FAITH RXD Denver Chapter Coach, Mike Ray, has some great tips for Open Workout 20.4.
Galatians 6:9
“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
Think about this verse on your clean and jerks and at the top of the box. DO RIGHT. If you do the rep correctly, you won’t get no repped, and you will have life at the end.
In your workout, remember to be a good example to all around. If you are slaying the heavy weight, do so with humility to show God’s grace; if you are struggling with the second weight, do so with patience, so that you show God’s love through you. It’s ok to get frustrated, but keep your cool and remember the greater purpose. In 20 years, what will matter more: that you placed 20th at your gym in this workout, or you planted a seed in 20 people watching you humbly and patiently attacking this workout and thanking God for the ability to be there.
This one is all about Grace.. the clean and jerks not the salvation. Or maybe…
So this workout is a make or break on the barbell, you need to think about that, because that will be how you cater everything.
Movements
Box Jumps
Pace these from the beginning. If you do a lot of box jumps in your regular programming, feel free to rebound this. Otherwise, if you do not practice rebounding regularly- don’t do them here. You could put a lot of strain on the Achilles tendon, so consider step ups or jumping to the top of the box and stepping down keeping your pace very quick, but manageable. It’s better to keep moving than to sprint and stop here. Focus on heart rate control.
Pistols
If you struggle here, wear lifters. It will make the box jumps a little more difficult, but changing shoes will hurt your timing. Lifters also will help when the weight gets heavy. Make sure to not attempt more pistols than you can do without a rest. These take a lot of strength, and no reps can really wear you out. Pacing is best. Move efficiently, but make sure to control your pace so you aren’t fried for the weight after.
Handstand Walk
You know your max, and that will dictate much of this.
Since other people can change your weights, or you can set up multiple barbells, take advantage of this. Touch and go should really only be done on the first weight. Remember, if your heart rate goes, your body will fatigue a lot and the weights later will be much more difficult. Fast singles from the first weight jump is recommended even if you can do this touch and go. Jerking adds a lot of time under tension.
This should go without saying, but stand all the way up on the jerk, if you get no repped on a good jerk you cut short, you are wasting a TON of time. Don’t get lazy. Also, high temp plates don’t bounce as much (more for the ladies, as the 135 + weight won’t bounce too bad either).
Strategy:
“205/315 is a TNG weight in this workout'”
If this is you, by all means go to town. I still recommend breaking up the 85/135 to singles with a good pace. You need to forget about the tiebreak time here, because every rep at 315 jumps several spaces. Think about how many people can C&J 315, subtract out those that are going to be cardio blasted and not make it to this point, and your group is much smaller. So every rep will count here.
Pace everything, because your barbell is key to victory. You don’t want to stand around catching your breath when you want to be long haired Sampson ripping those heavy weights. If you have to squat these cleans at 175/275+, it’s a good idea to hit 1 below parallel at each weight so you can shock your body into knowing that it’s coming.
“175/275 would be a PR!”
If you are limited by the 4th or 5th weight, I want you to also forget about the tie break. Much like above, this is going to be much more of a payout to get 1 more rep, than 10 seconds on a tiebreak. Touch and go reasonable reps on the 1st weight, then settle into fast singles.
Touch and go at 135 is a huge waste of energy and time under tension. Start with pacing the box jumps and then the pistols when you get there. If you have to squat these cleans at 145/225+ it’s a good idea to hit 1 below parallel at each weight so you can shock your body into knowing that it’s coming.
“115/185 for 10 reps? Goodnight, ugh!”
If this is you, you are the tiebreak time hero here. This needs to be a push from the beginning. You want to pace enough to stay consistent, but you need to push it to that tiebreak time. Reps will not be as key at this point.
If you happen to finish the 115/185 weight, pistol reps will be a huge deal and each one will separate you as this is a difficult movement. If you finish the single leg squats go for the ‘new 1 rep’ so make sure to let yourself rest and take a few attempts.
You go this!
