CrossFit Open 20.3 Strategy & Tips

CrossFit Open 20.3 Strategy & Tips
Videos by the Invictus Athlete Team

In the third week of the CrossFit Open, we see a repeat of 18.4. How will you do compared to your first effort? Check out all the different options below and remember, unless you are a Games hopeful, only do this workout once and give it your all the first time. Full effort is full victory!

Competitive CrossFitters

If you’ve been following the Invictus Competition program for some time or any of the other Invictus Athlete Programs, or if you have aspirations to make it to the CrossFit Games, check out the Tips for competitive athletes video from Invictus Athlete Coaches CJ Martin, Tino Marini, and Hunter Britt.

Beginner to Intermediate CrossFitters

If you’re pretty new to competitive CrossFit, or you just do it for “fun”, and are looking for an approach for Open workouts, here are a couple of options for you, especially if you’re not as comfortable with a barbell and if you don’t have aspirations to qualify for the CrossFit Games. In the video below, Justin and Bern of CrossFit Invictus provide tips and strategies for tackling the workouts for fun and camaraderie.

Fresh-Perspective CrossFitters

Coaches Kirsten and Nick give you options if you have some other life factors – like injury history and lifestyle goals – to consider. Make sure to check that out if you want to participate in the Open but not cause damage to your body or derail your plan to reach your health and fitness goals. These programming alternatives are intended to inspire and serve anyone that wants to participate in the Open but may need a fresh-perspective and customized workout options that better align with their injury history or personal fitness goals. Maybe double-unders aren’t a skill you have or want to develop? Or toes-to-bar aggravate an old back injury? Let’s explore other options available for your Open fitness participation!

20.3 Tips for Competitive Athletes

Hunter Britt and Tino Marini from CrossFit Invictus discuss their coaching tips for CrossFit Open 20.3. Whether you’re throwing down at your local Friday Night Lights or just getting started in your home gym, they break down how you can get the best score possible out of 20.3

https://youtu.be/_9hYjExLcrI

20.3 Tips for Beginner & Intermediate Athletes

What’s your approach for 20.3? How are you planning on making it through that first set of heavy deadlifts? Sit down with the Bern Prince and Justin Wright as they talk beginner and intermediate strategy for 20.3. After all, it’s only Diane plus a little extra.

https://youtu.be/dK2ggVzFYCI

20.3 Tips for Fresh-Perspective CrossFit Athletes

This video is on our IGTV @invictus_sandiego. Check there for a fresh perspective on making these movements work for your body’s needs and fitness goals.

20.3 Tips for Adapting THE CROSSFIT OPEN 

Written by Alec Zirkenbach

Here are some suggestions and tips for adapting 20.3. My adaptation recommendations will be grouped by how the athlete is going to complete the workout: Standing or Seated. Then by where the major impairment is located on the body for “Standing” athletes: Upper Extremity or Lower Extremity. As always, make smart choices for yourself or your athletes based on their specific conditions and fitness levels.

https://youtu.be/Dt_21RCzTmI

General Guidance For 20.3 All Adaptive Athletes

Short Time Domain = Quick Transitions

This workout has a nine-minute time cap which means the movements should have easy and quick transitions. Try to avoid adapting the deadlift and handstand movements to exercises that are difficult or time-consuming to set up. Keep it simple and find adaptations that most nearly tests the same stimulus of the original workout.

Standing Upper Extremity Adaptations for 20.3

Deadlift

The choice to lift with one point of contact or to use a strap or harness for a second point of contact will lead your decisions for deadlift weight. If the athlete is going to lift with one point of contact, my guidance is to reduce the load to about 60% or two points of contact (225lb. → ~170lb).  

Handstand Push-Ups & Handstand Walking

These two movements will obviously be challenging for someone with an upper extremity impairment. Guidance for adapting will be to switch the handstand push-ups to hand-release push-ups or a heavy dumbbell push press. The handstand walking can be adapted to a single kettlebell or dumbbell overhead waiters carry or bear crawl.

Standing Lower Extremity Adaptations for 20.3

Deadlift

Athletes with an impairment in the lower part of the body will most likely need a reduction in weight for both barbell deadlifts sections. To improve balance and stability, athletes may want to use a third point of contact like a rig upright to lean their butt against.  

If barbell deadlifts are too challenging, switch the equipment to one or two heavy kettlebells and perform sumo deadlifts. The wider sumo stance and load more near the frontal plane should allow the athlete to move safer and faster.

Seated Adaptations for 20.3

The seated adaptations for 20.3 will take some significant thought to make sure athletes are tested appropriately. All three movements may need to be adapted (deadlift, HSPU, HS walk). As will all testing events, transition time should be kept to a minimal.  

Deadlift

Most seated athletes will have an undue challenge trying to deadlift with a barbell without a complex setup and/or spotting. To keep the deadlift simple and allow the athlete to transition to the “HSPU” quickly, us a kettlebell deadlift where the athlete is sitting on a bench. The athlete will lift two kettlebells, one on each side of the bench. This may be a shorter line of action than a standing athlete, but so is the real-life task of lifting an object from the ground to hip level for a seated athlete.

Handstand Push-Ups & Handstand Walking

For seated athletes with hip function, HSPU and HS walking may be possible. For those without hip function and core activation, those two movements will not be safe and shouldn’t be tested. Primary options for HSPU are strict dumbbell presses or hand-release push-ups. 

Handstand walking is difficult to customize for athletes without lower-body function. One of the best adaptations is some form or crawling, which in daily training, is vastly important to functional independence and has a high transference to real-world task accomplishment. Reduce the distance to about 25ft and make sure to have padding under the athlete the entire distance. You may have to recruit a spotter to move and replace gymnastics mats if you don’t have 25ft of protection. To up the challenge, have the athlete crawl with two dumbbells in their hands.

Adapting Assistance for Workouts

If you have any questions about adapting workouts during the Open, please contact me and I will be happy to guide you through the process [alec@crossfitinvictus.com].

More tips for CrossFit Open Workout 20.3…

What About Lifting Belts?

Breaking Down the Handstand Push-Up

Handstand Walking Tips for Competition

Invictus Athlete Programs

If you want an in-depth strategy and a great training program join Invictus Athlete. If you’re over 35, we’re also giving age group strategy for our Invictus Masters. Don’t forget that many of our online programs are now on SugarWOD!