Last night, 16.3 was announced in Jacksonville, Florida as for the first time, a teenage Games champion faced off against a Masters Games champion.

Dave Castro enjoyed announcing the Open workout from afar last week and decided to repeat the process this week, announcing the new movements via video from a box in Milan. The workout, brutal in its simplicity and a lung-scorcher in its own right, consists of ten light weight snatches followed by three bar muscle ups. Castro at first joked that it was another 20-minute AMRAP, similar to 16.1, but clarified by saying that athletes will do as many rounds as possible in seven minutes.

7-Minute AMRAP
10 snatches (75/55 pounds)
3 bar muscle ups

Seventeen-year-old Nick Paladino won the first ever Fittest Teen in the World title in 2015. He went up against Games veteran and two-time Masters’ division Games winner Shawn Ramirez. The two went head to head at CrossFit Jax in a matchup unlike any we’ve ever seen during a live announcement.

Paladino set an explosive pace right out of the gate, which proved to be his downfall later on in the workout. Ramirez set a slower pace, but his engine proved to be stronger as he pulled ahead towards the middle of the workout and finished with 123 reps to Paladino’s 118.

1. Pace is Everything

We saw that despite over twenty years in age difference, Ramirez was able to steam roll Paladino because of his calm and consistent pace. Paladino exploded out of the gate and quickly lost his momentum.

These light snatches are not meant to test your strength, they’re meant to test your engine. Is it any surprise that Sam “The Engine” Briggs has already posted a score of over 11 rounds? Stay consistent and try to keep your heart rate under control in the beginning stages of the workout. You’ll need that explosiveness in the last couple of rounds.
2. No Time for Rest

With that being said, seven minutes is a short time to WOD, meaning that even seconds can make a difference. In fact, we saw during the analysis of the live announcement that an 11-second rest on Paladino’s part verses a 7-second rest on Ramirez’s part could have made a big difference in the ultimate results.

3. Don’t Forget About Your Legs

Because the snatch weight is really light, a lot of videos and posts people have shown so far show that people are muscle snatching as opposed to truly using their legs. This is fine to begin with.

Later in the workout as you begin to fatigue, don’t forget that you have legs to use in your snatches. Save your grip for the pull up bar and use your legs and hips to throw that light weight over your head.
4. Don’t Leave Snatches on the Floor

In the last couple of rounds, don’t be afraid to redline. Again, it’s only a seven-minute WOD and the snatches are an easy and quick way to get lots of reps. Ramirez was able to claim an additional six reps to his score in the last ten seconds of the workout by breaking his slow and steady pace and putting the pedal to the metal.

You can breathe when you get done. You’re welcome.