Much of the success of a CrossFit Class Workout comes down to planning & scaling your workout carefully. For members, this means arriving before class begins and reviewing your workout ahead of time. For coaches, it’s planning your workout and writing scaling. On April 30, we bench test the model. On April 30, we take on the Benchmark Workout Mary.
Mary is a CrossFit Girl Benchmark WOD featuring challenging exercises that will need to be carefully taught and scaled. Here is our battle-plan to help you master Mary.
by Coach Paul
Mary CrossFit WOD Workout
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 handstand push-ups
- 10 pistols (alternating)
- 15 pull-ups
Score: completed rounds and reps
Workout Analysis: Intended Stimulus
Mary is designed to be a tough technical challenge for athletes to master. The pistol squat and handstand pushup require practice and patience to master.
Three Movement Patterns:
- Push: Handstand Pushup
- Squat: Pistol Squats
- Pull: Pullups
Mary features complimentary exercises, which allows athletes to move faster. This workout is effective since the muscles required for a handstand pushup are not needed for a pistol squat.
Workout Plan and Timings
Below I have written our CrossFit Workout Plan for Mary. Members, you might not be aware, but we plan every workout down to the minute at CrossFit Sand & Steel. We want your workouts to be safe, effective, and fun. But to do that, you need to be on time and prepared. So check your scalings below & know what you are doing before you get to the gym. Or, at the very least check your SugarWOD when you are waiting for class to begin.
5:00-5:03 WHITEBOARD (3 MINUTES)
Coaches explain the workout, intended stimulus, and breakdown (above).
5:03-5:08: GENERAL WARM-UP (5 MINUTES)
3 rounds of:
- 30-m bear crawl.
- 9 air squats (every round, athletes narrow stance).
- 3 pike push-ups (every round, athletes pike hips higher).
- 3 strict pull-ups (banded if necessary).
5:08-5:12: HANDSTAND PUSH-UP SPECIFIC WARM-UP (4 MINUTES)
Members should practice piked pushups from a swiss ball. Try to stack your hips over your shoulders.
- 30-second handstand hold. Look for: “open” shoulder position at top.
- 3 negative handstand push-ups. Look for: tripod position of head and hands at bottom.
- 3 strict handstand push-ups. Look for: neutral spine.
- 3 kipping handstand push-ups (scale: repeat 3 strict reps). Look for: timing of press with regard to the kip.
5:12-5:16 PISTOL SPECIFIC WARM UP (4 MINUTES)
Pistol Squat to box. Practice controlled descents.
- 6 narrow-stance squats. Teach: Athletes can bring the feet in as tolerated while keeping the heels on the ground and using full range of motion.
- 6 pistols, each side. Look for: heel down through full range of motion.
5:16-5:18 PULL-UP SPECIFIC WARM-UP (2 MINUTES)
- 20-second hang with wide grip. Look for: neutral spine in hang
- 20-second hang with narrow grip. Look for: neutral spine in hang.
- 6 kipping swings.
- 6 pull-ups (banded, if necessary).
5:18-5:20 SAFETY CHECK (2 MINUTES)
- Bathroom Break as Needed
- Make Sure Athletes are Comfortable With Their Scaling
- Social Distance Spacing Check
5:20-5:40: WORKOUT (20 MINUTES)
Cue athletes to achieve better positions while maintaining technique. Scale the workout further as needed.
- Watch for full range of motion.
- Handstand push-up: Full Press with elbows locked and open shoulders.
- Pistol: heel down and hip crease below parallel
- Pull-up: chin over bar, full descent down with elbows locked out on bottom.
5:40-5:45 Cooldown (5 MINUTES)
- Hero Pose for: Quad Mobility
- TRX Kitchen Sink Stretch for Shoulders
- Lat Roll for Latissimus Dorsi
5:45-5:50 Clean & Disinfect (5 MINUTES)
- Make Sure Equipment is Back Where it Belongs
- Make Sure Members Clean Surfaces
5:50-5:55 Wrap Up (5 MINUTES)
- Upload pictures and videos to Smugmug. Provide Members with the download link.
- Assist Members in entering their workout in SugarWOD
- Assist any New Members with Signing up and/or scheduling
Scaling Mary for Each CrossFit Rank
Below, I have provided all 6 scalings for Mary. As a member, you need to check your CrossFit Rank to determine which scaling you should be doing. As a coach, you need to review all the points of performance for each scaling to help our members execute these exercises correctly.
Rx’d Scaling
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 handstand push-ups
- 10 pistols (alternating)
- 15 pull-ups
Expert Scaling
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 handstand push-ups
- 10 pistols (alternating) with Box
- 15 pull-ups
Experienced Scaling
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 handstand push-ups from Swiss Ball
- 10 pistols (alternating) with Box
- 15 pull-ups
Intermediate Scaling
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 handstand push-ups from Swiss Ball
- 10 pistols (alternating) with Box
- 15 pull-ups with Band
Advanced Beginner Scaling
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 floor pike pushups
- 10 TRX pistols
- 15 inverted rows
Beginner Scaling
Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 20 minutes of:
- 5 handstand push-ups from Swiss Ball
- 10 pistols (alternating) with Box
- 15 TRX or Ring Rows
What Does Mary Teach us about Scaling?
Even with a very complex workout like Mary (with it’s handstand pushups and pistol squats), CrossFit programming is approachable to everyone when properly scaled. When you build a workout, consider your scaling upfront. A good workout for a CrossFit class, should be scalable for all athletes.