Week 4 is already upon us. CrossFit Open 18.4 is where things start to get nasty. Not simply in the intensity of the workouts, but in the disposition of many of the athletes. There seems to be a lot more people complaining this year, so much so that I’ve taken a brief hiatus from many of my (un)social media venues.
CrossFit Open 18.4 – the Workout
For Masters Men 55+, this is the WOD, and it’s for time:
21 deadlifts, 115 lb.
21 hand-release knee push-ups
15 deadlifts, 115 lb.
15 hand-release knee push-ups
9 deadlifts, 115 lb.
9 hand-release knee push-ups
21 deadlifts, 155 lb.
50-ft. bear crawl
15 deadlifts, 155 lb.
50-ft. bear crawl
9 deadlifts, 155 lb.
50-ft. bear crawl
Time cap: 9 min.
Overview of the WOD
The first half of the workout is one of “The Girls” – Diane. Though Dan Bailey was able to do this a few years ago in 1:35, typically it takes about five to nine minutes for mere mortals (according to BTWB). So many of us will struggle to get to the second half of the WOD which adds a significant amount of weight to the next rounds of Deadlifts. In this case, forty pounds for 55+ men.
My Strategy
When I began the 2018 Open I decided that I would a) Do All WODs Scaled, and b) do all WODs once – One & Done. That decision has made my 2018 Open much more pleasurable, but it has not helped my position on the leaderboard. In past years, I confess, I gamed the system, opting for a single Rx rep over getting a real workout for 9 minutes doing Scaled at 100%.
When this WOD was announced, I considered doing it Rx. That would start with 185# Deadlifts and 95# Push Presses. I figured I’d at least get to a couple Push Presses, so I’d get 22 or 23 points Rx, which would be far more valuable than anything I did Scaled on the Leaderboard.
Reality Check
I arrived at the gym a couple hours early on Friday morning. I had a hard WOD on Thursday, then I had a heavy round of drills on Snatch and Clean & Jerk at Barbell Club in the evening. So I was really ground down and not recovered. So I did a few light Deadlifts, then I loaded to the Scaled weight of 115#. They felt fine. I knocked of 10 with ease, so I added forty pounds. The 155 felt heavy, but I did 10 reps.
So I decided to check out Rx weight. I loaded the bar to 185# and I got it off the floor for a few reps. I knew that this was not a smart move. Yes, I could have completed 21 lifts in 9 minutes, but I was already feeling trashed. I had no desire to dig myself into a hole for the next few days. I decided to stick to my original strategy, the one I formulated weeks ago, before my ego raised its ugly head.
Results?
I did proceed with the Scaled workout, and I finished Diane in 5:11, leaving 3:49 to lift the 155# DLs. I was wiped out. I spent the next 3+ minutes doing singles. Lift, drop, reset, lift, drop, reset – Lather, Rinse and Repeat. I finished 17 of 21. I never made it to the Bear Crawls.
I am sure if I did this workout well-rested that I could improve upon that significantly. But NO, I did not re-do it on Monday after a two day rest. I stuck with my One & Done. But Spring is trying to happen in New England, so I may do this as a Driveway WOD in May.
One more week to the 2018 Open. I wonder what devious thing Dave is dreaming up for us.
CrossFit Open 18.3 Post Mortem
CrossFit Open 18.2 Post Mortem
CrossFit Open 18.1 Post Mortem
CrossFit Open 2018 Kick-Off
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