Motivation
Do you believe that you are strong and capable? I had my own reality check last Friday after completing the fourth Workout in this year’s CrossFit Games Open. Each week for the last four weeks a workout has been announced on Thursday Evening. Participants then have until Monday to complete the workout and submit your score.
14.4 consisted of:
14 minute AMRAP of
60 Calorie Row,
50 Toes to Bar,
40 Wall Ball,
30 Power Cleans @ 135#
20 Muscle Ups
On Friday I attempted this workout. I had come up with my strategy and during the workout followed it just as I had planned until I got to the Power Cleans. Though today was not a typical day. The Power Cleans went much faster than I had expected leaving me with nearly three minutes to do as many of the Muscle Ups as I could. I had mentally prepared to get about 14 muscle ups. At the start of the workout I didn’t believe I would be capable of completing all 20 muscle ups, so I didn’t. I finished 18 of them. Within a few minutes of completing the workout I was disappointed. I had had the time to complete all the muscle ups but wasn’t mentally prepared to do so. I had sold myself short. I had underestimated my own abilities. Don’t be surprised by success. I redid the workout on Monday but changed my plan and went faster so that I could have more time with the Muscle Ups. Not a good choice. I had more time but I was way more tired. I did not beat my Friday score. At least now I know that while I was disappointed with Fridays score it had been my best effort. So, don’t dwell on the past. Just strive to be better.
Strength
Front Squat or Press
We are trying to complete sets of 5 repetitions every two minutes at 75% of our 1 repetition max
Workout Strategy
Last time we did this workout I did a surprise attack on a few of our trainers. Pat, Darian, and Tito did this workout without any notice. At first I told them they would be doing two rounds so I could gauge what some good numbers would be. Really I wanted to see what would happen in rounds four and five if they truly gave a max effort in the first two rounds. Turns out there was not much of a drop in scores. They were able to keep a good pace. Yes it got hard but there is a finite amount of time to work and rest. Strategy for today. Go all out for 30 seconds and then move to the next exercise. Try your best to match your score from the previous round. Very simple movements which are as we know the most effective. What we want to see is full range of motion. Don’t cheat the movements to get a better score. For the Burpees, don’t just clap your hands behind your head while still leaning forward. Get your finger tips as high as you can while your feet come off of the ground. What we also want to look at is our scores and what is happening in the level 3 and 4 categories. Today level 3 & 4 will be the same workout. What distinguishes where the athletes go is their score.
| Workout of the Day | |
|---|---|
| Strength of the Day | Front Squat or Press |
| Level 1:
5 Rounds for reps of 30 sec. Max Effort Burpees 30 sec. Rest 30 sec Max Effort KBS 44/26# 30 sec. Rest 30 sec. Max Effort Ab-Mat Sit ups 30 sec. Rest
|
Level 2:
5 Rounds for reps of 30 sec. Max Effort Burpees 30 sec. Rest 30 sec Max Effort KBS 44/26# 30 sec. Rest 30 sec. Max Effort Ab-Mat Sit ups 30 sec. Rest
|
| Level 3:
5 Rounds for reps of 30 sec. Max Effort Burpees 30 sec. Rest 30 sec Max Effort KBS 53/35# 30 sec. Rest 30 sec. Max Effort Ab-Mat Sit ups 30 sec. Rest *Total Reps Greater than 225 |
Level 4:
5 Rounds for reps of 30 sec. Max Effort Burpees 30 sec. Rest 30 sec Max Effort KBS 53/35# 30 sec. Rest 30 sec. Max Effort Ab-Mat Sit ups 30 sec. Rest *Total Reps Greater than 275 |
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