Tips & Tricks: Open 16.1

Well, Dave Castro’s announcement reached us all last night from abroad.  20 minutes in the pain cave!  So proud of Coach Em’s great performance.  It was cool to see two average Joes doing the workout alongside Em and Chyna.

I’m that athlete who’s in the awkward in-between stage.  Scaled is easy for me, but the chest-to-bar pull-ups make the RX version almost impossible.  I’m fine with all the other RX movements but those pull-ups…

As I mentioned in my recent blog post, I struggle a bit with scaling when I can scrape by and do a workout RX.  Because 1 RX point is worth more on the leaderboard than 200 scaled reps, I feel a bit conflicted.  I’ll get a great workout either way, but I know my level of frustration will be much higher if I choose the RX version.  The scaled version would allow me to be (practically) an all-star since none of the movements are personal “goats”.  Do I choose the easier path, which allows me a higher score, or the harder path, which has the potential for tears?

CrossFit Sunalta is doing the Open intramurals-style this year to make the Open more of a local competition.  My team is Jacked in the Box!  It’s a fun way to do the Open because we get points for various things like participation, top finishes, and team spirit. Our box is running heats on Sunday so I’ve got a long weekend of anticipation and strategizing ahead…

Since I love to come armed with ALL THE INFORMATION, here’s a round up of tips and tricks for the CrossFit Open 16.1 workout:

• Tabata Times always does a very detailed discussion of the WOD.  I like their emphasis on FUN this year.  Also, they mention that the burpees are your rest.
• A little shameless CrossFit Sunalta promotion – Coach Eric did a great write-up and includes lots of notes about warming up appropriately (down in the “Coach’s Notes” section).  Coach says: “Treat this like you’re running a 5K. Don’t race out of the gates.”
• Coach Emily Abbott blogged on the Blonyx site about the Open in general. A great read from a Games-level athlete, and I highly identify with her so-called “tomato face” (as I also suffer from the same condition).
• This blogger recommends approaching 16.1 as you would any other workout, and just focus on doing better than last year.  (My goal is to RX at least two of the Open WODs this year.)
• I’m definitely going to use some advice from this post: if I do the RX version, I’ll try using a supinated (palms inward) grip for the pull-ups, and go at 80% until the end is in sight. 
• This post about crossfit as a hobby vs. crossfit as a sport was well-written.  Basically, going to the CrossFit Games as an elite athlete is like competing in hockey for the Stanley Cup.  For the rest of us, crossfit is simply a form of exercise.  And to answer my own question about whether or not to scale 16.1, “mov[e] with integrity to get the best training stimulus.”

With that, I’m signing off for the weekend.  Good luck with your 16.1 attempts and may the odds be ever in your favour!  Let me know how it goes!