CrossFit Open Workout 21.2 Tips For Adaptive Upper Extremity Athletes
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.
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[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.
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[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