What are Hero WODs? We have seen a few of them come up a little more frequently in the programming lately. Most of you are aware that Hero WODs are workouts in which we honor fallen Heroes. Coach will always read to the class about that person. And then we tackle what is often a longer duration, possibly higher repetition workout.
I have had many discussions with people about Hero WODs. A lot of the time this discussion involves scaling and modifying. Is it okay to NOT scale or modify a HERO WOD like we normally would even if it takes 30+ minutes in an attempt to pay tribute? My answer would be, "It depends." It's not like we are doing HERO WODs all of the time. There is nothing wrong with an occasional long grinder. But what are the movements, and how many reps are you doing? Are you conditioned and prepared to handle the volume a Hero WOD requires? These are a few things I think about when I make suggestions for athletes when they ask if they should scale or go for it. Normally, I wouldn't recommend an athlete spend a ridiculous amount of time (especially past the class hour) to complete a Hero WOD but I think an OCCASIONAL long "Tribute" or assessment to measure improvement is acceptable. Let's look at tomorrow. "Luke" is going to take a while, yes. But the running in our programming the last few weeks has you more than ready to handle not even 2 miles of running. There are a lot of movements but the rep count really isn't that high for any of them. This is not a Hero WOD I would be too worried about.
For more insight on Hero WODs and other concerns about them please read this piece by one of my favorite bloggers:
http://breakingmuscle.com/functional-fitness/the-proper-way-to-do-a-hero-wod-and-honor-the-fallen
Dec 11th WOD "Luke"
Marine Staff Sgt. Leon H. Lucas Jr. died Aug. 1, 2011, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained from an enemy grenade attack in the upper Gereshk Valley. The 32-year-old, of Wilson, North Carolina, was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, Twentynine Palms, California, and served during Operation Enduring Freedom. Lucas is survived by his wife, Mary; and children, Tyson, Zachary and Quentin.
RX
For time:
400m run
15 Clean and Jerks 155/105
400m run
30 toes-to-bars
400m run
45 wall-ball shots 20/14
400m run
45 KB Swings 53/35
400m run
30 ring dips
400m run
15 Lunge Steps
400m run