Bill Grundler’s Tips for CrossFit Open Workout 24.3
CrossFit HQ surprised the community as Jocko Go’s workout 24.3 announcement confirmed the leak that spiraled into speculation on social media. Many believed 24.3 would be a two-parter, so heavier weight would be included in the Open. However, that was not the case.
Workout 24.3 is not a one-rep max or test of high-end strength, but rather squatting capacity. The other test elements are two highly skilled gymnastic movements — big jumps compared to 24.1 and 24.2. Through the 2024 Open so far, the only skill tested was double-unders.
CrossFit HQ skipped over pull-ups and went straight to chest-to-bar pull-ups and bar muscle-ups for 24.3 Let’s dive into the workout:
CrossFit Open Workout 24 .3
Five rounds for time:
- 10 Thrusters — Men: 95 pounds | Women: 65 pounds
- 10 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups
One-minute rest.
Five rounds for time:
- Seven Thrusters — Men: 135 pounds | Women: 95 pounds
- Seven Bar Muscle-Ups
Time cap: 15 minutes
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As always, the way to navigate this event will be based on your individual strengths and weaknesses. At the outset, shorter athletes have an advantage due to the high-volume gymnastic pulling and range of motion for the squats and presses during the thrusters.
Workout 24.3 is a classic CrossFit-style event that ramps the heart rate via thrusters — one of the highest power-output movements — paired with high-skill gymnastics under heavy fatigue.
Elite Level Athletes
All of the elite athletes know what their Fran time looks like. This is essentially Fran with a few more chest-to-bar reps instead of regular pull-ups. Don’t fall into the trap of going too fast on the easy front side of this event.
If you watched the announcement, Arielle Loewen and Jay Crouch smashed the first half with blazing sub-3-minute times that had disastrous effects on the back half. Just because you can go fast or unbroken doesn’t mean you should.
Consider the first half is a buy-in. Conserve as much as you can. Know that you can break to save gas for the back half of the workout.
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Taller athletes should widen their stances and grips during the thrusters to decrease their range of motion. Hopefully, that won’t negatively affect their comfort level too much. By decreasing the range of motion, taller athletes can cycle the barbell faster. Do the same for the pull-ups; widen the grip to decrease the range of motion.
The race is in the second half of the workout. Conserve early so you can race in the second half rather than holding on for dear life. But be smart! Again, going unbroken early is not the best choice if it results in 30-plus-second breaks between segments.
An easy break on the thrusters at 4/3 with a good rest in between will help keep the heart rate down so you can go as unbroken as possible on the gymnastics. For most, the gymnastic element will be harder to get back up onto the bar after a break than restarting the thrusters.
Everyday CrossFitter
Everyone has done Fran and knows their time and capacity for pull-ups and lightweight thrusters. Depending on your bar muscle-up ability, you may need to race the Fran segment to get to the bar muscle-ups faster. Race the front half.
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The better you are at bar muscle-ups, the more you should strategically break the beginning so that you have the gas to get as many as possible in the second half. As with the elite-level athletes, decreasing your range of motion by widening your grip slightly will aid the travel distance on each end of the event.
For those decent with bar muscle-ups, be intelligent in the first half. Go slow to conserve yourself on the heavier thrusters and bar muscle-ups.
If you aren’t paying attention during the front half, then during your one-minute rest, you may feel a huge influx of lactic acid in your forearms and legs. Tone it down!
Figure out if you are better at bar muscle-ups or thrusters. If thrusters ramp your heart rate and fatigue you, break these up at least once, if not twice. Split the bar muscle-ups into one or two breaks as well.
If you are better at the thrusters than the bar muscle ups, attack the thrusters with one break and have a strong plan of attack to get as many successful bar muscle ups as possible. If this means performing singles, do so. Don’t flirt with failure. If you play with fire, you will fail and have to wait through a long recovery to get another rep.
The New CrossFitter
Many of the same strategies will apply to a beginner regarding range of motion adjustments. Figuring out which elements are your strengths versus which are your weaknesses will be exciting to experience during the CrossFit Open.
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You get to test yourself and see if you can get your first chest-to-bar pull-up or bar muscle-up. You may get through your first set of 10 thrusters and don’t have a chest-to-bar pull-up yet.
I am a fan of having people go RX because it’s a test to see if they can do it. It’s not a day to get a workout in. If the gymnastics movements are not going to happen or the weight is too much, Scale the workout. CrossFit has made Scaled workouts accessible.
The most important thing is that you test yourself. Set the bar high and see what you can hit. You can always come back later and do a completely modified version to get your workout of the day.
Workout 24.3 is a step up form to the first workouts of the 2024 Open. It’s a classic CrossFit workout that allows everyone to push themselves to their limits. Think about your range of motion, pacing, and breaking early to have gas for later. Leverage your strengths to hedge against your weaknesses.
CrossFit, the fitness program, is about becoming the fittest and healthiest you can possibly be. The CrossFit Open lets you test that fitness in a competitive setting.
No matter how you finish, take the entire experience positively. Note what you did well and note what needs work. If you finish in the top 25 percent of the Open worldwide and qualify for the Quarterfinals, congratulations! If you didn’t make it this year, then at least you know what to work on.
Turn up that music and get after it! Good Luck!
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