CrossFit Open Workout 18.1 – Post Mortem

I decided to not do the CrossFit Open Workout 18.1 on Friday. I took the weekend to recover, and did the workout solo on Monday afternoon, with Coach Jason judging my performance.

I have high hopes for the 2018 CrossFit Open series. I have matured as an athlete over the past year. It is affecting the way I have pursued fitness and competition. In past years I wavered between Rx or Scaled, with the purpose of gaming the Leaderboard. This year I put a stake in the ground. I will do all workouts Scaled and give my best effort.

This past year I have strived to understand proper scaling, and appropriate recovery. Sometimes that means I do fewer workouts than I’d like. Rather than chasing weight and reps, I pursue mastery and sustainability.

Now that may sound like a cop out, but the reality is that I embrace intensity, rather than volume. This mindset is what I took into the box on Monday when I did 18.1.

Men 60+ Scaled Workout 18.1

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
8 sit-ups
10 dumbbell hang clean and jerks (20# Dumbbells)
14-cal. row

My previous decision to “go scaled” made this workout viable for this old man. Losing Toes-to-Bar for Sit-ups saved my arms and shoulders for the other two movements. I had performed a couple tests to determine a reasonable metric to gauge my performance throughout the long 20 minute workout. I figured if I properly managed my breathing and my transitions, I could do well. I set a target of 250 reps as a goal I would be pleased with.

3-2-1-Go!

When I began I felt fine. My challenge was to not come out too hot. I felt fresh and each movement felt exhilarating. Several rounds in I was beginning to feel the row. I consciously focused on breath and on using leg drive, not arms.

The downside of doing sit-ups versus T2B was the transition time required to get down and then get up off the floor. The upside is that I can cycle anchored sit-ups much faster than I can lift my legs for knee-raises or Toes-to-Bar.

The Good…

The most exciting part of this workout for me was the realization that it was the first Open Workout where I worked non-stop. It was 20 minutes of constant motion. For the first time EVER, I didn’t stop hunched over a dumbbell, or a barbell, or a jump rope, and stare into space as I gasped for my next breath. I had succeeded in controlling my breath during each movement, and I was able to keep moving for the full 20 minute AMRAP.

The Bad…

The “Bad” is almost not worth mentioning because it is so minor. At least four times, I gave what I thought would be my final strong pull on the rower, expecting the monitor to roll over from 13 to 14 Calories. Wrong! I’d pause briefly, then have to give one more pull to get the screen to change.

Over the course of the 20 minutes, this faux pas probably cost me 10 seconds or so. Enough to transition to the sit-ups earlier.

The Ugly…, there is no Ugly

As mentioned a moment ago, I set a goal of 250. This was just short of 8 full Rounds. The reality was that I completed exactly 9 Rounds for 288 Reps. That’s 38 more points than I had set as my goal. Had I not messed up with those short pulls on the rower, I would have likely knocked out another round of sit-ups. I might have even hit 290. I will dispense with the Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, because I am very pleased with my effort. I had a strategy going in and I was able to hold to it throughout the entire 20 minute WOD.

Summary

This Open is the “No Stress Open” for me. I put a stake in the ground when I signed up that all WODs would be Scaled and all would be “One and Done”. There will be no Re-do, regardless of the score. My mindset going into this season was to just look at every Open workout as just another daily WOD. That is really what they are, just a little more challenging and a lot more hype. Rather than work myself into a frenzy about the WOD, I’ll enjoy the festive atmosphere of Friday Night Lights and the benefit of a Leaderboard of my peers.

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