Workout

CrossFit Affiliate Programming, Workout of the Month

March 30, 2023 by
Photo Credit: Instagram @crossfittraining
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STIMULUS

Time | 15:00

Loading | 1/5

Skill | 5/5

Volume | 5/5

Video Overview: https://youtu.be/9jg-rUcsW1Q

GOALS

Intended Stimulus

  • 10:00-15:00.
  • Air squats completed with few to no breaks.
  • Sets of 5+ unbroken HSPU at a time.
  • Handstand walks in 3 sets or less.
  • High skill and redundancy between the HSPU and HS walks.

Coaching Goals

Coach athletes to maintain an upright torso while squatting.
Provide skill-based scaling options for all athletes and avoid the DB press/carry today.
Get intermediate athletes to attempt handstand walks under intensity.
Provide a challenge for all levels of athletes during the wall walk skill work.

SCALING OPTIONS

  • Overview
    Reduce the volume of air squats to 75-50-25 or 50-35-20 to spend no more than 3:00 on the first round.
  • Scale the HSPU reps to 3-6-9-12 for those who cannot string together 5 handstand push-ups in the warm-up.
  • Scale to pike push-ups on a box or the floor for athletes who cannot complete 3+ HSPU.
    Intermediate athletes can perform up to 3 handstand walk attempts/set. If athletes cannot complete 5 feet at a time, scale to 20 HS shoulder taps against the wall or off of a box.

Movements

Air squat | Reps, lunges
Handstand push-up | Reps, HSPU negatives, pike push-ups
Handstand walk | Attempts, HS shoulder taps on the wall, pike HS shoulder taps

LOGISTICS

Limitations

  • Partner option:
  • For time:
  • 150 air squats
  • 10 handstand push-ups
  • 50-ft handstand walk
  • 120 air squats
  • 20 handstand push-ups
  • 50-ft handstand walk
  • 90 air squats
  • 30 handstand push-ups
  • 50-ft handstand walk
  • 60 air squats
  • 40 handstand push-ups
  • 50-ft handstand walk
  • – Split all work evenly with one partner working at a time.
  • – Non-working partner holds the bottom of a squat during the air squats and a handstand during the HSPU and HS walks.

Other Considerations

Whiteboard Brief: 0-4
General: 4-14
Specific: 14-34
Break: 34-37
Workout: 37-53
Cooldown: 53-60

If no room is available, perform 20 HS shoulder taps either on the wall or in a piked HS on a box.

WHITEBOARD BRIEF | 4:00

  • Target time | 10:00-15:00.
    This high-skill triplet features two handstand movements that create a lot of overhead fatigue throughout the workout.
  • The air squats are high in volume and should be done quickly to elevate the heart rate.
  • The first round should not exceed 2:30; the volume can be reduced if you’re unable to maintain 20 squats/:30.
  • The handstand push-ups are comparatively lower in volume, but you need to be able to complete 5+ reps at a time in the workout. You should be able to do 7 unbroken reps in the warm-up.
  • HSPU may be scaled in volume or to pike push-ups with or without a box.
  • The handstand walks will be impacted by the HSPU and feel harder than usual despite the short distance. These need to be kept to 3 sets or less. If attempts can’t exceed 5 feet at a time, scale to handstand shoulder taps to keep the intensity high.
  • GENERAL WARM-UP | 10:00
    Goals
    Lead athletes through each exercise by teaching the next movement just as they finish the previous one.
  • Flow slowly through the first 2 sets of work.
  • Emphasize keeping the knees over the toes on sumo squats and the heels down on the narrow squats.
  • Demonstrate what full ROM looks and feels like when cycling squats quickly for the third set of work.
  • Athletes must complete 20 reps in the final :30 of warm-up squats to perform the full volume in the workout.

    Dynamic warm-up | 10:00
  • 1 set:
  • 10 leg swings/leg
  • 10 lateral leg swings/leg
  • 5 air squats
  • 5 sumo stance squats
  • 5 narrow stance squats
  • 5 air squats

  • 1 set:
  • 10 arm swings across
  • 10 arm swings overhead
  • 10 torso twists/direction
  • 5 air squats
  • 5 sumo stance squats
  • 5 narrow stance squats
  • 5 air squats

1 set:

  • 5 inchworms + 1 push-up each
  • :30 alternating spiderman stretches
  • :30 air squats

1 set:

  • 5 diver bomber push-ups
  • :30 squat-to-stands
  • :30 air squats

SPECIFIC WARM-UP | 20:00
Goals

  • Take 1:00-2:00 to demonstrate each wall walk variation.
  • Encourage athletes to start with fewer reps and increase volume as they warm up.
  • Look for all athletes to create a straight bodyline through their hips and shoulders at the apex of their wall walk.
  • Give athletes 1:00 to recover after the skill work. Then lead them through the HS walk progression using the verbal commands provided for each progression.
  • Look for athletes to be able to consistently perform 5+ ft of handstand walking to perform them in the workout. Scale athletes to HS shoulder tap variations as needed.
  • Finish by reviewing the HSPU head and knee position at the bottom. Give athletes 2 sets to test their reps.

Skill work | 7:00

Beginner: partial ROM wall walks.
Intermediate: 1-3 wall walks
Advanced: perform 1 wall-facing HSPU at the top of each wall walk.

EMOM 5:
1-3 wall walks

Handstand walk progression | 9:00
Demo each step of the progression.
Athletes spend 1:00 workout through slow successful reps of the progression.
Focus on helping athletes keep their arms locked out.

Progression // Focus
Handstand kick-up // “Keep arms straight and kick-up gently.”
Handstand shoulder taps // “Slowly shift the body weight from hand to hand to gently lift one arm at a time.”
Walk-to-wall drill // “Kick up as slowly as possible and move the hands as you start to fall forward.”
Handstand Walk // “Move the hands slowly as the legs fall forward.”

Handstand push-up review and test | 4:00
Demonstrate a proper tripod/headstand position and the knees lowering below the hips for the kip.
Less than 3 reps = scale to piked push-ups. 3-5 reps = scale volume. 7 reps = Rx.

2 sets:
1-7 handstand push-ups
– Rest 1:00 between sets.

BREAK | 3:00

WORKOUT | 16:00
Goals

  • Look for ROM in the squat. Cue athletes to stand taller and lean back at the top if needed.
  • Watch the legs as athletes perform HSPU. Ensure the knees go lower than the hips to create a powerful kip.
  • Watch for the knees coming so low that athletes fall off the wall. Cue these athletes to press their hips to the wall.
  • Assess HS walks from a side profile. Cue athletes to look between the hands and lean the hips forward to ensure the hips are over the shoulders and the hands don’t shoot too far in front of the body.

Look for
Air squat
1) Not squatting below parallel
2) Knees caving inside the toes
3) Weight shifting forward to the toes

Handstand push-up
1) Head and hands in a straight line
2) Knees not passing the crease of the hip
3) Knees lowering too far and falling off of the wall

Handstand walk
1) Reaching out in front with the hands
2) Hyperextending the spine and excessively bending the knees
3) Bending the elbows

Cues
Air squat
1) “Put your hips below your knees.” “Lower!”
2) Visually demonstrate to push the knees out.
3) “Glue your heels to the floor.” “Stand up through your heel.”

Handstand push-up
1) Demonstrate that the head and hands should make a triangle and cue to, “Lower the head behind the hands.”
2) “Knees to the chest.”
3) “Press your hips against the wall as the knees come down.”

Handstand walk
1) “Keep your eyes between your hands.”
2) “Push your hands down THROUGH the floor and reach your feet UP to the ceiling.”
3) “Squeeze the arms straight and press into the floor.”

COOLDOWN |
7:00
Goals
Record scores and clean up floor/wall space used for the workout.
Lead the class through both sets of stretching as a group.
Discuss any weekend plans athletes may have ahead of them during the stretching to build community.

Stretching | 7:00

2 sets:
1:00 foam roll lower back
:30 cat-cow
:30 standing pike stretch

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