14.5….If you haven’t done it yet today is your last chance.  This is an epic workout, and we will be talking about it for the next 365 days.  If you are avoiding it, I would suggest thinking twice about that.  No one has died, or been seriously injured, or maimed doing this workout.  I’m not gonna lie to you……it was brutal.  Ask yourself why you are avoiding it.  Think about your answer.  Think about where you want to be with your fitness.  Think about where you want to be with your life.  Think about whether or not you will ever get there if you don’t step out of your comfort zone and push yourself beyond what you ‘thought’ you could accomplish.  Im not just talking about the physical aspect but also the mental aspect.  Do you have the mental toughness to reach your potential and accomplish your goals?  Because that’s what it takes brothers and sisters!  Mental toughness carries over into every other aspect of your being.  This workout will test you mentally as much as physically.  Most of you didn’t sign up to beat Rich Froning or Sam Briggs and win the Open.  You signed up to see where you stand and challenge yourself to do your best in 5 workouts.  Finish what you started.  If the weight is too heavy for you, man up, take a zero for your score, scale the weight, and do it anyway.  Or…. come up small, and avoid this workout, and a month from now ask anyone who did it how they felt afterward, and I guaranty, after they tell you about the pain and the agony, they will tell you they are glad they did it, and proud of the accomplishment, and you …. will be left wanting.

And yes……..I am talking to you!

Todays workout for those of you who have already done 14.5:

A)  Power Clean

3-3-3-3-3

@ 65-70-78-86-94%

B)  3 Rounds For Time:

Run 400 Meters
12 – Deadlifts (@Bodyweight)
21 – Box Jumps (24/14)

Scale deadlifts if needed to keep form throughout the workout.

3 Rounds For Time of:

500 Meter Row
50 – Kettle Bell Swings (53/35)
50 – Sit Ups (Abmat Anchored)

CROSSFIT GAMES OPEN WORKOUT 14.5

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:

95-lb/65-lb Thrusters
Burpees

Holy Shit!  Grab your wrist wraps, knee sleeves, headbands, and water bottles, because this may take a while!  The clock can’t save you!  168 reps and you have to complete them all to get a score.  It’s a world of suck…. a gut check…..a man maker…….and it’s going to feel like you were hit by a truck for a few days.  My advice is to attack it like a Hero workout.  Quitting is not an option.  Have a plan to break up the thrusters and just try to keep moving on the burpees.  This is one of those workouts where you will need to get into a zone and not look at the clock at all.  Move efficiently, rest as little as possible, and keep grinding until you get through the round of 12.  At that point it will be a 100% effort piece, and you will need to move as quickly as possible on the last 3 rounds with little concern for the fact that your lungs will be on fire.  Chances are you will probably not die, which may seem unfortunate at that point, but the fact is you may need to just finish it, and roll around on the floor in pain for about 20 minutes until you get the feeling back in your body.  Whatever your time is, completing this workout ‘as required’ is an accomplishment, and is very impressive.  We will definitely need some post workout liquid carbs for this one!!

A)  EMOM 12 Minutes

Odd Minutes:  1 – Power Clean + 1 – Hang Squat Clean

Even Minutes:  5 – Strict Pull Ups (1 second pause at bottom with full extension)

– Attempt to complete this with the heaviest weight you think you can sustain for the entire 12 minutes.  Add or subtract weight as needed.

B) “Tabata Bitches!”

Tabata Row
Tabata Wall Ball
Tabata Air Squat
Tabata Sit Ups
Tabata Double Unders

Complete 8 Rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each exercise.  You can start on any exercise you choose.

– Single unders are not allowed for this workout. If you haven’t learned double unders yet, then do 20 seconds of double under attempts.

– No rest between exercises.

A)  Shoulder Press 5X5

Suggested loads:  55-65-70-78-86%

B) 21-15-9 reps, for time of:

Front Squat (95/55)
Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
Burpees 

After doing 14.4 the first time I knew I wanted to try it again.  After trying it again I wish I hadn’t.  1 rep less! Man that sucks.  But you know what?  That’s the way it is!  That’s in the past and I’m looking forward to 14.5.  One last workout and we have all set the bar for the next 365 days of training.  What ever it is, we will analyze it, figure out the best strategy to attack it, and have at it one more time.  Looking forward to this one more than the last 4 because I know no matter how hard it is, and no matter how painful it gets…. it’s the last one!  Then we can all sit back, and gauge our performance.  We can see how we rank against hundreds of thousands of people.  Our effort has been recorded, and we can reference it any time we need to check our progress.  It’s an eye opener for most of us.  It shows us what our weaknesses are, and what our strengths are.  It gives us something to work at for the next year.  The important thing is that you all had the guts to sign up for this, and put yourselves out there.  And in the end, we all will know how much we suffered together.  That’s what it’s all about. Whether you finished 50th of 50,000th, you busted your asses, and everyone who signed up and competed knows and admires that fact.  So….Dave Castro…….bring on the thrusters and burpees…..We’re F#@king ready!

A)  3 Rounds (Not for time):

7-10 Supine Ring Rows
7-10 Pistols (Each leg)
3 – Reverse Wall Climbs

– get as horizontal as possible for rows
– scale pistols with a band or hold on to the side of a rack

B)  Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 mins of:

9 – Deadlifts (155/100)
12 – Push-ups ( Hand Release )
15 – Box Jumps (24/20)

A)  Thruster 2-2-2-2-2

- Each set take the first rep off the floor
– Increase weight each set
– Rest 2 minutes between sets

B)  12 Minute AMRAP:

1 – Thruster (95/65)
1 – Pull Up
25 – Double Unders

Increase thrusters and pull ups by 1 rep each round

Hate the face yet?  4 down 1 to go!

A)  Shoulder Press 5 X 5

Suggested loads: 55-65-70-78-86%

Immediately following each set do a set of max rep strict pull ups.  Be sure to get full shoulder extension at the bottom with a 1 second pause before each pull up.

B)  EMOM 16 Minutes:

Odd Minutes – 10 Burpees
Even Minutes – 10 Kettle Bell Swings (Heavy)

Fire it up!

CrossFit Open Workout 14.4

Thrusters + Burpees + Toes 2 Bar = numerous sweat angels on gym floor!

A)  3 Sets of:

Handstand Hold – 1 Minute

FLR on Rings – 1 Minute

Ring Support – 1 Minute

If you can’t hold for a minute then accumulate a minute of each .

B)  ‘Helen’

3 Rounds For Time:

400 Meter Row
21 – Kettlebell Swings (53/35)
12 – Pull Ups

Benchmark CrossFit workout.  If you’re doing the open just cruise through this at about 75%.  If you’re not doing the open then go for it and be sure to record your time.

14.4 will be announced tonight….what’s it gonna be?