My first crossfit 3 rounds for time 15 power hang cleans and burpess

RFT stands in crossfit for rounds for time. In this workout you go for three rounds of 15 hang cleans and 15 burpees by three and boy how I underestimated this workout. I finished my first attempt at this at 11:01 which puts me in the lower half of the people who have done it at beyondthewhiteboard.com based on the numbers they provide.

How can you do this workout ?

You need a barbell and as a guy you need 135 pounds or 61.5 kilograms of weight on it. The ladies will work with 95lbs which transfers into 43kg. Use a stop watch to clock your overall time. You can have a judge around checking on your reps, but for training this is optional. If you want to be a top dog / lady you do this workout in3:30, midfielders check out at 5:34 and loser like me finish in over 10 minutes, but I’ll come to that at a later point in this post.

How do you do a hang power clean ?

As I have not mastered the Olympic weightlifts yet I shy away from doing the full range lifts. There are four versions of the clean, the squat clean, power clean, hang squat clean and the hang power clean.

If you should be able to lift more for a one rep max with the Squat and power clean then with the hanging variations and more with the squat version then with the power version. This is due to the longer acceleration path for the non-hanging versions and the fact that you have to lift the bar less high when you squat beneath it rather moving it all the way up to your standing position.

The squat and the power clean start with the barbell on the ground whereas the hanging alternatives start with the weight already lifted to the hips. For the squat versions you get your body deep beneath the barbell. With the hanging variation the movement comes more out of your back and arm strength.

What does this workout feel like ?

This is another example of a workout of the day (WOD) which had me in for a surprise. On paper it did not look too hard and I was more worried about the burpees as supposed to the hang cleans which came in at 61.5kg. With a bench press max of 125kg and a deadlift of 165kg I thought these would be a piece of cake. I was very wrong about this.

Already in the first round I had to break the fifteen repetitions rather than doing them unbroken. The burpees were actually fine for the first round and I did not have to stop. The second round brought me down to triplets for the hang cleans. Instalment two of the burpees had me to take a breather after 8 reps. Pushing onwards I considerably slowed down for round three. I do not have the splits per round, but I definitely was a lot slower in round three than in round two. 

After my first attempt at Fran this was the second WOD which had me in bits once I was finished. Took me about 3 minutes to get back off the ground again, because I was so exhausted.

What do you like about this WOD?

A great, short WOD given that your gym is just around the corner you can easily fit it in before work or after when you stayed longer in the office. It gives you everything you need working arms and legs. Explosiveness is trained to with the burpees and clean. A solid overall workout (if you scale it), which you can also do if you do not have the technique for the clean down 100% yet.

What do you not like about this WOD?

As so often I personally think that the weight it has to be done with is completely blown out of proportion for mere mortals. This is promoted as a “light” WOD on beyond the whiteboard. Now call me a weakling or the gyms I have been to sub par, but when I have seen someone move around 60kg on a bar for a clean they were not the average gym Joe. This is where I see the danger in most crossfit prescriptions. You are exposed to too much weight for too complex movements too soon. People usually go with the recommendations they see on a website or whiteboard or strive towards the standards too quickly (me included).

Conclusion

If you do not have a lot of time, know how to scale your workouts and like to get your butt kicked by a workout in ten minutes or less this is for you. If you cannot work with a barbell yet, stay away from this WOD and first timers should consider to do it with less weight then prescribed.  

Further reading

On the deadlift

• 7 simple ways to gain on the deadlift
• 72 deadlift dynamite quotes which will make you pull more
• Best deadlift dynamite review which will make you pull more
• Can kettlebell swings replace deadlifts?
• Can you use smolov for the deadlift?
• Can you squat and deadlift on the same day?
• Try this deadlift thing to get strong like bull
• Selected quotes from deadlift dynamite that will make you stronger
• Which is harder bench press oder deadlift?
• Why are there only 1x5 deadlifts in Stronglifts 5x5

On the squat

• Are you sure about wearing the right shoes for squatting
• Bench press or squat first
• Bench press in a squat rack
• Better breathing makes your squat stronger
• Breathing Squat
• Can kettlebells swings replace squats
• Can you squat and deadlift on the same day
• Challenge, Sore toda, Strong tomorrow
• Confidential: Get rid of the machines and hire the squat
• Detailed Smolov squat routine review
• Eager to know about wearing the right suit for squatting
• How to perform a back squat for crossfit for beginners
• How years of quality cossack squats easily help your fitness
• Overcome these sins of the squat
• Squat: How many reps
• Squat: How to improve
• Squat: When to inhale and exhale
• Squat without pads
• Squat Calculator [Free Downloads]
• The Truth squat or lunges?
• Ultimate 30 day squat challenge that tighten and tone
• What squat is best
• Why are there so many squats in Stronglifts 5x5

On the bench press

• 6 common mistakes when you bench press for strength
• An easy guide to bench press like a powerlifter for any age
• Bench press or floor press
• Bench Press or Military Press
• Eliminate these mistakes with the bench press
• How accurate are bench press calculators
• How to bench press 300 pounds or 140kg
• How to bench press for Stronglifts
• How to bench press more weight quick
• How to do the bench press properly
• How to increase your bench press
• The reasons why you need to bench press
• What are bench press boards
• What does the bench press target
• When you should bench press with dumbbells
• Which bench press is best for chest
• Who can bench press 1000 pounds
• Why bench press with bands
• Why bench press with chains
• Why is the bench press so popular
• Why use a bench press shirt