First, the WOD:

As Many Rounds and Reps As Possible in 20 Minutes of:

300m Row

10 Deadlifts

50 Double-Unders

♂ 185 lb (83 kg)

♀ 125 lb (56 kg)

Scaled athletes will perform Single-Unders (still 50 reps) and barbell weights are:

♂ 135 lb (61 kg)

♀ 95 lb (43 kg)

Finally for our Foundation athletes, you will perform either Single-Unders OR Jumping Jacks and the barbell weights are:

♂ 75 lb (34 kg)*

♀ 55 lb (25 kg)*

*The load is a suggested starting point. If you are completing all the workouts in the Foundations division, you are free to decrease or increase the load as your skill level allows

Now that you know what the workout is and the different variations for specific divisions, some important things I want to make sure you know.

Let’s start off with the standards that are easy to miss but crucial we follow. First, athletes are allowed to be seated and strapped into the rower BUT are not allowed to touch the handle (also known as the “paddle”) before the call “GO” to begin the workout. Second, no bouncing the Deadlift bar! This should be pretty straightforward but still happens too often. Also make sure to hit full extension at the top of the Deadlift. Don’t be that person who tries to skirt by and cut corners, your judge should (and will) no rep you and a single no rep on these Deadlifts will be a waste.

Scoring is also important to know. Every 10m on the rower counts as a rep. On top of that if the athlete is rowing and time expires the athlete must immediately stop pulling the paddle. The monitor will continue to count meters and once the monitor has come to a rest, the distance the monitor is showing will be what counts. Along with that the score will be rounded DOWN. So if you are like me and you finish at 179m on the rower, you unfortunately get 17 reps because it rounds down.

Now on to our tips and tricks!

First, safety and efficiency! The combo of Rowing and Deadlifts can be a bit brutal if you are not used to it. Make sure on the Row we find a comfortable pace. Coming out hot on the Rower to only gain a second or two is not worth it. It will be incredibly difficult to make much time up on a 300m Row but it is incredibly easy to go too hard and lose time taking breaks and having extra long transitions because of going too hard on the Rower.

Deadlifts must be done safely! Rounding the back and losing midline stability will only compound on the fatigue. Keeping everything stacked and driving the floor away using your legs will seem challenging, but lifting with your back and losing that neutral spine we strive for not only increases our risk of injury exponentially but also forces us to use musculature that we shouldn’t have to use while normally Deadlifting. Because of this, our body will have to work harder to move the weight which has its own massive downstream effects on how we perform.

The Double-Under needs to be relaxed. If you are super confident with dubs then go unbroken. But check yourself here. You may be getting 6+ rounds which ends up being 300+ DU’s in sets of 50 with Rowing and Deadlifting in the mix. If you know high volume DU’s get messy as you get tired then plan to take tactical breaks to keep the heart rate down and your breathing in check.

Finally, transitions. Each working component of this workout is relatively short. You will probably be on Rowing for ~1:00-1:20 (depending on your output), the Deadlifts should take you maybe 0:30 and if you are efficient on the DU’s it should be 0:45-1:00. In total that could be around 2:15 (which is moving pretty dang fast) to 2:50 (which is much more reasonable). But that is only working time. Factor in having to get off and on the Rower, walk over to your Deadlift bar and pick up the rope to start moving it can easily add 0:30, possibly even up to 1:00 if you are really struggling! To have major success on this workout we need to keep our transitions quick but smooth. Don’t rush from place to place but don’t stand around waiting until you feel cool, calm and collected. There needs to be a tad bit of urgency, but only a fraction.

The last thing I want to say. Friday Night Lights is happening again and you remember what it was like last week! This week I believe we have learned from some things that occurred last week to make this week run even better and I am confident that for the athletes who will be here tonight competing will notice and feel the difference between last week and this. The Open is a super cool thing and gives you athletes a chance to feel what it’s like to compete (whether or not that is why you are doing the Open) and it makes things all the more exciting! Like I have been saying, bring your friends and family down to watch and cheer on everyone while they do this workout! The more the merrier (plus they can help with resetting the rowing monitors!!!).

Our first heat is currently slated to go at 4:35 tonight so if you want to get it done and out of the way first, make sure to get to the gym early and get yourself warmed up and ready to go! Everything is dang near already set-up for you, all you have to do is show up and get ready to GET AFTER IT!!!

Good luck out there athletes! YOU ARE GOING TO CRUSH IT!