How about Open Workout 23.1? Mark Vácha's tips

Author Marek Vácha and RUFF training team

CrossFit season 2023 is here! With the announcement of the first CF Open workout on Thursday 23.1, the global cascade of qualifiers leading up to the summer CrossFit Games has officially begun. And it's the first workout of the first phase, the CrossFit Open, that we'll now take a look at.

So what is it all about?

WOD 23.1 is a 14-minute AMRAP that consists of the following combination of exercises:

AMRAP 14min

• 60cal Row
• 50x T2B
• 40x WBs @9/6kg
• 30x Cleans @61/43kg
• 20x Ring Muscle-Ups

... so your goal is to get as far as you can in a given combination within the 14 minute time window, or if your fitness is at a higher level, start a second round.

Warm-up

It's good to remember that this is a long workout ... believe that thorough physical and mental preparation can help you significantly to perform better. In terms of physical preparation for a given combination, I would recommend a 3 phase warm up:

1. General body activation, warm-up

Here I would recommend using the machine that you will subsequently use in the workout - the rower. A possible suitable warm-up could be the following diagram:

2-3 Sets :

• 45s. Row @lehce
• 30s. Row @medium pace
• 15s. Row @ higher pace

- no break between sets

2. Mobility part, warm up

There is no need to spend any extreme amount of time here, however it will definitely be nice to try and move the chest and hip area in general in some way. For example, you can use the following exercises:

Thoracic Spine Extension x 45-60s. / 2 sets (1:32 - T.S.E.)

Worlds Greatest Stretch x 5/5 reps / 2 sets

3. Specific Warm up

The last part will be a specific try out of the racing combination. Working through the given exercises in a light warm up before the actual workout is a key point of the warm up for both physical and mental preparation. It's always good to not only know what you're getting into in theory, but to get a slight feel for what the body can expect.

2-3 Sets:

• 12cal Row
• 5-10x Toes To Bar
• 10x Wall Balls @9/6kg
• 5x Power Cleans @61/43kg
• 1-3x RMUs (if you can do the exercise)

- 1 min. rest between sets

... while on T2B I would choose the number you plan to go in the workout (but I wouldn't go more than 10 reps in the warmup)

Game plan & key points of the workout:

Before the actual workout, it will be good to understand what the combination is, the numbers of each exercise, and where the actual problem is likely to be. For both Row, T2Bs and WBs it's good to think about what pace/unbroken counts we want to keep, and then try to stick to that throughout the wod. It's a good idea to be realistic about this, otherwise you may run out of capacity after a few minutes of workout and the rest of the time will be both very unpleasant and unnecessarily inefficient.

Row

• One sustainable pace throughout
• You don't want to get too tired here
• Men around 3 min. / women around 4 min.

... there is no point in pulling the oar fast here, it's better to go slower for a while and then continue smoothly into the rest of the workout than the other way around, in most cases it won't be a good signal if you get off the machine first.

Toes to bar

• Break them up into more sets of fewer reps
• Short, equal-length breaks between sets
• Sets of 5 reps with short breaks in between can work very well for most athletes

... in that total volume, smaller sets with short pauses will be a better choice, you don't want to get to the point where you have trouble performing T2B alone. If you feel that maybe 5 reps is too much and you would have to extend the pauses in between unnecessarily, then reducing the number of reps and holding the same pauses in between would be a better choice.

Wall Ball

• Stick to the plan you've set for yourself
• Test the standard of WBs before the wod (the touch of the medicine ball must be clearly above the set line)
• 2-3 sets max: a decreasing reps scheme may be good for the psyche (ex: 25+15)
• Avoid unnecessary no reps: squat depth, lunge above the set line

... as with T2B, pauses between sets of WBs will play an important role; it will be better to go for smaller numbers with short pauses than the other way around

Clean

• Go fast singles = drop the axis after each repetition
• If you have the option, choose reels that "bounce" less
• Don't waste time on perfect alignment to the axle, don't go 1 RM max
• Try to catch the axis with both hands at once, it can save time in the end

... overall the whole wod is very challenging to grip, no point trying to go multiple reps unbroken here, rather go quick singles and save a bit of hands for the following RMU. The speed of the singles will play a role, a possible strategy might be to go for example 5 reps in quick succession, and then a shorter rest break.

-After completing the Cleans there is a so called Time Break = if you know you can't do the RMU or most likely you won't complete the full 20 reps, don't waste time 30 P.CL . and complete them as soon as possible = if you and someone else have the same result, this time will play a role.

Ring Muscle-Up

• Allow yourself time to prepare and avoid no reps if possible
• Don't go big the first set: better to go right away with fewer reps, but steady
• Watch out for the final finish in the dip phase, you don't want no reps
• In case you are attempting your first RMU, it may be advisable to catch the rings through a False Grip grip for easier transition through the rings

... if your goal is to make it to the next qualifying stage of the CrossFit season, the quarterfinals, you will probably need to:

• Women: 1-2 RMUs / if you can't RMU, get through the "time break" as quickly as possible and then attempt your first RM
• Men: 10 RMUs or more

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