Alright mi amigos. Time for 13.4. It involves lots of cleaning and jerking so I am pretty excited that a workout is finally in my comfort (i will regret use of that word later in the post) domain.
This will be a short post because there really isn't a whole lot of strategy to a 7 minute amrap.
SO lets talk strategy:
For the Clean and Jerk, just like 13.1, you aren't going to fix your form in the next 2 hours. So do what you can to get that particular weight overhead during the workout. For those of you who can, I highly recommend doing triples. I did 3 and 6 unbroken, then did triples the rest of the workout. I felt like I could have easily done the round of 18 with this pace. Do three, drop the bar, take a deep breath, then get right back on the bar.
If you cannot do doubles or triples, singles are still pretty fast in the workout, JUST KEEP MOVING. IF you drop the bar every rep you must get right back on the bar. Sorry, no rest for you today.
This is the most important suggestion I have for you: USE THE HOOK GRIP. and don't let it go during the jerk so you don't have to reset it every rep. Tape your thumb and use it. It will save your grip. Watch the video. I guess it shows you how to tape. I haven't watched it. Let me know if it is any good.
That is about it for C&J. Find a set you can do indefinitely. If it is singles, do it, but use your hook grip because I found out the hard way the t2b is gonna take away your grip strength.
My last set of 15 t2b I had to do singles because I was literally slipping off the bar during each rep. If I could have gotten through the T2B any faster, I had several c&j left in me. Grip was my only deciding factor in getting my 90 reps versus what I wanted (100 reps). So again, on the c&j use your hook grip, and hang on for dear life. Finally if you are resting, you are wasting too much time. It is only 7 minutes.
Now if you'll excuse me I am gonna go find out if Christine and I are having a baby girl or a boy. Any predictions?
Hello there weightlifters. These here are exciting times for those of us under the barbell. I think that the inaugural "weightlifting/strength" class was pretty successful. I saw a lot of form improvement, and even some heavy weights get thrown around. Most important (and this includes my normal crossfit classes through out the week) I have seen a LOT of good squats. Perhaps it was my slightly soap boxy rant a while back, but the form on squats has improved exponentially over the last few weeks. You all have made a coach proud.
However, that is no excuse to sit back and be satisfied with your form and or strength. There is always improvements to be made.
I even had a personal victory messing around after my workout on Wednesday with a pr clean of 143 kg (315#). Here is a video for proof. (facebook). You might want to skip ahead to 1 minute. There is a lot of dilly dallying and I didn't have access to a video editor at the fire station.
So for anyone on the fence, come give Saturday strength class a try. Remember if you aren't getting better, the guys/gals in class are, and will be passing you very soon.
Onto your crossfit WOD 13.3 -
Several of you said you liked my thoughts on 13.1 so I thought I would talk a little more strategy for 13.3. Much of the information is the same as 13.1 but here you go anyways.
Wall Balls -
Crossfit HQ likes to give you something that will redline your heart right off the bat. 13.1 was burpees, 13.2 was sh*t tons of box jumps, 13.3 is Wall Balls. For those of you going for muscle ups at the end, pacing is important here. Most people like to bang out the biggest set of wall balls they can each time they pick up the ball. I would argue this is a mistake. That is a great way to get your lactic "pump" on and not be able to use your legs/lungs for the rest of the WOD. Pick a set that you can do and then rest for a given time, then do that set again, then rest for the given time, rinse and repeat.
For example I plan on doing 7 sets of 20 and one set of 10 with exactly 10 seconds in between sets. I have timed my wall balls and barring any missed wall ball attempts, this should put me in the 6 minute range to finish Karen.
Whatever pace you plan on, it isn't as important as your FORM. The reason this workout is genius is if you are the type to use your quads and arms to do the wall balls, you will be absolutely smoked for double unders (quads/calf) and muscle ups (shoulders/abs). If you do the wall balls with perfect form, your butt/hamstrings will hurt, but the other muscle chains needed for the DU/MU will be fresh as daisies (well, maybe fresh as dandelions). Lets review wall ball form:
Metallica: F*ck Yeah
So this guy is committing a few errors on his wall balls. They aren't blatant. I wouldn't call them bad, but they are going to really hurt him in this workout. First off NO REP! Get low enough. Come on, is this your first day? Number two, and this is the big one. He very slightly shifts his weight forward as he is about to throw. This is going to fry his quads for his double unders.
You must get your knees and femurs pointed outside the feet, and you must squat using the adductors(groin) and glutes (i like big butts I cannot lie). This will allow the heel to stay planted and you to minimally use the quads for wall balls.
Now watch Kahlipa's wall balls. The lower he squats, the wider his knees get. I bet his butt is burning (alliteration ftw) at the end, but his calves and quads are ready for work. There is a reason he is always in the top ten in the world and Metallica kid up there had to disable comments on his video. It has to do with awesome form (and brutal strength and conditioning).
So if you take nothing else from this, remember knees out!
Next Double Unders:
Molly M from Jump n Rope had this to say about the double unders. She is better than both you and me at double unders, so take her advice (thanks Julia Bandel):
"Moving along with 13.3. I am not the expert on wall balls, however I am expert on double unders. So if you want to save your breath AND your shoulders for your MU’s then please keep reading.!
Relax! Take a deep breath and remember these few small tips before tackling those 90 double unders. In fact, remember these tips for the rest of your life.
1. Consistency! Ask yourself, “what is my average consecutive double under number?”. The key word is average, not personal best. For this example let’s say it is 5. Set yourself up to get your 5 consistent consecutive double unders in a row, then rest for 3 seconds and go again. 13.3 isn’t a time to get a new PR and risk the chance of frustration and fatigue. This is a time to get to your happy place, then breath, and then get right back on track… next thing you know you will have done 90 double unders!
2. What are you looking at? Seriously, why do we all insist on looking at the ceiling when we do our double unders? Please remember to keep your gaze in one spot, preferably at the horizon (aka sunrise/sunset or just below) That head likes to drift up, causing tension in the shoulders and an opening in the arms.
3. Let your feet hang! When you are bounding there is no need to raise your knees, kick your toes up and strain in any which way or another. That is just another source of unnecessary added effort. Give yourself some hang time in the air, it isn’t a race. Oh, PS: please try to land in the same spot each time. Don’t be “that” guy or girl jumping all over the gym..and if you do move, move forward, gaze down..
4. You just got done with 150 wall balls, why would you even think about using your arms/shoulders? Ok, seriously, CF-HQ is SMART when it comes to programming, combining 150 grueling wall balls with 90 double unders can only ruin our bounds and fatigue our shoulders making for a miserable time, right? Wrong! You are going to think like a SMART and efficient jumper and follow these 3 simple tips
--Keep your hands near your hips – don’t let them drift away, or let lose sight of them behind your body!
--Keep your elbows bent! The straighter your arms become, the more arms and shoulders we tend to use. DO NOT Pin your elbows to your chest, give them some room to breath, try kicking them back behind allowing those shoulders to open up and breath!
--Drive your energy and focus into your thumbs and wrists. That is where true jump rope efficiency lives. Your arms/shoulders will be tired anyways, what a great time to give them a break and let your thumbs do the work.
5. Rope Size and Back ups! PLEASE check your rope size and make sure it is the correct length. Any rope that you stand on with 2-feet at a time and the ends of the handles come up past your armpits is probably TOO LONG! Or you love jumping rope inefficiently and burning your arms and shoulders out, fine then use a long rope. Lastly, every jump rope, no matter who made it, is a MOVING part! It does wear and tear, that is the fact of life. Have a back up rope nearby OR double check your rope before you compete in 13.3 to ensure it is in tip-top shape!
I will be doing 13.3 tomorrow and will keep you posted on my status and any forward thoughts that I can share with you all. Good Luck, have fun and keep jumping!"
Finally, time for Muscle ups:
Uh......... You are on your own here. Seriously, if you have good tips for banging out lots of muscle ups after that much work, feel free to comment or email me and let me know. I will be figuring it out right along side the rest of you guys.
Hey everyone, I am kind of breaking a rule of mine today. I originally wanted this blog to only be about the barbell and all that goes along with it. Today I am talking about a crossfit "Wod". It does have lots (and lots and lots) of barbell work in the Wod, so I guess I am not really breaking any rules. But this Wod will only make you mentally stronger, not physically, so keep that in mind if you are reading this blog to get super awesome and strong. Today is not that day.
So, onto the Crossfit Open 13.1:
This WOD as all of you know by now consists of Burpees and Snatches with a descending burpees ladder and an ascending snatch weight ladder.
If you have done any large amount of burpees, your lungs hurt just reading that rep scheme. But lets get over our initial fear of the large numbers in front of us and break this work out down into doable chunks. By the end of this strategy guide we don't want to be afraid of the workout, but look forward to testing our abilities.
Step one: Find your pace
If you have taken a class that I am coaching, you have probably heard me say "find your pace". One thing competition has taught me is that it is not about how hard you start, but hard consistant you can perform through the workout.
If you come out the gates and try to bang out 40 burpees in 1:30 to save you time in the snatches, your heart will not forgive you through the rest of the work out. A good visual for me is to not push yourself into the "redline" right off the bat. When you hit this physical limit, you will not be able to perform at a good pace for the rest of the wod. You must find a pace that you can keep for all 40 burpees. If you can do 1 burpee every 4 seconds and do that for the whole 40, you will be in a FAR better position than if you hit 10 as fast as you can, then rest for 20 seconds, then hit 10 more, then rest, etc....
The same goes for the 75# snatches. It will be very easy to hit your redline moving this relatively light weight too fast right off the bat.
So Find you pace and don't be in a hurry through the first part of this wod. The same advice goes for all the burpees in the wod. I have actually seen people set metronomes so on different ticks they should be performing different parts of the movement.
Step two: The snatch (biting off more than you can chew)
The snatch is not something you can get better at by reading this blog today. It takes practice and practice, and more practice. So don't worry so much about your form today. It is too late for that. What you can worry about is how many snatches you can perform at the different weights at any one time. Just like finding your pace, you msut know where your physical limit is when "linking" snatches together (touch and go).
You might be able to do 75# unbroken, but will your forearms and back allow to do continue the wod after that? It might be better to do 10 reps, plan on 5 seconds of rest, 10 more, 5 seconds, 10 more. Then you will have some left in the tank for 30 more (properly paced) burpees and on to the 135# snatches. If your plan is to do singles from here on out, do one, drop and get right back on the bar. No rest. Only the pace that you can maintain. If you can link them, keep the same strategy. Link as many as you can reasonably do, then plan on your rest time too. I personally hope to link 3 -5 at a time here. We will see how that plan goes once we are in the thick of it.
The point is, just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Unless you are in the last 3-5 minutes of the wod, you should be holding a little something in the tank. Remember, don't hit your redline.
Step Three: Hit your redline
This is a competitive workout. You aren't gonna get stronger or better today. This is a test. So you want to have nothing left when you are done. Well for the last 14 minutes you paced yourself beautifully and you are on the home stretch. It is time to hit the "redline". For the last 3-5 minutes you should be on the verge of out of control. If you kept this pace for 6 minutes, you would pass out.... but you timed it for the last 3-5 minutes. Time to go balls to the wall and go for broke. When you are done and everyone is cheering your effort, you should be like will ferrell. "What happened, I blacked out?"
Step 4: Relax, or how I learned to stop worrying and love the WOD
For most of you this is your first competition. If something goes horribly wrong, don't worry about it. It is just another workout. Have some fun, and cheer on the heats before and after you. Then after tonight get back to your barbell work, because you can be good at lifting and not be good at crossfit, but you cannot be good at crossfit if you are not a good lifter.
Last here is an awesome video of last years snatch workout:
