Playing the Leaderboad with CrossFit Open Workout 19.3

When I tell you that I played the game to put up points on the leaderboard for Open workout 19.3, I played it hard. If you all remember that last week during 19.2, I mentioned that I would have RX’d the workout if toes-to-bar wasn’t the first exercise of the workout. Alternatively this week worked out better for me.

This workout started with two movements that I knew that I could do with limited trouble. It then went into two movements that I also knew I couldn’t do. While I have been working on my handstand push-ups (HSPU) I can only do kipping and usually with an abmat under my head.

I also knew that there was going to be a tie break time once you finished the second movement. My goal was to reach that point. Period. There was also a 10-minute time cap that seemed very aggressive.

Let me explain this a little bit better.

CrossFit Open Workout19.3

For Time:

• 200-ft dumbbell overhead lunge
• 50 Dumbbell box step-ups
• 50 Strict HSPU
• 200-ft Handstand walk

Time Cap: 10 minutes

The RX weight for women was a 35 lb dumbbell.

Why this starts as aGood workout for me

Firstly, for those of you who don’t know me, I am 5’10” and roughly 175 lbs. While lifting is definitely a strength for me, gymnastics would definitely be a weakness. But the first two movements in this workout I had a height advantage.

My long legs make the lunges easier because I don’t have todo as many. And the step-ups to a 20” box weren’t a huge deal.

Obviously, this doesn’t mean that I did this all fast. One of my weaknesses is my metabolic conditioning. I tire easily and struggle to breathe at times. But put a heavy weight in front of me and I get excited. I finished the step ups at 9:35 leaving me just under 30 seconds to attempt a HSPU.

But I didn’t. I turned around and sat right back down on mybox. No shame in my game.

How did I play theleaderboard?

When I say play the leaderboard I mean play the game. In CrossFit, the people who RX the workout always finish higher than those who don’t even if they didn’t finish in a faster time or complete as many reps.

Last week I had more reps completed than a lot of people at 344 reps, but because I scaled the workout I didn’t place as high on the leaderboard than if I had RX’d it. Same with 19.1, I did RX it and was higher on the leaderboard than someone who scaled it but had more reps.

I knew that a 35 lb dumbbell was something that I could hold overhead without too much difficulty and hold during step-ups. Honestly that wasn’t that bad.

By doing the 90 reps, and getting through the step-ups I secured an RX workout score with a tie break. I could have opted to scale and attempted to do a strict HSPU with a 5” elevation. So a plate and an abmat more than likely. But I wanted another RX score.

Last year I couldn’t or didn’t RX a single workout. This yearmy goal was one and now I have done two.

How my Leaderboad is looking

One thing I am super proud of is my box. CrossFit Passion is an amazing place to workout. Obviously a huge advantage is having Travis Mayer as the owner and a coach, but all the coaches are amazing, plus Training Think Tank is there.

But what is even more awesome to me is more noticeable in our leaderboard. This year 29 women signed up for the Open in our box. This doesn’t obviously account for all the women there but it’s a decent number.

After 19.3 I am sitting in 22^nd place in our gym. That is the 24^th percentile, to make it easier to compare to the other leaderboards. In the USA, 79,087 women signed up for the Open and I am currently ranked 30, 961 putting me in the 60^th percentile in the nation and I am 59^th percentile in the world.

Now these aren’t amazing numbers in and of themselves but when I think about how low I rank in my own box and how much higher I am nationally ranked, I realize how amazing the women in my box really are.

Beautiful Strong Women

These are women who I see on a regular basis as well as who cheer me on and who I cheer on. These are moms, and business women. Just your average person but who are killing it in the CrossFit world. And lets me know how much further I have to grow.

Well that is it for now!! Check back next week we have 2workouts left in the Open!