Workout

CrossFit Affiliate Programming Workout of the Month: December

December 19, 2022 by
Photo Credit: @crossfittraining
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CAP Workout 221220

  • RX
    AMRAP 12:
    50-ft. handstand walk
    20 toes-to-bars
    10 push jerks (105/155 lb)
  • Intermediate 
    AMRAP 12:
    20 shoulder taps in the handstand
    10 toes-to-bars
    10 push jerks (75/115 lb)
  • Beginner
    AMRAP 12:
    50-ft. bear crawl
    10 hanging knee raises
    10 push presses (35/45 lb)

Tools for Success

Coaching Tools and Demo Videos

Coaching and Scaling for the Stimulus

Overview

  • Time domain: 12:00
  • Loading: 3/5
  • Skill: 5/5
  • Volume: 3/5

Intended Stimulus

  • 4-6 rounds
  • Complete push jerks in 2 sets or less.
  • Toes-to-bar in 3 sets or less.
  • Spend no more than 1:00 on handstand walks.

Coaching Goals

  • Work with athletes on getting more comfortable while inverted.
  • Prioritize landing with locked-out arms in the push jerk.
  • Scale to maintain the kip swing skill during the toes-to-bars.

Scaling Overview for Coaches

  • Prioritize maintaining the technical complexity of one movement while reducing the complexity of the other two to avoid forcing athletes to struggle at all three movements.
    • For example, have an athlete practice handstand walk attempts while using options for the toes-to-bars and push jerks that allow them to finish those movements in 1-2 sets each.
  • Athletes will have varying handstand and handstand walking abilities. Scale them so they can develop confidence moving to or closer to an inverted position.
    • Use the warm-up to help athletes build capacity in the handstand walk and to determine each athlete’s scaling option.
  • Adjust the height of the toes or knees to allow athletes to maintain the kip swing. Ensure athletes avoid swinging back and forth with no control.

Scaling Movements

  • Handstand walk
    • Distance, 20-30 shoulder taps in handstand or pike, bear crawl
  • Toes-to-bar
    • Knees-to-armpits, knees-to-chest, hanging knee raises, sit-ups
  • Push jerks
    • Load, DB push jerk, push presses

Partner Option

  • AMRAP 14:
    25-ft. handstand walk
    10 toes-to-bars
    5 push jerks (105/155lb)

    Partner one will complete an entire round, and then partner two will complete an entire round. Partners will switch full rounds for the entire AMRAP. The goal is to “sprint” each round.

Detailed Class Plan

Timeline Overview:

  • Whiteboard Brief: 0-3 minutes
  • General: 3-18 minutes
  • Specific: 18-36 minutes
  • Break: 36-39 minutes
  • Workout: 39-53 minutes
  • Cooldown: 53-60 minutes

Whiteboard Brief | 3 minutes

  • Today’s workout offers many opportunities to practice and dial in both gymnastics and weightlifting skills.
  • In the warm-up, you will practice getting upside down and finding your workout option. Keep moving through the handstand portion of the workout, but be sure to challenge yourself to do something you don’t normally do.
  • Keep toes-to-bar reps to three sets or less. If you have toes-to-bar, but not the volume of 20 per round, cut the reps to no fewer than 12.
  • Use a weight on the push jerks that allows you to perform at least 7 reps unbroken in the warm-up. This will set you up nicely to perform at least a couple of rounds unbroken and no more than 2 sets in the later rounds.

General Warm-up | 15 minutes

  • Equipment: PVC pipe or stick.
  • Demonstrate and coach athletes through the first set. Then, allow athletes to move on their own through the second set.
  • Once you start teaching kicking up to the wall and toes-to-bar, be sure to show athletes each step. If there are athletes that are not comfortable kicking up, have them perform a plank hold or pike hold from a box. Be sure to reference today’s workout video.
  • If an athlete reaches a movement they can not do as toes-to-bar reps get more advanced, have them return to their last successful movement in the progression.
  • By the end of this warm-up, athletes should know what to perform for both the handstand walk and the toes-to-bar.

Dynamic Warm-up | 15 minutes

  • 2 sets of:
    PVC pass-throughs
    20 Alternating shoulder taps in a plank
  • 2 sets of:
    5 push-ups to down dog
    10 tuck-ups
    15-m bear crawl
  • 1 set of:
    10 kip swings
    5 wall kick-ups (quarter height)
    10 hanging knee raises
    5 wall kick-ups (half-height)
    5 knees-to-armpits
    5 wall kick-ups (full)
    5 toes-to-bar
    5 walks to the wall

Specific Warm-up | 18 minutes

  • Overview
    • Equipment: barbell and light plates.
    • Show athletes how to safely get the bar to the front rack. Review setup, bar path, and overhead positioning during the shoulder presses.
    • Lead athletes through 5-7 reps at each progression. Rest athletes between progressions.
    • After the push jerk progression, have athletes build up to their working weight across the 3 sets. Athletes should perform both the push jerks and toes-to-bar unbroken in all 3 sets.
  • Overhead warm-up | 3 minutes (of the 18)
    2 sets:
    10 shoulder presses
  • Push jerk progression | 9 minutes (of the 18)
    1. Jump and land (hands at shoulders) // Hip extension and torso position
    2. Jump, punch, and land with arms extended overhead // Hips and legs extend before the punch
    3. Push jerk with empty barbell // Pulling head out of the way
  • Loading up and test run | 6 minutes
    3 sets:
    7 push jerks
    5-7 toes-to-bars

Break | 3 minutes

Workout | 14 minutes

  • Goals
    • Take the opportunity to help improve each athlete’s handstand walk. Even if some athletes are not getting upside-down, there are still opportunities to improve their skills and progress them forward. Focus on the kick-up, the hands, and the midline. The kick-up needs to be under control. The arms should be locked out and the hands should help the athlete move. Their mid-section should be tight with their eyes spotting their hands and their rib cage locked down.
    • Ensure athletes receive the bar with locked-out arms on the push jerk. Athletes must be actively driving themselves down and underneath the barbell on every rep.
  • What to look for:
    • Handstand walk
      1) The arms are bent.
      2) The rib cage sticking out.
      3) Not able to find balance before walking.
    • Toes-to-bar
      1) Losing the swing.
    • Push jerks
      1) Receiving the bar with bent arms.
      2) Not extending the hips completely.
  • Coaching Cues
    • Handstand walk
      1) Cue the athlete to press into the floor.
      2) Cue the athlete to bring their ribs toward their hips.
      3) Cue the athlete to bring their trail leg around faster or not as fast, depending on where they are at.
    • Toes-to-bar
      1) Cue the athlete to stop the swing and restart by pressing down first.
    • Push jerks
      1) Cue the athlete to drive themselves down under the barbell.
      2) Cue the athlete to jump then press under the bar.

Cool down | 7 minutes

  • Goals
    • Give athletes 3-4 minutes to clean up and recover.
    • Have athletes grab a thin band for the pull-aparts.
    • Demonstrate the stretching in the cool down. Let athletes move through this at their own pace.
    • Check in with athletes to review their handstand walk progress and/or the effectiveness of the handstand walk scaling options.
  • Stretching
    3 sets:
    :20 doorway pec stretch/side
    20 banded pull-aparts

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