Finish the Open Strong With These 22.3 Workout Tips
And just like that, the final week of the 2022 CrossFit Open is upon us. Workout 22.1 was a triplet of wall walks, dumbbell snatches, and box jump-overs. Then, 22.2 challenged the grit of CrossFitters everywhere with a couplet of deadlifts and burpees for 100 reps.
The third and final workout, 22.3, is packed with gut-busting familiarity: It’s a twist of Fran that includes double-unders, a higher rep count, increasing weight on the thrusters, and progressive pull-up variations. Scared? Don’t be (ok maybe a little). Here are some workout tips to help you finish the Open strong.
22.3 (Rx’d)
For time:
- 21 Pull-ups
- 42 Double-unders
- 21 Thrusters — Men: 95 pounds | Women: 65 pounds
- 18 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
- 36 Double-unders
- 18 Thrusters — Men: 115 pounds | Women: 75 pounds
- 15 Bar muscle-ups
- 30 Double-unders
- 15 Thrusters — Men: 135 pounds | Women: 85 pounds
Time cap: 12 minutes
This is the same workout for Masters 40-44, 45-49, and 50-54, as well as Teens 16-17. Teens 14-15 use the following thruster weights: 65 pounds/45 pounds, 85 pounds/55 pounds, 105 pounds/65 pounds.
Related: For the Adaptive, Foundational, and Scaled workouts, check out our 22.3 workout announcement.
22.3 Workout Tips
This is a classic CrossFit workout that incorporates three movements everyone is familiar with — thrusters, pull-ups, and double-unders. The increasing weight is a fun addition that stronger lifters won’t be too phased by. However, the real X-factor is the muscle-ups.
Your muscle-up ability will completely change your approach to this workout, and so the tips below will be built around three different levels of muscle-up ability: non-existent, decent, and capable.
You Can’t Do a Muscle-Up
If you can’t yet do a muscle-up, then you need to race through the thrusters. The time you get after each set of thrusters is the tie-breaker. Abandon any modicum of a pace you planned on sustaining and go all out.
Try breaking up your 12-minute time cap into two parts:
- Blast through the two rounds of pull-ups and thrusters with reckless abandon, give yourself a minute or two rest, and then…
- Use the remaining time to see if you can get your first bar muscle-up. Getting your first muscle-up in the Open in front of your friends and teammates? Sounds like icing on the cake.
Related: 5 Steps to Nail Your First Muscle-Up
Double-Unders
The number of double-unders you need to complete is low enough so that you won’t be too far behind if you miss a couple. You need to keep on trucking, but you can think of this more as an active recovery stop in the workout.
Thrusters
Speed is the name of the game here, so try to perform your thruster reps unbroken if possible. However, do not hold the bar in the front rack position if you do break. You’re either knocking out reps, or the barbell is resting on the floor.
You’re Decent at Muscle-Ups
Pacing is more important because you need to leave yourself time to complete the muscle-ups (or get as many reps as possible). How to plan on breaking up your muscle-ups will impact your pace. Maybe you are doing quick singles or five sets of three. Yes, the tie-breaker is an essential factor, but don’t blast through the first two rounds so quickly that you can’t complete the workout.
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Plan on taking one or two very short breaks (one thousand one, one thousand two) and then get back on the bar. Implement these breaks during pull-ups and thrusters. Have a buddy or training partner count your rest out loud for you so that you stay on track. Even though there is “rest” planned out, it doesn’t mean that you are going slow or taking a break. You still need to be aggressive with your reps.
Double-Unders
Still think of the double-unders as active recovery. The rep count isn’t high enough to where being a double under Ninja will get you that far. Stay relaxed and get through them.
Thrusters
After you make your way through the bar muscle-ups and the final set of double-unders, do everything you can to stay on the bar for the final thrusters. It will hurt. Really bad. But know that this is the light at the end of the tunnel, and hold on!
You’re Good at Muscle-Ups
If you’re a higher-caliber athlete, your main objective is to complete as many unbroken reps as possible. You don’t want to blitz through the workout as you may for Fran, but keep the pace high and the reps smooth.
Your goal should be to complete the bar muscle-ups with no more than two brakes. In the Open announcement, you may have noticed Lauren Fisher and Annie Thorisdottir resting on top of the bar so that they wouldn’t disengage by coming off. They are resting without coming down.
Also, keep your hands on the bar and push your body back so that you can get good pendulum motion to help with momentum to get back up for another rep. Be careful not to let your feet come above the bar but use as much swing as needed to assist you.
Double-Unders
Double-unders for top athletes should be a formality. A couple of quick reminders: Have your rope set up appropriately, so you don’t need to untangle anything; stay relaxed and don’t think about racing the double-unders.
Thrusters
The last set of thrusters should be a very painful experience. But it’s only 15 reps. Do everything in your power to get through them unbroken. If you can’t do it unbroken, make sure you have a lot of friends to yell loudly at you to get back on the bar and finish the workout immediately. You can lay down as long as you want when you’re done.
2022 CrossFit Quarterfinals
Athletes who finish in the top 10 percent worldwide in their division in the Open will be eligible to compete in the online Quarterfinals for a chance to earn a spot to the Semifinals. The 2022 NOBULL CrossFit Games will be held Aug. 3-7, 2022, in Madison, WI. Five-time reigning Fittest Woman on Earth®, Tia-Clair Toomey, who made the Open Workout 22.1 announcement, will attempt to become the all-time winningest Individual athlete in CrossFit history should she qualify for the Games.
Featured Image: @crossfit on Instagram | Photo by @elleryphotos