Let’s talk about 14.1. 

*note: if you don’t care that much about The Open, I hope I can help change your mind, BUT you can also just scroll to the bottom for some nutrition tidbits for today. I have a recipe for you, and I go through what a morning of eating around my training might look like for me.

Now, back to the Open! SNATCHES and DOUBLE UNDERS… a spicy couplet that, believe it or not, does require some thought and preparation. Yippee! I am pretty happy about this, but I have heard a number of conflicting feelings from members, friends, and fellow CrossFitters. Where do you stand?

I think what will make or break this workout will come down to 2 things..

The first is pretty obvious: how are your double unders? That will be the limiting factor, especially for many of you first-timers; but have no fear! Take this as a chance to set a new PR, work on a skill that you might frequently avoid, or just to set a benchmark to work towards improving for next year.

Second, for the more advanced folks, how long can you go unbroken on the snatch? For these guys the double unders will be a no-brainer, but holding onto the bar will take a lot of mental fortitude.

Here are my tips for going into this first Open workout:

• Take time to warm up! I would recommend about 30 minutes. Start by getting your engine warm (think row, air-dyne, etc), then prep your calves for the beating the double unders will provide with some mobilizing (try and do more of this the day before too). Next, you’ll want to ratchet up the intensity a little bit by going through the movements to prep your body and nervous system for the workout (at least one round of the AMRAP).
• Now, onto the workout; It is 10 minutes; you can push for 10 minutes, so pick a pace (and pick intelligently), and whatever you do, try not to slow down; rather, take the last minute and put it into full speed ahead. It will hurt, but it will also be over fast, so think about that finish line and the goal you set ahead of time.
• On the snatches, most of us will want to start from the very beginning with power snatches, NOT muscle snatches. This might work for the first round or two, but save that extra energy and drop under the bar with even the slightest knee bend. Trust me on this one.
• Then, it’s time for the real skill test. For the double unders, try to stay calm and collected. The more frustrated you get, the harder it will be to find any sort of rhythm. Also, be sure to lay your rope down so it will be easy to grab again. You’ll waste so much time trying to unwrap a twisted rope on the next go around, if you don’t!

Here is an awesome video by the folks at Mobility WOD. I LOVED watching these last year (even though I didn’t do the open because of an injury). As a coach, there’s never a limit to how much we can learn from other coaches. I take any chance I get to go up to San Francisco CrossFit and meet with Kelly and Roop.

Have fun, guys! The Open should be uplifting and community building. And whatever you do, don’t underestimate this workout because it’s light… these are the scariest ones… Enjoy!

And now for my nutrition tidbit for today…

Here is what yesterday morning’s meals looked like to help give an idea of how I balanced my macros to support recovery from training, while pretty much following with CrossFit prescription (you’ll understand why the “pretty much” shortly).

I woke up about 7:00 am, and usually I would have coffee, get work done, and eat a Perfect Foods Bar first thing to prepare for training and let my body wake up, but today, I had to get into the gym early, so I could take our pup to the vet for surgery (this broke my heart by the way; my dogs are my children, as you’ll come to learn).

Here she is recovering from surgery with her little sister Kali

So, I woke up, had a big spoonful of coconut oil to fuel my training, and then my ATP Mechanix pre (the greatest supplement I have found to date), and headed straight to the gym to train. Post workout, I had ATP Mechanix post, and then came home to make a real meal. I very rarely have protein shakes after I train because I feel best recovered with real food. So on to my meal for this morning.

I measured this one out to be a nice big 5 block, which fueled me up for the busy day ahead of me because I knew it would be awhile before I could eat a meal again. Let me fill you in on a little secret, thinking ahead is so helpful.

As you prep meals, think about what your day will look like. When will you get to eat next? Should you make enough for two meals to pack away half for later? These are the kinds of things that will save you a headache and a bellyache.

So what did I have…

This kept me full for the day, until I had time for a snack about 4 hours later, then I had dinner. I never felt hungry, I was able to focus on my work, and I felt good for training the next day.

Let me know what you think. And always feel free to comment with questions or thoughts.