Reminders

Hey guys, as I am driving to the gym to judge Jason Hoggan in 14.3 and complete the workout myself to try to beat Michael Winchester score, I wanted to remind y’all of two quick things. Both of these reminders revolve around back strength.
1. Don’t get hurt. I talked to a lot of people who have pressed the gas pedal on this work out a little beyond their capability and are hobbling around at best a couple days later. Remember this is 14.3. There will be a 14.4 and 14.5. Also, remember that life goes on outside of CrossFit and outside of the Open. Pushing yourself to injury for this workout just is not a wise idea and very short-sighted. Stay within your bounds. Allow your capacity to be a limiter, not your desire for a high score.
2. For those of you who are not gifted with the perfect levers for the deadlift, then it’s important you remember some basic mechanics for high rep deadlift workouts. I am gifted with a long torso and relatively shorter legs in comparison. This sets me up perfectly for the snatch or the clean, but in the powerlifting world I’m going to struggle. The longer torso puts me at risk for a less stable lower and upper back under heavy load. Furthermore, my setup typically will set my sternum too far out in front of the bar which makes my back bear more load than someone with Jason Hoggan’s or Elisabeth Akinwale’s levers. This is why they both do so well at deadlift workouts. With that in mind, the reminder for those of you in my position is to squat more during the descent than you think you have to. I want you to allow yourself to squat more with the bar once it passes your knees then you would typically see in a standard deadlift. This is going to allow you to use your legs more, keep your torso from being so far out from the bar, and preserve your back for the heavier load later in the work out. Try to squat as much as you can with the bar rather than allowing your torso to be out in front of the barbell or keeping your shins more vertical. It will save you back for later.
Good luck! Remember, we’re used to heavy barbells.