• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini-Massage Guns
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainer
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workout for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
      • Individual Supplement Reviews
    • Cardio Equipment
      • Best Treadmills
      • Best Rowing Machines
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Ellipticals
      • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Individual Cardio Equipment Reviews
    • Strength Equipment
      • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weight Benches
      • Best Resistance Bands
      • Best Leg Extension Machines
      • Individual Strength Equipment Reviews
    • Apparel
      • Best Weightlifting Shoes
      • Best Cross Training Shoes
      • Best Running Shoes
      • Best Gym Shorts
    • Fitness Tech
      • Best Running Apps
      • Best Fitness Trackers
      • Best Workout Apps
      • Best Smart Scales
    • Support Gear
      • Best Lifting Straps
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Daily Protein Needs
    • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
    • Foods With Creatine
    • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum

CrossFit Open Workout 21.2 Tips For Adaptive Upper Extremity Athletes

March 22, 2021 by Casey Acree

2021 CrossFit Open workout 21.2 is an exceptional challenge for Upper Extremity athletes. The workout standards and weights are all Rx, with the only difference being that the dumbbell snatches must all be done with one hand instead of having (getting!) to switch hands.

For most divisions, this is way more of a test of threshold capacity than it is a test of muscular endurance. However, with the fact that Upper Extremity athletes will be doing all dumbbell snatches with one arm, the muscular endurance limitation is more likely to play a factor. For this reason, there are some specific considerations that athletes should make in the preparation and execution of the workout.

Before we dive into that, let’s recap what workout 21.2 consists of:

Workout 21.2 — Upper Extremity (Men & Women)

For time:

  • 10 dumbbell snatches
  • 15 burpee box jump-overs
  • 20 dumbbell snatches
  • 15 burpee box jump-overs
  • 30 dumbbell snatches
  • 15 burpee box jump-overs
  • 40 dumbbell snatches
  • 15 burpee box jump-overs
  • 50 dumbbell snatches
  • 15 burpee box jump-overs

Women — 35-pound dumbbell, 20-inch box | Men — 50-pound dumbbell, 24-inch box. There is a 20-minute time cap.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Casey Acree (@coachcaseyacree)

[Related: 7 Adaptive Athletes To Watch In The 2021 CrossFit Open]

Manage Your Pace Carefully

First and foremost, completing 150 dumbbell snatches on one arm will be far more taxing on grip than for athletes who get to switch hands. If you allow for your muscle endurance threshold to set in on one of the first few rounds, there is usually not a time to get it back. This is sure to compel an athlete to slow down more than is necessary on the round of 40 and 50 reps, making them much more of a grind to get through.

Warm-Up Properly

In an athlete’s preparation, it is imperative to take extra time to get the wrist, bicep, and shoulder warmed up thoroughly before starting the workout. This will help to get some blood flowing, muscles firing, and help your body’s preparation for this stimulus and not hit muscle failure. A recommended warm-up could be a thorough aerobic warm-up, some 4-way wrist stretching, and a handful of dumbbell snatch sets starting very light and gradually increasing up to working weight.

 

 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

A post shared by Casey Acree (@coachcaseyacree)

[Related: Adaptive Athletes Logan Aldridge and Casey Acree Take on CrossFit Invictus Comp Class]

Protect Your Lower Back

The other thing about not being able to switch hands on the dumbbell snatches, in addition to the fact that most upper limb athletes will be pushing off the ground with the same arm every rep of the burpees, is that it can cause some athletes to max out their lower back endurance limitations. The anti-rotational component of the dumbbell snatch is not noticed as much when the rotation is being balanced out, but all the reps happening in one direction can be a unique challenge for Upper Extremity athletes.

Spending some time working some lumbar-thoracic rotation can be beneficial to prevent this. Be smart with breaks on the dumbbell snatches and pacing on the burpees. This workout is too long at the end to be hitting your threshold and time before the round of 50. Know your pacing, listen to your body, and set yourself up to be full throttle in the final round.

Feature image from Casey Acree’s Instagram page: @coachcaseyacree

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap