We’ve had two cracking weeks of The Open at CrossFit Colchester, but now it’s week three of five, and the excitement at our gym can be felt all the way through Colchester!

The Open means different things to different people, and that was really apparent this week with both the RX and Scaled workouts proving tough – only 2 people finished the RX in the whole world!

What is 18.3?

18.3 has a time cap of 14 minutes to complete 2 rounds of:

• 100 double-unders
• 20 overhead squats (52 kg for men, 36 kg for women)
• 100 double-unders
• 12 ring muscle-ups
• 100 double-unders
• 20 dumbbell snatches (22.5 kg for men, 15 kg for women)
• 100 double-unders
• 12 bar muscle-ups

Double Unders

A “standard double under” is when the rope passes completely under the person’s feet twice for each jump.

Those performing the scaled option substitute for single unders.

Overhead Squat

From the floor, the bar must be lifted overhead, into a locked out position. At the bottom of the squat, the hip crease must be below the top of the knee, and at the top, the hips, knees and arms must be fully extended to complete the rep. A squat snatch is permitted to start the movement so long as the squat breaks parallel.

Ring Muscle Up

The movement begins with hanging from the rings, arms fully extended, feet off the ground. Using a pull or kip, the athlete passes through the rings (the heels must not rise above the height of the rings in the kip), pulling themselves up and through. At the top of the rings, the elbows must be in full lockout.

Those performing the scaled option substitute for chin over bar pull ups.

Dumbbell Snatch

Starting with the dumbbell positioned flat, with both heads on the floor, the dumbbell is lifted overhead in one motion (muscle snatch, power snatch, squat snatch or split-style snatch are all permitted). The arms, hips and knees must be in full lock out at the top of the rep, with the barbell over the middle of the body. Each rep alternates between arms, swapping below the top of the athlete’s head. The non-lifting arm has no contact with the body during the rep.

Bar Muscle Ups

The movement begins with a pass through or hang below the bar, arms fully extended, feet off the ground. Using a pull or kip, the athlete passes the bar (the heels must not rise above the height of the bar in the kip), pulling themselves up, through some portion of a dip-to-lockout. At the top, the elbows must be fully locked above the bar with the shoulders over or in front of the bar.

Those performing the scaled option substitute for chin over bar pull ups.

How did CrossFit Colchester get on with 18.3?

Wow. This was a tough-y. A “separator” indeed. The rig work was tricky, and with many of our scaled athletes approaching pull-ups with trepidation, and double-unders are a make-or-break movement in a workout for so many people. 18.3 was a mental battle as well as a physical one.

The atmosphere at the gym was electric with lots of encouragement and celebrations being had. Getting your first pull-up feels amazing, but getting your first pull-up in The Open is even better.