We have taken some time off from our articles featuring the most brutal workouts CrossFit has to offer but we figured it was time to give another one a try and see if we can hack it.
The workouts in the past have been pretty brutal and I expect this one will be more of the same. Let’s get right to it.
This is named after and done in honor of Scott Smith, an Australian soldier who was killed in action in Afghanistan on October 21, 2012, doing the job he loved. He was known for his deadlifts and pull-ups, both of which are featured in this WOD.
Initial Thoughts
Of all the brutal Crossfit WODs we have done this one looks like it may be the easiest. The deadlifts are moderately heavy but the rest of it doesn’t look that bad at all. The farmers carries are only 10 meters and then you just have 5 chin ups and 5
burpees, while burpees always suck only having to do 5 seems manageable. I am sure it won’t be as easy as it sounds, they usually aren’t and 10 rounds is a lot so there is a good chance the rounds could add up after a while. Luckily for me all of these exercises are in my wheelhouse so I should do Ok I would think. Let’s see how it went.
Time to Do “Scottie” – WOD Analysis
The first 2 rounds on this one were cake. I flew through them in the couple minutes with no problem. I figured this workout was going to be a breeze at that point, I was very wrong. The third round went ok, not as fast as the first 2 rounds but still ok, I was starting fatigue though.
By the fourth round, I really started feeling it. The deadlifts are the hardest part, they drain me for the rest of the round and then by the time I start to recover I am back to doing deadlifts again. The farmer’s carries aren’t so bad and nor are the burpees or chin ups. It’s just the deads that are draining me.
Rounds 4-9 totally suck. The more rounds I do the more the farmers carries are starting to take their toll too. The combination of deadlifts and farmers carries have my traps on fire. Not to mention the chin-ups with the deadlifts have my lats pretty roasted.
A few times in the workout I get needed to rest a good 30 seconds just to catch my breath and to be honest I do contemplate quitting during the breaks, then I tell myself to quit thinking like a wimp and I press on. By the time we get to the tenth round I am exhausted. Luckily the fact that I know that the workout is almost over gives me the motivation to push through the last round and finish.
Overall this one is more difficult than it looks on paper for sure. Those rounds and the deadlifts really add up. It isn’t the most difficult WOD I have done though, that award still goes to the beast of a WOD named Kaslu. This is one you certainly shouldn’t underestimate though.
Any Advice?
For this workout, I would say you need to pace yourself but just a little bit. It is a shorter WOD so you can’t hold back too much but you also don’t want to go balls out at the beginning either. It really is dependant on your fitness level as to how hard you want to push yourself. In general, though I would say if you go at a pace of about 60-65% you should do ok. It is still going to suck don’t get me wrong but this pace should keep you from starting too strong or saving too much for the end.
My crappy time: 23:49
Ryan Douglas – Owner/Operator of TheAthleticBuild.com
