If gymnastics is your strength, then Workout 3 of the 2024 CrossFit® Quarterfinals is going to be your favorite! There are no new movements here, but we get 3 variations of the handstand push-up, toes-to-bar, rope climbs, and ring muscle-ups or chest-to-bar pull-ups for the 60-64 and 65+ age groups.
This workout, like Workout 2, is “For-Time.” However, with its 15-minute time cap, many athletes will be capped. That said, it will be important to finish as fast as possible or get as many reps as possible.
In this article, we discuss rep schemes, pacing, and tips to help you get the most reps as fast as possible without redlining. Whether you're aiming for the top of the leaderboard or even your first muscle up, our tips will help you attack this gymnastics workout!
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It will be important to warm up all of these movements so that you are well-primed to hit them all at a high intensity.
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CrossFit® Quarterfinals Workout 3: When To Do It?
We recommend completing Workout 3 on Sunday, April 20, 2024. However, if you are feeling really fresh and not sore from the other workouts, you may choose to complete it on Saturday, April 19, 2024.
Following our recommended workout completion schedule allows for strategic rest and redo days while meeting submission requirements, and optimizing performance by considering movement demands and fatigue levels across workouts.
If you decide to redo this workout, you can do it on Monday and still submit your score before the submission deadline of 5 p.m. PT on Monday, April 22, 2024.
CrossFit® Quarterfinals 2024
Workout 3 Pacing & Tips
This workout is all about understanding your ability on the different gymnastics movements and knowing what types of sets are repeatable for you.
The goal is to avoid a redline by choosing sustainable sets. If you know your max sets of these movements, you should aim to hold about 20-30% of your max, for each set.
Meaning, if you can do 10 reps in a max set then you should only do 2-3 reps at a time. If you are really efficient at a particular movement, like the toes-to-bar or the kipping handstand push-ups, you could push slightly higher rep sets. You do not want to push to failure in any set.
There is a tie-break time at the end of the 3-round segment and the end of the 2-round segment, but if the workout is completed before the time cap, there is no tiebreak.
So, completing before the time cap and getting the most reps should be your priority over getting a good tie-break time!
Athletes who believe they will not finish before the time cap should still not focus on the tie-break time but rather on keeping a pace that will allow them to get the most reps.
Athletes who know they will not be able to get any reps in the second or third segment of handstand push-ups (the strict or the wall-facing) can consider pushing the pace a little to get a better tie-break time.
Handstand Push-Up Tips & Rep Scheme For Individuals & All Age Groups
There are 60 total handstand push-ups in this workout, with each segment decreasing in volume but increasing in difficulty.
Knowing that you will have to conserve energy and strength for the later sets, we suggest most complete the kipping handstand push-ups in 2 quick sets of 5.
If you take a very quick break, this strategy is barely slower than an unbroken set of 10. With that said, those who are very comfortable and efficient with kipping handstand push-ups may choose to go unbroken here.
Choose sustainable sets on your handstand push-ups instead of going for a big set, and then hitting a wall.
For some athletes, singles will work well on the strict handstand push-ups. For others, small sets with quick breaks will be the correct strategy. Keep in mind, that there is a big rest from “pushing” in between these sets with the amount of time it will take to do the rope climbs.
This year, there is no requirement for how an athlete gets into the starting position against the wall for wall-facing handstand push-ups.
This means you do not have to do a wall walk and can kick up (or cartwheel) into the locked-out position. While this will save energy, the wall-facing handstand push-up will still require more energy to get into the starting position than the regular handstand push-up.
With this in mind, we recommend going until 1 rep away from failure on this movement. When you feel like you have only 1 rep left in the tank, come down from the wall and rest. This will decrease how often you have to kick back up into the wall-facing position. Kicking up is fatiguing and burns a lot of time.
The key takeaway is to choose your breaks rather than letting them choose you. Do not be afraid to come down early from a set, even if it is not according to your original plan, especially if it means you will avoid failure.
Toes-To-Bar Rep Scheme & Technique For Individuals & All Age Groups
There are 60 total toes-to-bar in this workout, so breaking them up early will be the best strategy for most athletes. How many reps you do in a set will depend on your max set.
Remember, about 20-30% of your max set is a good plan. However, if you do not have more than 10 toes-to-bar unbroken, we suggest doing these reps in quick singles.
Make sure to be aware of how long you are resting between reps or sets and not let too much time pass.
Toes-to-bar can be an extremely taxing movement on the core, lats, hip flexors, grip, and more. We suggest using the tuck and flick method, as the most efficient way to perform toes-to-bar, for this workout vs. doing long, big kipping toes-to-bar reps.
This method is quicker and requires much less energy than the alternative. Do not kip so shallow that it becomes a strict TTB. In the tuck and flick method, you use a small kip swing to bring your knees towards your chest and then flick your toes fast to hit the bar.
Take It Easy On The Rope Climbs
No matter how fast you try to push through them, the rope climbs will take a decent amount of time. Take your time on them because rushing them will not save you time and will only spike your heart rate too much before the most exerting part of the workout.
Getting halfway up the rope and being unable to finish a rope climb is a big waste of time and energy. If you feel you are getting to the point of failure, rest a little longer before jumping up for your next rep.
Unless you are in contention to qualify for the Semifinals, the two-pull method could take too much energy for potentially no reward. If you take more pulls, you will not fatigue your hip flexor muscles as much, allowing you to keep a sustainable pace and not burn out before the muscle-ups.
Getting To The Muscle-Ups
(Or Chest-To-Bar)
For many athletes, the number of reps of the ring muscle-ups (or chest-to-bars for the 60-64 and 65+ age groups) will determine their score on this workout. Some will fight against the clock just to attempt a muscle-up, while others will chip away at reps to try to finish.
Choose sustainable sets that will allow you to take a quick break as the rings settle and jump right back up into your next set.
Additionally, your press will be fatigued from all of the handstand push-ups, so make sure you use a strong kip to reduce the strict strength requirement for your lockout at the top. The goal is to never fail a rep.
If you are going for your first ring muscle up, make sure you utilize your rest time wisely so you aren’t attempting too fatigued, but you also are finishing the rep under the time cap.
Get Your Best Score In The CrossFit® Quarterfinals 2024
Workout 3
With these strategies and tips, you're prepared to take on CrossFit® Quarterfinals Workout 3. We hope our guide helps you get your best possible score for this workout, or that you get a chance to get your first muscle-up or chest-to-bar!
After completing this workout, you should be done with all of the CrossFit® Quarterfinals workouts if you follow our recommended schedule!
We wish you the best of luck on Workout 3 and any redos you complete!
If you’re looking for comprehensive training and personalized coaching to take your performance to the next level, check out our courses available at WODprep Academy or our tailored 1-on-1 Coaching services.
Whether you're aiming to conquer weaknesses or refine your strengths, we're here to support you every step of the way!
Useful links for the 2024 CrossFit® Quarterfinals:
CrossFit® Quarterfinals 2024 Workouts Standards
CrossFit® Quarterfinals 2024: Workouts Announcement, Dates & FAQs
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