The Open Parker Project: 2012

The Open Parker Project: 2012

Photography: Oscar Bravo

I am in the process of redoing every CrossFit Open workout. These are my results and reflections from the 4 workouts of 2012. To learn more about the #OpenParkerProject, read this blog post.

Reminder: on some weeks, I checked my historical score, while on other weeks, I went in blind, not knowing what number I had to beat.

In 2012, I recall rolling into the CrossFit Open after a block of Olympic Weightlifting focused training. I was powerful, but lacking capacity. For example, I did not make it to the last round of snatches in 12.2, even though the final weight would have been no problem for me.

During this chapter of The Open Parker Project in 2016, I still feel relatively out of shape – I’ve only been training for a couple months. However, I believe my baseline level of conditioning has improved over the years. During these workouts I maintained a more consistent pace and required less rest between stations, compared to my fast bursts of power and longer rests in 2012.

So, if I can regain my power and improve my cycle speed, while continuing to build my capacity, I’ll be in pretty good shape this season.

12.1

7 Minute AMRAP
Burpees (6” touch)

2012 score: 125
2016 score: 124

I DID check my old score

Things I did well:

I started with a larger set of fast reps
I exploded off the floor on every rep

Things I want to improve on:

I want to hold a faster RPM through the middle of the workout
I want to push to failure in the last 1:30

12.2

10 Minute AMRAP
30 reps snatch 75 lbs
30 reps snatch 135 lbs
30 reps snatch 165 lbs
Max reps snatch 210 lbs

2012 score: 85
2016 score: 90

I did NOT check my old score

Things I did well:

I stayed relaxed in the first round
I used short urgent sets in round two

Things I want to improve on:

I want to stay aggressive and urgent in round 3
I want to set up faster on the bar

12.3

18 Minute AMRAP
15 box jumps
12 push press (115)
9 toes to bar

2012 score: 368
2016 score: 397

I DID check my old score

Things I did well:

I stayed unbroken on the ttb and barbell longer than expected
I transitioned quickly to the box jumps

Things I want to improve on:

I want to pick up the barbell sooner
I want to shrink my ROM on the push press

12.4

12 Minute AMRAP
150 wallballs
90 double unders
30 muscle ups

2012 score: 264
2013 score: 265
2016 score: 276

I did NOT check my old score

Things I did well:

I stayed calm and took short breaks on the wallballs
I stayed relaxed when I tripped on the rope
I pushed close to failure on the rings

Things I want to improve on:

I want to take a larger first set of wallballs
I want to go unbroken on the double unders
I want stronger shoulders for pulling and pushing the muscleups

 

Key reflections:

The burpee workout was a tough loss! I distinctly remember myself bragging to my friends at crossfit NCR, “my score last time was 125. It’s not a question if I’ll beat my old score – the question is how much I’ll beat it by.” I went in confident that my conditioning was superior. However, as discussed last chapter, my biggest gap right now is muscular endurance – I haven’t built up the stamina in my upper body to push through a high volume of a single movement. I am programming a base layer of bodyweight fundamentals each week to address this.

In contrast, 12.3 was a big victory – one of the biggest I’ve had so far. Still, it could have been bigger. I recall this event in 2012 requiring me to rest more and take breaks on the toes to bar and push press. In preparation for this workout in 2016, I DID go look at my old score. I knew the number to beat and the pace to chase. In the final half of the workout, I was aware that I was ahead of the pace. I felt confident I would beat my old score. This allowed me to relent slightly. Maybe I rested a couple extra seconds between sets. Maybe I relaxed my pace on the box jumps. I still secured a victory, but it involved too much gamesmanship. I want to be decisive and ruthless.

So, I compare a 12.1 loss with a 12.3 victory – where they share common ground is that I knew my score ahead of time. They also both left a bad taste in my mouth. I’ve always believed that I’m a very calculating athlete: the more information and strategy that I have before competition, the better I will do. However, the evidence so far suggests that prior knowledge may be impeding my performance! I’m curious to see if this pattern continues through the next chapter of The Open Parker Project. 2013 here we come!