16.2 Thoughts and Suggestions

“CrossFit Open Event 16.2” (RX Version)Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4, 8, 12, 16 or 20 minutes of:25 Toes to Bar50 Double-Unders*Squat Cleans*Begin with a 4-minute time cap. If 1 round is completed in under 4 minutes extend time to 8 minutes. If 2 rounds are completed in under 8 minutes extend time to 12 minutes. Etc., adding 4 minutes per round completed for up to 20 minutes.*Squat Clean Reps/Round*Round 1 – 15 reps (135/85 lbs)Round 2 – 13 reps (185/115 lbs)Round 3 – 11 reps (225/145 lbs)Round 4 – 9 reps (275/175 lbs)Round 5 – 7 reps (315/205 lbs)Initial thoughts:Your proficiency at Toes to Bar, while important here, will not entirely make or break this workout. One can certainly get away with breaking these up into smaller sets from the get-go (my initial idea, for myself, is 7-6-5-4-3, with breaks of 3-4 seconds between sets), and still have time to complete the cleans in the first, second, and maybe third round. Avoid going to failure in terms of grip endurance, as this will make every subsequent piece of the workout more difficult.Just as the guys in the announcement show, dropping each rep of the clean seems to make sense, as it's almost just as quick as Touch-n-go, saves the grip, keeps the heartrate under control, and also saves you from some eccentric loading on the downward phase. The only time I would go TnG would be if I only have a very short time to complete the reps under the cap in the second or third rounds.Whether RX or Scaled, most folks will not be getting past the 3rd round here (meaning completing 11 Cleans @225/145 for RX or 135/95 for Scaled). This means that the fight will be to complete the second round, then the subsequent TTBs and DUs with enough time to get as many reps as possible on the cleans. Every clean completed here will be a separator, so don't hold back if you've made it to this point. At the same time, every failed rep is a precious 10-20 seconds off of the clock, so be smart, and know your engine.Overall, this one can certainly be done twice, provided that you do not let yourself blow out your lower back by being lazy on the cleans. Again, it's ok to be breathing heavy coming off of the Toes to Bar, but having no grip or lat strength left is NOT ok.Suggestions:Your warm-up should start aerobically, working from low-effort pieces of 4-5 minutes, to some higher power pieces (think 60 seconds @90%, 60 seconds rest) on the Assault Bike or Rower.From here, mobility should be addressed, and I'm going to go ahead and defer to the great video provided by Invictus here:After this, take 10-15 minutes to warm up to a moderate to heavy single on the Squat Clean, approaching the heaviest weight that you will be able to get to in the workout. Not a ton of reps here, just prep your nervous system for something heavy.From here, running through a couple of abbreviated practice rounds of the workout to get a feel for it would be a great idea. Note: if you struggle with Toes to Bar, don't do a ton of them here in the warmup. You can also prime this movement pattern by working kip swings, GHD Hip extensions, Hollow Rocks, and anything overhead that forces you to internally and externally rotate. You can also work in rowing as a substitute for TTB, since this will create some minor fatigue in the gripOne Example:10 Calorie Row5 Toes to Bar20 Double Unders3-4 Cleans @ first weightRest 60 seconds, then..10 Calorie Row5 Toes to Bar20 Double Unders3-4 Cleans @ second weightAfter completing the workout, spend 10 minutes cooling down on the Assault Bike to flush out your legs.Good luck to everyone hitting this workout tonight, or over the weekend! If you have any questions, feel free to comment here or send an email to adam@fullrangecrossfit.com