Wednesday, January 10, 2007

300

According to CrossFit lore, scoring over 300 on 'Fight Gone Bad' (FGB) is the title fight that qualifies you for three rounds in the UFC. It's the closest you can get to replicating a Mixed Martial Arts bout without the blunt force trauma - usually. It's the 'Gone Bad' part you should probably note. You're not meant to dominate.

Of all the benchmarks to achieve, I looked forward to this one the least. Having reached the 300 mark, I have some hints to help you do the same.

And in this corner, FGB:

3 ROUNDS
With a continuously running clock, start in one station complete as many reps/calories as you can during the minute and then move immediately to the next station. After each exercise in the rotation is completed once, rest for one minute and then begin the next round. The clock never stops and neither should you:

Wall-ball - 20 pound ball for men, 15 pound ball for women, 8 ft target. (Reps)
Deadlift high-pull - 75 pounds for men, 65 pounds for women (Reps)
Box Jump - 20" box (Reps)
Push-press - 75 pounds for men, 65 pounds for women (Reps)
Row - calories (Calories)

When I do this at PRO with clients, I use the following substitutions:

Instead of Wall Ball:
Medicine Ball Jump Squats - for some reason the fitness specialists get nervous when you toss anything heavy near the mirrors so, though you must jump, please do not let go of the ball. If you do let go, review the previous post with pointers on increasing your running speed and don't mention my name.

Instead of Row:
Burpees - it's roughly the same motion without the pull. I've tried on many occasions to get PRO to move a rower downstairs but apparently it greatly disrupts the floorplan. I would be willing to add 50 points to your FGB score if you can prove you hijacked a rower and took it down the elevator in order to complete this workout. Again, forgetting my name would be optimal.

Fight Strategy:
At a recent CrossFit Seminar a couple of us got together and well, you know how girls are, we swapped FGB strategies (as well as favorite toenail polish shades and the names of boys we think are cute). Here's what we concluded:

In a group setting, you can start at any station so your strategy begins in the positioning. Go for the wall ball. Since a point is a point, it takes significantly less effort to squeeze out an additional Wall Ball shot or Push Press but getting an additional calorie out of the rower is time consuming and may require trading a vital organ. Also, keep in mind that Wall Ball requires accuracy, something I'm lacking when I can't breath.

High step from SDHP to the box jump to loosen tight muscles. You're hip flexors will be spent and the first box jump is a doozy when muscles aren't responding properly. Here's where actual fight training could come in handy. If you calcified your shins in Maui Thai, you could potentially lose less skin on the box if you miss the first jump. Otherwise, try not to cry visibly.

With the rower, you're likely to get somewhere near ten calories (it works about the same if you burpee). This means you have to get greater than 20 reps on at least a couple of the other exercises in order to get your 300. Plan the numbers accordingly and create a strategy for each round. I bought insurance in the wall ball and push press but tried to hit the 20 rep mark on the SDHP and box jump.

If you're hitting your numbers, stop. I gave myself a couple of seconds to transition from SDHP to box jumps which allowed enough recovery to begin jumping at the start of the clock. This allowed me to reach my box jump goals. Had I tried to run out the clock on the SDHP, my later numbers might have suffered since I find this exercise particularly taxing.