“Just because something works doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” ~Shruti
If you’re a fan of the Black Panther movies perhaps you’ll recognize this quote, but if not at least you’ll have the intention (and the theme) set for this week! Our goal this week, and every week, is constant steady improvement. Just because our bodies work doesn’t mean we can’t continue to improve them. While your goal may not be the same as your neighbors we can all seek some level of improvement in whatever area we desire. Complacency is the killer and consistency is king! So to drive out complacency and stagnation we simply need to set a focus and intention on what we would like to improve about her health and wellness this week and then get in the gym and get consistent! We have a really cool theme and some amazing workouts this week so check out the announcements below and then let’s dive headfirst into some serious improvements!
- Bring A Friend Day: Wow…you guys showed up! More and more these BAFD events are just a huge testament to how amazing this community is here at CFS! Thank you so much for everyone who came out and to DJ-LA for slaying as always!
- CrossFit Open: The CrossFit Open is coming up in March so get signed up so we can have some fun hitting these workouts and testing our fitness together as a community! Here at CrossFit Simplicity the Open is no pressure, just fun! games.crossfit.com
Monday: Speaking of the CrossFit Open, what an amazing segue into our first workout this week. A classic from 2011, the very first year of the CrossFit Open. Today we will be hitting Open workout 11.5. There’s no better way to gear up and prepare yourself then by hitting previous open workouts. Not only do they give us a good feel for the style of workouts that we will be seeing, but every year there is a retest of a workout from previous open. Could this be the one? Since this is a previous Open workout there’s no surprise of the layout so we will go ahead and spill the beans. You will have a 20 minute AMRAP today consisting of five power cleans, 10 toes to bar and 15 wallballs. We are looking for 10 rounds today so make sure you scale this back so that you can complete around consistently every two minutes. Fast singles are going to be the way to go for the power cleans since this is a moderate weight. Toes to bar do not need to be unbroken but should generally be able to be completed in about two sets. Try to stay consistent on the wallballs and make sure all of your sets are unbroken! Have fun with this one today and maybe we will see it in March!
Tuesday: We are continuing right along with our weightlifting cycle today, specifically our snatch complex. Just like last week and the week before, this will consist of one power snatch, one hang snatch, and one snatch. The only thing that will change today is that the percentages will go up once again. We should be prepared for this complex as the weights increase because we have been diligent about focusing on form and staying within the percentages. Embrace these heavier weights and try to be perfect on these reps today. If you’re just starting out use this as another great technique day. After this we will hit a quick three round piece called, “Wakanda Forever!” This one will be calories on the bike, alternating dumbbell hang clean and jerks, and box jump overs. Think of these as three identical chippers, each one with a two minute rest in between. Your goal today will be to knock these out as fast as possible and trust that you will recover during your rest. We want moderate intensity and steady pacing throughout. Take a note that the dumbbell hang clean and jerks are alternating every rep and also that the box height is 20 inches for all athletes, male and female today. Have fun with this one and really get after it!
Wednesday: We have an epic one today! “Killmonger” is definitely going to be killer on the legs and the shoulders! This is a three round workout with quite a bit of pushing, pulling, and lunge volume. Each round consists of 25 handstand push-ups, 25 pull-ups, and 30 back rack lunges. We are definitely going to have to be smart with how we pace things out today. It’s going to be important not to burn out on the handstand push-ups or the pull ups. Try to approach each movement with a certain rep scheme in mind but be willing to deviate if you feel like you were a little too ambitious with your original plan. Ideally we would like to see each round of handstand push-ups and pull-ups knocked out in 2 to 4 sets so scale accordingly. The back rack lunge simply means you will clean your barbell from the floor, press it over your head and receive it onto your back in a back squat position. You’ll then complete 15 lunges in place. There will be no scheduled rest in between the three rounds of this workout today and you’ll have one total time for completing this workout so think about potentially scheduling yourself some rest in between sets so you don’t go to failure to early. Easy day!
Thursday: Aw naw, did somebody say “Klaw?” That’s right, we have “Klaw” today but it’s not as bad as you think! As we’ve seen recently we are actually going to have another mid week partner workout so get excited! This one is going to kick off with a buy-in of sorts. You’ll have 20 minutes for you and your partner to row a set distance. With the remaining time you’ll begin an AMRAP of a simple couplet of burpee box jumps and power snatches. You may break up the row in any increments you’d like between you and your partner but you must finish the row before you get onto the couplet. You may also break up the reps of the couplet as you see fit between yourselves. Like any partner workout you want to ride the line between limiting the number of transitions you have but also staying fresh and able to work at a fast pace. Have fun with this one and really encourage your partner! Teamwork makes the dream work!
Friday: We are wrapping up the week and heading into the weekend with the continuation of our clean complex. Not to be too redundant but just like last week and the week before we will have one power clean, one hang squat clean, and one squat clean. As you can guess the percentages are creeping up a bit this week but that should give us no concern. Have fun and focus on perfect positions with these cleans today. After this we will be hitting “Vibranium.” This one is going to be a good old fashion meathead workout. You’ll find yourself in a steady pump session with light to moderate weight that slowly eats away at you. This workout is going to be about avoiding failure on the floor press and grinding through the front squats! You’ll have 10 rounds of 10 floor presses and 10 front squats. The goal today is really to move the weight efficiently and effectively without strength being the limiting factor. Adjust the weight so that you can get through at least 60% of the bench and 100% of the squats on broken!
Saturday: Today we’ll have a fairly simple partner workout for your weekend enjoyment. You’ll be working through rounds of calories on the bike/rower, same bag or double kettle bell front rack carries, and air squats. This was going to get your legs nice and pumped up so enjoy that rest when it’s your partners time to go! Not a ton of strategy in this one today besides pushing when it’s time to push and making the most of your rest. Easy day!
What a week it’s going to be here at CrossFit Simplicity! If you need a little extra motivation maybe turn on the Black Panther movies and get hype! We have some really awesome workouts ahead of us and lots of reasons to get in the gym. As we mentioned earlier to start the rundown, “just because something works, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved.” Take that mindset into this week and reflect a little bit on what areas of your health and wellness you’d like to improve. Use that reflection to set your intention for this week and guide your efforts inside and outside the gym! Now enjoy the rest of your weekend, get some good rest, some good sleep, maybe a little bit of mobility work, and we will see you all in class!
~Daniel
