We were on our own for this one, since Al had to be in training. That led to an interesting discussion about how to perform each of the movements, so I'll do my best to describe them below. Otherwise, this was business as usual: a 15 minute AMRAP, with three movements. If you're looking for a goal, I'm fairly sure a few people managed 10+ rounds.
The one-handed snatches are probably going to feel a little weird if you're not used to them. You'll likely be using a light weight, but as always, be slightly more careful when you're lifting any weight over your head. You don't want to drop any weight on yourself or tweak your back as you lift the weight. Even if it's really light, there's no point in building bad habits that are going to get you hurt when you increase the weight.
Warm Up
2 rounds of:
- 25 jumping jacks
- 10 jump squats
- 5 upward to downward
- 10 arm circles
WoD
As Many Rounds As Possible (in 15 minutes) of:
- 20 box jumps
- 20 single arm dumbbell snatch (10 left, 10 right)
- 10 goblet squats
Exercises
- Jump Squats
Do a normal air squat, but as you come up to finish the squat, jump straight up in to the air. You finish the rep when you land and reset yourself. It's not uncommon for people to go right in to the next squat, though. This is okay so long as you're not bending over and losing the lumbar curve in the process. Basically, you don't get to cheat on your form because you're jumping.
- Upward to Downward
This is a lot like a "judo pushup" in reverse, if you've ever heard of that. If you're familiar with yoga at all, the starting position should look like the "upward dog." Regardless, lay face down on the ground and then lift your entire body off the ground by extending your arms, as if you were doing a push up. However, bring your upper body all the way up, so that your chest up faces forward while your lower body is still parallel to the ground. This is the starting position. From there, lower your head and bring it down and in, as if you were trying to bring it to meet your waist. This will naturally force your hips to come up, and you'll end up holding yourself off the ground with a noticeable bend at the waist (your butt will be a bit higher in the air than your chest or lower body). To go back to the starting position, lower your head towards the ground, then lower your chest and bring it forward in the same motion. It's not a straight up and down motion like a regular push up, it's more of an arc. You should also keep your lower body off the ground at all times. Continue the arc by straightening your arms and elevating your torso. When you finish the arc, your torso/chest should be facing forward with your lower body parallel to the ground. All of that is a single rep.
- Arm Circles
From a standing position, rotate your arm without extending your arm away from you. You're essentially making a windmill of your arm. Do this in both a clockwise and counter-clockwise motion for each arm, so that you fully warm up & stretch the muscles. Most people just do 10 rotations forward with one arm, 10 rotations backward with the same arm, and then they repeat this with the other arm.
- Box Jumps
You'll need a platform with risers; the most I saw anyone use was 6 risers. Before you even start the WoD, stomp on it really hard. You want to make sure it'll support your weight & won't move around when you jump on it. Just in case, look down at the platform when you jump. If it does move around at all, keeping your eyes on it should help prevent injury.
When you do jump on it, you want to make sure that you stand tall once you're on the platform. If you stay hunched over the whole time, you're not getting the full effect of the exercise. One way to think about this is that you want your hips to "open up" on both the jump up and the jump down; all that really means is that your hips should be pushed forward once you're standing on top of the box.
Scale down: Step up to the box, and then step down instead of jumping on the platform. If you do step, make sure you alternate which leg comes down off of the platform first.
- Single Arm Dumbbell Snatch
You'll only need one dumbbell for this (most I saw people use was 15lbs). Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart, with the weight on the ground in front of you. Bring the dumbbell straight up, and aggressively shrug your shoulders (this helps generate momentum). You want to pull it straight up and jerk your hips forward. The momentum from your lower body will actually help drive the weight up, so that you're not actually lifting the weight with nothing but your arms.
Your elbow will actually flare out with your forearm parallel to the ground as it gets close to your chest. Once the weight comes to about chest level, squat down and raise the weight so that your arm is above your head. Again, you want the weight to travel in a straight, vertical line. A couple of cues that can help are to keep your ear close to your arm, so that you are bringing the weight straight up and down. Secondly, think of the squat as an aggressive stomp/jump to get into the squat position and keep your weight back on your heels. You can also hold your off hand out in front of you to maintain your balance.
Also remember that you want a good lumbar curve at the bottom of that squat. Just because you have weight in your hands, you don't get to cheat on your form (arguably, it's far more important then). Once you're down at the bottom of your squat with the weight directly over your head, stand up. Remember to keep your arm locked the whole time. so that the weight is above your head. It's safe to bring the weight back down to finish the rep AFTER you have completely stopped moving your feet and you are in a standing position.
The last thing to keep in mind is that you have to alternate arms for your reps, and each time you bring up the weight, that counts as a rep. In other words, if you do one with your left and one with your right, that counts as 2 reps (or "right/left = 2" for short).
- Goblet Squat
Use the same dumbbell that you had for the snatches, and hold it underneath your chin with both hands. Your elbows should be down, so that your forearms are perpendicular to the ground. From this position, do a regular squat. You have to go low enough that your elbows go between your knees. And like always, remember to keep a good lumbar curve and keep your chest facing forward as you do your squats.
6 risers, 15 lb dumbbell: 7 rounds
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