Paige's Fitness Journey

I am a professional athlete and trainer in Equestrian Show Jumping. I compete against and have trained with several Olympic medalist so I understand elite training and performance.  I have always been a runner (4 marathons including Boston)and have done some kind of exercise be it a class , kickboxing ,working with a personal trainer who was a professional boxer and yoga etc.   A friend told me that I would love CrossFit though I had no clue what it was about.  She told me to google CrossFit near me and Amrap Fitness was a mile from my house. 

I walked into Amrap Fitness 6 years ago and it was one of the best things I have ever done in my life.  I couldn’t do a lot  of the movements as they were  new and had no barbell experience. Not a problem for Coach Ray! I have since learned so much and still have a ton to work on. Everyday it’s a different workout so it never gets boring. EverydayCoach is critiquing our form and breaking down the movements so we do it correctly not to get hurt. Six years later he still explains the movements everyday every class. He is so involved in running the group class that it’s really more of a personalized workout.  With all types of strengths and ages of people, Ray instructs you personally for a successful challenging workout. It is by far the best fitness programming I have ever done.

I have also learned how important nutrition is to your performance. Clean eating, zone paleo eating has become a way of life. I thought I was eating healthy before I started CrossFit but quickly learned again that I didn’t have a clue. I have a sensitive digestive system and with Ray’s knowledge of healthy eating I feel great.
My journey at Amrap Fitness has been amazing. I have done things and lifted more weight than I ever thought possible. At 41 years of age, I am in the best shape of my life. Amrap has camaraderie of family and has a super fun atmosphere. Everyone helps and supports each other no matter what level you are at veteran or new. Ray’s level of coaching expertise is equal to what I have in my own sport. ELITE!!!

With my competition travels I have tried other CrossFit boxes around the country and none come close to Amrap. So much that I’d rather follow the WODs from home while away. 

People call me crazy to be in the box at 4:30 am  to warm up for 5am class and then go back in the afternoon for strength and conditioning. The afternoon sessions definitely make you stronger and more fit. I’m love it!

I enjoy the daily physical and mental challenge Coach gives us. Constantly trying to improve skills and gain PRs. I love the group of people I get to workout with.  Amrap Fitness is truly a special place that is a blessing to be apart of.There is no thank you big enough to Coach for the elite training ,extreme fitness, knowledge, friendship and fun he has given me for the last 6 years.  Fitness at its finest! Keep on rock’in!! Looking forward to it everyday!

Thanks Coach!!!!
Paige 
AKA-Terminator

8/31 Day#19

Burgner 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

Skill

Snatch

WOD

Isabel 

30 snatches for time

W/95# M/135#

8/30 Day#18

Warm up

Shoulder Health

4x 7

Angel wing complex (bands/ bench/ floor)

Double external rotation distal (away)

Double external rotation superior (upward)

Hip & Glute Activation

Lateral band walks (band above knees)

Forward & reverse band walks (band above knees)

Reverse hip extension (band around ankles)

Skill

Weighted dips & walking lunges

Partner WOD

23 minute tag

75m DB farmers carry w/35# m/55#

20m DB walking lunges w/35# m/55# 

7 weighted dips w/35# m/55#

GoFit

The CrossFit Warm up 

3 rounds of 15 reps of:
Samson Stretch (30 seconds)
OHS
Sit-ups
Back-extensions 
Pull-ups
Dips

Skill

Movement standards 

WOD

8x

20:20

-Burpees

-Lunges
-Sit ups

Ice Baths?

We have all seen professional athletes sitting in big tubs of ice, or seen people everywhere using ice(cold exposure) for “recovery”. Why are they doing this? Well believe it or not there is an actual reason you see people using ice baths(cold exposure) for recovery from training and for the many health benefits it delivers to the body. 

             

 After workouts your body needs to repair itself to prepare for the next training session. It does so with the help of blood vessels that bring oxygen to your muscles tissue while removing waste products of exercise-lactic acid. Too much lactic acid build up can cause your muscles to function poorly and will lead to fatigue. Ice baths will immediately reduce swelling while flushing lactic acid out of your body. The cold causes your blood vessels to tighten. This helps drain the lactic acid out of your tires muscles. When you get out of the ice bath your muscle tissue warms back up, causing a return of oxygenated blood to help your muscles recover. 

             

Exposure to cold releases Norepinephrine into the brain where it is involved in vigilance, focus, attention and mood. Even cold showers can be used to treat depression. It also has a role in pain, metabolism and inflammation.This response is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system(fight or flight). Norepinephrine can rise 200-300% with cold immersion near 0 Celsius for 20 min 3 times a week. Norepinephrine reduces inflammation cytokines including TNF-alpha a molecule in involved in almost every human disease from type 2 diabetes to cancer. Cytokines also play a role in anxiety and depression hence the effect of cold exposure on mood. 

          

Cold also actives cold thermogenesis a way for the body to produce heat. Cold thermogenesis benefits are due to the activation of brown adipose tissue(BAT). The activation of brown adipose tissue a form of fat that burns regular fat for heat generation through fat oxidation. Cold exposure increases the number of mitochondria( mitochondrial biogenesis) The more BAT the better your body becomes in burning fat for energy. 

            

 So as you can see ice baths(cold exposure) has several benefits both physically and mentally. There is a reason you see the pros using ice for recovery, and it doesn’t just work for the pros we all could benefit from cold exposure after training. 

References: biohackersummit.com

                      Mensjournal.com

Robin Samuels 

8/29 Day#17

Jerk Warm up 

Band rotations over head 

Band rack stretch

Bar behind neck force extension both directions

(Add overhead if necessary)

Jump & land (hip ext)

Jump & land (foot work)

Jump & land with arms

Drop jerk 3 position

Jerk

Skill
Power jerk

WOD 

A- Power jerk

5x 3 

B- 4 rounds for time:

20 burpees over the barbell

20 TTB

20 power jerk w/95# m/135#

*15 minute time cap

8/28 Day#16

The CrossFit Warm up

3 rounds of 15 reps of:
Samson Stretch (30 seconds)
OHS
Sit-ups
Back-extensions  
Pull-ups  
Dips

Skill

Rope climbs

WOD

For time:
4 thrusters
1 15-ft. rope ascent
8 thrusters
2 15-ft. rope ascents
12 thrusters
3 15-ft. rope ascents

(W/95# m/135#)

*10 minute time cap

GoFit

Warm up 

Ping pong the following

3 reps

KB shuttle

KB single arm swing

KB clean (R/L)

KB snatch (R/L)

KB release

KB wall ball sub

Skill

KB thruster/ KBS

WOD

7x

30:30

-Pull ups

-KB thruster

-KBS

8/27 Day#15

Warm up 

Rowing technique #2

3 minutes of rowing

-Break down of the stroke

-Pacing

-Builders

-Bell curve

3 minutes of rowing

Skill 

Rowing

WOD

Howitzer

3 rounds for time:

18 calorie row

15 burpees over the mono rail

*7 minute time cap

8/26 Sunday Motivation Day#14

5 powerful secrets to overcome any obstical

5 Powerful Secrets to Overcoming Any Obstacle- From a Former Navy Seal

U.S. Navy SEAL teams go through what is considered to be some of the toughest military training in the world. It is widely known that becoming a SEAL takes a physical and mental strength that relatively few people find they possess. Leveraging his experiences and gaining an understanding of how he was able to physically and mentally succeed, former U.S. Navy SEAL, Josh Bridges, has five secrets to overcome any obstacle.

Change your relationship with pain. When it starts to hurt, push back into the pain. Don’t step back from it, push into it! You will be surprised how much more you can push when it hurts. When we learn to deal with pain, our lives actually become easier and we increase our ability to reach our full potential.

Small goals equal big goals. Don’t look at how much farther you have to go. Be present in whatever you are doing in the moment. For example, when lifting weights, concentrate on those reps. Get one more rep...then concentrate on getting the next rep. When running or rowing, concentrate on reaching that next 100 meters, then the next 100 meters. When we experience even small amounts of success, we stay motivated longer and are able to push ourselves further.

Your body can handle so much more than the mind thinks it can. When your mind tells you that you’ve reached your limit, you are actually only at 40%. You can run further and push harder. Developing mental and physical toughness is about learning to access your reserves when you think you’ve reached your limit.

Don’t be scared to take risks. Even the decision to do nothing has a risk factor to it, so instead of focussing on what could go wrong, we need to consider the opportunities we might miss if we don’t take risks. When we get out of our comfort zone is when we see progress.





It doesn’t have to be fun to be fun.Redefining your definition of fun gets you outside of your comfort zone which is ultimately more rewarding than staying stagnant. Simply stated...doing things that are hard make us better and changes our attitudes about fun. We may struggle with something new, but we tend to have fun doing things once we put in the time to become good at them.

8/25 Hero Saturday Day#13

U.S. Army Corporal Nathan B. Carse, 32, of Harrod, Ohio, assigned to the 2nd Engineer Battalion, 176th Engineer Brigade, based out of White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, died in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on February 8, 2011, from wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. He is survived by his mother Janis and sisters Megan Brown and Kristin Purdy.

Clean Warm up 

Band rack stretch

Banded overhead shoulder circles + band pull aparts

Bar behind neck force extension both directions

(Add overhead if necessary)

Front squats

Clean technique (add jerk if necessary)

Hit each drill for 5 reps without taking a break:

Tall Clean High-Pull

Muscle Clean

Front Squat

Tall Clean

Press in Clean (Front rack Sots press)

Skill

Bear crawl

WOD

Carse

For Time:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3
Clean w/54# m/95#
Double-Unders
Deadlift w/125# m/185#
Box Jumps w/20” m/24"
Begin each round with a 50 meter Bear crawl 

Rafi's Fitness Journey

I have been training with Coach Ray since November of 2014. My wife Rachel has been trying with Coach Ray and raving about his place. She kept trying to get me to try, but I was stubborn and kept putting it off. I had lost a great deal of weight on my own and though what I was doing was fine. Until that one day I walked into AMRAP Fitness for the first time. WOW! To say the least. I couldn't believe that I couldn't do a single push up no to mention all the other crazy things they considered exercise was. 

It took me a few days to come back due to the fact that I was sore as hell! The 7am group was entertaining and welcoming. I enjoyed learning new things, not just about exercising, but about my self. The training helped me develop my mental game, where I occasionally need some help. In addition, it helped me with being an entrepreneur. 

I continued to lose weight, but once I learned how food effected not only the way I looked, but the way I felt and performed, it was a game changer. 

I love the way Coach Ray challenges me on a daily basis. He has faith in what I am capable of and pushes me to do things I would never believe I could do. This has help me participate in several 100 mile bike rides and several hour hiking trips. 

I love the people I train with and they as well as Coach Ray keep me coming back for more.

Thank You AMRAP Fitness

Rafi

8/24 Day#12

Climbers Warm up 

3 rounds of:

30 seconds Sampson stretch on each side 

2 ladder climbs

5 Wall climbs

5 Candlestick to stand up

2 peg board climbs

10 wall squats

Skill

Hand walk

WOD

20 minute AMRAP

3 rope climbs 

25m hand walk

25m walking lunges

8/23 Day#11

Warm up

Shoulder activation #2

GHD prone lateral raise

Banded external rotation

Ring shrugs

Jerk warm up

Band rotations over head 

Band rack stretch

Bar behind neck force extension both directions

(Add overhead if necessary)

Jump & land (hip ext)

Jump & land (foot work)

Jump & land with arms

Drop jerk 3 position

Jerk

Skill

Power jerk

WOD

A- 7 minutes to find your 1 rep max power jerk

B- 4 rounds for time:

500m row

15 power jerk w/105# m/155#

GoFit

Warm up 

Shoulder activation #2

GHD prone lateral raise

Banded external rotation

Ring shrugs

Jerk warm up

Band rotations over head 

Band rack stretch

Bar behind neck force extension both directions

(Add overhead if necessary)

Jump & land (hip ext)

Jump & land (foot work)

Jump & land with arms

Drop jerk 3 position

Jerk

Skill

DB power jerk

WOD

7x 

30:30

(With a partner)

-DB power jerk

-Row for calories

-Burpees over the mono rail

AMRAP US Veterans Program

8/22 Day#10

Warm up 

Follow the leader

Rules

Have all athletes lie prone on the floor in a circle, leaving space between each athlete and a modest gap in the circle where no athletes are lying. If running counter-clockwise, the athlete to the immediate left of the gap starts (as viewed from outside the circle). At the call of go, the athlete jumps up and proceeds to run around the circle, stepping or jumping over each athlete in turn. When the athlete clears the others and reaches the left side of the gap, he or she lies down. Each athlete springs up to become a runner as soon as he or she is jumped over and becomes the last athlete to the right of the gap. 

Safety note: athletes who rise at the wrong time can create a tripping hazard, especially when multiple athletes are moving about the circle. Leaving a gap in the circle ensures a margin of safety. Passing should also be discouraged.

Variation

Have every other athlete in a bridge position, requiring the runner to crawl beneath the “bridges.”

Bonus Challenge

Set the clock to count down from 1 minute (give or take, depending on class size). If an entire revolution is not completed before the clock runs out, the whole class must perform 10 burpees.

Skill
KB snatches 

WOD 

For time:

50 KB snatches 25 left/ 25 right w/35# m/53#

800m run

50 TTB

*12 minute time cap

8/21 Day#9

Basic Warm up

2x net climbs

15 push ups

15 hollow rocks

15 good mornings w/65 m/95

15 OHS

Skill

Body positioning on CTB pull ups

WOD

Firecracker!

3 rounds of time:

50 double unders

20 CTB pull ups

*7 minute time cap

GoFit

Basic Warm up 

2x net climbs

15 push ups

15 hollow rocks

15 good mornings w/65 m/95

15 OHS

Skill

Movement standards

WOD

5x

20:40

-Jump rope

-Pull ups

-Battle ropes

-Squat jumps