There’s been this shift in fitness over the past 10 years or so. I can attest to it, since I’ve been in and around the fitness business for 16 years now. The shift is the harder it is the better. People do a workout and the more it leaves you flat on your back the better it is. What this has created is an entire market of gyms where people think the more ‘hard core’ you are, the better. The more days you’re left sore the better. The more you’re left flat on your back the better.
In reality, that’s simply not the case. Yes it’s important to work hard and push yourself for sure, but harder workouts doesn’t necessarily mean better. There’s a big difference between training and working out. You see training involves having a reason for doing something. When you train, there’s a plan in place. There’s an intended response from the workout. There’s a reason it feels that way, or there’s a reason one rep scheme was picked over the other. Programming in this way leads to better results, and increased fitness.
Doing a hard workout just to do a hard workout doesn’t make you better. A hard workout in and of itself isn’t beneficial. There must be a reason. With the barrier to entry being so low in the fitness industry and especially with CrossFit the trend is to take a weekend course and create a workout that leaves people flat on their back. That may or may not get you results in the short term, but unless there is some sound principles of exercise physiology being incorporated you will fail to thrive in this type of environment and very likely can regress or worse injure yourself. Anybody can create a workout that will beat you down and make you throw up, but is there a reason why that was created? What are the physiology principles at play for doing that workout in that particular way?
Seek out professionals that can tell you the physiological intent of the workout. What are their reasons? What is the long term plan for the next 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months?
Workouts may work in the short term, but if you’re looking for a long term plan of success you must train with intent and planning. Work with a program that can give you that.
11-14-16
Strength:
Dip Clean and Jerk
MetCon:
JT
21-15- 9
HSPU
Ring Dips
Push Ups