02/24/18: 18.1

Today marks the first official Saturday of the 2018 CrossFit Open at CF908.  We are very excited to get the heats going at 9:20am.  Here is the link to the heat list schedule where you can sign up as both an athlete and a judge.  See below for some thoughts and tips on the workout.

7am/8am Classes Only –

• Conditioning – Teams of 2
  • AMRAP20
    • Pacer – 14/12 Cal Row
    • Work – AMRAP
      • 8 Toes To Bar (Sx = Hanging Knee Raise)
      • 10 Single Arm DB Hang Clean & Jerk (5 each arm) (Sx = 35#/20# – Rx = 50#/35#)
• Finisher – 4 x :30 Handstand Hold OR 4 x 25-50ft Handstand Walk

9am – 18.1

WORKOUT 18.1
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
8 toes-to-bars
10 dumbbell hang clean and jerks
14 / 12-cal. row

VARIATIONS
Rx’d: (Ages 16-54) Men use 50-lb. dumbbell Women use 35-lb. dumbbell
Scaled: (Ages 16-54) Men perform hanging knee-raises, use 35-lb. dumbbell Women perform hanging knee-raises, use 20-lb. dumbbell
Teenagers 14-15: Boys use 35-lb. dumbbell Girls use 20-lb. dumbbell Scaled Teenagers 14-15: Boys perform hanging knee-raises, use 20-lb. dumbbell Girls perform hanging knee-raises, use 10-lb. dumbbell
Masters 55+: Men use 35-lb. dumbbell Women use 20-lb. dumbbell
Scaled Masters 55+: Men perform sit-ups, use 20-lb. dumbbell Women perform sit-ups, use 10-lb. dumbbell

Thoughts and Tips from a few of us that did the workout Friday.

• Overall approach – This workout is on the longer side, but it doesn’t mean that you want to start with a “paced” effort.  The toes to bar and dumbbell hang clean and jerk are fairly small sets and the weight is not too heavy.  My feedback is to push the pace early and find a transition (row to ttb or ttb to dumbbells) where you can take a planned rest and gain your composure.  From the dumbbells to the rower should be a seamless transition.  You can always row, and you should get on as quickly as you can.
• Now for the movements themselves
  • TTB – If you can do 12-15 unbroken toes to bar, you should start with unbroken sets and go for as long as you can.  There are so many transitions in this workout that adding in another one just eats up time.  Of course, if you have a max set of 5ish toes to bar, you should break your 8 up with managed rest.  For example, you could do 3-3-2 and look at the clock in between sets to try and keep a set rest time.  I am not a huge fan of looking at the clock during workouts, but in this case it is helpful because when you get tired it is easy to rest for 20-30 seconds without realizing it.
  • Dumbbell Hang Clean & Jerk – The 5 reps on each arm should be unbroken.  Yes, your grip may be tired, but it is only 5 reps.  And, as much as you want to put the dumbbell down between arms, DON”T.  Your hips will still be able to move the weight.  Your other hand will have had an extra rest from the toes to bar and will be ready for the 5 reps.  A 50#/35# hang clean and jerk with a barbell for 99% of you is easy.  That is how we want you to think about it.
  • Row – Remember, get on the rower ASAP and just start moving.  Use your first 3-5 strokes to get you up to speed and take some deep breaths.  Breathe at the end of your stroke and on the recovery.  14/12 cals may not seem like a lot, but when tired they can take close to a minute.  We just rowed intervals on Thursday for similar calories.  Aim to hit 70-80% of your pace from Thursday.  In your warm up row 14/12 cals 2-3 times getting a feel for how long it will take and what will be a challenging but repeatable pace.  Totally okay to row your first few rounds a bit faster.  Keep your stroke long, and keep your fingers relaxed.  You need your grip elsewhere.
• Grip –  When our hands get tired, we try to compensate by using our biceps and bending our arms early, which leads to even more fatigue.  As you warm up with the DB, ensure you are using your hips, whether you treat it like a KB swing or a HPC, relax your biceps and use your legs.  I used my non-dominant first on the dumbbell for the first few sets, but when it started to fatigue more on the ttb, i switched to my dominant hand to give my non-dominant more rest.  I felt that was helpful.  That’s all I got.  Good luck to everyone doing the Open!