Open WOD 13.2: Plan the Attack
As most of you know, Open WOD 13.2 is out. If you have not had time yet, you can watch the amazing Annie Thorisdottir go head to head with Lindsey Valenzuela. You can also view some mobility prep and performance advice from K-Star’s crew. Even if you do neither of these things, if you are performing the WOD this week, you need a plan. Strategy. High-performing, veteran CrossFitters go into most WODs with a plan and definitely never start a competition without one.
The WOD is only 10 minutes of movements so you should need no rest: 5 Shoulder to Overhead (115/75), 10 Deadlift (same bar), and 15 Box Jumps (24/20). Let’s break it down by movement.
Shoulder to Overhead (5 reps 115/75)
This can be a shoulder press, push press or push jerk. If the weight is medium for you, you should be able to burn through the 5 reps with a push press (shoulder press is just too taxing). I did notice that Annie did some very slight jerks in between presumably to maintain her pace and decrease the risk of failure. Lindsay did almost all push press. Firebird athlete, Cali reported that this movement was the most difficult but could be done in 5 straight reps. She advises (wisely) to never let go of the bar in this movement; if you need to rest, do it in the rack position as you will waste valuable seconds dropping and reclaiming the bar (and it is only 5 reps per round).
If this weight is not medium for you in the push press, you should definitely take the time to push jerk it to avoid the wasted effort of a failed rep. Set up, and perform the jerk as pristinely as possible, just make sure to have the bar fully locked out and under control for a good rep.
Deadlift (10 reps 115/75)
If the Shoulder to Overhead is medium for you then the deadlift should be quite light. DO NOT procrastinate the transition. If this is a light deadlift, you should follow the bar down from the rack position after the Shoulder to Overhead and begin the deadlift, moving very quickly until all 10 reps are complete. Don’t even think of the Shoulder to Overhead and Deadlift as two separate sections- they are one, to be done unbroken; your hands can be in the same placement making transition easier. Cody considered the Deadlift phase to be his rest.
If the deadlift is not a light deadlift for you, you still want to start immediately after the shoulder to overhead. You may not be able to keep your hands on the bar the entire way down, but you need to reset and get on the bar very quickly to manage the transition lag. Then break the lifts into two sets of 5 making sure to reset very well at the bottom of each.
Box Jumps (24/20)
There is no reason to stop on the box jumps. If you are struggling, you can slow down from lightening speed to a steady rhythm. If you are on the verge of failure, step ups are allowed. After some experimentation, the consensus in the gym is that jumps are faster if the pause is at the top. For example, many people jump from the ground to the box and back quickly then reset, pausing at the bottom to do it all over again. It is better to think of jumping down from the box and jump back up as one set of movements with no pause and you reset/pause while at the top of the box. Remember, try not to double jump at the bottom as each motion should be directly gaining you a rep. Also, Cali says that it is easy to thrust your hips up directly after landing on the box to ensure a good rep- it is easy to get no repped on the box jumps.
Make sure that you watch the video of the standards; this can affect your planning- don’t waste effort on bad reps! Good luck, and we will see you on Saturday. If you are not competing, come out and see how you do on the WOD. If you come at 9 am you will be in time to cheer your fellow athletes on.
