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 AMRAPFitness:75/55RX: 95/65RX+: 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…
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…
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.
Yep, you are reading that right! We are at the Cove doing measurements for the Nutrition Challenge and Fresh Start Ladies anyway, so thought we’d keep the doors open a bit later. We will ask that you be out by 2p, however… “open until 2p” does not mean come in at 1:50 while we try to close up. Thanks in advance!
Give these people some support as they kick off a 35 day New Year Nutrition Challenge Monday! Here’s Coach Brittany going over the do’s and don’ts!
10 Scap Pull ups15 Banded Pull A parts1 minute of shoulder distractions 3 RoundsWOD
25 M Walking Lunge (with slam ball) 10 Slam Balls50 M Sprint (down and back) 6 Rounds
Fitness: 20/15
RX: 30/20
Coach’s Tip:When we say sprint on the run, we mean SPRINT on the run. Use the lunges as a chance to keep moving and catch your breath, but this is where you “rest”. This should be a fast, burner type of WOD that will leave you breathless, but not overly fatigued muscularly. Build that engine!
Monday starts the Fresh Start Challenge and the kickoff of the New Year’s Nutrition Challenge. For the Fresh Start, we will have 12 women in dedicated classes at 7:30pm M, W and Fridays. If you are coming or going around that time, please give them a warm Cove welcome and a fist pump! Our nutrition challenge athletes will be embarking on a clean eating journey for 35 days, so as always, be supportive (and try not to invite them out for drinks until it is done!). We have 40+ athletes and coaches participating and we can’t wait to see the amazing results.
PARTNER WOD
With a running clock:
0 – 10 MinutesDouble Grace Female/Female teams (120 Cals) 60 Clean and Jerks for TimeFitness: 95/65RX: 135/95RX+: 155/10510-20 Minutes150 Cals Female/Female teams (120 Cals) 20-25 Minutes100 KB Swings
Fitness: 35/26
RX: 53/35
RX+: 70/53
Coach’s Tip: The faster you work, the more rest you get. If you do not finish each of the movements in the time domain, just move onto the next and note how many reps you knocked out. Since you have a partner and rest is baked in while they work, challenge yourself with a heavier barbell or KB!
Welcome new(ish) member Josh T! Making 24″ box jumps look easy…
We are so excited for the start of our current gymnastics cycle and we have heard lots of positive chatter from the community as well. We’ve also heard a bit of frustration that people want to hit certain movements like muscle-ups (as an example) but have been directed to work more on pull-ups first. While we can’t address it all here (this will already be a nice and long blog post) please know we are ALWAYS here as coaches to answer your questions individually. Having said that, we want to share as much of our broad thinking as possible. We also want to share questions we’ve been hearing about the cycle as we are sure that if a few of you have questions, many more probably have the same ones but haven’t asked. Here’s a bit of background…
We have chosen to focus on three separate, but related, gymnastics movements that build upon one another.
Pull Ups – focusing on developing strict strength to pull ourselves over the bar and supporting it by teaching kipping fundamentals.Toes-to-Bar– continuing the refine the kipping motion teaching straight arm lat engagement and putting a greater demand on our mobility and core strength.Muscle Up – combining deep pulling and core strength, scapular stability, and the ability the dip to this high-skill gymnastics move.It is important to note that all three of these movements are related and by perfecting one you improve the quality of the rest. We know that many athletes dream of getting their first bar muscle up, but by spending more time perfecting the kip with toes-to-bar or developing a full range of our pulling strength, it WILL eventually lead to that first muscle up. But more importantly, it will give you the fundamentals to do them efficiently and safely. Everything is a progression and we are all in different phases of the development needed for each.Speaking of progressions, it is VERY important that you have a base of skill and strength to determine the appropriate movement you should focus on…As a guideline to be part of the muscle up track we want people to have 8 consecutive Chest-to-Bar Pull Ups. Having that deep pulling strength is very important. We discussed this standard as a staff and want you to hit that standard using either kipping or the butterfly method before thinking to move to the muscle up track. We have had some questions about learning Butterfly Pull Ups as a skill. Note that this is a high skill movement that really serves the competitive CrossFitter. That does not mean you want to just get good Metcon times, it means you plan to go outside the box and compete regionally. If that is a goal of yours we are happy to support you. With that said, we want you to have great mobility and stability at the shoulder, have a baseline of 6+ pull ups, and have really perfected our classic gymnastics kip before we butterfly. There has been some concern that this cycle might lead to rips. Our plan is to have 2 days focused on our gymnastic movements. One will be more dynamic like Monday’s EMOM but the other day will be more core, raw strength, and skill based training that will support your skill development but not beat up your hands. We also have people that want to work on two tracks at the same time. Generally we think it would be fine to focus on one movement track during class and add some of the strength/skill accessory work at another time. So for example, I would work on toes-to-bar during class but at another time I might work on some J-hook pull ups or ring rows to help my pull-ups. That is fine as long as you are not over-using your shoulders or destroying your hands. Talk to a coach about appropriate volume and times to do this if you have questions!
The exciting thing about this cycle is that this is a HIGHLY individualized training cycle so each athlete should see great results if you stick to the programming. The hard part is that this cycle is that it is so individualized that the answer won’t be the same for everyone. Embrace it. Don’t worry about what the guy or gal next to you is doing. Do your thing. Do it great. And great things will happen. Promise.
1 minute on 30 seconds off for 12 minutes8 Back SquatsMax Double Unders Fitness: 95/65RX: 115/75RX+: 135/95Coach’s Tip:There is rest in this workout, but it is not a lot. 30 seconds will fly by after the third round. If you are good at math, you’re realize this is 8 rounds of work. That means you’ll be hitting 64 reps on the back squat! Some of you were complaining about soreness from Monday’s monster leg day, so please stay on the light side if it took you a while to recover from that. Use the time to go quick on the squats and develop your doubles. Regardless of the weight you choose you should be able to knock out all 8 unbroken and fairly easily for most of the rounds! If you do not feel comfortable lowering the bar on your back please use a rack. If you are coming from the floor, feel free to clean the bar up before the minute starts and be ready to go at the top of the minute.
We already have around 30 people signed up…. but the more the merrier! To start the New Year right, we are offering a nutrition challenge unlike any we have done before!Yes there will be food rules, but this is not a “30 Day Paleo Challenge”. This is 5 weeks to a new you… but you won’t be alone. Although sign ups will be individual, we will create teams for greater accountability. There will be some rules, but more importantly, you will be coached on developing the mindset that will transform and ingrain these guidelines into habit and lifestyle.
“Eating clean” is one of the least restrictive and most effective pathways to better health. You’ll learn how identify and eliminate processed foods that may be wreaking havoc on your body, and how to replace them with foods that will make you stronger, leaner, and overall better. Most importantly, you will be coached to adopt the mindset that will make this outlook your lifestyle, setting you up for success in the new year and beyond.
This Challenge will be led by coach Brittany and will last 5 weeks.
This challenge is for those who are willing and dedicated to making a change. The cost is $100 and includes the following:
Kick Off Meeting Thursday January 5th at 8:30PM.
The Challenge officially begins January 9th and ends on Sunday, February 12th.
There will be a Mid-Challenge group meeting and potluck on January 22nd.
We will set up a Private Facebook page to post recipes, challenges, successes etc.
InBody body composition analysis at the beginning and end of challenge, providing weight and % body fat analysis. The value and accuracy of this, similar to a BodPod, would be $50 PER use. So the $100 would cover the analytics alone!
(InBody Body composition analyzer is a tool we secured for the New Year clean eating challenge. See the InBody analysis below for an example of the information you will get:
Teams will be set up to increase accountability. Each week Teams will accrue points based on following food criteria, working out and weekly bonus challenges. There will be a can and can not eat list as this is a time to reset the body and clean out the sludge from the holidays. And instill healthy eating habits that can be pulled through all year long. This challenge is for those that are looking for fat loss, muscle gain and increased performance and just overall enhanced nutrition.
Winning team gets a 45-min one on one goal setting and personalized nutrition plan.
Health-supportive dietary recommendations, as well as coaching and support to keep you on track
We will post more information about the challenge over the next week. Space in this challenge will be limited and sign ups are live now. CLICK HERE to hold your spot!
STRENGTH WOD
Take 15 minutes to find a heavy load with this complex 1 Power Snatch + 2 Hanging Power Snatch(continue to build up in weight, but not necessarily looking for a one rep max!)
WOD
30 Cals (on the rower)15 Hanging Power Snatch 25 Burpee Box Jumps15 Hanging Power Snatch 30 Cals (on the Rower-For Time-14 MINUTE TIME CAPFitness: 95/65 (14/10)RX and RX+: 135/95 (24/20)
Coach’s Tip: Both the strength and metcon are repeats from Wednesday, January 20th 2016. The barbell weight you choose will make or break you for this workout. Pick something you can do in sets of five (at least) for the first round because the second set of 15 will feel MUCH heavier. The box and the row should be quick but steady, not a sprint. Use them as times to collect your breath and stabilize the heart rate so you can get after the bar!
Coach John helps one of his Barbell Club graduates, Melissa G., push through squat cleans!
Monday is New Year’s Day is “observed” Monday but we are sticking with the normal schedule. We have classes at 5:30 am, 6:30 am, 9:30 am, noon, 4:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 6:30 pm (with CrossFit 101 classes as well), and 7:30 pm.
NEW YEAR NEW STRENGTH CYCLE!
This week we will start a 6-8 week gymnastics cycle. You will have three tracks to pick from:
Bar Muscle Ups
Pull Ups
Toes to Bar
Here are the guidelines to choosing the correct one:
Bar Muscle Ups- If you have them already or if you can string together 8+ Chest to Bar.
Pull Ups – If you are looking to get stronger with them, string more together or get your first one. We will focus on strength and the skill of the movement.
Toes to Bar – If this is something you struggle with or you can not master kipping and feel like you are lacking core strength.
One day a week will be focused on skill and drills. Then one day a week will be an EMOM of that movement. Use the skill and drill days to dial things back and focus on great movement. Use the EMOM days to see progress and also focus on great movement. The key throughout the cycle will be moving well. Getting 5 kipping pull ups with your feet apart, reaching your chin to the bar in a broken position is not our goal. We want clean movement that will transfer to strong positions and keep us safe. The coaches will nit pick position, it is your job to execute.
NEW YEAR GOAL SETTING!
We hope you all saw Coach John’s post about the “Goal Wall”… it is being erased and reinvented on Monday! Yes, we will be wiping the Goal Wall clean and starting anew for 2017.We’re not here to abolish your goals but rather give your more guidance to help you achieve them. In addition to the goal wall, we will be allotting some time for “goal setting sessions” with anyone who needs some help or guidance. We are here to Coach you through movement and your fitness journey, but a better understanding of those goals and WHY you want to do these things is incredibly important context. Stay tuned for more information on how to get with a Coach to talk through goals!
If you missed John’s post, here’s how to re-write those goals for the Goal Wall for 2017!
But, for the Goal Wall… in order to achieve your goals they must be SMART:
SpecificMeasurableAchievableRealisticTime BoundHere are some quick guidelines for the new Goal Wall:THREE goals per person at a time- We are not trying to limit your goals here, but we’re trying to channel your focus. If you write down 15 goals on the board, how do you choose which one(s) to focus on?! By focusing on 3 at a time you can give each goal equal amount of attention and practice. Not to mention we have a lot more members and need more goal space. (P.s. the 3 goals is just for the Goal Wall, you should have a personal list written down somewhere with way more than 3 goals)Goals should be able to be achieved in 2-3 months- You should have both short-term and long-term goals. For example, say your long-term/ultimate goal is a Muscle Up but you can’t do 1 strict pullup, butterfly chest-to-bar pullups, and dips. You should be focusing on a strict pullup first. If you feel like 2-3 months isn’t a long enough time to develop a strict pullup then you can make even shorter-term goals such as being able to move from a green to a blue band in all pullup WODs or being able to do 10 inverted ring rows. By breaking down your long-term goals into a bunch of short-term goals you will be able to keep checking off goals in a timely manner and that will give you the juice to keep plugging along!Try to vary your goals (maybe have 1 gymnastics goal, 1 weightlifting, 1 metabolic conditioning)- This one is coming straight from Coach Maria and it is a fantastic idea! We want to be as well rounded in CrossFit as we can- we need to be strong, have great body control, and have a good metabolic conditioning capacity (or a “good engine”). By varying your goals you will force yourself to work on all aspects of your fitness.With all that being said these are just guidelines. If you want to work on just strength, by all means go ahead. But you are going to feel like you’re dying during metcons. If you want to focus on all cardio, by all means go ahead. But nobody wants to hear you complain about not getting stronger.
NEW YEAR NUTRITION CHALLENGE!
With many of us coming off of excessive holiday eating and to kick off the New Year right, we are offering a nutrition challenge unlike any we have done before!Yes there will be food rules, but this is not a “30 Day Paleo Challenge”. This is 5 weeks to a new you… but you won’t be alone! Although sign ups will be individual, we will create teams for greater accountability. There will be some rules, but more importantly, you will be coached on developing the mindset that will transform and ingrain these guidelines into habit and lifestyle.
“Eating clean” is one of the least restrictive and most effective pathways to better health. You’ll learn how identify and eliminate processed foods that may be wreaking havoc on your body, and how to replace them with foods that will make you stronger, leaner, and overall better. Most importantly, you will be coached to adopt the mindset that will make this outlook your lifestyle, setting you up for success in the new year and beyond.
This Challenge will be led by coach Brittany and will last 5 weeks.
This challenge is for those who are willing and dedicated to making a change. The cost is $100 and includes the following:
Kick Off Meeting Thursday January 5th at 8:30PM.
The Challenge officially begins January 9th and ends on Sunday, February 12th.
There will be a Mid-Challenge group meeting and potluck on January 22nd.
We will set up a Private Facebook page to post recipes, challenges, successes etc.
InBody body composition analysis at the beginning and end of challenge, providing weight and % body fat analysis. The value and accuracy of this, similar to a BodPod, would be $50 PER use. So the $100 would cover the analytics alone!
(InBody Body composition analyzer is a tool we secured for the New Year clean eating challenge. See the InBody analysis below for an example of the information you will get:
Teams will be set up to increase accountability. Each week Teams will accrue points based on following food criteria, working out and weekly bonus challenges. There will be a can and can not eat list as this is a time to reset the body and clean out the sludge from the holidays. And instill healthy eating habits that can be pulled through all year long. This challenge is for those that are looking for fat loss, muscle gain and increased performance and just overall enhanced nutrition.
Winning team gets a 45-min one on one goal setting and personalized nutrition plan.
Health-supportive dietary recommendations, as well as coaching and support to keep you on track
We will post more information about the challenge over the next week. Space in this challenge will be limited and sign ups are live now. CLICK HERE to hold your spot!
ROW, RUN, RIDE: GO THE DISTANCE!
Caught the rowing bug after the 100,000 Meter Challenge? Want something new to challenge you in 2017? We have a great opportunity for you, and it’s for a great cause! Our very own Nassim E., inspired by Garth C’s Million Meters and the 100K row challenge she did herself, has partnered with CrossFit Federal Hill and Geo’s Rockwell’s “Community of Strength Project” to turn meters into opportunity for these deserving kids. If you don’t know about this program, read more HERE!
And now, The Community of Strength Project (COSP) is partnering up with Baltimore City Community College to raise money to send the COSP students to college!
You can help by joining this year-long challenge where you can chose to row, run, or ride 1,000,000 (that’s right, one million) Meters by the end of 2017.
All you need to do is create a team through this link, advertise the campaign on social media, and start rowing, running, or riding. All the money will go directly to Baltimore City Community College exclusively for the Community of Strength Project kids. In turn, we will be able to send our students to college, all expenses paid!
Read more about this awesome opportunity on our Team Page.
Spread the word; this is open to anyone wanting to set an awesome goal for themselves in 2017!
STRENGTH WOD
All legit cycles start with a test. We need data to compare and show improvement. We will test with an EMOM. A max effort set is also an option, but the improvement on that will not translate well to what we want to accomplish.. We want to be able to maintain volume over a long duration. Pick a number that you think you can maintain, but overall mark your score down as total reps completed during the 7 minute period.
Gymnastics Cycle TestEMOM in 7 minutes_____Muscle ups_____ Pull ups_____ Toes to Bar
WOD
“Fire it up”15 Squat Cleans60 Wall Balls15 Squat CleansFitness: 95/65RX: 135/95RX+: 175/11515 min Time Cap
Coach’s Tip:Don’t you think we today’s blog is long enough? Just keep moving. If you are looking to scale this workout, scaling the numbers of reps is an excellent option as well as the weights.
Meet Kasey, one of our newest and most awesome members! He’s killing it already!
Happy New Year Covies! Hope everyone had a wonderful night and is ready to welcome in the New Year with a missed WOD, skill work or tackling those mobility issues! A HUGE thanks to Coach John for opening up at 9:30 (as you know our original hours were going to be 11a to 2p) but because this man is serious about his fitness, he can’t wait until 11! So, see you in 2017!!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! PARTY LIKE YOU ARE JOHN JUBAR (one picture just wasn’t enough)!
