Final Exam

The 2009 CrossFit Games. In all honesty, the 2009 Mid Atlantic Qualifier to the CrossFit Games approaches. I have been thinking about it since last year when I considered going, but missed for a variety of reasons to include a trip to Costa Rica over my birthday (totally worth it).

They have thrown in a wrinkle that, quit frankly, I like a lot. Last year it was open admission with no minimum to qualify. Now, we have to compete for a very limited number of slots just to go to Aromas. This is the big one. The best in the world will be at both the regionals and the national games and I want to be among them. Quite frankly, I don't think I'm there yet. Close, but I have a few chinks and if those come out of the hopper, I don't qualify. I hate to leave it to chance like that.

So I'm changing my training. I know I need to get stronger, especially in terms of strength endurance (not just one rep maxes, but the ability to do 80% 30 times). Is it worth it for me to spend ANY time on things I'm already good at? What would the marginal return be? Should I spend hours on the rower to go from a 90 second 500m to a 85 second 500m? Should practice Fran to go from a 3:28 to 2:59? In the grand scheme, I say no. My challenge over the next several months will be to figure out how minimally I can train my strengths so they remain steady while I greatly increase my PRODUCTIVE training on things that need work.

A great deal of the challenge will be mental. I like competing against people at the gym and I like finishing first. Unfortunately, if I am finishing first (which at Potomac CrossFit is pretty good since we have a few beasts) that means I probably shouldn't be spending time on it. I should be spending time on the movements that result in my finishing last. It's hard to finish last a lot, but it will be for the greater good. I hope.

What will this training look like?

• Everything heavier
• More overhead work in all of its forms (strict, push, jerk, handstand, snatch, OHS)
• Heavy cleans for reps.
• Lower back endurance
• Push-ups
• Sit-ups
• Chest to bar pull-ups
• Burpees

You can see the list is long. I may also have to include more dumbbell work. Now, what will this not include that I am already good at or good enough at.

• Running
• Light to moderate load, high rep movements
• Heavy singles
• Chin over bar pull-ups
• Double Unders
• Lots of traditional workouts that test this (FGB, Fran, Helen, Jackie)

One of things I did was look at what other people were posting as their stats on a thread on the CF message board. These were people prepping for the games and I saw some monster numbers (sub 3 frans, 400+ FGB), but part of what I thought was that these were things they were already good at. And usually, there were a lot of the same time and power domains. No one who put up a 1200+ CF Total put up a 5k time ... or even a 400m time. If I have any shot it will not be as the guy with the highest total or the lowest Fran, it will be the guy who can put up a number for EVERY workout and have it be in the top percentiles.

Like I said, I have some work to do.