CrossFit Evergreen – CrossFit
“Trade your expectation for appreciation, and the world changes around you” – Tony Robbins
Routines and habits become part of the norm. Morning coffee, listening to the radio, the drive to the field taking the kids to practice. We appreciate healthy habits, and let’s continue to reinforce them.
However, there is much to be said about taking a pause to our day, to our routine. To appreciate the fortune in our lives. The absolute abundance we are so lucky to have.
In a world where comforts are the “norm”, we have to actively remind ourselves how good our lives are.
The thought of losing those precious parts of our day is a sobering one. Despite being a morbid thought, we will.
There will be a final cup of morning coffee for us.
There will be the last chance for us to listen to the radio.
And if we are lucky enough to have kids, there will be a last time we *get* to wait in traffic as we drive them to soccer practice.
As Tony Robbins quotes, if we can remove expectations from the norm, and replace them with a sense of gratitude, our entire world changes.
Metcon
Jack Squat (Time)
For Time:
21 Front Squats, 21 KB Swings, 400m Run
15 Front Squats, 15 KB Swings, 400m Run
9 Front Squats, 9 KB Swings, 400m Run
Rx Barbell – 135/95
Rx Kettlebell – 70/53
Stimulus wise, we are looking for a loading that we are very confident we can complete that first round unbroken on. If our personal strategy calls for a break in the 21’s, we can do so, but if we had to, we are confident we could complete it unbroken. We are looking for all athletes to complete all sets with at most, a single break. This will preserve the conditioning stimulus.
In “Jack Squat”, we are again looking to complete all sets with at the absolute most, a single break per set. Modifying the loading to ensure that stimulus is met will bring about a conditioning-based 21-15-9 that we are after today. Let’s make this about our lungs and stamina, versus our absolute strength.
From a macro-level, we recognize that “stopping” is the last place we want to be in this workout. Stoppages will take place as we break on the barbell, or if a transition stops. To mitigate those, our first controller would be the runs. With only three 400’s, we naturally want to push our pace here, but not at the expense of stoppages. In other words, if we push the runs to the point where we need to break the round of 15 front squats due to metabolic reasons, we will likely be mismanaging our effort. We are looking at the runs as the “pacer” to ensure we have large, if not unbroken sets on the squats and swings. Once we have those sets dialed (stoppages minimized, or even eliminated), then we look to push the runs.
For a rough starting point on where this running pace should be, let’s start by visualizing what our 2 mile time trial run would pace like. It’s an aggressive pace, but one that allows us to continue to move inside the gym on the squats and swings.
Strength
Metcon (No Measure)
3 Giant Sets:
Max Dumbbell Bench Press (70’s/50’s)
12 Chest Supported Rows Dumbbell Rows
12 Lateral Box Step-Ups (6/side)
Rest 2:00 between.
On the DB bench press, we are looking to use the above load only if we can find at least 8 repetitions per round. We want a challenging weight here, but not to the tune of 3-5 reps per set.
On the following chest supported rows, this implies that our chest is propped against an elevated bench. Stacking the legs of a bench on plates, we can get some weight off the ground so that at extension, the dumbbells aren’t touching the ground. For this movement, we are looking to be completely horizontal.
On the final movement, we have lateral box step-ups. Here, athlete’s choice on loading and height. We are looking for six straight repetitions, completed with sound technique, before transitioning sides. Only load if we are feeling very strong in the movement.