State of Fitness Addres 19-1
The State of your Fitness
If you made it to every class over the last cycle (19-1, Mar-May), you lifted 1,607 reps at an average intensity of 71.69%. Your Time Under Tension (TUT) during just the Back Squat ranged from 4:00 at 55% to nearly 3:00 at 77.5%, totaling 34 minutes and 24 seconds of straight squatting!
You CrossFitted an average of 12:30 per WOD.
Finally, you completed your first block of MAP programming, MAP 9. At 60 minutes of movement per MAP over 10 weeks, you Ran, Skied, Fly Wheel Biked, Rowed, Sandbagged, Sled Dragged, Odd Objected, and Carried 10 hours straight.
I was very pleased with the outcomes of this last cycle. If you read the last State of Fitness address, I discussed our goals for this cycle: Hypertrophy gained via TUT, and position work within the lifts. While we certainly reached our goal of TUT, I did not anticipate the number of absolute strength PRs we witnessed. Normally, working at average intensities in the low 70% range doesn't lead to big jumps in strength. From what I saw, though, everyone PRd at least one of their lifts. This was a very encouraging bonus, and showed that slowing the lifts down and really building up your movement patterns and CNS throughout the entire range of the lift paid off.
We also set out to shake up the conditioning with odd object work such as Sandbags, Rope Climbs, Unilateral work, KBs and DBs. I am a big believer that odd object work has some of the greatest carryover to your everyday lives. If you can move with purpose and brace yourself for a heavy sandbag, I have no doubt you can lift that bag of top soil out of the back of your car.
It was also nice getting to dedicate a full 10 weeks to MAP 9. Beyond just the excellent cardiovascular benefits that these longer pieces offer us, they really force you to pace! You all are only getting better as we progress. I cannot recall a time when you guys didn't find yourself repeating your efforts the second time through. The one piece of advice I'll give for these types of MAPs moving forward is fueling. You will need carbs! Don't be afraid to get some of your simpler carbs on board an hour or so prior to the workout and even during the rest periods. You don't want to experience that ever-present "bonk,” and furthermore, we don't want to catabolize our muscle tissue because we weren't fueled properly.
On to the next cycle. For our basic lifts, we are going old-school volume, and for the olympic lifts, complexes! This means hypertrophy as you know and love it. For those wondering, Hypertrophy at its most basic means muscle fiber growth. It does more than just create larger muscles, though; it also helps strengthens your ligaments and tendons by adding volume without the intensity. On top of that, it can even help increase the aerobic capacity of our muscles.
The big change in this cycle is that your percentages will be based off of Rep Maxes to be set in Weeks 1 and 7. We will not be testing 1RM maxes at all this cycle; only rep maxes and complexes. I find it beneficial to take a break from the 1RM train every now and then. It can help you get out of your head and just lift. Your CNS will also thank you!
Also, we will be making use of the "blocks" again for our Snatches. The blocks are an excellent tool to work specific sections of the lifts without adding more pulling volume. Technique and weakness work: It’s a win-win.
Finally, a word about the conditioning. We will continue on our odd object train and transition to MAP 8, which consists of 15:00 work and 5:00 rest x3. Because of this, Friday classes will continue to start at the top of the hour. Remember that if you want to warm up beyond just the MAP, please show up a bit early. As long as you are mindful of the class before you, we don't mind at all if you show up early to warm up or just hang out.
Monday's METCONs will be unique in that they will be very short in duration. Think “sprint.” This is due to the amount of time and aerobic effort the lifts prior will take.
And finally, get ready to see a few more strict movements find their way into the WODs!
Congratulations for a great cycle leading into the summer season. Keep an eye out for additional offerings, including CrossFit Kids and weekend seminars. Also, remember that we have an HVAC, so no excuses for not showing up because it's hot outside! It might even be more comfortable in the gym than at your house. ;-)