We’ve seen a fair share of 2019 CrossFit Open workouts requiring strategy, but Open Workout 19.4 may take the cake as the most strategic yet. The workout itself is tough and technical, but what we foreshadow being tough and tripping many athletes up during the workout is the allotment of the baked in 3-minutes of rest, which is included in the 12-minute time cap.
If you haven’t seen the workout, then you can check out our CrossFit Open Workout 19.4 announcement article. We’ve also included the workout below, along with the workout’s movement standards.
CrossFit Open Workout 19.4
- 3 Rounds of 10 snatches (65 lbs for the women, 95 lbs for the men) and 12 bar-facing burpees
Rest 3 minutes before continuing to…
- 3 Rounds of 10 bar muscle ups and 12 bar-facing burpees
Time Cap: 12-minutes
CrossFit Open Workout 19.4 Movement Standards
Snatch
The bar must start on the ground and performing split, power, and squat jerks are all permitted, but not required. An athlete is allowed to touch-and-go the bar on the ground, but they are not permitted to bounce the barbell. A rep counts once the barbell is overhead in a locked out position and the feet are inline.
Bar-Facing Burpees
An athlete must be perpendicular to the barbell before beginning the burpees. The head must be behind the barbell, the hands within the plate’s width, and the chest and thighs must make contact with the ground for the rep to count. At athlete must then jump over the barbell, as skipping, single-leg jumping, and stepping over are not allowed. A rep counts once both feet make contact with the ground and the athlete is once again perpendicular to the barbell.
Bar Muscle-Ups
To begin the muscle-ups, an athlete must have their arms in full extension with their feet off the ground. Kipping is permitted, but pullovers and rolls and glides to support the kipping action are not. Reps are counted once an athlete is above the bar with the arms in full extension and the shoulders over or in front the bar. Hands must remain in contact with the bar at all times during reps.
Top CrossFit Open Workout 19.4 Tips
This workout is all about timing and energy partition. Check out some of our favorite tips for CrossFit Open Workout 19.4 from elite coaches and athletes below!
1. Cole Sager — It’s a Trap!
CrossFit athlete Cole Sager offers a few really good tips for tackling Open Workout 19.4, but his major tip is to avoid the trap. He points out that many athletes will tax themselves far too much before even getting to the second workout, so he advises to play with the redline before getting to the rest, although, don’t cross it.
2. Trifecta/Rich Froning — Push the First Workout
Rich Froning recommended to really push the first portion of the workout if you know bar muscle-ups are going to be trouble for you. He points out that the first portion is the tiebreaker, so this will be big for a lot of athletes. If that’s not you and muscle-ups are no problem, then he recommends partitioning your time accordingly and remaining calm for the muscle-ups.
3. Brute Strength — Variations of the Snatch
Brute Strength coaches recommend warming-up properly before tackling the workout, while acknowledging that the first workout is going to bring some pain. They point out that this workout should be completed quickly so maximum time can be used to finish the second. In doing so, they recommend using multiple variations of the snatch to avoid overtaxing any part of the body.
4. WOD Prep — Cycle Reps Accordingly
The coaches at WOD Prep recommend doing the snatch reps unbroken if your 1-RM snatch is well under 50% of the weight being used. They also point out that a wider stance with hook grip will be an athlete’s best bet to save their grip. Another useful tip WOD Prep offers is to mark hand placement for the burpees to ensure there’s a similar position for the body during the burpee work.
5. CompTrain — Base Your Work On the Bar Muscle-Ups
CompTrain recommends basing the workout on the bar muscle-ups and what you’re capable of doing. They recommend pushing the first three rounds if you’re someone who knows they can complete the bar muscle-ups going unbroken or have that skill on lock. Conversely, for anyone who is going to need to break up the muscle-up reps, then CompTrain recommends pacing the first couplet.
Feature image from CrossFit YouTube channel.
