Well four-weeks in and I have to say this is probably the first workout I’m not a fan of. New standard, new movement and four days to figure it out with your chance at Regionals on the line. I think what also makes me frustrated about this type of workout is what I know will happen in gym’s around the world. There will be thousands of athletes all over the world who are allowed no rep after no rep. The hard part about that truth is those athletes may never get a shot at Regionals but will steal points from those who do have a shot at regionals. Since they will not have a shot at Regionals there will be no reason for them to video their workout and therefore not be held to the same standards as those shooting for a Regional spot. The handstand push-up, especially with this new standard, will create a scenario where a lot more no reps are necessary than usual. The problem is that the judges around the world will not deal out the no reps as mandated and therefore give scores that are not accurate to the work completed. However, for the athlete shooting for Regionals, they will have to video this workout and be held accountable for every single rep. This will significantly slow them down on the handstand push-ups and require much more attention to detail on their end for fear that this is the video that HQ will ask them to submit. I was praying that the one “new movement” we would not see in this year’s Open is the handstand push-up. Clearly, under the banner of inventive and staying fresh, HQ ignored how much harder this standard is for the average box owner and average coach to set up and properly judge.
Okay diatribe complete. Here’s my thoughts and tips for this weeks work out:
1- Do not rush the handstand push-ups. Seriously, watch how Panchik was controlled and intentional with every single rep. It looked as if he was going to be moving too slow at the front end of the workout to keep up with Bridges. However, because of his specificity and intentionality, he avoided some no reps that would eventually stop Josh Bridges in its tracks. Be intentional with every single rep, make sure that every single rep is a good rep, and be careful that speed is not number one priority on this movement.
2- Kip and break the HSPU. This is obviously a no-brainer. Kip them from the beginning for a lot of different reasons. One is clearly the fatigue that a strict HSPU causes. Secondly, the explosive kip from the floor helps extend your hips, knees, ankles and shoulders allowing you to reach the line a little quicker and a little better each rep. Obviously break them up earlier than you think. I’m not saying break up the set of three or even the set of six. You need to decide at what point you need to break these reps up and remember that you likely need to break them up sooner than you might think. Failure on the HSPU is a workout ender. Rep speed is not your primary thought on this movement, it makes sense to break them anyways. For more information on the mechanics and proper technique for a handstand push-up take a look at our movement blog from tonight.
3- Use an Abmat. If you watch the standard video for the handstand push-up it notes that you can use an ab mat and plates. If you do not have a gymnastics mat or some other protective cushion I would definitely do this. Your neck and spine will thank you. Even if you do have a gymnastics mat or other mat underneath you, I would still suggest the use of abmats and plates. You want your hands to be driving into a solid surface in the same way that you want your feet pushing into a hard surface when you squat. Pushing into a mat is going to require you to use more energy for a good rep to be completed. My suggestion is use the ab mat and plates so you waste no energy pushing to lock out. Also, it’s safer for your body in general.
4- Wear lifting shoes. Another no-brainer. The lifting shoes will slide on the wall for the handstand push-ups and also they will be a huge factor in application of power in the clean. Again, not something you didn’t already know.
5- Maintain mechanics on touch and go reps for the cleans. Obviously, the weight is not obnoxiously heavy on the clean so as a result you should plan on doing some touch and go reps. If this weight is near or more than 80% of your max, then I would consider doing singles. If you’re going to do singles make sure you use weights that aren’t Hi Temp or especially bouncy. You want weights that die on the floor every time you drop them. There’s no necessity for chasing weights around the gym. If you’re going touch and go I have a few simple pieces of advice. Make sure that you are over the bar with vertical shins as you return to the floor from the top of the knee. That proper position, otherwise known as the hang position, is going to create tension and ultimately energy that you want to use as you tap the bar on the ground. Using that tension and stretch shortening cycle from your hamstrings on the eccentric portion of the movement will allow for the return back to the top of the clean to be a lot less work and a lot more shortening of muscle tension. Remember some keys to a good hang position are knees back, shoulders over the bar, and tight hamstrings.
6- Make sure you have a good judge. This is extremely important for this work out because that judge is going to keep you on track with how many reps need to be completed at each movement. With the rep scheme being a little less traditional it’s really important that your judge remind you of how many reps need to be completed at each station. Having a smart judge who can keep up with those reps is going to be important to keep you from wasting energy and doing more reps that are needed.
While I am not a huge fan of this work out, it is the necessary work to be completed for 15.4. Dave didn’t ask me what I thought of this workout nor should he have. HQ dealt this one to us and it’s our job to adapt and perform accordingly. Go do work tomorrow and over the weekend, be controlled, push hard, leave it all on the floor. Good luck!