Are you registred for the CrossFit Games 2016 Open?

I am and I know its going to be hard, it is never easy :-). There are few tips and tricks how to make better score, all you need for better score is slightly different approach to some movements and set correct strategy before you start a workout.

I have prepared guide about 10 most common CrossFit Games Open movements and its very probable that we will see some of these movements again in the Open.

CrossFit Open Workouts have usually few thing in common:

It is Shorter AMRAP (under 20 minutes)

(under 20 minutes) Couplet or triplet



or Last workout is the worst workout

via GIPHY

Box Jumps

Steady pace but unbroken even on high reps

Height of box will probably be 24“/20“ or 30“/24“

Step-Ups are allowed and may help you save a lot of energy

“Corner Technique“ will make your box jumps faster

Rest on top of the box

Example workout Open 14.3

8 Minute AMRAP of:

10|15|20|… Deadlifts 135/95|185/135|225/155 (increasing reps & weight)

15 Box Jumps 24“/20“

You will spent majority of time on deadlifts, save energy by doing step-ups which are almost same fast as box jumps

Check video with “corner technique”

Burpees

There were only Bar Facing Burpees and Target Burpees in the Open (its easier to judge)

They are in workouts to make you breathe hard

Its better to go slow & steady pace on burpees

If you have under 60 secs left step on gas pedal and do as much as you can do

Don’t squat while doing burpees it takes too much energy

Example workout Open 12.1

7 Minute AMRAP of:

Target Burpees

Steady pace for 6 minutes, step on gas pedal for last 60 seconds

Check out great video about correct burpee technique

C2B Pull-Ups

Many quick sets of lower reps (even singles are great strategy)

Minimize rest between small sets

Smaller sets and kipping will save you more energy

Go high reps +10 and do butterfly C2B pull-ups only if you are very efficient with them

Example workout Open 14.2/15.2

Every 3 minutes for as long as possible:

2 rounds of:

10 Overhead Squats 95/65

10 C2B Pull Ups

Add 2 reps each 3 minutes to each exercise.

Singles helped Pat Sherwood to almost finish rounds of 16s

On first try I have been doing sets of 6 reps and I wasn’t able to finish round of 14s but singles helped me to get into round of 16s

Clean/Clean and Jerk

Easy cleans (under 135/95)

Go for atleast +5 reps

Get bouncy plates

If weight is too easy you can even muscle clean

Moderate and heavy (over 135/95) cleans

Singles

Get plates that doesn’t bounce much

Everytime drop bar from shoulders to ground and quickly set up into correct position

Correct technique will save you a lot of energy

Example workout Open 15.4

8 Minute AMRAP

3|6|9|12|15|… HSPU

3|3|3|6|6|… Cleans 185/125

There are only few heavy cleans and you will spent a lot of time on HSPUs

No need to go multiple reps, it won’t save you much time and you will lost more energy

Even Scott Panchik was doing singles in 15.4 (check out how he quickly gets into correct set up position)

Deadlifts

It depends on how heavy and how many deadlifts you will be doing in workout

Your lower back will get fatigued really quickly, usually after +40-60 reps of (+50% of 1RM)

For very easy weights go unbroken for even 10-20 reps

For heavier weight go touch and go for about 50-80% max reps and take some rests

Touch and go on deadlifts saves you much energy

Singles are also viable strategy but you need to have short rest periods

Hold correct technique as long as you can

Example workout Open 14.3 (again)

8 Minute AMRAP of:

10|15|20|… Deadlifts 135/95|185/135|225/155 (increasing reps & weight)

15 Box Jumps 24“/20“

You will spent most of time on deadlifts that gets heavier each round

Everytime do just only about 50% or less of max reps you could with current weight

When it gets very heavy switch to singles

Check how Noah Ohlsen was going touch and go even on very heavy sets

Double Unders

Make sure you have spare rope (it sucks if your rope brokes in middle of open workout)

If you are great at them just go unbroken even for huge sets

If you have problems with DUs then don’t lose your mind after few fails

Just hit “restart“ button everytime you fail after few reps

For huge sets of DUs set minor goals like 10, 25 or 50 unbroken

For small sets of DUs in each round just try to do them unbroken everytime

Example workout Open 11.1/14.1

10 Minute AMRAP of:

30 DUs

15 Power Snatches 75/55

Every set should be unbroken and if you trip on them just quickly restart and finish them

Check how Jason Khalipa had problems in DUs in 11.1 but everytime he tripped on DUs, he restarted and kept going

Muscle-Ups

For many reps (e.g. 13.3) in one round of MUs do lower sets of about 50% of max reps

For lower reps (e.g. 15.3) get over MUs quickly and continue with rest of workout

Technique is very important on MUs, save your energy with correct kip

If you can’t do MUs yet then try to PR them in CrossFit Open workout!

Example workout Open 15.3

14 Minute AMRAP of:

7 Muscle-Ups

50 Wall-Ball Shots

100 DUs

No need to go unbroken if you max set is under 10 reps

Just get over them in fast 2 or 3 sets each round

Even Games athletes at 15.3 Games Open announcement wasn’t doing all sets unbroken

Snatch

Similiar strategy to cleans

For easy snatches go for power/muscle snatch and do multiple reps

For heavy snatches make sure your technique is correct and go for singles

If weight is too heavy go for squat snatches but make sure you hit it

Example workout Open 15.3

10 minute AMRAP of:

30 Snatches 75/45

30 Snatches 135/75

30 Snatches 165/100

Max Snatches 210/120

Do power snatch for as long as you can, on lighter weight go for higher reps

When weight becomes heavy go for singles, if its too heavy you may even squat snatch

Even Dan Bailey and Rich Froning had to switch to singles when it was too heavy and muscles were fatigued

Thrusters

Weight is usually 95-100/65 and many reps

If you like thrusters go unbroken

But if you hate them go for quick small sets of max 10 reps

Few quick sets are faster than one huge but slow unbroken set

Divide set into bigger/smaller sets for example 21 => 8 + 7 + 6

Use legs when getting bar overhead don’t just strict press it

Example workout Open 14.5

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

Thrusters 95/65

Burpees

Divide large sets into quick smaller sets 21 => 12 + 9, 18 => 7 + 6 + 5, 15 => 8 + 7 and 12 => 7 + 5 or unbroken

It may look slower but if you minimize rest it is faster, I was able to PR this workout with following smaller sets mentioned before with time of 9:50 which was 3 minute PR compared to year 2014 (I remember doing it almost everything unbroken and it wasn’t good idea, I was able to keep much higher pace on burpees when I divided thrusters in smaller sets)

Nobody like thrusters 🙂

Wall-Ball Shots

Don’t forget about your legs when shooting ball

Even small jump helps to shot ball higher

When you shot the ball don’t hold your hands up, pull them back to your face

If you are very great or very tall just do few huge sets and get over them quickly

But if you are smaller athlete or do you just hate wall-balls its better to divide large set into many smaller sets of 5-10 reps and take quick 1-5 breaths brake

Example workout Open 12.4/13.3

12 minute AMRAP of:

150 Wall-Ball Shots

90 Double Unders

30 Muscle Ups