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Crossfit is something new to the fitness scene, and form the outside is very hard to understand. Within this article we will go over everything crossfit!

CrossFit Open 21.1 – Strategy & Tips
Videos by the Invictus Athlete Team

The 2021 Open is in full effect and this is the place to get all the strategy and tips you need to perform your best this season! Each week, our team of expert coaches will provide both written and video analysis of the Open workouts and thoughts on how to attack them for each level or type of athlete below. Whether you are aspiring to make it to Quarterfinals or if you just want to have fun with your gym friends, you’ll find what you need here after the workouts are announced each week. Remember…”Full effort is full victory!” Good luck and have fun!

Competitive CrossFitters

If you’ve been following the Invictus Competition program for some time or any of the other Invictus Athlete Programs, or if you have aspirations to make it to the CrossFit Games, check out the Tips for competitive athletes video from Invictus Athlete Coaches CJ Martin, Tino Marini, and Hunter Britt.

Beginner to Intermediate CrossFitters

If you’re pretty new to competitive CrossFit, or you just do it for “fun”, and are looking for an approach for the 2021 Open, this is where you should look for strategy options, especially if you’re not as comfortable with a barbell and if you don’t have aspirations to qualify for the CrossFit Games. In the videos, Coaches Justin Wright and Bern Prince of Invictus Boston will demonstrate the workout using different strategies for this level of athlete.

21.1 Tips for Competitive Athletes

It has been a long road since the last Open, and we hope you are as excited as we are that it’s finally here! This first workout was a bit of a surprise to us in the nature of the event and the inclusion of wall walks, but we’re confident you all will approach it with the right mindset and we’re certain that you have the tools to put up a score you’ll be proud to post. The Invictus crew is here to help you with some of their key tips for 21.1!

21.1 Tips for Beginner & Intermediate Athletes

We’re back and kicking off the 2021 Open with some wall-walks and double-unders. Whether you’re hitting the foundations version, the Rx, or the at home version of this workout, your shoulders are bound to burn. Tonight, the most electrifying duo in sports entertainment returns to bring you their tips for 21.1

More tips for CrossFit Open Workout 21.1…

Invictus Athlete Programs

If you want an in-depth strategy and a great training program join Invictus Athlete. If you’re over 35, we’re also giving age group strategy for our Invictus Masters. Don’t forget that many of our online programs are now on SugarWOD!

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There are no strong people with weak backs.

The muscles of the back – from the traps to the glutes – are essential for performance in CrossFit. Everything from weightlifting to gymnastics or even strongman exercise will require a strong back and great control.

Today, we’re going to discuss some of the best, simplest ways to strengthen your back for CrossFit. These range from warm-ups and gentle beginner’s training to some of the most advanced and effective techniques for strengthening these crucial muscles.

Contents

How to Train the Back for CrossFit

12 Week Crossfit Endurance Program

The back breaks down into a few key muscle groups/movements that you need to cover to maintain balance. We’re going to discuss these, how they relate to your training, and what you should be doing to train them.

Starting at the bottom, the glutes and lower back are essential for posture. This is all about keeping a neutral spine – especially the lower, or lumbar, region where most serious injuries occur. The glutes are also involved in hip extension – the process of opening up the front of the hips that we see in a deadlift or clean.

The upper back has two key roles: pulling in a rowing or pull-up motion and supporting weight overhead.

The first is important for the gymnastic skills you need in CrossFit – being able to pull up, transition into muscle ups, and build strong lats/rhomboids is key. These keep your upper body balanced, support the shoulders, and even play a role in keeping the spine neutral.

The second is all about strong supporting muscles around the shoulder blades, or scapula. These are key for Olympic lifts which require you to support seriously heavy weights overhead, as well as handstand push-ups, and any pressing.

The workouts below aim to work all of these movements in some way, often combining them and building up the entire back at once. These can be added to the end of a workout 1-2 times a week for additional strength work. This will carry over to every area of your training as postural strength, increased explosiveness, and can improve knee/spine health.

1. Preparation and Power

This is a workout aimed at increasing power, coordination, and involving the hips in dynamic exercise. It’s also light enough that it provides a good workout for the beginner, but a great warm-up for the advanced athlete. If you’re sufficiently advanced, it could even be a good form of active recovery on rest days!

The focus continues to be on involving the whole back in this workout, but in a way that doesn’t load too heavily, and is based on developing athletic characteristics. It’s not about brute strength but making sure that you’re using everything correctly. This is going to show up in the rest of your movement and contributes to a well-rounded physique and performance.

5 Rounds, 2min rest

12 Week Crossfit Program For Beginners

Inverted Row – 10 reps

Overhead MedBall Throw – 5 reps (for height/distance)

Banded Crab Walk – 6 reps in each direction

Banded Good Morning – 20 reps

2. Basic S&C

This workout is a bit more focused than the previous session. It focuses on similar principles of movement and strength together, but with an increased focus on the type of training, you’d see in an elite athlete’s program.

The ring row is the main strength exercise, working the essential pulling muscles of the upper back in a way that builds towards more-effective chin-ups and pull-ups. If you’re still working on getting your pull-ups, this is a great scaling/progression exercise.

The medball throw and Kettlebell Swing work on strength and power under fatigue and increase the endurance demand of the workout. This is great since the ability to perform long workouts – or repeated bouts of intense output – are key to CrossFit training.

For Time

Ring Rows – 50 reps

Rotating Medball Tosses – 50 reps (25 each side)

Kettlebell swings – 50 reps

These are 3 of the most important exercises for balancing the most commonly neglected movements and muscles: the upper back, rotational exercises that combine the core and back, and the hip hinge using the hamstrings/glutes. Training these 3 simple exercises can make big changes to your posture and health.

The focus of the workouts should always be quality and this is no exception. Try and get 50 clean reps as fast as possible – quality takes precedence over speed. The best way to approach this is as sets of 5 for both ring rows and med ball tosses, while the kettlebell swings should be completed all at once.

3. The Best Basic Dumbbell Back Workout for CrossFit

This is the simplest way to hit all of the muscles of the back without using a barbell or othe