Every :90 x 15 rounds:
1 Squat clean & split jerk

Then, “Grace”
30 Clean & jerk, 135#(95#)

Post scores to BTWB

We all have those days during a really hard week, when we just can’t see ourselves working out because  everything is sore and the best thing for us to do is take a day to recover. Box Life Magazine has a great read about the difference between rest and recovery. Below is an excerpt from the article. The title below is a link to the entire article. Rest days and recovery days are just as important as workout days so make sure they are a part of the plan to overall wellness.

ACTIVE RECOVERY & THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REST DAYS AND RECOVERY DAYS

You may be surprised to learn that there is a difference between rest and recovery—though both are crucial in enhancing performance. Rest is generally categorized as sleep and time spent not training or exercising. Recovery, on the other hand, refers to techniques and actions taken to maximize your body’s repair. And this doesn’t just mean muscle repair. Recovery involves chemical and hormonal balance, nervous system repair, mental state and more.

There are different factors such as sleep, diet and hydration that can all be beneficial, but one of the most effective methods of helping the body (and mind) recover is through active recovery.

Active recovery (AR) focuses on completing an exercise at a low intensity, but high enough to increase blood flow and enhance the clearance of enzymes responsible for muscle damage and residual fatigue. Therefore AR plays a huge role in minimizing the symptoms of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). I have no doubt that you are all familiar with DOMS. Do you ever wonder why, after a strenuous workout, you might not feel sore until the next day—or even two days later? This is due to lactic acid building up in your muscles during anaerobic (without oxygen) exercise. The molecules in lactic acid break apart in the blood and produce hydrogen ions, which decrease the pH of the blood—which in turn causes something called metabolic acidosis, which leads to the pain you feel during exercise and DOMS.

Where AR comes into play is that it can help clear this lactic acid through a sustained elevated metabolic rate which generates lactate oxidation. This is why cooling down post-WOD with some light work on the rower coupled with mobility is so valuable to reducing the effects of DOMS and allowing you to perform at similar levels throughout the week.

For time:
25 GHD sit-ups
5 Muscle-ups
50 Double unders
20 GHD sit-ups
4 Muscle-ups
40 Double unders
15 GHD sit-ups
3 Muscle-ups
30 Double unders
10 GHD sit-ups
2 Muscle-ups
20 Double unders
5 GHD sit-ups
1 Muscle-ups
10 Double unders

Post times to comments and BTWB

Happy Monday folks!!

Halloween is just a few short days away. We do not have any changes to our schedule this Wednesday but we would like to celebrate the fun holiday. If you show up to Verve in costume we will put your name in a drawing for a $30 gift certificate to your choice of Amazon, Reebok, or Rogue Fitness. 

We absolutely appreciate that some costumes are not fitness friendly, and that some parts of costumes might be removed to make for easier movement in a workout. Go for it, we want you to enjoy the WOD, we will still put your name in the drawing just for arriving at the gym in your fancy pants. 

Have a wonderful week and a Happy Halloween!!

“Pat”
6 Rounds for time:
25 Pull-ups
50′ Front rack walking lunge, 75#(55#)
25 Push-ups
50′ Front rack walking lunge, 75#(55#)

Post times to comments and BTWB

“Death by DT”
As many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
1 Deadlift, 135#(95#)
1 Hang power clean, 135#(95#)
1 Push jerk, 135#(95#)
1 Burpee over the bar
2 Deadlift, 135#(95#)
2 Hang power clean, 135#(95#)
2 Push jerk, 135#(95#)
2 Burpee over the bar
3 Deadlift, 135#(95#)
3 Hang power clean, 135#(95#)
3 Push jerk, 135#(95#)
3 Burpee over the bar. . . . .
Keep adding 1 rep to each until time runs out

Post reps to BTWB

Gluten-Free Chocolate Almond Butter Breakfast Parfaits from Plating Pixels

Ingredients

• 2 cups vanilla Greek yogurt
• 1 banana sliced
• ½ cup old-fashioned oats
• 4 tablespoons MaraNatha Creamy No Stir Almond Butter
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons cocoa nibs

Instructions

• Spoon ½ cup yogurt each into 2 small glasses or jars. Top each with half of the banana slices and 1-tablespoon almond butter. Sprinkle with half of cocoa powder and nibs.
• Add another layer with rest of yogurt, then top with remaining ingredients.

Recipe Notes

• If you make ahead of time just stored covered in fridge the night before. The oats will soften a bit.

As many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 Strict knees to elbow
3 Wall walks

Post rounds and reps to comments and BTWB

So what are Knees To Elbows in Crossfit Training? By GymPaws

It refers to the movement of contracting the ab muscles and simultaneously bringing your knees up to your elbows and back again. If you think it sounds like some fancy complicated move you’re just psyching yourself out. 

How To Do Knees To Elbows:

Find your favorite pull up bar. A tree branch in the park will even work to be honest (provided it’s not too thick). You want to be sure you have a good grip, so put on a pair of the best crossfit gloves you can find. With a slightly wider than shoulder width grip begin by “hanging” from your pull up bar. Contract (squeeze) your abs and simultaneously begin to bring your knees and lower body up towards your elbows. In a slow and controlled motion, return to the starting position again.

What do Knees To Elbows Work?

Abs, Abs, Abs. If you’ve ever done abs on the Roman Chair in the gym, you’ll feel a similar workout with knees to elbows. While the movement itself does indeed work your ab muscles (and it works them hard) a great part of the movement is actually your hip flexors. The hip flexors refer to the muscle group on the front of the pelvic bone. They are responsible for flexing the femur (thigh bone) upward.

While lots of personal trainers and instructors love to have their clients bust out dozens of knees to elbows, thinking its one of the best exercises for 6 pack abs, they’re half right. A big part of this movement comes from the hip flexor muscles. In reality, it’s not until your upper body is perpendicular to the floor that you begin to really focus on your abs.

Knees to elbows in crossfit training also requires some more than average upper body strength. While you’re not relying as much on your upper body strength to complete the movement, you do need to be able to handle your own body weight. If you’ve mastered the basic pull up, you should have no problem with knees to elbows once you’re comfortable with the movement.

With a 12 minute running clock, 4 rounds for reps of:
1 Minute KB swings, 24kg(16kg)
1 Minute ab-mat sit-ups
1 Minute DB push press, 40#(25#)

Post reps to BTWB

SHARED SUFFERING and its benefits! an excerpt from an article by BOXROX magazine (see full article here)

#1 IF THEY CAN DO IT, THEN I CAN DO IT!
That’s the motto that takes over our head when we’re stuck in the middle of a WOD. Suddenly, we don’t feel like picking up the bar or the kettle bell, and we feel defeated. A glance at our neighbor’s performance, a scan through the room at the other members of our CrossFit community, and our energy level goes back up. “If they can do it then I can too”. That’s true, and we know it. Not because the other athletes doing the workout are better than us, but because they are passionate and they believe in themselves, and that positivity is infectious.

#2 THAT LAST PUSH
When we are losing our kip, or as our snatch technique is failing, we feel like we’re never going to be able to finish the WOD. Our mind tells us to quit, negative thoughts start to immerse our spirits and therefore our body is giving up. It’s all or nothing, if we’re not able to do those 10 unbroken toes to bar, then there is no point in continuing.  Our peers are there to remind us that the way we think sometimes sets us up for failure even before starting a WOD. There’s no such thing as giving up they might say. And here we are, doing our toes to bar one at a time without taking any breaks, while being pushed by a crowd of athletes, a CrossFit community who are thrilled by our performances and cheering us on until the timer goes off.

#3 MANAGING SETBACKS
CrossFit is about making progress but what about setbacks or plateaus? When we are in bad mood, and we don’t even feel like showing up because we know that we’re not in a good place. We start to feel the support of the community and that’s amazing.  If we have the chance to train with a partner, then the same scenario will most likely prevail in a similar situation. We can sometimes be short sighted and not think clearly. Our training buddy is here to open up our eyes and reassure us, by reminding us, that despite the frustration “A plateau is sometimes needed in order to grow stronger and work on different aspects of our training”.  And there we go, pumped, motivated and ready for our next workout

Every minute on the minute x 15 rounds:
1 Squat snatch

Then, 5 rounds for time:
5 Overhead squat @ 60%
30 Double unders

Post loads and times to comments and BTWB

Dear Verve members,

Eric and I would like to thank you all for taking the time to fill out our survey posted in Thursday’s blog. The survey is still live, so if you have not yet filled it out but would like to, it is available. We have had over 100 responses so far, with more still coming in. It is a lot of information for us to go through. We want to let you know that we will be taking some time over the next several weeks to really read through it, discuss it, and begin making plans to implement some of the feedback. We will not be able to fulfill every request. And we will not be able to make every change, but we are excited to use what we can to help Verve grow. 

Again, thank you so much for your time. We appreciate it. 

Courtney and Eric

3 Rounds of:
With a 2:00 clock
10 Deadlifts 135#(95#)
With the remaining time;
Row as many calories as possible

Rest 2:00 minutes between rounds

After round 3, rest a total of 5:00 then,

3 Rounds of:
With a 2:00 clock
8 Power cleans 95#(65#)
With the remaining time;
As many bar facing burpees as possible

Rest 2:00 between rounds

After round 3 rest a total of 5:00 then,

Max effort set of strict pull ups

Post results to comments and BTWB

With a partner
20 Rounds of:
5 Push jerks 135#(95#)
5 Front squats 135#(95#)
5 Box jump overs 24″(20″)

*Partner 1 does 1 round, then partner 2 does the second round. This continues until the pair has completed 20 rounds (each person does 10 rounds).

Post time to BTWB

Reminder that today is Bring a Friend Day to Verve.  We’ll have modifications for all levels for the workout.  Please have your friends sign up for class via MBO and we’ll have waivers ready to go when you arrive. 

Caramel Apple Nachos courtesy of all things mamma 

INGREDIENTS

• 3-4 green apples, sliced
• 1 jar caramel sauce, melted in the microwave
• 1 package mini chocolate chips
• 1 package Heath bar pieces
• Various toppings of your choice (coconut, cinnamon, nuts, melted peanut butter)

DIRECTIONS

• Arrange apples on a large plate or platter so that no apple slice is completely covered by another.
• Using a fork, drizzle warm caramel sauce over apples, making sure every apple gets some sauce.
• Top with mini chocolate chips, Heath bar pieces, and any other topping you like.
• Serve immediately!

5 Rounds, NOT for time:
Ring dips (max reps)
1:00 Rest
50′ Double kettlebell front rack walking lunges as heavy as possible
1:00 Rest
100′ Backwards sled drag as heavy as possible
1:00 Rest

Post results to comments and BTWB

Verve members!! This is years in the making. Why do I say that, because I’m pretty sure this has not been done in at least 5 years. We have a survey for you to fill out. It’s over 50 questions and provides lots of opportunity for you to give your true, honest feedback. And you can hide behind the shield of anonymity. 

Let’s be real. We would love for people to feel comfortable telling us feedback personally or at least attaching their name to it in some fashion. That is what allows for the best kind of follow up and follow through. But we have come to realize that most feel much better dishing the dirt when they don’t have to use their name. So this survey is anonymous. You don’t need to sign it (unless you want to). Please take the time to read through it and help us help you. Do we suspect we may hear some things we really don’t want to? Yes. Do we suspect that some of you have some pretty strong feelings about things at Verve? Yes. Are we prepared to sit down, read it all, and thoroughly absorb the information given to us? YES. 

So dig in and let us have it. Click here to start the survey. And again, thank you for your time.