You could have expected thrusters and pull-ups, but you could never have expected this.
The final workout of the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games Open has just been announced by Dave Castro live from the birthplace of CrossFit, Santa Cruz, Calif.
Athletes got a hint of what was to come from this video, but could have never expected exactly what Castro threw out. What starts as a simple four-minute AMRAP of 15 thrusters and 15 chest-to-bar pull-ups, ends up as a fierce, insatiable beast for the top athletes.
For the first time ever, CrossFit has implemented a Time Bonus. If you complete at least 90 reps (three full rounds) anytime before the four minutes are up, your workout instantly becomes an eight-minute AMRAP. If you complete another 90 reps or more before the eight-minute mark, you're now in a 12-minute AMRAP. And it just keeps going for as long as you can keep going.
The CrossFit world has never seen anything like this. Up till now, it's always been a fixed amount of work or a fixed amount of time. This potential for additional minutes with additional work introduces an unprecedented mental challenge with no time for error correction.
Workout 13.5 is the final workout in the Open. The top 48 men and women from each of the 17 regions will be invited to compete live in their respective three-day Regional competition, beginning May 17. For athletes in each of the 10 Masters' Divisions, this is the last chance they have to finish in the top 20 worldwide and earn an invitation to the 2013 Reebok CrossFit Games in late July.
For the workout description, PDF and Scorecard, click here. To view a video submission, click here. To learn more about the Time Bonus and Masters standards, click here.
Good luck, have fun, and leave it all on the floor!