In 2003, CrossFit founder Greg Glassman developed a sequence of exercises meant to check the boundaries of CrossFitters throughout the globe. There are actually almost 30 of those intense exercises that take a look at the power, endurance, and agility of their triers — they usually’re all named after women.
Stroll into any CrossFit health club and also you’ll possible hear the names “Fran,” “Helen,” “Grace,” and “Diane” tossed round. It’s widespread CrossFit lingo, and the athletes are most likely speaking about their greatest scores or how a lot the exercise harm.
One common women WoD, “Annie,” is known as after Annie Sakamoto, one of many first trainers on the first-ever CrossFit health club in Santa Cruz, California. Sakamoto performed an essential function within the improvement of CrossFit, showing within the CrossFit Video games as a crew member and particular person athlete a number of instances.
Her namesake exercise was first posted on the CrossFit web site because the exercise of the day (WoD) on September 7, 2005, and it’s been a staple in CrossFit gyms ever since.
Annie is accomplished as follows:
- 50-40-30-20-10 double-unders
- 50-40-30-20-10 abmat sit-ups
Learn how to do the Annie WoD
Rating: Annie is scored “for time,” which suggests you full the WoD as quick as attainable.
Purpose instances: 10-12 minutes for inexperienced persons; 8-10 minutes for intermediate athletes; 7-8 minutes for superior athletes; lower than 6 minutes for elite athletes.
Tools Wanted: Soar rope and abmat.
Degree: Annie is appropriate for all health ranges, however some athletes might wrestle with the bounce rope (double unders) portion.
Advantages
A comparatively easy exercise when it comes to rep scheme, Annie combines a complicated ability with a easy core train to problem your endurance and agility.
Core Energy
All in all, Annie consists of 150 sit-ups, a powerful quantity for any athlete to finish.
Pace
This Women WoD is supposed to be fast — extraordinarily fast. How briskly are you able to full 300 complete reps? For elite athletes, 50 double-unders takes 30 seconds or much less and 50 sit-ups would possibly take 60 seconds. The extra you observe Annie, the sooner you’ll get.
Endurance
As a result of this exercise is so fast, it could not appear to be Annie challenges your endurance. However don’t be fooled: Double-unders go away even essentially the most elite athletes wanting breath, and 150 sit-ups is a real take a look at of muscular endurance within the core.
Agility
Agility is outlined as the flexibility to maneuver rapidly and simply. Attributes related to agility embrace coordination, alertness, dexterity, gracefulness, and sharpness. Double-unders require unbelievable agility to carry out appropriately, and you may count on to develop into more adept at this ability each time you full Annie.
Step-by-Step Directions
Now that you already know the historical past behind Annie and the way it can enhance your well being and health, it’s time to offer this benchmark WoD a go. Right here’s the right way to arrange and get a rating you’ll be pleased with.
Tools and arrange
For the Annie WoD, you’ll want a bounce rope and an abmat. Any bounce rope will do, so long as it’s suited to your peak and you are feeling comfy with it. Most CrossFit gyms inventory loads of abmats, that are small flooring pads that mimic the curvature of your backbone. Abmats make it easier to attain full vary of movement within the sit-up and cut back the danger of harm to your backbone and tailbone.
Learn how to do abmat situps
When performed appropriately, abmat sit-ups are an extremely protected and efficient core train. This motion is much like an stomach crunch, however abmat sit-ups contain a bigger vary of movement to problem your core muscle groups and adaptability. To do an abmat sit-up, comply with these steps:
- Begin by sitting on the ground with the bottoms of your toes touching one another (knees pointing to the perimeters).
- Lie all the best way again, utilizing the abmat to help your lumbar backbone, and contact your arms to the ground behind your head.
- Use your stomach muscle groups to carry your torso again up into the seated place.
- Proceed leaning ahead: The rep is full while you contact your arms to your toes.
Click on right here for a video tutorial of abmat sit-ups.
Learn how to do double-unders
All CrossFitters can agree on one factor: Double-unders will not be straightforward to study. This superior ability includes swinging the rope twice underneath your toes throughout one bounce, slightly than the same old one swing per one bounce.
Double-unders require a number of key parts to achieve success:
- A barely greater bounce
- Fast wrist actions
- Arms near physique
- Practically straight legs and arms (see “Widespread Errors” beneath)
Click on right here for a video tutorial of double-unders.
Double-under tip: Get your individual bounce rope! Your health club most likely has sufficient for everybody, however getting your individual means you observe with the identical rope size, width, and handles each time, which suggests you’ll be able to develop into extra comfy extra rapidly.
Widespread Errors
To get your greatest Annie time but — or to blow your first try out of the water — keep away from these widespread Annie errors.
Failure to heat up correctly
It’s best to heat up earlier than any exercise, particularly a tricky one like a Women WoD. Warming up will prime your physique for train, ensuring it’s prepared for the extreme stimulus it’s about to obtain. Spend a couple of minutes on a common warm-up and comply with with a 10-minute particular warm-up (extra on that underneath Security and Precautions beneath).
Abmat sit-up approach errors
CrossFit makes use of requirements for some actions to make sure all athletes full exercises in the identical approach. Sit-ups are a kind of actions with requirements: Ensure you don’t get a “no rep” by avoiding these widespread errors.
Arms don’t contact the ground overhead: An accurate abmat sit-up includes full vary of movement of the stomach, which suggests your shoulders ought to contact the ground and your arms ought to attain overhead to the touch the ground behind you. In a contest, you would possibly get a “no rep” should you don’t carry your arms all the best way to the ground.
Arms don’t contact the toes: Equally, full vary of movement within the abmat sit-up additionally includes reaching your arms to your toes. This normal is in place to discourage athletes from solely sitting midway or 1 / 4 of the best way up.
Double-under approach errors
Double-unders take months, if not years, to excellent. Most CrossFit athletes are acquainted with the sting of plastic bounce ropes on their pores and skin through the studying part — momentary crimson marks or welts develop into a sort of badge of honor, like a silent approach of claiming, “Hey, I’m getting there!”
Whereas studying double-unders, many individuals commit these widespread errors.
The “donkey kick”: This happens when athletes excessively bend their knees through the bounce. Throughout double-unders, your knees ought to stay solely barely bent to soak up shock. Kicking your decrease leg up behind you presents the danger of getting the bounce rope caught in your foot, decreasing your effectivity, and ending up with a kind of notorious crimson bounce rope welts.
Arms too removed from the physique: A key element of environment friendly double-unders? Maintaining your arms near your physique. Usually, athletes suppose they should swing their complete arms to generate extra power with the rope, however the reverse is true. Good double-unders contain a mild, however quick, flick of the wrists. Your elbows ought to stay near your torso.
Modifications and Variations
Each CrossFit exercise is modifiable. When you can’t full the 50-40-30-20-10 reps of double-unders and sit-ups as prescribed, modify it in a approach that fits your wants and health degree. Listed below are a number of methods to change Annie for health degree, being pregnant, and accidents.
Single Unders
The double-under is a tricky ability to study: It takes most CrossFitters at the very least six months to at least one yr to develop into proficient, and that’s with diligent observe. When you can’t do double-unders but, do single-unders (common bounce roping) as an alternative. For benchmark exercises just like the Women, the rep rely normally stays the identical. Nevertheless, some CrossFit coaches would possibly encourage you to double the reps to get the identical cardiovascular stimulus. If that’s the case, you’d full Annie as follows:
- 100-80-60-40-20: single-unders
- 50-40-30-20-10-: abmat sit-ups
Lowered Reps
When you’re simply beginning out at CrossFit or exercising on the whole, the rep scheme for Annie could be an excessive amount of. You’ll be able to cut back the reps nevertheless you want (or nevertheless your coach recommends), however listed here are two common diminished variations:
- Reduce out the spherical of fifty: 40-30-20-10, double-unders (or single-unders) and sit-ups
- Halve the rep scheme: 25-20-15-10-5, double-unders (or single-unders) and sit-ups
Modifications for Being pregnant
For some ladies, leaping rope and sit-ups are two difficult actions throughout being pregnant. When you’re pregnant and really feel uncomfortable with both of those actions, attempt these modifications.
As an alternative of double-unders:
Single unders. If you are able to do double-unders, however discover that they make you’re feeling uncomfortable throughout being pregnant, attempt doing single-unders, that are a lot gentler.
Plate hops. Utilizing a skinny bumper plate (10 or 15 kilos), hop and contact your toes to the plate. Hop again to the bottom for one full rep.
Biking. Most CrossFit gyms have at the very least one wind-powered (motorless) stationary bike. Cycle for as many seconds as there are reps. As an illustration, cycle for 50 seconds for the spherical of fifty double-unders.
As an alternative of sit-ups:
Plank maintain. Maintain one second for every rep. For instance, 30 sit-ups equals a 30-second plank.
Cat and cow. This mild yoga pose (Chakravakasana) works your stomach and again muscle groups. Do the identical variety of reps as you’d sit-ups.
Modifications for Accidents
Even with a present harm or pre-existing harm that limits vary of movement, most individuals can full some model of Annie. Neither leaping rope nor sit-ups require any ranges of movement that sometimes irritate accidents (like urgent your arms overhead or squatting), however be sure you discuss along with your coach about modifications should you really feel any ache doing both of the actions.
Variations of Annie
“Annie on the Run” or “Rannie”: A preferred variation of Annie, this WoD provides a 400-meter run to the top of each spherical, so the exercise is accomplished like this:
- 50 double-unders – 50 sit-ups – 400m run
- 40 double-unders – 40 sit-ups – 400m run
- 30 double-unders – 30 sit-ups – 400m run
- 20 double-unders – 20 sit-ups – 400m run
- 10 double-unders – 10 sit-ups – 400m run
A 400-meter run can take anyplace between 90 seconds and three minutes, relying on every athlete’s pace and endurance, so count on “Rannie” to take considerably longer than the unique Annie.
Toes-to-bar Annie: This variation of Annie follows the identical rep scheme as the unique Annie, but it surely replaces sit-ups with toes-to-bar. Toes-to-bar is a complicated motion that requires proficiency within the kip, good grip power, flexibility, and a robust core. Toes-to-bar includes hanging from a pull-up bar or rig and flexing your hips to carry your toes all the best way to the bar that you’re holding.
Learn to do toes-to-bar.
Security and Precautions
It’s best to take precautions earlier than any exercise, particularly one the place you’re going to offer an all-out effort. Earlier than finishing Annie, be sure to cross these things off your pre-workout guidelines.
Do a common warm-up
A common warm-up primes your physique for train by growing blood movement to your muscle groups, barely elevating the guts fee, and loosening up your joints. A common warm-up ought to final at the very least 5 minutes, however ideally 10 to fifteen minutes. Strolling, jogging, biking, leaping rope, rowing, or different monostructural actions are improbable for warming up, as are dynamic stretches to loosen up your main joints.
Do a selected warm-up
A particular warm-up includes workouts that mimic the actions you’ll do through the exercise and have interaction the muscle groups you’ll want for good efficiency. For Annie, this may embrace observe reps of single-unders or double-unders, calf raises, and simple core workouts.
Hydrate and eat earlier than
To get your greatest rating on Annie, it’s essential to hydrate and gasoline your physique previous to the exercise. If you wish to eat a full meal earlier than figuring out, achieve this two to 3 hours beforehand. You’ll be able to eat snacks or a small meal 30 to 60 minutes earlier than figuring out. Carbohydrates are your physique’s primary supply of gasoline, so be sure you embrace some in your pre-workout gasoline!
Put on the proper sneakers
Annie includes 150 reps of leaping rope. When you don’t put on correct sneakers, your toes, ankles, calves, and knees would possibly tackle pointless put on and tear. Good sneakers for leaping rope would have sufficient cushioning and suit your toes snugly. Be sure to lace up tightly to keep away from tripping or getting the rope caught in your shoe!
Cool Down
The quiet down might be essentially the most neglected and under-appreciated facet of health. Many individuals full an intense exercise after which rush off to satisfy different obligations. However taking simply 5 to 10 minutes after a WoD can prevent quite a lot of soreness. Strive these stretching suggestions post-Annie:
- Cobra
- Wheel pose
- Anterior shoulder stretch
- Cross-body shoulder stretch
The Grace WoD: Purpose Instances, Suggestions, Security
