3 Hidden Traps of CrossFit Open 26.2 — and How to Navigate Them

Every CrossFit Open workout lays a trap. The key to success is to spot that trap early and navigate it with good strategy.

Here are 3 traps of CrossFit Open 26.2 and the strategies to navigate them.

(1) Lunges: It’s Not About the Legs

When I first saw this, I thought, oh, this will torch the quads. Actually, not so much.

Don’t be fooled by the lunges. This is less about your lower body and more about the stabilizing work you’re doing by holding a dumbbell overhead. That energy is taxing the same muscles you’ll need for the pull-ups.

Strategy: On the walking lunges, you’re allowed to switch arms and put down the dumbbell after each 20-foot length. Do it.

The question here isn’t “should you switch arms” after each length; it’s why wouldn’t you? Switching arms won’t cost you time, and will help keep your shoulders from fatiguing too soon.

At the end of each length you must turn around anyway. You don’t need to take extra steps with the dumbbell overhead. Instead, cross the line, put down the dumbbell, turn around, pick it up with your other hand, get it overhead, and start lunging again.

(2) Snatches: Beware of Heart Rate Spikes

If you’re proficient in snatches and the weight is manageable for you, this is a place where you might think you can sprint to make up time. That’s a trap.

The snatches are going to tax your overhead position, again. Getting sloppy here will set you back on the pull-up bar. In addition, fast snatches will spike your heart-rate. Any time you “make up” by going fast here will be lost while you’re trying to catch your breath before getting on the pull-up bar.

Strategy: Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Find a cadence you can sustain, even if that means fully putting down the dumbbell on each rep, for fast singles. Break after 10 to take a full breath and shake out your arms.

(3) Gymnastics: Smaller is Faster

When it comes to the gymnastics movements in this workout, there are 2 types of athletes. In the first camp are the people who are intimidated by the large volume. You might count yourself out of the workout before you even attempt your first pull-up.

In the second camp are those who are proficient and skilled at the movements and think that 20 pull-ups or 20 chest-to-bars are no problem.

This group often gets greedy, going for big volume because it feels good in the moment, and then regretting it when they get back to the rig for the next movement.

The same general strategy works equally well for both groups.

Strategy: Break up the pull-ups into smaller sets. When it comes to the pull-ups, smaller sets will keep you moving faster.

If 20 pull-ups or chest-to-bars feels beyond your capacity, think of them as sets of 5, 3, 2, or even singles. Don’t tax your grip strength by hanging on the bar longer than necessary.

Even if you’re skilled in gymnastics it’s still wise to break up the 20 reps into smaller sets.

This workout is not a test to see how many pull-ups or chest-to-bar pull-ups you can do unbroken.

It is a test of how well you can manage your energy and your shoulders so that you can stay consistent throughout at least 2 gymnastics rounds, and have a chance to get through the third movement — or at least get some quality reps.

Remember: every movement in this workout interferes with the others. That means the tax on your shoulder stability and grip strength is compounding throughout the workout.