Open 13.4 Review

Energy System Tested - unknown
Main Traits - speed of repetitions, forearm/grip stamina, efficiency of movement
Thoughts:
- when the repetition scheme goes up, instead of down, it makes the event more demanding on an individuals' movement endurance, instead of individuals' power output. Why not have the workout be 7 min AMRAP of 5 C&J and 5 Toes to Bar? Or, something like that. Either way, the large majority of people will have to slow down towards the end as the grip/arm demand will become too great to allow for consistency. This is because the movements are not opposites and they do impede on one another due to the accumulation of muscular fatigue in the same muscle groups.
- for the top tier competitors (110-115+ reps), the event was mostly aerobic power as the rest times were VERY short and the majority of the event was spent moving. If you made a hard push at the end you can get into some higher amounts of Oxygen Independent Glycolysis (anaerobic metabolism of ATP) which is painful.
- for the people in the middle, between 70-90 reps...it is really hard to say what is going on there without seeing you in person.
- for the people below 60 reps, it is almost certainly an issue of strength (mostly upper body). This is a different scenario in that most of the time would be spent resting and grunting out the reps. This is indicative of the ATP-CP system working (we call it CP Battery in this case). One way to know this is true would be to ask you to shorten your rest periods dramatically and see what happens. What would likely happen is that you would begin to miss reps as the energy required for a successful movement would not yet be recovered in the muscles (i.e. ATP and Creatine Phosphate levels would be lower than optimal). Side note - I imagine the better developed your aerobic system is the faster this recovery of Creatine Phosphate would be.
- On to the 13.5. Maybe we will see some squatting at a moderately tough load for a change...constantly varied, right?

Open 13.3 Review

Energy System Tested - Aerobic Power

Main Traits - upper body muscular endurance, upper body strength/stamina, low load squatting stamina 

Thoughts:

- here is what I wrote about this event last year. I would not give much of a different analysis. Just more in-depth.

- I like repeat workouts. I don't think it is a lack of creativity. I think it is necessary. Plus, there are only so many exercises that can be utilized in the Open (given the current format), and once burpees, snatches, deadlifts, shoulder to overhead, and box jumps are used....what's left? Wall Balls!

- Like I said last year, the event was predominantly aerobic power for most people, the individuals that were not able to get the wall balls done in 12 minutes would have had a different experience (more like "grunt" work). Two common reasons, you were not strong/powerful enough to get that ball to the rx'd height, or you simply could not manage to recover after the initial number of reps once the breathing/O2 demand increased.
- Wall Balls - will come down to 4 things, 1) height, 2) muscular endurance, 3) aerobic capacity, and 4) will. With number 4 being less of an issue if numbers 2 and 3 are trained appropriately.
- Double Unders - why only 90 reps? Either way, I witnessed and/or read about many people not being able to finish 90 reps in 3-5 minutes. Yikes. Maybe 90 was enough. Best way to improve? I am sure the Buddy Lee's of the world have a better answer than me, but from a basic learning standpoint: practice every warm-up, in a fresh state, so you learn how to do them properly. Do not practice in a fatigued state, when you can create even more bad habits. Once you learn how to do them, then make the scenario's more challenging (i.e. do them in a timed event, at the end of a workout when you are tired, etc.). You shouldn't try to learn snatches at the end of a 15-30 minute beatdown. Same rule applies for double unders. 

- At least this year they figured out that there HAS to be a tiebreaker format, or you would have had thousands and thousands and thousands of people with the EXACT same score.

- You could suggest that the event is entirely aerobic power for nearly all top competitors until the muscle-ups appear. Again, while the muscle-ups will still cause you to breath at a high rate, I can't fathom the aerobic system (a.k.a. oxygen-dependent system) being the predominant energy system. I wouldn't say it is able to provide the necessary energy requirements for the working muscles in this movement, given the work:rest time in this portion due to the intensity of the movement. With this scenario, the only recourse is to utilize the ATP-CP system and the Anaerobic System (a.k.a oxygen-independent glycolysis) to a greater extent.
- side note - all 3 energy systems, the ATP-CP system, the Anaerobic system (oxygen independent), and Aerobic system (oxygen dependent), are active at all times. ATP is always being supplied from each of them (for the most part) all the time. What varies are the demands placed on each system, which is ultimately determined by the intensity and duration of the activity.
- Largely, muscle-up performance is primarily determined by upper body relative strength and stamina (read ATP-CP battery). Technical efficiency and "conditioning" are next in line for importance.  Just a quick look to the leader board will reveal all you need to know. In 13.3, there were 3 women that finished 1 round. There were 175 men that finished 1 round. Even if you account for their being more men in the competition, the difference is still large, This is clearly due to men having more relative strength/stamina in their upper bodies. So I ask, when will female events at the Open, Regionals and Games be adjusted (on a regular basis) to recognize this difference? I believe females should not be expected to ALWAYS have the same standards or repetitions on upper body relative strength/stamina components that the men do. You can still have the females compete against one another with this adjustment. Not much, if anything, would change.

Some of my female clients that scored very well in 13.3:
Brittany Kopp - Central East - 256 reps
Chelsea Ryan - NorCal - 255 reps
Jessica Tillipaugh - Canada West - 251 reps
Lauren Pryor - Canada West - 248 reps
Jolaine Bloom - Canada West - 247 reps
Cynthia Brown - North East - 245 reps

Open 13.2 Review

Energy System Tested: Aerobic Power
Main Traits: muscular endurance, speed of repetitions, and pacing strategy
Thoughts:

- speed of movement determined lots in this event. If you were efficient enough to move through the barbell portions (shoulder to overhead and deadlift) rapidly, with minimal wasted effort, then this would give you an edge given the time limit was only 10 minutes.

- 13.2 definitely involved a large amount of muscular endurance, especially in the quads/hammy's/glutes/low back. My legs were wrecked by the end. For 2 reasons, 1) because I felt I had to do some rebounding box jumps in order to not finish too far back in my region, and 2) because for the last 6 months I have had "Jumper's Knee", and have done very few box jumps for that reason. So, that movement has become foreign to me. Regardless, it was a tough event and I scored 294 reps, with several missed box jumps due to technique.

- along with muscular endurance, the aerobic system was the main energy system for the large majority.  The main reason for this distinction was that the time frame was 10 minutes, the weight was relatively lite for many, and there was relatively very few breaks of an extended duration (meaning lots of work, little rest).

- upon first seeing this workout, I liked it. After the following weekend, I dislike it. The main reason for this was that there were various standards on the box jumps. I know that regardless of what movement you pick it will be the same work (force x distance) per rep. But, there should have been the same standard for EVERYONE, in that you should have had to JUMP onto the box, or everyone should have had to step onto the box. If a workout calls for clean and jerk, can we just do power snatches instead? It is basically the same work being done per rep. My point is that everyone should have to conform to the same movement standards. 

- rebounding should not be allowed for one reason and one reason only. It is not safe. There is no reasonable argument to suggest that rebounding for 150+ times off a 20" or 24" box promotes longevity in the competitor, nor does it suggest who is fitter. I would love to see a competition like the Open utilize step down box jumps, or something of that nature. Jumping is about as "functional" as you get when it comes to fitness, but there are limits to its use. Besides, the event is testing aerobic power, a step down box jump would not take away from this if the workout is designed accordingly.
- the main reason I dislike placing high rep box jumps into an Open workout is that there are thousands of people that are VERY motivated to compete at the Regional level, or as a Master competitor at the Games. With these large numbers, and relatively very few spots available, this will entice people to push as hard as possible to stay in contention or to get back into contention. For many, this will result in them doing rebounding box jumps. For the unlucky ones, this will result in an achilles rupture or calf strain/tear, meaning there 2013 season is over.
- an even larger group of people that are competing in the Open should never do a rebounding box jump for the same reason as above, it is not safe. But, in a different way. Rebounding is a plyometric based activity, which is an activity that requires a short amortization time, meaning a VERY large peak force. Here is a quick read, the main part you want to read is the part discussing "Maturation and Basic Strength Requirements". They do not give exact figures to go along with the discussion, but they allude to strength in the legs being a pre requisite to rebounding activities of any significant force. What I am getting at is that there are A LOT of people competing in the Open, doing rebounding box jumps, without have the prerequisite strength to be prepared to handle the movement. If your quads are not adequately strong enough to take the eccentric loading and quickly turn it into a concentric movement (i.e. jump), where do you think that force is going? Here is what happens. We are not referring to lower force rebounding activities like double unders and running.
- when is the last time sumo deadlift highpulls have been in a competition? It has never appeared in the Open, Regionals, or Games. I hope this is because it is a stupid movement, with too much potential for injury and very little potential to predict fitness when compared to safer movements that perform the same function. Here is a short description as to what the pitfalls of the sumo deadlift high pull are (use your browser and search "upright row"). With any luck rebounding box jumps will climb into the closet with sumo deadlift high pull and never reappear in a legitimate competition.

Open 13.1 Review

Energy System Tested: Aerobic Power and/or ATP-CP (battery/recovery)

Main Traits: Sustainability, Pacing, Technical Efficiency, Strength

Thoughts: 

- much better start than last year's Open 12.1 (i.e. 7 min Burpees). I only say this from the stand point of the event testing for the type of individuals they seem to want in the Regionals competing for a spot in the Games. These individuals being ones who are both strong and aerobically fit, not best at either. The 7 min AMRAP burpee event from 2012 from last year rewarded small individuals and punished larger individuals. If an event like that occurred this year, you could see some of the top competitors potentially miss Regionals, simply due to the number of competitors competing this year. One bad score and you are done.

- I don't agree that the increases in loads should have been so drastic for the men from bar 1 (75lbs) to bar 2 (135lbs), nor for the women from bar 2 (75lbs) to bar 3 (100lbs). Percentage wise, the increase for the men was larger from bar 1 to bar 2. But, the increase was larger (% wise) for the women from bar 2, to bar 3.  

- why not have the men's bar weights move from 95/115/135/155/175? Women 45/60/75/90/105? Yes, this would mean more transitions, but it would also mean more consistent movement for the average competitor.

- the Master's division's should have proportionally lower loads with each age category, IMO.

- the tiebreaker format this year is perfect. Preventing a logjam at any one score, which you knew there would be at reps, 100, 150, and 190.

- depending on how strong you are would likely determine how the workout "felt" for you. If you got under 130 reps, I would say the event was not limited by the aerobic system for you. Most likely the 2nd barbell for the snatch was too hard for you to move quickly. Meaning, the predominant energy system is use was the ATP-CP system. This is not a perfect assumption, just a common scenario. Yes, you would still be breathing in this scenario, but this does NOT mean that aerobic metabolism is the main driver to performance in this event. You are breathing to help replenish your creatine phosphate stores as rapidly as possible, as ATP generated via your breathing (i.e. aerobic metabolism) during recovery will aid recovery (i.e. donate a Phosphate portion of the ATP molecule to the Creatine amino. Leaving the original scenario prior to it use, an ADP molecule and a Creatine Phosphate molecule ready to help in muscular contraction). 

- if you were able to make it deep into the 165lb snatch bar, or past that point, then the event was certainly more of a test of the aerobic system for you, simply due to the continued work, and the shortened recovery times.

- if you paced this event very poorly and went way too hard on the first 50-100 reps, and your aerobic system was not able to deal with the level of work output then you would become too "lactic" early on, and then you would slow down VERY much, or would slow down long enough until you were able to reduce that lactate to a sufficient level. 

- once again, in order to qualify for Regionals, a person must possess a very well developed aerobic system. This does not mean that getting stronger is not important, just that it is not as important, if your goal is to make it the Regionals. Once at the Regionals, things seem to favour strength over "capacity", but we will see what 2013 brings.

Some high scores from my clients on 13.1

- Jolaine Bloom - Master's 40-44 - 192

- Del Lafoutain - Master's 55-59 - 192

- Ian MacLeod - Master's 55-59 - 191

- Brittany Kopp - Central East - 186

- Dan Goldberg - North East - 176

- Harlan Karnofsky - Master's 55-59 - 172

- Jessica Tillipaugh - Canada West - 171

- Cynthia Brown - Master's 45-49 - 171

- Ryan Hughes - North East - 170