It’s time to Face/Off with the final workout of the CrossFit Open 2015, and it is no joke. While I know everyone is sad that this week brings the end of the Open, all of you that have applied these warm ups provided by Power Athlete have seen the depth behind these warm ups should fear not.

Earlier in the week, Power Athlete teamed up with the online tracking platform, Train Heroic, to launch a brand new, more bad ass and innovative way to follow Field Strong. Applying Welbourn’s programming to a system that application guidelines, displays daily leaderboards, and keeps all of your records, and we are very excited about it. Read more about Field Strong on Train Heroic.

For many, this is the last workout of the 2015 CrossFit season. While some personal accomplishments have been made so far, we do not want you to go into the final workout satisfied with where you currently stand and going through the motions with your ‘best’ attempt. Losers always whine about their best. Winners, we go home with the prom queen.

Having no time limit works in the winner’s favor. Think of it as a ‘burn the ships’ mindset, and you have no choice but to lay it on the line like Nic Cage did when he stole the Declaration of Independence and all the cars in under 60 seconds.

CROSSFIT OPEN 15.5

27-21-15-9 reps for time of:

Row (calories)

Thrusters

Men use 95 lb.

Women use 65 lb.

CROSSFIT OPEN 15.5 PRE-WARM UP-WARM UP:

A workout with no time cap means this pre-warm up portion cannot be neglected. A common fault we’ve seen all too much is athletes who go into workouts like this without getting their chili hot and do not feel a pop until after the first round. But by then, the quads are locked, lower back is jammed up, and the lungs are fighting for air with one thought rolling through their mind, “Why couldn’t you put the bunny back in the box?”

I know, it makes no sense. Just like skipping this portion of your warm up! Invest in a solid 15 minutes of jump ropes, arm swing drills, strolling on the rowing machine, or the Assault Bicycle. Mental toughness is key, and we want you to go in hungry. Think of this as the time to ask yourself the hard questions and dial the grind in for Face/Off with 15.5.

DYNAMIC MOVEMENT PREP:

Round 1:

Round 2:

15.5 POWER ATHLETE WARM UP:

MOVEMENTS AND ENERGY SYSTEMS

Two components of this warm up we need to carry over into the workout: the pump and transition integration. In order for us to get a pump, approach the rows like work, not a stroll for hours. Practice your fast starts and get the wheel spinning hard for the set time. Move as quickly as possible from the rowing machine to the floor for pillar press ups and onto the bar. You will be tired turning the workout, make it a habit from warm up to finish to get in position and go.

We want to limit the pressing in this warm up, but still need to prepare for when the arms are called upon. Do not fly through the Pillar to Press Ups. These should be steady and controlled with the elevated HR. Press the palms hard into the floor to had the stretch of the extensors.

Power Athletes were made for squats, and this Open has spent a lot of time in our kingdom. While on the lighter side, there are 72 squats to knock out in this workout. Lactic acid build up will be your greatest enemy here, so keep the breaths steady and the bar moving. The 15 second blocks of squats below are designed to tap into lactate production, we then allow :30 for recovery and flush. By the end of the four cycles here, you will prepared for the workout weight and your buffers will be ready for the sprint ahead.

CROSSFIT OPEN 15.5 POWER ATHLETE WARM UP:

:30 Rest

:30- Calorie Row

Pillar to Plank Press Up– 8 reps

:15- Thursters- 45/33 lbs

:30 Rest and Load Up

:45- Calorie Row

Pillar to Plank Press Up– 6 reps

:15- Thursters- 75/53 lbs

:30 Rest and Load Up

:60- Calorie Row

Pillar to Plank Press Up– 4 reps

:15- Thursters- 95/65 lbs

Rest 5-12 minutes before 15.5 and we NEED you to hit Vertical Column Side Stretch RT/LT for 60 seconds each side!

You’ve rowed 1000s of calories, and crushed 1000s of thrusters. We need you to get a little Nic Cage crazy with this one. I’ve prepared your your energy systems and the neuromuscular processes throughout this series… but here’s what I haven’t done yet: I’ve never provided a strategy. Coach’s don’t talk this way anymore, but I’m going to say it, here’s my strategy. Games are for kids; walk into this workout ready to fight and leave it ALL out there. Because if you game it, pace it, and lose, it could all be gone… in 60 seconds.