The Week Ahead: 08/17/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
Before this weeks details, remember our upcoming events:
Hyrax Part 2 - 830 AM Sunday 8/23 @ Fields at RFK
Old City Total (Squat, Bench, DL) - 11 AM Saturday 9/12 - I’m not sure you can say you do CrossFit if you haven’t done a total event! Cancel your other plans and see you on the 12th.
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Hang Power Clean Work + Specific Mobility. Then, use that power clean technique: high reps of hang power clean, box jumps, and double Unders.
Tuesday - Core strength first, including Reverse Plank (2). Then a longer WOD, a spin on the benchmark Nancy. 3 Rounds of 800m run and higher rep Overhead Squat.
Wednesday - Double Strength. Back Squat (3), Half Kneeling Landmine Press (2), Single Leg RDL (3), Narrow Grip Chin Up OR Rope Chin-Up (3)
Thursday - Strength is Pause Floor Press (2) and Bent Over Row (infinite). Then, a fun grip strength meets core stability WOD I’m calling “Floor is Lava.” It’s a 12 minute AMRAP with a single KB. Expect lunges, thrusters, suitcase carries and overhead carries. BUT, if you set the KB down: 8 Burpee Penalty. I’m thinking round about minute 7-8 the burpees might be welcome.
Friday - Sprint Rest Sprint. 3 Rounds of Sprint/Rest. The work rounds include a 500m row (2), then in the remaining time AMRAP of AbMat Sit-Ups, Deadlifts, and Handstand Push-Up.
Saturday - Partner WOD. Box Step Ups, Strict Pull-Ups, and Strict Dips. A bit of running. Community day, invite your friends! And come meet new friends!
The Week Ahead: 08/10/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
I think this is twice now a blog entry is titled 2027. They say only women can claim baby brain, but I’m telling you my toddler is messing with my brain. But I’ll get it right this time! The Week Ahead:
(Reminder the (#) represents the consecutive weeks we’ve worked on a strength/skill/WOD structure.)
Monday - We’ll start the day with Narrow Grip Chin Up OR Rope Chin up (3) and Single Leg RDL (2). Note the RDL is a bit different from the hand-supported single leg deadlift we’ve been doing. It’s subtle, but the RDL should bias to the hamstring and the deadlift to the glute. Then, one of my all time favorite WODs, an Old City Benchmark. And a serious sprint: 5 rounds for time - Heavy Deadlifts and Burpees. Should see times between 3.5 and 6 minutes.
Tuesday - Double Strength. Back Squat (2) and Half Kneeling Landmine Press (1). Then Walking Mixed Grip KB Lunge (1) and Landmine Rotation (1).
Wednesday - The longer WOD of the week. First, a core EMOM featuring the cult favorite straight arm side plank. Then, a new one: the REVERSE plank. I find the reverse is a bit more “corrective” than “abs smoked.” Then, the longer WOD of the week, a bastardization of Barbara. 5 Rounds of bigger numbers of DB Squat Cleans, Ring Rows, Push-Ups, and Sit-Ups. A bit of rest so you can attack each round.
Thursday - Week 1 of Pause Floor Press paired with DB Bent Over Row. Then, 3 rounds of 500m row. Rest as needed.
Friday - Overhead Squat (1) matched with mobility. In the past we’ve used overhead squat essentially as mobility, but here’s your chance to add a bit of weight. Go slow and focus on staying balanced and tight. Then a familiar WOD: power snatch, chest to bar pull-ups (4/6), 100m run.
Saturday - Partner WOD.
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 8/03/27
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
Lots of heavy strength this week, and so outside of Tuesday and Engine class I’ve aimed for shorter (but never easy) WODs.
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Starting the week with a lot of power! 3 of Heavy Thruster from the rig, including an opportunity to do a heavy single or two. Then, 12 Minute AMRAP of DB Snatch, Burpee, and, shocker, DB Thruster.
Tuesday - The longer WOD of the week. First, we’ll hit a core EMOM. Then, rowing and running paired with DB Floor Press and DB Pendlay Row. Total rowing is about 2500m. Total running MUCH shorter: 600m.
Wednesday - Week 3 of Heavy Deadlifts. We’ll build to a heavy 3 after doing 5s last week and 8s the week before. Then, another sprint-y EMOM with Sumo DL High Pull, Front Squat, Shoulder to Overhead, and Side Shuffle.
Thursday - Double Strength. Back Squat, sets of 8. Then week 2 of narrow Grip Chin-Up/Rope Chin-Up option, paired with week 3 of Deficit Reverse Lunge. Glutes and biceps… just what you need before that beach vacation!
Friday - Strength is Incline Bench, week 3, along with DB Bent Over Row. Then, a shorter, sprinty WOD with 400m running, power cleans, and KB Swing.
Saturday - Partner WOD! Heavy upper body work. Wall Walks, Chin Ups, and some box jumps.
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 7/27/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Isabel. A classic Crossfit benchmark WOD: 30 Power Snatch for Time @ 135/95. Go as heavy as you can, but with an expectation of finishing around 5-7 minutes. So, 4-5 snatches a minute?
We’ll start the day with 10-15 minutes of Snatch practice, aiming to establish a WOD weight, and we’ll improve our mobility with empty bar/light weight Overhead Squats. Focus on going slow and feeling the stretch. For what it’s worth, we’ll pursue heavier Overhead Squats in August, so focus on feeling it out this week. Mind muscle connection and all that.
Tuesday - After Monday’s sprint, we’re testing our Engine Tuesday. First a core EMOM. Then, 4 rounds of running, KB Swings, and Toes to Bar. The running adds up to 2400 m, so 1.5 miles.
Wednesday - Double Strength. Thruster week 2, Incline Bench, week 2, and Deficit Reverse Lunge, week 2. Yates Row week 3!
Thursday - Heavy Deadlift as a strength movement, second week in a row. (CrossFit Total in early September!) Then, 3 Rounds of Sprint/rest/Sprint. 2 Minutes on, 2 Minutes off. Wall Balls, Pull-Ups, Box Jumps.
Embrace the sprints.
Friday - Narrow Grip Chin-Up for Max reps paired with week 2 of Barbell Z-Press. Remember, we’ll be rotating our strict pull-up work through a few less common but awesome varieties. Then, one of my all-time favorite WODs, “Ghost.” Straight cardio: rowing, burpees, and double Unders.
I think it would come in at #3 or #4 all time favorite. I’ve done Ghost at least 30 times. (I’ve also changed the movements but kept the rep scheme for another 15-20 WODs.)
Saturday - Partner WOD! Grow strong and resilient with thy neighbor. Send gainz not bombs. Etc etc.
My love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 7/20/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
I hope everyone is feeling strong and happy. The Week Ahead:
Monday - Power Snatch practice that builds to the WOD: a 15 minute AMRAP of Chest to Bar Pull-Ups, Push-Ups, Air Squats and Power Snatches at 135/95. It’s a bit Cindy, it’s a bit Artie, it’s a bit Isabel. We’ve got the Isabel benchmark next week, so let’s get ready!
Tuesday - Core strength first. Typically we do 9 minute EMOMs for core, today is 12, so one more time through the circuit. Then we’ve got sprints. 4 Rounds of 400m run + 300m on the Rower. Rest as needed. We should have time for some KB Pullover and Powell Raises afterwards.
We could have just done running sprints, one could argue that’s the better workout. But I really prize agility and maintaining intensity through transitions. Transitions are the hardest part of life, I think. You can get used to anything, but the transition is often painful. Gym as metaphor for life and all…
Wednesday - Strength is Thrusters! from the rack! and medicine ball power throws. I think thrusters are a natural transition after the 4 weeks of front squats. Then a sprint-y WOD of DB Snatch, DB Overhead Lunge, and Box Jump.
Thursday - Double Strength. After 4 weeks of ring push-up, our horizontal pushing strength transitions to Incline Bench Press. We’ll pair that with glute work: barbell RDL and single leg KB Speed Skater Squat.
Friday - Strength is week 3 of Mixed Grip Pull-Up and Week 1 of Barbell Z Press. You’ll need to have a partner hand you the barbell for the Z-Press. Then, a longer AMRAP of wall balls, toes to bar, and running.
Saturday - Partner WOD. See you there!
With Love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 7/13/26
Team,
Congrats to the PRs we saw at the Old City Total on Saturday! If you missed it, check the calendar Total events throughout the Summer and Fall… probably 4 more before the end of 2026.
Also, if you read our blog frequently, you might notice recently I’ve been including “Week X of this movement and Week Y of this movement.” This is purposeful, because our coaches have communicated to me that members like knowing the plan.
The plan is an interesting question, and you’re not alone: folks have been asking this question since CrossFit started in the early 2000s. The plan is elite fitness. CrossFit is not a strength program, nor a running program, it’s an everything under the curve program. This is precisely why CrossFit was and remains a fitness industry disruptor.
Elite fitness involves compromise… the CrossFitter aims to be the second best at every athletic endeavor. A great lifter, but not as strong as those who specialize in lifting. A fast runner, but second to those who only run.
Variation is an important part of CrossFit, but variation does not mean “random.” At Old City we DO have built in structure and progression layered on top of “constantly varied high intensity functional fitness” Hence week X and week Y. Hope that helps!
What if you feel that you’d like to specialize a bit? What if you feel behind on a given skill, or week on a given lift? We have a few outlets: Muscle Lab has been running a percentage based progression every week for 8 weeks and will continue to do so. We have open gym concurrent with every class. We’re running CrossFit Total events so your weekly lifting is better informed. I will happily write you a strength or skill development or pain reduction or arms get HUGE program ANY TIME YOU WANT.
I promise my “with love” sign off isn’t cynical. I love you guys, and I love fitness… let us help guide you to your goals!
—-
Without further delay, the week ahead:
Monday - Isabel Benchmark/Snatch work. We’ll start with Hang Power Snatch, the 6th or 7th week running, then apply it to a Sprint/Rest WOD. Sound familiar? The difference this week is we’re starting to approach higher volume (less weight) on Snatches. We’ll do 8 per round at 115/85, plus some box jumps and chest to bar pull-ups.
Tuesday - Double strength. Front Squat week 4, then Ring Push-Up Week 4 paired with Barbell Yates Row.
Wednesday - Core EMOM up front. Then, a short-middle distance chipper of Deadlifts and Wall Balls. Deadlift is 185, so not too heavy, but plenty of reps. I think this takes 7-10 minutes.
Thursday - Week 7 or 8 of Handstand Work. More specifically, week 2 of Kipping Handstand Push-Up Practice paired with week 2 of mixed Grip chin-up. Then a 14 minute AMRAP of knees to elbow, double push-up Burpees, and pistols. This is the second week in a row of knees to elbows, and we’ve done pistols or split squats for the past 7 weeks.
Kipping is a fun skill and a necessary part of CrossFit, but in my estimation secondary to strength. So if your push-ups, down-dog push-ups, and box Handstand push-ups aren’t where you want them, be sure to focus on those first… then the kip will come very very naturally. This applies to pull-ups as well.
Friday - Longer WOD of the week. A 21 minute AMRAP with power cleans, heavy thrusters, Landmine twist, and running. The run is 200m, and I’m guessing 5-8 rounds… so 1k-1.6k of running.
Saturday - Partner WOD
My Love,
Coach Jason
757-418-1161
The Week Ahead: 7/6/26
Friends, Team, Old Cityzens,
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. Remember that this Saturday after CrossFit classes we have an Old City Total event at 11 AM. 90 minutes to build to a 1 repetition max of 3 different movements: power clean, push press, and back squat. 1 RMs can be hard to approach alone, so this is a good opportunity to have a coach watch and make sure you’re staying safe. This is an exceptional fitness event that will really push you. Moreover, when you learn about your upper limits, you can make better decisions on a day-to-day basis when it comes to choosing weights.
The Week Ahead:
Monday - The longer WOD. A 22 minute AMRAP with a chipper vibe. Chip away at big numbers of row calories, knees to elbow, lighter Deadlifts, burpees, and clean and jerk.
Tuesday - Gymnastics practice. We’ve been working on handstands someway or another for almost 6 weeks. This week we start with kipping HSPU practice and we’re pairing it with a mixed Grip chin-up. Then, a core heavy WOD with overhead Walking Lunges, Farmers carries, and Wall Walks. Remember, the core isn’t ONLY about bending and crunching… it’s just as much about stability. I think the WOD is about 10-12 minutes.
Wednesday - Glute day: barbell RDL and Bulgarian Split squat first (no pistol practice this week, but BSS, if done correctly, should help your pistol strength.) Then, a 12 minute EMOM of double Unders and sit-ups.
Thursday - Double strength. Week 3 of Front Squats, and again paired with mid-back mobility. Get that front rack right! Then week 2 of ring push-ups and barbell Pendlay Row. Less reps on every movement, so go heavier if you can.
Friday - Hang Power Snatch skill/strength. Then, sprint/rest/sprint with heavy power snatch, med ball Side Shuffle, and 100m sprint.
Saturday - Partner WOD! Come make some new friends!
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 6/29/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
Happy Independence Day week! Remember, we’ve got an abbreviated schedule on Friday and are closed on Saturday. LWL on Sunday is also cancelled. Friday is 7 AM, Noon CrossFit, and 1-2 Open Gym.
Also, huge thanks to the 15 or so folks that came out for Hyrax! That was a blast. Check our socials this week for pictures. We’ll for sure get it on the calendar again, and we put it in Zen Planner if you want to track your score. If you go to Engine every week, but didn’t make it to the fields we missed you!
A shortened week means every single day will reflect one of our program progressions. On Monday you have pistols, Tuesday snatches, Wednesday front squat and the first week of Ring push-ups (after 8 weeks of Bench,) and Thursday is a 5th week in a row getting upside down with handstands.
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Pistol mobility and practice first. If Old City does pistols we want to give the tools to get better. We won’t waste your time. Many other gyms say “this is a pistol, go do that.” Pistols require practice, of course, but also a TON of ankle mobility and hip stability (balance in deep ranges of motion). I’ll do 100 burpees on the spot if you ever go to the physical therapist for a low back or lower extremity injury and they DON’T test your ankle mobility or hip stability. These attributes don’t come from nowhere… just eat your vegetables most days and eventually you love beets.
Anyway, WOD is a really cool combination of calisthenics and core. 28 minute EMOM. Pistols, Pullover Leg Raise (best core exercise I know), push-ups, Landmine Twist.
Tuesday - Power snatch and snatch mobility first. Then a 12-16 minute WOD of power snatches, pull-ups, and a running cashout. (800m)
Wednesday - Double Strength. Front Squat and Front Squat Mobility. Then, Ring Push-Up and Barbell Pendlay Row. Science shows us that you’ll go from a M to L shirt in a month if you do Pendlay Rows once a week. Guaranteed.
Thursday - Strict HSPU and Weighted Pull-Up. Then, a sprint WOD of Burpee pull-up and push-press.
Friday - Independence Day WOD. Hero WOD, long, ardous, many different movements.
Saturday - Sadly closed. But hey, good thing you’ve been practicing pistols and HSPU and can work out anywhere now. Or go run sprints. We do not recommend anything over 10k.
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 6/22/26
Summer is officially here. And happy Father’s day to all the fathers out there. Especially the Crossfit fathers out there keeping the bar set high. Dont’t forget we’ve got an outdoor workout planned this Saturday at 8:30 @ the Fields at RFK… 7 minute bike ride and 4 minute drive from the gym. The gym will be closed Saturday. Workout itself starts at 9. Be there!
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Double Strength. Third week in a row of Pistol Squat. We’re pairing it with weighted chin-up, bench press, and Bent over row. I sent this note to the coaches, might as well send it to you: “I admit when I started CrossFit I thought pistols and handstands were circus tricks. Why waste my time? But I've learned there's no more valuable expression of balance than a pistol squat. Do we think balance as you age is important? Then we should train it. Not to mention it will help heal knee and hip pain, and training coordination is every bit as valuable as burning calories.”
In summation, if you don’t enjoy training skills, your approach and mindset is holding you back.
Tuesday - “Andi” Benchmark. DONE AS A PARTNER WOD. 100 reps each of hang power snatch, push press, sumo deadlift high pull, and front squat. All at a super light weight (65/45). You can have the option to do it yourself, but only if you’re in the mood for a 40 minute grind.
Wednesday - Something challenging, but a bit light compared to Andi. First, a glory muscle EMOM featuring lunges, pullovers, and curls. (glutes, triceps, biceps.) Then “Annie” a 5-10 minute workout of Double Unders and sit-ups.
Thursday - We’ll start with a second week in a row of Handstand Kick-Up, and we’ll pair it with shoulder mobility work. Then, a 9-12 minute WOD of heavier deadlifts, pull-ups, and 200m running. Total running is 600m, so I see this as a bit more sprinty.
Friday - Back Squat as strength. Then, another sprinty WOD with LOTS of built in rest. Rowing, Floor Press, DB Snatch.
Saturday - Hyrax with coach Turner. Bring your running shoes and electrolyte supplements! (and your love and mindfulness)
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead: 6/15/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
Forgive the delay. I’m on the West Coast for a wedding staying in a house with 10 kids including my own 2.5 year old! Getting in front of the PC was no easy task!
Don’t forget: Old City Hyrax Event is on Saturday 6/27 at the RFK Fields. Hyrax is our Hyrox-like outdoor event. Everything is scalable, but as intended is 8 Rounds of 1k run paired with some weighted movement. Run 1k, tons of Wall balls, run 1k, weighted carry, run 1k, walking Lunges, etc etc. Come take your fitness outside, embrace a new challenge, experience a new variation on friendship and comradery that will expand your sense of humanity. It is SURE to be the event of the century.
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Hang Power Snatch technique paired with mobility. Then, my spirit WOD. EMOM 2 × 10 Rounds. 1 Heavy Snatch, a few burpees, out the door run 100m. Yes there is plenty of rest… but there’s also a highly technical, powerful movement, paired with a sprint. Sprinting and Power are different from Jogging and Strength. You need the rest, if not… go faster and heavier. If you’re not going heavy, be sure to up the reps a bit.
Tuesday - Some gymnastics skill/strength up front: handstand kick-up drill and weighted pull-up. Then, one of the longer WODs of the week. Running and Wall Balls
Wednesday - Double strength. If you go heavy, this is a serious day. We start with heavy Deadlifts paired with windmills. Then we go to heavy bench (5th week in a row) paired with DB Bent Over Row.
Thursday - Beginning our pistol progression, we’ll stick with that for 4-5 weeks. Then a middle-distance to long WOD with Reverse Lunges, box jumps, renegade rows, and AbMat Sit-Ups.
Friday - Andi benchmark is next week, so we’ll hit our Andi prep today. Last week’s Andi was lower weight higher rep chipper, but lovers of heavy barbell will rejoice today: 30 reps each of heavy-ish front squat, push press, and sumo deadlift. We mixed in a few double Unders because hey… Crossfit.
Saturday - Partner WOD. You Go I Go we all go!
The Week Ahead: 6/8/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
The week ahead:
Monday - Gymnastics strength. Second week in a row of strict HSPU work, paired with weighted chin-ups. Then a 10-14 minute WOD of Wall Walks, DB Clean, and 400m run. Total run is 1600m (scale back if you’re new to running, choose rowing or biking if it’s too hot!)
Tuesday - Longer chipper, predominately lower body and power. I think about 20-25 minutes, but tough to tell! It’s a pyramid rep scheme that starts with 10 heavy DL at 275/185… then Pull-Ups, Wall Balls, Box Jumps, and Rowing. After the WOD, we’ll open the hips up with banded Couch Stretch and Pancake Straddle.
Wednesday - Double Strength-y. First, Hang Power Snatch. Then, an E2MOM with heavy power snatch, med ball side shuffle, and then a med ball power chest pass into floor. Then, with a few minutes left in the class, week 2 of Landmine Press and Reverse Ring Fly.
Thursday - Double Strength proper. Our third week of GLUTES… Front Rack Bulgarian Split Squat and Speed Skater DL. Then Bench Press, week 4, and DB Bent Over Row.
Friday - Going out with a bang, a second big chipper that builds to our benchmark of the month: Andi. The plan is to do Andi the week of 6/22. 3 Rounds for Time of BIG numbers of Sumo DL High Pull, Push Press, Front Squat, and AbMat Sit-Up. Then, with the time remaining, we’ll hit some arms! Bench Dip, Lateral Raises, and Pullover.
Saturday - Partner WOD!
See you all at the gym,
Jason
The Week Ahead: 6/1/26
Friends, Team, Old Cityzens,
First, some big moves: We’ve got a fun out-of-gym fitness challenge happening on Saturday 6/27 from 9-1030/11 at the Fields at RFK. Coach Turner has been hard at work creating the Hyrax Challenge! (Hyrax is a small African rodent thing. It’s just a working name, we’ll come up with something cooler.) Anywho… the plan is to emulate a Hyrox competition and have a ton of fun outside! We’ll substitute a bit of equipment for what we don’t have and what is prohibited by the fields. Plan for plenty of running, a ton of comradary, and a great workout whether you’re training for Hyrox or not. If you’ve not been to the Fields at RFK, it’s a 7 minute bike ride from the gym.
The week ahead:
Monday - Benchmark of the next 45 days is a high rep barbell chipper called Andi. So, we’ll start work in higher rep barbell movements starting Monday. First we’ll hone our technique with Hang Power Snatches. Then, we’ll apply it to 3 rounds with built in rest of power snatch, front squat, and strict chin-up.
Remember the form one would use for 1 rep versus 10 reps is a bit different. IE, weightlifting and CrossFit. You want both of these forms, these tools, at your disposal. They have much in common, but try to notice the subtle differences.
Tuesday - Bench Press and Yates. Then a core forward WOD with Landmine Rotation, knees to elbow, burpees, and weighted carries. Don’t neglect your core, kids.
Wednesday - Double strength-y. Deadlift and KB Windmill paired as strength. (Lookout, hamstrings!) Then KB complex to push your time under tension. One of the movements is Thrusters, and immediately after you hold the weight over head and then march for 10 steps. My bet is that holding KB Overhead will show you that your lockout on push presses and thrusters leaves something to be desired. I say that with love, of course.
Thursday - Weighted Pull-Ups and Strict HSPU as strength. Then a 15 minute AMRAP of rowing, sit-ups, and jump rope.
Friday - A second double strength. Second week in a row of BSS and Speed Skater DL. Then, Landmine Press and a serious shoulder mobility/strength challenge… the ring reverse Fly.
Saturday - Partner WOD!
My love,
Coach Jason
The Week AheaD: 5/25/26
Happy Memorial Day Weekend,
Congratulations to all those who did Murph. That’s an incredibly difficult undertaking, and I hope you feel your confidence surging!
I made a similar comment to our coaches: workouts like Murph don’t fit neatly into weekly programming. Tuesday isn’t the hardest WOD we’ve ever done, but the regularly scheduled programming won’t change much to account for Murph. Show up, but be smart with your workouts this week. Don’t push through pain and stay hydrated and get extra sleep. Work with your coaches to make the right decisions.
Sometimes when I type things like that I worry people interpret the sentiment as fear and telling you to back off. Absolutely not, keep showing up. But do so with the knowledge that your six pack abs or cholesterol levels or CrossFit Open performance DOES NOT hinge on pushing 100% every single day. (Maybe your mental health does, hah!)
Anywho, the week ahead:
Monday - Murph
Tuesday - A play on double strength. Deadlift and Medicine Ball Throw first. Then, a play on a recovery from Murph WOD. We call it “for quality” so there is no score. You get to rest as needed for good form, but don’t waste time either. It features all of your favorite beach Muscles: abs, arms, butt, side butt.
Wednesday - Back to a longer WOD. No rest for the weary! Running (!?!) and Bike along with DB Snatch, Wall Ball, Toes to Bar. Probably takes 25 minutes. Then, some cool highly curated stretching after the WOD.
Thursday - A second play on double strength. Bench Press (Thursday, Turner, Totally Ripped) and Yates Row. Then, our second week in a row of KB Complex. This one features single-arm swings, front rack step ups, and a bit of overhead. Remember, the idea is that being under tension/weight for longer periods of time is a cool fitness variable we rarely approach, usually preferring weight and reps (intensity and volume).
Friday - As promised, Elizabeth. But before the benchmark, we’ll practice our hang power clean and do an abundance of shoulder mobility. The mobility will help your front rack in the power clean, but also help prep you for the ring rips.
Saturday - Partner WOD
I would never say no to a note letting me know you read this stuff. Commentary welcome. All my love,
Jason
The Week Ahead 5/18/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
Time flies. Another Memorial Day Weekend coming up. Of course that means we must acknowledge our fallen soldiers and celebrate our good health with Memorial Day Murph on Monday. It’s probably a bit old-school (ancient-school?) of me, but I’m convinced a bit of communal ritual suffering does the spirit good. And a unique kind of good. But remember, like every WOD you get to choose how much work you do, and you get to rest when needed. So what’s to fear? Join us.
Anywho, the week ahead:
Monday - Week 5 or 6 of Ring Dip, paired with DB Bent Over Row. Then a bit of Murph prep. 12 Rounds of “Cindy” broken up every 4 rounds by a bit of cardio. Remember, the culmination of our Ring Dip program is testing “Elizabeth” at the end of next week.
Tuesday - An E3MOM of Push Jerks, Single Arm KB Swing, and Running. Total running 1600m. Push Jerks will be 3 reps at a time, so a bit heavier.
Explosive movements paired with running. It matches my preferred definition of athleticism. Be powerful, have sprint endurance, kick ass with real sports. It’s like if Messi lifted. CrossFit is timeless because it has an exacting and (nearly) inarguable definition of Fitness. CrossFit unequivocally says don’t specialize. Still, I can’t kick the habit of wanting to beat folks on the field.
Wednesday - Back Squat, sets of 5, paired with mobility. Then, a quick cardio-forward WOD called “Bubbles.” Burpees and Double Unders.
Thursday - Double Strength. Bench Press and Powell Raise. Then we focus on time under tension with a KB Complex. Expect to hold the KB for quite a long set of Deadlifts, Rows, Squats, and so on…
Friday - Hang Power Snatch paired with mobility. Then an EMOM including A STANDING ONLY version of the bike, Z-Press, and Farmers Carry. I think of this as a crazy spin on a core workout.
Saturday - Arms and Partner WOD.
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead 5/11/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
I hope all the mothers out there had an excellent Mother’s Day. The Week Ahead:
Monday - Starting with the longer WOD of the week. A descending rep scheme chipper of Wall Balls, Sit-Ups, and Assault Bike. I think this takes 25-30 minutes. Remember, we don’t have the perfect amount of assault bikes, so expect a staggered start and different order of stations from your coach. Of course we want you to push your fitness, but remember to be patient with your fellow Old Cityzens. We’ll hit some targeted mobility after the WOD.
Tuesday - Upper body strength first. As so often happens, the calisthenics/gymnastics find a home on Tuesday. Weighted Chin-Ups and the 4th week in a row of Ring Dips. Remember, even if you can’t hit the prescribed rep scheme, feel free to play around with the rings! After that, a very short AMRAP of heavy DL and Wall Walk.
Wednesday - Double Strength. Back Squat. Pendlay Row. Bulgarian Split Squat. Skull Crusher. Legs, butt, back, arms. Not a bad combo if you want that “X” look.
Thursday - Bench Press (you thought I forgot about it?) and Powell Raise for strength. Then, a sprint/rest/sprint WOD of running and toes to bars. Lower volume.
Friday - Hang Power Clean a second week in a row. Then, a middle-distance WOD of Jerks and Double Unders.
Saturday - Partner WOD!
The Week Ahead 5/3/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
Happy May! Remember we’ve got Murph on Memorial Day, and that we’ve got a Handstand Seminar on Saturday May 16th. Engine has “Murph heavy elements” once a week, but expect a bit of Murph prep before Memorial Day as well.
Monday - Double Strength. We’ll start with an E2MOM of Push Jerks from the rack. It’s nice to do those from the rack occasionally so you don’t have the added difficulty and exertion of needing to clean them. After that, Snatch Grip RDL and KB Pullover. Snatch Grip RDLs are usually limited by grip more than leg strength, but they’re important to throw in.
Tuesday - Longer cardio effort. Could be an Engine class. 25 minute AMRAP: 400m run, empty bar Bent over rows, and a new variation on side shuffle. I’m really excited to get you kids moving side to side. We’ll finish off with 15 minutes of curated mobility.
Wednesday - “Lynne Biles.” My not funny at all gymnastics forward spin on the classic benchmark Lynne. 5 Rounds of 4 minutes… each round you do one set each of max effort Ring Dips and Pull-Ups. Lynne is Bench Press instead of Ring Dip. I think the key here is number of reps, so if you can’t get at least 5 of each, you should add bands. After that, we’ve got another crowd favorite from last year: EMOM 7, Max Effort Walking Lunges.
Thursday - Core Strength EMOM first, then a middle Distance WOD, maybe 18-20 minutes that builds on last week’s introduction of Single Leg Toes to Bar. Also included are single Arm KB Thrusters, and Double Unders.
Friday - Hang Power Clean Strength, building to the WOD. Then, a shorter sprint of 9-7-5 Power Clean @ 155/105 and Double Push-Up Burpees. I’d like to see this under 5 minutes, ideally.
Saturday - Partner WO:D
My Love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead 4/27/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
We hope everyone is feeling good and strong. No opining this week. The Week Ahead:
Monday - Power Clean practice, followed by Sprint/Rest/Sprint. During 3 minute rounds, we’ll run 400m and use the remaining time to AMRAP heavy power cleans and push-ups. Be sure to scale the running distance so that you finish with at least 45-60s left.
Tuesday - Gymnastics day, then a cardio forward, middle distance WOD. Handstand Hold (Chest to Wall AND Back to Wall) and L Chin-Ups for skill/strength. Then rowing and Wall balls. Probably takes 13-18 Minutes.
Wednesday - Second week running of Barbell Reverse Lunge (hello glutes). Then another middle distance WOD, maybe 15-20 minutes, of !!! Single Leg Toes to Bar (plenty of logical scales, don’t worry), burpees, and Single Arm KB Swings. I’ve put an Rx+ as alternating KB Swings, but please be safe and don’t aim them at someone doing burpees.
Thursday - Double Strength. Final Week of Pause Back Squat (including a few heavy singles). Then week 1 of Incline Bench Press. Bench paired with Tricep Kickback. As we so often do, I choose arm exercises that will make you look sharp in that tank top, but also serve as necessary shoulder mobility.
Friday - More upper body strength… Ring Dip (which follows 2 weeks of Ring push-ups.) Then, a core and grip heavy WOD featuring KB Front Rack Carries, Double Unders, Step Ups, and Suitcase Deadlifts.
Saturday - Partner WODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
See you guys at the gym. Let me or any of the coaches know how we can better serve you! My love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead 4/20/26
Team, Friends,
I hope you’ll indulge me the blog delay until Monday morning! My family and I were exploring the Sedona, AZ area for daycare spring break.
Thanks to all who came out for Abby’s Annual Skip Mile on Saturday. It was an unexpected challenge, and a bouncy joy was felt by all. The week ahead:
Monday - Our benchmark of the last 1.5 months: Grettel. 10 rounds of 3 Clean and Jerk @ 135/95 and 3 Burpees. I really like small, bite sized reps that keep you moving. Should be a sub 8 WOD, but we’ve put time cap at 11. As usual, we’ll spend a ton of time before hand working on the skill and technique of the clean and Jerk.
And don’t forget Surrender! New night: Mondays at 7:40.
Tuesday - A continuation of our handstand skill work, paired with a third go round with Wide Grip Pull-Ups. Then, our longer WOD of the week. 4 rounds of 800m run (2 miles total!), Landmine Twist, and box jump. I’m playing with the Landmine Twist in WODs… it’s an uncommon CrossFit motion, but I am committed to getting Old Cityzens moving in functionally COMMON ways. Rotation, lateral, etc.
Wednesday - Double Strength. Week 2 of 5 sets! of 3 reps Pause Back Squat. Then we build on Ring Push-Ups, paired with Incline Seal Row.
Thursday - Simple but wonderful day. Strength is barbell Reverse lunge (hello glutes!) paired with KB Pullover. Then, an 11 Minute AMRAP of Double Unders and Sit-Ups.
Friday - Core Strength EMOM up front, then a “Strength-y” E2MOM as the WOD. Low reps of Heavy Deadlifts, Handstand Push-Ups, and a few side shuffles.
Saturday - Partner WOD!!!
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead 4/13/26
Team, a bit early this week… It’s DCPS Spring Break, so of course daycare said my 2 year old should take a break, too. So we’re off to Arizona! Never been to the desert, so I’m looking forward to some running, hiking, and pistols and handstands. Who needs a gym? The week ahead:
Monday - Longer WOD meets HEAVY Deadlifts. 22 minutes on the clock… 275/185 DL mixed with some push-ups, Air squats, and running. The run is 200m, so if you get 5-6 rounds, you’re looking at 1k or 1.2k total distance.
Plan for guided mobility after.
Tuesday - One of those strange days I occasionally throw in. Core Strength EMOM first, then a 20 minute AMRAP that consists primarily of isometric hold: Flex Arm Hang, Paleo Chair, Plank Hold. Also some Box Jumps. Isometrics are incredibly good for your joints and are a staple of smart PT. Also, they will challenge your determination. Plan for some additional mobility after.
Wednesday - Strength-y Day. The -y consists of 32 total burpees. Otherwise lots of strength and structured rest. We’ll practice our clean and Jerk a bit, then apply that practice to an E90s of 8 rounds. You’ll do 2 clean and jerks, followed by 4 burpees. Then, we wail on the upper body with Ring push-ups and Bent over row.
Thursday - Pause back squat. 5 sets of 3. So a heavy and time-consuming strength period. Then a sprint-y WOD of double Unders, and week 5 or 6 in a row of chest to bar pull-ups.
Friday - Handstand skill practice makes its return, and we’ll pair that with weighted WIDE grip pull-ups. Then a shuttle run based WOD with single Arm KB Thrusters and KB Swings. The single Arm aspect makes the thrusters MUCH more enjoyable.
Saturday - Partner WOD and arms!!
All my love,
Coach Jason
The Week Ahead 4/6/26
Team, Friends, Old Cityzens,
The Week Ahead:
Monday - Push Jerk for the second week in a row. This week we practice the Push Jerk balance for a few minutes beforehand, hoping we can really teach you guys how to get under the bar and use your hips instead of back. Also, weighted WIDE grip pull-ups.
WOD on Monday is stolen right from CrossFit mainsite. 12 rounds of 40s work/20s rest… push press, deadlift, double Unders.
Tuesday - Super long WOD. 28 Minute AMRAP. 28 Minutes of 400m laps, KB Lunges, Toes to Bar. (KB Front Rack ughhhh)
Oh, and some different and cool mobility after.
Wednesday - A good day. Core Strength first, then we practice the power position power clean. This practice will inform our WOD: Black and Blue. This is a benchmark from Bergeron, a famous coach in the NE (I think.) 5 rounds 10 power clean 10 Burpee. A sprint? or will you need to pace? I say eat a TON of tacos on Tuesday and go fast.
Thursday - Double Strength. Glutes and Pecs. Don’t say I don’t love you.
Friday - Front Squat, week 2 or 3. Paired with “squat therapy.” The idea, as we so often offer, is a mobility pairing or skill pairing to help you confront CrossFit’s more formidable movements. Don’t forget that every movement is some combination of strength, mobility, and technique.
Then, an 11 minute AMRAP of Wall Walks, Chest to Bar Pull-Ups (week 3 or 4, including an option for muscle ups) and the ever rare appearance of Overhead Squats. My hope is that the mid-back mobility and front squat work will make the Overhead Squats more approachable. Remember, active shoulders! Push that bar UP!!!
Saturday - Partner WOD. Come, make friends. It’s usually longer, sometimes we throw arms or abs in.