Recently former World Strongman Champion Eddie Hall set an unofficial Isabel world record completing 30 ground-to-overhead (I can’t call them snatches) at 135lbs in under a minute.  Incredible!  Of course the coach in me cringes at the movement mechanics but the athlete in me has to admit that if I could deadlift-reverse curl-shoulder press 135lbs for reps, that’s how I’d attack Isabel/Grace too.

Even more impressive to me is Dan Bailey’s unbroken Grace.  Only a few seconds slower than Eddie Hall, Dan Bailey is built much more like you and I and deadlifts and presses less than half of what Eddie Hall can.  His Grace time is a product of super-efficient mechanics that gives hope to all us smaller, weaker athletes.  “Skill is the greatest fitness hack!” – Andy Swartz.

I’m not ready to do 30 unbroken reps at the RX’d men’s weight but pre-COVID I gave it a shot at 85lbs.  I nearly missed the last rep but got it done with some struggle.  I was surprised to find my time in about the same 2.5 minute range as my best RX’d Graces.

This time I tried it at 105lbs, a 600lb jump.  It actually went a bit better.  Last rep was incredibly hard but the only rep that was really in doubt was one where the barbell inadvertently collided with the plyo box interrupting my turn over in the clean.  My lungs were on fire with the same post-WOD cough you’d expect from a regular Grace.  Surprisingly my finish time was once again 2:20.  This seems to indicate to me that conditioning, not strength, is my limiting factor in Grace.

Monday WOD
Equipment:
Barbell or Barbell Substitute
Kettlebell, dumbbell or substitute
PVC Pipe or broomstick

Warm Up:
1 min breathing
1 min head nods
1 min head rotations
1 min Gait Bugs
1 min Frog Rolls
1 min Scap Rock
1 min Scap Rotations/Retractions
1 min Cross Crawl Bird Dog
1 min OS Push Up
1 min Full Body Rock
1 min Cross Crawls
1 min Shoulder Pass Throughs
1 min KB Swings
1 min Snatch or C&J

Tech:
Points of Performance for Snatch & C&J
– Posterior Chain Engagement
– Balance about the frontal plane

Isabel Group:
400m KB Overhead Carry

Grace Group:
400m KB Suitcase Carry

WOD
Grace 30 clean & jerks
or Isabel 30 Snatches

Choose a weight that you can maintain a pace of 3-6 reps per minute

Cool Down
Shoulder Pass Throughs
Standing Breathing
Standing Head Nods/Rotations
Upper Body Rolls
Lower body Rolls
Hands & Knees Rock