Wednesday

251217

Workout of the Day

5

For time:
800-meter run
400-meter back-rack barbell carry
200-meter walking lunge

♀ Bodyweight barbell
♂ Bodyweight barbell

Post time to comments.

Stimulus and Strategy:
Today’s workout is a grind. The goal is to keep moving. Push the pace of the run, but only as much as you can get back to your barbell and right to work on your back-rack carry. For the back-rack carry, take the barbell out of a rack, if possible. Otherwise, if necessary, reduce the load and take the barbell from the ground. The loading for the back-rack carry should be moderate and uncomfortable after the first 100-200 meters. Push through the doubt and challenge yourself to walk the entire distance without putting the barbell down. If you do have to put it down, remember, you’ll have to pick it back up and get it on your back. Shut out the negative thoughts and have fun with this challenge.

Scaling:
Reduce the distance of each movement. Reduce the loading of the barbell.

To reduce the complexity of the back-rack barbell carry, reduce the distance. For the walking lunge, perform a reverse lunge or reduce the range of motion.

In case of injury or limitation, for the 800-meter run, perform 1,750/2,500 meters on the Echo bike or 800/1,000 meters on the rower. For the back-rack barbell carry, perform the carry with one or two dumbbells in the front-rack position. For the walking lunge, perform low box step-ups.

Intermediate option:
For time:
800-meter run
400-meter back-rack barbell carry
200-meter walking lunge

¾-bodyweight barbell
¾-bodyweight barbell

Beginner option:
For time:
400-meter run
200-meter back-rack barbell carry
50-meter walking lunge

35-lb barbell
45-lb barbell

Coaching cues:
During the back-rack carry, place your hands just outside your shoulders and drive the elbows back toward the backside of your body. This will give your upper-back muscles a better opportunity to create a shelf to support the barbell.

Resources:
Pose Running Drills | Lean and Pull
The Back-Rack Barbell Carry
The Walking Lunge

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Comments on 251217

5 Comments

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Niklas Rönn
December 17th, 2025 at 6:34 am
Commented on: 251217
Intermed.
800run
400m bb 70kg
200m w lunges
20:15
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Emil Dadański
December 17th, 2025 at 5:58 am
Commented on: 251217
Run (800m; 12 km/h), Carry 20kg 400m, lunges 50m 15:0 min
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Emil Dadański
December 17th, 2025 at 5:58 am
Commented on: 251217
Run (800m; 12 km/h), Carry 20kg 400m, lunges 50m 15:0 min
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Christina Voulgaris
December 17th, 2025 at 5:35 am
Commented on: 251217
F33 - BW 70 kgs

RX 25:28

Notes:
Run: 4:32
Carry: 10m carry, turn, 10m carry back and re-rack x 20.
Lunges: 10m lunge x 20
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Chris Sinagoga
December 17th, 2025 at 2:26 am
Commented on: 251217

Champions Club Scaling Notes


RANT

Great work all you schizos yesterday, and I really do appreciate the attempt at talking during the workout. And if you'd be willing, this would be another good one to try it out on. My basketball coach always told us that one of the best things we can have as a player (other than being 7 foot) is an imagination, otherwise we'd always need 9 other people around when we want to practice. A big part of that talking, for me, is about having an imagination. Besides a few exceptions, I've been working out by myself ever since the Champions Club became an actual business, and I have to trick myself sometimes into staying mentally checked into the workout, and Mike mentioned the value of a huddle in volleyball - that kind of consistent, relentless communication keeps the players on task no matter what happened the last point (at least, that's how I see it from the stands. Mike would know better).


Think about how easy it would be during today's workout to just pause for a beat at the top of every lunge, or pause at the 200-meter mark on the weighted carry, or take the run cautiously because you know what's coming next. This is where I've seen the talking out loud help not only myself, but the people in the Champions Club who have embraced it. On one hand I feel hesitant to suggest stuff to you guys because I don't actually watch you work out and I'm not your coach, and I'm doing 2005's WODs still, but I also know that when I started to focus on the things "unseen" in CrossFit, my eyes got opened to so many different flaws in my fitness - most of them mental. For example, in a workout like this I would notice how often I gave in to impatience; the legs are burning so I want a slight reprieve NOW, not later, so just let me pause for a beat. I never realized how impatient I was until I looked at workouts from this lens, both for myself and when I coach. So the word that usually comes out of my mouth the most is "No!" Simple, one syllable, can be said on either an exhale or inhale. It also sounds maximally weird, like I'm talking to some invisible 5 year old kid. But, now that I write this, I guess impatience is really like an invisible 5 year old kid. No, my legs can wait. I'll be fine. It ain't that bad. So, like I said, if you see the value it might add down the line, let's try practicing it for another day here. If not, keep doing your thing because you're all doing something right for sure. Probably lots of somethings right.


Love you guys for real!

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