CrossFit Evergreen – CrossFit
Workout Definition
“You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut” – Dr. Suess
This quote is worth reading twice.
We are creatures of habit. We enjoy our routines. From the morning rituals, to the way we warm up for a workout, to our regimented diets and food plans.
Although dialing in the routine is a great thing, it’s important that we remind ourselves to “keep our eyes open.” What Dr. Suess’s quote alludes to is an open mind. Even when we feel we’ve found exactly what works for us, we must resist the urge to close our eyes and ears to new ideas.
There is so much to learn, experience, and challenge ourselves with. That is, if we only keep our eyes open to do so.
Always a student.
Strength
Back Squat
Alternating “On the Minute” x 12 (6 Rounds)
Odd Minutes – 3 Front Squats
Even Minutes – 6 Back Squats
Barbell – 60%
This load is used on *both* lifts, for all sets. We will be increasing this percentage steadily over the weeks to come. Time remaining in the minute after squats is rest. Post completed load today for tracking purposes.
Metcon
Fish Out of Water (Time)
Athletes Notes
For Time:
2K Row
Directly into 10 Rounds:
3 Power Cleans
6 Pushups
9 Air Squats
Barbell Pounds – 155/105
2K time for future reference.
Pacing wise, it is clear that we need to pace the 2K row (different than a max effort). The real question is, how much do we pace.
Looking forward, the stimulus of the barbell loading is one that is on the moderately heavy side. One that we could cycle for 12+ repetitions unbroken, when completely fresh. Knowing that this, coupled with the pushups and air squats is more of a metabolic effort, we can dig into this row a fair amount. Le’s visualize a pace of 2K race pace plus about :10-15s. It is still a reserved pace (finishing a good 45+ seconds slower than our 2K race pace), but this will allow us to push our efforts on the 10 rounds that follow.
In these 10 rounds, as one can imagine, there are a good amount of transitions. This is where seconds can disappear very easily. Between the 10 rounds, there are a total of 30 transitions. We’ve all seen a “lazy” transition before, or a lengthy one where we take a trip to the chalk bucket. Only a handful of these transitions can compound to something very significant. And on the flip side, being disciplined with our transitions can save us 15-30s, without even noticing it.
Inside those transitions, we are looking for a smooth, methodical pace. Most especially, on the air squats. These tend to be the pacer, affording us a chance to regulate our breathing, which tend to be more difficult on the cleans and pushups. Aim is to find a breathing pace, where each rep, we are forcing in a deep breath.
Not to harp on the air squats excessively, but this is a combination that tends to butcher our movement. We start to allow our chest to fall forward, or “good morning” out of the bottom. Although we are going to dig in this workout, focusing on staying tall during these squats will save our back. This combination can lead to a “back pump”, which can be dibilitating. A tight, cramping feeling in the lower back, it commonly comes into play when we are rounding the lower back due to poor movement.