The Way of the Efficient

Monday, January 9, 2012

7:30pm will be a Regular Class.  There will no longer be an evening On Ramp class on Mondays!

Mobility:
Tricep Mash and/or Rack Mobility with Band, 2 minutes each arm
Ankle Mobility, 2 minutes each side

Warmup:
10 Wide Grip Strict Chin ups
5 Bridge Wall Walks
10 Thrusters with Barbell
5 Bridge Wall Walks
10 Kipping Pullups

Strength/Skill:
3-2-1-1 Squat Clean

WOD:
“Fran”
21-15-9 reps for time of:
Thrusters, 95lbs
Pullups

“Fran” is a pretty big deal in the CrossFit world.  The movements and volume of repetitions look reasonable on paper.  The workout is just a basic bodyweight movement coupled with a moderately heavy lifting movement.  The reason “Fran” is so well known is its ability to produce intensity.  You know that million dollar word you hear thrown around in the fitness world all the time.  If someone wants to experience intensity, give them “Fran”!  There are two major functions within intensity:  time and force.  Another way of phrasing this is that we want to move large loads and quickly.  The top CrossFit athletes can perform this workout in under 2 minutes!  Yet, if we gave this same exact workout to a novice CrossFit athlete, they may take over 15 minutes, if they finish at all.  Maybe the weight is too heavy, or the volume of pullups is too high, maybe both!  The end result would be a decreased level of intensity for the novice athlete.  Our goal is to maintain the same stimulus for both athletes, so it is imperative that we scale the load and use progressions to keep that intensity high!  For you first timers, try to scale to a point that you can finish in under 8 minutes.

For those that have performed this before, you should have a goal set walking through the door.  Do not just focus on performing the workout fast, focus on being efficient!  Think about the butterfly pullups.  By learning this new technique, you will not have gotten any stronger, only more efficient, and therefore,  reducing your overall time to perform the workout and increasing your intensity!  This goes for the thruster as well.  Be sure to use your body, hips and legs to drive the bar as much as possible.  Your rack position needs to be strong to handle the transition from squat to press.  When a workout is short, every second and every movement matters.  Two simple ways you can save time are to squat clean your first rep off the floor and set up your barbell near your pullup bar.  Don’t waste time walking!  Good luck!

Good times this past Saturday with LAX CrossFit!