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December 29, 2006
Peformance Matters, But So Do Goals
Knowing the target you're aiming for is important.
To follow up on Nicole's post from a couple of days ago, I'd like to discuss one of the finer points of performance and goal-setting.
It may seem like the world's biggest "duh" statement, but it bears mentioning nonetheless: Your goal(s) will determine how you perform (and more importantly, how, and if, you use performance in a workout as an evaluation tool, as the end itself, or some combination of evaluation tool and end result).
So what does this mean, exactly? It means that your approach to the WODs (as posted on CrossFit) will determine, in large part, how quickly you make fitness gains in all ten general physical skills (as defined by Jim Cawley at Dynamax): endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, speed, power, agility, accuracy, balance, and coordination.
Basically, there are two approaches one can take in using the WODs:
1. You can use the WOD as the end itself.
2. You can use the WOD to diagnose weaknesses and then take specific steps to address said weaknesses.
Approach 1 is the easiest to implement, will provide the most bang for the buck for those new to physical training, and will lead to general health and well-being better than any program out there.
Approach 1 treats each workout as the ultimate test and the goal is to perform one's best on each WOD that comes up, and let the beautiful template of the workout program take care of the rest.
Approach 2 uses the occasional WOD to gauge (or benchmark, if you prefer) one's current level of fitness. This approach is particularly useful when evaluated against the backdrop of the ten general physical skills because it allows one to clearly identify where he or she is weak. After this evaluation is performed, one then engages in a more focused program that directly addresses those weaknesses.
Approach 2 can be employed when an athlete is trying to jump from one performance level to another (within the context of a CF workout; e.g., trying to move from a sub-10-minute Fran to a sub-3-minute Fran) but won't be able to get there without some dedicated work (e.g., the athlete could do Fran using 135# thrusters and a weight vest for pull-ups, engage in a pull-up training program, etc.).
Either approach is valid. Both will yield results. Most (all?) of you will engage in both methods over the course of your training life. It simply depends on what you're looking to achieve in your training.
With that in mind, now is as good a time as ever to read through Coach Glassman's Fundamentals, Virtuosity, and Mastery.
And after you finish reading, post to Comments the approach you're currently using in your CF training and give the reason(s) why.
Posted by Mike Minium at December 29, 2006 11:53 PM
Comments
I'm going to take Approach 2 once the New Year begins because my current power and strength levels need direct work.
My template will likely play out as follows:
Day 1: Power (primarily Oly lifts or Burgener WOD from his site)
Day 2: Strength (5x5 or something similar)
Day 3: Strength-Biased MetCon (Burgener WOD or modified National WOD)
Day 4: Rest
The middle workout of every 4th four-day cycle (~Day 14) will be an unmodified MetCon WOD a la the WOD from the National site, so that I can keep a baseline level of metabolic conditioning.
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 30, 2006 8:15 AM
I'm riding your coat tails Mike! Power and Strength in 07!
Posted by: Nicole Okumu at December 30, 2006 1:10 PM
Me too, I want power strength and flexibility. I just signed up for a "tumbling" class in SF on tuesday nights at the Circus School. They teach flips and hands stands. Go Parcore! The only problem with this Crossfit thing is that I don't really want to do anything else these days... I am letting things fall by the waist-side. ;(
Posted by: annie at December 30, 2006 1:55 PM
I'm very AR about my training.
Jan 1-15, metabolic bias, lose 5 lbs bodyfat (180)
Jan 16- March 4th pure strength training, gain 3 lbs muscle, 2 lbs bodyfat (185)
March 5th-10th Prep for 300+ FGB
March 11th-18th Off
March 18th - May 1st WOD w/ metabolic bias, lose 10 lbs bodyfat (175).
May 1st - June 8th Train for Mud Run
June 8th - June 18th Off
June 18th - July 15th, Train for ascent of Lady Mountain
http://www.zionnational-park.com/zion-lady-mountain.htm
July 15th - Aug 1 ZION
Aug 1 - Jan 1, 2008 To be determined.
I think of CrossFit as a multi-year journey towards elite fitness. I'm in no hurry and try to train for long-term, injury-free and sustainable goals. To be in better shape at 50 than I am now at 40 is my long-term goal.
By the way from Jan 1, 06 to now I have made the following improvements:
Bodyweight: 210/185
Bodyfat: 32%/22%
Lean Mass: 142/144
Pull-ups: 6/28
Squat 195/240
DL 325/345
Press 125/150
Rope climb, no feet
FGB 236/276
Row 500M 1:38/1:31
Run 5K 31:00/21:26
Bench Press and 10K run still the same.
1 mile run significantly slower than mid 05 (injury).
The most important thing is I am injury free (for the first time in many years), and I (usually) enjoy my workouts.
Assuming this works as planned, my strength, power endurance and overall fitness should be much higher by August and I should have the following body comp profile compared to today
Bodyweight: 185/175
Bodyfat: 22%/15%
Lean Mass: 144/148
I will then continue to work towards my long-term (2-3 years) goal of being at 175 lbs with 157.5 lbs of lean mass, 17.5 lbs of fat and be at 10% bodyfat. That's 13.5 lbs of muscle, which would put me closer to my other long-term goal of a 300/400/500 bench/squat/deadlift combo. I'm not sure if that's even possible, but shooting for it gives me a nice high target.
Posted by: Max Lewin at December 30, 2006 2:07 PM
Solid plan, Max. I like it.
And my hat's off to you on your stellar improvements over the past year. Inspiring stuff!
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 30, 2006 3:06 PM
I have just enjoyed a Prather Ranch lamb sausage, which was unbelievably delicious. Plus, one lamb sausage = 1/4 pound (roughly), which is 4 blocks of protein. mmmmmm, good.
Per Scott's suggestion, I boiled the sausage for 5 minutes while sauteing peppers and onions in coconut oil. then i took the sausage out of the water and browned it with the peppers and onions. topped it off with a little sake wisabi mustard from trader joes = delicioso!
mmm this koolaid is good.
Posted by: Jonathan at December 30, 2006 3:28 PM
Hot damn, that sounds tasty, Jonathan. Thanks for sharing the recipe--I'm gonna have to give it a try.
Why don't you save a bite of it for Ann so that she can come over to the dark side? ;-)
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 30, 2006 3:52 PM
NEVER!!!!
Posted by: Ann at December 30, 2006 4:46 PM
Bigger Faster Stronger is my plan for 2007
Bigger - loose fat gain muscle
Faster - MetCon's (all types)
Stronger - apply the above to Oly lifting skills!
Wish me luck (-;
Posted by: Franklin O at December 30, 2006 4:53 PM
Max: amazing work, we just ran across some photos of the Rosarito-Ensenada ride we did...check your email, I'll send you a photo that documents the progress!
Posted by: Nicole Okumu at December 30, 2006 5:20 PM
Franklin,
You're gonna tear it up in 2007!
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 30, 2006 5:55 PM
I feel like that kid in front of the leaky dyke. I'd run out of fingers and toes before I ran out of areas for improvement.
For me, it comes down to the very basics: better form = better mechanics = better performance.
To do that, I think I need to work on flexibility and strength in these areas:
--Strength--
Hips
Shoulders
Abdos
Grip
--Flexibility--
Hips
Shoulders
Hamstrings
But you guys are the experts, so I'd like your opinion too.
Posted by: Tim R at December 30, 2006 7:11 PM
I tend to combine both approaches. I do WODs for general improvement, but if I find a weakness, like shoulder press or double unders, I will attack that in additional gym sessions. It's worked fairly well so far, except for a few things that are hard to work on by myself (like handstands)
Posted by: Leo P at December 30, 2006 10:37 PM
I like it, Tim.
Zeroing in on hips and shoulders, in particular, will take you a long way with functional movement.
Get your deadlift up to 350 and your kipping pull-ups to 30 and lots of amazing things will start happening (e.g., your grip strength will improve, your core will become rock-solid, etc.).
Posted by: Mike Minium at December 31, 2006 10:40 AM
Tim, let's coordinate schedules and I can show you some yoga poses for hammies and hips. With my recent injury I am re focusing on flexibility in those areas...hip opening especially with WOD's like today, both pre and post workout.
Posted by: Nicole Okumu at December 31, 2006 1:50 PM
Sounds great, Nicole. I won't be there tomorrow but Tuesday is a yes.
Mike, I realize I didn't answer the question you posed in the post.
2006 was all about approach #1. At times, it really boiled down to survival.
In 2007 I'll go for approach #2.
Posted by: Tim R at December 31, 2006 3:01 PM