CrossFit Evergreen – CrossFit
“The Marshmallow Experiment”
The experiment conducted decades ago began by bringing in children into a room, one by one, sitting them down in a chair with a single marshmallow in front of them.
Here, the researcher offered a deal. He said he was going to leave the room, and if the child didn’t eat the marshmallow while he was away, then a second marshmallow would be rewarded. However, if the child chose to eat the marshmallow while he was away, they wouldn’t get a second. What he didn’t say was how long he’d be gone. The choice was simple – one treat now, or two treats later.
Some of the children ate it right away. Some squirmed around for a bit, and gave in after a couple of minutes. And some of the children managed to wait until the researcher came back.
The research team followed the participants for 40 years afterward. The children who ate the marshmallow immediately… struggled in life. They didn’t have careers they were proud of, and they didn’t live lives they were happy with. The children who held out went on to live as highly successful individuals.
The ability to delay gratification is a critical component in life. Whether we want to go to the CrossFit Games, be the best spouse we can be, or propel our career forward, we must have the willpower to stay the course with the longer term in mind. Even when we’re tired, hungry, beat up, and starving for a bite of that marshmallow… we’re tough enough to hang on.
Strength
Back Rack Reverse Lunge
On the 2:00 x 5 Sets:
Set 1 – 14 Reverse Lunges (7/side)
Set 2 – 12 Reverse Lunges (6/side)
Set 3 – 10 Reverse Lunges (5/side)
Set 4 – 8 Reverse Lunges (4/side)
Set 5 – 6 Reverse Lunges (3/side)
STIMULUS
DESCRIPTION
Our day begins with some good unilateral strength work.
Choose weights that allow for full control through the full range of motion.
Don’t slam your knee into the ground.
We want to complete all the reps on one side before beginning the other side.
MOVEMENT FOCUS
BACK RACK REVERSE LUNGES
We should be able to keep a verticle torso throughout the entire movement.
If our torso cannot stay upright throughout the movement, we’ve gone too heavy today.
When the bar is on your back, point your elbows to the floor and gently pull the bar down into your traps.
Take your lunge steps straight back so you don’t have a “tight rope” type of lunge.
The front leg should be doing most of the work after the back leg gives the initial push off the floor.
SUBS
BACK RACK REVERSE LUNGES
Front Rack Reverse Lunge
Kettlebell on Back Reverse Lunge
Vested or No Weight Jumping Lunges
Double the Reps
Metcon
21 Savage (Time)
For Time:
75/50 Calorie Assault Bike
21 Double Dumbbell Front Squats
21 Double Dumbbell Push Presses
21 Double Dumbbell Hang Clusters
Dumbbells: 50’s/35’s
MOVEMENT VIDEOS
Double Dumbbell Front Squat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZG0vp6l7t-A&feature=youtu.be
Double Dumbbell Push Press: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGKJGg3sot4&feature=youtu.be
Double Dumbbell Hang Cluster: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQTmQ9wq8NI&feature=youtu.be
SUBS
ASSAULT BIKE
Equal Calorie Echo Bike or Bike Erg
Equal Calorie Ski Erg
90/60 Calorie Row
1,200 Meter Run
DESCRIPTION
This chipper workout combines calories on the assault bike with odd-object weightlifting
After clearing the opening bike, the dumbbell movements will increase in difficulty with each set of 21 reps
The expected time range for this piece is between 8-15 minutes
DOUBLE DUMBBELL HANG CLUSTERS
This will be the most challenging dumbbell movement based on the large range of motion
That being said, let’s choose our weight for all 3 dumbbell movements based on this station
This should be a load that allows you to complete the set of 21 hang clusters in 2 sets when fresh
The hang cluster is also known as the “hang squat clean thruster”
You can swing the bells inside or outside of the legs for the clean portion of the movement
After squatting and driving the weight overhead, there is no re-bend of the knees
See further down the page for a demo video
DOUBLE DUMBBELL FRONT SQUATS
To keep these as front squats, we’ll say that you can hold the bells however you’d like as long as the front bells are on the front half of the body
DOUBLE DUMBBELL PUSH PRESS
Just like in the hang cluster, there is no re-bend of the knees after driving the weight overhead
Strategy
GENERAL
This workout is about balancing your speed on the bike with your ability to thrive through the dumbbell movements
One strategy that could work well goes as follows:
Strong Pace on the Bike
Several Breaks on the Front Squats
Big Sets of Push Presses
Quick Sets with Quick Breaks on the Hang Clusters
A stronger pace on the bike allows you to get the payoff that comes in the form of faster calorie accumulation
The front squats will be challenging after the bike, so breaking this movement into several sets can allow to you “recover” the heart rate and legs a bit
The push presses have the shortest range of motion of all the dumbbell movements, so you can finish the 21 reps very quickly if you go big
The hang clusters will provide the biggest challenge of the day
Big sets may not be sustainable based on the weight and very large range of motion, but sets are definitely necessary because the movement comes from the hang instead of the floor
Look to chip away at smaller sets with quick breaks between to finish out the workout
This is just one of many different strategies that could be used for this workout
See below for potential bike paces and break-up options for the dumbbell movements
ASSAULT BIKE
Women:
57-58 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~6 Minutes
60 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~5 Minutes
65 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~4 Minutes
70 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~3.5 Minutes
Men:
65 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~6 Minutes
70 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~5 Minutes
75 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~4 Minutes
80 RPM: Bike Cleared in ~3.5 Minutes
DUMBBELL MOVEMENTS
1 Set: 21
2 Sets: 12-9
3 Sets: 7-7-7
4 Sets: 6-5-5-5
5 Sets: 5-4-4-4-4
6 Sets: 6-5-4-3-2-1
7 Sets: 3-3-3-3-3-3-3