The first Open workout of 2019 is here, and it’s a leg killer for sure. CrossFit Open workouts are notorious for appearing innocent and simple, and then leaving you in heap of sweat and tears by the end. Week 1 this year is a seemingly simple couplet of wall balls and rowing. Let’s take a look at the workout, and go over some tips on how to maximize your score.
19.1
AMRAP in 15 Minutes
19 wall balls
19 calorie row
Fifteen minutes is a long time to go back and forth on these two movements, so pacing from the very beginning is going to be important. Make no mistake, this is a rowing workout. Even if you’re not great at wall balls, you can get through 19 reps. Break them up into two quick sets of 10 and 9 if you have to. But this one will be won or lost on the rower. Pick a pace that you know you can maintain for the first ten to twelve minutes of the workout, while still being able to knock out the wall balls in under a minute. For guys, rowing at a 1,200 calorie / hour pace will get you off the rower in just under one minute. Ladies, keeping your pace at 900 calories / hour will get you 19 calories in just under 1:20.
Wall balls generally take about two seconds for every rep. So going unbroken, 19 should take just under 40 seconds. But if the fatigue of doing sets of 19 on repeat is going to result in slower rows, break them into sets of 10 and 9 early on. You can do 10 reps in 20 seconds, rest 5 seconds, and then do 9 more reps in 18 seconds for a total time of 43 seconds. For a lot of people, this may be the way to go in a 15-minute workout that relies heavily on consistent rowing.
Finally, transitions. Transitions can absolutely destroy your score if you’re not careful. If possible, set up your rower close by and parallel to your wall or wall ball target so that you can quickly and easily swing one leg over the rower, take a step, and get to work on your wall balls. Keep your transitions fast; this is a STEADY 15-minute effort. You aren’t going to hit muscle failure on a wall ball or a row, so stick to your pace and keep moving throughout the entire workout!