Let’s Talk About 21.3 and 21.4

The weekend is over and scores are in! We have officially ended the CrossFit Open season and it’s was an absolute blast. I’ve learned so much about myself and I’m glad I jumped in and gave it my all. This week was just as eventful as the last two so let’s jump in!

Read about 21.1 and 21.2 here!

This last Thursday, I set up my phone to watch the CrossFit Open Announcement Livestream while at work and you can imagine my surprise when they snuck in an extra workout with 21.4. Honestly, I heard that this was a possibility but of course we still had no clue until it actually happened. The announcement was dramatic and the gym group chat went nuts as soon as we found out what it was. I guessed partially right on the workout but it was a very busy one. Even the scaled workout looked hard and it included pull ups. Ever since I started CrossFit pull ups were my nemesis. My arms aren’t as strong as my legs and of course the CrossFit Open would include them one way or another.

A part of me got very nervous since I had recently been able to knock out kipping pull ups. Those are allowed by the CrossFit Open standards so I was hoping to be able to get all of those done. I didn’t think I had a chest-to-bar pull up but if I had time, I was willing to try. My strategy was get to those pull ups and spend the majority of the time left working on those pull ups. 21.4 had to be done immediately after 21.3 with no official break time. 21.4 was the weight lifting component that I dreamed of. This complex was perfect except my Jerk was my limiting factor. In my plan, I did the math and was hoping to work my way up to 85 pounds with the 7 minute time cap.

My experience with 21.3 and 21.4

It was my turn to go and I was panicking because I was trying to do bar math and have all the weight I needed to be able to reach my weights. Luckily Jordan was near by to help me relax. My judge was one of the guys that always Rx and lifting heavy is no issue for him. Deep down, I was glad he was my judge because I knew he’d be fair and even a bit more on the stricter side when it came to my pull ups.

Since I was doing the scaled version, 45 pound squats and thrusters were nothing to me. The hanging knee raises were more of a primer of my grip for all the time I was going to spend on the rig. The forced rest made me more nervous than anything. My Garmin heart rate graph shows that it didn’t help reduce my heart rate at all. When I started the pull ups, I felt good. I was doing quick singles and getting over the bar each time. Little by little, I would eat away at those 30. My judge had to tell me to rest a few times and try to give my grip a break. As we were getting closer to the 15 minute time cap, I felt my hands start to tear. My grips and copious amounts of chalk couldn’t help my poor hands in the Houston heat and humidity. However, I really wanted to finish and I wasn’t going to quit. Toward the end, my hands were shot but I gave it my all and finished with 29 pull ups! I had no pull ups at the beginning of the year and I’m so proud of myself for finishing the CrossFit Open with 29 of them!

That’s not where it ended though. Remember 21.4? Yeah, after my hands were obliterated by the pull up bar, I still had to perform the complex. Again my judge told me to take it easy, load up the bar and take a moment to breathe. My first try was 65 pounds and it was easy breezy. It gave me the confidence I needed after being worn out with those pull ups. I followed up with 75 and then 85 pounds. The Push Jerk felt amazing easy and even my judge asked if that was truly my goal weight. He encouraged me to add on. I hit the complex with 90 and he encouraged me to give it another try. There was plenty of time and I put all the weight I had on the bar to hit 100 pounds. My deadlift and power clean maxes are way more than 100 pounds but my Push Jerk was my limiting factor. I took a deep breath, ignored the pain in my hands, and pushed that bar over my head. I cleared my lift and it was so dang amazing!

After the finished my workout, I felt so overwhelmed with emotion. This was my first CrossFit Open and I had exceeded my expectations. My husband supported me every step of the way and I had an awesome gym community cheering me on. My hands were completely torn up and there’s still a bit messed up as I typed this but I wasn’t alone as many athletes ended up the season this way. There’s plenty to improve upon this year and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next season!

How did you do in the CrossFit Open?