20.1 – Warm-Up and Strategy to get to the TOP 5% in CrossFit Open 2019

11 Oct 2019

The CrossFit Games Open Workout 20.1

10 rounds for time of:

8 ground-to-overheads 95/65 lbs
10 bar-facing burpees

What is the CrossFit Games Open 20.1 workout?

This year we start with simple 10 rounds couplet of 8 ground to overhead (snatch or clean and jerk) with lightweight and 10 bar facing burpees.

The 20.1 is a perfect example of a high-intensity metcon where is no time to rest as both movements are relatively easy to do. The only limitation here is your conditioning level. Thankfully, there is a 15-minute time cap that will help most of the people in the open.

What is a good time to beat for the 20.5?

The following results are from the new version of the WOD Time Calculator that is still in the development and is not public yet. If you are curious about different results, you may check the version of WTC on the homepage.

The top 5% result should be between the advanced and competitor level. My guess for the top 5% in the 20.1 is 13:30.

Beginner	32 min 8 sec	4 rounds + 17 reps
Average	23 min 16 sec	6 rounds + 11 reps
Advanced	14 min 49 sec
Competitor	12 min 44 sec
Elite	10 min 22 sec

Warm-up for the Open 20.1

Focus on opening up shoulders and stretching upper back then practice technique power snatch, quick clean and jerks, and stepping down/up from burpees.

Something like this should help you practice the movements:

10 Min EMOM
1. Min: 4 Bar Facing Burpees
2. Min: 2 Power Snatches + 2 Clean and Jerks 95/65 lbs

Strategy for the Open 20.1

Movements standards are very open in the 20.1, so there is a lot that you can change to optimize your score.

Switching between Clean’n’Jerk and Snatches often should help you avoiding local muscle fatigue while giving you multiple minor goals to reach, and stepping up/down on burpees will help you save a lot of energy.

The goal in this workout is to keep HR under control without overextending on neither of the movements.

There is no need to sprint, try to keep moving at a decent pace without rest for full 10 rounds.

All rounds should be done at about the same pace with little extra speed during the last two rounds.

Ground to Overhead

As I already mentioned, you can switch between Clean’n’Jerks and Snatches however you want.

I think this combined strategy is far better than doing only one movement.

Snatches

Choose to do only snatches if your power snatch PR is over 185/125 lbs otherwise, combine the movements.

Doing only snatches is faster but also requires more energy. This extra spent energy will hit back hard during the second half of the WOD.

Clean and Jerks

Choose to do only clean and jerks if your power snatch PR is lower than 135/85 lbs.

Doing only clean and jerks help you conserve more energy, but clean, and jerks will negatively affect your push efficiency on burpees.

Combined Strategy

I think combining both movements in one set brings a lot of benefits.

It allows you to set minor goals like finish small set of CnJ, finish a small set of snatches
Avoiding fatigue of muscle groups, you are using different muscles for different exercises
Less fatigue = faster pace

My recommendation is doing 3 Power Snatches + 3 Clean’n’Jerks + 2 Power Snatches, or if you have weaker power snatch, you can mirror it as 3 Clean’n’Jerks + 3 Power Snatches + 2 Clean’n’Jerks.

Follow this strategy since the first round, switch to the unbroken power snatches only in the last 1-2 rounds if you still have enough energy left.

Changing movements may seem like a mad idea, but it allows you to have multiple mini resets (mini goals) during workouts, which should allow you to stay on the pace for a longer time.

Doing sets of 2-3, then switching movement is much easier for mentality then going all 8 reps unbroken.

There are three more strategies that I think can work well.

Changing movement each round
First 5 rounds Power Snatches, second 5 rounds Clean’n’Jerks
4+4 in each round

All these strategies should give you a faster time than doing only one movement through a full workout, but I think that my recommended 3+3+2 will be even slightly faster.

Bar Facing Burpees

100 bar facing burpees is a lot, and they will eat most of the time from the workout. Your goal is to get through them as efficiently as possible.

Make sure to minimise the transition between ground-to-overhead and burpees and hold the pace, which allows you to finish all 10 reps without resting.

I think you should definitely step down and step up from burpees. Jumping won’t make you much faster but will make you much more fatigued.