The CrossFit Complete. The Sandbag Ladder. The Different Complete. These are CrossFit exercises which have an apparent problem — elevate as a lot weight as you possibly can. However if you happen to’re a CrossFitter, that this sport is about rather more than what number of plates you possibly can slide onto a barbell.
Enter the CrossFit benchmark exercise Angie. This WOD (exercise of the day) has been difficult athletes since its debut on the CrossFit stage in 2005. The practically 20-year-old exercise is deceptively easy. It’s simply 4 workout routines, carried out 100 instances every. 4 hundred reps complete.
And the true shocker? It’s all bodyweight-only motion. The one factor you might want to full 4 hundred reps complete of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and air squats is your individual physique (and a pull-up bar). Right here’s all the things you might want to know concerning the CrossFit Angie exercise.
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What Is the Angie Exercise?
The CrossFit WOD Angie is a high-volume chipper consisting of 100 reps every of pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, and air squats. You’ll full a complete of 400 reps, and also you’ll do it by chipping away — therefore the identify chipper — at every train earlier than transferring on to the subsequent.
Every of those workout routines is supposed to be carried out so as. So, do all of your pull-ups earlier than your push-ups; all of your push-ups earlier than your sit-ups; and all of your sit-ups earlier than your air squats. You may cut up up every 100 reps nevertheless you wish to. Simply be sure you’re finishing all 100 reps per train earlier than transferring on to the subsequent.
The Exercise
For Time:
- 100 Pull-Ups
- 100 Push-Ups
- 100 Sit-Ups
- 100 Air Squats
Angie is a benchmark exercise. Because of this you’re meant to return to it infrequently to examine in with your self about your progress. Every time you do Angie, write down your time and any modifications you made to the exercise. It will enable you to clearly see your progress from one trial to the subsequent.
What Are Good Angie Instances?
In 2009, CrossFit legend Annie Thorisdottir took on Angie at CrossFit Copenhagen. The 2-time CrossFit Video games champion made fast work of all 400 reps, finishing the exercise in 15:40. For context, Thorisdottir was topped the Fittest Girl on Earth® in 2011 — after which once more in 2012.
Thorisdottir’s time is an instance of elite timing gone proper. However there are totally different gradations of what constitutes time. Once you cease your clock, simply be sure you’re additionally jotting down any modifications you make to the actions so you possibly can measure your progress precisely.
- Elite: between 15 and 17 minutes
- Superior: between 17 and 20 minutes
- Intermediate: between 20 and 25 minutes
- Newbie: over 25 minutes
Should you’re taking on half-hour to get by means of your 400 reps, think about scaling the actions. This could imply something from decreasing the rep depend on every train to modifying a number of of the actions themselves.
Methods for the Angie Exercise
By no means go right into a CrossFit WOD with no plan. Even the best-laid plans want changes from time to time. However having a way of what you wish to do — and the best way to do it — units you up for an simpler restoration and a quicker time.
Modify the Actions
Possibly you possibly can carry out a number of units of strong kipping pull-ups and picture-perfect push-ups. However have a modification plan in place for after the fatigue units in.
Possibly meaning performing push-ups at an incline after you hit rep 50 or doing leaping pull-ups after your first 4 units. Moving into with a plan will assist soften the blow to your ego if you might want to modify something mid-workout.
This manner, you’ll know what to do to proceed the exercise with glorious kind. With such a high-volume exercise, be sure you’re prioritizing approach so that you’re not setting your self up for damage.
Break Down Your Units
You’re not going to get very far alongside in Angie if you happen to don’t break up your units. Attempting to go unbroken here’s a recipe for catastrophe. Certain, it’s “solely” 4 workout routines. And sure, it’s “solely” body weight work. However don’t mistake easy for straightforward.
100 pull-ups — particularly adopted by 300 reps of different strikes — will humble even the fittest of athletes. Plan to separate every motion into smaller units. Should you can simply bang out 10 pull-ups at a time, plan to chop your reps into units of 5 to seven. Simply since you can do 10 at a time doesn’t imply it is best to.
If a 10-rep set is on the prime finish of what you are able to do earlier than a break, go smaller. Should you carry your self to failure early on, you’ll remorse it. Alternatively, if you possibly can rep out 20 or extra kipping pull-ups at a time, then sure, think about units of 10.
The identical logic applies to every train right here. Take what you are able to do, and do lower than that with every set. That can make your makes an attempt rather more manageable. And the extra manageable your units are, the quicker you’ll recuperate and full your exercise.
Velocity Up on the Finish
Angie could also be a traditional, however that doesn’t imply it’s typical. In actual fact, this benchmark exercise is means totally different than so a lot of its CrossFit cousins. That’s as a result of usually talking, Angie will get simpler as you get farther alongside within the exercise.
Usually, the extra fatigue accumulates, the tougher your exercise will get. And make no mistake — Angie might be robust the entire means by means of. However the total development is that it will get simpler.
When you’re achieved with your pull-ups, you’ll transfer to the comparatively simpler push-ups. After taxing your higher physique to the intense, you’ll get a giant shoulder break — you’ll even get to lie down! — with sit-ups. After which, with a contemporary decrease physique, you’ll bang out your air squats.
Reap the benefits of this distinctive exercise construction and plan to go quicker towards the top of your exercise. Should you’ve been breaking your pull-ups and push-ups into gradual, small chunks, the backend of this WOD is the place you’ll actually flip up the warmth and go for pace.
How you can Scale Angie for Learners
As a newbie, Angie may appear without delay accessible and very forbidding. It’s accessible as a result of it doesn’t require any weights and solely wants one piece of apparatus — a pull-up bar. You’ll solely be performing body weight actions, and there are solely 4 of them.
That mentioned, inexperienced persons additionally may discover Angie daunting. Pull-ups is likely to be body weight solely, however they’re extremely difficult. Even skilled power athletes might wrestle to carry out one pull-up, not to mention 100.
Push-ups may be a wrestle for CrossFit inexperienced persons. Should you wrestle with finishing a set of 10 push-ups, 100 might properly appear unfathomable. However don’t fear. There are methods to scale Angie for inexperienced persons that may completely give you the results you want.
Quarter Angie
Doing Angie as written (Rx) interprets into 400 reps complete — 100 reps of every motion. However if you happen to’re simply beginning out, check out Quarter Angie. You’ll carry out 25 reps per train for a grand complete of 100 reps.
This won’t seem like rather a lot at first, however give it some thought — 25 pull-ups is a hefty quantity, particularly if you happen to’re new right here. Even 25 push-ups generally is a problem. It is likely to be comparatively simpler to sort out 25 sit-ups and 25 air squats, so the again finish of your exercise will nonetheless be extra manageable than the entrance finish.
Modify the Actions
Can’t do a single pull-up or push-up? Don’t depend your self out of Angie. Even when everybody else in your field is racing by means of seemingly easy units of kipping pull-ups, keep in mind: your WOD doesn’t should seem like theirs for it to depend.
Scaled actions are an enormous a part of CrossFit. There are numerous methods to change Angie to make this WOD give you the results you want. Listed here are simply a few of the motion modifications you possibly can substitute in for the 4 Angie workout routines:
Pull-Up Options and Modifications
Push-Up Options and Modifications
Sit-Up Options and Modifications
Air Squat Options and Modifications
You don’t solely have to select one various per motion, although. For instance, you may begin with a robust set of strict push-ups. At 30 reps, you might swap to full incline push-ups. Then at 60 reps, you may swap to performing push-ups out of your knees. No matter modifications you make, simply maintain strict report of them so you possibly can evaluate your future performances precisely.
Even intermediates wrestle with pull-ups. And regardless of how a lot expertise you will have, 100 push-ups — particularly after all these pull-ups — will make you break a sweat. Use modifications if you might want to, even at an intermediate stage.
Whether or not you’re scaling the strikes or not, you may end up unable to hit these 400 reps cleanly. Should you’re nonetheless unable to sort out such a excessive quantity in such a brief time frame, it’s okay. You may nonetheless make Angie give you the results you want.
Half Angie
If 400 reps as quick as attainable isn’t going to chop it for you, lower the exercise in half. Half Angie requires 50 reps per train, clocking in at a complete of 200 reps. Make no mistake — that is nonetheless an intense exercise. Any time you’re transferring by means of a set variety of reps for time, you’re going to be pushing your self arduous.
The distinction right here might be that you just’ll get to the summit rather a lot faster than you’ll with double the rep scheme. However don’t come out of the gate too sizzling — you don’t have to go unbroken simply since you’re doing fewer complete reps. You’ll nonetheless have to tempo your self to be sure you have sufficient fuel within the tank to complete the job.
How you can Scale Angie for Superior Athletes
Don’t confuse expertise stage with by no means needing modifications. Even superior athletes can avail themselves of the modifications and strategies above. Being “superior” doesn’t imply you by no means want modifications.
Even the strongest, fittest, most skilled athletes want modifications for one purpose or one other — an athlete is likely to be pregnant, for instance. Most of the fittest rivals on the planet take part within the Adaptive Divisions on the CrossFit Video games, making use of the numerous scaled choices accessible to athletes in any respect ranges.
That mentioned, superior athletes may seek for methods take Angie as written and produce it to an entire totally different stage. On this case, there’s a transparent possibility for progressive overload — though it’s a brutal one.
Put on a Weighted Vest
With physique weight alone, performing 400 reps — as quick as attainable — is intense. Doing this whereas sporting a weighted vest elevates the stakes throughout.
You may select to put on your weighted vest for less than sure workout routines or for less than a sure variety of reps per train. For instance, perhaps you put on a weighted vest in your first 20 pull-ups and take it off for the remaining. Or, you may save the added load fully in your air squats.
Irrespective of while you’re utilizing the vest in your exercise, solely load it step by step. Should you’ve by no means achieved a weighted pull-up or push-up, Angie might be not the time to be taught. Be sure that your approach for weighted actions is locked in.
Use a really mild vest to start — 5 kilos, for instance. Work your means as much as a heavier vest, particularly if you happen to don’t have a variety of expertise with this instrument. Do not forget that Angie is hard as it’s. Make it extra intense if you happen to’d like, however respect the WOD.
400 Reps — Go
The CrossFit Angie exercise isn’t about loaded barbells or strongman-style actions. As a substitute, it’s simply you, your physique weight, 400 reps, and a clock. Grasp your pull-up, push-up, sit-up, and air squat approach, and deploy modifications when and the place you want them.
No matter your time is, write it down and use it to trace your progress. This benchmark exercise will take a look at you tremendously — rise to the problem and get counting.
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