The 2015 CrossFit Regionals kick off this weekend, and a lot of eyes will be on the Team Events for several reasons.  Many big CrossFit names have transitioned over to the team side for a new challenge.  Hundreds of athletes who fell short of their Games goals last year sought out like minded individuals to form a team for this season and now is this time.  My favorite reason to make way from the CrossFit Football booth to peek in on the Team Events is witnessing the genuine camaraderie and testing the balance of strengths and weaknesses that leads to either success or failure.

The 7 Team Events throughout the weekend distribute the volume fairly evenly throughout the team.  The power houses have their opportunity to display their strength dynamically, and the gym-nasty have their time to shine.  Unlike most of the Individual Events this distribution of volume and skill turns many of these workouts into bursts and sprints.  We factor this and many more components visibile in these tests in the approach and onto the warm ups below.

Preparation Approach

We constantly preach that a coach’s job is to take the athlete where they cannot take themselves.  But once the athletes step out onto the competition floor, a coach can yell and scream all they want with no aid to their athletes performance.  The beauty of a team competition is mutual accountability, all team members become one another’s coach and they help their teammates take their performance to the next level.  The below approach concepts build off of those presented in the Individual Event warm ups and build off the team camaraderie on the floor.

Recovery and Assessment

• Recovery is everything during any 3-day event.  Moving the athletes through these warm ups will jump start the recovery process before the event/competition day, and help make the most of the recovery services provided at the venue.
• This is for you, coach.  Identify limiting factors for performance (tightness, soreness) from previous workouts that can be attacked by the chiros and PT’s provided by the arena.  Get in and watch the warm ups if you can.

Set the Tone for the Event

• Your athletes are responsible for one-another on the floor, mutual accountability not cheerleadering.  No time for “Rah, rah! Do Work!”, only “Focus, Execution, and Confidence”.
• Communication.  There are three to four parts for each warm up, so put an athlete in charge of a new piece each warm up.  Get them comfortable with guiding, motivating, and giving constructive feedback in a chaotic environment.
• Allow the team to see how sensative the central nervous system is and how important a lactate pump is before ‘3..2..1..Exercise!‘, not halfway through the Event…if at all.

Problem Solve with the Body

• These warm ups include moving through multiple planes of motion and force the body to warm up the entire dominance line.  Recall the Dominance Phenomenon, going full tilt will cause primary movers to fail, so the next muscles in line need to be warm too.

Athlete-Body Connection for Event

• This connection is the most important goal for a coach to explain to their athletes. These events require the athletes to call upon their strengths when required and over-achieve their weaknesses.
• The competition will jack up the adrenaline this weekend, but don’t expect any PR’s if the athletes on the team are not dialed in with their movement patterns and energy systems.

Here are the Power Athlete Warm Up Protocols for the Reebok CrossFit Regionals 2015 Team Events!

[s2If !current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]

[/s2If]

[s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]*Premium Content begins now, please consult with the author before publicly using any of this information.*

EVENT 1 WARM UP

Motion

The “Pre-Warm Up-Warm Up” of all pre-warm up warm ups!  Get the team moving together and get them loose, calm the nerves, and get their minds right doing anything to increase your heart rate, break a sweat, and get some blood flow going.  Take 10-15 minutes of jumping rope, C2 rowing, stride runs and shuffles, Assualt bike, etc.

Dynamic Movement Prep

2-3 Rounds

1. Dead Bug Home Position :60
2. Inch Worm Hands Only – 5 reps
3. Scapula Depressions w/ 2 count at the top- 10 reps
4. Child’s Pose Progression 1 – 2 RT/ 2 LT

Movement Patterns and Energy Systems

3 Rounds of:

• :30 Partner Deads @ 225#
• :30 Partner C2B Pull Ups
• :30 Rest and Load
• :30 Partner Deads @ 315#
• :30 Partner C2B Pull Ups
• :30 Rest and Load
• :30 Partner Deads @ 410#
• :30 Partner C2B Pull Ups

Rest 2-3 Minutes then:

• Partner C2B initiations, no more than 3 reps in a row.

The Shoot

2-3 Rounds:

1. Contralateral Inch Worms -5 reps
2. Leg Cradle Lunge with Lateral Flexion and Extension – 1 RT/ 1LT
3. Child’s Pose Moose Antler – 2 RT/ 2 LT

Photo Credit: Chad Hamilton (@ theathletesmedia)

EVENT 2 WARM UP

Motion

Teams will not have as long as the individuals between workouts, so get them to foam roll, twist, bend, jump your jacks, whatever it is you need to get back to homeostasis 10-15 before the warm up area opens up.

Dynamic Movement Prep

2-3 Rounds:

1. Ipsilateral Dead Bugs  – 60 seconds
2. Spiderman Crawls w/ Elbow to Drop
3. Pillar to Plank Press Up– 10 reps
4. Vertical Column Side Stretch RT/LT for 60 seconds

Movement Patterns and Energy Systems

• Empty Bar Power Snatch – :15 seconds
• Contralateral Inch Worms -5 reps
• Thursters 95/55# – :15 seconds

:30 Rest

• Empty Bar Power Snatch – :15 seconds
• Contralateral Inch Worms -5 reps
• Thursters 95/55# – :15 seconds

:30 Rest

• Empty Bar Power Snatch – :15 seconds
• Contralateral Inch Worms -5 reps
• Thursters 95/55# – :15 seconds

:30 Rest and Load Up

• Empty Bar Power Snatch – :15 seconds
• Contralateral Inch Worms -5 reps
• Thursters 95/55# – :15 seconds

The Shoot

2-3 Rounds:

• 4 Way Dead Bugs – 4 Reps
• Spiderman Complex to Vertical Rotation – 1 RT/1 LT
• Child’s Pose Moose Antler – 2 RT/ 2 LT

EVENT 3 WARM UP

Motion

Game Day #2!  Like any old school weekend tournament, your athletes will be feeling it rolling out of bed this morning.  Now they need to invest in this pre-warm up-warm up to find out where they are affected by yesterday deep down or within their CNS.  If they feel extra tight in hammies, hips, or anything, then spend extra time getting these loose with old school dynamic warm ups like arm circles, leg kicks, karioka, or butt kicks style movements and be ready to prep for the Trueform!

Dynamic Movement Prep/Movement Patterns

Phase 1:

2 Rounds:

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”90715523″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Cocky Walks”] – 10 yards
• Spiderman Crawls w/ Elbow to Drop – 10 yards
• Athletic Position Burpees – :15 Hard!
• Leg Cradle Lateral Lunge w/ Twist – 3 RT/ 3 LT
• CPT Morgan with Vertical Support  – 6 RT/ 6 LT
• Air Squats – :15 Hard!

Phase 2:

2 Rounds:

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”90715523″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Cocky Walks”] – 10 yards
• Spiderman Complex to Horizontal Rotation – 6 reps (3 RT/ 3 LT)
• Wall Balls – :15 Hard!
• Leg Cradle Lunge with Lateral Flexion and Extension – 10 yards
• IT Band Slow Twisting Kicks – 6 reps (3 RT/ 3 LT)
• High Knee A-Steps  – :15 Hard!

The Shoot

2 Rounds:

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”90715523″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Cocky Walks”] – 10 yards
• CPT Morgan with Vertical Support RT -6/6
• Leg Cradle Lunge with Lateral Flexion and Extension – 6 reps
• CPT Morgan with Vertical Support LT – 6/6
• Leg Cradle Lunge Twist w/ Drunk Step– 6 reps

EVENT 4/5 WARM UP

Motion

A long steady built up during the motion is a MUST for this Event.  There will be a lot of downtime for each athlete while the others are maxing out, so take all 15 minutes to be moving here with a mix of elements.  Avoid anything with grip like a jump rope or Assualt bike.

Also note that I added some movements for them to do prior to their 1 RM and before the handstand walk.  It will be 20 minutes from the last 1RM attempt in the warm up area until they pull on the comp floor, so keep the CNS primed up!

Dynamic Movement Prep

2 Rounds

• Scapula Depressions w/ 2 count at the top- 10 reps
• Handstand hold– :10
• Leg Cradle Lunge with Lateral Flexion and Extension – 10 yards
• Inch Worm Hands Only – 5 reps
• Child’s Pose Progression 1 – 3 RT/ 3 LT

Movement Patterns and Energy Systems

2 Minutes:

Handstand Walk practice Fresh

2 Rounds:

[video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”97175229″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Snatch Warm Up 1″]

2 Minutes:

Handstand Walk practice Fatigued

10 Minutes:

Work up to Snatch Opener

The Shoot

• Alternating Contralateral Dead bugs– :30
• Knee Hug to Horizontal Lunge Twist– 6 reps
• Contralateral Inch Worms -5 reps
• Child’s Pose Moose Antler – 3 RT/ 3 LT

Pre-Snatch:

• Spiderman Complex to Vertical Rotation – 1 RT/1 LT

Post-Snatch:

• Child’s Pose Progression 1 – 2 RT/ 2 LT

EVENT 6 WARM UP

Motion

Day 3 morning motion calls for more searching.  No matter how they are feeling spend the first 5-10 minutes just getting there really chili hot. I want to see sweat!  Then attack specific mobility needs for each team memeber while the blood is pumping.  They may not initially feel sore anywhere, make them move and challenge them to find what needs work because today is no easy day.

No GHD’s are included in this warm up because I expect a cluster-fuck with all the teams and only 3-5 GHD’s on site.  Include some movement on those during the motion if they are open, but we will not worry about them as a team.

Dynamic Movement Prep

2 Rounds:

• Scapula Depressions w/ 2 count at the top- 10 reps
• Alternating Contralateral Dead bugs– :30
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354338″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Superman Holds”] – :30
• Vertical Column Side Stretch RT/LT for 60 seconds
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89247959″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Static Side Pillar Hold”] :30 RT
• Pillar to Plank Press Up– 10 reps
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89247959″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Static Side Pillar Hold”] :30 LT
• Child’s Pose Progression 1 – 3 RT/ 3 LT

Movement Patterns and Energy Systems

Complete:

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354265″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Seated Med Ball Throws”] – 10 reps
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354117″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Ring pull ups”] – 8 reps
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89561544″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Empty Bar Hang Cleans”] – 10 reps

:30 Rest

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354265″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Seated Med Ball Throws”] – 10 reps
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354117″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Ring pull ups”] – 6 reps
• Hang Power Cleans 135/75# – 6-8 reps

:30 Rest

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354265″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Seated Med Ball Throws”] – 10 reps
• Ring Muscle Ups – 4 reps
• Hang Power Cleans 185/95# – 4-6 reps

:30 Rest

• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89354265″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Seated Med Ball Throws”] – 10 reps
• Ring Muscle Ups – 2 reps
• Hang Power Cleans 205/115# – 2-4 reps

The Shoot

2 Rounds:

• 4 Way Dead Bugs  – 4 reps
• Spiderman Complex to Horizontal Rotation   – 4 reps
• Leg Cradle Lunge with Lateral Flexion and Extension    – 4 reps
• Child’s Pose Moose Antler – 2 RT/ 2 LT

EVENT 7 WARM UP

Motion

This is your teams last shot for the podium.  Use the Motion as the time to get them focused on the fight and let your leaders emerge.  The athletes needs all of the energy they have left to crush this, so to optimize CNS spark, pick new implements.  Kareokas, stadium stairs, cross jacks, anything new!

Dynamic Movement Prep

2-3 Rounds:

• Ipsilateral Dead Bugs  – 60 seconds
• Leg Cradle Lunge with Lateral Flexion and Extension – 10 yards
• Inch Worm – 10 yards
• Child’s Pose Moose Antler – 2 RT/ 2 LT
• [video_lightbox_vimeo5 video_id=”89853910″ width=”960″ height=”540″ anchor=”Handstand Hold with Leg Drop”] – 30 seconds

Movement Patterns and Energy Systems

• Calorie Row – 15 seconds
• Pillar to Plank Press Up– 15 seconds
• Straight Bar Kipping – 15 seconds
• Overhead Walking Lunge @ 45/35# – 30 seconds

:30 Rest and Load Up

• Calorie Row – 15 seconds
• Pillar to Plank Press Up– 15 seconds
• Kipping Toes to Bar – 15 seconds
• Overhead Walking Lunge @ 95/75# – 30 seconds

:30 Rest and Load Up

• Calorie Row – 15 seconds
• Pillar to Plank Press Up– 15 seconds
• Kipping Toes to Bar – 15 seconds
• Overhead Walking Lunge @ 135/95# – 30 seconds

The Shoot

• 4 Way Dead Bugs -5 reps
• Spiderman Complex to Vertical Rotation
• Child’s Pose Progression 1 – 2 RT/ 2 LT

[/s2If]

Share this article