This CrossFit Workout Pairs Two Simple Movements for a Serious Full-Body Punch
From the outside looking in, you’d be forgiven for believing that CrossFit is all about slamming barbells, momentum driven calisthenics, long gruelling ‘WOD’s’ and shirtless chest bumps with your bro’s. And to be fair, you wouldn’t actually be far off. That’s not to say that any of those things are in the least bit negative. In fact, for many those are the key ingredients to a lifetime of fun, functional fitness.
But, there’s a whole other side to the global fitness phenomenon that’s been there from the start, and still exists to this day on CrossFit's website, or ‘Main Site’ as it’s referred to by OGs, and those in the know. At it’s core, CrossFit offers simple, fast-paced workouts that are designed to tick as many boxes as possible, in as little time, with plenty of room for ‘scaling’ to the ability of the individual.
Nowhere is this truer than in CrossFit’s ‘Benchmark’ workouts. All adorned with female names (an apt play on the naming convention that American meteorologists use for storms), they stand as a reservoir of brutal, humbling yet effective workouts that you can dip into regularly to test your mettle and assess your progress.
‘Grettel’— a relatively newer addition — is the embodiment of ‘deceivingly simple’. Quick and dirty, you’re challenged with performing 10 short rounds of a pairing consisting of lifting a barbell from ground to overhead chased by burpees.
Keep the rest to bear minimum, just enough to keep your form tight. Make a note of your finishing time and attempt to beat it on subsequent reattempts.
Doesn’t sound too bad, no? Do it fast as humanly possible and let us know how you feel afterwards (once you peel yourself off of the floor, that is).
Grettel
10 rounds for time
3 x Ground-to-Overhead
Hinge down with a flat back and grasp the bar with an overhand grip (A). Create tension through your entire body before explosively standing upright. Use the momentum from your hips to help pull the bar upwards. Quickly rotate your wrists and drop under the bar to land it on your shoulders (B). Take a breath and brace your core (C). Dip at the knees and use your legs to help (D) press your bar overhead. Lower under control to your shoulders, or drop to the ground and repeat.
3 x Burpee Over Bar
Place the barbell down, but keep your pace up. Step back and hit the deck, lowering your body until your chest touches the floor (A). Stand back up and jump powerfully over the bar (B) – to really put air between your feet and the bar, drive through your hips when you take off. That’s one rep. Drop to the floor and go again. And again.
No barbell? Substitute in dumbbells, kettlebells or even a sandbag.
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