Monday 8.5

Name game: What’s something that’s popular now that you have zero interest in?

Warm up: for 4 minutes, rounds of 20 single/double unders, 10 kip swings, 10 band pull-aparts, 10 sit-up to straddle

Strength/skill: 4 rounds for high quality reps:
1 minute strict toes to bar
1 minute strict ring dips
1 minute rest

How to scale: Do strict knee raises or knees to chest and dips with a band, on matador bars, or between boxes.

WOD: 18 minute AMRAP
60 double unders
30 alternating dumbbell snatches 50/35
20 pull-ups

How to scale: Scale to ensure you’re able complete a minimum of 4 full rounds. Each movement should take no longer than 90 seconds.

Double unders: Spend no more than 1:30 per round on attempts or accumulating single-single-double.

DB snatch: Reduce the load to one you can do for sets of 10+ unbroken reps.

Pull-ups: Do jumping pull-ups or ring rows.

Objective: There are four days of strength work this week, but half of them are dedicated to strict gymnastics: building strength by controlling your own body weight. Focus on moving with control — particularly on the toes-to-bar, not letting your feet swing behind the bar on the descent — and good range of motion. The workout is a medium-long AMRAP. Pace yourself to keep moving without substantial breaks during or between movements. The goal is at least 4 full rounds.

Score: rounds & reps

Tuesday 8.6
Name game: If you were given a full (paid) year off from work, what would you do?

Warm up: coach-led barbell

Strength: 10 minute EMOM
power clean + squat clean

WOD: For time *12 minute cap
30-20-10
handstand push-ups
15-10-5
power clean 185/125

How to scale: Modify to beat the cap, meaning an average of 8 or more reps per minute.

Power cleans: Pick a weight you can do for quick singles.

Handstand push-ups: Reduce the reps to no lower than 15-10-5, or use one or two ab-mats or do pike push-ups or z-presses.

Objective: We’re mixing power and squat variations for our clean complex today; as always, build in weight over the course of the EMOM so long as you’re moving well. The workout is a couplet with a relatively heavy clean and some higher skill gymnastics. Still, it should be quick: at a minimum, sets of 5+ reps on your HSPU scale and quick singles on the cleans.

Score: max clean complex & time to complete

Wednesday 8.7
Name game: Would you rather have to eat your vegetables all raw or all cooked? (“I’d rather not eat any vegetables” is the wrong answer ;))

Warm up: for 4 minutes rounds of :45 bike, 10 scap pull-ups, 10 pass throughs

Strength/skill: Every 1:30 for 5 rounds: 5 strict pull-ups at 3113 tempo (3 second hold at top and 3 second descent). These reps do not need to be unbroken.

How to scale: Reduce reps to 3 per interval or use a band or do jumping pull-ups or ring rows with the same tempo.

WOD: 24 minute EMOM (6 rounds)
Minute 1: 15/12 calorie Echo bike
Minute 2: 15 parallette shoot throughs
Minute 3: Max hollow hold
Minute 4: rest

How to scale: Do your best to hit a consistent number of bike calories each round. Use boxes or benches for the shoot-throughs and sub a tuck or plank hold so that you can accumulate at least :30 in each interval.

Objective: It’s our second day this week of strict gymnastics strength work, this time with tempo strict pull-ups. Like Monday, the focus will be control and range of motion. The workout is all core — with a high heart rate thanks to the Echo bike sprint to start each round. Even though you should be staying tight during the hollow holds, don’t forget to breathe! 

Score: total hollow hold time (best possible score 6:00)

Thursday 8.8
Name game: What was the worst date you’ve ever been on?

Warm up: 400m run then rounds of 10 pass throughs with a lunge, 10 front squats, 10 push presses (pvc then empty bar)

Strength: thruster 5×3
*Build to a heavy 3, starting at a moderate load heavier than you used for the 5×4 last Tuesday.

WOD: 10 minute AMRAP
200m run
20 barbell front rack lunges 95/65 (L+R = 2)
*in case of rain: 250m row, 500m C2 bike, or 15/12 Echo bike

How to scale: Reduce the barbell weight so that you can do the lunges unbroken.

Objective: It’s week three of our thruster cycle: next week will be a bit of a break, and a 1-rep max test will follow. Try to build on the weights you used for our sets of 5 and 4 in previous weeks. The workout should be quick and light. Try to do the lunges unbroken and use the runs to recover. You should be in motion for the full 10 minutes.

Score: thruster loads and rounds & reps

Friday 8.9
Name game: What is the latest you’ve ever been to an appointment/obligation?

Warm up: 2 minute run/bike/row then coach-led barbell

WOD: For time *20 minute cap
100 bar-facing burpees
*5 power snatches 115/75 EMOM, starting at 1:00

How to scale: Make sure you’re getting at least :30 each minute to accumulate burpees.

Snatches: These should take no more than about :20 each round. Reduce the weight  to one that you can easily do for 5+ touch-and-go reps. If needed, reduce the buy-in reps to 3-4 each round. Taking the snatches from the hang is also an option to make the skill quicker and simpler.

Bar-facing burpees: Do straight-arm burpees and/or step over the bar.

Accessory (optional): 3-5×20 barbell good morning

Objective: Today’s WOD is reminiscent of the notorious hero WOD “Kalsu,” but in reverse: it’s the burpees that count, with a barbell skill interrupting your progress each minute. Take advantage of the snatch-free first minute to bank a big set of burpees, then try to stay consistent for the remainder. A solid strategy would be :20 on the snatches, :30 of burpees, then rest to get ready for the next minute. Note that for your score to count as Rx, you can take minutes off from doing burpees but must still do the snatches every minute. 

Score: time to complete

Saturday 8.10
Name game: What’s your favorite game to play at an arcade?

Warm up: coach-led funzies

WOD: For time with a partner *30 minute cap
6K row
—
20 rounds of:
8 front squats 135/95 (no racks)
8 chest-to-bar pull-ups
*One partner rows while the other completes rounds of the couplet. Switch as desired. Once one section is done, one partner works while the other rests.
**Solo: 3K row + 10 rounds of couplet, partitioned as desired

How to scale: Modify the couplet so that you can do each skill in 1-2 sets through the workout.

Row: Aim for 5K total if both you and your partner struggle to maintain a pace of 2:30 or faster per 500m.

Front squats: Reduce the weight.

Chest to bar: Do regular pull-ups or challenging ring rows. Avoid bands today — transitions take too long.

Objective: It’s been a theme of late — little to no built-in rest in sight for the weekly partner WOD. In today’s case, your rest is earned by finishing either of the two sections. The work does not have to be divided evenly, and rowing slowly is still progress whereas staring at your bar is not, so communicate with your partner about your relative strengths and your strategy for switching off.

Score: time to complete (or meters + rounds & reps at cap)

Sunday 8.11
Strength: Bench Press: 6×3 @ 75% to 85% of 1RM
Push Press: 6×3 @ 75% to 85% of 1RM