Think of Fitness As Food

Brian Watts, owner and head coach at CrossFit Zenith (Wallingford, Connecticut), once wrote a blog post comparing fitness to food.  It's a good read and a great analogy, so I wanted to re-share it with our AR community. 

Here is his original post in its entirety:

Think of fitness as food. The globogym [Rob's Note: "globogym" = commercial gym] is your major fast food chain. You walk in a McDonald’s anywhere in the world, you know what you’re going to get. Same goes for Planet Fitness, The Edge Fitness and most of those other 24 hour gyms you see everywhere.

CrossFit is like a locally owned Italian restaurant. While all Italian restaurants have the same general goal (“Eat this Italian food here.”), each one has a different menu and cooks things slightly differently. Sometimes the globogyms try to do CrossFit as well, the same way fast food joints will throw in a meatball here and there or create an Olive Garden.

The analogy goes even deeper. If you frequent the local Italian restaurant, they’ll get to know your name, they’ll tell you about little specials they have for the good customers or make special request dishes for you. They’ll take extra care in making your order because your patronage is important to them. They started their business because they not only love to cook, they want to share that love of cooking with others. Behind every CrossFit gym is a CrossFitter. We try to learn everything we can about our gym’s members and do everything we can to bring our love of CrossFit to new people and watch it change their lives the way it has changed ours.

The globogym’s similarity to fast food works the same way. You’ll get a one-size-fits all situation with someone who may or may not know what they’re doing and who has seen so many people come in the door he can’t get them all straight. The only place that comparison falls apart is that fast food places want you to keep showing up, whereas the globogym does not. They would actually lose money if more of their members showed up. Instead, they put a super-low price on their membership and hope you’ll forget that you’re being charged $20 a month for something you never use.

Here’s something else to think about. If you try a new Italian restaurant and get food poisoning, was it the food that kept you hovering over the toilet hating life, or was it the chef who didn’t cook things properly? You might never go to a particular restaurant after your bad experience, but you do eventually go to another Italian restaurant. Substitute “Italian restaurant” with “CrossFit” and “chef” with “coach.” You can leave in the toilet part, ’cause that might still apply. People at bad CrossFit gyms get hurt. People at bad Italian restaurants get food poisoning. Italian food doesn’t inherently make you sick, CrossFit doesn’t inherently make you injured.

Like food, you can also create fitness all on your own. In this analogy, CrossFit becomes a cookbook. You can find all sorts of information on workouts and movements and CrossFit related awesomeness and go right out to your garage and start doing CrossFit, just like you can grab a cookbook from the shelf, go to the grocery store and start making your own food. Sometimes, you’ll be able to make food that’s just as good as what you get at your local restaurant. When you’re cooking, there’s always the chance you’ll read something wrong or get one of the ingredients mixed up and make everyone sick. Sort of like not reading all there is to know about an exercise movement and then going out and getting yourself hurt. Again, the former people will typically say they messed up the recipe while the latter will say CrossFit hurt them.

You have a wide variety of choices to get yourself fit, just like you have a wide variety of choices to put food in your mouth. Think long about the choices you make and if those choices were bad, think long about why they went bad. Test and retest. Taste and re-taste.

-Brian Watts (CrossFit Zenith)

WOD For 01-17-18:

A) Against an 8-Minute Clock (From 0:00 - 8:00):

800m Run

Then, in the remaining time, AMRAP of...

8 Hang Power Snatches @ 135/95 lbs 

8 Bar Muscle-ups

-REST 3 Minutes-

B) Against a 6-Minute Clock (From 11:00 - 17:00):

600m Run

Then, in the remaining time, AMRAP of...

8 Hang Power Snatches @ 115/75 lbs 

8 Chest-to-Bar Pull-ups

-REST 3 Minutes-

C) Against a 4-Minute Clock (From 20:00 - 24:00):

400m Run

Then, in the remaining time, AMRAP of...

8 Hang Power Snatches @ 95/65 lbs 

8 Pull-ups

Athletes must change their own weights during the rest periods.

Lost & Found: Final Call

Reminder to check the Lost & Found for your stuff this week, as we'll be donating the remaining contents to charity after the weekend.

Thanks for your attention!

WOD For 01-16-18:

With a Partner on a Running Clock...

A) From 0:00 - 18:00

For Time (BOTH Athletes Complete 10-to-1):

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

Squat Cleans @ 135/95 lbs

Box Jumps @ 24/20 in

One athlete working at a time. An athlete completes one FULL round (e.g. 10 SqCl and 10 BJ) before TAGGING their partner to start their full round.

For example:
Partner A does 10 & 10
Partner B does 10 & 10
Partner A does 9 & 9
Partner B does 9 & 9
...etc...

B) From 18:00 - 30:00

Strict Press (Cycle 2, Week 3):

***Add 5 lbs to your Cycle 1 "Base" weight for your Cycle 2 "Base" weight, then...

75% x 5
85% x 3
95% x 1+ (AKA "Max Effort" or "as many reps as you can safely perform")

MLK Day: Full Class Schedule

We're running a full/normal class schedule on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan 15th), so come on in and get your skill-intensive workout in -- either during your normal class time, or at any other class time! 

WOD For 01-15-18:

AMRAP 20 Minutes:

20 Calorie Row

40 AbMat Sit-ups

80 Double Unders

3 Rounds of "Nate"

1 Round of "Nate" is...

2 Muscle-ups

4 Handstand Push-ups

8 Kettlebell Swings @ 70/53 lbs

(Compare to 03-14-17)

Sunday Track WOD With Coach Amy!

Coach Kim will be handing over the reigns to Coach Amy for this Sunday's track session.  Come down to the track at 1:00PM on Sunday for a great workout that builds on the prior weeks' training. 

Didn't make any of the prior weeks?  Not to worry, you can jump in this week and have a great session regardless - so don't let that stop you!

Check Kim's weekly message in the private Arena Ready Facebook group (click here) for meet-up instructions and workout details.

Happy Weekend, all! 

WOD for 01-13-18:

In Teams of THREE Athletes, On a Running Clock...

A) From 0:00 - 18:00

AMRAP 18 Minutes:

9 Power Snatches @ 115/80 lbs

12 Overhead Squats

15 Lateral Bar Burpees

(400m Run)

Athletes A & B complete the triplet with only one person working at a time (reps do not have to be split evenly) while Athlete C runs 400m.  One athlete must always be running and must always switch after 400m.  The team's score is rounds + reps completed of the triplet.

B) From 18:00 - 21:00

Rest 3 Minutes

B) From 21:00 - 33:00

Back Squat:

12 Minutes to Establish a 2, 4, and 6-Rep Back Squat 

Each athlete establishes EITHER the team's 2, 4, or 6-rep back squat - and the team's score is the sum of the successful sets completed.  For example:

Athlete A successfully completes a 2-rep back squat of 200 lbs.

Athlete B successfully completes a 4-rep back squat of 185 lbs.

Athlete C successfully completes a 6-rep back squat of 150 lbs.

The Team's score is 535 lbs (200 + 185 + 150 lbs)

In other words, the team must choose who is assigned to which rep scheme (2, 4, or 6 reps), and must load the bar accordingly for warm-up sets and attempts (the team shares one squat rack and one barbell).  Be smart and choose wisely.

(Compare to 01-14-17)

The Open is Open for Registration!

Perhaps in honor of AR doing the first repeat Open workout in 2018, CrossFit opened registration for the CrossFit Open today! CrossFit HQ's Rory McKernan does a great job explaining the Open in the video below, and for those unfamiliar with the Open this is a great way to get some of those big questions answered.

In short, the Open is the first step in qualifying for the CrossFit Games. It is also a fun opportunity to measure your fitness across a test of five workouts over five weeks. You can then see how you stack up against others at Arena Ready, others in California, and others in the world! Plus, it's a chance to be in the photos Rob will use in the blog for the rest of the year :)

Also, speaking of Rob, he's scheduled to be back tomorrow, so you can look forward to the blog returning to it's usual quality shortly!

WOD for 01-12-18:

Wendler 5-3-1

Deadlift Cycle 2, Week 3 (Percentages Based on Cycle 2 Base)
5 @ 75%
3 @ 85%
1+ @ 95%

- then -

Against a 15 Minute Clock:
Run 1,000m
100 Walking Lunge
Then, in remaining time, AMRAP of:
15 Russian KB Swing @ 70/53 lbs
15 Box Jump Over 24/20"
15/11 Cal Row

Open Workout 15.3 Revisited

WOD for 01-12-18:

CrossFit Open Workout 15.3

14 Minute AMRAP:

7 Muscle Up

50 Wall Ball 20/14 lbs to 10/9 ft

100 Double Under

Turkish Get-Up: A Refresher

WOD for 01-10-18:

Turkish KB or DB Get-up

1-1-1-1-1 (Each set = 1R + 1L)

-then-

4 Rounds for Max Reps (:40 on/:20 off)

1) Alternating DB Snatch (50/35 lbs)

2) Hang Power Clean (135/95 lbs)

3) Calories on Rower or Assault Bike

4) Rest

FRAN

We frequently do named workouts at the gym, and I think most people are familiar with the concept of "girl" workouts, "hero" workouts, and other named workouts in CrossFit, but on the day of Fran, it also seems worth reviewing how cool these workouts really are in the context of the CrossFit training methodology over time.

Girl workouts serve to establish a benchmark of fitness and proficiency in the movements tested by that particular workout. I remember the first time I did Fran in particular - I figured it'd be a good plan to go really fast on the thrusters since I wasn't very good at pull-ups yet (oh how quickly I regretted that strategy). I was taking my Level 1 Seminar in Novato back in March of 2010, back when Fran was still tested at the Level 1.

I remember needing to break my reps into 3 decreasing sets per round for the thrusters: 8-7-6, 6-5-4, and 4-3-2 (the plan was to break the set of 9 into 5 and 4 if I was feeling ok). I did most of my pull-ups in singles, ripped both of my hands, and took over eight and a half minutes to finish. I thought Fran was so hard, and couldn't for the life of me understand how it was humanly possible to do that workout in less than five minutes, much less the 2 and 3 minute scores recorded by the elites back then.

Since then, I've performed Fran quite a few times, and each time I've approached it with the same level of fear and anticipation. In each case I know that it's a test of movements which don't tend to favor my strengths. I know that it feels hard, and tests my willpower. I also know that if I've managed to get better at it then my efforts to improve those movements have paid off in ways that will benefit not only my Fran time, but most of my other weaknesses as well.

My goals for the workout have progressed over time - at first I tried to just do the thrusters unbroken (and was crushed time and again when I caved and put the bar down midway through the set of 15). Then I could eventually do the thrusters unbroken, but needed to do the pull-ups in 6-5-5-5, 5-4-3-3 and 3-3-3. At some point my pull-ups started getting better, and I started to dream of actually completing the workout unbroken. I finally managed to do so in Tahoe right before our very own Molly's wedding. My elation with a huge PR, and finally completing Fran unbroken, quickly faded as I realized that it's remarkably difficult (and painful!) to recover from an anaerobic workout in high altitude.

In reflecting on this evolution, I also see ways in which my desire to improve at Fran (or, let's be honest, in my own words: "to not suck at Fran") directed my training throughout the years. I saw Fran as a test of my legitimacy as a CrossFitter, a valid measure of my fitness, and even more so a microscope on two areas of weakness. As I worked to improve my pull-ups, I developed an understanding of the importance of grip strength, lat engagement, midline control, and even pacing within the movement. As I worked to improve my thrusters, I developed substantially better glute activation, hip flexibility, front rack mobility, overhead stability, and again, pacing within the movement.

Improvement in this workout, and getting to a point that I felt like I had finally gone "fast enough" to be respectable feels so remarkable, particularly in hindsight, and especially considering how far from that feat I started, and am physically at this specific moment in time. It feels like a dream, and an honor, but at the same time almost totally ridiculous that a workout involving 90 reps of anything could have attracted so much of my focus and attention for such a long time. Yet, I see the ways that caring about my performance in this workout (and focusing on so many ways in which I could improve upon my time) helped me to develop into a better, healthier athlete, a more thoughtful, understanding coach, and even a more patient, persistent human, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

As you approach this workout, my hope for you is that whether you are attempting Fran for the first time, the second time, the fifth time, or even the tenth time, that you use it as an opportunity to develop a better understanding of your current capacity and the factors that contribute to where you are today. I hope that you grow from the experience, and that you can simultaneously be awed by the progress that you've made even if you're not yet where you hope to someday be. I also hope that you take a moment to be grateful that we have the luxury to focus on 90 reps of a silly workout - for better health, better fitness, better mindset, and a momentary escape from all the other concerns of this world.

And, as always, make sure you keep a stable grip on the bar!

WOD FOR 01-02-18:

Strict Press (Cycle 2, Week 2):

***Add 5 lbs to your Cycle 1 "Base" weight for your Cycle 2 "Base" weight, then...

70% x 3
80% x 3
90% x 3+ (AKA "Max Effort" or "as many reps as you can safely perform")

-then-

"Fran"

21-15-9
Thrusters @ 95/65 lbs
Pull-ups

(Compare to 02-12-16, 04-26-14, and 12-15-13)

The Hidden Ways Sleep Deprivation Can Lead to Weight Gain

For those considering the "More Sleep" challenge, and maybe even more so for those who don't think they have time to sleep more, I wanted to share an article by Zahra Barnes that I think very nicely articulates the arguments in favor of sufficient sleep, and supports these arguments with a decent amount of the science behind these claims. (http://dailyburn.com/life/lifestyle/sleep-deprivation-effects-weight-loss/)

A few highlights:

Losing out on sleep creates a viscous cycle in your body, making you more prone to various factors contributing to weight gain.

“The more sleep-deprived you are, the higher your levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases your appetite,” says Breus. And it’s not like you’re going to be suddenly ravenous for kale salads, either. “For me, it takes a bit of willpower to choose the salad over the sandwich,” DePaolis says. “When I’m tired, I go for whatever’s going to be easy and make me feel better in the moment.”

And,

A lack of sleep also hinders your body’s ability to process the sweet stuff. “When you’re sleep deprived, the mitochondria in your cells that digest fuel start to shut down. Sugar remains in your blood, and you end up with high blood sugar,” says Breus. Losing out on sleep can make fat cells 30 percent less able to deal with insulin, according to a study in Annals of Internal Medicine.

For the full text, visit http://dailyburn.com/life/lifestyle/sleep-deprivation-effects-weight-loss/

WOD for 01-18-18:

Hang Squat Snatch
10 Minutes to establish a heavy double

- then -

3 Rounds for Time:
250m Row
20 Med Ball Russian Twists (20/14 lbs.)
15 Box Jumps at 24/20"
10 Hang Squat Snatch @ 115/80 lbs.

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge + Sunday Track WOD!

Healthy Lifestyle Challenge

As we've done in prior years, we'd like to introduce a Healthy Lifestyle Challenge for the month of January - an opportunity to join the rest of San Francisco in buying chicken, eggs, green veggies, and all the other healthy stuff that was sold out at Whole Foods yesterday. Gee, thanks San Franciscans, we've been eating this stuff all along!

We remain opposed to New Year's Resolutions, and this isn't really about New Year, New You.  This is intended to be about redirecting any counterproductive habits that may have crept in given the higher than usual number of social events, delicious treats, and other temptations that are common during the holiday season.  Rather than letting yourself slide into these habits, the Healthy Lifestyle Challenge is intended to bring you back to the healthy choices you were making consistently earlier in the year.

We'll be keeping the same categories this year: More Sleep, Less Booze, No Sugar, Less Caffeine, More Water, and Nutrition Overhaul.

More Sleep: this category is intended especially for those of you who find it difficult to get more than six hours of sleep per night, and potentially for those who sleep less than eight hours.  Time and again, research shows the detrimental effects of insufficient zzzz's in terms of its effect on stress levels, metabolism, and general performance.

Less Booze: this category is intended especially for those of you who are interested in competing in the Open and/or those of you who have body composition goals.  Alcohol (especially in excess) is detrimental to sport performance, recovery and body composition, so really has no place in a serious athlete's routine.

No Sugar: Increasingly, the addictive and harmful nature of added sugar is hitting headlines.  We're not talking about naturally occurring sugar in fruit and other foods, more so sweeteners (including calorie-free sweeteners). For those of you seeking to improve body composition, and to get control of your cravings, cutting sugar out entirely for the month of January will be a challenge, but worth it.

Less Caffeine: For some responders, caffeine at any dose is detrimental to health, and if you're in that category you're probably not inclined to consume much caffeine anyway.  For the rest of us, caffeine in reasonable doses as an enhancement to an already healthy lifestyle is probably not an issue, but if we start to exceed roughly four (reasonably sized) cups per day, or start drinking it late in the evening, it can begin to have detrimental effects. If you've gotten in the habit of replacing sleep or water with coffee, this may be the challenge for you.

More Water: While the recommendation to drink 8 cups per day may not be as scientifically backed as I once thought, the guidance to drink enough to keep your pee relatively clear is pretty widely acknowledged.  Being chronically dehydrated is a known performance inhibitor - even being mildly dehydrated can have dramatic effect on performance.  That said, there is no advantage to excessive water consumption, and drinking too much water can also be harmful.  With this in mind, if you tend to pee on the yellow side, perhaps just getting to mellow yellow would be a good objective.

Nutrition Overhaul: If you've been wanting to try a Paleo, Whole 30, Zone, IIFYM, or other nutrition challenge, this could be the month to do it alongside other Arena Ready friends.  I am very opposed to crash diets, intended to dramatically alter body composition through unsustainable means.  As an alternative, I'm very strongly in favor of learning how your body responds to various foods as fuel and sources of micronutrients (or toxins), and trying to gradually change your habits (and body composition) through pursuit of healthier habits. If you're not on the Facebook group you may not realize I'm running a 12 Week "How to Paleo your Macros" program for AR members, and if you're interested in this challenge, but don't already have another idea in mind, please feel free to contact me, and I'll add you to the list!

As always, your score will be your self-reported sticker on your scorecard/calendar on the gym walls.  Scorecards and stickers will be available starting Sunday, Jan 7 (see details below for back-dating your days).  

You determine your criteria (i.e. whether you're completely avoiding caffeine/booze/sugar, or whether you'll allow x servings per week, or whether you'll get a sticker any time you slept more than x hours). It's not for us to draw that line.  Pick something that you think would be a healthier (and realistic/sustainable) level for you, and give yourself a sticker any time you reach that goal.

Finally, the challenge technically started on January 1, so feel free to backdate your stickers.  You can also enter as of today, and just skip or cross out the earlier days this month.  You can enter as many/few challenges as you wish.

Here's to creating a few new healthy habits!

Sunday Track WOD

Coach Kim has another awesome track day workout locked and loaded for you, so get down to the track this Sunday afternoon (Jan 7th) at 1:00PM and get your aerobic capacity on with some of your AR buddies!

Check Kim's weekly post in the private Arena Ready Facebook group here for details, or message one of us coaches and we can get you the details.

Happy weekend, all!

WOD For 01-06-18:

In Teams of THREE Athletes, AMRAP 25 Minutes:

800m Run TOGETHER

70/60/50 Calorie Row (All Male Team/Mixed Team/All Female Team)

60 Burpees Over the Rower (Step-Overs Allowed)

50 Toes-to-Bar

40 Hang Power Cleans @ 155/105 lbs

30 Push Jerks 

Teams must run TOGETHER, with all three athletes completing 800m in each round.

The row can start once the first/fastest runner has completed the 800m run (you do not have to wait for all three athletes to complete the run).  The row is the only movement that may be started while other teammates are working on the previous movement.

All movements INSIDE the gym (row, burpees, T2B, and barbell movements) are SHARED with only one person working at a time. Reps do not have to be split evenly.

M.C.I.(V.) Revisited

This is a great post that Coach Sarah wrote several years ago, and it's a nice little piece on the heels of yesterday's post.  Enjoy! 

Some thoughts on the evolution of a CrossFitter...

Step 1: Mechanics
Learn the movements.  Learn the difference between what the movement is supposed to feel like and what it is not supposed to feel like.  What does the coach mean when they say "get tight"?  Which muscles drive your knees out, and why should you do that?  What about chest up?  Or elbows fast?  Or external rotation?  All of these words and phrases should be meaningful to you (and you should be able to apply them to your movement before you consider moving on to consistency in those movements).

Step 2: Consistency
They say that practice makes perfect, but the truth is only perfect practice makes perfect.  Not until you understand what you should be doing should you strive to make what you are doing habitual.  But, when you do, each movement in CrossFit should become like breathing.  You should practice so much that you are able to execute a perfect air squat without a demonstration or description, without thinking about it, and honestly, without even warming up.  Same goes for every other movement (unweighted).  Every time you execute a movement it should look and feel the same.

In addition, consistency applies to consistency of workouts.  If you are working out inconsistently (i.e. 4 days on, 17 off, or 1-2 on, 4-5 off), you should hold yourself at this level.  If you aren't working out consistently, you don't know how your body will respond to workouts, you don't know how hard you can push yourself on any given day, and you can't expect your joints and muscles to withstand a beating in which you're trying to make up for lost time.  Establish a workout schedule and stick to it so that you can earn progression into Step 3.

Step 3: Intensity
Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, defined CrossFit as "constantly varied, functional movements executed at high intensity."  Some make the mistake of thinking that that means everyone from newbie to competitor should approach each workout with maximum fire and enthusiasm, fighting for each and every rep, rolling on the floor afterwards.  The truth, in a better executed scenario, is that intensity must be earned.  If you don't have the mechanics nailed down in a movement consistently, you have no business doing that movement with intensity.  If you aren't working out consistently, you can't expect to safely push your limits (since you don't know where your limits are at any given point in time).  Now, let's say there's a workout involving burpees, power snatches and situps.  Let's say your burpees and situps are at Step 3, but your power snatches are still well at Step 1.  In this case, you may want to push yourself super hard on the situps and burpees (to maximize your performance and results), but hold back, slow down, and concentrate hard (at light weight) for the power snatch.

Step 4: Volume
At Arena Ready, we program with the expectation that people will work out AT LEAST 3 and as many as 6 days per week.  We believe that most people who CrossFit less than 3 days per week will fail to achieve meaningful results, will struggle to learn and properly execute the movements, and will likely not get sufficient volume.  We believe that people who CrossFit more than 3 days in a row are likely to experience the symptoms of overtraining - insufficient recovery marked by consistent fatigue, susceptibility to injury, and declining performance.  In between is a sweet spot of consistent improvement due to thoughtful training and recovery.

Many among us at Arena Ready are solidly in Steps 1-3, and that's fantastic.  If you find yourself primarily in one of those steps, your goal should be to build your understanding of the mechanics, begin to consistently execute on them, and finally, to start pushing yourself by adding increasing levels of intensity to your workouts.  Another way to measure your intensity besides how hard you feel you're working, is to check where your times/scores rank on the board, and at what level you typically perform workouts.  For most people, working to be in the top half of scores consistently within the black or red level is all the fitness you need to meet your goals and win at life.  That's awesome, and that's what we recommend for the majority of our clients: strive to perform all workouts at the red or black level with competitive times or scores, and be here 3-5 times per week consistently.

Some Arena Ready members are at a point where the above is true, and they are able to work out 5-6 times per week and still feel like they need or want more training in order to meet their goals of becoming competitive CrossFitters.  This is the competitor group for whom we sometimes program extra strength, skill, or accessory WODs.  If you are in (or want to be in) the competitor group, the above all remains true.  Every element of all workouts should be performed with consistently good or excellent mechanics, and as fast as possible. 

WOD For 01-05-18:

Deadlift (Cycle 2, Week 2):

***If your "Base" weight from Cycle 1 was UNDER 200 lbs then add 5 lbs for your Cycle 2 "Base"

***If your "Base" weight from Cycle 1 was OVER 200 lbs then add 10 lbs for your Cycle 2 "Base"

70% x 3

80% x 3

90% x 3+ (AKA "Max Effort" or "as many reps as you can safely perform")

-then-

For Time:

100 Double Unders

75 Walking Lunges

50 Sumo Deadlift High Pulls @ 95/65 lbs

75 Walking Lunges

100 Double Unders

Be Impressed With Intensity Not Volume

James Hobart, multiple-time individual CrossFit Games athlete & CrossFit Games Team/Affiliate Cup Champion (as well as a long-time HQ Seminar Staff Head Trainer), wrote a great article in 2016 for the CrossFit Journal titled "A Deft Dose of Volume" which addresses the debate of volume versus intensity in training.   

The entire article can be read here (click for free access), and I've included an excerpt below that I found impactful:

Remember that programming and volume are just pieces of the puzzle. The magic is in the movements and the atmosphere. I’ve been extremely fortunate to train with some of the best CrossFit athletes over the last eight years, and I can attest to the truth of this statement from Glassman: “Men will die for points.” Training partners make a world of difference, providing both camaraderie and motivation.

Before you play with volume, find someone you hate losing to. A rival becomes a powerful training tool who will push you to levels of intensity you’d avoid on your own. Some of my most painful workouts have come against one of my closest friends and greatest rivals, multi-year Games athlete Austin Malleolo. We often joke that we aren’t going to train together anymore because it hurts too much.

“Its not what you do but who you do it with that matters,” Malleolo has said.

He’s also said, “I’d rip my bottom lip off if it meant winning.”

You can’t replace that level of competition with volume, though volume can amplify it when applied with a deft touch... 

... Intensity is essential and it hurts, but it is required to greatly increase fitness. Volume is no substitute.

If you add volume and start producing results that are poorer than they would have been without volume, you need to retool your approach. Perhaps back off and start again. Volume can benefit you, but not at the cost of intensity and variance.

Chris Hinshaw works with some of our sport’s best, including Games podium finishers Katrin Tanja Davidsdottir, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Rich Froning and Mathew Fraser. Once while working with Froning and CrossFit Mayhem Freedom, Hinshaw said there is little point to “adding on more running volume if you start to slow down … . Then you are just spending more time practicing running slow.” Keep this principle in mind and consider how it applies to all areas of your training.

“You don’t need harder workouts, you need to go harder in your workouts,” Games veteran Tommy Hackenbruck quipped last year on Instagram.

Hackenbruck’s advice echoes Glassman’s foundational wisdom, which is worth repeating: “Be impressed with intensity, not volume.”

-James Hobart (CrossFit Journal)

WOD For 01-04-18:

Weighted Strict Pull-up:

3-2-1-1-1

Climbing. Any style of grip is allowed.

(Compare to 03-17-17)

-then-

"Partner DOUBLE Jackie"

2 Rounds For Time With a Partner:

1000m Row

50 Thrusters @ 45 lbs (men & women)

30 Pull-ups

Only one partner working at a time. Reps do NOT have to split evenly. Partners MUST tag at every transition.