WOD

“Blast From the Past”
5 Rounds:
20/16 Calorie Row
15 Burpees
10 Front Rack Lunges (135/95)
50 Double Unders

Box Brief:
Apollo Games is on Saturday!!!! Remind your classes each day to come and support everyone competing. It will be a ton of fun with many athletes and vendors from all around the valley.

The volunteer meeting will be this Friday night at 6 pm.

Our last class on Friday night will be at 3:30 pm so we can set up for the Apollo Games. All other classes will run on schedule.

Recipe of the Week:
Want to mix up your chicken dinner? Try out this Lemon Tarragon Chicken recipe.

Ingredients:
2lbs skinless and boneless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
1 teaspoon olive oil
zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh tarragon
pinch of sea salt & cracker pepper
spray olive oil

Instructions:
STEP 1
In a mixing bowl add all of the ingredients and mix well. For best results, allow the chicken to marinate in the fridge for an hour (or overnight) or let the chicken rest at room temperature in the marinade for 20 minutes before cooking.

STEP 2
Set a carbon steel or cast iron skillet on medium high heat. Once hot, spray generously with olive oil, then add the chicken thighs. Allow the thighs to cook/sear for 3 – 5 minutes, or until dark sear marks appear AND the chicken can easily be lifted off the skillet. Cook on the other side for another 3 – 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

STEP 3
Garnish with fresh chopped tarragon and lemon juice. Enjoy with lemony rice and veggies (see recipe).

15 Minute EMOM:
1 Clean

Pause Bench Press
5 x 2

Box Brief:
Apollo Games is on Saturday!!!! Remind your classes each day to come and support everyone competing. It will be a ton of fun with many athletes and vendors from all around the valley.

The volunteer meeting will be this Friday night at 6 pm.

Our last class on Friday night will be at 3:30 pm so we can set up for the Apollo Games. All other classes will run on schedule.

Meme of the Week:

“Cherry Pick”
5 Rounds:
5 Minute Run for Max Meters
90 Seconds Rest

Box Brief:
Congrats to Robbi for being the October Member of the Month at Apollo! Scroll down to learn more about Robbi.

Congratulations on becoming Member of the Month! You have been such a great part of the community since coming and we want to highlight your awesomeness. So, let’s get to know you a little better!

1) What was your first experience with CrossFit? What keeps you coming back for more?
Dang, that takes me back 11 years. I was living in Temecula, in the middle of all these horse ranches and wineries. And right in the middle of all that, there was a CrossFit gym that I drove by every day. One day, I rallied up the courage to walk in and try a class: 10 minutes of wall balls and rowing. It was awful! Not sure why I even went back. Maybe because it challenged me to learn things I’ve never done before. So, I decided to stay ‘till I learned it all. Well, here I am, still learning. And right now, I think I’m learning from some of the best, so thank you to Apollo for being great.

2) What is something member of the gym may not know about you?
Oh, I’m sure there a lot, just not anything too exciting. I used to compete in Olympic Lifting and Power Lifting. Lucky for me (because of my age…LOL!), I won every time. I even held a world record in AAU for a while. I took a break from competing so I could help my kids get through their sports and all the time & travel that goes with that, which I definitely don’t regret.

3) What are some of your favorite CrossFit movements? If you had to make your perfect workout, what would it be?
That’s easy! Snatch and Clean and Jerks a my faves, but really, anything with a barbell is cool. As for a workout of choice, Isabel, Grace or DT. Those are the workouts I love. But the reason I do CrossFit is because I’m forced out of my comfort zone. The workouts I don’t like usually benefit me the most, so it’s a balance.

4) We know you’re the mother of some awesome kids. Do you have any favorite parenting moments through the years?
My kids…my favorite topic! Okay, I have to say that next year, all 3 of my kids will be in college at the same time. Crazy.

Ian is my oldest. He’s 26, married, served in the Marine Corps, lives in Tennessee and now attends Univ. of Tenn.. But when he was a teenager.. Ugh! He was a difficult human; I never knew how he would turn out. So, when he was in boot camp, we received a letter he wrote in the dark on this tiny little piece of paper with crooked writing. He thanked us for being good parents, guiding him in the right direction and that he finally appreciated what we had done for him. Yeah, I’ll never throw that letter away.

Grant is 20. He’s in his first year of college in Texas, following his dream of playing football. He is my super-focused kid that pushes himself to get what he wants. My favorite moments with him are more like my most-memorable, not exactly “favorite”. Grant was my crazy kid who would bounce off walls and go full speed everywhere…including the E.R.. I can’t count how many times we ended up in the hospital with him. Some from football injuries, but some while jumping off walls with his cape and light saber or flying down a hill on his skateboard.

And then there’s Perri, 17. She’ll be playing volleyball in college next year. She’s been playing club volleyball for 8 years and I’ve been able to travel the U.S. with her. Those trips are my favorite moments. We explore, do spontaneous stuff, eat whatever fun food we want, and make our own adventures. I just love that she likes to hang out with me. She knows how to make me laugh and she gives me the best hugs and doesn’t care who sees it.

5) If you could sit down with anyone in the world, past, present, or fictional, who would it be?
Robin Williams. Nothing I love more than to laugh and I feel like I could get an incredible dose sitting across from him. Pretty sure I wouldn’t even have to contribute…he could do it all.

6) If you won the lottery, what would you do with the money?
My first instinct would be to buy a fast sports car with a manual transmission, something very impractical. Then I’d quickly realize the city streets aren’t fit for the way I’d want to drive that car. So instead, I’d give a good chunk to an organization called the Devil Pups. It’s a military, leadership-style boot camp for youth at Camp Pendleton. My oldest son went through it and 10 days there changed the trajectory of his life, in the best way possible. I’m thankful every day for that program. After that, I’d put my husband in charge of the rest because he’s way more responsible with money than I am. I’m sure some would end up in the bank and doing something for the less-fortunate.

“Slinky”
20 Minute AMRAP:
5 Deadlifts (275/195)
10 Hand Release Push-ups
10 Box Jumps (24/20)

Question of the Week:
What’s your favorite Halloween treat?

Box Brief:
Apollo Games is on Saturday!!!! Remind your classes each day to come and support everyone competing. It will be a ton of fun with many athletes and vendors from all around the valley.

The volunteer meeting will be this Friday night at 6 pm. 

Our last class on Friday night will be at 3:30 pm so we can set up for the Apollo Games. All other classes will run on schedule.

Pause Back Squat
5 x 2

“Hellfire Club”
For Time:
600/500 Meter Row
50 Wall Balls (20) (11ft/9ft)

Quote of the Week:
“Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.”
John Wood

Box Brief:
Apollo Games is on Saturday!!!! Remind your classes each day to come and support everyone competing. It will be a ton of fun with many athletes and vendors from all around the valley.

The volunteer meeting will be this Friday night at 6 pm.

Our last class on Friday night will be at 3:30 pm so we can set up for the Apollo Games. All other classes will run on schedule.

Romanian Deadlift
4 x 6

“Another One”
10 Rounds:
3 Deadlifts (315/225)
3 Bar Muscle-ups

Recipe of the Week:
Here is a fun meal to try this week! Put together this Weeknight Chicken Chop Suey recipe!

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1-1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 cup unsweetened pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice)
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 medium tart apple, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup cold water, divided
3 tablespoons unsweetened pineapple juice
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups hot cooked brown rice

Instructions:
STEP 1
In a large cast-iron or other heavy skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, herbs and lemon zest; saute until lightly browned. Add next 5 ingredients. Stir in 3/4 cup water, pineapple juice and teriyaki sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is no longer pink and the carrots are tender, 10-15 minutes.

STEP 2
Combine cornstarch and remaining water. Gradually stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve with rice.

“Aggravated Assault Bike”
20 Minute EMOM:
Minute 1 – 15/12 Calorie Bike
Minute 2 – 10 Handstand Push-ups
Minute 3 – AMRAP Burpees
Minute 4 – Rest

Meme of the Week:

“The Bees Knees”
24 Minute AMRAP: teams of 2
12 Power Snatches (115/80)
24 Knee to Elbows
48 Russian Kettlebell Swings (72/53)
96 Double Unders

Apollo Games Nutrition Preparation:
PRE and POST workout nutrition!
We all want to perform our best-whether it’s our first day in the gym or we’ve been at the top of the leaderboard for years. Other than sleep, hydration, and getting enough protein, another way to enhance your performance is by dialing in your pre and post workout nutrition. The time of day that you work out is a factor, but in general, you should be eating a protein+carb, lower in fat and fiber meal or snack PRIOR to your workout and then if you aren’t able to eat a meal containing protein, carbs, and fats soon after training, hit a protein shake and some carbs(Ignition, banana, etc). As crossfitters, most of our workouts are pretty short, but if you find yourself doing more than one workout in a day, you should definitely be fueling for that effort. Between workouts or even during workouts, you want to seek out easily digestible carbs that don’t bother your stomach-this is highly individual and you should PRACTICE THIS to find out what works for you. No one wants an accident or GI issues on competition day. Some ideas for easy to digest carbs are baby food style squeeze packs like Fuel For Fire, fresh fruit, gels like Gu (come with or without caffeine), Clif bloks, drink mixes like Tailwind, Intraformance from 1st Phorm, etc. Tons of options here, so if something doesn’t sit well, experiment with something that you are used to eating and see how that goes. Stay tuned for next week on what to pack in your bag for a day of competition 🙂