My first introduction to CrossFit was by Olivia Ferguson – my best friend on my softball team at Francis Marion. She started the fall of our senior year, and I would tag along to not be alone in the apartment. But I wasn’t really interested in it. As I went to PT school the following year, the consensus was that CrossFit kept us in business. Those crazy athletes just moved around erratically and injured themselves, which led them to physical therapy. My first knowledge of Brandon Vaughn (part-owner of Vertex) was that he had a private practice within a CrossFit box – and that was a lucrative business model because they were always injured! Never did I think I would actually join a box myself or ever do CrossFit.

What I realized once I was out of PT school and began practicing was that all of my pre-conceived notions were totally false. CrossFit wasn’t a place where people did exercise with reckless abandonment.

I wanted to do Olympic Lifting because of Summer Strong. I knew without any introduction to Oly Lifts that I would end up injuring myself…and I knew I didn’t have friends. So, I finally decided to drink the Kool-Aid.  I joined CrossFit Soda City in June of 2017. What I realized the more that I went was that I found my new “thing.” I’d played softball in college for the physicality and for my Patriot-family.  I’d competed in Obstacle Course Races for the community and the challenge. And now I’d joined and began to love CrossFit for the community and the challenge.

So, what I learned joining a Crossfit Box is this:

1. These people are way nicer than any other people you’ll ever meet in any gym environment. They genuinely care how you’re doing and what’s going on in your life.
2. CF is not dangerous, if you’re being smart about it. You’ll always have people who take it too far – every box has “that guy.” But on average, people want to do it right and don’t want to get injured.
3. CF gives you that competitive environment if that’s what you’re looking for. You push yourself hard because you have something to prove to yourself or you have a love of competition. If you don’t want to go hard, you don’t.
4. CF helps you become a better mover. If you practice those motions, you build a better motor program for the motion. You get cleaner in your bar movements. You get better and faster.
5. CF changes people’s lives. People become motivated to become healthier. It’s not JUST about losing weight. It’s about getting strong: mentally, physically, and emotionally. It helps you see who you are and how strong you are. Can you get through “Fran,” can you get through the MetCon when you’re dog tired and worked 10 hours that day? Yes. You can. You’re a beast.

I love my gym-Fam. Is CrossFit for everyone? Absolutely not. That’s why we have so many options – Pilates, Barre, Yoga. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you move. Once we STOP moving, we’re much more likely to sustain injuries. Find your thing, Jelly Bean!

-Tristan Faile, PT, DPT, OCS, CF-L1

21-15-9 Reps For Time:

Deadlifts – 225/155 lbs

Handstand Pushups

Then,

21-15-9 Reps For Time:

Deadlifts – 315/205 lbs

50’ Handstand Walk After Each Set

Time Cap: 9mins

18.4 – ANALYSIS

I will admit, I have been impressed with the programming throughout the 2018 Open so far. But this one makes me happy in a way only CrossFit programming nerds understand. Not only did they bring back one of the classic benchmark “Girls” from the old days, CrossFit upped the ante and is giving us another opportunity to show how far our fitness has come over the past 15+ years.

Coach Glassman has always said to “master the basics of gymnastics”, and this year has shown us how important that tenet is to the current Sport of Fitness. For the first time, there are more gymnastics components than barbell weightlifting movements (at least through these first 4 weeks). Strength will always play a requisite role in being a competitive athlete – that will never change. But now we get to see another level of fitness testing in the worldwide arena.

While the first two movements themselves, Deadlifts and Handstand Pushups, are not the most difficult ones we train in the gym, they do play off of each other into a unique way to challenge posture, mechanics, and trunk stability throughout a workout. How do we make it harder? Add weight to the bar and three-dimensional body control while under fatigue. And still upside down.

Pacing the first half of this 18.4 will play a crucial role in your success, regardless of your ability or competitive goals. Quick Recap: Panchik broke his deadlifts (at 225, mind you) into sets of 6’s and 5’s JUST to save enough energy to maximize his efficiency in the HSPU and heavier deadlifts. Gudmundsson came out more aggressively, and he only gained 15-20 seconds on Panchik by the end of part 1. In the end, Panchik was able to hold his composure better than his Icelandic competition, and finished 55 seconds faster.

To look at their pacing another way, both of these athletes are capable of completing Diane in 2-ish minutes (if not faster). That means they did Diane at about 65-75% speed. In this 9-minute workout, patience is a virtue.

MOVEMENT TIPS

Deadlifts

• *It should go without saying, but if possible, load two separate bars with their respective weights. Don’t waste time changing weights if you can help it.*
• Breathe – Too often during workouts do athletes grab the bar from the ground, pull for as many reps as possible, then drop it without ever having thought about taking a breath. This will spike your heart rate way too early, and completely throw off any pacing strategy you may be attempting. In this workout, get tight, lift the bar, and reset at the top with a big quick breath. Each rep should be accompanied by one breath. That doesn’t mean “relax, stay loose, and hope for the best”. It means stay calm, stay tight, and knock out small sets without redlining before the race even begins.
• Push through the Ground – If you think about “pulling” every rep of these 45-90 deadlifts, your hamstrings and low back will go on strike. Keep your chest up, and use your quads to drive the movement as much as possible. If there is a major muscle group that is least involved in handstand work, it’s the quads. Despite the volume, the first deadlift bar is relatively light, so focus on technique more than speed or intensity.

Handstand Pushups

• Make Your Reps Count – Several things come into play when these Open standards are involved, but the most important thing is to make sure your heels cross the line at the top before you descend back into your next rep. That means: Pull your toes down toward your face (it will raise your heels up 1-2 inches), squeeze your glutes at the top to stay in a good hollow position, and fully extend your arms and shoulders through the end of the movement. Shortchanging these factors will quickly and dramatically cut down your range of motion.
• Kip Big, and Kip Hard – If you are dead set on doing these strict because you simply cannot figure out the kip to a handstand pushup, then it is what it is. But don’t rely on a half-hearted leg kick to get you any momentum out of the bottom. I always tell my athletes to think of these as Upside-Down-Thrusters: The movement starts with a violent squat from below parallel, and then the arms finish to lock out overhead. If you can get an efficient kip in this workout, you will save valuable energy in the shoulders needed for good deadlift mechanics. As a wise teacher once said to a young golf prodigy, “It’s all in the hips.”

Handstand Walk

• *Note: If you make it to the Handstand Walk, there is a good chance you have already practiced this movement. If this is your first time attempting the Party Trick of Fitness, consider going scaled, or devoting some practice time prior to the workout itself. Here’s a handstand walk progression to try against a wall or with a partner:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWDN313DwsE

• Grab the Floor – Handstand walking is not just an act of balancing on your palms while falling forward. Make your hands cover as much surface area as possible, and spread the load throughout your fingers. Increasing stability on the ground is required to gain your balance and control your entire body through space.
• Active Shoulders – As weird as it may sound, your arms become your legs, and your shoulders become your hips. This means that your shoulders need to be engaged the entire time, pressing through the ground to shift your weight from side to side to unload the hand that will be moving forward. Much easier said than done, but you cannot move your hand forward unless all of your weight is on the opposite hand first.

PACING STRATEGIES

For Those Who Are Trying to Finish the Workout:

• Big Deadlifters – If you struggle more with HSPU than deadlifts, do slightly bigger sets on the deadlifts and allow for more, smaller sets on the HSPU (5-5-4-4-3). The heavy deadlifts will feel probably feel MUCH heavier than it normally does, so plan on doing quick sets of 3’s and 4’s (MAYBE 5’s if you need to). Here’s a suggestion:
  • Deadlifts: 6-6-5-4, HSPU: 5-5-5-4-2, DL: 6-5-4, HSPU: 5-5-3-2, DL: 5-4, HSPU: 4-3-2

• Gymnasty Freaks – Go with smaller sets on the Deadlifts (5-5-4-4-3), taking VERY short breaks in between each set. Your personal HSPU skills should give you a good idea of how to break those up, as this will be highly individual to the athlete. Don’t go anywhere near failure during the rounds of 21 and 15, sets should not be bigger than 8-10 at the most. Unless you feel REALLY confident, and don’t mind redo-ing this on Monday if you game planned it wrong. Here’s a suggestion:
  • Deadlifts: 5-5-4-4-3, HSPU: 7-6-5-3, DL: 5-4-3-3, HSPU: 5-5-5, DL: 5-4, HSPU: 5-4

For Those Trying to finish “Diane” and MAYBE Get some Heavy Reps In:

• Go Big on your Strength, Leave More time for your Weakness – If you’re not happy about Diane, it’s probably because you struggle with one movement more than the other. That means this workout is all about just trying to beat your personal benchmark, or set one that you’re proud of for the first time. Pick your favorite movement out of the two, and go for bigger sets there. Find out what you’re made of, and have fun with it.

THE WARMUP

General Warmup:

• 5min Assault Bike – Start easy, increase intensity each minute to the finish.
• Row 500m @ 80ish% – Treat every pull like a Deadlift.
• 10 Pushup-to-Downward Dogs
• Row 500m @ 85-90%
• Foam Roll: T-spine Extension, Lats and Shoulders (if needed). Make sure you have full overhead motion and that your hips are loose.
• Banded Shoulder Stretching: If you typically do this to open up the shoulders, be sure to stretch out the pecs and lats. If this is not something you normally do, don’t start now.
• 25-50 Band Pull-Aparts or Face Pulls – Warm up the posterior shoulders

Dynamic Movement Prep:

• 3 Rounds:

10 Russian KBS – Moderate Weight, get the violent hip extension firing

10 GHD Back Extensions

Max Sorenson Hold – Get to the top of a Back Extension, and hold until just shy of failure

• Deadlift Prep: In Sets of 3 Reps – Work up to something heavier than the heavier Deadlift bar for a set of 1-3. Take as many sets as you need to in order to feel comfortable moving the heavier weight (Rx: Guys – 335+, Ladies – 225+). After you have reached your heavy set, strip back down to

• Wall Walks: After each set of Deadlifts, perform 1-3 Wall Walks into a Handstand facing the wall. Focus on active shoulders, pressing through the ground to drive your feet up the wall, and maintaining a tight midline throughout the movement. Don’t arch your back just to get your chest closer to the wall!

• 1min At Each Movement:

Hollow Body Hold – establish a good hollow position on the ground with arms overhead and legs straight out off the ground. Generate as much tension as you can, and maintain for as long as possible during the 1 minute station

Nose-and-Toes Handstand Hold – Walk up the wall into a handstand facing the wall. Drive your shoulders up toward your ears, pressing your hands into the ground. Squeeze your glutes and abs so that your stomach is not touching the wall – this should look like a good hollow position from shoulders to toes. The only things touching the wall should be your Nose and your Toes.

Handstand Walking – Depending on your skill level: Either spend some time working on a challenging HS Walk Progression, or Handstand walk in Specific Increments (pick a target distance, hit it, reset and repeat). Move with Purpose.

Specific Workout Prep:

2 Rounds For Time:

5 Deadlifts – Workout Weight

3-5 HSPU (Scaled: 5 Hand Release PU)

*Move Fast, but Smooth and Controlled. This should emulate the pace you plan to use during the workout.

After this last warmup piece, you should already be sweating and ready to go. Get your mind right, move around, but don’t get cold. Ideally, you should have about 5-8mins between your last warmup round and Go Time.

-Go crush it.

Sean Jacobs, PT, DPT, CSCS, CF-L2

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Reps For Time of:

Dumbbell Squats – 50/35 lbs.

Bar Facing Burpees

18.2 A

1-rep-max Clean

Time Cap: 12mins to complete 18.2 and 18.2A

Well, dumbbells again. This workout feels like the ghost of CrossFit past coming back to haunt the new-age Sport of Fitness. Among the original tenets of CrossFit during the formative days, Coach Glassman repeatedly expressed his love for dumbbells because of their propensity for creative usage. Some advice he would give early adopters would be “invest in dumbbells before kettlebells” and if you can’t afford a barbell, try doing Fran with a pair of 45’s… (trust me, it’s worse).

This workout essentially hits on every aspect of the spectrum that 18.1 did not. 18.2 is a dead- glycolytic- sprint to the end, and 18.2A affords you the chance to load it up and display some downright animalistic strength (should you have the capacity to do so). If 18.1 was the CrossFit version of the 5k, this is the CrossFit version of “Run 1 mile as fast as you can, then try to out-lift everyone who outran you”. Poetic.

While the movements may seem simple, performing them with efficiency will be the major key to crushing this one.

MOVEMENT TIPS

Dumbbell Front Squats

• I Heard You Like Front Racks… – I honestly don’t think there is a single MOST efficient place to rack the DB’s. Keeping your hands around the center of the bells will give you the most control, and will allow you to place them down exactly where you want to, which will save you seconds during the next transition out of the burpees. This will require a good front rack position, and the shoulder “shape” to comfortably let the ends rest on your deltoids or traps. HOWEVER, if it is a struggle for you to keep a grip on them, consider just resting them over your shoulders like two sandbags. The only rule is that your hands must remain in contact with the dumbbell at all times during the squats. You do not have to grip the dumbbell during the squats.
• Down Fast, Up Fast – Don’t waste any time getting down to below parallel. If you are a good squatter, or a seasoned Olympic-style weightlifter, you will most likely benefit from controlled “dropping” and “bouncing” out of the bottom. The eccentric (lowering) part of this movement will be responsible for blowing your quads up, so try to minimize that as much as possible.
• Wear Lifting Shoes, if you Always Wear Lifting Shoes – If you haven’t done a squat session or weightlifting session in recent memory without wearing a pair of high-heeled weightlifting shoes, this probably is not the time to change that. Most Reebok “lifters” have a fairly flexible fore-foot of the shoe, which really does not impede burpees at all. In other words: if you squat and clean better in weightlifting shoes, wear them in this workout. If it doesn’t really matter to you, then don’t worry about it. Squat efficiency will save your legs and heart rate during this workout, so do what you feel most comfortable with. Personally, I am better at pulling than squatting, so I will use my lifting shoes to maximize my efficiency with squatting the dumbbells, especially in the later rounds. It really isn’t going to take much away from my burpees, and I will already be wearing my favorite shoes to clean in.

Burpees

• Keep Those Feet Together – If you are doing this workout as Rx’d, you need to focus on keeping the feet together during the sprawl and rebound. CrossFit made it very clear this year that “walk-out” and “step-up” burpees are no longer allowed as a viable Rx’d option. This goes into my second point…
• No Missed Reps – A No Rep on the burpee will not only cost you an extra 2-5 seconds, it will also cost you a significant increase in heart rate, overall fatigue, and mental breakdown at the time you need it the least. Pay close attention to the movement standards on the website, and it will be WELL worth it to take them a half-second slower just to make sure you get every rep right the first time. (Vellner and Ohlsen were tied in the final round, then Vellner got no-repped on 1-2 burpees. Noah beat him by 15 seconds, 6% of the entire workout time.)
• Stay Tight Through the Trunk – It’s only 55 burpees total. Never more than 10 at a time. This means that it is NOT a long, slow, march to the finish. It is a springy, explosive, sprint to the end of the set. If you are going to rest, rest BETWEEN burpees. Don’t waste your time or energy trying to make the burpee itself slower. You will expend MORE energy doing the drop-down, worm-up type of burpee than you will if you make every one crisp. The beauty of this workout is that you can always walk up to the bar and jump over, but no matter where you start the burpee, you should try to get back on your feet as soon as possible. The best example I could find of this on YouTube is this clip of Mat Fraser:

https://youtu.be/2FL1NnAns6E?t=8s

In the video, you’ll notice that Mat does several very efficient things:

• He drops to the ground quickly, using his arms to absorb just enough force to land.
• His back doesn’t round or arch on the way up (no “worming” before he kicks his feet)
• Hips come up BEFORE his shoulders, or at least at the same rate.

Now, I’m not saying you have to do reps as quickly as Fraser. That would be ridiculous, and a poor strategy for us mortals. But you should try to get down to the ground and back up as fast as possible, THEN take a breath, step forward if needed, and jump over the bar with both feet. Rest happens between movements, not during them.

Clean

• Do What You Can – Unfortunately, if you are reading this post with the goal of learning for technique tips on how to do your first 1RM Clean, this isn’t the time or the place to safely learn that movement. What I will recommend, however, is the style of clean that suits you best.
• Power vs Full (aka caught below parallel) – “Athletes don’t rise to the occasion, they fall to the level of their preparation.” At the end of 18.2, I will guarantee your quads will be on fire, along with the rest of your perceivable body. We just saw Noah get pinned with a weight that was about 80-85% of his 1RM. And he is a freak. That is a testament to how exhausting the first part of this workout will be on the legs. If you are hoping to make it to Regionals, you already know that you will most likely have to put together a very good FULL Clean in order to score something respectable.

If you are simply trying to beat all of your friends and earn bragging rights for an extra 5 days, you have a couple different options:

• If your max Power Clean is >85% of your Full Clean, you should probably plan on ripping out a couple of good Power Cleans for your 18.2A Score. Your quads will be fatigued, and you should go with the movement that is most efficient FOR YOU. For Example: If your max Power Clean is 250, and your max Full Clean is 265, I wouldn’t worry about trying to catch your reps below parallel. Adrenaline will be your only saving Grace (pun intended) at this stage in the workout, and you shouldn’t be expecting a miracle of amazing technique during the full lift to save you. Warm up with the power clean, get your mind set on power cleaning when under fatigue, and be ready to pull the bar like there is no tomorrow.
• If you are a REALLY good weightlifter, and you rely on pulling yourself under the bar to catch the weight, then the Full Clean is the way to go. Rely on your technique, and pull yourself under the bar as fast as possible. Just be prepared to have very little juice left in the tank to stand it up, so make it flawless.

• Time It Right, and Know Who You Are – This workout separates people into 2 different categories: Good at 18.2, or Good at 18.2A. You should plan to maximize your score in ONE of these workouts. Don’t try to go slow at 18.2 just to get a mediocre Clean at the end. On the Flip Side, don’t try to set 18.2 on fire if you know you won’t have anything in the tank to even hit 50% of your 1RM clean. (See below for more Pacing Tips)

PACING STRATEGIES

For Those Who Love Seeing Burpees Come up in a Workout:

• Set It on Fire – Come out hot on 18.2, and don’t let up. Be confident that your burpees are your strong suit, and know that the dumbbells are not REALLY that heavy. During the squats, get the DBs racked, and just move. Hit the standards on every rep, and KEEP moving until all the reps are done. Then, remember, this is your time to shine. As Patrick said, you CAN do the burpees faster, you just don’t want to.
• Rest, then Pull – You should have at least 1-2 minutes of good, quality rest between the two pieces, so take your time, get your mind right, and hit quality reps. Your opening weight should be about 65-70% of your TRUE 1RM, and you will have about 3-5 attempts to make some small jumps up to your best possible score on 18.2A. Both Vellner and Ohlsen opened at 63% of their max Clean and Jerk (as posted on their profiles). And they finished with 92% and 88%, respectively. They took some big jumps as far as total weight goes, but the percentages should be a pretty good template for what most people should attempt during this workout

For those “Heavy Singles, ErryDay” Folks:

• Fly Through the Squats – This is the equivalent of a 115lb barbell Front Squat for the same rep scheme. Not that bad, so take advantage of it. Rack them, and knock out the reps like they are air squats.
• Bare Minimum Over The Bar – If you did 1 burpee every 5 seconds, that would add up to 5 total minutes of work. If you need to, set a metronome during the warmup to practice that pace. When you’re fresh, that is a slow burpee pace. You should be aiming to complete 18.2 in 10 mins, which gives you 2 minutes of time to post that beast-mode strength on the leaderboard. This is achievable, as long as you keep your eye on the prize and don’t let that negative self-talk creep in during rounds 7-10. Each burpee should be followed by a deep breath, step up to the bar, hop over, calmly turn, and repeat. (Go back and look at Movement Tips on the burpee to remind yourself how to do them efficiently.)

THE WARMUP

General Warmup:

• 5-10min Easy Assault Bike (or Jog, or Rower, if you still don’t have a bike)
• Bike Intervals:

3 Rounds: 15sec Sprint, 45sec Moderate Intensity. Active Rest 2mins after completion.

2 Rounds: 30sec Sprint, 90sec Moderate Intensity. Active Rest 2mins after completion.

**During the Active Rest, do any stretching or foam rolling that you specifically need

Dynamic Movement Prep:

3 Rounds:

• 1min Deep Squat Hold – get into a deep squat, focus on getting your back upright, and driving your knees out to exaggerate the demands of the squat. Hold each rep for 15-20 seconds, stand up, and repeat. Use a rig or band around hips for support if needed.
• Deficit Pushups – 10 reps. Get your hands set up on top of 25-45lb plates, laid flat of course. Then do slow, controlled pushups with a nice pause at the bottom.
• Ab-Rollouts or GHD Sit-ups (your preference) – 10 reps. Your anterior chain (“core”) will need to be turned on to make the burpees as efficient as possible.

Specific Workout Prep:

Clean – Work up to a heavy Single, either Power or Full. Your quads should already be warm and you should have an idea of how that will affect your lifting. NO MISSED LIFTS. The minute it turns into a struggle, that is where you stop. Take 75-80% of that lift, depending on which part of the workout you are prioritizing, and plan to open with that. There should be a 0% possibility that you miss your opening lift on 18.2A.

3 Rounds:

5 DB Squats – Lighter than you will use in the workout

5 Bar Facing Burpees – Focus on hitting EVERY standard, and making the burpee crisp

3 Rounds For Time:

4 DB Squats – Workout Weight

4 Bar Facing Burpees

**Focus on Transitions during these two warmup pieces. Set the DBs down fast, but calmly. Don’t waste valuable time chasing down rogue dumbbells across the gym.**

At this point, you should have a good idea of how the movements will play off each other, and how you will feel when it hits the fan. Get your mind right, move around, but don’t get cold. Ideally, you should have about 10mins between your last warmup round and Go Time.

-Go crush it.

Sean Jacobs, PT, DPT, CSCS, CF-L2