Through other people’s programming and my own workouts, I’ve gotten into what I now see as a two-pronged Cross Fit workout trend.  Typically on any given day, there will be a skill instructional which is relatively lacking in intensity followed either by a strength workout (5x5 deadlifts for example) or by a very specific type of met-con (pick two or three exercises, three rounds for time, etc.).  On a recent visit to CrossFit Asheville while on a business trip, I was exposed to a very different type of programming that introduced some good variety to my workouts that I will definitely leverage in the future.

Shanna is a co-owner and the director of training at the facility so I assume it’s her that’s doing a majority of the programming. Before I arrived in town, I took the opportunity to review a bunch of the WODs from their facility…easy to do as they’re all posted online.  Some things I noticed:

1. They NEVER post WODs in advance unless it’s a special event (Barbell’s for Boobs, Fight Gone Bad, etc.)  This is nice for two reasons: First, part of Cross Fit is preparing for the unknown so showing up in the morning and not knowing whether it’s going to be the Filthy 50, Death By Pullups, or  a 1 RM front squat test is kind of appropriate.  It contributes to mental toughness. Second, it eliminates the client’s ability to pick and choose their workouts.  It forces you to show up and work even when you know it’s going to expose your weaknesses.

2. Like most/all Cross Fit facilities, there are periodic benchmark’s and Hero’s sprinkled throughout the calendar but all other WODs typically include both a strength and skills development workout at moderate to high intensity, followed by the WOD. 

3. They repeat WODs over time and track that last time a WOD was performed so you can track your progress. Every client is keeping a notebook so it’s easy to track your fitness achievments.  I don’t keep notes religiously so while I know I feel good in general, I couldn’t really quantify my progress empirically at this point (need to do something about that).

4. In the Asheville facility, they frequently use cadence prescriptions which I had not seen before except in body building circles.  For example, a front squat designated as 21x1 is not reps and sets as I errantly read it but rather 2 seconds to squat, 1 second hold at the bottom, the x denotes an explosion to come back up AFAP, followed by a 1 second rest before beginning the motion again.  This forces a focus on form among other things, can be used as a tool to fine tune an exercise to target a specific muscular benefit, and ensures everyone is working the same way.

4. THIS IS THE BIGGIE. Based on comments I heard from the the coach and the class, Shanna occasionally (frequently?) likes to program met-con WODs in a way I hadn’t been exposed to before. I’m used to the “go like hell until you can’t go anymore” style of WOD (a la Murph, Filty Fifty, etc.) and while I’ve done some tabata/interval workouts before, it certainly isn’t an integral part of my training by any means. 

First, for a brief introduction to tabata workouts you can visit this link.  I don’t want to re-hash what others have already written on the topic, instead focusing on the workout.  I’d also note that the program I discuss below is not tabata in the strictest sense…the original tabata workout is 4 minutes alternating 20 seconds of work with 10 seconds of rest.  As a cardiovascular fitness tool, the scientific literature purports to show nearly the same positive effect as 45-60 mins of cardio in already fit adults.

Here’s the workout for my visit:

Strength/Skill:

Complete 4 rounds of A1/A2:

A1. Ring rows* @ 21×3; 4-6 reps.  Rest ~60s.

A2. Burpees x 6 AFAP. Rest ~90s.

WOD:

3 rounds as follows

AMRAP 2 minutes:

5 ring dips

10 wall balls

Rest 1 minute

AMRAP 2 minutes

5 Deadlifts @ 40% 5 RM (NTE 135/115)

10 Double Unders/30 Single Unders

Rest 1 Minute

The strength component is pretty straightforward  One training note here…for coach Randy who trained us that morning, AFAP means “as fast as f#cking possible or I’ll kill you”…arms and legs flying, chest smacking the ground.  I’ve never felt worse after 20 burpees.

I was confused when I saw the WOD on the board for the morning but here’s how the rotation goes.  You begin by alternating ring dips and wall balls for a 2 minute AMRAP.  You get a 1 minute rest, after which you do DL/DU for two minutes, followed by a rest. You repeat that whole cycle three times.

The net effect on the body is pretty tremendous during the workout.  My reaction during the rotation was to wind up getting that full 100% effort feeling (usually partway through the second exercise component of the cycle) and just when I couldn’t give more, the rest/rotation was called.  A sigh of relief, my heart rate would level out, I would panic breathe a bit and as you start to feel it subside you hear the dreaded….”Again…faster!”. The key here that makes this workout so uncomfortable is that 1 minute is insufficient for most of us to recover from the effort we just put forth. 

In summary, this is yet another benefit of working with different coaches in different environments.  I laude the programming creativity as this is a workout technique I was aware of, but have not regularly leveraged in my own workouts.  It was uncomfortable for me, taught me a new approach, and forced me to go out and read/learn a bunch of stuff.  I’ll definitely be incorporating this moving forward, and will discuss with the coaches at my box.  Long term, these workouts provide the same benefits as longer cardio workouts of moderate to high intensity and perhaps more importantly, will decrease heart rate and muscular recovery time while doing work.

Go forth and tabata this or tabata something else!

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