Baby Olivia with Coach Helena during Mommy & Me.

Sunday is Benchmark, Skills or Make Up day. You can work on skills or make up a WOD from this week’s programming.  Alternatively, you can do the following benchmark:

“The Chief”

Max rounds in 3 minutes of:
135/95 pound Power cleans, 3 reps
6 Push-ups
9 Squats

Rest 1 minute. Repeat for a total of 5 cycles.

Post rounds completed for each of the 5 cycles.

This week’s theme is….
Your daily bonus challenge is…

This week’s theme is connection.
Your daily bonus challenge is to share a favourite recipe that you think your fellow challengers  might enjoy.

Musical Med Ball Warm Up!

Fitness:
A. 4 sets:
Front Squat 6-8 reps
Dumbbell IYT 3-4 reps per exercise
B. 10 Minute AMRAP:
5 Front Squat (135/95)
10 Deadlift (135/95)
20 Double Unders

Health:
A. 4 sets:
Front Squat 3-4 reps
IYT 3-4 reps per exercise
B. 4-5 sets, not for time, resting as needed:
5 Goblet squats
5 Deadlift (light to moderate weight)
60 sec of skipping practice OR 60 sec on Airdyne or C2 @60% effort

Fitness:
A. 4 sets:
Front Squat 6-8 reps
IYT on rings 3-4 reps per exercise
B. 10 Minute AMRAP:
10 Front Squat (155/105)
20 Deadlift (155/105)
40 Double Unders

Coach’s Tips

Part A is for technique not for time.  Use the rep range to determine the weight on the front squat, i.e. if you can do 8 reps, increase the weight, if you can barely eek out 6 reps, back off on the weight.  Just make sure that you are challenging yourself, without sacrificing a nice upright position, shins in and knees out, elbows up.  If you cannot rack the bar on your shoulders use straps or cross arms over shoulders.  The IYT weights will be quite light for most of us, and make sure that shoulders are set back and down.  If doing this on the rings, adjust the angle such that you can maintain a tight midline and good shoulder position.  Part B is 10 minutes of work with front squats, deadlifts and double unders. You will use the same barbell for both the squats and the deadlifts, working from the ground rather than a rack.  If you cannot do double unders do singles x 3.  If you have any ankle, hip or back issues, please do the health version rather than skipping.

This week’s theme is connection.
We had a rough week and/or weekend, with many of us veering off track about midway through the challenge.  Your daily bonus challenge is to go back and read your original reasons for wanting to do this challenge, click HERE to see what you posted.  Re-evaluate and decide if those reasons are still important to you and re-state your reasons in today’s comments.  Remember that willpower is not about gathering the strength to do something you don’t want to do, but rather the freedom to make decisions for present self and future self.

Persis & Coach Stef, ‘being all matchy matchy’

Fitness & Performance:
A. 4-5 sets:
Close Grip Bench Press 4-5 reps
Strict pullup 4-5 reps
GH Raise 4-5 reps
B. Four sets for max reps of HSPU against a 2-minute running clock:
Row 300M
HSPU
2 minutes of rest between sets

Health:
A. 4-5 sets:
Close Grip Bench Press 4-5 reps
Strict pullup 4-5 reps
GH Raise 4-5 reps
B. Five sets for max reps of HSPU against a 2-minute running clock:
Row 100M @80% + Row 100@50%
HSPU or wall walk 3-4 tough reps
90 to 120 sec rest between sets

Coach’s Tips

For Part A, you can modify the weight as you go.  For the close grip bench press (14″ grip), if you are able to do 5 reps with good technique, you should increase the weight.  If you cannot complete 4 reps with good technique, you need to scale back the weight.  Follow this with strict pullups  then glute ham raises.  If either of these are too easy, add weight.  Alternate grip per set on your pullups.  If you do not have pullups or glute ham raises, you can substitute negatives, or scale to active hang or ring rows for the pullups and glute/hip bridge for the glute ham raise. For Part B, the buzzer will go off every 2 minutes.  Start by rowing 300M, then in the remaining time, do as many handstand pushups as you can.  If you do not have handstand pushups substitute wall walks or simply kick up to the wall, hold for a breath, then come down and down and do a regular pushup, this counts as one rep.  Performance athletes can aim to do these at a deficit, using plates or paralettes.  This is also a good time to practice your kip if you know you already have the strength.

This week’s theme is connection, in today’s case, connection to nature.
Your daily bonus challenge is simple, go for an after lunch or after dinner walk outside.

Health:
A. Snatch 8 sets of 3
B. 12-15 minutes of work, at submaximal pace:
5 Push-ups; rest 5 breaths
5 Goblet Squats; rest 5 breaths
Farmer Carry around rink; rest 10 breaths

Performance:
A. Snatch 8 sets of 3
B. 12 minute AMRAP:
6 ring rips
12 Sandbag Front Squats
100 Meter Run with sandbag

Coach’s Tips

For Part A, we are looking to work on snatch technique, not going more than 85% of 1RM.  The coach will recommend a variation of the snatch they feel is appropriate for you; hang power snatch, power snatch or full snatch.  If you are fairly new to this movement the coach may also give you some assistance work such as snatch pulls, snatch balances or they may suggest that you work on your overhead squat.  Part 2 is our burner for the day.  Make sure that you are doing a variation of the workout that allows you to work at a pretty steady pace without breaking things up too much.  If  running is not an option, farmer carries are a great alternative.  Elevate hands as needed for the pushups, or if these start to go, work on holding a perfect plank for 30 seconds or doing plank pushups.  Regardless of the variation, your body should be 100% on, straight like a plank, with abs and ass engaged, fingers pointing straight up, hands under the shoulders, taking care to keep elbows close to the body.

This week’s theme is connection.
Now that the weather is cooperating, your daily bonus challenge is to plant something, anything… It can be indoor or outdoor, from seed or from seedling.  Not only does this help you connect to nature, it is an opportunity to grow your own organic vegetables or herbs.

Paleo Gardening

Grow your own herb garden

Health:
A. 5 min or work:
Reverse Sled pull 1 gym length (135/90); rest 5 breaths
Bootstrappers 10 reps; rest 5 breaths
B. 5 min of work:
Wall Ball 8 reps (20/12); rest 5 breaths
KB Swing Russian 12 reps (55/35); rest 5 breaths
C. AMRAP in 5 min
Ball Slam 8 reps (20/12); rest 5 breaths
Mountain Climber 12 reps; rest 5 breaths
D. AMRAP in 5 min:
Pullup 4 reps; rest 5 breaths
Birddog 4 reps per side; rest 5 breaths
Rest 5 minutes between AMRAPs. In between AMRAPs stretch out your lats and pecs.

Performance:
A. AMRAP in 5 min:
Reverse Sled pull 1 gym length (185/135)
Pistols 10 reps alternating
B. AMRAP in 5 min:
Wall Ball 15 reps (20/14)
KB Swing Overhead 15 reps (70/55)
C. AMRAP in 5 min:
Ball Slam 20 reps (20/15)
Mountain Climber 20 reps
D. AMRAP in 5 min:
Bar Muscle Up 4 reps or C2B Pullup 8 reps
Burpees 8 reps
Rest 5 minutes between AMRAPs. In between AMRAPs stretch out your lats and pecs.

Coach’s Tips

As you know, Wednesday is conditioning day!  Today we have 4 AMRAPs of 5 minutes each with 5 minutes of rest between each section.  You can start at any part of the workout and rotate as equipment and space will allow.  During the work sets, work at 90 to 95%, keeping the technique solid but maintaining your pace for the full 5 minutes.  Since this is a conditioning day we want to make sure that the movements you are doing are technically sound so that you can work at an appropriate intensity without having to overthink things.  In today’s workout, ring rows or jumping pullups will be an appropriate modification for the pullups if these aren’t accessible to you yet.  We don’t want to waste even one second getting into a band in such a short AMRAP.   As a clarification, note that the reverse sled pull simply means that you are dragging the sled backward. This, along with the bootstrappers should provide an interesting experience fro the quads.  As you rest between sections, please make sure you stretch!