"FIGHTING WORDS"

Objective: Power Endurance, Sport Specific Power, Endurance

Warm up: 1-mile Tire Drag (135# tire)

*rest 5 minutes*

Training:

(1) Row 5000m

Change venue to local rock gym

(2) 15x "Frenchies", 1:1 work/rest ratio
(1 Frenchie = pull up, hold at top for 5 sec, drop
down, do pull up, drop to 90-degree elbow bend, hold
for 5 seconds, drop down, do pull up, drop down to
120-degree elbow bend, hold for 5 seconds)

(3) 3 Rounds
1x bouldering problem every minute, for 5 minutes
2 minute rest
(15 bouldering problems total)

(3) 4 Rounds
4 minutes up and down climbing same route
4 minute rest
- 16 minutes total continuous climbing in 4 min.
intervals

Comments:

I flailed mightily at the climbing gym today. As a non-climber, strength coach, it has been interesting monitoring my sport-specific strength progression on those tall walls with tiny holds. I've been making gains in our strength and power endurance workouts, but today, the last part focused on just endurance and I got worked.

For the first three rounds of the 4-minute intervals I was climbing with Kim, who weighs 90 pounds soaking wet - and she crushed me! I chose easy, 5.8 or even 5.7 routes, and after 3 minutes, could barely hold onto even full hand jugs. Meanwhile, Kim was up and downclimbing 5.9+ routes twice and getting all 4 minutes.

Granted, my climbing technique is non-existent - but tough, tricky "moves" weren't causing me to flail today - weak, exhausted forearms and grip strength is where I suffered.
This grip strength is really sport-specific, which is hard if not impossible to train in weight lifting gym. Even though I can do a thruster with 3x the weight Kim can, this gym strength didn't help me much on the wall. Further, the strength/power/power endurance training at the rock gym I have been doing didn't get me through this "endurance" session. It's a good lesson in "you have to train long to go long...."

Twight writes that hybrid gym training like the type we do can take an athlete to around 60% of his or her potential in a given sport. The remaining 40% of potential has to be attained through sport-specific skill and strength training.

This is only part of the story though. We also find imbalances, enhance total-body coordination, build mental toughness and confidence, and make athletes more durable and injury resistant. We provide a great foundation from which to build upon.

I finished the tire drag in just over 30-minutes. The tire we use is the standard one you'd see on any 18-wheeler. These weight about 135#, and we use them to drag inside and outside the gym. You can get them free from any mechanics shop. Have fun drilling through them to insert eye bolts.

I finished the 5000m row in 19:59.9 - no, really! My goal was to finish under 20 minutes. My best 5000m row time ever is 19:39 (sissy time, I know....)

I received the following e-mail question from Paul, a coach in Ohio:

EMAIL QUESTION: Hi Rob, loved the essay today about rest periods and crossfit. I understand your perspective on crossfit's lack of rest periods adding to overall aerobic capacity. Having experimented with pure crossfit for a time, I felt that although my aerobic capacity was improved, anaerobic capacity/edge was dulled by the lack of rest periods. I think the problem is mentally getting around a straight 15-20 min of work, as opposed to 20-25 min of work with rest to prep for the next interval. What are your thoughts? - Paul

ANSWER/COMMENT: Hi Paul -

It's mental. We find that our most gifted athletes, and the accomplished endurance athletes struggle mentally at first with the intensity demanded by the longer beat downs. Ungifted people like me seem to enjoy the thrashing. The fact is, often, your body can continue, but your mind gets in the way. A couple of things I coach:

1) Never dig yourself a grave. Stop and rest with one or two reps in reserve.

2) Limit your rests to 5 breaths, then start again. You'll be surprised that you can nail some more reps.

3) Transition immediately between exercises. Fight the urge to rest between the rower and the deadlift, for example. Get on the barbell, knock out two or three reps, then rest if needed.

- These are cues we use, but one of the problems is the gym versus reality. Sometimes I wonder if "gaming" crossfit-like circuits makes you better at doing anything but crossfit-like circuits! I'm not a subscriber to the "fitness as sport" foundation of Crossfit - I believe work in the gym should prepare you for sport outside.

- Rob

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