Everyday you see any number of people come strolling into the gym oblivious about what they're going to be doing that day? The first thing they will likely do is glance at the whiteboard, bitch and moan for a few moments and then start their warm-up (which hopefully is directly related towards the days tasks and of course involves some of K-Stars favorite gems) before then rolling right into the Met-Con abyss of not understanding why they performed the way they did whether better or worse than expected only to walk out the door until tomorrow when it happens all over again.
For most people this will be common practice for some time but if becoming the best athlete you're capable of becoming is a goal (better be or you coaches may just ask u to leave) then you'll eventually what to starting prepping the brain just as thoroughly as the body before each workout. I'm surely not talking about "Gaming" the wod but actually breaking the work down into pieces, movement by movement, set by set and taking an honest look at how you think you'll perform each movement...Goats especially, they'll break you if you don't have some sort of contingency plan.
Think about this in comparison to evry time you get in the car. You may be heading to 5 differ places throughout the day, but most if not all of them you've likely been before. How do u decide which route to take? Are stoplights a concern? Prefer straight routes? Take the SUV, car, or bike? Do you avoid rush hour? Did you fuel enough? How you approach this most basic life scenario is just how you should take on any daily WOD.
Just like the example above, when you take a look at the workout of the day what are some question you should ask yourself?
What do I like?
What will I struggle with?
Can i do the sets unbroken?
How expensive will unbroken sets be?
If I do break the sets, what's the most efficient way?
How do I get the best value out of my rest time?
Will I need water (god I hope not)?
Oly shoes (hopefully not if it's a 5k run day)?
Chalk?
Who in the class is on your competitive wavelength?
RX'd for my Ego or drop the weight a bit to ensure maximum output?
This is just a short list to get your brain rocking but these are wickedly important details that should be addressed before 3.2.1...GO! As you get deeper into Crossfit and more aware of where you can push the body, this will became a very large asset in helping you accomplish your goals (because you put some of those on paper since my previous post right!?)!
Cheerio!
-Garrett
Interesting topic, G. Reading through this, I was thinking about how I plan a class (coach's perspective). Usually when leading that class, I try to make everyone aware of the goal and intent of that movement/workout; why the hell are we doing this? Once I cover the goal and the learning progressions, I try to take time and talk strategy and efficiency. “But what if I don’t care about my scores, I just want a workout?” Firstly, make some goals or go find something else to do. Second, think about it this way…
ReplyDeleteIf you’re more efficient you will not only score better in the end, but you’ll be safer (a win-win no matter how much you like exercise without an end-state in mind). Mechanics are always the first priority, and once we've become proficient to a point that is solid every rep, we want to maximize efficiency. That doesn't necessarily mean maximizing output either. Everyone knows how the round of 9 in Fran feels when you came out karate-hot in the round of 21. Attacking that workout efficiently might mean pacing/breaking up early, but when your time is faster who gives a shit? Efficiency is also safer. Pushing through WOD-drunkenness spells disaster, especially with movements that demand higher levels of motor control and solid joint position. (Think kipping pull-ups under extreme fatigue, Google SLAP tear, and you’ll see what I mean.) Coaches: this is how you need to look at every workout both in design of that workout and in actually coaching it. What are the possible points of breakdown? Where could injuries happen? Once we’ve planned for that, where can we be most efficient?
If you are in that boat of competing, strategy becomes more and more important the higher your level of competition. You think Rich Froning just shows up to work out and lets it rip? Lulz. I’ve heard him say something to the effect of, “The reason I do so much volume is so that I know what I’m capable of, how many of these or those I can do unbroken, different combinations of movements and how they’ll affect me.” The Open workouts I’ve done well at vs. the ones I’ve tanked all come down to actually knowing what I was capable of and making a game plan based upon that. Best thing I did was started taking notes on workouts, not just my results, but sticking points and places I knew I could improve.
Okay, this has gone from saying ‘Good post, G’ to an all-out CrossFit hard-on, I need a life. Take care buddy.