Friday, November 20th 2015
It’s time for another Partner WOD! Today we really dial up the ‘sprint/rest’ concept with a 1:1 work/rest ratio in a short time domain (1 minute on, 1 minute off). Why do we do this? Why do we have some long, steady WODs with no rest and some with varied lengths of rest built in? The short answer is we are challenging and building each of your key metabolic pathways: These are the phosphagen, glycolytic, and oxidative systems. For all you geeks out there, here’s a GREAT article in the CrossFit.com library bringing the various ratio benefits to life.
CROSSFIT REST TO RECOVERY RATIOS
But for those who want the short answer… here’s a snippet of the article. Let’s say you are a really fast 800-meter runner (around two minutes), you use a 1:3 work to rest ratio and rest six minutes if you really want to develop a sense of a fast 800- meter pace and want to get to your best times for each exercise interval. Going at 100% output certainly needs a longer rest. But if you just want to run reasonably fast (but not close to your best possible 800-meter effort) and want to increase your ability to tolerate high levels of lactic acid, then you could rest closer to the 1:1 ratio. Today we focus on that 1:1 ratio, where we push at “not quite” 100%, try to maintain consistency in output in each round and dial into our glycolytic and oxidative pathways!
STRENGTH WOD
PARTNER WOD
Thursday, November 19th 2015
DO YOUR MATH!
We are doing our best to keep classes moving on time, but there are some easy things we can all do to get us done and out in time. When we are taking scores at the WhiteBoard, please know your numbers! Especially as classes get bigger and we have a lot of data to capture it means a LOT if you don’t have to do math or count plates in your head when we’re inputting weights or times.
We know (trust me, we know!) that it’s hard to remember things after you are exhausted and laying on the floor, but take a moment and count your barbell weights. Men’s bars are 45lbs, women’s bars are 35lbs and the training bars are 15lbs. When we ask for the weight you used, give us the TOTAL weight. Saying “I used the small bar with a ten and a 2.5lb on each side” makes it hard for the coach to move quickly through the group. The small bar with 12.5 lbs on each side is a 40lb bar (12.5 plates + 12.5 plates + 15lb bar. The total number (40lb) is what we need!
There are lots of things you can do to help yourself remember “data”. Keep your phone nearby and take a pic of your barbell. Or grab one of the small white boards and a marker and write down your time and weight as soon as you are done so you don’t forget it. And don’t be ashamed to bust out your calculator app to add everything up… we’ve all been there.
We know it sounds silly, but little things like this make a big difference for us!
STRENGTH WOD
WOD
Wednesday, November 18th 2015
WEDNESDAY WINS
Every Wednesday we will celebrate the “wins” (big or small) that are achieved by our Cove athletes with the support of this amazing community. Sometimes the wins are personal goals that we set forth each year and sometimes they are dictated by others — like the US Army.
Today we congratulate Charles W. on his remarkable performance on his APFT (Army Physical Fitness Test). He’s been with us since the beginning (almost) and has grown tremendously as an athlete. His movements have sharpened, his endurance has strengthened and he can move a lot of weight around — quickly. We think he’s pretty fit, but we’re not the only ones who matter.
For those of you who missed his FB post today he said “I did better than I have in a very long time (294/300 possible points). I haven’t done this well in almost 5 years. I’ve also learned that I don’t have to run to get my cardio…13:51 for a two mile time!”
There’s an interesting subtext to his story for all of you runners out there. Charles used to run all the time to try to improve his run time. Now he only runs with the Cove programming. Each time that is taken his PT test he has taken close to a minute each time (and he has taken THREE since joining the Cove). That’s THREE MINUTES off his time by not ‘running’.
Not only did he finish first today in the two mile run by a good bit, but Charles thinks he’s also improved his overall toughness. If we learn anything from a brutal WOD, we know we can he can go “deep into the pain cave” (as Coach Brian likes to say) and keep pushing forward only to come out stronger.
STRENGTH WOD
8 Romanian Deadlifts
8 Bentover overhand grip barbell rows
3 Rounds
WOD
1 minute at each station
Double Unders
Burpees
Sit ups
KB Swings
1 Min Rest
3 Rounds
Tuesday, November 17th 2015
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
As our community continues to grow, it’s important to stay connected as athletes and as people. You might be a morning bird and only see people on a similar early schedule. And the evening folks might only know other members from scores they see posted on the WhiteBoard. We want to create as much opportunity for you all to get to know each other better AND have some good ol’ fun in the process. We’ve got a lot of great events planned in the near future and we want you to mark your calendars before your dance cards get too full! Here’s a list of some of the great things we’ll be doing:
November 25th the Cove heads to Jailbreak! It is the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving and a big group will be heading to Jailbreak that night to enjoy some of Larry’s BullHead Pit Beef and sip some adult beverages. More details on times to come!
December 4th (a Friday) will be our first BROMANCE WOD & WHISKEY (or beer or whatever else you enjoy). It will be a men’s only event (sorry ladies) so come with your most macho vibe (maybe wait to shave that Movember beard into a handlebar mustache?) and throw down with the men of the Cove. It will replace the regular 6:30pm WOD and we’ll hang out at the gym after.
On Friday December 18th we will have our first annual Holiday WOD and Potluck in lieu of the regular 6:30pm class. For those of you who are on the blog awaiting the workout every night at 8p, we CAN tell you that this one will be a “12 Days of Christmas WOD”. Like the song the “12 Days of Christmas”, you will complete each exercise in ascending order then work back down to 1, adding one exercise per round. Like this: 1; 2-1; 3-2-1; 4-3-2-1; etc – for a total of 364 reps. But of course we won’t reveal ALL of it. The movements will be a secret and taunt you for the next month — just like that wrapped present you’re not allowed to touch until the big day!
January (date TBD) will be our Babes and Barbells event. So far people have voted for a Sunday brunch and we’ll be sending out more details on date and time. But let’s assume Mimosas and Bloodies will be a must.
Saturday February 6th will be our 1 Year Anniversary Bash. It is hard to believe but we will be celebrating our one year anniversary and to mark the occasion we will be throwing a party on Saturday evening from 7p – 10p. This will not incorporate a WOD, so doll yourselves up and show your fellow athletes what you REALLY look like outside in the real world. And everyone can invite a plus-one. More details to come, but this will be an adult-only evening, so line up those sitters and get ready for a really fun night.
In addition to the events above, we will be kicking off another Whole 30 eating challenge in January!
It is the community that makes the Cove such a special place. We know it is a busy time of year but we would love to see each and every one of you at these events!
STRENGTH WOD
WOD
