On Wednesday, there we’ll perform the WOD that is commonly referred to as the Filthy 50. It’s 500 total reps, 10 movements, 50 reps of each movement.
The 50 is tough because it’s long. There is nothing overly technical or heavy. Fast athletes will finish in the 15-20 minute range. Obviously, this can take longer than 20 minutes, so we will cap it at 45 minutes.
For fit athletes, the 50 is all about pacing. HINT – the secret of the 50 lies in the final piece. The Wallball/Burpee combo at the end is…memorable. You will hit those WB fatigued, and it will make the burpees feel like you’re moving in sand.
I would suggest going out a little slower than sprint, like 85% of Rate Perceived of Exertion (RPE). This doesn’t mean you can’t/shouldn’t go unbroken on early movements – you should, if possible. Try to find a relaxed pace to perform the jumping movements. If you find you are grinding early (like to get through the swings) you may want to take a break.
Movements that you can go fast on
If you are confident, you can try to blast through the jumping pullups, the swings, the lunges, push press and back extensions.
I would suggest methodical box jumps, working the KTE in planned sets – just like TTB.
Wallballs
I would definitely have a plan for Wallballs. If you can do 20 or more straight here, you are a machine. I suggest planned sets of 15 or 10, but I have found this tough to maintain in the past. Wallballs are weird for me, and there are different strategies. I prefer manageable sets, as the lactic acid builds quickly in my legs and shoulders. AJ has told me that picking up the ball and standing around wears him out, and he would rather blast through whatever set is ahead. We employed many strategies on WB in the Open, liking pinching the ball against the wall and resting so you don’t have to pick it up again. That may be appropriate here.
Burpees
Once you get here, just go and keep going. You can always do 1 more burpee. I am going to fight light hell to maintain a tight midline and do my gymnastic style of burpee. Last time, that fell apart at like, 3 in. But hey, you gotta try, right?
Doubleunders
I say all the time that if you want to be good at something at CrossFit, you have to be good at it exhausted. Well, here you go. If you have good doubleunders, you will just have to maintain composure and get them done. If you struggle with DU, you may find them harder than normal, as you’re sucking for air and your heart rate is jacked. The end is nigh, but you’re not done. Slow down, take the extra time to gather your composure and knock these out in big sets.
Scaling
It’s hard to actually scale the movements in this WOD – they are already scaled down versions of stuff we do all the time, but there are still things we can do. We can lower the height of the Box Jump. You could scale the Knees to Elbows to Knees up from the hang, or even sit ups. Doubleunders can be scaled to attempts.
More than scaling the movement, you should think about scaling the reps. Scaling to 30 of everything is an excellent way to reduce the likelihood that you will get bogged down on 1 thing. If you are brand new, I would consider scaling down to 20 reps. The Dirty 30 or the Terrible 20 stills sounds like…fun???
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29bhgOiNOqE?rel=0&w=420&h=315]
Another Demo video (I posted another on Facebook). This is not exactly how we’ll do it (box jumps will need to show control). This video is from when CrossFit used to post true “demo” videos before Rich Froning was a twinkle in Dave Castro’s eye. If I had to guess, they are using Buddy Lee jump ropes. Anyone else use those??? I betting maybe Louis. I would place this video in 2007-8.
Workout of the Day
For time:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1 pood
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions (Supermans)
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders