Distinguish Skill Training from Strength Training - There are many skill-oriented exercises masquerading as true strength exercises. Make no mistake about it, Overhead Squats are a technique oriented exercise for all but the most elite of athletes. If you don't have at least a 1.5bw Back Squat or a bw Front Squat you are not maximizing your training when focusing on overhead squats. Should you eliminate OHS from your program? Hell no, they are a great skill exercise that require balance, shoulder strength, flexibility and tons of midline stabilization, but I'd bet a 135lb Overhead Squat will be much easier on your legs and 'core' when you are Back Squating 300# for reps. Also please don't do your skill work in a met-con, if you want to work on your cleans or your bench press do it in a well thought out manner. Technique rarely improves while your lungs are bleeding and muscles are screaming.
Rethink Your Love of Sexy Met-Cons - Yeah we all know you love the feeling of your lungs burning and your heart trying to leap out of your chest cuz it's ready to check out, but many times these workouts are more detrimental to your fitness than you think. You know that brutal met-con you did the other day that you loved because it took you 45 minutes to complete? Did you ever look to see how much of that time was spent working and how much of that time was spent resting? Spending Wasting 35 minutes staring at the floor while breaking down your workout 5 reps at a time, is simply that - a waste of your time. Time is the only finite resource us humans have, managing it wisely is key. Ensure your workout days have enough volume to force your body to elicit an adaptation. Brutal, muscular-failure limited met-cons have their time and place (I'll save that for another post), but are not effective as a training tool.
Rethink Your Love of "Fluffy" Exercises - The number of times I've seen inefficient movements programmed in ways that baffle my mind escapes me. Just because something is hard doesn't make it transferable. Squatting on a swiss ball is hard, but it won't make you better at anything other than squatting on that swiss ball. If you are doing hollow rocks, mountain climbers, and bear crawls for reps & rounds in a workout I hope that you have everything else under control. Like a bw Clean & Jerk. Those movements, arguably, have their place, however you can't make a strong argument for hollow rocks being more functional than a Clean & Jerk or hell even a simpleton movement like the thruster.
Add in Some Bench Press - The Bench Press is a great developer of upper body strength. Despite all the hubub of it being a non-functional exercise because you're lying on your back, blah blah blah. I've seen more females make drastic improvements on their pushups after loading up weight on their bench press than by doing kneeling pushups and presses. If you're more concerned about your press (as every good crossfitter is) keep in mind the words that Mark Rippetoe once told me - "If your press is stalling you're not benching enough." Truer words have never been spoken. Remember, if you're doing the movement correctly, the Bench Press will infact engage your entire body - from your hands all the way down to your feet.
Add in Some Goat Work - The Taming of The Goat should be of utmost importance to any well-rounded athlete or crossfitter, as you are only as good as your weakest link. There is no excuse for being totally incompetent in a skill-based exercise unless you are truely new to the game. Being able to snatch relatively light weight, perform double unders on command, kick up into a supported handstand and even overhead squatting are all skills that you need to work on regardless of how easily you pick them up at first. These things need to be worked in addition to your big money exercises.
It is important to always stay within your comfort zone. This prevents having to subject oneself to the inconvenience of learning something new and potentially useful.
- Mark Rippetoe
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