mom, not getting child support and things were really, really hard. But I worked hard and got a job and ultimately bought my own home. Coming out of that relationship I wouldn’t have thought I could ever own a home. Or be smart enough. Or strong enough. But I did it.”
“I still have low self-esteem. I play it off well, but it’s an issue that’s always there. And I didn’t have real confidence in myself until I met Brian (her husband and fellow Cove athlete). He made me feel special. He constantly tells me I can do amazing things. He always tells me I can do anything I put my mind to. He’s my rock. He’s my everything.”
This gift of confidence helped bring her to the Cove five months ago. “After kids, fitness took a backseat. But now I feel like a person again. When I do a new movement that I couldn’t’ do before, I feel great. Even if I’m not doing them perfectly, I’m doing them. I started getting double-unders and it was the best thing ever. I love how I don’t have to think about planning a workout, but I can think during it. I love being kept on my toes. Every time I do anything here I’m thinking about my movement. That I’m doing it the right way. It’s amazing how this has all helped with my confidence.”
“When I’m here, its like family. Everyone is so nice and supportive. If anyone is struggling, there’s always someone there to help. I remember a time there was a new woman in class who was struggling to get out of the bands on her pull-ups. I ran over and pulled her feet right out. I did it because I knew someone would do that for me.”
“That’s what I love about the Cove. This place… it feels like home. I don’t have to be feel self-conscious. No one is judging me. The Cove has played a huge role in making me the person I am today. I would tell anyone that this place will change you and make you a better person.”
And her hard work is having ripple effects at home. “My girls want to be more active now. I went for a swim this weekend and my daughter wanted to do laps with me. When I read the WODs religiously at 8p every night, the girls want to know what the workout is. And if it’s something they haven’t heard of, they ask me to demo the movements. And when I do WODs at home, sometimes they join in. And they even give Brian a hard time. They’ll say things like “You better listen to mom, because she can beat you up.”
Not for long though! She’s gotten Brian to drink the Kool Aid too. Brian is so happy to have his fit wife and her booty gains, but now he’s becoming a regular too. “I was so worried when he couldn’t come in with me when I started. He works in DC and getting here was really hard for him, but he’s made it a priority. We wanted to do this for our health, and now that he’s coming in regularly, he’s getting his confidence back too. Every night we discuss the workout and our lens on the workout couldn’t be more opposite! He’ll say things like “ You have to go knowing you will crush this workout”. And I’ll say things like “You need to go in knowing you’re going get your ass kicked. We have completely different approaches but we are loving it the same.”
“I love working out with him. It makes me so happy seeing him do things he normally wouldn’t do. I look at him and think “There’s my strong man”. It’s awesome.
Her own transformation is nothing short of amazing. “Everything has changed.
I was up to a size 16 after I delivered Jaycelyn. I put on 50lbs with the pregnancy. When I came here I was a size 10. Now I’m a size four.”
Her scale has gone down by 15 to 20 pounds in the last five months, but it looks like she’s lost twice that because of all her muscle gains. “I started counting macros right around when I started working out. I was doing weight watchers prior to that, but started counting macros because with Weight Watchers I was starving myself. Now I’m a path to get to my maintenance track and I feel great”.
What’s on her list? “I want a very muscular, lean look. I’d like to improve my lifting. I want to do the Open next year. And I may want to compete in a local competition. Growing up I ran track and did hurdles. So when I do box jumps I find myself launching one leg up because of all my years of training. So yeah, I want to fix that.”
She’s one of our most regular athletes at the Cove. “I HAVE to come in. I have goals for my fitness. And if I don’t come in on my routine basis, I feel like I’m letting myself down. “
I asked her what she would have told her former self if she could go back in time. “I think about this everyday. But I remind myself I wouldn’t have what I have now if hadn’t gone through these life trials. If I could talk to the old me I would tell myself that a relationship where you are in pain is not worth saving. If you unhappy every day, that’s not the life for you. Trust in yourself. You can always make your life better. But you have to CHOOSE to do it. You have to do it for YOURSELF.
Lydia, thank you for sharing your story. Thank you for inspiring us all. And thank you for choosing us.
STRENGTH WOD
100 M Farmers Carry
20 Hollow Rocks
8 Sumo Deadlifts (60-70% of 1 RM Across)
3 Rnds
WOD
1 Min Assault Bike Sprint
4 minutes Rest
1 Min Assault Bike Sprint
Coach’s Tip: Similar to our last weightlifting Wednesday we have our focus set up on the first portion. Today’s focus will be on the sumo deadlifts specifically. The load should be something challenging, but controlled. 8 Reps is on the high end so the first few of each set should be smooth. The assault bike sprints should be done all out. Let’s crank the tunes and get that energy up!
