Today's WOD

CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“When it’s obvious that the goal cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goal, adjust the action steps.” -Confucius

Imagine it’s the final days of 2020. We’re sitting at a desk together, with a pen and paper, answering these three questions:

What were my three biggest accomplishments in 2020?
Where did I set a goal, but miss my target? What happened?
What are the major areas of growth for 2021?

Weightlifting

1: Back Squat (Find a Heavy Triple )

Metcon

2: Metcon (Time)

“Dumbledore”

For Time:

50/35 Calorie Row/Assault Bike

30 Single Arm Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerk (50/35)

30 Single Dumbbell Goblet Squats (50/35)

30 Single Arm Dumbbell Hang Clean and Jerk (50/35)

50/35 Calorie Row/Assault Bike

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“The privilege of a lifetime, is being who you are.” Joseph Campbell

Beneath the surface, this quote brings two connected, but different thoughts:

One – to look inward, and not outward. Are our actions defining who we want to be, or what other people want us to be?

Two – that we have the chance to forge, to build, brick by brick, the person we want to be. Today, we aren’t quite there yet. But, if we can define who we want to be, and follow it up, day after day, pounding the stone until our hands bleed… we’ll have “the privilege of a lifetime”.

Metcon

1: Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

“Lethal Weapon”

AMRAP 20:

1 Round of “The Chief”

200 Meter Run / 15/12 Cals Bike

2 Rounds of “The Chief”

200 Meter Run / 15/12 Cals Bike

3 Rounds of “The Chief”

200 Meter Run / 15/12 Cals Bike

…

Continue to Add 1 Round Until Cap

1 Round of “The Chief”:

3 Power Cleans (135/95)

6 Push-ups

9 Air Squats

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“If you know you opponent, but not yourself, you will lose 100% of the time.” – Samurai Proverb

To “keep up with the Jones” is an old expression about competitive neighbors. A power struggle, or maybe better said a popularity struggle, of status on the block. To “keep up”, one must be on top of their investigative game, predicting the next big move… a nicer lawn, or a better Christmas card.

As we visualize these friendly rivals battling it out on the block, it’s safe to say that both sides will lose. There won’t be a winner here.

We can study our competition into great length. And, we will indeed learn some absolutely beneficial statistics. But all the external statistics in the world won’t move us forward until we turn the investigative glasses to ourselves.

Metcon

1: Metcon (Time)

“Blue Steel”

3 Rounds:

7 Power Snatches (75/55)

7 Toes to Bar

7 Box Jumps (24/20)

50/35 Calorie Assault Bike/Row/400m Run

3 Rounds:

7 Power Snatches (75/55)

7 Toes to Bar

7 Box Jumps (24/20)

50/35 Calorie Assault Bike/Row/400m Run

3 Rounds:

7 Power Snatches (75/55)

7 Toes to Bar

7 Box Jumps (24/20)

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today.” – Malcolm X

There’s something intoxicating about planning for the future. It’s the dream-world.

Yet when it comes time to cross the bridge from planning to execution, many lose their way. And nothing materializes.

View preparation as two parts, equally theoretical and tangible action.
Without the thought behind, it’s wasted energy in multiple directions.
And without action to follow thought, it’s nothing but a pipe dream.

There will be the voice that tells us, “there’s time to do this tomorrow”. But that brings us back to the quote we started with above. Are we going to react to tomorrow, or are we going to respond to today?

Weightlifting

1: Metcon (Weight)

Pausing Front Squat Complex

Build to a Heavy Complex:

1 Pausing Front Squat

1 Front Squat

Metcon

2: Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

“Four Loko”

On the 4:00 x 5 Rounds:

20/15 Calorie Row

40 Double Unders

7 Front Squats (165/115)

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination.” – Carls Von Karlswich

Choice is one of the most powerful things we have as human beings.
But hiding in that power, is also one of the most destructive forces imaginable.

Ironically enough, the missing link to accomplishing that “thing”, is choice… specifically, the lack of it.

A different thought process from the quote above, is to stop trying to do everything.

To be able to stand in a room with a thousand doors, and be able to close 999 of them.

Are we trying to do too much? Sometimes less truly can be more.

Metcon

1: Metcon (Time)

“Part Time”

3 Rounds:

12 Lateral Dumbbell Burpees

21 Pull-ups

Directly Into…

3 Rounds:

12 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches (70/50)

21/15 Calorie Assault Bike / Row

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

One of the most challenging things we can do, is to reflect. To reflect, with brutal honesty.

This quote can be applied in many ways, but it’s most commonly applied to the physical acts of our days. Whether we show up to the gym at 5:30am to train. Whether we eat the proper food we brought to work with us, or order out for lunch.

What’s more challenging, is to look further inward. And reflect, with brutal honesty, on our thoughts. The way we think.

When we missed the lift, what were our immediate thoughts?
When we were cut off on the road by another car, what did we say to ourselves?
When the gossip arrived in the locker room, what did we first think?

If our thoughts become actions, this must be where we start.

Weightlifting

1: Metcon (Weight)

Build to a heavy single for the complex:

2 Power Cleans + 2 Split Jerks

Weightlifting

2: Metcon (Time)

“Air Fryer”

3 Rounds:

50 Air Squats

10 Power Clean and Jerks (135/95)

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed, is to always try, one more time.” – Thomas Edison

Failing hurts.
Let’s not beat around the bush here.
It’s not a comfortable place.
But to look at failure as a sign to stop, or to give up, is a fundamental misunderstanding of what it actually means to “fail”.

The nature of a failure is not to tell us who we are. Nor is it to tell us if we are good enough, or deserving enough, to succeed.

The nature of a failure is to tell us a way that didn’t work. It’s to educate us.

“Giving up” is our greatest weakness purely because it counters our greatest strength. That of adaptability. As history has shown, we just need to pick ourselves back up, and use what we have learned. It’s why the human race has survived this far.

When we train ourselves to view failure as the teacher and guide it is, there is only one move to make: to try one, more, time.

Metcon

1: Metcon (Time)

“Bike Drop”

Teams of 3:

For Time (30 Minute Cap):

75/50 Calorie Assault Bike/Row

75 Power Snatches (75/55)

75 Thrusters (75/55)

75/50 Calorie Assault Bike/Row

60 Power Snatches (95/65)

60 Thrusters (95/65)

75/50 Calorie Assault Bike/Row

45 Power Snatches (115/85)

45 Thrusters (115/85)

75/50 Calorie Assault Bike/Row

30 Power Snatches (135/95)

30 Thrusters (135/95)

75/50 Calorie Assault Bike/Row

15 Power Snatches (155/105)

15 Thrusters (155/105)

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“I’ll either find a way, or I’ll make one.” – Hannibal

Said by a man who got elephants to climb a mountain.

Angela Duckworth, a leading expert on the study of “grit”, defines it as follows:

“Passion and sustained persistence applied towards long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way.”

If there is a single attribute that is the closest correlate to success, it may very well be grit.

Grit is very much in line with our definition of “mental toughness”. To give our unconditional best, regardless of the circumstances.

It’s doing the unsexy hard work… when no one’s watching.
It’s refusing to see a “failure” as “defeat”.
It’s refusing to believe that elephants can’t climb mountains… and then proving it.

We look to the past not to seek out what is possible. We look to the past to study ways that have worked before.

Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

“Marston”

AMRAP 20

1 Deadlift 315/205

10 Toes-to-Bar

15 Lateral Barbell Burpees

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“Empathy fuels connection. Sympathy drives disconnection.” – Brene Brown

Sympathy is feeling “sorry” for someone. And although these intentions often come from a good place, it actually further isolates the individual. It creates a deeper divide.

Empathy, on the other hand, is free of judgment. It’s being an sincere listener, present for the individual in relation… but not “diagnosis”. Instead of being there to fix you, it’s being there with you.

Rarely can a response make something better. What can make something better, is connection.

Weightlifting

1: Push Jerk (Find a heavy double)

1: Push Jerk (Find a heavy double)

Metcon

2: Metcon (Weight)

“iMax”

On the 3:00 x 5 Rounds:

15 Wall Balls 20/14

10 Box Jump Overs (24/20)

5 Push Jerks

*Build to a Heavy 5 On Push Jerk

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CrossFit East River – WOD

DAILY MINDSET
“80% of success is showing up.” – Woody Allen

We can become obsessed with achievements. We chase the weightlifting PR, chase the next promotion, chase the next “X”.

As an example, let’s say we’re moving through a 10-Week Snatch program… and things are feeling great. We’re 9 weeks in, and we moving so much better than when we started. The same weights we started with feel so, so much easier. What used to be a heavy lift for us is a no-brainer now.

But until we move a single pound over our current PR at the end of the cycle, we don’t allow ourselves to consider that we’re better. And if we test out at Week 10 of the cycle, and do not PR… what would be our immediate reaction?

The paradigm shift is this:
To not view progress as a means to an achievement.
And instead to view progress as the achievement.

Weightlifting

1: Power Clean (Find a heavy double )

Metcon

2: Metcon (AMRAP – Rounds and Reps)

“Zoolander”

4 Rounds of:

3 minutes on, 3 minutes off

30 Double Unders

10 Power Cleans (155/105)

30 Double Unders

10 Lateral Barbell Burpees

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