We're bringing beer for you guys on Friday night and I'm going to have to designate someone to open it for you and pour it in your mouth because your ability to hold a can or bottle will be shot after this one. Open WOD 16.3 is a lot of pulling and is going to tax your shoulders and grip something fierce. 
Perhaps the first thing you are thinking is "I can't do Bar muscle ups...I'm out." If you don't mind, I would like to very politely call BULLCRAP! Just because you haven't doesn't mean that you can't. Every single year there are countless stories of people getting their first muscle ups and this could be YOUR year. If you're discouraged...don't be. Be there on Friday night and let's get that very first one!
Perhaps the first thing you are thinking is "I can't do Bar muscle ups...I'm out." If you don't mind, I would like to very politely call BULLCRAP! Just because you haven't doesn't mean that you can't. Every single year there are countless stories of people getting their first muscle ups and this could be YOUR year. If you're discouraged...don't be. Be there on Friday night and let's get that very first one!How to do a Bar Muscle UP
Before we talk strategy, let's just take a look at exactly HOW to do a Bar Muscle up. If you can do a chest to bar pull-up and you can do a ring dip then you can absolutely do a bar muscle up! All of our coaches are here to help so let us help you! (BTW, Austin Jones is an EXCELLENT teacher of the bar muscle up. If you can grab a few minutes with him then do it.)
How to attack 16.3
After my egregiously terrible prediction on 16.2, it's important for me to get back in the saddle on this one. Let's hope my advice is better on this one. First, remember that your grip and shoulders will get tired AND that you will gas quickly if you redline it from the get-go. If you watched the head-to-head, you saw Nick Paladino come out WAY too fast and it forced him to move slower and rest longer. On the flip side, Shawn Ramirez was pretty consistent all the way though the seven minutes. Notice I said consistent, not methodical. You have to pick a quick but controlled pace, particularly on the snatches, that you can maintain for the entire WOD and that doesn't force you to break your bar muscle ups. The second and third reps are a little easier than the first thanks to the momentum of the kip so you don't want to do singles on the bar muscle ups. Give a listen to the tips from CrossFit's Director of Training and Certification Nicole Carroll then watch the video on tips for a successful scaled WOD. When it comes to setting goals, consider that the Fittest Teen athlete and the Fittest Masters athlete each got into the round of nine. I think our top Rx athletes should shoot for 5 rounds minimum but push it for 6 rounds. Getting to 7 would be astounding but it's not totally out of the realm of possibility. So in summary:
Set a realistic goal.
Set a consistent pace on the snatches for the duration of the seven minutes.
Do all the Bar Muscle Ups unbroken.
Have some fun.
Seriously...have some fun! This is the 3rd of 5 WODs so you will be past halfway when this one is over. Stop thinking about performance and standings and come enjoy the crew. We will have some beer and snacks for you guys on Friday night so come ready to hit this WOD hard then enjoy your fellow competitors. See you Friday!!! Chris
