15.2 is a repeat of 14.2. We can expect a repeat in each year of Opens, so you may have done this one before. I had very few chest to bar pull ups last year and was disappointed that it was only going to be a short one for me. It was, with a total of 30 reps and only three minutes long. I've recently, thanks to improved shoulder mobility and some useful coaching, been able to knock out a few more chest to bars recently. Hoping to get a 6 minute workout this time! I'll update here after I've done it. (Update below!) For more specialised guides to 15.2, just plug "tips for 14.2 CrossFit Open" or similar into your favourite search engine.
Read the Standards
Carefully read the workout standards on the CrossFit Games website, Especially the variations (Masters, Scaled etc) that apply to you. Print them off to take with you to be sure everything is correct when you're setting up. Don't be afraid to question your coach if you think they've got something wrong, even they make mistakes! We want to do it right, and get a score with full integrity, Regionals Athlete or not.
Take Care of Your Hands
This will apply to those of you who are going to get more than a handful of pull ups. The scaled versions of this Wod could be worse for your hands than the Rx, as the easier movements may mean you may get a whole lot of reps. Most CrossFitters wear some sort of hand protection such as JAW Grips or Natural Grips. Remove lumpy callouses beforehand and use plenty of chalk for the event.
Warm Up
Don't vary much from your usual warm up routine, as this will help you stay calm and focused. 5-10 mins aerobic movement and dynamic stretching, then get onto warming up for the overhead squat and pull ups. Overhead squats are one of the biggest testers of your mobility in CrossFit. If you've never been able to do one at that weight before, plenty of time easing up to it may mean you get a good PR for this open. Shoulder dislocates, around-the-worlds, wall squats, OHS-ing with a broomstick and gradually putting up the weight will set you up to do something memorable.
To prepare for the pull-ups, whatever variation you are doing, hang from the bar, do hollow rocks, and activate your shoulders. If you're going Rx, do a few rounds of 5 reps light OHS and kipping pull ups. If scaled, do light OHS and one or two chin-over-bar pull ups or jumping pull ups. Rest 5 mins, going over your cues and visualising yourself flying through the workout with ease and grace!
To prepare for the pull-ups, whatever variation you are doing, hang from the bar, do hollow rocks, and activate your shoulders. If you're going Rx, do a few rounds of 5 reps light OHS and kipping pull ups. If scaled, do light OHS and one or two chin-over-bar pull ups or jumping pull ups. Rest 5 mins, going over your cues and visualising yourself flying through the workout with ease and grace!
Overhead Squat Cues
If you've been doing CrossFit for more than a few weeks, you'll know where your weaknesses are here. Keeping your shoulders active - that is, armpits and elbows out, squeeze the bar - will help you keep your balance and get that thing up again. Weight on your heels, knees out, hips forward, chest up, head neutral.
If you are confident in your OHS, still take the first few reps slowly to find your rhythm and balance before you start pumping them out. Lifting shoes, if you have them, will significantly help with your stability.
If you are confident in your OHS, still take the first few reps slowly to find your rhythm and balance before you start pumping them out. Lifting shoes, if you have them, will significantly help with your stability.
Chest to Bar Hacks
If you've never gotten a chest to bar pull up, or only a few desperate reps, I so understand you! If you've been eyeing up Open workouts from other years, you knew it was coming. Here's a few hacks to try. These are not for regular WoDs and skill work where you should be concentrating on achieving good form! These are just some ideas, well within the rules, that may help you get a few reps out in this competition. Yeah they're awkward, but less awkward than getting no reps at all.
• Do a normal strict pull-up as fast and as far as you can with your knees up, then when almost at the top kick down while yanking up and in with your arms. I managed to get 10 out like this last year with a underhand grip.
• If kipping, try jumping towards the bar. Start a foot or so in front of the bar rather than right under it to help you get momentum with your kip. Hold your whole body tight and think like a rubber band pinging to get up there.
• Switch your grip around. Try one hand underhanded and use that arm to tug your chest towards the bar at the top of the movement. Or try both underhanded if really struggling to get that chest to touch.
• Use boxes or plates. If you have a high bar, set them up on either side of the bar to stand on in between reps so that you're not using any effort more than required to get up there. Movement standard is that your arms must be fully extended at the start of the movement.
• Remember the bar only has to touch below the collarbone, often with thinking 'chest to bar' we frantically try to pull higher than necessary.
• If you've done everything right and still didn't get high enough, you may just need to rest longer before your next attempt. Sucks with the clock ticking, I know, but your body needs to recover enough to be able to do it again.
• This is (for the likes of us!) a max effort movement. Stop, shake your arms out, breathe and think through your plan for getting up there before each attempt. Don't panic. Remember there will be thousands of people around the world attempting to get their first chest to bar or chin over bar pull up this weekend. You're not alone.
• Do a normal strict pull-up as fast and as far as you can with your knees up, then when almost at the top kick down while yanking up and in with your arms. I managed to get 10 out like this last year with a underhand grip.
• If kipping, try jumping towards the bar. Start a foot or so in front of the bar rather than right under it to help you get momentum with your kip. Hold your whole body tight and think like a rubber band pinging to get up there.
• Switch your grip around. Try one hand underhanded and use that arm to tug your chest towards the bar at the top of the movement. Or try both underhanded if really struggling to get that chest to touch.
• Use boxes or plates. If you have a high bar, set them up on either side of the bar to stand on in between reps so that you're not using any effort more than required to get up there. Movement standard is that your arms must be fully extended at the start of the movement.
• Remember the bar only has to touch below the collarbone, often with thinking 'chest to bar' we frantically try to pull higher than necessary.
• If you've done everything right and still didn't get high enough, you may just need to rest longer before your next attempt. Sucks with the clock ticking, I know, but your body needs to recover enough to be able to do it again.
• This is (for the likes of us!) a max effort movement. Stop, shake your arms out, breathe and think through your plan for getting up there before each attempt. Don't panic. Remember there will be thousands of people around the world attempting to get their first chest to bar or chin over bar pull up this weekend. You're not alone.
The Aftermath
Stretch and roll out your tired bits, just after, later on and again the next day. Cheer on your mates. Maybe you've worked out how to do it better and want to have another go at it, great! Rest a couple of days and try again. No harm in this for those of us for whom it was short.
If you didn't do as well as you wanted, chill out. The overhead squat and whichever variation of pull up you do are actually really difficult things. How many people on the street even try to do what you're doing? You're pretty amazing for showing up and doing it at all. Go you!
If you didn't do as well as you wanted, chill out. The overhead squat and whichever variation of pull up you do are actually really difficult things. How many people on the street even try to do what you're doing? You're pretty amazing for showing up and doing it at all. Go you!
Update! (sigh)
I did it tonight. Warmed up well, banged out the OHS no problem, did the first 10 C2Bs well, pumped out more OHS easily with a minute to go, then struggled and no-repped through six C2Bs. Not happy with that, but it's such a short workout and my hands are fine so it's not a problem to do it again Monday.
I stayed afterwards and did 2x10 and 2x12 chest to bar pull ups with brief rests in between and very few no-reps. I worked out some more tweaks ready to do better next time. Then did some strict HSPUs and back squat sets, because I wanted to something that wasn't disappointing.
Here's some more tips I figured out with the chest to bar pull ups that I hope may be useful for you:
• We have a high pull up bar where I train so I need a box to get up to the bar anyway. For workouts that matter such as this one, I set up two boxes so that I can jump straight onto the bar, rather than reaching up from the side and having to get centred before starting the rep. You can see in the photos how that works. You could use plates in the same way if your bar is lower but still a big jump for you.
• Tight kip. Hips forward, not legs. Swing back, then bang the hips up to get the chest to bar. If you're just pulling with your arms they will cease to work very soon! Use that kip.
• I found reaching forward to the bar from about a foot away from it effective. To get quicker reps, as I'm doing them only one at a time, I jump forward onto the bar, use that momentum to get a big kip, get chest to bar then drop down and back to land ready for the next rep. Swing arms back, deep breath, go again.
I stayed afterwards and did 2x10 and 2x12 chest to bar pull ups with brief rests in between and very few no-reps. I worked out some more tweaks ready to do better next time. Then did some strict HSPUs and back squat sets, because I wanted to something that wasn't disappointing.
Here's some more tips I figured out with the chest to bar pull ups that I hope may be useful for you:
• We have a high pull up bar where I train so I need a box to get up to the bar anyway. For workouts that matter such as this one, I set up two boxes so that I can jump straight onto the bar, rather than reaching up from the side and having to get centred before starting the rep. You can see in the photos how that works. You could use plates in the same way if your bar is lower but still a big jump for you.
• Tight kip. Hips forward, not legs. Swing back, then bang the hips up to get the chest to bar. If you're just pulling with your arms they will cease to work very soon! Use that kip.
• I found reaching forward to the bar from about a foot away from it effective. To get quicker reps, as I'm doing them only one at a time, I jump forward onto the bar, use that momentum to get a big kip, get chest to bar then drop down and back to land ready for the next rep. Swing arms back, deep breath, go again.
Update on the Update
Did it this evening, 83 reps! Boom! Very pleased with that. Only 1 no-rep. Big improvement for me with my formerly feeble chest-to-bars. Getting some pretty wicked results out of our box too, so proud of my mates who went RX even though they weren't sure they had any C2Bs in them. And they all got some out!
How did you get on? Any more tips to share? I'd love to hear your ideas!