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CrossFit Open WOD 16.1 Strategy

Welcome to CrossFit Games Open WOD 16.1! Well, once again, we were surprised with a new movement – and also a long time domain. This workout is beautifully programmed, and it is actually one of my favorite of the longer Open workouts throughout the years.

It is a well-rounded test that includes upper body pulling (CTB Pull-ups), upper body pushing (Burpees), as well as on Overhead Lunge, which requires substantial overhead stability while simultaneously requiring significant support from the core muscles – not to mention the entire lower body is forced to do work.

Open WOD 16.1

AMRAP 20 Minutes
25 foot Overhead Walking Lunge (95/65)
8 Bar-Facing Burpees
25 foot Overhead Walking Lunge (95/65)
8 CTB Pull-ups

The Warm Up

The warm up should consist of general warm-up to get a light sweat going. Ideally, this should be done on the rower, since we will want to gently start to warm-up the grip, without fatiguing the grip substantially. As you progress through the rowing warm-up, start incorporating some faster intervals. It’s important to get your heart rate elevated by completing some intense “intervals” for 20-30 sec on the rower. This will prepare the body for the work ahead.

Next, you will need to do a bit more specific warm-up. The first step would be to loosen up the shoulder girdle. Include some Band Pull-Aparts, Face Pulls and Dislocates. Then move on to some short-duration dead hangs from the pull-up bar. Switch between engaging the lats, and letting the lats hang loose (scap pull-ups), but do not spend more than 15 seconds unbroken on the bar, or this will begin to fatigue the grip.

The next step is to really dial in that overhead position. Start with an empty barbell, and just lock it out overhead for 30 seconds. Feel the body reaching from the lats, and that the bar is supported by your entire body, and not just by your shoulders. Complete a couple reps of strict press, push press and push jerk with the empty bar. Try some overhead squats. Narrow your grip, and try some more. With each rep, your mobility will open up more.

Start with some bodyweight lunges. Stretch out the bottom position. Reach overhead while in the bottom position. Feel the hip flexors stretch. Add light load and continue the process of Overhead Lunges.

Finally, you will need to do a quick run through of the movements in the WOD. Nothing much, because you want to stay fresh. One or two rounds of 8 Lunges + 4 Burpees + 4 CTB should be perfect!

Warmup Summary:

General Warm Up
Loosen Up the Shoulder Girdle
Dial in Overhead Position
Bodyweight Lunges + Stretch
Quick Run Through

Other Considerations

This includes the set-up of your equipment. Try and keep everything as linear as possible so there isn’t a whole lot of wasted movement as you transition from exercise to exercise. Try and do your pull-ups at the end of your lunge steps.

The Movements

Overhead Lunges

This is not a movement you want to break the reps. 25 foot Lunge is about 8 steps for most people. Gather yourself, lock in the overhead position, and make sure you can complete 8 steps (only 4 per leg) without setting down the bar.

If you need to recover, do it by performing slow burpees, or by breaking your sets of CTB Pull-ups. When performing this movement, think about what I said in the warm-up – Reach from your lats. Don’t make your shoulders do all the work. Let the body support the weight for you.

The discussion of snatch-grip versus clean grip is relevant. If you have the mobility to use a clean-grip, this will allow you to stack the load more efficiently. However, if your mobility necessitates that you take a wider grip so that you can keep the bar back over your mid-line, than that is what you must do.

Make sure to take steps that are wider than a straight line. If you try to walk a tight-rope, your balance will suffer, and you will expend excessive energy trying to maintain that straight line. Instead, each step should be 12-18 inches outside of the straight line. This will also allow the glutes to handle a significant portion of the load, and not have to rely as much on the quads to perform all the work.

Burpees

This should be the opportunity for you to recover during this workout. They are essentially performed as “singles” naturally, and unlike the Overhead Lunge or a Pull-up, which are rewarded for not breaking the set, burpees provide no such reward.

Keep breathing, try to stay composed. At a minimum, you must go slow enough that you can make the next 8 steps of lunges unbroken before moving on to the Pull-ups. It would be a huge mistake to try and make up time on the Burpees. Over the course of 20 minutes, the cumulative fatigue would be debilitating.

Final note on the Burpee is to discuss the jump up/down method versus the step up/down method. It is a fact - it cannot be argued - that the step method will keep your heart rate lower, and allow you to sustain composure through these reps. Whether you jump or step down isn't quite as important as stepping up out of the burpee. In the 16.1 announcement show, Chyna was jumping out of her burpee and Emily was stepping up. The difference in recovery, with everything else equal, is why she was able to win that workout by 10 reps.

CTB Pull-Ups

The Pull-ups are really sort of a break from the pressing that the shoulders have to do during the lunges and burpees. It still requires substantial support from the shoulder girdle, but more posterior. For top athletes, these reps will be done unbroken without any issue.

If you can complete 20+ CTB Pull-ups unbroken, than you should do all 8 reps unbroken from the very beginning. There are no other pulling movements in this workout, so you should be able to sustain this load from round to round
If you struggle to complete 15 reps unbroken, you will feel like you should do these unbroken, but it will be a bad idea over the course of 20 minutes. I would advise 2 sets of 4 with a very short rest.
If your max unbroken CTB Pull-ups are about 10 reps, you should be doing sets of 3 and 2 the whole time.
If your max reps are well under 10 reps, you should do singles, the entire workout. Just a quick fast rep and reset, and right back up. This way you don’t have to perform the negative (lowering portion) and it will save you more energy, as well.

Overall, the name of the game is pacing.

Find a sustainable pace, and do your best to maintain it throughout the entire workout.

Good luck!

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Bryan Boorstein

Bryan started training with weights at 14 years old. He was playing varsity basketball as a Freshman, and needed a way to keep pace with the older boys.

What started as a tool to enhance another sport eventually turned into the full focus of his career. At James Madison University, where he attended with San Diego Athletics co-owner...

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Open WOD 16.1

AMRAP 20 Minutes
25 foot Overhead Walking Lunge (95/65)
8 Bar-Facing Burpees
25 foot Overhead Walking Lunge (95/65)
8 CTB Pull-ups