Open Workout 14.1 Strategies

This is the first time in 4 years I am not competing in the CrossFit Games season.  And while it’s a tad depressing, at least I can do my part in helping others do their best!  So, I will post my thoughts and tips on how to approach the Open workouts.  Here’s the first one!

Assess Yourself:
Are you legitimately gunning for Regionals?  For top 100?  If yes, then Take the time to really plan each workout out to the best of your ability, and use any strategy to get that extra rep.  If you’re not a top competitor, be realistic with yourself and don’t go all sorts of crazy just to move from 2900th place to 2898th place.

Commit To A Standard:
The workout was posted as double unders and power snatch.  The description of the workout then says it’s actually just a ground to overhead anyhow.  For the love of your own well-being, the protection of your body, the commitment to holding yourself to some respectable standard, and so you don’t end up on Drywalls page, commit to doing the movements well.  For high-level competitors, the weight is light enough that you’ll probably being doing muscle snatches and power snatches pretty well throughout the entire 10 minutes.  For lower level competitors, when you begin to break down, be smart and switch over to a quick power clean and push press over a rounded back, RDL style, back wrenching horribleness. 

Warm Up:
This is a gasser of a workout so take some good solid warm up time and make sure you get that breath going.  You don’t want to hit the second round and feel the shock of all of a sudden being out of breath.  Also, warm up the shoulder and wrists a little extra.  Besides being tiring, the two areas of fatigue on this workout will be your grip and your shoulders.

Fianly, be sure to get some jumping into your warm up.  You will be doing well over 100 double unders under fatigue.  Also, you will most likely be seeing box jumps in the next couple weeks, so be sure to take care of those Achilles early and often. 

Preparations:
Lay your jump rope out, and every time you finish your 30 double unders, lay it back down.  Taking 1 second to place it down under control will save way more time then searching for a jumbled up mess of a rope you left after tossing it to the ground in exhaustion after each round. 

Tape your thumps.  If you get past 5 rounds, it means you are doing over 75 snatches with that bar.  And if you want to save your grip, you will want to use the hook grip.  Protect those thumbs!

Weightlifting shoes?  Belt?  Simply put: no.

Pace:
Medium pace, don’t stop.  You won’t see Froning doing this with the pedal to the floor, and he got like 27 rounds of this thing or something.  He and all top-level competitors will just be straight up consistent with the pace they start from.  So practice a rhythmical pace that feels good but challenges you, then stick with that through 7 or 8 minutes.  Then, go for it!

Fisher had a good strategy that I used back in 2011 which was perform the same each minute for as long as possible.  And if you need a rest, know when and how you will take it. 

Strategy Notes:
I did this workout 3 times back in 2011, and I don’t know what my score was, but it was pretty good.  I have done it twice since then and I used the below little tricks that I felt really helped.

·      Hook grip at the bottom, open hand catch
If you are good with the hookgrip (and I highly recommend you use it to save your grip) I suggest you relax your hands at the top of the movement to allow your grip a little break.  As you transition back down to your waist, or directly to the floor, re-establish the hookgrip. 

·      Touch and go but through your hips
This means you should not bring the weight straight from overhead to the floor.  Yes, this is faster for a couple rounds, but it will lead to a very quickly fatigued back.  Go from overhead, to your hips, the touch and go from the hang.  It will actually be faster because you’ll be able to stay consistent.

·      Do power snatches
I’m sure you can do muscles snatches, and if you are very proficient with them, go ahead and start the workout like that.  But save energy, and be more efficient by getting a small re-bend under the bar.  I muscle snatched the first 4-5 rounds of this workout back on 2011 and I think it wore me out more than if I just power snatched all rounds.  On my third attempt I power snatched for all rounds and improved my score by like 30+ reps. 

·      Controlled drops and set down your rope
Just like I mentioned before to carefully place your rope on the floor, don’t just bail the barbell on your 15th rep, or during rests.  Chasing your bar around the gym is tiring and time consuming.  Controlled drops, always. 

·      Rhythm, rhythm, rhythm
That is the name of the game here.  Don’t speed your double unders, do them unbroken.  If you rush them you’ll over-fatigue yourself and run a greater risk of messing up.  Take a breath before you start, and even take a few single to find that rhythm.  Take a breath before you pick up that bar, and focus on form and efficiency.  


·      Tricks for the sake of sharing
Yes, you can load the bar with small metal plates and you don't have to go to the floor.  Honestly, I wouldn't recommend this, it will wear you out pretty quickly.  Use a really thin speed rope, it'll move faster naturally and it will fatigue your shoulder and grip less (I go between my RPM rope and my RX Jump Rope).  

You can also be like most people and either don't use a judge or use a judge who doesn't have the balls to hold you to a standard.  Also you can not have standards yourself and count all sorts of bad reps.  Please don't do these things.  You are choosing to enter into a competition.  Don't cheat.   


Remember that finding a challenging pace and sticking to it will ALWAYS be faster than trying to go as fast as you can and messing up, or slowing WAY down after a couple rounds. 

It’s 10 minutes.  It’s two movements you have al done hundreds and hundreds of time.  Stay within yourself, stay below redline, and then burn it to the ground with a minute or two left. 

Good luck everyone, I’ll be cheering you all on!

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage