Cove Open Updates & Intramural Winners!
OPEN UPDATES!
We are loving the team spirit around the Open! If you are not doing the Open but still want to participate in the team shenanigans, please let us know and we can add you to a team— the more the merrier! In addition, please feel free to come to any of the Friday night lights events to cheer on your fellow athletes and have a beer with us. It is an awesome time and we’d love to have as many Cove members experience this part of the community (and so we can start recruiting you for next year). Remember, it is pot-luck style, so bring something to share!
After much heated debate and looking back to videotape we have some Intramural team winners to announce! Drumroll please…
17.1 WINNERS ARE…. “COVIES NEVER SAY DIE”
Saved By the Barbell – 34 pts total
Covies Never Say Die – 35 pts total
Rusty Thrusters – 30 pts total
#RespectYourElders – 28 pts total
Here’s is the breakdown for each category measured:
PARTICIPATION POINTS: 25 TOTAL POSSIBLE POINTS PER TEAM
Saved by the Barbell: 24 pts
Covies Never Say Die: 25 pts
Rusty Thrusters: 25 pts
#RespectYourElders: 23pts
POINTS BEST TEAM SELFIE: Covies Never Say Die
5 POINTS BEST TEAM NAME: Saved By the Barbell
We know there was a lot of controversy around this one, but we have to give it to the young bucks for being tenacious and holding on tight. BUT, “Covies Never Die” was a close second… and will be interesting to see how each utilizes it’s namesake’s deep heritage to come out on top!
5 POINTS BEST SPIRIT OF THE OPEN: Saved By the Barbell
No one heads to Friday Night Lights thinking “I can’t wait to be in the last heat with only two athletes and have 40 people screaming at me”. But this guy not only had that happen, he OWNED it. Big shout out to Pranav for letting us ALL experience the essence of the Open!
5 POINTS BEST TEAM PHOTO: The Rusty Thrusters
This was only one of two team photos submitted, so let’s try to step it up next week. Jessica S. classed up the photo as the big differentiator here. But props to Ethan W. for trying to teach the late 30’s crew what “photobombing” is.
5 POINTS BEST SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE: Covies Never Say Die
Brilliant use of humor with a VERY SERIOUS message. With Marina on the judging panel, this was a shoe-in win.
5 POINTS MOST INSPRING PERFORMANCE BY AN INDIVIDUAL: #RespectYourElders
And last but certainly not least… Nothing was more exciting to see Pam J. doing things she never thought possible. It was her first time ever doing full burpees and stepping to a 20″ box. She’s one of our most inspiring athletes in general, so it’s no surprise she delivered BIG TIME at the Open. Well done Pam!
Expanded Sitter Schedule at the Kiddie Cove!
We’ve heard from several members that more evening hours would be greatly appreciated, so we are making it happen. Starting MONDAY, MARCH 6th, we will add the 5:30p hour to the sitter coverage schedule! As always, we ask that you help out the sitter by getting your little one to clean up (and avoid all snacks in the kid’s room). We want them in a safe and clean space… with AND without the sitters!
WEEK TWO OF THE OPEN!
17.2 ANOUNCEMENT
There’s something magical about that 8p hour, so you’ll have to wait until then to know 17.2. We will have a slight delay posting it on Thursday (until around 8:15p) so if you want to know the workout immediately, go to Games.CrossFit.com to see the announcement live!
As always, we’ll be hitting the Friday Night Lights event and CANNOT WAIT. Now that you got a taste of what it’s about… come prepared to have a crush a monster workout, hang out with your fellow Covies and bring something to share. Potluck drinks and snacks immediately following! Like last week we’ll have some beer and a specialty cocktail… but we can always use more!
Wednesday Wins!
WEDNESDAY WIN — PAUL H.
He’s been doing CrossFit for almost two years, but the last few months have been game changers. He’s faster, stronger and more mobile than ever, and has now made the diet changes to make all that hard work pay off BIG TIME.
MOBILITY MATTERS!
We always preach the mobility gospel at the Cove, and Paul bought in to that big time. He’s been “tight” his whole life, but has now been doing ROMWOD 2 to 4 times a week. While he’ll admit he’s still not as flexible as some (or as flexible as he’d like to be), his mobility gains has made a world of difference. He said everything just “feels better”. His can get into better positions on his lifts now (which let’s him lift more!) and recovery is always easier after a little ROMWOD.
SUCCESS CAN BE MADE OR BROKEN IN THE KITCHEN!
He said he’s always balked at the expression that “it’s 20% what you do at the gym and 80% what you do in the kitchen”, but he’s now a convert. He’s always eaten well (or so he thought), but learned that even food that wasn’t ‘that bad’ had things he wasn’t aware of. He followed Coach Brittany’s plan to the letter. In fact, he was THE MOST CONSISTENT challenge participant! He shifted his mindset and started eating for PERFORMANCE. He made adjustments along the way: eating too much protein first and not enough carbs. But he knows what to do now and figuring it out was all a part of the journey. And the results are astounding. In 35 days he:
He lost 8lbs of body fat. His % BF dropped from 17% to 13%. For someone his age (let’s just say, he’s in the “masters” Open team), that puts him in the “lean” or “athlete” categories on a body composition chart. And he swears this was not a one time thing, this is the new him.
WE ALL HAVE OUR “THING”
This was the first time he has done something like this. He’s made changes over the years, but nothing quite as seismic as the changes made during the Challenge. He cut out caffeine a year ago. But now that he’s figured out this eating part, his energy comes from food, not from coffee our Mountain Dew (yep, Mountain Dew was a “thing”).
This guy runs LONG days. He’s up before 5a and in bed after 10p. He said “I’d drink a Mountain Dew. I really thought I NEEDED it. But now instead of grabbing something for quick energy when I need a boost I make smarter choices. I was on the go the other day and I got a kale and quinoa salad from the deli and was GREAT. Never would have heard me say this before!“. AND CHEESE! Yes, like many of us, cheese was “his thing”. Not just any cheese, but Velveeta! Once referred to him as “liquid gold“, it now “doesn’t even entertain me anymore!“
YOU HAVE TO COMMIT
We asked what advice he’d give to someone struggling with food and their fitness. His answer was simple: “YOU HAVE TO COMMIT“. “You already committed to CrossFit. Of course the gains you came here for will come… to be better… to be stronger… to be faster. But it will be slower.” COMMIT and the hard work in the gym will pay off a LOT faster.
So now what? He’s lost the weight he wanted. Now its about maintaining his food intake and finding the right balances of carbs, fats and proteins. He’s eliminated the “junk” he had in the past and the Challenge helped him think creatively about how to eat better. Not just for 35 days, but for life.
WOD
25 min EMOM
Min 1: 12 Overhead Squats
Min 2: 12 Burpees
Min 3: 12 KB Russian Swings
Min 4: 12 Thrusters
Min 5: Rest
Fitness: 45/35, 35/26
RX: 75/55, 53/35
RX+: 95/65, 70/53
When should I retest an Open workout?
I know you are all waiting on pins and needles but we will announce TOMORROW the winners of the team competitions. Reason being some of the team participation scores (i.e. getting the WOD done and submitted) will not be finalized until late tonight. So we figured we’d hold off on announcing ALL the category points until then.
TO RETEST OR NOT TO RETEST:
THAT IS THE QUESTION…
There’s lots of chatter around the box about 17.1 (which we love!) but also have heard lots of talk around “re-testing” the workout. Many of you have asked us personally whether or not your should do 17.1 again to improve your score and we appreciate you are asking us FIRST. But for those who have been afraid to ask (or are wondering why everyone is even talking about it in the first place), here’s a bit more context and food for thought for next weeks:
ONLY RETEST IF RANKINGS REALLY MATTER: We only recommend retesting if you think you will significantly improve your regional or team ranking and that matters to you. For example, if you are an elite or seasoned athlete with an established baseline (and/or can assist your gym in sending a team to regionals), you might consider retesting if you think you had reps in the tank. For example, our very own WODFather, Geo Rockwell, is a top level athlete and his score is important to CrossFit Federal Hill as they are trying to qualify for the games, so every rep matters. By the way, he went from 14:35 the first time and dropped to 12:35 as a final score. GASP!!! Go Geo!
YOUR BODY ISN’T DESIGNED TO RETEST THAT QUICKLY: Retesting a WOD within a day or two (or three) can be extremely taxing on the body– especially long ones like 17.1 with BIG VOLUME. There’s a reason we don’t program demanding movements like heavy dumbbell snatches every other day. They are HARD and your body needs to RECOVER. Think of it just like any other programming — if we programmed two WODs back to back with the same movements that left you sore as heck, you wouldn’t just hate us… you wouldn’t come back (because it is horrible programming). Don’t think of the Open any differently.
YOU MISS OUT ON THE DAY’S PROGRAMMING AT THE COVE: We are strategic and have a long term view of our programming cycles (whether or not you realize it!). For example, if you retested 17.1 and missed Monday’s WOD, you missed an opportunity to improve your footwork on the split jerk (our current movement focus) and build shoulder strength. You are sacrificing a long term growth goal for a short term number.
IT CAN BE MENTAL: Then there’s the mental aspect. We have seen MANY times athletes retest only to score the same (or worse) than their original time. This can be extremely disheartening and frustrating for the athlete. But we are never surprised when that happens (see point above…your body isn’t recovered!)
Does this mean you should NEVER retest a particular WOD? Heck no! We love retesting; just with adequate time in between tests so you can truly measure your fitness improvements (think “Hero WODs” and “Girl” benchmarks we do all the time). This is an important part of CrossFit and one of the things we love most about it. Wait a month or two (maybe when the Open ends) and THEN see if you show improvement. We bet you will!
SKILL WOD
Gymnastics Cycle Test
Yep, it’s that time! Hopefully we are recovered from 17.1 and can put all of our new knowledge and strength to the test by re-testing our gymnastics ability. Remember that a ‘win’ doesn’t just mean more reps, it means BETTER reps and moving more efficiently too. The volume WILL come!
EMOM in 7 minutes
_____Muscle ups
_____ Pull ups
_____ Toes to Bar
WOD
Every 2 minutes for 14 minutes
6 Power Cleans
____ Double Unders
Fitness: 115/75 (30 Doubles)
RX: 135/95 (40 Doubles)
RX+: 155/105 (50 Doubles)
COACH’S TIP: Challenge yourself on the barbell today. It is only six reps, so pick something you can do in one or two sets (remember, that’s only three reps if you split in two) and get after it! If you are new to doubles, keep the barbell heavy and just scale the number of doubles. Remember, once you can do a few doubles, we will BAN you from singles in Metcons! It is the best way to get better at them!
Welcome Phil to the Cove! Meredith and Caroline’s Dad is about to school ALL of us!
