💥 Teen & Youth Strength & Speed: Summer Starts June 15!
Summer is almost here, and that means it’s time for one of our favorite ICA traditions – the summer Teen & Youth Program!
Our Teen Strength & Speed (ages 13–17) and Youth Strength & Speed (ages 8–12) programs are built to develop strength, explosive power, speed, coordination, and mobility in a safe, fun, and encouraging environment. Whether your child is brand‑new to training or already deep into their sport, our coaches know how to meet them where they are and help them level up.
More than just workouts, these sessions build:
A lifelong love of movement
Confidence in and out of the gym
Solid technique and training knowledge
Athleticism that carries over to every sport
Our summer session kicks off June 15, and we’re ready to help your kids have their strongest, fastest, fittest summer yet — and return to their fall sports fitter than they left.
Details
Dates: June 15 – August 14
Class Times: We offer a mix of evening and daytime classes to fit every schedule!
Youth Program (Ages 8 – 12)
Monday: 7:00 – 7:45 PM
Tuesday: 10:30 – 11:15 AM
Thursday: 10:30 – 11:15 AM
Teen Program (Ages 13 – 18)
Monday: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Wednesday: 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Thursday: 10:30 – 11:30 AM — FREE SESSION! The Thursday Teen class does not count toward class totals. It’s available to all Phoenixville area Teens — no ICA membership required. For safety and liability, we require all participants to sign a waiver and register in advance. Contact John (info@ica-strong.com or 717-794-8226) for details.
Pricing:
1x/week (5 classes/month) – $88/month
2x/week (9 classes/month) – $131/month
3x/week (14 classes/month) – $165/month
Contact Us
Reach out to John at info@ica-strong.com or 717-794-8226 (text or call) with questions or to enroll!
WOD Notes: The goal today is to build steadily over the course of 6 sets of deadlift. A reasonably plan would be to start around 70% of your 1RM and finish around 85-90%.
Many of our long-time members were fortunate to know Peggy, who was an ICA member from 2012-2016. We have many amazing memories of Peggy, but one stands out above the rest. In 2013, she set a goal of doing 50 strict pull ups in 30 minutes on her 50th birthday. On Saturday, September 21, 2013, she came into Open Gym and knocked out all 50. (As luck would have it, the workout of the day had another 50, which she proceeded to crush as well.)
Peggy passed away tragically last November in a car accident. As we approach her 58th birthday, we’re honoring her life and memory with the introduction of the Peggy Berman Memorial Pull-up Challenge. The goal is to complete 50 strict pull ups in 30 minutes. Anyone 50+ years old who completes the challenge (Rx) will get their name on a plaque that will hang in the gym.
We’re hosting the inaugural challenge on Sunday, September 26, at 11:00am. We hope you can join us! There is no charge for this event, but please register in Wellness Living so we know how many to expect.
If you can’t make it on 9/26, don’t worry! This will be an on-going challenge that you can complete any time. (Video evidence or coach observation will be required to get on the plaque!)
WOD Notes: Choose a wallball weight that will let you have a chance at a couple of rounds unbroken. Choose a c2b pull up scale that will let you really fight for the last bit of range of motion whether it is ring rows or banded pull ups.
WOD Notes: This workout was created by coach Dave to be completed 5 years ago (the 15th anniversary of 9/11) and has been modified for class logistics purposes. The 2977m represent the number of lives lost in the attack on the World Trade Center. One partner will be working at a time while the other rests.
Schedule Notes: We added an 11am class for tomorrow so everyone who wants to has a chance to complete this special tribute WOD!
WOD Notes: As you fatigue in the later sets of bench today, be sure to keep a slow and consistent motion. Try to avoid bouncing the bar off your chest!
WOD Notes: The runs today are designed to land in the 3 to 5 minute range. This is a great day to practice double unders! Choose a rep scheme that lets you finish in under 2 minutes in the later rounds. If your double unders are inconsistent, consider 2 minutes of double under attempts per round!
Community Notes: Happy Birthday BWat and Coach Heather!
Shachar working on outdoor Nancy when the power went out!
Workout of the Day
Complete for time:
4 rope climbs
20 box jump overs (30/24″)
3 rope climbs
20 front squats (135/93#)
2 rope climbs
20 floor wipers (135/93#)
1 rope climb
20 power snatches (135/93#)
WOD Notes: The most challenging barbell movement today should be the power snatches. Choose your weight such that you think you can complete the 20 reps in under 4 minutes without risking failure. If you don’t love power snatches, power cleans are always an option!
WOD Notes: Choose a weight for hang clusters that will allow you to perform most, if not all of the rounds unbroken. Try for fluid cycling of the barbell today! Adjust the burpees to a number/style that will let you finish the early rounds in < 30 seconds.
Schedule Notes: There are 3 classes tomorrow: 8:00, 9:00 and 10:00 am.
Complete the following row intervals, each for time:
250/200m
500/400m
750/600m
1000/800m
750/600m
500/400m
250/200m
WOD Notes: In class, we’ll kick off an interval on the 0, 2, 5, 10, 17, 22, 25 minute marks. Scale distances such that you always get at least 1 minute of rest.
WOD Notes: For the back squats, start around 60-65% and build up to a max, usually in the 80-85% range. For the tabata handstand holds, this is harder than it looks on paper! The handstands can be performed against the wall or freestanding; on the floor, dumbbells, or parallettes; or sub a wall climb hold or ring plank hold. If you don’t feel good being on your hands, you can hold DBs, KBs, or a plate overhead!
Social Note: Tonight (Saturday) we’ll be showing a movie in the parking lot! Current plan is to watch “Resurgence,” which is about the 2020 CrossFit Games. Meet in the parking lot at 7:30pm. BYO chairs, blankets, and snacks! All are welcome. Guests too!
Schedule Note: On Monday 9/6 (Labor Day), we’ll have a modified schedule, with classes at 8:00am, 9:00am, and 10:00am. All other class times and Open Gyms are canceled that day.
WOD Notes: Choose a squat variation (front, back or overhead) and weight that will give you a legitimate chance at finishing all rounds unbroken. The special part of Nancy is trying to hold a reasonable run time as the squat volume builds!
*Weather Note: The gym lost power due to Ida. There’s also some clean up that needs to happen before classes can run safely. As such, ALL MORNING CLASSES ARE CANCELED. We’ll update Wellness Living around 10am to let you know if the 12pm class is on. (We’ll give approximately a 2-hour heads up for evening classes too.) Continue to sign up for your preferred class time so you will get an email if we need to cancel. Thank you for your understanding!
*Reminder: We post an at-home version of every daily WOD! If your class was canceled, give the at-home version a try and let us know how it went!
Pugh and Dries firing through snatches!
Workout of the Day
AMRAP in 20 minutes of:
3 deadlifts (345/205#)
10/8 toes to bar
15 push ups
WOD Notes: Choose a deadlift weight/technique that can be done consecutively without regripping each round. If you’re working toward a more efficient deadlift, feel free to elevate the start position by propping the bar on top of plates or switch to sumo if you know it feels better. Push ups and toes to bar should be done in 1 or 2 sets for the first couple rounds. Adjust reps/movements accordingly!
WOD Notes: For the hang power cleans in the AMRAP, focus on every rep being sharp and beautiful. Get your elbows around in a hurry and try to drop to a consistent depth on the catch.
WOD Notes: Ring muscle ups can be scaled to 10 jumping muscle ups + 2 ring dips or 20 pull ups + 10 ring dips. Ideally the first set of muscle ups should take less than 3 minutes and the second set should be less than 5.
Start a new round every 4 minutes. Time cap for each round = 3 minutes.
WOD Notes: The goal today is for each movement to take less than 45 seconds. Choose a weight that will give you a shot at unbroken thrusters for a couple of rounds and snatches should be done in sets of 5 or more. SugarWOD will calculate your average time across all 5 rounds today.
Congrats to our July and August 1 year anniversary members!
Workout of the Day
EMOM for 20 minutes of:
1 snatch balance
WOD Notes: The goal today is to increase in weight every 3 to 4 sets. If you typically land in a split snatch or power snatch, that can certainly be your landing position today as well!
WOD Notes: The power clean and jerk is likely going to be dropped each rep but there should be no risk of failure. Ideally the early rounds will ~2 minutes and the later rounds should stay below 4. Do your best to keep moving for the whole 20 minutes!
WOD Notes: One partner will be working at a time on KB swings and you’ll work toward 150 cumulative reps (not 150/person) to start and end the workout. Both partners will run at the same time but the wreckbag does not need to be shared evenly. If your partner loves running and you don’t so much, hand that bag off!
WOD Notes: The C2B pull ups should take between 90 seconds and 3 minutes each set. Choose a weight for snatches that will allow you to complete 4 sets of 10 (if not larger sets).
WOD Notes: Each movement in this workout should ideally take less than 2 minutes per round. Consider dropping the run or row distance accordingly. The intent today is to go out at a steady pace and see if you can increase speed in round 3!
At the start of each minute, complete 12 air squats.
WOD Notes: Choose a number of air squats that allows you to have your hands on the bar by the 20 second mark of each minute. If you’re a proficient power cleaner, shoot for ~75% of your 1RM. If you’re not sure what your 1RM is, pick a weight that you’ll drop after each rep and ideally get 8-12 reps in the first minute. You should never get fewer than 4 in any minute!
Continue adding 3 reps each round until time expires.
WOD Notes: The scale for muscle ups will be either 25 pull ups (banded or otherwise) and 25 push ups or jumping or kneeling muscle up transitions + 5 second ring support holds. There will be a rest between the end of the muscle ups and the start of the AMRAP. Choose a deadlift weight that will allow you to go unbroken through the set of 9.
WOD Notes: Come in for this high skill, high exertion metcon! If pistols aren’t in your arsenal yet, you can work toward them by way of pistols to a box, with a band, weighted step ups or weighted lunges.
5 power snatches (touch and go, 60% 1RM hang snatch)
WOD Notes: If dropping into a full squat on the hang snatch doesn’t feel good, modify this to a hang power snatch or a hang clean. If you think the accessory work looks a lot like Isabel, you’re right! The goal should be efficient cycling of a barbell and a moderate to heavy weight.
Community Notes: Happy Birthday to Tracy, Zoe and Coach Zhu!
WOD Notes: Today is an ICA classic!! 200 burpees is the goal but there are many scaling options. You can go to 100 or 150 burpees or treat it as an AMRAP in 15, 20, or 25 minutes. If you know burpees don’t feel great on your joints, consider a 200 cal ski or row. No matter how you slice it, this is a fantastic conditioning day for your body and mind.
If you’re looking for some strategy for attack, the following have worked (varying levels of) well over the years:
EMOM of 5, 10 or 15 burpees.
20 easy sets of 10 with a short break in between.
Try for unbroken (but steady).
Sprint the first 30 and coast from there (wouldn’t totally recommend this one).
GYM RECORDS: Kelly Goldston – 11:01 (2020), Kevin Witchey – 11:07 (2020)
WOD Notes: Partners will both run at the same time. For the reps in the gym, one partner will work while the other rests. Switch as often as you like and reps do not need to be split evenly.
Then complete 5 sets of 10 pulls on the rower for max distance.
WOD Notes: Sets of 10 on deadlifts can be very challenging. Focus hard on making each rep beautiful. For the row, you’re shooting for the most powerful and aggressive strokes you can while maintaining your usual stroke rate.
Complete a 25 ft handstand walk between each round.
WOD Notes: Come in to work on some gymnastics! If you are not yet able to handstand walk, we’ll be working on headstand and handstand holds as well as some drills to help improve your balance while inverted.
WOD Notes: This metcon is designed to be fast paced! Choose a weight that will allow you to complete the first 2 or 3 rounds unbroken. Double unders should take less than 1 minute even when tired.
Then take 10 minutes to work on inversions and levers from the rings.
WOD Notes: The bench press today should happen around 75% of your 1 rep max. If you feel great, you may be able to push a little heavier but it should not be a max effort. The goal is to keep your form perfect and slow down the lift!
Big thanks to everyone who came out for our 31 Heroes event this weekend!
Workout of the Day
Complete for time:
1 mile run
Rest 3 minutes then 4 rounds of:
10 overhead squats (95/63#)
15 pull ups
10 bar-over burpees
WOD Notes: This is a two-part workout, but you only record the total time. When you finish the run, check the clock, give yourself 3 minutes rest, and then start the 4 rounder. There will be a 25 minute cap for this workout.
Complete 50 double unders and 10 box step ups after each set (not for time)
WOD Notes: The goal today should be to hit your first set of 5 push jerks at ~60% of your 1 rep max and build steadily to shoot for ~90% on the final set of 2. The double unders in between sets are intended to be skill work. Try to do them unbroken if you can! They should take less than 40 seconds. If you are working toward double unders, today is a great opportunity to practice in a “not for time” setting!
Community Notes: We moved the date for our 10th anniversary celebration! It will be the evening of Saturday, October 2nd at the Great American Pub.
Each minute of the WOD is devoted to one of these heroes. Think of them when the going gets tough!
“31Heroes – Workout to Remember”
In teams of 4, complete as many reps as possible in 31 minutes of:
200m sandbag run
Thrusters
Rope climbs
Box jumps
Event Details: For full event details, head on over to our Event Page! A few highlights:
The gym officially opens at 7:30am; feel free to arrive earlier if you want to help set up.
Opening announcements are at 8:15am and the first heat kicks off at 8:30. Heats and teams can be found HERE.
There is no coach-led warm up today! Please show up well before your heat time to meet with your team and get warmed up. We’ll have a warm up area outside.
BYO folding chairs, canopy tents, adult beverages, favorite snacks, yard games, etc to create a “tent city” in the parking lot!
Our parking lot will be blocked off for safety of our runners and spectators. Park along Jefferson Street or in any of the lots highlighted below.
Regardless of your heat time, meet us in the parking at 9:45am for the group photo!
Thank you for 10 amazing years, ICA! We are grateful for each and every one of you, and hope to be part of your fitness family for years to come! #ICAstrong #ICAfitfam #fitforlife
A trip in the way-way-back machine: our original gear selection!
Workout of the Day
AMRAP in 15 minutes of:
5 burpee broad jumps
20 DB reverse lunges in place (35/25#, 2 DBs)
10 toes to bar
WOD Notes: Choose a weight that will let you complete 20 lunges in a row for several rounds. Toes to bar should take less than 1 minute through most of the workout.
WOD Notes: Twelve sets of back squats could be classified as a lot! Shoot for weights starting around 60% and ending around 80%. These lifts will occur on a 2 minute clock so it should not turn into a 3 rep max but instead focus on perfect, heavy, challenging reps.
Teams and Heats are posted HERE. If we need to make any changes beyond this point we’ll email your team directly!
We have several teams of 5 this year. Two athletes will pair up and move together from station-to-station. Take turns on the thrusters, box jumps, and rope climbs (e.g. alternate every few reps).
We encourage folks to show up early and stay late to cheer for other heats! Due to increasing rates of COVID, spectators are encouraged to spend the majority of their time outside, cheering for your friends during their 200m run. BYO tents, chairs, snacks, etc, to create a party in the parking lot!
The 2019 31Heroes Crew!
Mark your calendars for our 11th Annual 31Heroes Fundraiser on August 7, 2021!
10 years ago, on August 6, 2011, 30 Americans and 1 military K9 lost their lives when their helicopter was downed in Afghanistan. This tragedy happened only days after ICA opened its doors, and it has become our annual fundraising mission. Each year since 2011 we’ve hosted the 31Heroes WOD and fundraiser to honor these fallen heroes and raise money to support their families and others in the veteran community suffering from TBI and PTSD.
Fundraising / Donations
In 2016, ICA was the top fundraiser in the world!! Every year since 2011 we’ve been in the top 5. Help us keep our legacy alive by donating to our team! There are 3 ways you can contribute:
Donate directly to our team page HERE. A $31 donation (or more) gets you a 31Heroes t-shirt, shipped to you by the 31Heroes organization.
Make even more of an impact by signing up as an individual fundraiser! You can earn some cool gear depending on your fundraising totals. Go to our team page (linked above) and click the “Join Team” button.
Make a donation in person at the live event (no t-shirt or prizes).
While donations of any amount are greatly appreciated, you are not required to make a donation in order to workout with us on August 7!
The WOD
In teams of 4, complete as many reps as possible in 31 minutes of:
200m sandbag run
Thrusters
Rope climbs
Box jumps
WOD Notes: While teammate 1 is running, teammate 2 is completing thrusters, 3 is doing rope climbs and 4 is jumping. When the runner returns, everyone moves forward one station. The team’s score is the total number of thrusters, rope climbs and box jumps completed in 31 minutes. The rope climb scale is pull ups or ring rows, where every 6 reps counts as 1 rope climb.
All team members must share a sandbag, thruster bar, and box. Team members who are not comfortable thrustering their team’s weight can use a pair of dumbbells or front squat or power clean instead.
Registration
ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES JULY 31st to give us time finalize heats and teams!
Please establish your 4-person teams in advance of the event. Each participant should register individually (HERE) to ensure we have waivers for each participant. Guests from other CrossFit boxes are welcome and encouraged to participate!
For non-ICA members, please email us your team roster and Level (1, 2, 3 or 4) once all team members have registered.
For ICA members, we will have sign up sheets at the gym (one for each Level). Please list your team, partial team, or sign up as a free agent no later than July 31.
We will release heat assignments a few days before the event.
Schedule
7:30 – Gym opens
8:15 – Opening Remarks
8:30 – Heat 1
9:10 – Heat 2
9:45 – Group Photo in the Parking Lot
10:00 – Heat 3
10:40 – Heat 4
11:15 – PARKING LOT PARTY! We’ll provide pizza & wings; BYO beverages!
Parking
The parking lot will be closed so we can set up a “tent city” for our athletes and spectators! The 200m running route will take place in the parking lot, too. The highlighted areas shown below will be available for parking: along Jefferson Street, on the opposite side of the building, or across Bridge Street at the Oakwood Apartments.
We can’t wait to workout, fundraise, and celebrate with you all!
Rest 3 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.
WOD Notes: Today is designed to be a sprint interval! Choose a rope climb version that will allow you to get to the rower in less than a minute for the first several rounds.
Community Notes: Happy Birthday Brian G and Elissa!
WOD Notes: Try to keep the runs to under 2 minutes and modify to 250m as needed. Choose a KB weight that gives you a chance at completing the first round in 1 or 2 sets. There is nothing to slow you down today!
We officially opened our doors on August 1, 2011… making today ICA’s 10th anniversary! We are honored to have reached this milestone! Thank you to our members – past and present – for believing in us, trusting us with your health and fitness, and making ICA the amazing fitness community it is today. Your hard work and enthusiasm inspires us to be better every day. Here’s to another decade of fitness and fun!!! #ICAstrong #CrossFit #10yearaffiliate #ICAfitfam
1 year anniversary2 year anniversary3 year anniversary4 year anniversary5 year anniversary6 year anniversary7 year anniversary8 year anniversaryNo group photo in 2020… but here’s a reminder of our 104 at-home WODs that you all crushed that summer!
WOD Notes: The dead hang from a pull up bar today will be 1 minute cumulative. You should ideally take less than 2 minutes in each round to finish the hang. The HSPU are designed to take less than a minute per round.
WOD Notes: If you know toes to bar are a skill in development for you, consider shooting for a cumulative ~20 reps. As always, if you prefer to not perform OHS, front squats or back squats are always available!
Reminder: Our ICA 10th anniversary party will be the afternoon/evening of September 25th. Mark your calendars!
WOD Notes: This workout contains quite a few bar muscle ups. If you love BMU, then come in and destroy this thing! If you don’t love them yet, come in and start to build your tool box. The sub today will be jumping bar muscle ups, bar muscle up transitions to press out or 2x pull ups. Whatever version you do, the first round of BMU (or modification) should take between 2 and 5 minutes and the second round should take between 90 seconds and 4 minutes. Be there!!
31Heroes Notes: Don’t forget to sign up for our annual 31Heroes event on Saturday, August 7! If you’ve never done it before, it is a grand old sweat fest containing a 31 minute AMRAP. See more details HERE. Please sign up in Wellness Living and put your name on the sign up sheet at the gym for the level you’d like to complete!
WOD Notes: Ideally, the early rounds should be under 2 minutes and all rounds should take less than 3. This is a great chance to test out your thruster weight for 31 Heroes! Scale the burpees so they take less than 1 minute when tired.
Mike C hoisting a stone!Congratulations Jesse and Dan on the birth of Lincoln Robert Tiffany on 7/26/21! 7.0lbs, 20.5″ of solid muscle!
Workout of the Day
Sumo deadlift 1-15-1-10-1-5-1
WOD Notes: The sets of 1 in today’s lift should likely not be a PR, especially the first set. Shoot for 85-90% in round 1 and either stay there or gradually increase by small amounts. The sets of 15/10/5 should happen around 50-65-80% respectively. You could go heavier on these if you feel great!
WOD Notes: If you’re at one of the 4 stations that doesn’t have access to a wall, you can delay your start and use someone else’s wall, or you can modify wall climbs to 21 push ups and 21 hollow rocks and still be Rx. The scale for muscle ups is 3x push ups. This is an annual ICA benchmark, so be sure to write down your modifications so you can remember for next year!
WOD Notes: Choose a power clean weight that will allow you to “touch and go” reps through all 10 rounds. The pull ups should be unbroken in the early rounds and should stay under 2 or 3 sets in the later rounds. Make sure you have at least 30 seconds rest before the next round!
WOD Notes: After the warm up, shoot for your first set of 3 to be at or above 70% of your 1 rep max. If you’re feeling good, the final set could encroach on 90%. The row is for real this time (unlike the false alarm from Wednesday), go fast!
Take 10 minutes to work on each of the following stations:
Shouldering a stone
Taking a keg from ground to overhead
400m farmer’s carry
WOD Notes: Come on in to play with our strongman gear for the first time in over a year! If you have no idea what the movements are, don’t worry, they’re all fun. Let’s get after it!
WOD Notes: Choose a push press weight that will allow you to unbroken through a round or two. The push ups should take less than 30 seconds in round 1 and ideally stay under a minute in the later rounds.
Just a slightly more formal OHS session than usual!
Workout of the Day
Front Squat 4×6 (75% 1RM)
Then AMRAP in 3 minutes of:
Rope climbs
WOD Notes: Try to stay at one weight for all 4 sets of front squats. If you are particularly efficient on front squats, you may be able to go closer to 80%.
WOD Notes: This will be GREAT prep for our annual “200 burpees for time WOD” – coming up in August! Keep the first round of 60 burpees at 5 minutes or less. If you’ll struggle to keep that pace, modify by doing plank burpees, burpees to an elevated bar, or reduce the number of reps. Go so fast!
** Member Note – Wellness Living is experiencing an unplanned outage. Don’t let that stop you from getting your WOD in! Even if you can’t sign up, just come in at your normal/preferred class time. We’ll be creative and ensure everyone has a space to work out.**
Nikki working some handstands last week!
Workout of the Day
Complete 8 rounds, each for time of:
6 hang snatches (115/73#)
12/9 toes to bar
Start a new round every 3 minutes. Time cap = 2 minutes/round.
WOD Notes: Choose a weight that will allow you to complete the first round (maybe more) of hang squat snatches unbroken. Ideally, you should keep each round to 1 or 2 sets. The toes to bar should take less than 1 minute even when fatigued.
Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 (3 second eccentric, fast concentric)
Then complete 3 rounds NFT of:
10 lateral box jumps (5R/5L)
10 windmills (5R/5L)
WOD Notes: The deadlifts should be slightly slower than usual as you lower the bar to the floor. Keep the weight in the realm that will allow you to keep a perfectly straight back. Feel free to elevate the bar by a few inches today (or any day) if it will help with technique! Windmills can be done with KBs, DBs, slam balls, a friend or a 1# plate. The world is your oyster!
WOD Notes: The first round of muscle ups should be less than 30 seconds (1 or 2 sets) and no round should take longer than 1 minute. The scale for ring muscle ups will be 8 ring rows and 8 ring dips. If push jerks don’t feel stable, switch to single arm DB push jerks (5/side) or push presses with a bar at lighter weight. You should be able to go unbroken through the first few rounds. Try to cut down on transitions!
Snatch + high hang snatch + high hang snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1
Then complete:
Max consecutive strict pull ups
WOD Notes: As with any snatch day, choose the version that will make you a more proficient weightlifter! You can switch to power snatches, or any clean variation to work on technique.
First Minute: 10 deadlifts (conventional or sumo, 60% 1RM)
Second Minute: 5 deficit handstand push ups (-4″)
Third Minute: 10 chest to bar pull ups
WOD Notes: Choose a challenging form of HSPU that will make it very difficult to complete all rounds unbroken. That may mean going to a lower target than usual or increasing the rep scheme to 8 or 10 per round.
Then complete a 2 minute ring plank (complete 1, 3 or 5 push ups every 20 seconds).
WOD Notes: The goal on the bench press is to shoot for about 50/60/70/80/90% of your 1 rep max for each respective set. If you fail a set, don’t repeat, just move to the next one.
WOD Notes: The Tabata rep scheme means you’ll spend 20 seconds working and 10 seconds resting for a total of 8 interval at each station. Stay on one station until all 8 intervals are complete. Record your lowest rep count from each station.
WOD Notes: If sumo deadlift high pulls tend to cause tightness in your low back, consider coming off of 45# plates for some added elevation or just keep the bar above your knees at the bottom.
WOD Notes: The run should ideally be done in 2 minutes or less each round. You’ll record your time as the time on the clock when you pass the desk on the way into the gym. Try to transition to the bench as quickly as possible! Record run times and bench press reps separately in SugarWOD.
Schedule Notes:
We are running a regular schedule on July 5, with 9 classes and 3 hours of Open Gym. The 9am class is already filled up, but there are plenty of available spots in other class and open gym times!
We’ve added a 3pm Open Gym to Fridays going forward.
WOD Notes: Come celebrate Independence Day and test out ICA’s new “1776” WOD! Everyone gets 2 barbells today! Work with your classmates to ensure everyone gets 2 bars that work for them. (If you’re doing C&J at 85# or less, please use an aluminum bar. Women – be ready to deadlift with a 45# bar if needed.) The deadlifts can be sumo or conventional; they’ll get heavy, so pick a weight you can do unbroken for the first several rounds. To go Rx you should have at least a 395/260# deadlift. As always, ropes will be shared. The sub for rope climbs is 6 pull-ups or ring rows. Enjoy this one and happy Independence Day!
WOD Notes: Shoot for ~70% of your PR for the first set of cleans today. If evil wheels aren’t in your wheelhouse, you can hit 20 alternating toe touches.
10 one-arm front rack DB lunges (5R/5L, 50/35#, switch arms each round)
8 toes to bar
WOD Notes: The run today should ideally take 8-12 minutes. Feel free to run 1200 or 1600m instead to meet that time domain. Once you’re inside, the goal is slow steady reps with as little down time as possible!
WOD Notes: Choose scales today that allow you to move at a steady pace and complete the first round in 60 to 90 seconds. Use this as an opportunity to develop some gymnastics work capacity!
WOD Notes: If you’re developing your overhead squat technique, consider changing this to a 3 rep or 5 rep to build some volume. If you have no interest in developing your OHS, come in to crush a back squat or front squat! The cash out? I wouldn’t worry about the cash out.
WOD Notes: Choose a weight that will be challenging but will not risk failure even when fatigued. Ideally, you should be able to hit your clean, transition to the muscle ups (or pull ups/push ups) and have 20 to 30 seconds of rest per round. If or when you can’t complete the work in a given minute, this will turn into an AMRAP for the remaining time.
Ryan A just after finishing a sprint triathlon this weekend!
Workout of the Day
Complete for time:
60 wallballs (20/14# to 10/9′)
12 wall walks
60/45 cal row
40 wallballs (20/14# to 10/9′)
8 wall walks
40/30 cal row
20 wallballs (20/14# to 10/9′)
4 wall walks
20/15 cal row
Time Cap = 22 minutes.
WOD Notes: Ideally the first round of wallballs and the first round of wall walks should each take less than 3 minutes.
COVID Note: The PA Department of Health has confirmed that they are lifting the universal mask order as of Monday, June 28. Accordingly, masks will no longer be required at ICA, regardless of your vaccination status. We continue to ask that you stay home if you feel sick or if you’ve had close contact with someone with COVID-19. Also, we plan to keep the current gym set-up, with 14 individual workout stations, but we will not be enforcing social distancing at this time. Thank you to everyone for your efforts over the last 15 months to keep our ICA community healthy and safe!
Community Note: Help us pack Kehl’s last 3 classes, Monday 6/28 at 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00pm!
WOD Notes: The intent today is to gradually increase weight across the 3 sets of 8. If you feel great, you can push into the realm of 80% of your 1RM for the final set.
Rest for the remainder of 5 minutes and repeat for a total of 5 rounds.
Time Cap = 3:30 per round.
WOD Notes: Today is a great chance to get better at pull ups when fatigued. It will likely feel like to much rest in the beginning but should feel more appropriate as the workout goes on!
WOD Notes: Ideally, each movement in this workout should be completed in less than 2 minutes even when tired. Pick a KB that will allow you to complete a round in 1 or 2 sets. If you know the 400m run can get the best of you, consider running the 250.
WOD Notes: Today you’ll be building to a 5 rep max push press! Focus on keeping your heels on the ground as much as you can as you dip and drive to start the movement.
WOD Notes: There will be a 12 minute cap on this workout. It is ideal to choose a weight that allows you to complete each round in no more than 3 sets (21 = 3 sets of 7).
Community Notes: This coming Monday, June 28 will be Coach Kehl’s last day on the schedule. Since joining ICA in September of 2011 (we opened in August), Kehl has been a source of constant inspiration and comic relief in the gym and an exemplary ICAer all around. Also since starting, he has gotten married, bought a house, had a daughter, a second daughter and then a third daughter (I’d assume the 4th daughter is not long off?!). He’s decided to hang up the coaching shoes and focus on some family time going forward and we can’t thank him enough for all he’s done!
If you’re around, make sure to come on out to his 5, 6 or 7 pm class to wish him well!
WOD Notes: Rope climbs are back! We have 7 ropes hung from around the gym (not in each individual station) so ropes will be shared. If rope climbs aren’t your friend (yet) or if you’re uncomfortable sharing a rope, the scale will be 5 strict pull ups. For those of you who don’t know or don’t remember, it would behoove you to bring a pair of high socks for these climbs!
Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3 (3 second pause on first squat)
Then take 5 minutes to find your max consecutive double unders.
WOD Notes: The 3 second pause will happen at the bottom of the first rep of each set. This is a great chance to work on your positioning and stability in the bottom of a front squat!
WOD Notes: Choose a weight that will allow you to complete each movement unbroken. In the later rounds, it is expected that you may need to put the bell down between movements. The question is, how far can you make it into this workout without putting the bell down at all?!
Congrats to Sofia on hitting a 20 minute plank hold this week!
Workout of the Day
With a partner, complete 2 rounds for time of:
100 wallballs (20/14# to 10/9′)
50 power cleans (185/123#)
100 sit ups
Time Cap = 30 minutes.
WOD Notes: One partner will be working at a time and reps do not need to be split evenly. Choose a weight for power cleans that would allow you to string sets of 2 or 3 together even if you choose not to.
WOD Notes: The intent today is to gradually increase in weight every 2 to 4 minutes over the 20 minutes. If you are newer to snatches, feel free to hit a set every 30 seconds to increase practice volume. If you don’t want to go overhead, load up for a heavy clean!
WOD Notes: Choose a thruster weight that will allow you to unbroken through most of the rounds today. Completing 4 rounds in the first AMRAP is possible… just saying.
Happy Hour Note: A few ICAers are gathering at the Root Down Biergarten (behind Uncle B’s) this Friday after the 6pm class. Stop by around 7:00/7:15 to enjoy some food and beverages with friends!
Power Meet Note: Congratulations to the top 5 men and women’s totals from Saturday’s power meet! (Taken from SugarWOD… if you didn’t record your results here’s a reminder to go do it!)
Men:
Sean B.
Franco
Iggy
Ed
JZ
Women:
Kelsey
Alexa
Kirsten
Jenn T
Mado
Cate
We witnessed many PRs on Saturday and a bunch more during the 1 mile run on Wednesday. If you’re one of the athletes that set a PR on a lift and the mile run, it’s worth pointing out how tremendous a feat that is! Keep it up.
WOD Notes: Today is one of our June benchmarks! The mile run is a great test of short to mid length conditioning, running technique and sheer will. Be there.
WOD Notes: Choose a run distance that will take in the 3 to 5 minute time domain. The bar muscle ups can be scaled to jumping muscle ups or pull ups (2x reps). The handstand push ups can be scaled to wall climbs or A-frame push ups. Whatever version you do, the bar muscle up and HSPU combo should ideally take less than 5 minutes in round 1.
Schedule Notes: Our summer teen program starts tomorrow with sessions from 10:00 to 11:00 am and from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. The 10:00 am open gym has been cancelled for the next 9 weeks until the summer program ends. There may be room for a couple of athletes in the back room during that hour provided the room isn’t already in use. We are not cancelling the 3:00 pm open gym but ask that you be respectful of the class going on!
WOD Notes: Tomorrow’s workout will happen in 2 hour classes (one starting at 8:00 and one at 10:00 am). The 7 am weightlifting class is cancelled. This is a fantastic strength benchmark to be able to track in future years so come on out, have some fun and move some weight! Compare to last year’s results.
WOD Notes: The TGU will be broken evenly on each side. The set of 12 = 6R/6L. Choose a weight that will let you complete 2 to 4 reps in a row before switching hands.
Power Meet Notes: This Saturday June 12 is our mock power lifting meet! We encourage everyone to participate, even if you’ve missed several of the lifting days in our 8-week cycle. We’re running two 2-hour sessions: 8-10am and 10am-12pm. Each session will include:
Coach lead warm up and instruction: ~20 minutes.
Back Squat: 20-50 minutes.
Bench Press: 50-80 minutes. A pause will NOT be required on your chest for bench this year.
Deadlift: 80-110 minutes.
For those that have not taken part in the meet in years past, it is a different format than your typical lifting day at ICA. We’ll break you into flights of 5 to 10 lifters who will stay together throughout the meet. You’ll have about 10 minutes to warm up each type of lift, then your flight will cycle through 3 attempts at each lift. (The first lifter will complete their first attempt, then they’ll rest while the other lifters in the flight complete their first attempt. Then the first lifter completes their second attempt, and so on.) We recommend choosing a weight ~90% of your 1 rep max for the first attempt and then just under your 1 rep for the second attempt. If that feels good, you’ve got a chance to set a PR on your 3rd attempt. If the second attempt feels heavy, you do not have to take a third attempt.
Note: Flights of lifters will share bars. Per PA and Federal guidelines, individuals who are not fully vaccinated should wear masks and be conscious of social distancing. Individuals who are fully vaccinated do not have to wear masks, but we encourage you to wear them if you are comfortable doing so, especially if you’ll be in close contact with not-fully-vaccinated individuals.
WOD Notes: Choose a light weight today that will let you get through the barbell reps in 1 to 4 sets. A good way to approach this workout would be to cap front squats at 4 minutes, the row at 8 minutes, the push presses at 12 minutes, the toes to bar at 16 and finish out with power cleans.
WOD Notes: Ideally each movement will be completed in 30 seconds to 1 minute per round. If using strict or banded pull ups, consider scaling to 8 reps/round. Choose a deadlift weight that will be unbroken every round. It is a very high volume deadlift day so feel free to cut back the reps or raise the bar onto a plate or two to help work on efficiency.
