Edward Blanch

January 17, 2017

Wednesday, January 18th 2017

WEDNESDAY WINS!

To day we celebrate an awesome athlete, husband and dad of two, Kyle M. About a year ago, Kyle committed himself to his fitness, and we were lucky that he chose the Cove to reach his goals.

Among other things, he’s improved his back squat by 50lb, built quite an engine and after participating in the barbell club his lifts are not only stronger, they are better. As we all know quality of movement is more important than the loads we lift, and Kyle has done wonders with his form. And of course the numbers increased after that. He’s drunk on CrossFit Koolaid and has even installed a garage gym at this home so he can chug it all day long.

What makes Kyle’s circumstance even harder than any other multi-taking professional/family man is that he has a demanding job that requires extensive travel. As we all know, being ‘off schedule’ can destroy consistency in working out and good nutrition. He’s on the road often and the turnaround on his trips is so fast that it is hard to keep a routine.

Thankfully he’s got an amazing support system at home to help him prepare for life on the road (and helps him stay on track when he’s back at home). Caroline, also a Covie, got him a meal prep travel bag that he now packs when he’s heading out. It fits several meals and has ice packs to preserve the food during flights (and yes, apparently TSA allows you to travel with it as look as the ice packs are frozen). Now instead of booking hotels with great restaurants, he’s on the hunt for hotels with microwaves and refrigerators.

Kyle is leading by example and we are taking notes. Last year his focus was on his fitness and this year his sights are set on adding better nutrition. It’s hard to figure out everything out at once, but if you approach change in ‘bite sized pieces’ (pun intended), you’ll likely see success is much easier to find.

And he’s figured out that what works for other people doesn’t always work for him… and that’s just find. As he wisely said “It’s about finding what works for you. If I’m 80 or 90% there, I’m good. I can’t lose sleep over it. It’s a challenge across the board, but we are finding what works best for US”.

FRESH START STRENGTH WOD

Front Squats

5/5/5

WOD

5 Push Ups

10 Goblet Squats

15 Double Unders/30 Singles

12 Minute AMRAP of:

FX: 18lb

RX: 26

RX+: 35

COVE SKILL WOD

For 12 minutes

Min 1: 7 Wall Slides – DEMO HERE

Min 2: Pigeon Pose on a box (30 seconds each leg)

Min 3: 12-15 Heavy Russian KB Swings

COVE WOD

35 Cal Row

30 Sit Ups

25 Deadlifts

2 Rounds

Fitness: 185/125

RX: 225/155

RX+: 225/155 (20 GHD Sit ups)

15 Min Cap

Coach’s Tip: This is a fairly generous time cap, but you will still need to cruise through the row and sit ups to leave enough time for the barbell. If see you are nearing seven minutes after round one, PLEASE consider reducing the number of reps on each movement to ensure you hit all of them. Or just come out of the gate and consider doing 30/25/20 instead. Your core will be fatigued, so maintain good spine position (lock in that midsection!!) and ensure the only movement is happening at the hip. The coaches will tell you to drop the bar immediately if they feel you are in a compromised position. We would much rather cost you five seconds on your score than a week of a sore back.

An epic 9:30am class getting ready for power cleans this Monday!…

January 16, 2017

Tuesday, January 17th 2016

STRENGTH WOD

7 Single Arm KB Press (each Arm) 20 Second Hollow Hold into 20 seconds of Flutter Kicks 4 Rounds WOD

10 Min AMRAP 10 Push Press 10 Front Rack Lunges 10 Burpees Fitness: 75/55 RX: 95/65 RX+: 115/75

Coach’s Tip: The barbell will get heavy FAST on this workout so pick a load you can do unbroken on the Push Press and on the Lunges for at least the first round. We did a 10 minute AMRAP last week (shoulder to overhead with box jumps and sit ups) so that should give you an indication of how heavy those light weights can feel. And this is a Push Press, not a Jerk, so it will be even harder! And yes, friends… burpees are your rest.

Mark S. showing great explosiveness onto the box…

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January 15, 2017

Monday, January 16th 2016

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CONGRATULATIONS ATHLETES!

One of our most favorite things is when our athletes step outside their comfort zone and try new things, and this was certainly a weekend where people did just that. We had several athletes compete in their first competition (or their first “outside the box” competition) and even had one travel all the way to Miami to compete in her first elite invitational event. We’d bet most of these people would tell you they were incredibly nervous or anxious going in (and maybe lost some sleep thinking about it), but we guarantee you that NONE of them regret doing it. If you are thinking about competing or want to know more about it, we are more than happy to talk to you. It’s an experience you will never forget.

Some highlights included athletes hitting PRs, not just once, but multiple times. We saw people do movements they had never done before and work seamlessly as unified teams. We had people place on the podium and others who held their own against people who have been competing for years. We had the best fans in the house and we appreciate the Cove love that was felt there and virtually! All in all, a great weekend for the Cove and we’re excited to watch our next batch compete at the Battle of Baltimore on Saturday, January 28th!

FRESH START STRENGTH

Find a heavy Hanging Power Clean

FRESH START WOD

12 Minute EMOM (Every Minute on the Minute):

8 Hang Power Cleans

10 Slam Balls

12 Knees to Waist (or Knees to Chest or Toes to Bar)

COVE STRENGTH WOD

EMOM for 8 minutes MU- 5 strict ring pull ups (pull as high as possible) + 6 tempo Push ups (3 seconds down then explode up) Pull Ups- 5 strict pull ups with a 2 second pause at the top + 6 kips with a towel between the feet Toes to Bar -5 strict leg raises + 6 kipping straight leg toes to bar (get as high as possible with straight legs while you maintain a kip) WOD

10 Power Cleans 18 Box Jumps (jump up/step down) 3 Rounds Fitness: 115/75 RX: 135/95 RX+: 155/105 10 Min Time Cap

Coach’s Tip: The jump up step down ensures safety, but it also works explosiveness off the ground. It eliminates the stretch reflex and makes you explode from a more static position. The weight on the clean should be something heavy, but not singles out of the gate. At least be able to string a set of five on the first go!

Beast.

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January 14, 2017

Sunday, January 15th 2016

OPEN GYM 9a-NOON!

Come on in and make up a missed WOD, mobilize or work on some skills! Of if you are looking for rest day, head on up to Titan CrossFit and watch some of your fellow Covies compete in the mixed gender divisions! First heats go at 9:30a and run until 3p! And a huge congrats to the F/F teams who competed today. Not only were you just amazing, you made us all so proud!

Ever wonder what happens between the 9:30 and Noon classes when Holden coaches? Modeling sessions in the back office, of course…

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January 13, 2017

Saturday, January 14th 2016

WELCOME CROSSFIT FEDERAL HILL

CFH, owned by our very own “WODFather” Geo Rockwell, is closed this weekend as they are hosting the CrossFit Level One Staff for the Level One Course. When this happens, we invite their athletes down to come WOD with us (I mean, who wants to miss a workout, right?!). So give them a nice Cove welcome and introduce yourself to someone you might not recognize!

GOOD LUCK ATHLETES!

Looking for something to do this weekend? Come watch you fellow Cove Athletes compete at the Gemini Games at Titan CrossFit! We have F/F teams competing on Saturday in the scaled division (Nicole B./Ashley C. and Liz B. and Angela D.)! On Sunday we have the mixed gender groups competing. On the docket are Simone N./William S. and Coach Brian/Kim M.) in the scaled group. Misa F. and Coach John will be competing in the M/F RX division and Steve M and Coach Marina will take on the old folks in the RX Masters division!

Spectators are $10 at the door and all are welcome. We’d love the support! And if you can’t come, send those good Cove vibes our way and follow our progress on the Cove Club FB page!

COVE STRENGTH WOD

Overhead Squats 5/5/3/3/3

COVE WOD

50 M Sprint 8 Power Snatches 50 M Sprint 10 Bar Facing Burpees Rest 1 minute 4 Rounds Fitness: 95/65 RX: 115/75 RX+: 135/95

Coach’s Tip: You will start the workout by the cone nearest your barbell. Pending class sides, we will have people on both sides the cones. You will run 50M and immediately get back to your barbell for 8 snatches. You will then run another 50M and come back to your same barbell for 10 Bar Facing Burpees. Once you have done the ten burpees you have done ONE round. Then rest one minute and go back to your starting position. Please be careful to control your barbell as we will have lots of people doing burpees around you. Drop the bar from your waist or place it down!

Not sure what Coach John is saying but it looks like he’s describing something “that big”. And Don looks very interested…

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January 12, 2017

Friday, January 13th 2016

GOOD LUCK TO OUR COVE ATHLETES AT THE GEMINI GAMES!

Spectators are $10 at the door and all are welcome. We’d love the support! And if you can’t come, send those good Cove vibes our way and follow our progress on the Cove Club FB page!

FRESH START STRENGTH WOD

Strict Press/Push Press/Push Jerk

PARTNER WOD

“Balls to the Wall”

One Partner Working at a Time:

500 Meter Row Buy In

50 Wall Balls

500 Meter Row

50 Sit Ups

500 Meter Row

50 Kettlebell Swings

500 Meter Row

Fitness: 10/16

RX: 12/26

RX+: 14/35

COVE MOBILITY WOD

10 Scap Push ups 15 Banded Pull Aparts 1 minute of Overhead Bench stretch DEMO HERE 3 Rounds

COVE PARTNER WOD

Row 100 Cals as a Team Front Squat 50 Reps Power Clean 50 Reps Then row 100 Cals as a Team Fitness: 115/75 RX 155/105 RX+:175/115

Coach’s Tip: The load should be heavy on the squats and cleans. Each athlete should be doing a max of 10 reps at a time.

Love the father/son dynamic at the Cove. Especially when the kids are coaching the dads…

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January 11, 2017

Thursday, January 12th 2016

GOOD LUCK COACH BRITTANY!

She’s not just a great coach and nutrition guru, Coach Brittany and her three-woman team qualified for the elite competition Wodapalooza! For those of you who don’t know what this is, it is a three-day CrossFit competition in Miami for high level athletes and it is THIS WEEKEND. A) it is a VERY big deal and b) it attract’s the world’s best, so the competition is FIERCE to even qualify (only the top 30 teams in each division were invited to compete). She’ll be heading down today and the competition starts Friday.

Over the course of three days, she will hit a minimum of 9 WODs. Yes, you read that right. She’ll be doing Fran (with an assault bike thrown in for good measure), traversing monkey bars, climbing ropes, swimming and lifting a bunch of heavy s@#t. We all know she trains religiously and fuels her body beautifully, so we know she will do great. We will be publishing results on the FB page throughout the weekend so you can follow along! WISH HER LUCK!

STRENGTH WOD

MU Track- 5 strict ring pull-ups + 5 kipping ring pull ups PU Track- 5 strict pull ups + 5 negatives T2B Track- 5 Strict leg raises (get as high as possible) 5 kipping leg raises (get as high as possible with straight legs and pointed toes, this is very important) 4 Rounds of Each

WOD

15 Box Jumps 12 Shoulder to Overhead 9 Sit Ups 12 min AMRAP Fitness:75/55 RX: 95/65 RX+: 115/75

Coach’s Tip: The weight on the barbell should be you can do unbroken for at LEAST first two rounds. Throw those arms on the sit ups (not just to put momentum on your side to make them easier) but to let your shoulders loosen up after the overhead. And keep it steady on the boxes!

Christen V. working hard while Coach Holden is busy doing “other things” at the Holiday WOD…

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January 10, 2017

Wednesday, January 11th 2016

WEDNESDAY WINS!

Ryan W. personifies why the Cove even exists. If you’ve ever read our story, you know we built this place because “we understand that finding balance among career, family and self is a constant struggle that often feels impossible to reach.” Ryan struggled with that balance for years, and has finally found it. And he has done amazing things ever since. He celebrated his one year anniversary at the Cove, and to celebrate, he re-tested his first ever workout (21-15-9 front rack lunges and bar facing burpees). Last year his time was 11:58 with 55lb for the first 21, then 35lbs from there. This time he did the RX weight of 115 in 6:44. Holy crap.

Performance measures are great because they are objective, data-driven indicators of wins. But it is the more subjective things that make you FEEL different that are just as (or even more important) than empirical evidence. We asked him about how CrossFit and the Cove have moved THOSE soft measures and his story is just incredible:

Growing up an athlete, and staying around sports as a coach, I had always been in shape and made sure I stayed that way. That really started to change though when we had kids… Willa was a really tough baby. I had no experience with kids, and a lot of stress in my technology sales job— and Willa had colic. That colic resulted in daily fits of screaming from 4pm-9pm nearly every day. The same time I would use for the gym, or to unwind, was being consumed by a whole new stress.

Having just moved to Maryland, we were downsized in a small apartment, and with the screaming, our world felt really tiny. The only way to escape the evening fits and stress were car rides that, more often than not, ended up at Burger King for their $2 Ice Cream Sundaes. This started me down the wrong path.

As Willa got older, I added coaching to my plate. And not long after that, Ryder came into the picture. As more and more got added, going to the gym fell further and further from my focus. The more out of shape I got, the less I cared about how I was eating, and the worse I felt about myself— a terrible cycle had formed.

At one point before Thanksgiving last year I was tipping the scales at almost 210 pounds— This was 30 pounds more than when I first moved to Maryland.

I had tried Planet Fitness, the Y, and P90X during all the struggle— but nothing could keep me coming back. I needed a drastic change. I had heard about CrossFit for years—but always swore it wasn’t for me. Crossfitters, after all, were “crazy”.

I needed a dramatic change though— so maybe it was time. On New Year’s Eve last year I tried my first class— Coach Josh blasted the song Roxanne, and Marina took the class beside me asking, “So, do you know what a Burpee is?”. We move through the strength of ring rows and push-ups and I thought, “I got this.” Then we got into the MetCon… and I died. If Marina wasn’t so focused on keeping the gym clean, you might still see the chalk outline from where the police declared me dead in the back corner near the kettle bells.

Somehow I was hooked though. I couldn’t push myself that hard on my own. The community of people gathering around me cheering me through my first WOD brought out the competitive side of me. The hour-long classes made it seem digestible, and the fact that they were scheduled help me plan it into my day better.

CrossFit gave me a new focus. As I worked out more, I wanted to eat healthier. As I ate healthier the weight, fat and pants-sizes dropped. A whole new cycle had begun. I was down to 13% body fat, and was weighing in at 168lbs— 40 pounds less than before. Naturally, I started to feel a lot better about myself, and that carried over into a happier home life, and a happier work life.

I love to work, and I have some great hobbies in coaching hockey and playing golf— but there’s one thing I can’t say about those things that I can say about CrossFit: CrossFit changed my life.

Thanks to the Cove for having such a great atmosphere and such awesome coaches and athletes. And thanks for such amazing programming that sometimes rest days seem hard to come by 🙂

Lastly, I’d like to point out that when I started CrossFit, the one rule I had was that ‘I would not talk about CrossFit…’ I didn’t want to be one of those people. Now look what you’ve made me do.

FRESH START SKILL WOD

Squats and Pull Ups

WOD

Half “Cindy”

10 Minute AMRAP of:

5 Pull Ups

10 Push Ups

15 Air Squats

COVE STRENGTH WOD

Wide Stance Box squats 4/4/4/4/4

DEMO HERE

COVE WOD

1 Minute on 1 Minute off for 16 minutes:

6 Slam Balls

12 Jumping Air Squats

Max Doubles

Coach’s Tip: For the strength, this is something we did last week. BUT we noticed that people did not necessarily a) go wide enough or b) sit back deep enough in the squat to force the shins to the correct angle. We are looking for at least vertical… but ideally the shin angle should be pointed AT you. These are not your standard “box squats” and the load you can lift is likely a LOT less than what you can do for a regular back squat or box squat. This is building the HIP and most of us have mobility issues here. We are trying to intentionally fire the hip so we can translate that to our more ‘traditional’ squat. Even in the video you see he cruises through regular air squats but struggles with the wide stance box squat even without weight! The coach will be there to help you, but watching the video really helps (save yourself some time and start about 1:20 in…)

For the METCON, jumping air squats there just needs to be air under the feet that is all, it does not need to be a high jump. You should have at least 30 seconds on the rope, so if that’s not the case, definitely scale volume!

The nooners working hard…

January 9, 2017

Tuesday, January 9th 2016

THE POWER OF COMMUNITY

As you know, Monday started the Fresh Start Challenge and the kickoff of the New Year’s Nutrition Challenge. We asked some of our Fresh Start “graduates” to act as “Fairy WODmothers” to this new group of women. They have a private FaceBook page (like we have with the Cove Club) and our veterans have been amazing in providing ideas, support and words of encouragement. There were so many great posts, but wanted to share this one from Brittany M. It’s things like this that make this such a special place… and we know it is words like these that will help lift these women above the challenges ahead. These words will resonate with the Fresh Start ladies for sure, but we think they will be meaningful to all of you as well!

You start tomorrow!! Are you excited? Are you nervous? Good. I remember my first night. I had no idea what to expect. I was like, a little nauseous thinking about what awaited me and I almost backed out. I’m so glad I didn’t. If you’re feeling like that, don’t back out. Come in and we’ll work through it.

If you watched the video for the challenge you may remember some of my story. I reached a point in my fitness and in my life where I could no longer trust that my body could keep up with my life. I was getting ready to go on my first flight with my new baby and I remember thinking “I wonder if I can carry my daughter through the airport?” That was my moment. That was when I decided that I could no longer live a life where I had to ask myself those questions. I wanted a life where I could live to the fullest. I could go jump on a trampoline, or go for a hike, or even just park far from the entrance of a store. I wanted to be able to trust my body to do anything I wanted.

And you know what the best part is? Now it can! I recently wanted a sleeper sofa in my house moved from one room to another and my husband didn’t get around to it. So I did it! Do you know liberating that is? You will soon. Stick with this for the challenge and beyond and you will amaze yourself.

I can’t wait to meet you all. Embrace the process. You can do this!

STRENGTH WOD

Take 15 minutes to find a heavy Clean and Jerk

WOD

‪15-12-9-12-15 Clean and jerks Burpees Fitness 75/55 RX 95/65 RX+: 115/75 16 min time cap

Coach’s Tip: The weight on the barbell should be something you can cruise through! This is a high volume workout and you should be able to do BIG sets out of the gate. Try to hold on to the barbell as long as possible and use the burpees as “rest”. Yep, we said it — burpees are your rest!!

Lydia and Coach John having an intimate moment during squat cleans…

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January 8, 2017

Monday, January 9th 2016

WE ARE BETTER TOGETHER

Today we welcome 13 Fresh Start women to to the Cove to begin their six week journey to fitness AND we congratulate 40 of our athletes for re-booting their eating with a 35-Day New Year Nutrition challenge! If you see them, give a word of encouragement — these are HARD changes to make and as you know, the support of this community helps a ton!

The energy at the Cove has been amazing. Attendance has been up the last couple of weeks and nothing has made us happier. Our philosophy here at the Cove is that we all achieve more together. Some may see a big class and feel overwhelmed by the numbers but we see it as energy that pushes us to new levels of fitness so that we can achieve the goals we have set for ourselves. CrossFit is an amazing fitness routine but you can’t get the full effect without working out (or suffering) with someone next to you. That feeling of accomplishment of pushing hard isn’t the same unless you share it with someone next to you. There was a recent post on social picture that is going around that we just love:

When we saw this we thought of the culture that has emerged here at the Cove. The Cove is a place where new people are welcomed and encouraged. Where the veterans help the newbies and are always looking to be coached. It’s where high fives (and even hugs) are free and plentiful. A place where last one to finish the WOD gets the biggest applause. It’s a place where everyone can find success.

FRESH START STRENGTH

Find a Heavy 1RM (1 Rep Max) Deadlift

FRESH START WOD

8 Deadlifts

10 Sit Ups

12 Step Ups (or Box Jumps)

8 Minute AMRAP

(AMRAP = as many rounds as possible)

COVE STRENGTH WOD

EMOM for 8 minutes MU- 5 ring rows with a 3 second pause on each rep + 5 push ups Pull ups- 5 strict pull ups with a pause at the top + 5 push ups Toes to bar -10 banded pull downs + 10 Bar Kip Swings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvndXXP43jI) (Banded pull down- lay back on the ground with a pvc pipe looped in a band. The band is attached to the pull up bar as if you were using it for pull ups. Grab both ends of the pvc pipe and pull it down to your stomach while laying on the ground and keeping your arms straight and locked out) WOD

In ‪2:30 500/400 m row Max KB Swings Rest 90 Seconds 3 Rounds Fitness: 35/26 RX: 53/35 RX+: 70/53

Coach’s Tip: You should have MORE THAN 30 seconds on the KB (active working time) so please scale the row distance if this is not the case. Think of it as three mini-metcons and go hard at each!

Please be careful with wet, muddy, or salty shoes. They leave nasty footprints and burpees are gross enough without having a footprint on your shirt. AND… thank you in advance for helping us prevent breaking child labor laws to clean them up.

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About Edward Blanch

Posts by Edward Blanch:

Wednesday, January 18th 2017

Tuesday, January 17th 2016

Monday, January 16th 2016

Sunday, January 15th 2016

Saturday, January 14th 2016

Friday, January 13th 2016

Thursday, January 12th 2016

Wednesday, January 11th 2016

Tuesday, January 9th 2016

Monday, January 9th 2016

Edward Blanch

About Edward Blanch

Posts by Edward Blanch:

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