Crossfit Games Open 2014: Predictions for 14.1

I posted last night that I thought Crossfit North Atlanta had given us some really good clues as to what we’ll see tonight when Dave Castro announces the first Open WOD of 2014. Now that I’ve had all night to think about it, I think I’ve come up with a prediction that I feel fairly confident with, at least for now (small disclaimer: I always feel confident with predictions until they’re proven wrong, it’s my process).

First, let’s recap, here’s what we know based on the pictures that CF North Atlanta posted. One, there is a two man rig set up for some movement that’ll require hanging from a bar (pullups, toes to bar, chest to bar etc) and the rig doesn’t currently have any capability for squats from the rack or wall balls. Secondly, the rig is not set up in the center of the arena so that tells me there will be more to this workout than just pullups, toes to bar, chest to bar, etc. Now of course I’m probably making way too many assumptions based on just a couple pictures. Maybe the rig won’t be used at all (although last year if they set up a rig they used it and when they did need a rig they didn’t wait until the last minute to set it up) or maybe Dave Castro is just trying to throw us all off, but at this point it’s just more fun to mild wild assumptions based off the few clues at our disposal. Now onto the prediction for 14.1:

17 min AMRAP (ode to 13.1)
30 burpee pullups
30 clean and jerks (95/65lbs)
30 burpee pullups
30 clean and jerks (135/95lbs)
30 burpee pullups
30 clean and jerks (185/125)
30 burpee pullups
30 clean and jerks (205/145)

I'll freely admit that I'm at least partially biased, if not totally and completely, because if I have one minor strength, it's with the clean and jerk. I'd feel fairly confident if this were the WOD (and by confident I mean that I would post a number I'd be happy with, not confident as in a number that even a Regionals level athlete would be satisfied with) and to be honest I'd enjoy it. Burpee pullups are brutal, especially when you're talking about 60+, but all of the Open WODs are going to be brutal and at least with any variation of burpees, you can keep moving. Your strength isn't going to "give out" on a burpee. You're going to slow down but you can keep moving and for a very average CFer like myself, that's important. If this were the WOD, and I can assure you it won't be, I'd be shooting for at least getting to the 185lb clean and jerks. Now that I think about it, I'm going to have to try this WOD at some point after the Open just to see how far I'd get.