This video published the other day by the CrossFit Journal features Rob Orlando discussing the need for CrossFitters who have reached a certain level of fitness to forgo perfect form in order to reach top speed. Rob emphasizes not thinking, and just moving… as fast as possible. There’s a time to practice technique, and if you’ve put the proper work in there’s also a time to turn your mind off, and let your body do. What’s the worst that happens if you floor it from the word go? You crash the car, and can’t get another rep right away? So what? It’s only training.
Rob also talked a lot about the positive physical and mental adaptations that take place as we learn to get comfortable being uncomfortable. This is my favorite point of the piece. We learn a lot more from
the occasional accident than we do from a perfectly planned and executed WOD. Friday we’ve got Elizabeth, a workout that can be done in less than 5 minutes. Sometimes it’s OK to crash the car.
June 15, 2012
Elizabeth
21-15-9
Squat Cleans (135#/95#)
Ring Dips
Compare to 111118
Fenway Park Spartan Sprint on November 17th, 2012 the creators of the Spartan Race series are turning Fenway Park into a 1 mile Spartan Sprint obstacle course. It’s in our backyard, and rumor has it another local box is putting a team together, so let’s represent! Kevin Kittredge has agreed to lead the CrossFit Fenway team, so please contact him in the next week if you’re interested. More race details are available here.
Hyannis Hyball Invitational is a charity softball game being put together by CrossFit Fenway’s own Sean O’Connell to benefit the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization. The event is July 28th at 10 AM in Hyannis, MA, and all of CFF is invited. Please check out HyannisHyball.com for more information.
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Elizabeth 11/18/2011: 12:28 @110#
Elizabeth 6/15/2012: 11:21 @110#
The good: Squat cleans were touch and go in sets of 3′s,4′s, and 5′s.
The bad and ugly: Ring dips need tons-o-work. As Scrappy would say, another goat to add to the herd.
Elizabeth: 16:12 @ 35kg and a red band
I should have gone down to 30 kg! Thanks Joe for letting me go a little over the cap, and thanks Shorty for helping me get into the band on that last dip!
This reminds me of a practice technique for musicians that is also applicable for CrossFit. Maybe it will be helpful to someone other than me, so please excuse the rambly :-D
When practicing music, one can focus on perfection, speed, or playing an entire piece. The idea is that one cannot focus on all three at the same time. For example, if you want to play something perfect and fast, don’t play the whole thing.
In CrossFit we always want to do the whole WOD, so something else has to be sacrificed. So maybe on one day I emphasize form and another day I emphasize speed and “crash the car” (and I have the rope burns to prove it – ha).
Working on speed pushes the threshold higher, and working on perfection should be a constant effort to close the gap between “100% technical perfection” and “too fast to be perfect.”
Anytime I feel discouraged about lacking perfect form or speed in CrossFit, I just remember that as a professional musician, I haven’t played a piece truly “100% perfect” in 20 years and probably never will, so I just go ahead and love the practice for what it is – perfectly imperfect :)
this was my first ‘Elizabeth’: 13:39 @ 110#
great advice eric and caroline! i am not very good at squat cleans and was the last one to finish in the class, but it felt really good when it was over.
Elizabeth: 11:00 Rx
I felt like I did horribly on this, but then I checked the blog and I beat my last time from 7 months ago by 3:28. That’s good, but I feel like I can still really improve upon this. Need to just not stop on the squats.
The Phipper is a BADASS.
Elizabeth – 9:23 Rx
11.18.11 – 8:05 Rx (this doesn’t seem right…I must of miscounted or something)
6.31.11 – 13:45 Rx
Nice work 5:30
Elizabeth: 10:22 (40 kg, red band)
Good job, 7pm.
The dips were basically rest time in between sets of squat cleans. In retrospect, I should not have banded them.
Surprisingly, the squat cleans got better as the reps went on, I think because as my muscles got warmer my form got better: toward the end I didn’t jump back quite as far to receive the bar. Still needs work.
[...] Think of the warning signs of dehydration (headache, light headedness, nausea, cramping, etc.) like the fuel light on your car. We don’t want to see the light next to the “E” flashing on our dashboard, and we don’t want our body’s warning system to be set off either. Take care of yourselves. Fuel properly before and after every workout. If you don’t have fuel in the car you won’t have opportunity to crash the car. [...]
[...] Compare to 120615 [...]