Thursday Week#1 Loading

Gymnastic #3 Warm up

-7x strict CTB pull ups

-3x P-bar swing complex (3 swings/2 dips)

-Pistols

-Bucket work 5x wipers or 5x round the clock

-From headstand/ press to handstand x3

-Negative bar muscle ups x3

Skill

Movement standards

WOD

3 rounds of:

400m MB run w/14 m/20
30 wall ball shots w/14 m/20

Wednesday Week#1 Loading

MB Warm up #2                                                  

4x

Lateral shuffle MB tosses

MB rotations

Partner wall ball shots

Skill

Viper press

Partner WOD

10 minute Ping pong

7 Viper press w/45 m/75

40m log carry w/45 m/75
7 log squats w/45 m/75

Tuesday Week#1 Loading

Warm up

3 minute jump rope complex

10 singles/ 10 singles as fast as possible/ 10 singles/ 10 double unders

2x

-Push up complex (5 close/ 5 shoulder with apart/ 5 ultra wide)

-Pull up complex (5 close/ 5 shoulder with apart/ 5 ultra wide)

-Mid section complex (5 tucks/ 5 v-ups/ 5 Hollow rocks)

-Posterior complex (5 superman/ 5 super rock/ 5 good morning)

-Stationary lunge complex (5 forward lunges/ 5 lateral lunges/ 5 reverse lunges)

Skill

Movement standards

WOD

3 rounds for time:

40m DB shuttle run

5 DB pull ups
(w/30 m/50)

A neuroscientist says there’s a powerful benefit to exercise that is rarely discussed

Exercise gives ours brains an immediate boost. 

When I was about to turn 40, I started working out regularly after years of inactivity. As I sweated my way through cardio, weights, and dance classes, I noticed that exercise wasn’t just changing my body. It was also profoundly transforming my brain—for the better.



The immediate effects of exercise on my mood and thought process proved to be a powerful motivational tool. And as a neuroscientist and workout devotee, I’ve come to believe that these neurological benefits could have profound implications for how we live, learn and age as a society.

Let’s start with one of the most practical immediate benefits of breaking a sweat: exercise combats stress. Exercise is a powerful way to combat feelings of stress because it causes immediate increases in levels of key neurotransmitters, including serotonin, noradrenalin, dopamine and endorphins, which are often depleted by anxiety and depression. That’s why going for a run or spending 30 minutes on the elliptical can boost our moods immediately—combatting the negative feelings we often associate with chronic stressors we deal with every day.



Exercise improves our ability to shift and focus attention. In my lab, we have also demonstrated that exercise improves our ability to shift and focus attention. Even casual exercisers will recognize this effect. It’s that heightened sense of focus that you feel right after you’ve gotten your blood flowing, whether it be a brisk walk with the dog or a full-on Crossfit workout. These findings suggest that if you have a big presentation or meeting where you need your focus and attention to be at its peak, you should get in a workout ahead of time to maximize those brain functions.

But my favorite neuroscience-based motivation for exercise relates to its effects on the hippocampus—a key brain structure that’s critical for long-term memory. We all have two hippocampi: one on the right side of the brain and the other on the left. The hippocampus is unique because it is one of only two brain areas where new brain cells continue to be generated throughout our lives, a process called adult hippocampal neurogenesis.



Studies in rodents demonstrated that increased levels of physical exercise can result in improved memory by enhancing both the birth rate and the survival of new hippocampal brain cells. Exercise encourages the long-term growth of hippocampal cells by immediately increasing levels of a key growth factor in the hippocampus called Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF. Now, when I exercise, I imagine BDNF levels surging in my hippocampi, encouraging all those new hippocampal cells to grow.

All this should serve as a powerful motivator for regular physical activity. But the immediate and long-term benefits of exercise on the brain have even bigger implications.



Exercise could help students better absorb everything from history lessons to chemistry experiments–and they’d be happier too. Just consider how the educational system might be altered if we acknowledge exercise’s ability to brighten our mood, decrease stress, and improve our attention span and memory. The growing evidence that exercise improves these key brain functions should encourage schools around the world to increase—not decrease—students’ physical activity. Not only would this help students to better absorb everything from history lessons to chemistry experiments, they’d be a lot happier too.



The positive brain-based effects of exercise for education are just as relevant for very young children. The growing popularity of outdoor preschools are a promising sign that this message is starting to get through.



These brain effects of exercise also have implications for our search for that magic “smart” pill we hope will make us more productive, successful, and—if you believe the Bradley Cooper film “Limitless”—a lot sexier as well. What if the real magic does not come in the form of a pill, but in the form of an exercise regimen?


That’s exactly what the neuroscience research suggests. In fact, my lab is focusing on identifying how we can use exercise to optimize brain function for people of all ages, fitness levels and abilities. If regular exercise becomes routine for the vast majority of children and adults, we could have a population that’s not only healthier and less stressed, but also more productive.



Exercise could make students more imaginative at school and adults more creative at work. The good news doesn’t end there. Recent findings have suggested that the brain’s hippocampus is also involved in giving people the ability to imagine new situations. Since we know that exercise enhances the birth of new hippocampal brain cells and can improve memory function, this discovery suggests that exercise might be able to improve the imaginative functions of the hippocampus as well.



This idea has not yet been tested in people. But the hypothesis raises the exciting possibility that exercise could make students more imaginative at school and adults more creative at work, with broad benefits for society as a whole.

It is also worth noting one of the most profound long-term benefits of exercise on the brain. That is, the longer and more regularly you exercise through your life, the lower your chances are of suffering from cognitive decline and dementia as you age. Part of this effect can be attributed to the build-up in the numbers of healthy young hippocampal cells as you exercise over the years.



Granted, this is a very long-term benefit that may not be seen for decades to come. But if more people were to join the gym this month and actually stick to it, more of us will be able to avoid debilitating cognitive decline, which could save society billions of dollars as we enter old age. This problem is even more relevant for countries with particularly large aging populations, including the US, Japan and Germany.



In these ways, neuroscience gives us a framework to understand exercise as a tool for better education, increased productivity in the workforce and combating cognitive decline. It’s time for us to stop using the looming prospect of beach season as the motivation for exercise—and instead shift the conversation to a discussion about how staying active can change the way we live.

Monday Week#1 Loading

Warm up

Band rack stretch

Bar behind neck force extension both directions

(Add overhead if necessary)

Front squats

Clean technique (add jerk if necessary)

WOD

20 minute AMRAP

1 deadlift

1 full clean

1 front squat

1 jerk
(W/155 m/225)

Motivation Sunday

The Process... What's yours???

Open Week #5 Saturday

Warm up

BURGENER WARM-UP:

1. Down and "Finish"

2. Elbows High and Outside

3. Muscle Snatch

4. Snatch Lands at 2", 4", 6"

5. Snatch Drops

SKILL TRANSFER EXERCISES:

1. Snatch Push Press

2. Overhead Squat

3. Heaving Snatch Balance

4. Snatch Balance without a dip

5. Snatch Balance with a dip

WOD

EMOTM for 15 minutes

Snatch

-Hang

-Knees
-Floor

Tight heel cords

Open Week #5 Friday

• WEEK 5
• WEEK 4
• WEEK 3
• WEEK 2
• WEEK 1

   00:00           

 00:00  

 

 

 

Download: Low SD HD

Download a PDF of the workout description and scorecard

Workout 16.5 score submissions are still open.

• This is a standard barbell thruster in which the barbell moves from the bottom of a front squat to full lockout overhead. The bar starts on the ground. No racks allowed. The hip crease must clearly pass below the top of the knees in the bottom position. A full squat clean into the thruster is allowed if the bar is on the ground. Using a ball, box or other object to check for proper depth is not allowed.
• The barbell must come to a full lockout overhead with the hips, knees and arms fully extended, and the bar directly over the body.
• Each burpee must be performed perpendicular to and facing the barbell. The athlete’s head cannot be over the barbell. The chest and thighs touch the ground at the bottom.
• The athlete must jump over the barbell from both feet and land on both feet. One-footed jumping or stepping over is not permitted. If standard-sized bumper plates are not used on the thruster barbell, or your division allows for an empty barbell, a separate barbell loaded with standard bumper plates must be set up for the athlete to jump over during the burpees. Scaled Masters will be permitted to jump over an empty barbell on the burpees.
• The next rep will begin on the opposite side facing the barbell.

WORKOUT 16.5

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Men use 95 lb.
Women use 65 lb.

Notes
This workout begins with the barbell on the floor and the athlete standing tall. At the call of “3, 2, 1 … go,” the athlete will perform 21 thrusters, then 21 burpees, jumping over the barbell for each rep of the burpees. They will then perform 18 of each, then 15 of each, etc., until the last round of 3 of each. Every second counts in this workout. Your score will be the time it takes to complete all 168 repetitions. There is no time cap for this workout.

This workout ends when the feet land on the other side of the bar on the final rep. Time will be recorded in full seconds. Do not round up. If you finish in 7:49.8, your score is 7:49.

Equipment 
• Barbell
• Standard bumper plates (18” diameter) to load to the appropriate weight for your division
• Collars

* If you do not use standard-sized bumper plates on the barbell, you will also need a second barbell set with standard plates to jump over for the burpees, unless you are Scaled Masters. Scaled Masters will be permitted to jump over an empty barbell on the burpees.

For each workout, be sure the athlete has adequate space to safely complete the workout. Clear the area of all extra equipment, people or other obstructions.

Any athlete who in any way alters the equipment or movements described in this document or shown in the workout standards video may be disqualified from the competition.

**The official weight is in pounds. For your convenience, the minimum acceptable weights in kilograms are 43 kg (95 lb.), 29 kg (65 lb.), 20 kg (45 lb.), and 15 kg (35 lb.).

Video Submission Standards
Prior to starting, film the plates and barbell to be used so the loads can be seen clearly. All video submissions should be uncut and unedited in order to accurately display the performance. A second person with a stopwatch should be in the frame throughout the entire workout. Shoot the video from an angle so all exercises can be clearly seen meeting the movement standards.

Note: Depending on your performance, this video may be longer than previous workouts. Be sure you have enough battery life, memory and time to upload your video. You may need to increase your limit on YouTube to allow a longer video.

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Workout 16.5 Variations

Rx’d (Rx’d Men, Masters Men 40-44, Masters Men 45-49, Masters Men 50-54, Rx’d Women, Masters Women 40-44, Masters Women 45-49, Masters Women 50-54, Teen Boys 16-17, Teen Girls 16-17)
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Men use 95 lb.
Women use 65 lb.

Scaled (Scaled Men, Scaled Masters Men 40-44, Scaled Masters Men 45-49, Scaled Masters Men 50-54, Scaled Women, Scaled Masters Women 40-44, Scaled Masters Women 45-49, Scaled Masters Women 50-54)
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Men use 65 lb.
Women use 45 lb.

Masters (Masters Men 55-59, Masters Men 60+, Masters Women 55-59, Masters Women 60+)
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Men use 65 lb.
Women use 45 lb.

Scaled Masters (Scaled Masters Men 55-59, Scaled Masters Men 60+, Scaled Masters Women 55-59, Scaled Masters Women 60+)
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Men use 45 lb.
Women use 35 lb.
Note: Burpees over an unloaded barbell are permitted for this division.

Teens 14-15 (Teen Boys 14-15, Teen Girls 14-15)
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Boys use 65 lb.
Girls use 45 lb.
 

Scaled Teens (Scaled Teen Boys 14-15, Scaled Teen Boys 16-17, Scaled Teen Girls 14-15, Scaled Teen Girls 16-17)
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
Thrusters
Burpees

Boys use 45 lb.
Girls use 35 lb.