Sold my car a couple months ago to live the bicycle life.

I love riding my bike, but I really should have thought through the fact that it was winter.

When I left the house for Friday’s ride, it was less than 40 degrees…for us Californians, that means FREEZING.

But I was motivated to get to the office on time for a meeting, so I did it.

According to Stanford professor and behavioral psychologist BJ Fogg, you can plot your likelihood of taking action on a chart based on how motivated you are and how difficult the task is.

If your motivation is high, and the task is not impossible, you’ll do it.

If motivation is low, but the task is easy (like letting the “next episode” start automatically on Netflix), you’ll do it.

If the task is too hard or motivation is too low, you will not take action.

We use these concepts at Hale to help you improve your fitness. 

You’re motivated to some extent to either look better, feel better, or get stronger.

The most important step to you accomplishing that goal is showing up for your workouts.

The new classes starting this week are designed to 

1 – Make it EASIER for you to show up, 

or

2 – Get you more MOTIVATED to show up.

Check them out.

Metcon Class – Mon-Fri 6:45am and 6:00pm – 30 mins

The 30 min metcon class is perfect if your motivation is high, but you’re worried it’s going to be too hard. It cuts out complicated movements and shortens the class time so getting your workout in is easier.

Coach Heidi breaks it down:

Hale Barbell Club – Sunday 8 – 9:30am 

Hale Barbell is great for getting stronger and more comfortable with the lifts. When Coach Rebecca teaches you how to move properly, it makes lifting seem easier, and seeing progress helps improve your motivation to keep going.

Coach Rebecca gives an overview here:

Hale Mobility – Sunday 9:30 – 11am

Hale Mobility gives you the tools to solve your own injury or mobility issues to make every workout more approachable. When you don’t have to deal with pain or restrictions, and you know how to solve any future problems yourself, EVERY workout seems easier.

Coach Mitch talks about it here

Saturday Morning Throwdown – Saturday 6:30-8am

Lastly, the Saturday morning throw down is all about pushing yourself with workouts you might not see in the normal classes. Sometimes you just want to see what you’re made of, and the novelty of challenge improves your motivation to strive for more.

Coach Wendy talks about it here

……

All these classes are included in your membership, and all on a four week trial to see which ones you like best.

If any of them sound good to you, get in and try them!

Your success always comes back to habits, and understanding how they work goes a long way to making sure they actually happen.

Since motivation can be fleeting, we want to help you develop the habit of showing up so often that it becomes easy.

Coach “Just show up” Jay

PS – Check out BJ Fogg’s book “Tiny Habits” for more science on forming good habits

PPS – My reward for riding my bike last week instead of driving.

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Announcements

Trial Classes:

All of our 4 week trial classes start this week and run 1/13-2/9. See videos and descriptions above!

Metcon: Weekdays (M-F) 6:45-7:15am AND 6:00-6:30pm
Hale Barbell Club: Sundays: 8:00-9:30am
Hale Mobility: Sundays: 9:30-11:00am
Saturday Morning Throwdown: Saturdays: 6:30-8:00am

Guest Day:

Next guest day is 8am/9am on Saturday, February 1st. Workout will be appropriate for all levels. 

Workouts for the Week

Note – Workouts for the Metcon class and Hale Barbell Club will be posted in SugarWod the night before during the 4 week trial – Go to www.sugarwod.com, sign up and add yourself to CrossFit Hale.

Monday:

A. Push Press 1RM!

Build to a new 1RM. Use appropriate rest between sets. No more than 3 failures at any given weight.

B. Push. Pull.

FOR TIME*
3-6-9-12-9-6-3
Push Jerk(155,105)
*15 Cal Row After Every Set

(15:00 Hard Cap)

Scale:
(135,95)
(115,75)

Each set of push jerk should be done unbroken, except for MAAAAYYYYBE the 12–this will be your toughest set, but break it down mentally. Get to 7 or 8 in your first set (remember, you just did 9! yay!), so it’s a quick break, then back on to finish that round.

Aim to get faster in the back half of the workout–you can push the pace a bit harder knowing that sets get shorter and you’re almost done!

Tuesday

A. My Warm Up Is Your Workout (aka extended warm up)

8 min EMOM:
Min 1: 8 Renegade rows
Min 2: 20-sec hollow hold + 20-sec Hollow bar hang

The core work here should get you pretty sweaty. Think of it as 8 minute abs 🙂

B. Steady Eddy

5 Strict C2B Pull-Ups or Kipping C2B Pull – ups
10 Hand-Release Push-Ups
15/12 Cal Bike

Scale:
Banded strict chest to bar pull ups

Continuous movement for 20 minutes–the strict pull ups will likely slow you down JUST A LITTLE in the later rounds. If you DO choose kipping pull ups, use this as skill work to improve your linking–it’s not meant to be grunt work to just get through it. So, if that means your first set is always 3 or more (and that’s where you struggle!), do it!

Pull ups and push ups should be 1-2 sets. Bike is steady, but keep it under 1:00 (that means 60-65rpm), or scale back. Aim for 8+ rounds

Wednesday

A. 1RM Front Squat!

Last week was a good chance to get a little taste of heavy weight so you didn’t go in totally out of practice. You should now feel confident in hitting 90-95% (or something heavy!), so now is the time to go for a new PR.

It’s been a long while since we’ve tested this: work quickly to the 85/95%, then take a few solid attempts, aiming to beat your PR (or last week) by 10lbs. Take lots of rest!

Scale: 5-5-5-5-5 at a moderate weight

(thats 5 sets of 5 to practice with a heavy-ish bar!)

B. “Speed Demon”

3 ROUNDS FOR TIME
30 Single DB Front Squat (35/25)
30 Up-Downs

-8:00 Hard Cap

Scale:
DB(25/20)

This should be FAST! Choose a weight that doesn’t require much thinking, or pause to re-adjust. GO!

To scale up downs: add a 45# (or more!) plate under your hands to ensure your jump forward lands in a good squat so you can jump STRAIGHT UP! These should be fast and without much struggle.

Thursday

A. Pace Training

15 min EMOM, alternating between:
MIN 1: MAX DB box step-overs (24/20) DB (40/30)
MIN 2: MAX Double unders
MIN 3: MAX Weighted plank hold (45/35)

*:50 work / :10 rest for all working minutes.

Consider this workout more like a training exercise for sustainability, not an all out effort. You should hit an unbroken set of 10-14 on the DB box step overs, 30-50 double unders, and hold your plank variation for :45-:50 without breaking. Scale accordingly!

B. Partner Finisher

In teams of 2:
6 min AMRAP:
Weighted Sit-Ups (30/20)

Scale: DB (20/10)

*Hold single DB across chest. P1 works for minute 1 while P2 holds P1’s feet. P2 works for minute 2 while P1 holds P2’s feet…and so on alternating minutes until the end of the AMRAP.

Friday

A. Heavy SQUAT Clean & Jerk Practice

#1: 1 rep

*Build to heavier, but not 1RM, single squat clean and jerk*

Take this as a warm up to work up to AND HEAVIER THAN your weight for today’s workout. Practice moving smoothly from the squat clean into a thruster overhead. Exceed your workout weight to build confidence

B. “California Love”

For time:
30 squat clean + jerk
(155/105)

**Complete 5 burpees after each 5 reps of clean and jerk. Workout ENDS with 5 burpees as well.

Today if your touch and go clean and jerks get scrappy, you’re better off setting up for a “fast single” each time and chasing good movement patterns than sketch reps.

Scale:
115/75

Saturday

“Chewbacca”

For time:
1km Row
50 wall balls (20/14)
40 box jumps
30 ring push-ups
40 KB swing (53/35)
50 MB Clean
1km Row

This is one of our favorite benchmark chippers. Settle in for the row, and try to move through the rest with one big set to start. Keep moving!

Saturday Morning Throwdown

For time, in pairs :
1000m row
40 OH squats (95/65)
800m run
40 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
750m row
30 Squat Snatch (95/65)
500m run
30 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
500m row
20 OH squats (95/65)
400m run
20 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
250m row
10 Squat Snatches (95/65)
200m run
10 Chest-to-bar pull-ups

Sunday

8am-9:30am: Rebecca’s Barbell Club

You are welcome to use this time as Open Gym to make up a workout you missed this week, or try one of the Metcon workouts, if you didn’t make it in for class

9:30am-11:00am: Mitch’s Mobility session – shoulder focus