WOD - Class Programming

Ben Williamson 5/26/25 Ben Williamson 5/26/25

Tuesday, May 27

“The world promises you comfort, but you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness.”

—Pope Benedict XVI

Warm-up

3 rounds, not for time, of:

15/12 cals Air bike (or same calories on the rower or 200m run)

4 deadlifts, starting from mid-shin (empty/light barbell)

4 hang power cleans, starting from just above the knees (empty/light barbell)

4 front squats (empty/light barbell)

4 shoulder presses (empty/light barbell)

4 clean & jerks, starting from mid-shin (empty/light barbell)

Strength/Skill

10 min to work through this superset:

Dumbbell Overhead Tricep Extension 4x12

Barbell Glute Bridge 3x10

Then:

20 min to find Clean & Jerk 1 RM

WOD

For time:

15 Clean & Jerks, 135/95 lbs

30/20 Bike Calories

15 Clean & Jerks, 135/95 lbs

Cool Down

Trap stretch with lacrosse ball

1-2 minutes per side

Foam Roller, Back, lats, etc

Ben Williamson 5/25/25 Ben Williamson 5/25/25

Monday, May 26

“To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.”

—Thomas Campbell

What Is Murph?

Murph is a CrossFit Hero workout that stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy, who died heroically in the line of duty in Afghanistan on June 28, 2005.

Murph was introduced as a CrossFit Hero workout on Aug. 18, 2005, and has become a long-standing tradition observed by CrossFit and a broader global community of athletes. Thousands of CrossFit gyms program Murph each year on Memorial Day as a way to honor Lt. Murphy and all others who have served.

Rx’d

For time:

1-mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 air squats
1-mile run

Partition the pull-ups, push-ups, and squats as needed.
If you’ve got a 14/20-lb vest or body armor, wear it.

Intermediate

For time:

1-mile run
50 pull-ups
100 push-ups
150 air squats
1-mile run

Partition reps as desired.
Start the second run no later than 25:00.

Beginner

For time:

800-meter run

Then, 10 rounds of:
5 ring rows
10 push-ups (from knees or with hands elevated on a box)
15 air squats

Then, 800-meter run

Start the second run no later than 20:00.

Ben Williamson 5/24/25 Ben Williamson 5/24/25

Sunday, May 25

“You can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”

—Stephen King

Announcements

- We'll have one 9:30am Community WOD class on Monday, May 26 in observance of Memorial Day. We'll do the "Murph" Memorial WOD. All are welcome. Any donations will be directed to Big Fish Foundation. Like everything we do in CrossFit, Murph is infinitely scalable and we can adapt the workout to meet anyone where they are. Bring it!

- Pisgah members Anne and Luke Ferry were in a storm-related accident last weekend. Anne was injured and a MealTrain website has been setup to help with meals and expenses. More info HERE. Get well, Anne!! We're with you.

Strength/Skill

3 RFQ:

Landmine Single Arm Press x 24 (12/each)

Landmine Twist x 12

WOD

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps, for time of:

Bench Press, 185/125 lbs

Echo Bike Calorie

Athlete Instructions

Use caution when pushing the pace on the bike. That strategy may make the bench presses more difficult than necessary. Instead, adjust your pace to allow you to maintain bigger chunks of reps on the bench. The loading of the barbell should be moderate to heavy and allow you to maintain consistent sets of 5-7 reps. Avoid pushing to failure on the bench presses.

Scaling

Reduce the loading and volume of the barbell. Reduce the calories on the bike.

Coaching Cues

To set your upper back into position, think about pulling your lats down into your back pockets and turning your arms so the bony part of your elbows are facing behind you.

Ben Williamson 5/23/25 Ben Williamson 5/23/25

Saturday, May 24

“I’ve been absolutely terrified every moment of my life–and I’ve never let it keep me from doing a single thing I wanted to do.”

—Georgia O’Keeffe

Community WOD:

W/Partner

AMRAP 25

30 Calorie Row

25 Dball/Sandbag over the shoulder

20 Burpees

15 DB Box Step Overs

Any split of work.

Ben Williamson 5/22/25 Ben Williamson 5/22/25

Friday, May 23

“You would be amazed what the ordinary guy knows.”

—Matt Drudge

Warm-up

3 rounds, not for time, of:

1 minute of easy jogging, biking or rowing

10 glute bridges

8 box step-ups and step-downs (you choose the height of the box)

5 deadlifts (empty barbell)

5 muscle cleans, starting from mid-shin (empty barbell)

5 power cleans, starting from mid-shin (empty barbell)

Strength/Skill

For quality:

15 High Box Jumps, pick height

Athlete Instructions

Athlete Instructions

10-15 reps.

Movement Demos

Box Jumps

WOD

2 Power Cleans, pick load

Every 2 mins for 20 mins.

Athlete Instructions

Goals

Super Fitness Robot time / rounds:

85% 1RM or higher

More Likely time / rounds: (consider scaling if this seems unrealistic)

70% 1RM or higher

Movement Demos

Power Clean

Cool Down

Banded Shoulder Work

1-2 minutes per side

Hamstring Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes per side.

Hamstring Stretch

Ben Williamson 5/21/25 Ben Williamson 5/21/25

Thursday, May 22

“It seems to me that to be peaceful and content, you don’t have to know precisely what you want. It may even be better if you don’t. But I think you do need to be very clear what you DON’T want, and steadfast in the not-doing of those things.”

—Sandra Boynton

Warm-up

3-5 minutes of easy jogging, biking or rowing

-then-

2 sets, not for time, of:

6 shoulder pass throughs, pvc pipe (feel free to use a light band if it treats your shoulders better)

6 knee push-ups or regular push-ups

10 seconds of ring dip top position hold

10 seconds of handstand hold

60-90 seconds of rest

Strength/Skill

3 RFQ - Superset

Dumbbell Chest Fly x 12

Hollow Rocks x 33 (or GHD Sit-Ups x 20-25)

WOD

21-15-9 reps, for time of:

Strict Handstand Push-up (Shoulder Press)

Strict Ring Dip (Dip)

Strict Push-up

Athlete Instructions

For time, or not.

Goals

Super Fitness Robot time / rounds:

13:00 or less

More Likely time / rounds: (consider scaling if this seems unrealistic)

26:00

Movement Demos

Cool Down

Trap stretch with lacrosse ball

1-2 minutes per side

Chest & Pec, hands behind

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Ben Williamson 5/20/25 Ben Williamson 5/20/25

Wednesday, May 21

“If you want to change who you are, you have to change what you do.”

—Jude Law

Warm-up

2 rounds, not for time, of:

2 minutes of easy jogging, biking or rowing

20 seconds of lateral banded steps

10 hip & back extensions

30 jumping jacks or 50 single-unders

10 squats (squat therapy style) (see video below)

5 shoulder pass throughs, pvc pipe (feel free to use a light band if it treats your shoulders better)

5 band pull-aparts

5 scap pull-ups

5 kip swings

5 pull-ups, ring rows, or low-ring muscle-ups

Strength/Skill

Deficit Deadlift 12-12-12

Use the heaviest weight you can for each set.

Rest as needed between sets.

Athlete Instructions

3 sets of 8-12 reps, you choose the height of the deficit.

Movement Demos

Deficit Deadlift

WOD

4 rounds for time of:

12 Back Squats, 55% 1RM

Jump Rope, 2 mins

12 Strict Chin-ups

Athlete Instructions

For time, or not.

Goals

Super Fitness Robot time / rounds:

16:00 or less

More Likely time / rounds: (consider scaling if this seems unrealistic)

24:00

Movement Demos

Cool Down

Kneeling Lay Back

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Wall Shoulder Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Ben Williamson 5/19/25 Ben Williamson 5/19/25

Tuesday, May 20

“To see we must forget the name of the thing we are looking at.”

—Claude Monet

Warm-up

EMOM 9 minutes, of:

min 1: 40 secs row, bike, or run at 50% effort

min 2: 5 bent over rows (with empty barbell) + 5 burpees

min 3: rest

min 4: 40 secs row, bike, or run at 60% effort

min 5: 6 bent over rows (with empty barbell) + 6 burpees

min 6: rest

min 7: 40 secs row, bike, or run at 70% effort

min 8: 7 bent over rows (with empty barbell) + 7 burpees

min 9: rest

Strength/Skill

3 rounds for quality of:

Farmer Carry, pick load, 1 building lap

Sit-Up (Abmat, Weighted, or GHD) x 20-25

Athlete Instructions

3 carries with a heavy load.

Movement Demos

Farmer Carry

WOD

Each for time:

Row: 10x 125 m

Each for time. Go every 2:30.

Cool Down

Hamstring Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes per side.

Frog Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Ben Williamson 5/18/25 Ben Williamson 5/18/25

Monday, May 19

“You were born with everything you need to answer the call of your soul.”

—Marie Forleo

Warm-up

With light medball,

:40 on/:20 off x 8’

Med Ball Slam

Front Squat

Push Press

Russian Twist

Finish with 2’ of:

Med Ball Snow Angel

Strength/Skill

3 RFQ

1:00 Flutter Kick (accumulate)

100’ Overhead Carry (2 KB or DB)

20-30 Single Arm Kb Swings (10-15/each)

WOD

For time:

Run, 800 m

21 Front Squats, 155/105 lbs

Run, 600 m

15 Front Squats, 155/105 lbs

Run, 400 m

9 Front Squats, 155/105 lbs

Cool Down

Couch Stretch

Pigeon

Ben Williamson 5/17/25 Ben Williamson 5/17/25

Sunday, May 18

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

—Abraham Lincoln

Warm-up

3 rounds, not for time, of:

1 minute of easy jogging, biking or rowing

8 hip & back extensions

20 seconds of banded marching

8 glute bridges, empty/light barbell

8 stiff legged deadlift, empty/light barbell

5 shoulder pass throughs, pvc pipe (feel free to use a light band if it treats your shoulders better)

5 band pull-aparts

5 scap pull-ups

5 kip swings

5 pull-ups, ring rows, or low-ring muscle-ups

Strength/Skill

Dumbbell Pull Over 12-12-12-12

Athlete Instructions

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps.

Movement Demos

Dumbbell Pull Over

WOD

Every 1 min for 20 mins, alternating between:

5 Deadlifts, pick load

Rest 1 min

5 Weighted Strict Pull-ups, pick load

Rest 1 min

Athlete Instructions

Goals

Super Fitness Robot time / rounds:

70% 1RM or higher

More Likely time / rounds: (consider scaling if this seems unrealistic)

50% 1RM or higher

Movement Demos

Cool Down

Glute Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes per side.

Wall Shoulder Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Ben Williamson 5/16/25 Ben Williamson 5/16/25

Saturday, May 17

“Reality is created by the mind; we can change our reality by changing our mind.”

—Plato

Community WOD

“Jerry”

For time:

Run 1 mile

Row 2K

Run 1 mile

Individual: As written

Partner: Run each mile together. Split row any way you would like.

Ben Williamson 5/15/25 Ben Williamson 5/15/25

Friday, May 16

“Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.”

—Zig Ziglar

Warm-up

2 sets, not for time, of:

50 single-unders or double-unders or jumping jacks

10 steps of walking lunges

6 shoulder pass throughs, pvc pipe (feel free to use a light band if it treats your shoulders better)

1 turkish get-up, left arm, you choose the load

1 turkish get-up, right arm, you choose the load

6 knee push-ups or regular push-ups

10 seconds of plank hold on your hands

10 seconds of ring dip top position hold

10 seconds of handstand hold

60-90 seconds of rest

Strength/Skill

For quality:

40 Strict Handstand Push-ups

30 Strict Ring Dips

Handstand Walk, 20 m

Athlete Instructions

Rest 5 mins before the next part..

Strict Handstand Push-ups- can be deficit.

Possible Handstand Walk modifications are below, of varying difficulty:

3 shoulder taps per 1 meter of handstand walking.

1 wall walk per 3-5m of handstand walking.

45 seconds of handstand walk attempts per 10m of HSW.

1 shoulder tap per 1 meter of handstand walking.

1 lap around box in pike/plank position (see video) per every 5m of handstand walking.

Movement Demos

WOD

4 rounds for time of:

Jump Rope, 1:30

Walking Lunge, 40 m

Athlete Instructions

Goals

Super Fitness Robot time / rounds:

4 Rounds- 14:00 or less

More Likely time / rounds: (consider scaling if this seems unrealistic)

4 Rounds- 18:00

Movement Demos

Cool Down

Trap stretch with lacrosse ball

1-2 minutes per side

Chest & Pec, hands behind

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Ben Williamson 5/14/25 Ben Williamson 5/14/25

Thursday, May 15

“Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.”

—Marcus Aurelius

Strength/Skill

Dumbbell Skull Crusher 12-12-12

Use the heaviest weight you can for each set.

Rest as needed between sets.

Athlete Instructions

3 sets of 8-12 reps.

Movement Demos

Dumbbell Skull Crusher

(After WOD)

Each for distance:

Air Bike, 5x 15 secs

Rest as needed between efforts.

WOD

For time:

30 Thrusters, 75/55 lbs

3 Rope Climbs, 15 ft

20 Thrusters, 75/55 lbs

2 Rope Climbs, 15 ft

10 Thrusters, 75/55 lbs

1 Rope Climb, 15 ft

Cool Down

Couch Stretch

Forearm/Wrists

Ben Williamson 5/13/25 Ben Williamson 5/13/25

Wednesday, May 14

“Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goals: My strength lies solely in my tenacity.”

—Louis Pasteur

Warm-up

2 rounds, not for time, of:

2 minutes of rowing, biking or jogging

5 shoulder pass throughs, pvc pipe (feel free to use a light band if it treats your shoulders better)

5 band pull-aparts

5 scap pull-ups

5 kip swings

5 pull-ups, ring rows, or low-ring muscle-ups

10 hollow rocks or v-ups

Strength/Skill

Back Squat 1x5

Athlete Instructions

Work up to a heavy set of 5.

WOD

For time:

Row, 1000 m

25 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups

Row, 500 m

25 Toes-to-bars

Row, 500 m

15 Chest-to-bar Pull-ups

Row, 500 m

15 Toes-to-bars

Row, 1000 m

Cool Down

Pec stretch, laying on side.

1-2 minutes per side.

Cobra Stretch - abs

1-2 minutes

Ben Williamson 5/12/25 Ben Williamson 5/12/25

Tuesday, May 13

“You do this because you like it, you think what you’re making is beautiful. And if you think it’s beautiful, maybe they think it’s beautiful.”

—Lou Reed

Warm-up

10’ of:

3 minutes of rowing, biking or jogging

8 hip & back extensions

6 squats (squat therapy style) (see video below)

1 x Clean warm-up with empty bar (45/35)

Strength/Skill

Superset:

3 RFQ

KB Windmill (1:00/side)

Kneeling Keg Lifts (1:00 side)

WOD

For time:

30x [ 1 Hang Power Clean + 1 Front Squat + 1 Shoulder-to-Overhead ], pick load

Cool Down

Kneeling Lay Back

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Trap stretch with lacrosse ball

1-2 minutes per side

Ben Williamson 5/11/25 Ben Williamson 5/11/25

Monday, May 12

“The thing about smart people is that they seem like crazy people to dumb people.”

—Stephen Hawking

Warm-up

3-4 minutes of easy jogging, biking or rowing

-then-

3 sets, not for time, of:

10 m high knees

10 m butt kicks

20 seconds of banded steps forward and backward

10 steps of walking lunges

8 bootstrappers

100 m shuttle run (2x50)

60 seconds of rest

Strength/Skill

Superset:

Single Arm Dumbbell Row 24-24-24-24

Athlete Instructions

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps per arm.

Movement Demos

Single Arm Dumbbell Row

Dumbbell Tricep Kickback 24-24-24

Athlete Instructions

3 sets of 8-12 reps per arm.

Movement Demos

Dumbbell Tricep Kickback

WOD

Each for time:

Run: 6x 400 m

Rest as needed between efforts.

Cool Down

Straddle Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Calves & Foam Rolling

Ben Williamson 5/10/25 Ben Williamson 5/10/25

Sunday, May 11

“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.”

—Anna Quindlen

Strength/Skill

For quality:

80 Hollow Rocks

80 Med Ball Sit-Ups (Abmat Sit-Ups)

Athlete Instructions

Accumulate, partitioning as needed, not for time.

60-80 reps.

Movement Demos

WOD

3 rounds for time of:

5 Deadlifts, 275/185 lbs

10 Burpees

1200m Echo Bike

Cool Down

Low back/mid-back foam roll and cobra

Pigeon

Ben Williamson 5/9/25 Ben Williamson 5/9/25

Saturday, May 10

“Conditions are never perfect. ‘Someday’ is a disease that will take your dreams to the grave with you. … If it’s important to you and you want to do it ‘eventually,’ just do it and course correct along the way.”

—Tim Ferriss

WOD

3 rounds, 1 min per station, for max reps of:

Wall Ball, 20/14 lbs, 10/9 ft

Sumo Deadlift High-pull, 75/55 lbs

Box Jump, 20 in

Push Press, 75/55 lbs

Row Calorie

Rest 1 min

Rotate immediately to the next station every 1 min,

the clock does not stop or reset between stations.

Athlete Instructions

Scaling

Stimulus and Strategy:

Today’s workout is a classic CrossFit benchmark. Look back to your previous score to help you navigate today’s effort. Push to keep moving for as much of each minute as possible. Capitalize on movements you excel at and pace yourself on your weaker movements. If you have completed this workout before, don’t pace it. Give the first round a run for its money, and then hang on for the ride.

Scaling:

Reduce the loading of the barbell and medicine ball.

Reduce the complexity of the wall-ball shots by lowering the height of the target. For the sumo deadlift high pulls, perform the movement with a kettlebell or dumbbell. For the box jumps, reduce the height of the box. For push presses, perform the movement with dumbbells.

In case of injury or limitation, use any machine available to perform calories. For the wall-ball shots, perform medicine-ball squats (overhead limitation). For the sumo deadlift high pulls, perform kettlebell or dumbbell sumo deadlifts or Russian kettlebell swings. For the box jumps, perform step-ups. For the push presses, perform single-arm dumbbell push presses or shoulder presses.

Ben Williamson 5/8/25 Ben Williamson 5/8/25

Friday, May 9

“It’s always better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than at the top of the one you don’t.”

—Martin Freeman

Warm-up

AMRAP 8’

40 seconds of biking, jogging or rowing

10 m high knees

10 m butt kicks

6 steps of walking lunges

6 glute bridges

Strength/Skill

3 rounds for quality of:

12 Dumbbell Lateral Raises, pick load

12 Dumbbell Front Raises, pick load

12 Dumbbell Bent Over Raises, pick load

Athlete Instructions

3 sets of 8-12 reps for each.

Movement Demos

Dumbbell Raises

WOD

AMRAP 30

35 Bike Cal

30 Push-Ups

25 Toe To Bar (Knee Raises - V-ups)

20 Single Arm KB Hang Clean (10R/10L)

Cool Down

Wall Stretch, Leg

Hold 1-2 minutes per side.

Straddle Stretch

Hold 1-2 minutes.

Ben Williamson 5/7/25 Ben Williamson 5/7/25

Thursday, May 8

“When you find an idea that you just can’t stop thinking about, that’s probably a good one to pursue.”

—Josh James

Strength/Skill

5 rounds for quality of:

15 Ring Rows

20 Weighted Reverse Lunges, pick load

Side Plank, L 30 secs/R 30 secs

That’s 100 weighted lunges. Stay light for this or even bodyweight.
Make the ring rows difficult but no more than 2 sets.

WOD

5 rounds for time of:

Jump Rope, 1 min

Farmer Carry, pick load, 50 m (HEAVY!)

Cool Down

Cobra Stretch - abs

1-2 minutes

Calves & Foam Rolling