Breaking Down A 1:53 Fran
Breaking Down A 1:53 Fran
Ever wondered what a clean 1:53 Fran looks like? Thanks to Henry Sailes you don't have to wonder any longer:I remember when Bionic and Rhabdo released video
Ever wondered what a clean 1:53 Fran looks like? Thanks to Henry Sailes you don't have to wonder any longer:
I remember when Bionic and Rhabdo released videos of their sub-2 Frans in early 2009.
Rhabdo used a medball to bounce out of the bottom of his thrusters and fell over after he was done as if he was shot.
Bionic didn't really hit full depth on his thrusters and was moving at an uncontrolled, breakneck speed.
That was the epitome of late 2000s CrossFit: weird nicknamed people using questionable form to chase what at the time seemed to be the Everest of fitness. After the 2009 Games people actually realized what a true test of fitness could look like and for most elite CrossFitters, Fran lost that "palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy" feeling. Fran became a boogeyman used to frighten rookie CrossFitters and, in its classic form, wasn't difficult or surgical enough to challenge or test elite CrossFitters.
Enter Henry Sailes. I've got no idea who he is, and you probably don't either. According to his Games profile, he's 26, weighs 172lb, competes in the South East and placed 154th in his Region during the Open. Basically put: he's a pretty damn good CrossFitter. But how does a good CrossFitter execute something like a clean, controlled, sub-2 Fran and walk away from it with a smile on his face? Besides fitness (that's a given), if you were to ask a veteran CrossFitter how to improve your Fran time the answer is very simple: transitions.
At that level, the smoother and faster your transitions are, the faster your Fran time will be, and Sailes executes this exceptionally well. Look at how quick his transition is from his set of 21 pull ups to the set of 15 thrusters:
He is also very good at keeping the bar close to the rig, limiting the amount of steps and time it takes for him to get back to the pull ups:
Between quick transitions and fast turnover in his reps, this is definitely the fastest and cleanest Fran I've ever seen. But that doesn't mean it's the fastest possible. Sailes has a few weak points here that he can clean up to shave precious seconds off his time. Check it out:
This is his last transition, so he's tired but notice how he has a small, useless kip before starting his pull ups and his second pull up is big and loopy. This is where he can tighten up. If he can train to eliminate that little kip and tighten up his pull ups into a smaller and faster circle, he'll finish significantly faster.
And that's exactly the reason why Fran isn't really a test of fitness anymore. At Sailes' level, which isn't even world class in terms of making it to the Games, the key to a quick Fran time is transitions. It stops being about fitness and grit and more about if you're able to keep the barbell within two steps of the rig.
Congrats to Henry Sailes. This is really a masterful showing of control, fitness, and planning and he should be proud of truly conquering what Fran has to offer. Now let's hope the weird nickname thing doesn't come back.
I remember when Bionic and Rhabdo released videos of their sub-2 Frans in early 2009.
Rhabdo used a medball to bounce out of the bottom of his thrusters and fell over after he was done as if he was shot.
Bionic didn't really hit full depth on his thrusters and was moving at an uncontrolled, breakneck speed.
That was the epitome of late 2000s CrossFit: weird nicknamed people using questionable form to chase what at the time seemed to be the Everest of fitness. After the 2009 Games people actually realized what a true test of fitness could look like and for most elite CrossFitters, Fran lost that "palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy" feeling. Fran became a boogeyman used to frighten rookie CrossFitters and, in its classic form, wasn't difficult or surgical enough to challenge or test elite CrossFitters.
Enter Henry Sailes. I've got no idea who he is, and you probably don't either. According to his Games profile, he's 26, weighs 172lb, competes in the South East and placed 154th in his Region during the Open. Basically put: he's a pretty damn good CrossFitter. But how does a good CrossFitter execute something like a clean, controlled, sub-2 Fran and walk away from it with a smile on his face? Besides fitness (that's a given), if you were to ask a veteran CrossFitter how to improve your Fran time the answer is very simple: transitions.
At that level, the smoother and faster your transitions are, the faster your Fran time will be, and Sailes executes this exceptionally well. Look at how quick his transition is from his set of 21 pull ups to the set of 15 thrusters:
He is also very good at keeping the bar close to the rig, limiting the amount of steps and time it takes for him to get back to the pull ups:
Between quick transitions and fast turnover in his reps, this is definitely the fastest and cleanest Fran I've ever seen. But that doesn't mean it's the fastest possible. Sailes has a few weak points here that he can clean up to shave precious seconds off his time. Check it out:
This is his last transition, so he's tired but notice how he has a small, useless kip before starting his pull ups and his second pull up is big and loopy. This is where he can tighten up. If he can train to eliminate that little kip and tighten up his pull ups into a smaller and faster circle, he'll finish significantly faster.
And that's exactly the reason why Fran isn't really a test of fitness anymore. At Sailes' level, which isn't even world class in terms of making it to the Games, the key to a quick Fran time is transitions. It stops being about fitness and grit and more about if you're able to keep the barbell within two steps of the rig.
Congrats to Henry Sailes. This is really a masterful showing of control, fitness, and planning and he should be proud of truly conquering what Fran has to offer. Now let's hope the weird nickname thing doesn't come back.