Rest Day

The following are the training ideas of Ben Bergeron for athletes competing in the Crossfit Open.

 

Metcon – The Open is first and foremost a test of work capacity.  How much work can you do in a given time.  100% of the events that have come up over the past three years have been a test of Metabolic Conditioning.  Our number one goal for this program is to build a huge engine.  Metcons will come first every training session as this is your primary focus.  These Metcons will focus on AMRAPs in the 4-20 minute time domain, and movements and loads that we have seen in the past and can expect in this year’s Open.  Running, Handstand walking, Monkey Bars, L-pull ups, GHD Sit ups, Rowing, Yokes, Ring Dips and the like are great movements to build GPP, but very unlikely to show up in The Open competition. Olympic Lifting – While the 1RM have yet to be tested in the Open, it almost always  pays to improve your O-Lifts.  Over the past three years, 36% of the movements programmed in to the Open WODs have been some variation of a Snatch, Clean or Jerk. Strength – You DON’T need to be super strong to do very well in The Open, but it sure helps to be able to move heavy weight for reps.  About 25% of the events have a moderate to heavy load (2012 Snatch Burpee, 2011 Snatch Ladder, 2010 Squat Clean Jerk AMRAP, OHS, and Cleans).  Getting stronger is important but NOT at the expense of losing fitness elsewhere.  In other words, do not do a strength cycle if your goal is to excel at The Open. Skills – Based on previous Open Competitions it’s obviously important to be able to build your skills in certain movements; Box Jumps, Double Unders, Muscle ups, Toe to Bars and C2B Pull ups.  This is no guarantee that these are the movements we will see again, but based on what we know you would be a fool not to become a ninja at these movements. A Word on Volume:  To excel at the Open you need the ability to perform one to two max effort sessions of 4-20 minutes per week.  This is a VERY low demand in regards to volume.  If you are training with high volume in hopes of excelling at Regionals your are missing the boat.  Instead focus on intensity and quality of training during you sessions. Training vs. Practice It is important to understand what your limiting factors are and how best to improve them.  The protocol used to improve highly neurological movements like double unders, muscle ups and butterfly pull ups are very different from the highly organic movements like dead lifts, thrusters and strict pull ups. The most efficient way to train for neurological adaptations (agility, balance, coordination and accuracy)  is through “practice”.  Practice implies working skills, timing, and movement patterns.  Practice shouldn’t be done at max muscular or cardiovascular efforts.  Practice is best performed with lower hear rates, lower weights, and controlled environments. The most effective way to train for organic adaptations (cardio vascular endurance, strength, stamina and flexibility) is through “training.” Training implies working hard with high heart rates, heavier loads and maximizing intensity. It is important to distinguish the limiting factor of a given movement and use the limiting factor to determine the best training approach.  For example, if you are a bad runner, is that because you have no metabolic capacity?  If so, train by doing 800 repeats.  If you are a bad runner because your form sucks, running max effort 800′s isn’t going to help you nearly as much as doing adding POSE running skills and drills to improve your technique.