Why we program like this
Crossfit is - constantly varied functional movements, executed at a high intensity.
As such, I do not program in a manner that makes "hard workouts." I program to challenge the athlete to make the workout harder themselves.
How does an athlete make a workout harder? By adding intensity. This is easier said than done. No one wants to push harder if they don't have to. So in this case it creates a challenge.
Our goal, unless you are a CF Games bound athlete, should be to push so hard (with great form of course) that 3-5 days a week we are laying on the ground writhing. I am not saying "the academy award goes to..." But we should push hard.
So why do we do things at high intensity? The simple answer is it creates adaptation. Once we have become proficient at a particular movement we can increase speed, load or volume.
The low and slow workouts that are in the aerobic energy system help us in three ways.
Increase of capacity and ability in that particular output.
Help us to recover from the high intensity days.
Increase heart and lung health if not overdone.
Let's compare different sports. A strongman athlete generally has very strong muscles but (with respect to load) weak hearts. Runners generally have weaker muscles but stronger (and potentially overworked) hearts. One thing is sacrificed in order to accomplish the ultimate goal of each sport.
This is why CrossFit is so special. We lean into a non specialized model. We increase our speed on our 500M row while increasing our rope climb skills. We increase our OH squat 1RM while increasing speed on our 1 mile run.
The moral of the story is, push as hard as you can. If the workout is "too easy" then you are not pushing hard enough. Race and beat the old version of yourself. My job, in regards to working out, is to make future James work that much harder to beat past James.... And your job is to do the same with yourself. This is CrossFit.
I am going to leave this here. this is from "Fitness in 100 words" from CrossFit
Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J (clean and jerk), and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climbs, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstands, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc. hard and fast.
Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense.
Regularly learn and play new sports.
Keep building,
James and Bre Cooper
