Reebok tabs a well known NFL wide receiver in Chad Ochocinco to play opposite 2011 CrossFit Games Champ Iceland Annie in their “sport of fitness” commercial.  Pretty crazy how far CrossFit has come in such a short time!

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

Deadlift: 3-3-3 (max reps)

Then:

10-8-6-4-2

Power Cleans (135/95)
Burpee Pull-Ups

Workout B:

Run 1 mile

Then:

AMRAP in 15 minutes

3 man-makers (30/20)
6 db walking lunges
10m bear crawl
10m broad jump

Get your zzzzz’s: Sleep: An Undervalued Ergogenic Aid

Kells Bells, Travis and Austin give the new sleds a whirl.

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

30 Turkish Get Ups (53/35)
30 KB Snatches (53/35)

Then:

“Helen”

3 Rounds

400m Run
21 KB Swings (53/35)
12 Pull-Ups

Workout B:

Shoulder Press: 5-5-5-5-5

Then:

In 3 minutes
Row 250m
Max rep shoulder to overhead (45/33)

In 3 minutes
Run 200m
Max rep wall balls (20/14)

In 3 minutes
100 mountain climbers
Max rep pull-ups

*rest 2 minutes between rounds

Optional: 400m farmer’s carry (53/35)

A couple of firsts yesterday in the box- Linh got her first muscle-up and Olga her first rope climb! You can go to the the ARCFit Facebook page to see Linh’s MU. Congrats to our strong women!

The shirts that Cole ordered for the Sactown Throwdown are in and they look sweet! If you haven’t already, make sure to get your $25 to her and then pick your shirt up at the back counter.

A local guy trying to get established in the CrossFit equipment built these sleds for us. They look solid and our ready to be put to work!

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

Back Squat: 3-3-3 (max reps)
Shoulder Press: 5 x 5*
*immediately after each set perform a max rep effort of strict pull-ups

Then:

AMRAP in 9 minutes

5 Front Squats (135/95)*
10 Box Jumps (24/20)
20 Double-Unders

*from the ground

Workout B:

“Penance”

200m Run
10 DB Thrusters
10 Pull-Ups
10 Wall Balls
400m Run
20 KB Swings (53/35)
20 Burpees
20 Box Jumps (20/14)
600m Run
20 Box Jumps
20 Burpees
20 KB Swings
400m Run
10 Wall Balls
10 Pull-Ups
10 DB Thrusters
200m Run

Hey ARFitters out there, it’s time to get signed up for the CrossFit Open! A handful of you have thus far, but we need EVERYONE to get involved! In case your not sure how the Open works, here it is. There are 5 workouts that need to be completed over 5 weeks (1 per week). The first Open workout will be announced on Wednesday, February 22nd. This year the ENTIRE box will be doing the Open WOD on each Thursday. Since EVERYONE will be doing the same WOD on Thursday’s, you might as well sign up for the Open and join in the fun! It’s only $20 to get involved and as long as you link to American River CrossFit, your scores just might help us qualify a team for Regionals. Not to mention, you can see how you stack up against the best in Northern California and the best in the world! We had lots of fun with this last year and I encourage ALL OF YOU to sign up today. Not sure? Ask around to see who competed last year and find out about their experience. Clink on the link to the right to get signed up.

D going over a 5 foot wall at the NorCal 40's competition

Okay, so this one is long overdue!  Please join me in congratulating Deanna for being named our February Athlete of the Month.  Deanna, along with her husband Runner Steve, our just awesome people to have in our box!

D came to us with a background in running but before long she had a pair of weightlifting shoes and was getting after all of the lifts.  She brings a positive attitude every time she enters the box and always has a willingness to learn and try new things.  Deanna can always be heard encouraging others, especially her hubby, who she routinely smacks down during WODs!  She’s also been none to crush workouts with the Thighmaster!

D competed in her first CrossFit competition last weekend at the NorCal 40′s event and will be making up part of our masters team at the Sactown Throwdown later this month.  Although it took much begging and prodding to get her signed up, she absolutely killed it last Sunday with an impressive all-around performance.  I can’t wait to see her compete again at the Throwdown.  Don’t change a thing Deanna, you’re awesome!!

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

Spend 20 minutes working on a skill, weakness or a goal

Then:

“Annie”

50-40-30-20-10
Double-Unders
Sit-Ups

Workout B:

Deadlift: 5 x 3

Then:

21-15-9*

Front Squats (75/55)
Burpees
KB Swings (53/35)
Pull-Ups
*Run 400m after each round

Congrats to the winners or our January skill challenge of max bar facing burpees in one minute:

Linh-21      Matt P- 26

Look for your Habit Burger gift cards on the back counter in the coming days. I guess that means we need a new challenge huh? How about this one:

“Backwards Barbell Fran”

9-15-21

Thrusters (45/33)
Jumping Pull-Ups

This will be an all out sprint but make sure you maintain full range of motion on both the thrusters and the jumping pull-ups. That means crease of the hip clearly below the knee and the barbell locked out directly overhead at the top. Full extension at the bottom of each pull-up and chin way over that bar. Don’t short arm the movement! Please don’t drop the empty barbells, but set them down gently so as not to bend them. Buena suerte!

I saw this guy fight in Vegas a few years back and he’s had some big wins in the UFC. Looks like his focus is changing a bit now:  Jason MacDonald Plans for the Open - video [wmv] [mov] [HD mov]

Runner Steve and I at the NorCal 40's competition

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

Weighted Pull-Ups- 5 x 3
Ring Dips- 5 rounds max reps

Then:

21-15-9

Pull-Ups
Push-Ups
Toes 2 Bar
KB Swings (53/35)

Workout B:

Front Squat- 3 x 5
Bench Press- 3 x 5

Then:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1*

Power Cleans (95/65)
Push-Press (95/65)
*Complete 20 double-unders after each round

Those bright orange shirts that the ARCFit crew were rockin’ on Sunday definitely stood out! Our supporters said they had no trouble finding Runner Steve or myself despite being in a heat crowded with other athletes.

Fortunatley for those of you who didn’t get on the Orange Crush train during the last t-shirt order, Cole has come up with a limited edition T for the SacTown Throwdown. It’s a take off on an old Run DMC album with lyrics to boot.  I’ve attached a link so you can check it out but if you want one you need to hurry.  If you’re interested in buying one for yourself you need to call CustomInk at 1-866-598-2065 and reference order # 1913972. Cost is approximately $25. If you call in by Thursday 2/2 and place an order it should be recieved by Feb 10th! Specify if u want a Tshirt or Tank and be sure to verify that it will be recieved by Friday 2/10!! See you at the Throwdown rockin the ARCFit Orange!! front.php back.php

Coach Ryan shows off one of his favorite foam roll positions

Workout A/B:

Our February AOTM Jason checks in with this beauty…

“Jason’s WOD”

3 Rounds for Time

50 Double-Unders
40 Kettlebell Swings (55/35)
30 Box Jumps (24/20)
20 Pull-Ups
10 Power Cleans (135/95)
5 HSPU
1 Rope Climb

*******************************************************

Ok, that’s obviously not Ryan but since he posted this article from SicFit on foam rolling I thought it was more than appropriate.  What the heck is really going on here anyway???

This is how (why) we roll!  This is a great article on the basics of foam rolling and why we as athletes need to incorporate this type of “stretching” into our daily warm up rituals. Now all we need is a pair of shades and we’ll all look the part!  I See You Rollin’… | SICFIT-Ryan

For those of you interested in coming down and cheering on our athletes at the NorCal 40′s event being held at the Craneway Pavilion on the Richmond waterfront (only 90 minutes away), here are the WODs they will be facing:

WOD 1: 1.2 mile run with a weighted vest (20/14)

WOD 2: 30 squat snatches (125/85)*
*any missed rep will require 20 double-unders to be completed before continuing. 10 minute cap.

WOD 3: AMRAP in 7 minutes
7 C2B Pull-Ups
10 DB Push Press (40/25)
10 KB Swings (53/35)

There will be 4 “floater” workouts throughout the day that combined will total a score for a fourth WOD. Looks like fun! Hope to see a big contingent of ARCFit supporters there! Let’s show some love for Deanna, T, Laura and Runner Steve!!  Here are Directions

Matt P.- Making copies!

So guess who walked out of the box and went to work with his weightlifting shoes on?  That’s right, Matt P.  Not only did our aspiring firebreather forget to change out of his orange striped Adidas but he also left his tennis shoes on the main floor. Yup, you owe us 25 burpees for leaving those behind!  Hopefully you went ahead and hit a few overhead squats with that copier at least!

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

Clean: 2-2-2-1-1-1-1

Then:

3 Rounds for Time

20 C2B Pull-Ups
30 KB Swings (53/35)
40 Double-Unders

Workout B:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Wall Balls (20/14)
Burpees

Then:

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10

Box Jumps (20/16)
Wall Ball Sit-Ups (or sit-ups x3)

Camera shy- Justin E.S

Holly digs over-unders!

Today’s WOD

Workout A:

10 Rope Climbs or 10 Muscle-Ups

Then:

“JT”

21-15-9

HSPU
Ring Dips
Push-Ups

Workout B:

Deadlift 5 x 5

Then:

3 Rounds for Time

30 Push Press (75/55)
20 Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
10 Pull-Ups

**********************************************

It’s a little long, but stick with it because the perspective gained is more than worth it:  CrossFit – Anybody Can Do Anything

The 2011 CrossFit Games

Workout A

Weighted Pull-Ups: 3-3-3-3-3-3
Kipping Pull-Ups: 3 attempts at max reps

Then:

Sprint Row 5 x 200m (rest 1 minute between rounds)

Workout B

Deadlift: 3 x 8

Then:

AMRAP in 12 minutes:

20 Double-Unders
9 Deadlifts (95/65)
6 Hang Power Cleans (95/65)
3 Shoulder to Overhead (95/65)

Registration for the 2012 CrossFit Games Open begins on February 1st.  This is a 5 week, 5 workout competition that kicks off on February 22nd (one workout a week).  This is the first step in the road to the Games.  I expect a whole bunch of you to sign up this year and get after it!  If you’re unsure about the process ask one of our athletes who did it last year or go here for more info: games-2012

Anyone interested in trying out for one of the three teams (elite, novice, masters) we will be sending to the Sac-Town Throwdown will need to be available either this Saturday at 1:00 pm or next Wednesday evening (1/11) at 6:00 pm.  We will be running you through two WODs with a 30 minute rest period between them.  Your performance during these WODs will help us select the best athletes to send to the Throwdown and represent ARCFit.  Any coaches who are available on either of those dates to help with judging are encouraged to do so. WODs will be announced later in the week and will be a fair test of your overall skills.  Please arrive early and get yourselves warmed up ahead of time.  Make sure you are available to participate on both days of the competition (2/11-2/12) before trying out.  Good luck everyone!

Coach Elijah spent the holidays in Colorado and got in a few WODs at Pike's Peak CrossFit. One of those WODs included a 1000m run in a foot of snow!

Workout A

Back Squat: 5-5-max reps
Shoulder Press: 5-5-max reps

Then: 20 skin the cats
Then: 10 wall balls on the minute for 10 minutes

Workout B

“Angie”

100 pull-ups
100 push-ups
100 sit-ups
100 squats

So for those of you who were not around last week because of the holidays, we’ve switched things up a bit with our programming. Mesh is experimenting with programming two workouts for each class, one that has a greater strength bias (A), and the other that would be considered more traditional CrossFit (B).

You may choose either Workout A or B, but not both. We ask that you stick with either the A or B for at least a 4 week cycle and don’t flip flop between the two. People choosing Workout A should be very experienced in all of the major lifts and, with few exceptions, have been training at our box for a minimum of 6 months. We are encouraging some of our top level athletes who wish to compete in CrossFit competitions to choose program A. Most of you will fall into the Workout B group which will allow you to continue to improve your work capacity and become more proficient at the fundamental movements found in CrossFit. If you’re not sure which plan to try, please email me or ask a coach in the box.

Again, this is being done on a trial basis and we encourage your feedback. So far, we’ve received nothing but positive comments but we are open to any and all suggestions.

For those of you interested in trying out for one of the three teams (expert, novice or masters) we will be sending to the Sac-Town Throwdown in February, please make sure your name is up on the whiteboard. I will be sending out more info on the tryout process later this week.

Our next On-Ramp class begins Tuesday, January 3rd at 7:00 pm. We still have a couple of spots open if you know somebody who might be interested, have them email me ASAP.