When most CrossFitters think of the CrossFit Open, they think two things.
- Community
- A thruster/pull-up workout
What should also be on this list is a copious number of burpees.
Just how many burpees are we talking about?
Going back over the last 5 years, the lowest number of burpees the elite athletes have completed has been 75. And not just plain old burpees, over the last 5 years, it’s always burpees over something or in the case of 23.2 burpee pull-ups.
- 21.2 | 75 burpee box jump overs
- 22.2 | 100 bar facing burpees
- 23.2a | Women’s winner Mal O’Brien completed 128 Burpee Pull-Ups
- 24.1 | 90 lateral burpees over the dumbbell
- 25.1 | Men’s winner, Colten Mertens completed 176 lateral burpees over the dumbbell
While an average of 113 burpees per CrossFit Open seems like a lot on its own, context is always valuable. Â
Top CrossFit Open Movements
To see how burpees fit into the Open programming equation, I went back to look at the women’s winning score for every event starting with 21.1. Based on the top women’s scores, the top 10 movements in terms of reps completed over that last 5 years are as follows:
- Double-Unders | 1466 total reps
- All Burpee Variations | 567
- Row | 460 Cals*
- Dumbbell Snatch | 396
- Box Jump Overs** | 270
- Thrusters | 239
- Deadlifts | 200
- Pull-Ups** | 170
- Dumbbell Clean & Jerk | 165
- Wall Walks | 131
*In 24.2, we completed 300m rowing intervals. Assuming a 1:50 pace for each 300m interval and using Concept 2 conversion rates, each 300m interval at roughly 22 calories.
** Includes burpee variations
Across all movements in the 3 week Open era, burpee based movements are 2nd in total reps completed behind only double-unders. And let’s face it, a burpee box jump-over is a lot harder than a couple dubs.
While everyone’s reps from the last 5 years are different, chances are roughly 1 out of every 10 reps you did in the CrossFit Open was a burpee.
Burpees are also a sure thing in the Open. Double-unders, thrusters, bar muscle-ups, and a burpee movement are the only 4 movements that have been in all 5 3 week Opens.
Planning Ahead
As you look ahead to the next 11 months of training, and want to improve your Open score, going from 0 to 1 muscle-ups is still your best way to spend your energy. On the women’s leaderboard, completing a single muscle-up would have catapulted you nearly 13,000 spots up the 25.2 leaderboard. For men, that single muscle-up was worth more than 8,300 spots in week 2.
If you do have muscle-ups and you’d like to see your name higher on the leaderboard, make sure to spend time getting good at burpees this year. Â
Or be content with where you are, and go find yourself a heavy barbell. That’s where I will be.
