A chipper is like a game of chess
For those of you who don’t hang out in the “Functional Fitness” side of the tracks a chipper is a workout with several exercises strung together, usually high reps and if you are doing a chipper at a box (a crossfitters version of the Ludus arena) it’s usually completed with minimal rest for time.
In other words a chipper is “hell on earth”
Before I knew what a chipper actually was I had completed many of them at Ludus.
My most memorable chipper took me 2 hours 25 minutes to complete .. yeah .. probably why I remember it 😉
At the end of my gymnastics session at Crossfit HPU last week we were also tasked with completing a chipper *fml* I am NOT a chipper kind of girl, probably because I’m not a “chipper kind of person” in real life. I’m terrible with chipping away at my goals I’m one of those “I want things done yesterday” type of people.
To make me smile give me an AMRAP with small numbers and if you make all the exercises bodyweight you may even get a smile WITH teeth 😉
But – never fear! You see at Crossfit they are all about “measuring your performance” and as such they actually teach you how to finish faster … I know I know, those technical little crossfitters!
Firstly – stop!
If the rep range is big and you aren’t going to be able to complete it in one go – STOP before failure (preferably a couple of reps prior). If you go to the point of failure your body needs 3 minutes to recover before it is able to complete more of that exercise with good form.
Lots of small stops will ensure you finish faster than busting out half quickly but then failing and struggling through the remaining reps as singles or doubles.
Secondly – scale!
I’m going to put my hand up and confess that I’ve often let my ego get in the way and instead of completing 30 chins using a band (which is still not exactly easy if you select the correct band for your strength) I’ve done small subsets and spent just as much time staring at the bar willing my arms to pull my body up.
Me standing staring at the bar is not helping me get fitter or faster or even that much stronger. There is a time for technique/strength training and I now understand that the middle of your wod is not that time.
And finally – pace yourself.
This one I’m throwing into the mix after this mornings WOD at Ludus “Don’t break parole”
This WOD required you to complete the requisite number of reps with no breaks, how do you do that?
Simple – go slower!
Alas even with all my new found chipper tips and tricks I still broke twice 50 pushups and 40 romans with no more than a 2 second break is just a wee bit beyond my capabilities – good thing Mr P.T has me on a strength program. 😉
Till next time
