CrossFit Open 20.4 Strategy & Tips
Videos by the Invictus Athlete Team
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!
20.4 Tips for Competitive Athletes
Hunter Britt and Tino Marini from CrossFit Invictus discuss their coaching tips for CrossFit Open 20.4. 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 20.4
https://youtu.be/Zt8MzbMypmY
20.4 Tips for Beginner & Intermediate Athletes
Bern and Justin review their strategy for 20.4, but they also have a very special surprise for you. the Invictus Nike Metcons drop tonight at 12pm PST. What’s your approach for 20.4? How are you planning on making it through that first set of box jumps and cleans? Got a strategy for pistols? Sit down with the Bern Prince and Justin Wright as they talk beginner and intermediate strategy for 20.4.
https://youtu.be/FqmiNGhAKVM
20.4 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.
20.4 Tips for Adapting THE CROSSFIT OPEN
Written by Alec Zirkenbach
Here are some guidelines and tips for adapting the fourth workout of the 2020 CrossFit Open. As always, adapting is individualized to each person and so please make smart choices for yourself or your athletes based on their specific conditions and fitness levels.
General Guidance For 20.4 All Adaptive Athletes
This workout features a progressively heavier weightlifting movement and a progressively more challenging gymnastics, lower-body movement (box jumps and pistols). The challenge for adapting to retain the intended test of 20.4 will be to select the appropriate weights to get incrementally heavier and to choose a gymnastics movement that is also more challenging after round 3.
Athletes with major neurological conditions should consider reducing the number of repetitions and also reducing the time cap to about 15 minutes.
A scorecard is linked here to provide some examples of adapted versions of 20.4.
Standing Upper Extremity Adaptations for 20.4
The main choice for upper extremity impaired athletes will be whether they are lifting with one point of contact or two. For one point of contact, reduce the starting load by about 30% (ex: 95lbs Rx → ~60lbs one point of contact adapted).
Standing Lower Extremity Adaptations for 20.4
Obviously the box jumps and single-leg squats (pistols) will be very challenging for an athlete with a lower-body impairment. Options for adapting these movements could be unweighted or weighted versions of step-ups, reverse lunges, pistol to a target (box), or any other movement you deem acceptable to challenge your athletes appropriately.
Seated Adaptations for 20.4
Box jumps and pistols are most likely not going to be a testing option. Instead, consider using a bench press for the clean and jerks. The gymnastics movement of box jumps and pistols can be kept gymnastics by choosing movements like ring or box dips, ring rows, and ring extensions.
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 20.4…
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