Announcement
The Open is upon us! For those of you who are looking to place competitively or beat your Open rank from last year, this week is your taper: don’t go full clip on any of the lifts and prioritize good reps and positioning over speed in the workouts. I would also recommend taking extra active and full rest days throughout the week in order to stay fresh for the first workout at the end of the week. Mobility is also the upmost importance. If you have little aches here or there, take time this week to mobilize those areas. If you are not hugely invested in the Open or just want to do it for fun, treat this week as a normal training week.
Monday 19 February
Strength
5 Sets of:
Squat Clean x 3 @ Establish a 3RM for the day
Rest as needed between sets.
MetCon
“Leonardo”
AMRAP in 12 minutes of:
2/2, 4/4, 6/6, 8/8…
Squat Cleans 175/115
Chest-to-Bar Pull Ups
Today we start with triples on Squat Cleans. This is a good opportunity to work on some barbell cycling before we will inevitably need that skill at some point over the next 5 weeks. Touch-n-go the lighter sets and stay on top of the bar after dropping it for the heavier ones. Having that discipline of staying right over the bar after dropping it will greatly decrease rest between reps.
We have some moderate weight Squat Cleans in our WOD, paired with Chest-to-Bar Pull Ups. 12 minutes isn’t short so be smart about how you approach this one, especially because you are increasing reps by 2 each round. Focus on strong hip movements for your Chest-to-Bar Pull Ups right from the get-go because if your lats get lit up too quickly, you will have a very hard time getting those elbows up when receiving the bar for the Squat Cleans.
Tuesday 20 February
Strength
EMOM for 8 minutes of:
Push Press* x 2 @ Build to today’s heaviest set
*Push Press will be taken from the floor.
MetCon
“Michelangelo”
Complete the following for time:
800m Run
20 Bar-Facing Burpees
20 Push Press 135/95
600m Run
15 Bar-Facing Burpees
15 Push Press 155/105
400m Run
10 Bar-Facing Burpees
10 Push Press 185/125
The strength portion is a simple 8 minute EMOM of 2 Push Presses. No tempo here, just power clean it up and get going. Build up to at least the weight you plan on ending the MetCon at during these 8 minutes.
We end class with a longer chipper consisting of Running, Burpees and Push Press. The runs aren’t short so don’t burn out with that first 800, smooth is what you should be thinking. If you can keep a relatively steady heart rate and pace until that last 400m Run, you will be able to fly through those last 3 movements. The Push Press in this workout will be taken from the ground and the weight does get a little heavy so focus on good technique for your Power Cleans and Push Presses to save as much energy as possible for that last set.
Wednesday 21 February
Strength
7 Sets of:
Power Snatch + Overhead Squat + Snatch @ Build to today’s heaviest set
Rest as needed between sets.
MetCon
“Donatello”
Complete the following for time:
50 cal Bike/Row
50 DB Snatch 50/35
50 Alternating DB Thrusters 50/35
The focus of today is the Snatch complex in our strength portion. There are 7 sets and you may rest as needed between sets so we will be spending the majority of our time here.
The MetCon is a simple three movement workout performed for time. Simple, but not necessarily fast. There are a lot of cals and a lot of reps so be smart about how you partition your reps. This is one of those workouts that lures you in with a very fast pace and by the time you get to the Thrusters you are all out of gas.
Thursday 22 February
Strength
1 Set of:
Turkish Get Ups x 10 each side
3 Sets of:
V-Ups x 20
MetCon
“Raphael”
In 4 minutes, complete the following movements:
50 Double Unders
15 Kettlebell Swings 70/53
15 Ball Slams 40/30
1 Rope Climb
Max cal Bike/Row
Rest 2 minutes, then repeat for a total of 4 Rounds.
Accessory work for the strength portion today. It’s been awhile since we’ve done Turkish Get Ups so practice with lighter weight before jumping right back into what you’ve done in the past. If you’ve never done this movement before it can be fairly complicated but the benefits far outweigh it’s complexity. If you’re looking to strengthen your core and shoulder stability, you should be doing this movement weekly.
The MetCon today is 4 Rounds of 4 minutes each with 2 minutes between the rounds. The movements aren’t too difficult but the pace is aggressive so you need to be moving pretty quick to get to that Bike or Row. Workouts like this one are great indicators of your transition times; try to get started on that next movement right away even if you don’t get it unbroken. Generally, athletes spend more time transitioning between movements than resting between reps of the same movement.
Friday 23 February
Open 18.1
To Be Announced…
Today we kick off the 2018 Open Season with 18.1! This will be in place of the normal class WOD. I hope you’ve been staying healthy the last couple weeks and giving your body some much needed R&R in preparation for these next 5 weeks, cause apparently we’re going to “demolish the perimeter” and see some new movements. Dave has known to be dramatic at times so hopefully these movements aren’t too foreign, but even if they are that’s what CrossFit is all about: being prepared for the unknown! Have fun this season guys and I wish you the best of luck!
