By now, you’re probably well aware that CrossFit Open Workout 20.3 is a repeat of the dreaded 18.4 workout.
CrossFit Open Workout 18.4 was a notoriously frustrating one for certain athletes, particularly four-time CrossFit Games athlete Jacob Heppner. Back when it was programmed in 2018, Heppner missed the Games largely due to being penalized for not meeting the handstand push-up standard for this workout.
Since the announcement of Open Workout 20.3, the CrossFit community has been plugging away recording their scores and a lot of athletes have been waiting to see how Heppner handles the judging standard. So he shared both his game plan and his workout results.
In 2018, Heppner was penalized because of his handstand push-ups. In order for a handstand push-up to “count,” athletes need to move the length of half of their forearm in addition to their height up the wall. For example, if an athlete is 6 feet tall and has an 14-inch forearm, then their toes are expected to pass the line that is marked on the wall at 6′ 7″ feet.
Because of Heppner’s limb lengths, he found it impossible to meet this standard.
So how is Heppner dealing with the 20.3 situation?
He’s getting creative with how he’s meeting this workout’s standards. In his YouTube video above, he reveals that he’ll be doing his handstand push-ups on his fists, as seen below.
He also discusses that there is no technical standard/rule about this not being allowed, but he points out that with the CrossFit Open you, “pay to play their game,” so these handstand push-ups could very well be not allowed.
However, we won’t know this until Heppner formally submits his workout and it’s officially judged and recorded.
Earlier today, Heppner uploaded a video documenting him taking on CrossFit Open Workout 20.3, and in the video he recorded a strong score of 7:22.
However, it’s worth noting that the video below will not be the one Heppner submits because it’s been edited — it’s not all one smooth cut. But it was cool seeing how he handled the workout this time around!
Check out the video below highlighting Heppner taking on 20.3.
In the video, he puts up a score of 7:22, which — if he winds up submitting an unedited video of this workout and it passes muster with the judges — will land him pretty favorably on the leaderboard.
As of right now, Heppner is having a strong 2020 Open performance with his 20.1 (72nd) and 20.2 (32nd) place finishes.
Feature image from @jheppner66 Instagram page.
