Warm-Up Tips for CrossFit Open Workout 26.1 (From a Physical Therapist)

Open Workout 26.1 is essentially a couplet of wall balls and box jump overs with med ball step-overs snuck into the middle. This workout is definitely leg-heavy, and will also probably fatigue your back.

Here's what to target during your warm up so you feel primed for the workout.

Prefer to follow along visually? Watch the warm-up exercise video demo below.

Wall Balls: Prep for the Squat and Overhead Position

Wall balls are essentially weighted squats that require good ankle mobility, thoracic extension, and explosive hip extension for the ball throw. Reminder that your legs should be doing most of the work for wall balls; your arms are just there to guide the ball to the target.

Ankles

If your heels come up or your ankles feel stiff during squats, banded ankle mobilizations can help loosen up your ankles.

How to do banded ankle mobilizations:

• Anchor a thick resistance band low behind you

• Loop the band around your foot where it meets your lower leg

• Bring your foot up onto a bench or box into the band's resistance

• With the band anchoring your foot, lunge your knee forward

• Lunge forward and back for a few reps, then repeat on the other side

Thoracic Spine (Mid-Back)

If you keep folding forward or struggle with keeping your chest up, you might need help with thoracic extension. Active thread-the-needle will help by improving your thoracic rotation, which helps to unlock thoracic extension.

How to do active thread-the-needle:

• Start on your hands and knees

• Bring one shoulder down and rotate to reach across your body

• Reach as far as you can without moving your hips

• Slowly rotate the opposite direction to reach towards the ceiling

• Follow your hand with your eyes, and move slowly and intentionally

• Repeat on the other side

Hip Flexors

Even though it doesn't seem like it, your hip flexors will also be working hard to pull you down into the squat during the wall balls. The spiderman lunge can help to open up your hips. And if you add the rotation, it'll help address your thoracic spine as well.

How to do spiderman lunges:

• Start in a push-up position (can be on your knees)

• Step one foot up, outside the same-side hand

• Gently sink the same-side shoulder down into the stretch

• (Optional) Rotate the same-side shoulder up, and reach towards the ceiling

• Return the hand to the floor, then switch sides

Posterior Chain (Glutes)

Your posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, and low back) play a big role in helping you launch the ball and keeping you upright during wall balls. Banded good mornings can help warm up your glutes. It can also help you dial in your hip hinge so that your glutes do more of the work than your low back.

How to do banded good mornings:

• Stand on a medium-resistance band with feet hip-width apart

• Loop the other end of the band around your upper traps

• Keeping your back straight, bring your hips back to start hinging forward

• Hinge forward until you feel tension in your hamstrings

  • Make sure you don't round your back to try to hinge further

• Return to a standing position and repeat

If you feel this mostly in your low back, you might be bending with your spine instead of hinging with your hips. Take a video of yourself to be sure.

Box Jump/Step Overs: Manage Quad Fatigue

Box jump overs are where your quads can really start to blow up, especially if you jump up and step down forward like you’re walking down stairs. If you step down forward, you're relying mostly on your quads to lower yourself down. That adds up quickly and is what leads to people's legs giving out while stepping down.

Instead, consider jumping up slightly sideways or diagonally to the box and stepping down sideways. This allows your glutes to help control your descent and reduces quad demand.

You can also jump forward, then pivot and step down backward, which shifts more load away from your quads an to your posterior chain. But if your knees are sensitive to twisting motions, the sideways approach will reduce the amount of pivoting you need to do.

Stay Efficient

For both jump and step overs, remember that you don't need to stand up all the way on the top of the box. So by the time you get to the step-overs, holding the ball in front so you can stay hinged over at the top of the box can help conserve energy.

Quick Warm-Up Summary for 26.1

Before you start:

• Banded ankle mobilizations

• Active thread-the-needle

• Spiderman lunges with rotation

• Banded good mornings

• A few practice reps of sideways box jump-overs and step-overs

Target:

• Joint range of motion (ankles, thoracic spine)

• The muscles that fatigue quickly (quads, posterior chain)

• The patterns you’ll repeat under fatigue (squat, hinge, step-down mechanics)

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