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 2012 score: 125 I DID check my old score |
Things I did well:
I started with a larger set of fast reps Things I want to improve on: I want to hold a faster RPM through the middle of the workout |
| 12.2
10 Minute AMRAP 2012 score: 85 I did NOT check my old score |
Things I did well:
I stayed relaxed in the first round Things I want to improve on: I want to stay aggressive and urgent in round 3 |
| 12.3
18 Minute AMRAP 2012 score: 368 I DID check my old score |
Things I did well:
I stayed unbroken on the ttb and barbell longer than expected Things I want to improve on: I want to pick up the barbell sooner |
| 12.4
12 Minute AMRAP 2012 score: 264 I did NOT check my old score |
Things I did well:
I stayed calm and took short breaks on the wallballs Things I want to improve on: I want to take a larger first set of wallballs |
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!
