Wednesday Wins! Deb B.!
It’s only fitting to celebrate Deb B.’s ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY with us by shouting from the rooftops how awesome she is and how far she’s come. She started with a group of fantastic women in our first six-week Challenge and she (and they!) have been kicking butt and taking names since.
Deb is one of those stealth athletes that just keeps getting incrementally better. She comes regularly, works hard and then goes on about her day. As she said to me long ago, “It’s my new normal”. If you’re not up an ungodly hour, though, you might only know this fierce female from the WhiteBoard (or from her array of awesome bandanas). If you don’t know Deb personally, you’re missing out. But her story will inspire you nonetheless!
When Deb came to the Cove, like most of us, she long-struggled with ‘body issues’. “I’ve always been athletic and I think that was the biggest struggle for me. Thinking about ‘what I used to look like’. I have been 5’10” ever since the 10th grade so I have always been self-conscious of my appearance and sticking out. Plus the name calling and the unfortunate lack of positive reinforcement took a toll. But, a few years after college, I finally started to appreciate my height and embrace it.”
Deb came in with realistic expectations and knew this wouldn’t be a ‘magic pill’, rather it would require work and dedication. As she says, it’s all about “Progress, progress, progress! Even though it has been slow, the Cove has given me the opportunity to achieve that PROGESS. And the opportunity to FEEL GOOD again. To FEEL GOOD about my body. To FEEL GOOD about wearing a tank top. To FEEL GOOD about my thighs only rubbing together slightly now instead of rubbing together “not so slightly!” LOL! I tell ya, I could go on and on”.
“And those ‘what I use to look like’ thoughts are long gone. It truly puts a smile on my face! As I get older and now that I’m a Crossfitter (can I really say that??!!), I realize that I will never look like how I use to look. I will now look even BETTER than I used to. And it’s because that ‘look’ is now coming from the inside out. I’m stronger in so many ways. Yes, I can lift more weight now than I could 1 year ago. But, my core has improved! My posture has improved! My mental toughness has improved! The amount of energy I have every day has significantly improved! And the amount of times I choose to eat unhealthy foods has significantly improved as well!”
“And speaking of mental toughness…..I have never, ever, ever, ever been a morning person. And no one would have ever convinced me or anyone that knows me, that I would be regularly attending a 5:30 AM class for almost an entire year! My husband kept on asking me, are you sure you want to go to the 5:30 class? Are you sure you’re not setting too high of expectation for yourself? You know you’ve tried it so many times in the past to workout first thing in the morning…and don’t get me wrong, if I have a chance to sleep in on the weekends, I will. But if I have to get up at 5, 6 or 7, I’m awake and ready to take on the world with energy! And that’s because of you, the COVE, the coaches, my 5:30 am crew and my OG crew! I can honestly say, that I’ve never been a part of something that I think about every day. I’m not sure if that’s healthy, but it’s definitely true and I love it!”
“The Cove is truly a special place. I know you the coaches hear it all of the time but that’s because it’s true. And it’s the people that make it special. It’s the caring, it’s the support, it’s the genuineness (is that a word)? it’s the pushing you a bit past your comfort zone. it’s the smiles, the hugs, the encouragement, the tears, the laughter (yes, even at 5:30 in the morning), the sarcasm, the fact that nobody is above being ridiculed and nobody is above finishing last.
It’s The COVE!”
Deb finished by saying “Thank you for offering a vehicle for me to become a CrossFitter and giving me an opportunity to meet and bond with some really cool people!!!”. No, Deb. THANK YOU. Thank you for walking in our doors. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. And thank you for being YOU. This place would not be the same without you!
SKILL WOD
10 Strict Ring Dips
10 1 Arm DB Row (10 each arm)
20 Second Hollow Hold
3 Rounds
Open: 10 Strict Ring Dips/10 Kipping HSPU/20 Hollow Rocks
Fitness (FX): Push up into DB strict press
WOD
10/8 Assault Bike Cals
12 Toes to Bar
12 Slam Balls
Rest 30 seconds
6 Rounds
17 min Time Cap
COACH’S TIP: The skill work will help with building our pressing strength and shoulder health for our strength cycle. For the Open athletes we will challenge the same muscle group back to back (ring dip (push) into HSPU (push)). For you programming nerds, here’s a little “why”: While you will never really see this style in an open/local comp workout (it is usually a push then a pull (or squat then pull)), it will build more strength in those positions and make a push into a pull feel much easier. You will see this style of training in all of the good competitive programs. Example would be Bar MU, in Chest to Bar, into Pull ups. You’ll rarely see that in a competition, but that a great way to train your pull-ups! For the METCON focus on toes to bar not becoming a sticking point so work on a solid kip. 12 is a big number, so please feel free to scale those down (think 8 or 10 instead), but strive to hit that number every round. The assault bike should not take longer than a minute so watch the clock on your first round and adjust the volume accordingly!
They believed they could… and they did! Huge congrats to to these amazing women who are celebrating their one year at the Cove!
Future CrossFitter WOD and Potluck on Sunday!
“FUTURE CROSSFITTER” WOD AND POTLUCK THIS SUNDAY!
WOD
Every 6 minutes for 30 minutes
400 M Run
200 M Row
10 Squat Cleans
Fitness: 95/65 10 Front Squats
RX (performance): 115/75
RX+ (open): 135/95
Coach’s Tip: We often talk about “training days” vs. “game days” and today is a great example of what we mean by a “training day”. Sure, when the clock ticks down “Three, Two, One, GO!” it’s hard not to make the workout about speed. While training that ‘speed’ on gameday does have it’s positives , today is meant to be training for form and technique. We’ve set a 6 minute cap per round (a generous time cap) and you should be finishing in 5 minutes or less. The focus should be a consistent pace where you are paying attention to breathing and form on the run, good position on the row, and technique on the squat clean.
Zipporah continues to “WOD for two” and Brooke can’t wait to meet her new kids’ room customer!
Nutrition Challenge starts this week!
LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR THE NUTRITION CHALLENGE!
If you are still interested in signing up, please do so! The “Spring Into Summer Nutrition Challenge” Kick Off Meeting will be held on Wednesday, April 19th at 7pm and we’ve got an amazing and motivated group participating! It’s not to late to get you jump-started on a path to great nutrition. As reminder, it is a month-long clean eating Challenge for $100. We will give you all the do’s and don’ts, provide ongoing support and also administer pre and post InBody scans! The scans alone cost almost $100 and you can sign up here:
Spring into Summer Nutrition Challenge Sign Up
This kick off meeting will be roughly an hour in length. If you can’t make it, we can certainly brief you on what we covered and get you all the handouts and materials you’ll need. And remember, the Challenge will officially kick off on Monday April 24th concluding on Saturday May 20th.
If you have already signed up for the Challenge, you’ll need to also sign up for the body scan (below is a link to schedule for your initial body scan). You are not to eat, drink or workout for 2 hours prior the scan. In the coming week we will also have a schedule to book your post scan.
InBody Scan Schedule Sign Up Link
STRENGTH WOD
Strict Press 5/5/5/5/5
WOD
As you may know, CrossFit often pays tribute to fallen servicemen with a “Hero” workout named in their honor. The Hero WODs are named after people who have given their lives in the line of duty and their purpose is to remind us to not only remember their sacrifice, but to get us to think outside of ourselves. “JACK” honors Army Staff Sgt. Jack M. Martin III, 26, of Bethany, Oklahoma, assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, Fort Lewis, Wash. He died September 29th, 2009, in Jolo Island, Philippines, from the detonation of an improvised explosive device. Martin is survived by his wife Ashley Martin, his parents Jack and Cheryl Martin, and siblings Abe, Mandi, Amber and Abi.
“Mini Jack”
10 Push Press
10 KB Swings
10 Box Jumps
10 min AMRAP
Fitness: 95/65 (35/26)
RX and RX+: 115/75 (53/35)
Coach’s Tip: This is a re-test for February 6th. The push presses will get heavy, so resist the urge to jerk the bar. Just like in the strength section, manage your breathing, keep a tight stomach and glutes! The box jumps are your chance to rest your shoulders so swing those arms and work on soft landings.
Jo Alviar won this year’s “Best WOD Face” award at the Anniversary Bash. Once again, he does not disappoint!
Modified Open Gym 10a-1p
Adjusted Open Gym Hours
Just because it’s Easter Sunday doesn’t mean we won’t open! Come on in for Open Gym to get your fitness on before hitting those chocolate bunnies. We will have adjusted Open gym from 10 AM to 1 PM. Hope to see you then!