We never know what Dave Castro is going to throw at us each week of each year of the open. Even last year, a max lift was included for the first time, as were hand stand push ups. And the year before, a ‘for time’ wod opened up another whole world of horrible options for us.

But there is a few ‘givens’ that seem to appear every time, so let’s take a look at some mobility techniques that can make sure we move through these as quickly (and safely) as possible

Box jumps – Calves are the big ones here. Really make sure you have done good calf stretches before doing repeated explosive jumping movements. Get your foot up against a pole, heel into the ground and stretch them out, at least 2 mins per side!

Burpee’s – There’s not a lot to say about burpee’s…. maybe give your wrists a good stretch in all directions, they will take a lot of impact.

Double under’s – Same applies here as for box jumps, calves!

Power snatch’s – normal snatching warm up drills and mobility. Make sure those shoulders are nice and mobile. Also take some time to work on your upper back (thoracic spine) extension, to make sure you can catch them with a nice upright chest.

C2B pull ups – some tip’s for AFTER C2B’s on this one. Unless you have mastered those beautiful, flowing butterfly C2B’s, you are likely to be using a lot of arm’s to make each rep count. Make sure you roll out your bi’s and tri’s before and after.

Power clean’s/full clean’s – speed under the bar will be critical for high rep power clean’s, or even heavy full cleans. I see too many people get lazy and muscle clean even heavy reps (myself included) and injure their wrists. Mobilse your triceps and lat’s and upper back, to make sure you can easily get into your front rack position quickly, and don’t forget a quarter squat or half squat is still a power clean!

HSPU’s – They arrived for the first time last year, and everyone went into melt down. If you can do them, great! But expect some sore tricep’s afterwards. Roll them out over a barbell in a rack, it hurts, but it will help you recover faster.

Deadlift’s – probably served up at relatively low weight/high reps (unless there is another ladder), it’s important to really get the hamstrings stretched out. You will be moving fast, so remember to keep your core and torso strong for every rep. You may want to get a ball into your lower back once you are done, to aid the recovery process.

Wall balls – Try and get your squat position really mobile, enough to keep your chest nice and upright with the ball, without lifting shoe’s on. The weight is light, and it might be coupled with another movement that might not be good with lifters (DU’s, box jumps). Work on ankle mobility, hip’s and glutes.

MU’s – Shoulders shoulders shoulders. Such a dynamic movement, probably being done under considerable fatigue, is a recipe for injury if you haven’t got your shoulders moving. Stretch them forwards and backwards with a band. Also think about getting into your pec’s, to allow you to ‘open up’ when you swing into the next rep.

Thrusters – Left until last, just like Castro does every year, the thruster will almost certainly be involved again in 2016. Getting the tricep’s stretched out with a band to help keep the elbows up in the front rack is crucial here. Warm up your squat, and your overhead position too, this really is a full body movement.

These are just some tip’s on what to try out. If you need help finding effective ways to complete this stuff, talk to your coaches, they are here to help!

Coach Mason Dannatt