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