This post is later than I would like. My bad!
However, workout 15.3 of the 2015 CrossFit Games Open is a doozy! 14 minutes of fun, and my advice is very similar to that of last week. PACE!
Here is the logic for my incredibly wise “pace yourself” strategy. A 14 minute workout can be very long. Just because you CAN do 7 muscle-ups in a row, doesn’t mean you should. Just because you CAN do 50 unbroken wall balls, doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. And you have 100 unbroken double-unders? Congrats! If any or all of those things are going to leave your heart rate sky high, realizing you have 10 more minutes of work to try and “hold on” to your pace, you’re going to have a bad time.
Muscle-Ups:
If you KNOW for a fact that 7 muscle-ups in row won’t tax you, by all means, go for them unbroken. If, even for a second, you worry that maybe you’ll become too fatigued by going for it, even if you think you can once… don’t! My advice, based on your comfort level, either go 4/3, 3/2/2, or fast singles, knowing that you won’t fail a rep, and that you’ll be able to maintain that pace throughout the workout. Going all out from the start is a bad idea, in my opinion.
Wall Balls:
Very similar advice here. Just because you’re fit enough to do 50 wall balls in a row, doesn’t mean you should. Many fairly competitive athletes will get through 2 or 3 full rounds of this workout. If crushing your first set of wall balls is going to leave you wrecked and gasping for air, the rest of the workout won’t be very fun. My suggestion here, and this may change from round to round based on your fatigue level, is to go 20-20-10, 20-15-15, 20-10-10-10, or 5 quick sets of 10. Whichever option will help keep your rest breaks short, and your legs and shoulders as fresh as possible.
Double-Unders:
For the jump rope portion of this workout, whether you’re doing 100 double-unders or 200 single-unders, I believe your focus needs to be keeping your heart rate at a manageable level. Going unbroken for that many reps is an awesome skill to have, but if you’ll need to take a 30 second break just to function enough to get back onto the next movement, you’re going to pay for it at the end of the workout. Suggestions here, based on your skill level, will be sets of 50, 25, or 20. As many coaches suggest in workouts, regardless of their time domains, if you’re going to potentially make it back to that particular movement, break the reps and rest far before you think you need to do so. Your fatigue level will thank you later!
I really hope that this post helps you guys destroy 15.3. If you have any comments, suggestions, or feedback, please let me know. Good luck, have fun, I believe in you!!
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