Lots of talk on FB, Instagram and the CrossFit message boards over the weekend about Games Open workout 16.3- specifically related to the bar muscle up.  Now in a perfect world, everyone’s first bar muscle up (and every complete BMU rep thereafter) should be done with impeccable form- a smooth kip with engaged shoulders, a lat-filled, straight armed drive downward propelling the torso up to the pull up bar to meet really low near the hips, with a simultaneous whip forward of the upper body and then a firm lock out of the dip.  In reality we know that most of the BMUs we saw both in person and on Instagram involved some type of chicken winged struggle up with some feet bicycling in mid-air grasping for leverage.  Not the prettiest… but the effort and tenacity made them fun to watch and to cheer for.  Some say that these videos are fodder for the “CrossFit is dangerous” crowd.  But those types will exist regardless of what is being celebrated in thousands of gyms around the world: evidence-based fitness that focuses on increasing work capacity that has REAL application in our lives.

Once again- we strive for perfection, we train and practice skills with clean movement, we scale and modify very well MOST of the time.  But occasionally, we get a little dirty with movement.  If you have a baseline of strength, if you have been at CrossFit with us for a while and occasionally get a little gritty in the heat of the moment… it CAN be ok.  If these were RING muscle ups- then coaches would have maintained much tighter reigns on that sloppy stuff.  Now on with our week- keep it clean and come out fighting.

Tuesday’s WOD at 6, 7, 9am and again at 4 and 6pm
Midday Open Training Hour, 5pm Gymnastics Class
Clean and Split Jerk
3-3-3-3-3
Post heaviest set of 3 to chalkboard/journals
-then-
As many rounds as possible in 5 minutes of:
10 burpees
25 air squats (OR sub 12 pistols if athlete is proficient)
Post rounds and remaining reps to chalkboard/journals.