This is the final week of the 2018 CrossFit! In case you’ve missed them, take a look at the strategy guides for 18.1, 18.2 and 18.2a, 18.3, and 18.4.
For those of you living under a fitness rock, the CrossFit Open is the annual online competition that is the first step for qualifying for the 2018 CrossFit Games.
Athletes must complete each of the 5 workouts between Thursday evening and Monday night.
You can learn more about the CrossFit Open and CrossFit games here.
Before you dive in, check out this 4 Tips To Dominate The CrossFit Open guide, too.
Here’s everything you need to know about the final workout from the 2018 CrossFit Open.
Workout- CrossFit Open 18.5
CrossFit Open workout 18.5 is a repeat of the 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Open.
Complete as many reps as possible in 7 minutes of:
- 3 thrusters
- 3 chest-to-bar- pull-ups
- 6 thrusters
- 6 chest-to-bar- pull-ups
- 9 thrusters
- 9 chest-to-bar- pull-ups
- 12 thrusters
- 12 chest-to-bar- pull-ups
- 15 thrusters
- 15 chest-to-bar- pull-ups
- 18 thrusters
- 18 chest-to-bar- pull-ups
Men use 100lbs, women use 65lbs.
If you make it to the round of 18, go on to 21, 24, etc. At the end of 7 minutes, your total reps are your score.
Movement Standards
Take note:
- Hip crease must clearly pass below the top of the knees in the bottom position on thrusters.
- Dead hang, kipping or butterfly kipping pull-ups are allowed. Any grip is permitted.
- Athletes may wrap tape around the bar OR wear hand protection, but cannot do both.
Scaled/Masters
You can find all the scaled requirements here.
Preparing For CrossFit Open Workout 18.5:
Here are 2 things you can do to prepare yourself for CrossFit Open workout 18.5:
#1. Mentally prepare to blow through this workout.
The shortest workout of the 2018 CrossFit open, 18.5 should be treated as a sprint if you are moderately fit.
Don’t be that guy that gases out in 90 seconds, but don’t hit minute 4 and not have a jacked up heart rate.
Even if the thrusters are heavy or chest to bar pull-ups are not your strong suit, 7 minutes is just long enough that you can survive if you go a little too hard too early.
Plus, it’s your last chance to get a good score during the 2018 CrossFit Open.
#2. Go look at your old scores on this workout.
If you’re a seasoned vet of the CrossFit Open, this will be your third bout with this couplet. Go back and look at your old scores from 2011 and 2012.
Use these scores as your baseline. Have you trained hard enough this year your old scores?
CrossFit is about slowly improving over time, so even a 2 rep PR is worth celebrating.
3 Tips To Max Out Your CrossFit Open 18.5 Score
Here are 3 tips for maxing out your score on CrossFit Open workout 18.5.
Tip #1: “Breathe through” your thrusters.
There is no “hiding” or secret rest periods in this workout. Pull-ups and thrusters are difficult movements to get your heart rate down while you complete reps.
The only trick here is to hit your thrusters at a steady pace while remaining conscious of your breathing.
The cue I use when coaching athletes are to “breathe through” the movement.
Inhale on the way down and consciously exhale as you finish the rep, then do it again.
Lose a split second on your thrusters by slowing them down a bit so you can breathe.
Sure, they will still hurt. But the steadier you can keep your heart rate, the longer you will be able to hold the bar off the ground without breaking up the reps.
Tip #2: Save your grip.
Even the strongest athletes are going to experience grip fatigue after about 4 minutes of going back and forth between thrusters and pull-ups.
There are few things more frustrating than being able to complete a rep but unable to hold onto the bar to get your chest that high.
Break up the pull-ups in sets of 3-5 in the 3, 6, and 9 sets to keep your grip ready for the last few reps of the longer sets.
Tip #3: Wear knee sleeves, weightlifting shoes, and grips.
Using gear in this workout will help you out big time. Transitions will not matter as much as they did in a workout like 18.1. Instead, it will be about who can gut out the most reps in 7 minutes.
Wearing knee sleeves and weightlifting shoes might give you 1-2 extra reps, but that could put you a thousand places above where you’d be otherwise.
The hand grips will ensure that isn’t a limiting factor on your chest to bar pull-ups.
Don’t take the hand grips off when doing thrusters. It will waste too much time.
Remember, the only rule is that you can’t both tape the bar and wear grips. Unless your bar is slippier, I’d recommend choosing grips.
18.5 Live Annoucement
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Were these guides useful to you during the 2018 CrossFit Open?
What was your favorite workout from this year?
Did this year’s competition prove that you are fitter than last year?
Not everyone can compete like Mat Fraser, but this competition is an annual culmination of a year’s worth of hard work in the gym.
If you completed all 5 CrossFit Open workouts, be proud of yourself!
Until regionals, good luck on CrossFit Open workout 18.5!
