Men’s Fitness Australia – June 2017

3 Ways to Win

There are three keys to owning your competition
at the CrossFit Open, says Mathews. You’ve got
to be strong and able to put up heavy weight
efficiently. You must master the skills that test
your agility, balance and flexibility, like tricky
double unders and gymnastic-based movements.
And, above all, you need to have enough
endurance to last through the grueling events.

1)STRENGTH

■Youaren’toften
going to see one-rep
max strength being
tested at the Open,
and though it’s great
to have big 1RM
numbers, says
Mathews, good
max numbers don’t
always translate
into good athletic
performances. “In
CrossFit, being able to
move 70–80% of your
1RM for multiple sets
will serve you better
in most workouts and
theOpenthanhuge
max numbers.”

HOWTOIMPROVE

Gain strength through
a powerlifting routine
like Wendler 5/3/1 or
a 5x5 scheme (five
sets of five reps) using
increasing percentage,
says Mathews. Being

2)SKILLS

■Pullups, chest-to-

bar pullups, ring and

bar muscle-ups,

handstand pushups

and walks, and double

unders all require

practice to perform

well and with

proficient in Olympic

lifts such as the

snatch and the clean

and jerk (including

variations such as

power snatches,

overhead squats,

and the hang

versions of the clean

and snatch) are

essentialtoCrossFit

success, he says.

efficiency, says

Mathews. “Multiple

sets of 10 or more in all

of these exercises are

common for a Games

athlete, and usually

therewillbesetsover

100onthedouble

unders,” he says. “If

you are struggling

with your technique,

youwillfindother

athletes quickly

pulling away

from you.”

HOW TO IMPROVE

Simple:Dothe

movements over and

over and over. And

then do them some

more. “Refine your

gymnastic technique

andkeepyourcore

tight to ensure

maximum muscle

activation and power

transfer,” says

Mathews. “When

these exercises are

done poorly, they

make you look like

a floppy fish, but

when performed

properly the body

moves through the

exercise effortlessly.”

3)ENDURANCE

■This is the main

measurable in the

CrossFit Open, says

Mathews. “The Open

workouts are designed

to bring athletes to

theirkneesandsend

weekend warriors

scurrying home with

shattered egos and

their tail between

their legs.”

HOW TO IMPROVE

Work in increasing

rep ranges with

decreasing rest to

force your body to

process lactic acid

and manage heart

“The Open workouts are designed

to bring athletes to their knees and

send weekend warriors scurrying

home with shattered egos.”

JUNE 2017 MEN’S FITNESS 47

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rate. The best tool to

do this is the EMOM,

or the Every Minute

on the Minute training

protocol, says

Mathews.

4 rounds of

16-minute EMOM

MINUTE 1

15 calories on the rower

MINUTE 2

10 power cleans

MINUTE 3

40 double unders

MINUTE 4

10 power jerks

Perform each move at

thestart of a minute.

Whatever time is left

after completion will

be rest until the top of

the next minute when

you move to the next

exercise. This starts out

very manageable but

will get harder as the

workload takes a bigger

toll and the body wants

to rest more.