CrossFit Open

CrossFit Open 18.1 Breakdown and Tips

This year is starting out with a real grip burner! I’ll cover tips to save the grip, how to pace, and other ‘gems’ that will help you perform your best to get this season started out right!

https://youtu.be/ee-TKpFg_1M 

Overall

I think this is a great workout. I like the smaller sets. I like the combination of movements. I even like that it is an AMRAP!

Grip will be a key factor for many people. Even if you have the engine to perform these movement…

*** UPDATED FOR 2011-2018! ***

It is that time of year again.

I can hear the collective cheers and groans from CrossFit gym owners around the world… Another CrossFit Open!

I had the luxury of programming for 6 years before the first CrossFit Open in 2011, and I still had a lot to learn those first 7 years since then! In this article I am going to outline some of the best practices (and things to avoid) when programming during the Open. It is my goal to save you time during the stressful ti…

Another week were just about everyone called it!  I was really hoping we’d see ring muscle ups again and maybe some shuttle runs or ‘bootlegger burpees’. I guess we’ll have to wait until next year!

And if you are still struggling with stringing double unders together, maybe after you lacerate yourself 300+ times in this workout you will actually listen to your coach and start practicing them a few times per week.

Video Overview:

 https://youtu.be/_IohMxeuz7o 

Overall

This workout will b…

Ah... we finally get the repeat!

I am going to post my recommendations from last year below.  Here is a brief video with a couple updates:

https://youtu.be/LDK9_JcIFGQ 

This year's HSPU standard is slightly different with the box on the ground again.  I am not really sure why they brought it back since we have the line on the wall!  Personally (being 6' 4" or so), I liked being able to go a bit wider with my hands and not having to worry about the lines. 

Looking back at my tips from la…

Chest to bars?  I feel bad for those people who tore their hands last week!  Another great workout though. I love workouts that get progressively heavy/hard so that more people can participate, and the real ‘go getters’ have to work hard to separate from the pack. I also think it is pretty cool that you can have ‘friends’ load your next bar for!

(Notes on the pacing chart below)

Video:

 https://youtu.be/kZutkaCuPLY 

Overview:

The workout may seem pretty confusing for some, so maybe I ca…

Open 17.2 is here!

I learned a long time ago that ‘farm boy’ strength meant a strong grip and a strong back (and there aren’t people that are more functionally strong than farm boys). This workout will really reward those people who have been doing workouts (like Thrivestry) that create strong grips and strong backs!

https://youtu.be/lghqaZVJ9iI 

I do have to say that I am pretty happy with this workout. It is still ‘approachable’ for many people. The tie breakers will allow people who…

21.2 is a repeat of 17.1!

I've made a few updates to the original recommendations based upon what we saw in 2017. For the most part, the information holds up really well! (My video skills not so much. Haha). 

Use the PDF pace charts to help you get your best score. Open 17.1 pacing chart A - Super Humans.pdf

Open 17.1 pacing chart B - Mortal Humans.pdf (if you know you won't make it until the end). 

Open 17.1 pacing chart C - Complete Chart.pdf (hard to read, but it has it all)!

Enjoy! -jj

The CrossFit Open is just about here! Here is a summary of the workouts to date:

The shaded workouts are ones that have been repeated (or very similar ones repeated as in the case of 12.2/3 and 13.1). 

Every year they have repeated at least one workout. If I had to predict which workouts were likely to show up it would be:

• 2012: 12.3,
• 2013: 13.4, 13.5 (the ‘FranRap’)
• 2014: 14.3 (DL increasing and Box Jump), 14.4 (row, t2b, wb, p clean, mu)
• 2015: 15.1, 15.4, 15.5 (row thruster)
• 2016: 1…