Good old Grace. Some hate her, some love her. Regardless of your feelings about her you will remember her for a very long time. Grace is a benchmark CrossFit workout, meaning the longer you do CrossFit, the longer you are to see Grace again. The reason for our benchmarks is to monitor progress over time. Workouts like Grace allow us to see a progression in our fitness over a long period of time.
So what is Grace? Grace is 30 clean and jerks for time with a 135lb barbell for men, and a 95lb barbell for women. Conceptually, you won’t find a simpler CrossFit workout on paper, but don’t underestimate her; Grace packs a nasty punch. These clean and jerks should be performed as power cleans and push jerks. There’s no need, or time for that matter, for squat cleans or split jerks in this workout.
How long should Grace take? Elite level barbell cyclers have finished the workout in less than 1:30. More advanced athletes typically complete Grace somewhere between 1:30 and 3:00. Majority of the CrossFit population will take more than 3 minutes to complete Grace. Although the workout is short, it is an all out sprint with no room for rest. There’s no time to stare at the barbell on the floor during Grace.
However, there’s no need to fear Grace. The workout can always be scaled to hit our intended stimulus. You should be able to cycle the barbell weight you choose to use for at least 10 unbroken reps when fresh. For most though, by the end of the workout you’ll most likely be performing singles.
All this to say, whether you’ve done Grace 10 times before, or never before, you should join us for Boobylon on Saturday 10/19! Come push your limits and be supported by an amazing community on a quick but memorable workout! All proceeds and donations for the day will go directly to the Babylon Breast Cancer Coalition.
