At noon today, several first attempts will be made at the CrossFit Open 13.1. (Not sure what that is? Click here.) Several others will make second attempts to better their score.
The party will start at noon sharp. When you arrive around 11:30-12:00, sign in; you'll be placed into heats in that order. With a longer WOD like this one, we'll keep time between heats to THREE MINUTES; find a judge, measure your burpee height, and get your bar loaded fast.
Spectators: you share the responsibility for good scores. Make NOISE, especially close to the end of each heat.Your voice CAN lift a bar for another two reps. Let 'em know you're there.
For help: Rudy had some good thoughts on metabolic fatigue yesterday. If you found that you were too winded to lift the snatch bar, or had a particular muscle soreness that made it hard to continue, this is good advice for you.
If, like me, metabolic fatigue WASN'T the limiting factor, pacing the burpees won't help. The Central Nervous System (CNS) recovers almost independently of the cardiovascular system, especially in CrossFitters, who can'partition' recovery better than any other athlete (my opinion.)
Imagine a spectrum of energy use,between CNS (which coordinates the rapid, efficient recruitment of muscle) and aerobic capacity (the ability to deliver energy and oxygen to the muscles quickly.)
If, like me, you find 135lbs to be a heavy snatch, then your aerobic capacity won't be the limiting factor in 13.1. Heck, I had NINE MINUTES to get 30snatches at 135; I got 22. Another 30 seconds may or may not have earned me 1 more rep, because the CNS takes awhile to recover between lifts. Giving your CNS maximal time to recover between lifts will earn you a better score. Bottom line: crush the burpees and lighter weights. Get to 135 or 165, whatever your top lift, as quickly as you can. THEN start pacing your lifts (make 1 snatch every 20 seconds, for example.)
If your max snatch is over 200, though, you won't need maximal CNS recruitment to throw 135 overhead; you'll just need metabolic recovery. Pace it out. Make yourself get back on the bar before you feel ready; you'll just feel winded. The bar will still go up.
One more thing: there's no need to drop a bar with single 10lbs plates on it, or 10s and5s. Not ever. Even 135 is questionable. Unless you're in danger, drop from below the waist only. Waist, not waste – no more broken plates. Thanks.