The gym is alive with the post Thanksgiving rowing challenge. We are amazed by all the members getting ahead of the curve knocking out 10 K at a time. Can you imagine rowing 100,000 meters in one sitting?
Darlene Breennan of Vermont did it in 11:58:20 and is 71 years old!
Thorsten Jonischkeit of Germany has the record at 6:11:54!
Before anyone thinks about making an attempting at this feat remember these guys are professionals.
Having done the row in the past just be sure try to get at least a little bit everyday when you come into the gym. Not every day has to be 10K slog. One of the best uses of rowing is as a recovery tool. So don’t be afraid to hit the erg post wod. It will help speed recovery and get you ready for the next class. Another great thing to try rowing intervals. Although not as time efficient as the slow and steady pace interval rows can be a challenge and give you a little spice during the challenge.
Finally be sure to get some stretching in (your butt will thank you). Here is an article with some stretching idea.
Stretching for rowing
WOD
10 Box Jumps
10 Strict Press
AMRAP 5 Minutes
Rest 1 minute
30 Double Unders
10 Push Press
AMRAP 5 minutes
Rest 1 minute
10 Burpees
10 Push Jerks
AMRAP 5 minutes
Fitness: 75/55
RX: 95/65
RX+: 115/75
Coach’s Tip: When you get to the pressing section of today’s wod be sure to stay tight in your core. With the strict press be sure to squeezing your butt as you strict press and be sure to brace with all the push press and jerk reps.
Dan P seems right at home at the bottom of a heavy back squat.
We hope everyone had a great holiday and we were so thrilled to see so many of you get in your workouts (either here or on the road). It’s hard to stay on point during the holidays and we love everyone showing off their workouts — very inspiring!
We hope over the last few weeks/months you’ve noticed some subtle changes. As we’ve talked about before, we take your feedback VERY seriously and the survey certainly helped us dial into what’s important to you as a community. You’ve seen small tweaks (a bit of housekeeping in the bathrooms and public space clean up) to bigger ones like adding programming (more more variations between fitness, RX and +), starting a barbell club and making sure we get in a good stretch before and after class.
Mobility and accessory movement is something we heard almost universally as a “must” as part of class, so you may have noticed we are dialing that up WITHIN the programming (i.e. last week we had bird dogs, hollow holds, etc) but we are also trying to make sure we stretch as a group after class. In order to make sure we have time to do so, the Coaches will have to keep the class moving and we need your help doing so. While we love that this is a social box, we’re going to ask that you transition and grab weights quickly (vs. a leisurely stroll chatting with your friend about the weekend while you grab gear). It also means finding time during transitions to grab your water or go pee, not saying “wait!” just as the clock is about to to hit 3-2-1 Go. This doesn’t mean there’s no time for fun, but help us make sure we really CAN deliver the best hour of your day (not an hour and 6 minutes)…
TIME TO ‘DELOAD’!
We will be retesting our 10-rep back squat next week so this week will be a ‘deload’ week for us. “What is it and why do we do it?” you might ask.A deloading week is a “take it easy” week in the strength training cycle and often times is done before you test a new 1RM. But wait, just last week weren’t we hitting 95% of our 1 rep maxes? We were on a roll.. why would we take a break now?The answer might be surprising to some but it’s pretty simple. You don’t get stronger from lifting weights. You get stronger from recovering from lifting weights. In fact, it’s common for people to come back stronger than ever and hitting PR’s after a deload week because their bodies made that much improvement during their low rep, light week. This week will be lifting no heavier than 60-70% of our one rep maxes. It’s important to respect the percentages, too. The tendency is to think, “Gee, this is light, why bother?” Trust us. We know what we’re doing.We’ve trained VERY hard over the last 8 weeks… so enjoy this deload week and get ready to go heavy NEXT week!
STRENGTH WOD
Back Squat 60%-70% of 1 RM
3/3/3/3/3
(3 seconds on the way down then explode up)
WOD
“Nasty Girls” 50 Air Squats7 Ring Muscle-ups10 Hanging Power Cleans3 RoundsFitness: 95/65 (7 Pull ups/7 Push ups) RX and RX+: 135/95Time Cap 15 minutes
Coach’s Tip: This WOD is the ultimate representation of a balanced CrossFit workout. It includes a gymnastics movement in the muscle-up, an Olympic lifting element in the Hang Power Clean, and a metabolic movement in the air squat. You are meant move as fast as possible, while of course maintaining QUALITY of movement! Pick a weight that you can go unbroken on the hang cleans for at LEAST the first round (then, if needed, in two sets of 5).
Here is aVIDEOof Nicole Carroll, Eva T, and Annie Nakamoto (the “Nasty Girls”) doing this workout for the first time! Note: you do NOT need to do the muscle ups strict like these Nasty Girls! But feel free to use a med ball to ensure good squat depth!
Just another Friday night ‘date night’ at the Cove for Matt and Yessica!
Come on in and make up a missed WOD, mobilize a bit or just hang out. We’re open from 9a to Noon! If you’re looking for a buddy to workout with, just post something on the Cove Club FB page and find a friend! The rowers are awaiting as well… just be prepared to have to wait on one as we may have a LOT of meters logged this Sunday!
Coach Josh prepping for a heavy lunge… and likely some loud yelling…
We are so happy to see FIFTY names up on the white board for the 100K row challenge! A few things to remember as you embark on this fun (and challenging) journey:
Class will always get priority on the rowers. We know some of you want to come in and row instead of doing a WOD and that is totally fine. BUT if the WOD has rowing or the coach uses the rowers for a warm up (which we will do OFTEN this month), please just hop off the rowers. Don’t make us have to ask you to get up.
Any rowing we do in the warm ups or in the WODS will count towards your total. Keep a whiteboard handy any time a coach says “head to the rowers”
You can row anywhere. If you own an erg, awesome. If you’re traveling and can find a gym with a rower, use that!
You can still sign up, but every day that passes means you have more meters to make up! Keep track of your meters on the white boards so everyone can be jealous of your gains!
STRENGTH WOD
5 Single Leg KB Deadlifts10 Bentover Barbell Rows10 Bird Dogs3 RoundsWOD
“Diane”
21-15-9
HSPU
Deadlifts (225/155)
Coach’s Tip: This is one of the classic “Girl” WODs we do here at CrossFit. Very few athletes can actually do this workout, so there are TONS of scales that can help you achieve the same net effect. Note any scales in your score as it will be great to see the progress you make when we repeat this benchmark workout again in the future!
If you can’t deadlift the required amount above, aim for around 70% (or slightly less) of your 1RM. That should get you closer to an appropriate load. This is still going to be a difficult amount, but will allow you to move at a decent pace. For example, if your 1RM is 100lbs, you should try deadlift 70lbs for the workout. If you are super new to this, talk to the coach about high rep deadlifts and if you should scale the movement.If your form is not quite there, then you can substitute kettlebell deadlifts. There are plenty of scales for the handstand push ups as well; here are some scales in order, from beginner to advanced (to name a few!):
Push Ups
Pike Push Ups
Ring Push Up
Decline Push Up – feet are higher than head
KettleBell Seated Press
The single most important factor in any push up variation is core stability. If you can’t hold a solid core and start to sag during the movement, then you should not do it.
Pia looking super strong during a big back squat set!
First of all, a huge thank you to all the coaches and athletes who came our for our Thanksgiving WOD. On days like this where it’s tradition to be with ‘family’, we feel so fortunate that this Cove family can get together to do what we do best: get in a great workout and find strength and joy in community!
We also hope it set you up for success for the rest of the day in making smart choices. Or maybe it was the opposite and you felt you ‘earned’ that extra helping of pie or stuffing. Or maybe you couldn’t make it in for the workout because you were somewhere already eating. Or drinking? Or both? If you answered “yes” to anything but the first statement… our advice is “It’s done. Just move on.”
It’s easy to fall down the ‘guilt’ wormhole. Or thinking that one bad day will undo all the good you’ve done recently. Don’t let it! Our successes are not built in a day, so don’t let one day disrupt that momentum you have found and the path you are on. Get back to your routine. Be smart with your choices. You have an army of people here who will support you!
ROW CHALLENGE STARTS TODAY!
Why are doing this? Because strength doesn’t come from what you can do. Strength comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t. And a little extra work over the holiday does a body good (see above!). Plus we will be making a donation on behalf of everyone who participates to The Community of Strength Project.
You have the day AFTER Thanksgiving (November 25th) until Saturday, December 31st to accumulate 100,000 M on the Erg (rower).
Slap your name on the front Whiteboard under 100,000 meter challenge and you are in! You can do the math on your own, but it is a healthy amount of meters per day (average of 2,700 per day). You can chip in any increments you’d like. Any rowing we do in WODs OR warmups count toward your total. Your only requirement is to update your total meters on the whiteboard as you make progress.
REMINDER: MODIFIED HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
FRIDAY: Noon, 4:30p and 5:30p. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual. We will be open between the Noon and 4:30pm class as an ‘extended Open Gym’ period. It will be a good time to log some meters on the rower!
SATURDAY: Regular schedule. Sitter coverage 9a per usual.
SUNDAY: Regular Open Gym 9a-Noon
STRENGTH WOD
Box Squats 5/5/5/520 second hollow hold after each setWOD
20 Wall Balls
40 Burpees
20 Wall Balls
40 Pull ups
20 Wall Balls
40 Sit ups
20 Wall Balls
Fitness: AB Mat Sit Ups
RX: AB Mat Sit Ups
RX+: GHD Sit Ups
15 Min Time Cap
Coach’s Tip: There is a lot of volume in this workout so please consider scaling number of reps if you are not proficient in any one of them. There is a hard 15 minute cap on this workout and the goal is to hit a VARIETY of movements, not to take a lot of clock and get through 2 sets of wall balls and some burpees. Do not attempt the GHD sit ups unless you have a strong training history on this implement. The wall balls should be done in big sets, so you can’t do 20 wall balls in the first set UNBROKEN you should lower the weight of the ball or reduce the volume to 15 or 10. For the pull ups we are looking for FULL extension of the arms. Not only is this for safety, it is to get the full benefit of them movement. Coaches will be on you for this! And if you are burnt from Partner DT yesterday, scale away!
Words cannot express how thankful we are for each and every one of you. It’s been an incredible year at the Cove and we are so appreciative of all the Coaches and athletes that make this place so special!
We hope you enjoy this day with family and friends and reflect on all the good you are doing for yourself (and others). And to highlight the family nature of this day, we are mixing things up and doing our Partner WOD on Thanksgiving instead of on Friday. It will be an epic workout so come on in for the 10am WOD (the only class today) and spend time sweating it out with your extended Cove family!
ROW CHALLENGE STARTS FRIDAY!
You have the day AFTER Thanksgiving (November 25th) until Saturday, December 31st to accumulate 100,000 M on the Erg (rower).
Slap your name on the front Whiteboard under 100,000 meter challenge and you are in! You can do the math on your own, but it is a healthy amount of meters per day (average of 2,700 per day). You can chip in any increments you’d like. Any rowing we do in WODs OR warmups count toward your total. Your only requirement is to update your total meters on the whiteboard as you make progress.
Why are doing this? Because strength doesn’t come from what you can do. Strength comes from overcoming the things you thought you couldn’t. And a little extra work over the holiday does a body good. Plus we will be making a donation on behalf of everyone who participates toThe Community of Strength Project.
REMINDER: MODIFIED HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
THURSDAY (THANKSGIVING DAY): 10am ONLY. No sitter coverage.
FRIDAY: Noon, 4:30p and 5:30p. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
SATURDAY: Regular schedule. Sitter coverage 9a per usual.
SUNDAY: Regular Open Gym 9a-Noon
WOD
PARTNER Burpee DT
12 Deadlifts (155/105)
9 Hanging Power Cleans (155/105)
6 Push Jerks (155/105)
10 Rounds (total) – 5 Rounds Per Person
THIRTY MINUTE TIME CAP
**After each round complete 6 burpees (each person must complete six and they include a double high five at the top)**
**You do a round and your partner does a round**
***While your partner is working you are resting***
Coach’s Tip: The weights prescribed are RX for the classic Hero WOD “DT”. Pick a weight that works for YOU. That means you should be able to do at least the first round UNBROKEN. The last time we did Partner DT (7/8/16) times were between 15 and 20 minutes (on average) but that did NOT include 6 burpees each round. Six burpees after EACH round means each person will be doing SIXTY burpees on top of Partner DT. This is a LOT of work, so if you see each round is taking more than 2 1/2 minutes, scale the volume (to 9/6/3, for example), lower the weight or cut the burpees in half. There will be a 30 minute time cap on this workout, but aim to have it done in 25 minutes.
A throwback to the day the row challenge started last year…
Each Wednesday we celebrate the wins of our athletes, today’s Wednesday Wins celebrates the fierce and fabulous Liz B!
Liz is a perfect example of how fitness should be approached from a 360 degree perspective. She’s re-learning her body after having a baby. She’s super smart in her ‘slow and steady’ approach. She has specific goals. Takes rest days. Proper nutrition and a great support system are paramount. If we could clone Liz and her phenomenal approach to CrossFit, we would time and time again. We asked her to tell us a bit about how she’s accomplished so much in so little time…
From holding a trophy to holding a baby…
“I started doing long distance bike riding in 2012 to train for a charity bike ride, but other than that I really had never been active my whole life. Like, at all. A few of my friends were getting into CrossFit around 2012 and I was interested, but didn’t think I could do it. I first tried CrossFit that summer but it wasn’t until 2014 that I started doing it consistently. Money, time, and motivation were all factors in why it took a little while to really get regular. Also, even though I left my very first intro session totally in awe of the women I saw at the box, and amazed that I had seen muscles in my arms during ring rows, I did not believe that I could EVER be anywhere near as fit as those women. But, my boyfriend (now husband) gave me a 10-class pass for Christmas one year and I redid the intro classes at the gym I’d been going to, and was hooked from there.
It took me a little while to make friends at my gym because I am not very good at small talk, but once I started feeling a part of the community there I started going to classes more regularly and so I was seeing more results. I was lifting weights I never dreamed of (back squatting more than I weighed!? And a 215 pound deadlift!?). I have been really fortunate to have excellent coaching my whole time CrossFitting. My coaches in Wisconsin (Sanctify Fitness) always pushed me to lift more, lift better, and push harder than I thought I could.
For example, I wanted so badly to get a pull-up. SO so badly. Just one. I worked on them for a whole year with my coaches, doing drills and whatnot. In December 2014 I set that as my 2015 fitness goal figuring that would give me another year to keep working on them. But I made the mistake of trying one on new years eve 2014 and got my first strict pull up, so had to rewrite my fitness goals for the next year! Almost immediately after I achieved my 2015 fitness goals, I found out I was pregnant (the day after a crossfit competition, in fact). I knew I wanted to stay active in my pregnancy, and so my coaches were some of the first people I told I was pregnant. They helped me find modifications as I needed them, but also helped me learn to listen to and trust my body. There was another pregnant woman at my crossfit gym, and we modified things differently sometimes, but I had to remember not to compare to her, just to do what felt right for me and my body. I did our gym’s intramural competition during the Open last year, and it was totally fine because they made it (for me at least) about fun and community and fitness, not winning necessarily.
One of the hardest things was moving back to MD super pregnant. Brianna told me about the Cove, and I dropped in last spring during a visit. Coach Lyndsey was super welcoming, I met Marina and Brian virtually on email and I researched the programming online and it looked really great. Also, the Cove is about the same size as my old gym (Sanctify Fitness). But I didn’t want to join a new gym 32 weeks pregnant, since you all didn’t know my movement style or skill level. So that was really hard going from being really active to not being active at all. I tried motivating myself to work out at home but it did not happen, so I was off basically from May until I came back at end of August when I joined. It was intimidating, though, to come back to Crossfit at a new gym because I felt like I wanted to prove something to myself and I didn’t feel a part of the community yet.
But the Cove has been beyond amazing. The programming is phenomenal, the coaches are all great, and the other members are the best! Everyone is so supportive. And I would not be able to work out without the kids room coverage. It just wouldn’t happen, so I’m grateful for all he sitters and the facility! And the Clash at the Cove was special to me because it was almost a year to the day from when I found out I was pregnant (and I was able to come in 2nd place).
I set a 2016 fitness goal to get back to where I was last October and I’ve just been trying to chip away at it. Slow and steady is my philosophy. I come in 5 days a week, and one of those days is Sunday Open Gym. So my first Sunday back I tested all the lifts and some gymnastic moves, and saw where I was compared to where I wanted to be. I wrote it down (old school in a copy book) and then I just kept working on those lifts during open gym. I’m getting close to my target weights, and have checked a few off the list already (Front Squat, Toes to Bar, Strict Pull-Ups to name a few). Still have plenty of time left to get there, and even if I don’t, I am probably in better shape overall than I was last year. Sometimes I get discouraged or frustrated at the speed of my progress, but the coaches and other members do a good job readjusting my attitude.
The things I do that seem to work are:
1. I read the coach’s tips on the blog and if it says we should pick a weight we can do 10 of in the first set or whatever, that’s what I do. So I sometimes feel like I could go heavier or harder, but I trust you all and the process and it’s about the big picture not any one day.
2. I take the modifications suggested by coaches (even when I would rather do banded pull-ups than j-hook pull-ups).
3. Brittany and FLEX have been a complete game-changer. Not only as far as my appearance but also how I feel (and it is rubbing off on the rest of the family!)
4. I stick with my schedule even when I don’t want to. I take Wednesdays and Fridays off, even if those workouts look really fun.
5. I added some accessory work programming (developed by Joe Tito) to help give structure in my Open Gym time so I’m not just doing whatever I feel like (because then I would just do my favorite things and that wouldn’t be any good!). First week went great and I’m really pumped to see how it goes.
6. I have fun. Brianna and I have a blast lifting during Open Gym, and my regular 9:30a folks are so positive and encouraging. And now have the competitions with Angela D and Brianna in January to look forward to.
Bottom line, I am not interested in being an elite athlete, or going to regionals or anything like that. What I am interested in is being stronger than I was before and in doing things I didn’t think I was capable of doing. I want my son to know that strong women are everywhere, I want him to grow up seeing women throwing heavy weights around, doing pull-ups and also looking beautiful and supporting each other. I am really fortunate that the kids coverage works with my schedule so that I can keep working towards these goals, and I am so grateful to Brianna for recommending the Cove to me. Even though I am still 10-20 pounds away from some of my lifts, I feel like I am in better shape than I was before, especially as far as conditioning/endurance. And Derrick (my husband) says I look stronger than I ever have. So I just have to remember that a 5-pound difference in my Clean and Jerk from last year does not say anything about who I am as an athlete, but showing up every day does.”
REMINDER: MODIFIED HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY: Regular schedule but NO 7:30PM class. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
THURSDAY (THANKSGIVING DAY): 10am ONLY. No sitter coverage.
FRIDAY: Noon, 4:30p and 5:30p. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
SATURDAY: Regular schedule. Sitter coverage 9a per usual.
SUNDAY: Regular Open Gym 9a-Noon
STRENGTH WOD
For 10 Minutes:
Even Minute: 50 M Farmers Carry
Odd Minute: 20-40 Double Unders (Or pick a volume you can consistently do every other minute. If you have doubles (that means if you can do even ONE, do not do singles! Practice those doubles!)
WOD
20 KB Swings
20 Box Jumps
20 KB Swings
20 Slam Balls
2 Rounds
Fitness: 35/26
RX: 53/35
RX+: 70/53
Coach’s Tip: The weight you choose on the KB will make or break you. You should be able to consistently do sets of 10, with little break in between those sets. The box jumps are your chance to recover and get that breath under control, but you will feel the effects of this WOD from head to toe! Aim for a time under 10 minutes!
We would also argue that no one looks cooler in a backless shirt than Liz B…
After an epic day of squatting yesterday, today we focus on the engine and the “pull”. We call the WOD “The Pump” because your chest will get a great pump (and they guys might need to a pose down afterwards). Nothing like some pre-Thanksgiving long WODs to offset the damage we will do later this week! This will be a long burner, but we will time cap at 30 minutes. If it takes you longer than 5 minutes to complete the first round, consider scaling the volume of your most challenging movement(s) and/or distance on the rower!
Also a reminder that you may see some new faces this week. Not only do we have some new members and people checking out the Cove, it’s a big week for drop-ins so let’s show them all what this community is all about. Introduce yourself, throw them a cool towel and be generous with the fist bumps. So thankful for what we have here at the Cove and it’s always such a treat let others experience it!
REMINDER: MODIFIED HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY: Regular schedule but NO 7:30PM class. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
THURSDAY (THANKSGIVING DAY): 10am ONLY. No sitter coverage.
FRIDAY: Noon, 4:30p and 5:30p. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
SATURDAY: Regular schedule. Sitter coverage 9a per usual.
SUNDAY: Regular Open Gym 9a-Noon
WOD
“The Pump”
500/400 M Row
10 Push ups
5 Strict Chin Ups
10 Floor Press
Rest 1 Minute
5 Rounds
25 Minute Time Cap
Coaching tip: For the Floor press choose a weight that you can hit 10 in a row with on the first round. For the Chin Ups, you should easily be able to complete 10 each round (in a single set or in two quick sets of five). If you do 10 strict, choose a lower number that you will be able to hit across all 5 sets (there are plenty of scaling options available as well). The goal of this workout is to KEEP MOVING and if you need to drop from the bar and rest too long, you’re not doing the workout as designed!
Coach Lynsdey teaching the fundamentals to the last round of foundations classes… and Charles thinking we were doing the mannequin challenge! FYI, we are holding another round of Foundations/101 classes next week (Mon, Wed and Thurs at 6:30p). It is almost full already so if you know anyone who wants in, email us sooner than later!
WEDNESDAY: Regular schedule but NO 7:30PM class. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
THURSDAY (THANKSGIVING DAY): 10am ONLY. No sitter coverage.
FRIDAY: Noon, 4:30p and 5:30p. Sitter coverage 5:30p per usual.
SATURDAY: Regular schedule. Sitter coverage 9a per usual.
SUNDAY: Regular Open Gym 9a-Noon
STRENGTH WOD
Back Squat
10 Reps at 75% of your 10 Rep Max
10 Reps at 85% of your 10 Rep Max
10 Reps at 95% of your 10 Rep Max
WOD
6 Squat Cleans
12 Sit Ups
6 Rounds
Fitness: 115/75RX: 135/95RX+: 155/105
Coach’s Tip: We are hitting our 7th week of our 10-rep back squat cycle, so really challenge yourself on the weights. This is a lot of volume at pretty heavy weights, so TAKE YOUR TIME between reps AND sets! Your legs will feel wonky after the strength portion so the squat cleans will feel even heavier than the actual weight. Even though it’s only 6 reps, pick something you can move pretty easily for the first few sets!
Uday addressing the bar with great intention and focus…
Come on in and make up a missed WOD, mobilize a bit or just hang out. We’re open from 9a to Noon! If you’re looking for a buddy to workout with, just post something on the Cove Club FB page and find a friend!
Halloween is the holiday that just keeps on giving…
