Pic courtesy of crossfitgamesinfo.com Welcome to our new Strength cycle! Not only does this cycle start our next strength movement variations, but we begin our lead-up to the 2022 CrossFit Open. The Open will begin the last week of Feb and go for 3 weeks. Our goal is to up our movement efficiency and metabolic conditioning while still getting stronger, so we do our absolute best during the Open. So, on to today’s work…
Warmup:
Jog 30’ and back X5
Walking lunge 30’
Inchworm 30’
Bear crawl 30’
Reverse bear crawl 30’
Spider-Man Lunge 30’
10 Twisting Push ups
Super Squat Hip Sequence – see video below, courtesy of Mobility WOD
S/S/S:
Back Squats
5X5
Increase weight ea set
Video and description courtesy of Catalyst Athletics.Our Squat variation for this cycle will be the granddaddy of them all, the Back Squat. Our goal is to get a good cycle of basic strength building. This will help us with the rest of our strength movements this cycle.
Execution: Place the barbell behind your neck—retract your shoulder blades tightly and rest the bar in the meat of your upper traps. Place your feet between hip and shoulder width with the toes turned out so that at full depth each thigh and the corresponding foot are in line with each other. Set your back in a complete arch, take in a large breath, and lock it in, forcefully tightening all trunk musculature. Bend at the knees and hips simultaneously to move down as directly as possible into the bottom of the squat with an upright posture, maintaining tension on the legs throughout the movement and controlling the speed of the descent. Full depth is achieved when the knees are closed as much as possible without losing the arch in the back (if you cannot sit into a full depth squat, you need to work on mobility). Upon reaching the bottom position, immediately transition and stand as aggressively as possible, again with the knees and hips together to maintain your upright posture—try to lead the movement with your head and shoulders.
WOD:
5 Rounds of:
30-second Bottom-of-squat hold (hip below the knee) (cumulative total)
20 Air Squats
30-second Bottom of a push up hold (1-2 inches off the ground) (cumulative total)
20 Pushups
Videos courtesy of Reebok CrossFit ONE and Advanced Therapy Performance, respectively. Quick demos on the squat and push up holds. Today’s WOD will hit you in two different ways. The isometric holds will reinforce the positions in both the squat and the push up. The bottom of the squat forces you to keep the core tight and legs engaged to prevent folding over. The pushup hold will focus on shoulder/chest/triceps engagement and a tight core. The squat and push up reps will then push you for some good bodyweight endurance while fatigued. Remember, in the holds, the time listed is cumulative, meaning if you have to break before you reach the 30 seconds, stop the count, and restart once you are back in position.
Scaling Options:
Push Ups -> Off box or bench
Push Up hold -> Hold top position of a push up (plank)
