The 2019 CrossFit Open has officially kicked off! Since the announcement some are calling this an old school CrossFit workout, others are saying it’s a tall athlete’s dream.
Tall or short, this workout is a grind and shouldn’t be underestimated. This one’s going to burn.
19.1 CrossFit Open Workout
15 minute AMRAP
- 19 Wall Balls (20/14 to 10’/9’)*
- 19 Calorie Row
*depends on age and division
19.1 Workout Strategy
Pacing is going to be absolutely key here. 15 minutes in the sport of CrossFit is a marathon, not a sprint. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Workout Transitions
Know what you’re doing with your feet in the rower. Don’t be a dummy and play around with the straps; practice your row-to-wallball transition a few times before starting the workout. Sitting on the rower isn’t the place to catch your breath… stand up and walk back to your wall ball station, picking it up without hesitation or thinking, “Why am I doing this again?”
Workout Pacing
This workout is about grit. It’s going to be 15 minutes in the pain cave, but 15 minutes across the grand scheme of your day is nothing. You’ve got this. Go into this workout with the intention of finishing at the same (or even at a stronger) pace than when you originally started.
A good number to keep in mind is about 85% effort as a starting point, hold that for 12 minutes, then ramp up those last 2-3 minutes for a strong finish.
19.1 WOD Set-up
Get the rower as close to your wall ball target area as possible. Bonus: try not to be somewhere in the gym where the lights are blinding your eyes.
Also, during your 19.1 practice reps, mark a spot on the floor where your feet should go for the wall balls. Place them here every time and avoid awkwardly-positioned reps where you accidentally start too far away or too close.
This workout is definitely one that can be done more than once… if you’re willing to re-enter that pain cave.
CrossFit 19.1 Open WOD Mindset Tips
Below is a collection of mental cues to repeat to yourself mid-WOD. You can write them on the floor, tell a friend to cheer you on, or simply internalize them during your warm-up.
- 12 minutes of steady, 3 minutes of ‘dark place’.
- Never hurried, never paused.
- No resting, always moving.
- For every pull on the handle, think “PULL” for every shot of the wall ball think “PUSH”.
19.1 Movement Breakdowns
Wall Balls
Use a ‘clearing stroke’ for your sets, rather than keeping your hands up the entire time.
- Don’t try to shorten your squat. Allow your body to come down smoothly and bounce back up from your natural bottom position. If you are highly mobile, this might mean you are getting well below parallel and that’s OK as long as you use the rebound out of the bottom. Extra effort to prevent depth will probably fatigue you. On the other hand, many people have a naturally shallow squat, so be sure to hit depth each rep!
- Set up your wall ball target as close to your rower as possible. Mark where your feet are in the optimal position so you know exactly how far to stand from the wall every time each round.
- Try to keep same sets the whole time. For example, 10/9 throughout is way better than trying to go unbroken, and then having to break it up into 5 small sets towards the end of the workout.
- If you struggle to get below parallel or tend to have squat issues, you can wear olympic lifting shoes to help you achieve optimal squatting position.
- Jump just a little bit if you start losing height and/or getting tired.
Rowing
- When it comes to damper settings, higher doesn’t necessarily mean better. Instead, check your drag factor. (It’s in the monitor settings and will largely depend on the altitude and humidity.
- Men drag factor: ~125
- Women drag factor: ~115
- Want an easier way? Just row between 4 and 6. Boom. Simple. Women on the low side, men on the high side of this range.
- Catch: for this workout specifically – try to keep your hips “high” on the rower to prioritize your posterior chain. If you get really “squatty” on the rower, you’ll be even more miserable on the wall balls.
- Stroke should be this sequence: Knees, hips, arms
- Finish: Slight lean back about 10 degrees, pull to the bottom of your sternum with extended knees, elbows in by your ribs.
- Recovery should follow this sequence: Arms, hips, knees
19.1 CrossFit Open: Masters
Masters are going to be following the same as above for the 19.1 workout , until we get to ages 55 and above. Here are your changes:
- Men 55+: 20 lb wall ball, 9’ target*
- Women 55+: 10 lb wall ball, 9’ foot target
19.1 CrossFit Open: Scaled
Doing the 19.1 WOD scaled? You’re looking at the exact same workout, just change the med ball weights.
- Men: 14 lb wall ball, 10’ target
- Women: 10 lb wall ball, 9’ target
Get full details on this week’s workout, competitors guide, tips, etc. at the official CrossFit Games website.