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The Post-18.5 Open Leaderboard

Well, friends, we made it. As the 2018 CrossFit Open comes to its end, we’re once again anxious to see who stands at the top, at the conclusion of it all. While the Open leaderboard doesn’t automatically reflect what the Games leaderboard will look like, it’s still exciting to see who dominated overall, after five grueling weeks of crushing WODs.

As of right now, Nicholas Urankar sits in the number one spot for the gentlemen, with Joe Scali once again also in the top five. Although to be clear, Mat Fraser hasn’t yet entered in his last score, and previous weeks have put him at the top of the leaderboard. Time will tell.

crossfit open leaderboard

The Dottirs are presently dominating the women’s leaderboard, after an impressive performance at the live announcement for 18.5. Third and fifth place are occupied by Emma McQuaid and Alexis Johnson, respectively.

crossfit open 2018 leaderboard

Many scores are still unaccounted for, so expect big changes over the next 24 hours. Who do you think will win the CrossFit Open?

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18.5 Tips to Increase Your Score

Well, friends, you voted, and HQ listened. 18.5 is a repeat of 11.6.

crossfit open workout 18.5
The last event of the Open brought together the three Dottirs — Annie Thorisdottir, Sara Sigmundsdottir, and Katrin Davidsdottir — in their hometown of Iceland. Thorisdottir walked away with the best score, a whopping 178 reps. Davidsdottir wasn’t far behind with 176, and Sigmundsdotir finished third with an impressive 171.

18.5 had even Thorisdottir doubled over and gasping for air, if that tells you anything about this workout. You have seven minutes to get those reps in, so let’s talk about this.

Thrusters

You had to know they were coming. You know the drill here, friends: break them up before you start getting no-repped. Stay close to your barbell when you take longer breaks, and if you want a quick rest between reps, rest at the top of the thruster — not in the front rack position. Keep your core super engaged, breathe and stay calm.

Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

If you’re doing this workout as prescribed, focus on keeping your C2B pull-ups tight and clean — feet together, toes pointed and flick those legs! Once again, break these up before you hit failure. One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not preparing for the beating your grip is going to take, so be sure you show up with leather gymnastics grips, Wodies, pull-up gloves, tape, or whatever your preferred form of hand protection is. (And don’t forget the new standards for work on the pull-up bar!)

Pacing

Thorisdottir said it herself after finishing the workout: pacing is crucial, and she was aiming to not start at too quick a speed. It might be only seven minutes, but thrusters combined with C2B pull-ups allow you zero time to catch your breath. You’re giving 100% effort for 100% of the time, for seven minutes straight. Take breaks accordingly — you will need them.

You’ve come a long way — let’s end on a strong note. We’ve got everything you need for 18.5 — from grips to handcare to knee sleeves and beyond. Shop today and get express or international shipping.

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Noah Ohlsen Nearly Finishes 18.3

During the live announcement for 18.3, Dave Castro revealed he intentionally came up with a WOD he believed no one would be able to finish. After watching Neal Maddox and Kyle Kasperbauer nearly demolish it (getting 718 and 693 reps respectively), he admitted he believed someone would ultimately get through the 928 reps of 18.3 — his guess was Mat Fraser. While many athletes are still tackling this behemoth of a workout, one male athlete has already set the score to beat. Noah Ohlsen came this close to finishing 18.3 in the 14-minute time cap, ending seven reps short with 921.

It can be done! #18point3

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He’s got competition right on his heels, too: Luke Mcmahon revealed in an Instagram Story he got 920 reps in 13:47, and it seems as though he’s considering redoing it. Of the other scores submitted thus far, another athlete who pops out is Jake Berman, with 912 reps.

The leaderboard is still looking a bit lonely, as most athletes haven’t entered scores yet — notably Mat Fraser, who officially has huge shoes to fill, considering he’s Castro’s top pick.

Do you think anyone will finish 18.3? Tell us your best guess! If you need help with your strategy, check out this blog. We’ve also got some useful tips for double-unders and ring muscle-ups.

Don’t forget: The WOD Life is offering express and international shipping on everything you’ll need for the Open workouts. Shop here today!

Main image: Noah Ohlsen/Instagram

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18.3 Strategy for a Better Score (RIP, Shoulders)

We’re about halfway through the CrossFit Open, and it’s around that time most of us have convinced ourselves it can’t get any harder. Then Dave Castro comes along and says, “LOL. That’s cute.” Enter: 18.3.

crossfit open week three workout

It’s a big one, folks — 464 reps per round, nearly half of which is double-unders. As CrossFit HQ Director of Training & Certification Nicole Carroll said, every single movement in this workout is technical. What’s more, for the first time, we have ring muscle-ups and bar muscle-ups in the same workout. (If you need help on the rings, check out this blog!) Sloppy won’t cut it. Instead of focusing on being fast, focus on being clean and precise. This will naturally equate to a faster speed and thus, more reps.

Aside from proper technique, you’ll want to pay careful attention to how you break up your reps — and make no mistake about it: you will want to break them up. Don’t wait until you hit failure, especially considering you’re going to be taxing your shoulders like crazy. Keep a manageable pace, stay relaxed for the double-unders (a movement people commonly tense up on), and breathe the whole time — even through the muscle-ups.

khan porter and jess coughlan

Speaking of muscle-ups, don’t “muscle” them. Your shoulders won’t make it. Instead, remember the immense power you have from your hips and lower extremities, and rely on that kip as much as you can.

If you think finishing 18.3 seems darn near impossible, you’d be right, and that’s exactly how Castro wanted it. “The intent is to cause panic and confusion,” he said. (BTW, Castro? You did.) He explained he didn’t think anybody would be able to finish it; but after seeing how close Masters athletes Neal Maddox and Kyle Kasperbauer came during the live event, he thinks it might be doable — particularly for Mat Fraser.

Castro knows even the scaled version is hard. His response to the complainers? “It’s the f***ing Open!”

Maddox maintained a slight lead and walked away with more reps, finishing with 718 compared to Kasperbauer’s 693. Afterward, Maddox commented this is a double-under workout for sure, and you should go unbroken if you can (while avoiding hitting your limit, of course). Don’t underestimate the power of finding the right jump rope for you. It can mean the difference between smooth and connected reps, and countless whip marks on your legs. We like the Revo Speed Rope because it spins fast and smooth.

jump rope

Now’s also a good time to get your hand protection ready. (Remember the standards for this!) If you want something a little more heavy duty, leather palm grips might be best for you. If tape is more your speed, this stuff doesn’t budge and provides maximum protection without constricting movement or grip.

As always, friends, having fun should take top priority. Aside from that, find your pace, break up reps accordingly, give it your all and walk away knowing you did your best. HAPPY 18.3, EVERYONE! #PartyTime

Need to stock up before tackling 18.3? We’ve got everything you need. Shop with The WOD Life today — we have express and international shipping!

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Here’s Dave Castro’s Hint for 18.3

The live announcement for 18.3 is almost here, and right on time, Dave Castro dropped a little hint on his Instagram page. Unlike the others, it doesn’t trigger nearly as much fear — which makes me suspicious, and now I’m even more terrified.

#18point3

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Would it be naive to think 18.3 is running through a field of flowers? … Hello?

Past clues include a statue and fire, which also made no sense to us. Then again, do they ever? Alright, folks. It’s about that time: make your best guess for 18.3.

Main image: Dave Castro/Instagram

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18.2 and 18.2A Strategy for a Higher Score

Whether you’ve already given it a shot, haven’t yet tried it or are already considering redoing it, these specific strategy tips will help you totally own Open workouts 18.2 and 18.2A.

18.2

Dumbbell Squats

crossfit open 18.2

First and foremost, remember you must lock out before beginning a rep. This means when you first pick up the dumbbells, you can’t ride them down to the bottom of the squat as a clean. Once they’re on your shoulders, start upright with straight legs before beginning. Otherwise, you risk a no-rep, and there’s no time for that.

There are a number of ways to hold the DBs on your shoulders, but here’s one thing we definitely suggest: tilt the dumbbells upward, so that more of the weight is falling back behind you. The reason for this is simple: the direction the weight is resting is the direction it will pull you toward. As you know, you want to keep your chest upright when you squat. This will help you breathe better, and it’s also safer. Therefore, you want the weight falling behind you, so it will pull you up. If this is uncomfortable for you, you should consider wearing wrist wraps for added support, like these.

WODPrep offers another really helpful tip. “Keep a regular front rack full grip on the DBs in the beginning. Then switch to the ‘crease grip’ as the sets get longer,” they write on their blog. If you’re not yet familiar with the crease grip, they explain it in a recent YouTube video where they go over tips and strategy for the entire workout. (You can find the grip explanation specifically around 5:35.)

Burpees

burpees

So many of us despise burpees; but we’ve said it before and we’re saying it again: burpees are awesome because half of the movement is falling down. Anyone can do that! Whatever you do, don’t. stop. moving. The worst thing you can do is stop.

Remember the new movement standards for burpees. If you’re doing this as Rx, you must keep your feet together — meaning they jump out at the same time, and jump back in at the same time. If you walk your feet out and in separately, this is considered scaled.

If you’re looking to do as little work as possible, remember to jump your feet back in as close to your hands as possible. This will make it easier to spring back up, and will also mean you don’t need to jump as far to get over the barbell.

18.2A

Speaking of barbells, load yours with your starting weight. On that note, how do you even know what that weight is?! Noah Ohlsen started at around 60% of his one-rep max, so that’s one option. WODPrep offers more specifics. In their blog, they suggest warming up to around 80 or 90% of your 1RM before you start the workout. “We suggest hitting a weight heavier than your planned opening weight. Otherwise, your opening weight will feel overwhelming after the MetCon.” Whatever you work up to in your warm-up, they suggest taking your opening attempt at about 80 to 85% of that number.

Remember to be more modest with these numbers than you would otherwise. If you can regularly clean 90kg when you’re fresh, bear in mind you more than likely will not hit that after all those DB squats and burpees. Your legs will be too taxed. While the pros might add 20 pounds each jump, the rest of us should be more conservative. WODPrep makes a really good point here: “Don’t shy away from adding incremental (1lb / 2lb) plates. There will be A LOT of ties for lifts ending in a 0 or 5. Grab a slight edge by adding the smaller plates, chances are you won’t feel the difference.”

Lastly, protect your body! You will be fatigued and under stress. Talking to Ben Dziwulski, WODPrep’s founder, he said via email, “This is one of the few workouts where I recommend using a significant amount of workout gear to help you get a better score. Personally, I’ll be wearing Olympic lifting shoes, knee sleeves, and putting a belt on for the 1RM clean. If you’re not comfortable with wearing the OLY shoes for the burpees, then you can always change into them quickly after 18.2 as you get your heart rate down.”

We couldn’t agree more. Wearing gear — like a weightlifting belt and knee sleeves — will keep you safe and can easily add a few kilos to your lifts. As Ben mentioned, you might consider switching to weightlifting shoes if you have time. Otherwise, you can wear a versatile shoe that will get you through both workouts. And remember, you will always be rewarded for good form. Your cleans don’t need to be perfect, but the proper form will not only keep you safe, but you’ll lift more, too.

There’s so much to think about, and we want to make it easier. That’s why we collected everything you’ll need for 18.2 and 18.2A and put it all in one place. Shop here so you can get your best score yet! Express and international shipping available.

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18.2 Tips for a Better Score

Ladies and gentlemen, 18.2 has arrived! Patrick Vellner went up against Noah Ohlsen at R.A.W. Training in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, for what ended up being one giant adrenaline rush. Ohlsen commented that for the first time, Dave Castro’s hint about the workout was pretty accurate: “It definitely burned,” he said.

In case you didn’t catch the workout, here it is:

2018 open

How to Manage the Ladder

As always, CrossFit HQ Director of Training & Certification Nicole Carroll had some helpful hints to share. This workout might trick you, because the first few rounds go by fast and make it feel easier than it is. By round six-ish, be prepared to fight for it. As Carroll said, this gets significantly harder as you progress. Prepare yourself for that.

As both men did during the live workout, try angling the dumbbells so the weight rests a little behind you. This makes it easier to keep your torso up, which in turn makes it easier to breathe properly. Your body goes where the weight goes — carry the weight of the DBs in front of you, and they’ll pull you forward and down.

The goal is to leave yourself as much time as possible for the clean; but you don’t want to do the couplet as a full-blown sprint. Instead, focus on pacing yourself throughout the first part of 18.2. (This part serves as the tie-breaker, if you clean the same weight as another athlete!)

The Max Clean

You probably noticed the athletes changed shoes between 18.2 and 18.2 A and slipped on knee sleeves. Of course, this is because 18.2 calls for a lighter shoe, while the ideal shoes for 18.2 A (Olympic weightlifting) are quite different. For the first half of the workout, we’re going with the Inov8 F-Lite 195. It’s low and light as a feather — perfect for springy burpees and quick transitions.

crossfit shoe

For weightlifting, we LOVE the Adidas Adipower. These are a top pick amongst CrossFitters and strict weightlifters alike. If you don’t want to have to change shoes in the middle, the Inov8 All-Train is a good pick. We call it the Swiss Army knife of fitness shoes.

If you like lifting in knee sleeves, you can never go wrong with Rehband. Finally, if you’ve had plenty of practice lifting with a belt, this one’s our fav. It’s comfortable and ridiculously sturdy.

clean

Ideally, you should start your cleans within a minute of finishing the couplet, although Vellner and Ohlsen rested for about two minutes. Remember: the cleans will feel way harder than normal, since your legs will already be so taxed. Plan to take more modest weights than you would otherwise. For this same reason, you should consider smaller weight jumps with less rest in between, instead of huge jumps with more rest.

For reference, Ohlsen did his first clean at about 60% of his one-rep max.

While this workout isn’t nearly as grippy as 18.1, you should still take care to protect your wrists — they’re going to take a beating. Don’t forget your wrist wraps when you head to the gym (and you will definitely want to chalk up).

Live Event Recap

For pros like Vellner and Ohlsen, the couplet was more of a race to the finish than it will be for the rest of us. By 1:40 into the workout, they were already through six rounds. Ohlsen maintained a slight lead the majority of the time, finishing in 4:05, while Vellner completed his last rep at 4:17. While his speed and endurance are undeniable, Vellner actually got no-repped a few times on the burpees! (On that note, make sure you brush up on the new movement standards for burpees.)

After a couple minutes of rest, Ohlsen approached the bar first, easily cleaning 225. With a few missed attempts along the way, he finished at 311. Vellner finished with an amazing lift at 325.

Don’t show up for 18.2 unprepared. We have everything you need to crush this workout! Shop with The WOD Life today — express and international shipping are available!

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Lucas Parker Won’t Be Competing This Year

Everyone’s favorite bearded CrossFitter will be missing from the CrossFit Open season. Lucas Parker announced on Instagram that he will be taking a step back for 2018, with his sights set on a positive 2019.

I’ll be sitting out this year’s crossfit open qualifiers. – A few of you have noticed my name is absent from the leaderboard – don’t worry, I didn’t forget to sign up! – I have decided that a year off will be very beneficial for me. Due to a handful of various setbacks and issues, I don’t believe my capacity is where it needs to be to achieve my goals this season. – This was a difficult thought to confront, but I’m very excited about the growth potential here. – Rather than have a weak 2018 that sets me up for a disappointing 2019, I’d rather have a productive 2018 that sets me up for a successful 2019. – Since the start of my career in 2011, I believe I’ve been one of the only athletes who consistently takes extended breaks each season (I usually took the entire month after the Games off from training) and I credit this approach for my longevity in the sport. – I’ve also talked a lot in old interviews about how, as the sport matures, athletes will move toward an “Olympiad” style of 2-4 year competition cycles, to allow recovery and optimal training peaks as the demands of the sport increase. So, maybe it has reached that point for me. – By removing the specific calendar, training, and travel demands of the crossfit season I will be free to focus on rebuilding my fitness, health, and mindset to where it needs to be to compete at the highest level. – Thank you to my friends and family for your support in this decision.

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We’re going to miss him this year, but taking care of yourself is always the priority. Rest up, Lucas, and we’ll look forward to your performance next year.

Main image: Lucas Parker/Instagram

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Dave Castro’s Hint for 18.2

Drop whatever you’re doing — Dave Castro gave us a hint about 18.2. Like every clue he’s ever dropped, this one indicates… absolutely nothing. We can only hope 18.2 won’t require us to jump through fire or walk on hot coals.

But it’s Castro, so who knows?

#18point2

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18.2 will bring Noah Ohlsen and Patrick Vellner together at CrossFit R.A.W. in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, for what will surely be a heated race. Will you be watching?

Main image: Dave Castro/Instagram

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Jonne Koski is Out of the Open

The Open has just begun. Throughout the competitive season, there are typically athletes who withdraw, usually due to some kind of injury. In the case of Jonne Koski, though, the Open isn’t happening — period. The four-time CrossFit Games competitor announced on his Instagram page that due to nagging knee problems and a lengthy recovery process, the Open is a no-go this year — but he looks forward to 2019.

Unfortunately I’m not taking part in this years @crossfitgames season and I won’t be doing the Open for the first time in 5 years. ••• For the past 2 years I was trying to get my knee better by putting a lot of extra effort on warm ups,recovery,rehab and changing the movement patterns. Unfortunately the problems wouldn’t go away and even if I was able to work around the issue most of the time and maintain decent strength levels I felt that I wasn’t able to get better and reach the level that I wanted to and it frustrated me. Last year after the games I had 2 knee surgeries to remove nagging scar tissue that had built up from previous injuries. MRI also showed that I had a tear in my vastus lateralis tendon which has made the recovery a bit slower but has healed well by now. I was hoping that I would be able to compete the 2018 season but my recovery is still in progress and I needed to allow myself more time to heal fully before competing again. Sucks hard to be on the sidelines but I have put my goals to 2019 and started training already. I’m confident that it will be my best year so far! Good luck to everyone competing in the #crossfitgamesopen2018 ?? See you next year! @roguefitness @niketraining @redbullsuomi @foodspring_athletics #hungryfor2019 ! ?@jp_kaukonen

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Way to stay positive, Jonne! We wish you good health.

Main image: Jonne Koski/Instagram

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How to Dominate 18.1 Scaled

Watching Samantha Briggs and Kristin Holte absolutely demolish 18.1 was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Between their incredible engines and ridiculous strength, it’s impossible not to feel motivated. While seeing the pros Rx a workout and make it look easy is entertaining, to say the least, if we’re being realistic, that won’t be most of us — and that’s okay. There is no shame in scaling workouts. If you’re doing hanging knee raises or sit-ups, and you’re using lighter dumbbells, here are a few tips for totally owning 18.1.

Find Your Rhythm

Yes, hanging knees raises are the scaled version of toes-to-bar, but make no mistake about it: they’re still highly technical. Similar to T2B, finding your rhythm will massively help in stringing together reps while needing to exert less energy overall. In fact, both require a similar movement pattern. Look at knee raises as an abbreviated version of T2B. You cycle your body in a very similar manner, but cut the movement short.

TWL wrist wraps

While “muscling” the whole movement (meaning relying totally on strength) can be exhausting when you don’t rely at least a little bit on momentum and speed, you also don’t want to be flailing around everywhere. Go back and watch Briggs from the live announcement. She needed but a tiny kip to knock out her T2B. Yes, the Engine of England is stronger than most of us; but it’s still a valuable hint: find a spot in between an enormous kip and no kip at all, and you’ll be able to handle your hanging knee raises more efficiently.

Use the Power of Your Whole Body

This is a good reminder for both the dumbbell clean and jerks and the rowing. The clean and jerks aren’t just an upper body workout — not nearly. Even just a tiny drive from the legs can make a world of difference in sending the DB first to your shoulders and then overhead. Don’t go overboard — a small dip will do. Just remember your legs are stronger than your arms. Take advantage of it.

The same goes for rowing. While your whole body is obviously involved in rowing, you should be driving the majority of the power from your legs by thinking of pushing through the pedals. Do this, and your upper body won’t have to do as much work. (Have you checked out our tips for rowing efficiently? We think it’ll really help!)

If you’re doing sit-ups, remember that you don’t accomplish this position by yanking your upper body up by your head. Engage your core and don’t forget to breathe.

Prepare for a Grip Killer

grip tape

While there’s not as much friction between your hands and the bar with hanging knee raises as there is with T2B, we promise you’re still going to feel it. Same with the DB work. Don’t let the lighter weight fool you; you’re still doing a ton of reps. Hand care is everything. Even if you don’t feel the need for heavy duty gymnastics grips, at the very least, make sure you have a roll of your favorite tape nearby. Your hands will thank you for it.

Remember that the best time to start breaking up your knee raises is before your grip goes. Believe it or not, frequent but quick rest breaks will leave you with more reps, compared to longer but fewer ones. Pace accordingly, keep breathing and never stop moving. You got this!

We’re making it easy to get all the gear you need to conquer 18.1. Shop now and get express shipping!

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Don’t Forget These Important Movement Standards for 18.1

18.1 is well underway; but before you pick up those dumbbells, here’s a quick reminder of some important movement standards you won’t want to forget.

Toes-to-Bar

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Athletes can wrap tape around the bar or wear some kind of hand gear/protection, but you cannot do both. Acceptable hand gear includes tape, leather gymnastics grips, gloves, etc.

Also important to note: your feet must make contact with the bar at the same time. Any kicking you do in an attempt to make contact may result in a no-rep if your feet are split!

Dumbbell Clean and Jerks

We saw a few no-reps from Briggs for this movement, so take care to get in your groove before you go after 18.1. Out of the movements in this triplet, this could be the most technically challenging, standards-wise.

  • Even the first rep must be a hang clean, meaning once you deadlift the DB from the floor, you need to pause at the hang position (at your side or between your legs) before the first rep.
  • Any type of clean counts.
  • The DB has to make contact with your shoulder before going overhead.
  • You can get the DB overhead however you’d like, but you cannot use your free hand to help.
  • You can use two hands while lowering the DB between reps.
  • The rep counts once you’ve locked out at the top.
  • You need to complete five reps on one arm first before switching.

Rowing

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We all know that when you produce enough power, the rower will keep counting distance/calories for a few seconds even after you’ve stopped rowing. Be aware you must remain seated until the monitor says you’ve hit your 12 or 14 calories. If you row efficiently, it’ll go by faster than you think. (Psst! Here’s how long you can expect the row to take you each round.)

Keep these details in mind, and no-reps won’t be an issue. Want more tips to help improve your score for 18.1? We’ve got ’em right here! There’s still time to stock up on all the gear you’ll need for the Open. Shop here and get express shipping.