20.1 might be in the books, but many of us are still reflecting on what it taught us. Without a doubt, there are lessons to be learned that will absolutely apply to the rest of the Open workouts. Armen Hammer shared his video from 20.1 along with his thoughts, intentions, goals, and strategy —and it’s definitely worth a watch.

A few important takeaways…

1. Tailor the Workout for YOU

Hammer mentioned lower back issues. We all have our strengths and obstacles. The amazing thing about this sport is that it’s infinitely scalable. If you have back pain, you might avoid touch-and-go reps and be a little more gentle with your burpees.

If a workout includes toes-to-bar and you’re eight months pregnant, you can easily sub them out for another movement.

If a lack of hip mobility makes air squats difficult, you can squat down on a ball or box.

You get the idea.

In Hammer’s case, he knew that touch-and-go snatches would be bad news for his back, so he did singles. (More on this later.) He also didn’t attempt to blast through the burpees. His goal was consistency, and he nailed it.

2. There’s Nothing Wrong With Singles!

Here’s another important lesson. Fact: You can do singles from the get-go and still — maybe shockingly — finish the workout faster than you would have otherwise. Yes, you might save time doing the entire first round unbroken. But if you get to round two of 10 and you’re already completely fatigued, then your score is shot.

Think about this in future Open workouts, especially if we see something like toes-to-bar or pull-ups. Breaking reps up into smaller sets, even singles, might be the best strategy for you.

And speaking of strategy…

3. Strategy is Everything

This is something Khan Porter recently touched on, and it’s worth repeating. It wasn’t enough to approach 20.1 with the goal to finish it as fast as possible. That’s a good start, but how? How did you plan to move as quickly as possible, based on your own level of fitness?

Your approach might look completely different from the athlete next to you, and that’s 100% okay. Have a plan of attack before the clock starts, and your score will be better for it.

Main image: Armen Hammer/YouTube