I guess we did get a repeat, if we wanted it or not! 18.3 is a repeat of 11.6/12.5. It is a 7 minute AMRAP of thrusters and chest to bar pull ups with the rep scheme 3,3,6,6,9,9… This is the first time a workout has been repeated 3 times!

https://youtu.be/4yGJrf0A2Bg 

I guess we’ll have to wait until next year to see those shuttle runs, db overhead lunges, or pistols.

For the record, 50% of the people voted for this one, and 43% voted for 14.2. I think the reason is that many people really struggle with overhead squats and chest to bars. And this workout is great for those folks who can only do chest to bars in smaller sets!

If you are doing Thrivestry, we’ve done this workout many times but most recently November 21, 2017 (…and May 24, 2017 before that). For other similar workouts, you can check out “Black Hole” February 18, 2017, “Saw Red” October 16, 2017,

Overall

Make sure you are thoroughly warmed up for this one! It is a relatively short workout that won’t give you much time to ‘get into a groove’. You’ll want to be ‘petal to the metal’ from the get go. Spend some extra time mobilizing your hips and wrists to get thruster positioning and take some time getting your kipping technique smoothed out.

The good news about increasing rounds is that it is a bit ‘self pacing’ because of all of the transitions early on. Get through those first 2-3 rounds at a good pace before settling in to something more sustainable. See more about pacing each movement below.

Belt?

If you need a belt for thrusters, you may consider it. But keep in mind that it may affect your pull ups if you struggle with them. You can always start with the belt and then strip it off if you don’t like it (it is faster to take it off than to put it on).

Shoes?

I believe that most people will benefit from wearing Olympic Weightlifting shoes if you have them. They will make the thrusters easier to keep an upright torso. The additional weight isn’t much of a factor for chest to bars because of the kipping motion.

Gloves/Grips?

If you are used to wearing gloves or using grips, go ahead and use them. Do not try them for the first time on this workout! That said, if you aren’t sure if you should wear them, start with them on then strip them off. Like the belt, it is easier to take them off than to put them on, and even if you only keep them on for the 3s, 6s, and 9s, that is 18 pull ups where you are protecting your hands.

Pacing

Pacing will depend on how you feel about thrusters and how you feel about pull ups. As stated above, get through the first rounds fast because there is rest built into the transitions. This could be the 3s and 6s, or it could be through the 9s or 12s (if you are ‘good’).

That said, you will ALWAYS want to minimize the transitions. Go directly to the next movement. Don’t get chalk. Don’t get water. Get started on the next set right away!  You will be faster by starting the next set immediately (and then resting or pausing on the movement after some reps have been completed).

Pacing for each movement will be listed below.

Thrusters

Use your hips to get the bar overhead! Make sure you are accelerating at the top of the squat to rocket that bar over the head. Do not get into the habit of using a lot of arm press.

If this is a ‘light’ load for you, you may want to keep the bar in the hands and the elbows pointed down (as opposed to using the front rack position). This is a faster thruster, but it only works if you have the strength to hold the bar there!

‘Sneak Unders’ or squat cleans are allowed! That means that you don’t have to do a full power clean before initiating the squat. ‘Sneak Unders’ are where you do the minimal amount of pull before curling the weight and getting to the bottom of the squat. They aren’t the most efficient, but they are faster. If the barbell load isn’t a challenge for you, these can pay off in the earlier rounds and/or if you plan on dropping the bar often.

Also a factor if the load isn’t much of a problem for you: free fall. Thrusters are one of the few movements that really benefit from focusing on going ‘down fast’. If you try to keep the bar under control through the entire movement, you will use more energy. One of the secrets of the folks that have silly fast Fran times is that they aren’t working on the way down. They are trying to ‘pull’ the bar down (they don’t actually pull, but the intent means that they relax the right muscles and move much more efficiently).

Be careful with this technique unless you have a thruster max that is more than double the prescribed load and you don’t have a good vertical torso at the bottom. Having that bar come crashing down on you without the requisite strength and positioning can be dangerous for you back!

For pacing the thrusters, you’ll want to get through the first 3-4 rounds unbroken (the 9s or 12s). Start with short pauses with the bar overhead while you take a breath or two. Then start dropping the bar once you have completed more than half of the reps for the set (in the case of the 9s, that would be 5, in the case of the 12s that would be 7).

Ultimately, we don’t want to drop the barbell too much because of the ‘penalty’ of picking it back up again. If you are adept at ‘Sneak Unders’, the time and energy is minimized, but it is still a factor. You are better off breaking up the chest to bars a bit more because there is less of a penalty.

That said, are going to be better off minimizing the transition from the pull ups and just getting some reps on the board. If your next set of ‘more than half’ is a bit daunting, don’t take the time to think about it! Get started right away, but be prepared to drop if it ‘feels heavy’.

What I have observed (after coaching this workout hundreds of times), is that when people have a big set in mind, they will take too long to pick up the bar. It is better to get started right away and then make a course correction if needed (which might mean dropping the bar more than once in a set).

Chest to Bar Pull Ups

One thing that people always forget when doing kipping pull ups is that the power is generated from the lower body. Make sure you are using your hips to get your body up, starting from the first rep to the last!

Chest to bar pull ups are also where you will want to pace this workout. It is much easier to ‘let go’ of a pull up (and not do the negative), then jump back up, than it is to pick up the barbell after dropping it. Even if you are ‘pull up ninja’, breaking these up will help you pace the workout better if it allows you to do larger sets of thrusters.

Another tip for pull ups is to really drive the elbows back, expanding the chest. Using that intent, you will avoid no reps because you are using your arms and your back as well (there is a reason why we program so many ring rows and barbell/dumbbell rows)!

If grip is an issue (or if you have mobility problems), change up your grip. Doing a mixed grip (one hand palm away, and one hand facing you) may avoid rips, and it may get you some extra range of motion.

If you are really close to getting that first chest to bar, check out the video for some tips on alternative ways to get up there and get those reps to count.

For pacing, small sets (after the first few ‘fast’ rounds) will be the way to go. Do not discredit singles! Steady singles with a release at the top may be a bit slower, but they can use less energy, and allow you to do the thrusters faster!

As far as butterfly pull ups go, only use them if you are comfortable with them. They are going to be faster and more efficient if your grip can take it. Make sure you ‘lean back’ and that the bar is hitting at the sternum or lower. If you haven’t gotten good at these yet, do not ‘confuse’ yourself by trying to master them for this workout. Stick to what you can do consistently.

Repeat Attempts

This is the last week of the Open, and this isn’t a terribly brutal workout volume-wise. You may consider doing this one again if you are really aiming to get to the next level (Age Qualifiers or Regionals).

That said, if you are feeling beat up from the last 4 weeks, or if you are already struggling with pull ups, you aren’t likely to see much of an improvement on the second attempt (unless you really screwed up the pacing on the first attempt).

Keep in mind that EVERYONE starts thinking about a repeat immediately after they have recovered. It is normal to pick out all of the things that could have gone better. You have to decide if these thoughts are ‘real’ or if they are just whispers of regret. If they are just regret and ego, use this to motivate you to work on your weaknesses over the next year!

Mindset

Increasing sets have a unique ability to mess with your head. Studies have show that when we know that things will be getting harder, our hypothalamus will dampen our motivation to keep pushing forward.

Do not think about how hard the last set was, or how hard the next set will be. Stick to your plan and focus on performing good reps. Minimize the transitions and keep moving.

And finally, this is the end of the Open. It is another year (or your first year) in the books. While you may look forward to moving on and getting back to regular training, it is important that you gleam every drop of experience that you can.

Journal what went right this year and what went not-so-right. How could you have been better prepared? Paste these notes onto you calendar for reminders 2-3 times over the next year so that you can keep you routines focused on improving for next year.

And no matter how you finished, remember that you PRed the number of Open workouts you have competed in! You finished ‘ahead’ of everyone who didn’t throw their hat into the ring. Do not let the leaderboard get in your head (because there is about 80-90% of folks who didn’t even sign up).

Spend the next few weeks doing activities that you enjoy (in an outside of the gym). Recharge and get ready for the next big challenge!

Thrive on.

-jj