12/17/12

Jeronimo with some hang time!

Heavy Weight is Healthy Weight
by Jan Dayleg

In order to build a tall and everlasting structure, it is imperative that you start off with a wide, strong base of support. Think of the monstrous pyramids of Egypt. Thousands of years, through all of nature's punishment, and they still stand, all due to a wide, stable base.

How does this apply to us? The wide, stable base for us CrossFitters is our level of absolute strength. In reference to last week's post, the only way to SUCCESSFULLY complete every workout, within the INTENDED TIME DOMAIN, with the PRESCRIBED weight, (assuming conditioning is in place) is to simply get STRONGER. Imagine if you could Front Squat 300 pounds and Press 200 pounds overhead. With those abilities, surely a 95 pound Thruster would become exponentially easier. With that said, once conditioning is up to par, "Fran" is a walk in the park.

If you want to build a tall pyramid-like structure, you should strive to build the strongest, widest base possible. That means if you want to be a successful CrossFitter, you should strive to find ways to increase your absolute strength, or in other words, your performance on every big lift. (Squat, Deadlift, Press, Clean, Snatch, etc.)

I can guarantee you that as you stay consistent with class attendance, and work hard to bring your lifts up, metcon times will go down. That means recording your lift numbers when you need to, and taking it just as serious as we all take the metcon portion of the hour we spend in the box.

Furthermore, in most cases, as one lift progresses, other lifts will as well! For example, increasing the strength of your shoulders through training your shoulder press will carry over into your push press, because the same muscles are used, just in a different manner. Also, increasing trunk/core strength through the properly executed press will also carry into other lifts you may not realize, like your deadlift and snatch!

Other benefits to strength training include healthier bones and joints, stronger ligaments and tendons, higher resting metabolism (that means fat burning people), and many others. There's also the obvious goal of making life easier, as in picking up babies, moving an air conditioner, lifting a couch, and other events in life that require a certain level of strength.

The takeaway from this is to always work with the intent of building your overall fitness to the highest level possible, starting with focusing on your base level of strength by striving to perfect form and position on the various lifts, and working to your individual limit on them. Ask a coach if you have any questions! Happy lifting (:



Monday

30 Curtis P's for time 95/65
1 Hang power clean, 1 Right leg lunge, 1 Left leg lunge, 1 Push press


Tuesday
Metcon
3 rounds of
3 rounds of Cindy
40 Ktb swings 53/35

Beginners

Skill Builder
Air squat
Overhead squat

Metcon
3 rounds
400m row
10 Overhead squats


"Thinking is like loving and dying. Each of us must do it for himself." - Josiah Royce


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