First, lets talk about cleans and snatches. Variations include power clean, squat clean (also known as the “full clean”), and hang clean. Of course, you’ve got to be proficient with each of these at high reps and a good 1RM.

In this installment, I’m going to cover the lifting movements of Competition CrossFit. There’s a lot to cover, so let’s just jump in and get started.

First, lets talk about cleans and snatches. Variations include power clean, squat clean (also known as the “full clean”), and hang clean. Of course, you’ve got to be proficient with each of these at high reps and a good 1RM.

However, to be successful in the Open, you’ve got to really be able to barbell cycle. For snatch, the basic parameters are pretty much the same. Strong 1RM and good volume with all the variations: squat, power, and hang.

But watch out. For both these movements, be sure that you are comfortable moving through both heavy and light weight quickly. And for both of these movements, it’s not always a barbell. You’ve got to prepare for doing them with kettlebells and dumbbells. Ideally, you’ll have been training all year long with these tools, and you’ll feel comfortable with heavy weights and high reps.

Now let’s move on to another foundational movement, and one you’re likely to see in the Open: the deadlift. Let’s face it: CrossFit loves deadlifts. Last year, we saw something new in that there were low-rep, heavy deadlifts in the Open. But, traditionally, competition CrossFit loves high-rep deadlifts.

Be sure you’ve established a strong posterior chain, maximized your 1RM, and worked to be comfortable with high rep sets. If you’re concerned about injury from high-rep deadlifts, think seriously about how you are working on your posterior chain in the time remaining before the Open.

Of course, we can’t talk about CrossFit at all without talking about squats, and in competition CrossFit, you’ve got to expect squats. High rep squats area staple at Regionals, and CrossFit loves to program overhead squats for every level of competition.

Back squats never come up, but you should be working on them all year to develop strength and sound fundamental movement patters. Variations to prepare for include air squats, of course, but also wall ball, weighted pistols.

Next, there’s no avoiding thrusters. CrossFit, and CrossFit’s signature workout, Fran, have turned the whole world on to thrusters, and it’s hard to imagine a CrossFit competition without them.

Although we have seen a 1RM for this movement at Regionals once and once at the Games in the Master’s Division, you should expect high reps. To be successful in the Open, men should be competent with high reps with weight ranging from 95-135 pounds, women with 65-115 pounds.

Shoulder-to-overhead is a CrossFit competition term that sometimes was referred to as “shoulder-to-overhead anyhow.” The standard for the movement is the range of motion, and the manner in which the lifting is executed is up to the competitor. Legitimate shoulder-to-overhead movements include jerk, press, push-jerk, push-press, and press. Again you need a high capacity for barbell cycling.

Ground-to-overhead, like shoulder-to-overhead, term that describes the range-of-motion requirements and not the manner of lifting (in the past, this was sometimes referred to as “ground-to-overhead anyhow”). Legitimate ground-to-overhead movements include both snatch and clean-and-jerk, plus what I can “clatching” – a clean grip, snatch-like movement.

Barbell cycling is a key ingredient in successful CrossFit competition.

Remember, whatever you may think of these “anyhow” movements, these are not traditional weightlifting movements, and they are not intended to be judged by Olympic standards.

These are competition CrossFit movements, they are clearly defined, and they are judged by simple, “functional” criteria – can you move the weight from position A to position B. And these movements are critical to success in competition and you’ve got to deal with them in high volume.

In this video, I am going to dig deeper into the topics and talk you through the salient points:

Another competition weight -lifting movement you will see is lunges. By itself, lunges are not a weigh lifting movement, but in CrossFit competitions, you’ll commonly see weight carried overhead, and sometimes in front rack or backpack position. Outside of competition, lunges are often regarded as a ”supplemental” movement, but CrossFit has made it a standard in competition. So, you’ve to to be able to lunge well, and do so with weight.

Last, there’s sumo deadlift high-pulls. This movement, infamous and passionately debated in the fitness community, is a standard CrossFit movement that you may see in competition.

This movement has been at Regionals and never in the Open, but it’s on the CrossFit main site, and there’s no reason to believe it won’t come up at any level of CrossFit competition. Love it or hate it, you have to be proficient with the movement if you want to be successful in competition.

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The list is long. As the Games, Regionals, the Open and other competitions have evolved, so too have the movements you need to know. Here, I’ll talk about what you need for the Open, some things you might see in the Open, and what it takes to compete at Regionals.

Let’s start with barbell movements. You need not only a high one-rep max for each lift, but you’ve also got to have proficiency with barbell cycling in high rep ranges. Barbell cycling is a key element of competition CrossFit, and something that in many ways defines CrossFit as the unique sport that it is. The barbell movements include everything from basic power lifts (like deadlift and press) and the clean-and-jerk and snatch, as well as movement styles unique to CrossFit, such as thrusters, ground-to-overhead, and shoulder-to-overhead. Plus, there are many variations for these movements—too many to describe here. So you’ve got to be very comfortable with a huge array of barbell moments to do well in the Open or at Regionals.

In gymnastics, you’ll need to have mastered a wide range of basic and specialty movements, and again in high-rep sets. With handstand push-ups, you’ll probably be looking at kipping, but don’t be surprised to see another variation, such as deficit. No, we haven’t seen strict HSPU yet in the Open, but I think you should not be at all surprised if you do. To be successful in the Open, think about getting comfortable with 75 reps within 8 minutes. For muscle ups, let’s not fool ourselves—strict is a real possibility for the Open; but you’ll almost certainly see ring MUs and don’t be surprised if there are bar MUs tossed in this year. With toes-to-bar, you probably should be able to hit 25-rep sets; high-rep T2B is CrossFit right now. Pretty much the same goes for chest-to-bar pull-ups—think high volume. Will you see handstand walking in the Open this year? It’s a real possibility. After all, last year they created a 25-foot lane for walking lunges for the Open; what’s to say they couldn’t use that lane this year for handstand walking? It’s fairly straightforward to judge and score, so I think it’s a real possibility. For Regionals, you’ll want to train for 180 feet or more, and sprints of 100 feet.

Now let’s talk about some other movements. Something that you just have to accept as a Fact of Life in CrossFit is double unders. This is one of the first movements of CrossFit, and if you don’t have them, you simply can’t be successful in competition. Work on hitting 400 reps with unbroken sets of 30-50 reps. And when it comes to another classic CrossFit movement, wall ball, you’ve got to be ready for high reps as well. Work on sets of 50-55 reps. Remember, we’ve seen the equivalent of “Karen” (150 reps) in the Open a few times combined with other movements. And there’s no way to leave out burpees and all the many variations. Especially expect bar-facing burpees. You might see burpee box jumps and maybe even lateral burpees. There are always burpees; it’s just a matter of what variety and in what rep scheme.

Traditional box jumps are a possibility, but box jump-overs are more likely. Other movements include Pistols, which are expected at Regionals and a real possibility in the Open. You’ve also got to expect GHD sit ups in high reps (up to 100-rep range). Prepare also for kettlebell snatches, something I consider a replacement for the swing, which is harder to judge. Of course, prepare for rope climbs. And you’ve seen overhead walking lunges in the Open and you’ve seen them at Regionals, so get set: CrossFit loves a good overhead walking lunge.

As far as machines go, CrossFit has always loved Rowing, but if you’ve been rowing for distance, you’re on the wrong track. In competition, it’s all about calories. When you row for calories, it’s really about power output, and that’s should be trained differently than rowing for distance. Consider when you compete against your gym buddy, and his 60 calories gains him 750 meters, but your 60 calories gains you 1,150 meters. Know the difference and train for it. Assault Bike may be added, and it’s a whole different beast from rowing. Regionals have been using TrueForm running for a while, and it’s also something to consider, but unlikely in the Open.

In the end, remember that when it comes to the Open, CrossFit loves what’s easy to judge and easy to score, but they also love to throw a curve ball. So while this is a long and complete list, prepare for surprises.

In the following video, I talk you through CrossFit’s movements and prepare you for what you can expect in competition workouts:

You might be cutting it close right now, but you might want to jump on board with my 2017 CrossFit Open Prep Workouts. This is just an 8 week program, you may only get through the first 4 or 6 weeks with time being so short.

You can, during the course of the rest of the year, try my 12 week CrossFit Open Prep Workouts. At the end of the day, if you want to compete, it is a year long commitment to training.

It’s a great motivator to keep you pushing hard throughout the year instead of just jumping on board with new year’s resolutions and resolve. Those tend to burn out for a lot of people by the end of the first month, if not sooner.

The CrossFit Open is a great way to have clear cut goals with a dedicated workout regimen that takes your through the whole year. Can’t get any better than that, no matter what level you are at and what your ambitions are ultimately.

The post 2017 CrossFit Open Prep: Movements to Master appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Nobody died at last year’s Reebok CrossFit Games. If Dave Castro’s recent announcement is any indication, CrossFit HQ considers that a missed opportunity.

On the 4th of July, Captain Smug combed his mullet back and made the first event announcement for the 2016 Games: Murph. In the California summer heat, with weight vests. Because last year, when multiple athletes were carted off the field on stretchers, suffering from dehydration, heat stroke, and rhabdo, it wasn’t quite dangerous enough.

The Internet, predictably, went nuts. That cheeky Dave Castro, there he goes again! What a daring thing to do! How fitting to announce it on the 4th of July! This is going to be so much fun to watch!

First let me clear something up: It is in no way an appropriate or fitting thing to announce a workout on Independence Day, whether it’s the most popular Hero WOD or not. It’s called Independence Day, not Memorial Day or even Veterans Day. Last I checked, there’s not a WOD commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, or Bunker Hill, or Yorktown. So announcing Murph on the 4th of July is no more clever or proper than if he’d done it on Christmas.

But there are more important reasons to be upset with Castro’s announcement.

The Sport of Putting Athletes at Risk

The field at last year’s Games after Murph more closely resembled a Casualty Collection Point than an elite fitness competition. People experienced actual, life-threatening medical emergencies as a result of reckless programming and brutal conditions.

This is not funny. It’s not cheeky. It’s not okay.

But of course, since CFHQ is essentially a professional Internet trolling agency, they’ve been lapping up the attention. They even gleefully posted video from the Fittest on Earth documentary showing last year’s carnage. Then they took to the comments section, arguing with the hundreds of people raising valid concerns over the safety of the athletes and presentation of the sport to the general public. And all the while, the comments, likes, and shares kept adding up.

The ever-increasing physical insanity presented by the competition programming at the CrossFit Games is bad for the sport, bad for athletes both professional and amateur, and bad for the fitness movement in general. The more dangerous the Games become, the more harm is done to every affiliate with the word “CrossFit” emblazoned on their sign.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

The arms race that is Games programming is in blatant denial or defiance of the responsibility an entity as powerful as CrossFit HQ. Because so many eyes are watching and taking what they do as an accepted standard, the moral and responsible thing to do would be to display measured leadership and intelligence. Instead, Castro ups the ante, and their social media team fans the flames.

As much as we try to insist that the CrossFit Games aren’t CrossFit, the Games are the face of CrossFit to the public. When people see elite athletes performing crazy feats of fitness, they are impressed, and maybe a little intimidated. When they see them failing, hurting themselves, and being carried away on stretchers, they’re scared shitless. A big reason affiliates all across the country are starting to drop the CrossFit name is that the image of CrossFit as a fitness regime is increasingly terrifying. Nobody wants to go to a gym where they perceive there’s a good chance of leaving in an ambulance.

“It can kill you,” he said. “I’ve always been completely honest about that.”

Greg Glassman, CrossFit Founder, New York Times

It is disingenuous for CrossFit to simultaneously insist that it is the fitness program for everybody, while its most prominent actions actively dissuade most of the general public from ever considering it.

But the fallout from the dangerous and reckless programming at the Games extends even to your local community. The accepted level of risk presented by the CrossFit Games influences local competition programming and risk tolerance. If the temperature and humidity spike the day of a local throw-down, how likely is the director to reschedule or move the competition indoors? The CrossFit Games would never do that.

CrossFit has demonstrated that athlete safety is not a concern to a competition director. After all, the athletes know that there are risks, so it’s really their fault. Caveat competitor and all that. Rory Mckernan went as far as to say that blaming the heat injuries suffered by athletes last year “is like blaming NASCAR for car accidents.”

Of course, anybody know knows anything about NASCAR can tell you that the analogy is as appropriate as it is unflattering. NASCAR has specifically engineered its races for the past couple decades to precipitate huge, dramatic accidents between multiple cars, and it thrives on the giant pile-up as a key part of its attraction as an entertainment product. So is Mckernan unwittingly saying that CrossFit will continue to place the lives of its athletes at risk for the entertainment value? Hmm.

The attitude and actions of CrossFit also demonstrate a lack of respect for the athletes competing. These are people who have staked their whole lives and careers on the sport, and their effort has allowed CrossFit to offer up increasingly lucrative purses to Games winners and podium finishers. This has placed the top-tier athletes in a position where they almost can’t say no, no matter what sort of physical dangers are presented in the name of topping last year’s show.

This Is Why They Hate Us

If you’re wondering why people hate CrossFit, look no further than the way CFHQ presents itself and its sport to the world. When a journalist publishes another article about how dangerous CrossFit is, or an industry professional rails about what a disaster it is as a fitness program, or when your doctor looks at you sideways when you mention you do it, this is exactly why.

Am I calling for a boycott? No. Maybe. The CrossFit community, quite apart from the corporate entity, prides itself on being a positive agent of change. At some point, that change will need to occur within the sport itself. Preferably, we reach that point before an athlete dies on live, national television.

There is one parallel afforded the July 4th announcement. When the American Colonials petitioned King George III for redress of their grievances, their concerns were ignored and they were slapped with further sanctions. In response, the colonies became united as States, declared their independence, and fought a war to separate themselves from the tyranny and deaf ear of their oppressors. If the rank and file CrossFit athletes and fans who are making their voice heard continue to be ignored, there won’t be a war, but they will declare their independence from King Glassman and his court jester Castro just the same.

For my part, as CrossFit has become more and more irresponsible with the use of the power of their position, and as their product has become less compelling as an example of fitness to which each of us should strive, I find myself less and less likely to watch it. What you do in response to CrossFit’s actions is up to you. But I have more constructive ways to use my time than watching this year’s edition of Survivor: CrossFit Island.

Teaser photo courtesy of CrossFit Games.

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