Strength

Strength, as an isolated quality, can be defined and measured as the biological contractile potential of muscle–as how hard your muscles can contract to apply force.  This is what body builders like to use.  But from our perspective, Coach Glassman explains that is an incomplete definition and an isolated measure that doesn’t really reveal much about its application to real-world functionality.

 Meaning, useful strength is not merely the muscles’ ability to generate force but a body’s ability to productively apply that force.

The missing link in so much mainstream fitness programming, from bodybuilding to monostructural endeavors, is the neuromuscular piece–in particular, the development of coordination, accuracy, agility, and balance.

We can sum these elements up as “technique.” Omitting them from one’s training necessarily results in only partial fitness, partial expression of one’s genetic potential, and a decreased threshold of maximal capacity. To increase work capacity across broad time and modal domains (the goal of CrossFit), technique is the crucial connection–whether your goal is to win the game, protect your life, complete the mission, or just be fit for the demands of everyday life at any age.

-Excerpts from the January 2008 CF Journal article “Productive Application of Force“

John Welbourne stated at the Paleo Brands seminar that he’s never met anyone, when asked if they wanted to be stronger, were like, “No thanks, I’m good.  I’m strong enough.”  To which the crowd laughed.  However, I can say that I have spoken to many people that don’t understand the necessity of strength in their everyday life.  I actually met a young girl I worked with that said she thought she was too strong!

 That she felt freakish compared to other girls.  I gave her Rip’s infamous line, “Stronger people are harder to kill than weaker people, and generally more useful.”

5 Rounds

Max reps Body weight Bench Press

Max reps Pull ups

Max reps Body weight Back Squat

There is no time component to this WOD.  My suggestion is around 5 minutes between rounds.

Post Reps and thoughts to comments