The first week of the 2021 CrossFit Games Open Qualifier is finally upon us, and Workout 21.1 is a thing of beauty!
If anyone asks me about my favorite event in the history of the CrossFit Games, it is hands down and without question the “Sandbag Move” event that made its first appearance in the 2010 CrossFit Games and reappeared in 2015. This event is my favorite for one basic reason, its simplicity.
Despite the CrossFit Games goal of testing “broad based general fitness”, over the years, the content of most of the events have become very predictable and fairly specific to CrossFit style training. Muscle ups, Snatches, and many of the other movements most CrossFitters aspire to do well are all wonderful expressions of fitness, but they also require a great deal of specific training.
The Sandbag Move cut through all of that. The workout simply entailed moving a pile of sandbags from the top of the stairs at one end of the stadium to the top of the stairs at the other end of the stadium. No specific form or technique that had to be adhered to; just get the work done. They even gave you a wheelbarrow.
Workout 21.1 has that same vibe, for me. Look, I know Double Unders are something that a lot of people struggle with, but I think most of those people know it’s just a matter of being willing to spend a little time and effort getting better at jumping rope. They’re also a movement that, at this point, everyone should expect to see in the Open.
On the other hand, I think a lot of very experienced CrossFit competitors look at Wall Walks and say, “You mean those things we do to warm up for handstand push-ups?” How many CrossFit athletes are actually doing high rep sets of Wall Walks on a regular basis? Not a lot, I’ll wager. After this weekend, they will be; I guarantee you.
This workout is a great reminder to focus on the basics. All the fancy movements and skills you wish you could do are just complex expressions of a few very simple physical capacities. Focus on developing your strength and mobility, add in a solid aerobic base with a little explosiveness, and everything else just becomes a matter of practice.
If you haven’t done the workout yet, you are in for a delicious 15 minutes of suffering, but the beauty is that your ability and willingness to suffer is the only real hurdle here.
Bring on 21.2!!!
