Workout of the Day

CrossFit Open  22.1

AMRAP in 15 Minutes
3 Wall Walks
12 Dumbbell Snatches (50/35 lb)
15 Box Jump Overs (24/20in)

Notes
If you were here in 2022, check your training log and see if you can beat your score today!

Scale as needed to complete at least 5 rounds of work today.

Wall Walk:
1-2 Full ROM
3 Partial ROM
20 sec Angled Inversion Hold (accumulate time as needed)

DB: Scale Load for 12 unbroken reps during most if not all of the workout

BJO:
16/12in

Programming Template: Week 1/8

Class is always better when Nora is there!

Danielle Brandon and Bethany Shadburne vs. 22.1

Danielle Brandon gets into ROUND 12 of this workout!

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH A

4 Rounds
40 ft Farmer’s Carry
directly into
40 ft Sandbag Carry

Notes
Warm up to RPE 7-8 for a 40 foot Farmer’s carry and a heavy sandbag carry. Complete 1 length of the gym carrying the farmer’s handles. Set them down and immediately pick up a sandbag and run it back to where you started.

Rest about 2 min between sets. You’ll be trading off with your fellow athletes, so keep the vibes high!

STRENGTH B

3 Rounds
80 ft Sled Push

Notes
Warm up to a sled weight about RPE 8-9 for a down-and-back push. Complete 3 rounds at that load.

Rest about 2-3 min between sets, trading off with other athletes.

The weight should be a serious challenge, but not so heavy that the sled stops moving at any point during your 80 foot effort (other than a very brief turnaround).

Programming Template: Week 1/8

Full house on a Monday evening

The Burden Run

Today’s workout is all about moving some mass through space. Get inspired by this short recap of from the 2013 CrossFit Games called the “Burden Run”. A classic!

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH

Front Squat
3×10-12, building

Notes
Our goal today is to accumulate some volume with technically sound, crisp reps and establish a baseline of good mechanics with the front rack position, vertical torso, and speed out of the hole.

This will be a moderate load and you should have 1-2 reps in the tank left until the final set.

METCON

Every 3 min x 5 Rounds
12 Unbroken Wall Ball shots
36 Unbroken Double Unders

Notes
Athletes have 90 seconds to complete the work each round. Any remaining time until the next 3-minute interval is rest.

If you are proficient at double unders, your goal is to complete 36 unbroken reps. If you miss before reaching 36 reps, restart your set from zero.

If you are still developing your double unders, do them today if you can perform at least one. Start by breaking the reps into smaller sets, and if needed, reduce the total reps per round. Suggested options are 32, 16, 8, or even 4 reps per round!

Programming Template: Week 1/8

Coach Clay’s Werewolf Game Deluxe screening at CFSBK this weekend

Workout of the Day

STRENGTH A

EMOM x 5 Min
3 Weighted Strict Chin-Ups (5 total sets)

Then rest 1–2 minutes and complete 1 drop set of max reps (bodyweight or assisted).

Notes
We performed weighted chin up intervals in the previous cycle. Use 4/14/26 or 4/28/26 as a reference for your chin up progression today.

Perform 5 total sets of work. You may build in load across the sets but performing reps on the minute will considerably reduce the load you’ll be able to use. All 15 reps today start from a dead hang with straight arms and finish with the athlete’s chin over the bar.

STRENGTH B

B1. Dual DB Bench Press, 3×8-12
B2. Barbell Romanian Deadlift, 3×4-6

Notes
Use a 30×1 tempo for both movements.

Perform 2-3 warm-up sets, then work up through three progressive heavy sets in the rep ranges. Aim to find something that feels like at least RPE 8 for your final 2 sets.

RDLs: Use a hook grip if needed, and also know that grip endurance is a part of what we are training in this exercise!

On alternating weeks you will perform this super set with the goal of either adding reps and/or increasing load.

METCON

For Time
50/40 Cal Air Bike
550 m Run

Notes
This is a simple but tough little workout. Intent < 6-8 minutes. Go hard on the bike and then try to keep your intensity up on the run.

Programming Template: Week 1/8

Workout of the Day

PARTNER METCON

2 Rounds For Time
20 Sandbag Ground to Shoulder
(Non-Working Partner Holds Handstand at Wall)
3000m Bike
(Non-Working Partner Holds Sandbag in Bearhug)
1000m Row or Ski
(Non-Working Partner Holds KBs in Suitcase Hold)

Notes
This long workout will challenge our aerobic capacity as well as positional and postural endurance… but luckily we get to do it alongside a buddy today!

Trade off with your partner as needed to maintain high quality effort for the duration of the workout. Reps on the sandbag, bike, and erg can only be counted up while your partner is in the required hold.

There are no prescribed loads today. Pick heavy implements that will challenge you.

Work hard and have fun!

Handstand Scale
A. Angled Hollow Inversion (wall facing)
B. Box Piked Handstand Hold

Programming Template: Week 8/8

Charlotte and Linus at CFSBK circa 2009. Happy Mother’s day!

ICYM!: When To Scale and When To Go Heavier

The balancing act between performing workouts with their intended metabolic stimulus versus going heavier or doing a harder version and being slowed down considerably can be somewhat nuanced. Here is an interview with coach David where he discusses this balance.

What did your journey with approaching the loads and movements in CrossFit look like?

When I started CrossFit, I was self-teaching myself the movements, so I did what I could and then practiced the movements that I didn’t know how to do yet. It took me about a year before I was doing almost everything “Rx’d”. The culture back then was pretty different in CrossFit with much more emphasis on the goal of doing the workouts “as Rx’d”. Times have changed, and even here at CFSBK we deemphasize that aspect of training, but it’s still important to be pushing past our comfort zones with the versions of movements we select. I definitely was biasing a heavier weight and slower times in the beginning, which helped me develop the requisite strength to be able to eventually move the standard weights. Back then, if it said do 315lb deadlifts and I was literally slogging through single reps and taking 15 minutes to do something that should have been done in 5, so be it. We don’t need to always take it to that extreme, but forcing myself to do weights outside my comfort zone on a regular basis had a profound effect on my abilities over time. That being said, I still scale workouts when it makes sense. Last week’s 115lb hang power snatches were a bit too much for me, so I did them at 95lbs. It was still hard, it still sucked, but I was able to hit the goal of the workout while still challenging myself. Similarly, I often do 9 feet on the wall ball target, although I do try and force myself to go for 10′, even if that means I’m doing sets of 5. There is absolutely no shame in scaling, and most people in class will be modifying something on the workout which is exactly how CrossFit’s methodology is intended to be executed, that being said, its important to not always take the familiar or comfortable path. I say this about single unders versus double unders a lot. People get comfortable with singles, struggle with doubles and just resign themselves to always doing the single under version. I like to encourage people that even if you have ONE double under, do a version of the workout that forces you do to double unders. Even of the white board says sets of 50 per round and you’re doing 5 per round. That’s 5x closer to developing your skillset than doing 100 single unders.

How do I know when to go heavier during WODs?

When you feel like you “own” a weight or are able to hit sets unbroken, then it’s time to bump it up. Don’t get complacent with certain loads. For example, if you’re always doing 65-pound thrusters, even if it still feels difficult, you need to start gradually adding five to 10 pounds to push your strength and comfort level. A little weight goes a long way. Even if you just commit to doing 70 or 75lbs every time thrusters come up, it’s going to compound. You’ll realize you can still get through the workouts, and people often profoundly underestimate themselves in my experience. If you always swing the 16 kg kettlebell, start venturing out to heavier territory as long as you feel confident in your technique, which might mean going a bit slower or breaking up reps more. The strength segment in class is not the only opportunity to get stronger. Every workout provides opportunities to tweak the stimulus. You’ll have to dip into loads or movements that intimidate you a little if you want to get better. Don’t stress about being “the last person to finish the workout”. Literally, every day in every class someone is the “last person”, but you know what? They’re still miles ahead of the millions of people sitting on their couch.

Any parting thoughts?

Use your coaches as a resource! We want you to improve and will always let you know how a movement looks and whether you should scale up or back down. Let us know you’re trying to get stronger and we can give you some thoughts about how to modify your workout intelligently. Also, make sure you’re logging and writing down both qualitative and quantitative data! You’ll never remember to go heavier on that barbell if you can’t refer back to previous experiences. Focus on writing notes specific to how heavy things felt and whether you think you could have gone a bit heavier and kept your technique together.