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Open 2018 ReCap!

The Open this year brought with it not only a mixed bag of exercises, movements, and rep schemes, but one of emotions as well. For some of us, these workouts came with anxiety, a little trepidation and an obstacle or two to overcome. For others, they found new confidence in falling back on their well honed technique and experience to guide them through whatever the challenge was. But for everyone, these WODs brought excitement butterflies and a new opportunity to test how far we’ve come.
-18.1 tested our endurance, grip, and ability to keep moving for an extended amount of time.
AMRAP in 20 Minutes of:
8 toes-to-bars
10 dumbbell hang clean and jerks
12/14-cal. Row.
The big hiccup for most people during this WOD was those gosh darn Toes to Bar, whether it was attempting to get just one or trying to string them together more efficiently, the challenge still remained. But that didn’t stop members like Mandy H from getting through round after round of that workout despite doing those T2B one at a time! Even after having another baby just x months ago! Or Katie O. who despite breaking her arm 6 months ago (it’s a long story) got right back on the horse and did those T2B as prescribed!
It was a tough WOD for sure but nothing felt totally insurmountable or soul crushing, those types of workouts came later.
-18.2 and 18.2a brought us a “quick” burner and the chance to lift heavy with our hearts bursting through our chests.
Workout 18.2:
1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 reps for time of:
Dumbbell squats
Bar-facing burpees
Men use 50-lb. Dumbbells
Workout 18.2a:
1-rep-max clean
Time cap: 12 minutes to complete 18.2 AND 18.2a
This one was a double edged sword, because if you like burpees and moving fast, the first part was your dream, but a lot of those people started changing their tune once they got to the barbell. The opposite went for the big hitters who love the barbell day but tend to be busy on metcon days… let’s just say this WOD had something for everybody.
There were a lot of ups and downs that day, but also a lot of good moments. People like Coach Charley, whose game plan was to go fast enough to just get at least 1 clean. But ended up surprising himself by not only having enough time for 6 attempts, but also lifted 60lbs more than he originally intended! Or Sam K who PR’d her clean at 165! Talk about some heavy weight!
This workout, once again was attainable for most people and generally fun to do, it definitely had something everyone could enjoy.
-18.3 however, was a different story… There were definitely a few seemingly insurmountable movements that people struggle with sprinkled in throughout this one. Whether it was the double unders, the overhead squats, pull ups, and last but not the muscle ups (choose whatever variation you’d like).
2 rounds for time of:
100 double-unders
20 overhead squats
100 double-unders
12 ring muscle-ups
100 double-unders
20 dumbbell snatches
100 double-unders
12 bar muscle-ups
14 Minute Time Cap.
But just like the previous two weeks we rose to the challenge and pushed ourselves and each other to new heights. Jane F, longtime member, decided to do the Open totally scaled this year. And with it came the opportunity for her to get her first unassisted kipping pull up during this WOD! An amazing milestone, years in the making! Also during this workout Coach Carey was finally able to get her first muscle up! A true right of passage for every crossfitter- because we can all remember our first muscle up and all the trials and tribulations that went with it. Those moments when everyone around you is like, “ You were so close, you just needed to do this!” But one day will come where all those little parts just fit together and you get to appreciate the picture it makes.
For others the challenge came by way of double unders, for most this was the most dubs they’d ever had to do all at once. Much less doing sets of 100 multiple times. But a lot of people surprised themselves and made it through, whether it was trying to become more efficient or simply just chipping away at them. We got em done.
This WOD was challenging, but no one can deny that it brought us more opportunities for growth.
-18.4 threw a wrench in a lot of people’s Open Season. But I think deep down we were all expecting it. But I don’t think we expected it to be as challenging as it actually was. Heavy deadlifts and handstand push ups and then if you got there, you were rewarded with heavier deadlifts and walking on your hands for distance. Woof.
For time:
21 deadlifts, 225 lb.
21 handstand push-ups
15 deadlifts, 225 lb.
15 handstand push-ups
9 deadlifts, 225 lb.
9 handstand push-ups
21 deadlifts, 315 lb.
50-ft. handstand walk
15 deadlifts, 315 lb.
50-ft. handstand walk
9 deadlifts, 315 lb.
50-ft. handstand walk
Time cap: 9 min.
This one was a doozy, and the scaled variation with push ups and bear crawls was a fun, tempting alternative to take a little bit of pressure out of the WOD. But ultimately most of us gave it the old RX try just because it was 21 deadlifts and then 8ish minutes to get at least 1 handstand push up. Athletes like Mandy and Meridien who each were able to to get themselves a few HSPU despite their goal being only to get 1!
On the other end of the spectrum we had Cory, who was probably super excited to see this WOD announced. Being an athlete with a sub 3 minute “Diane” time and a former gymnast, the (typically) most challenging movements of this workout, the HSPU and Handstand Walk, landed squarely in his wheelhouse. He smoked this one with a score of 119, meaning through he got through the first 40 ft of his first 50 ft HS Walk.
We might not have all loved this WOD, but if anything it showed us where the chinks in our armor lay. And if you’re like me, I don’t plan on letting HSPU ever be my problem again!
-Last but not least we have 18.5 which was actually a retest of 11.6, also retested as 12.5! (Making it the most repeated Open workout of all time!) This a classic CrossFit couplet utilizing the deadly combo of thrusters and pull ups- something everyone could consistently mutually dislike.
Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes of:
3 thrusters
3 chest-to-bar pull-ups
6 thrusters
6 chest-to-bar pull-ups
9 thrusters
9 chest-to-bar pull-ups
12 thrusters
12 chest-to-bar pull-ups
15 thrusters
15 chest-to-bar pull-ups
18 thrusters
18 chest-to-bar pull-ups
This is a timed workout. If you complete the round of 18, go on to 21. If you complete 21, go on to 24, etc.
This WOD brought with it simple challenges, but they were still nonetheless challenging. For most people the pull up was the limiting factor. They could string together some kipping pull ups semi consistently but making the leap to Chest to Bar ended up being a big first step. I was really inspired by Dave L this past Saturday. He had already decided 4 weeks ago to do all the Open WODs scaled, but when he came in we got to talking and I told him if he could do at least a few C2B he should consider giving the RX a shot!
The weight of the thruster wasn’t an issue, so we spent a few minutes before the workout going over different pull up strategies that he could pull out of his toolbag when things went to shit during the WOD (as they are want to do). So with these things in mind, he tackled the RX variation and managed to do the most chest to bar pull ups he’d ever done in a workout! I think he really surprised himself, and went further than he thought he could. And it’s moments like those that the Open is all about. Helping each other reach new heights and new limits, while allowing a little group suffering bring us together.
And finally we have reached the end of the line. There were a lot of highs and lows the past 5 weeks but I think we can all agree that we came out on the other side, at least just a little better than when we started. And that type of incremental progress shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the small things that we do everyday that make up 50% of our lives and add up to be the big things later on in life. We are so proud of all of you who competed this year and surpassed your own expectations.
Until next year!