Workout of the Day:
Five rounds for time of:
32 kg/24 kg Kettlebell Swing x 25
Sit-Up x 25
Back Extension x 25
Knees to Elbows x 25
Efficiency = Efficacy
Written by Mike Hom
As coaches, one of our priorities is to make sure our athletes succeed in their quest to change their lives in a positive manner. In the context of physical training, we endeavor to improve human movement by improving someone’s ability to maintain proper technique and form over any given time period. We help our athletes become as efficient as possible in various activities because efficiency is a key driver to obtain high levels of performance.
Look at it this way. We each have engines churning away to produce the power needed to operate on a daily basis. Do you want to be able to go for miles on one tank of gas with minimal horsepower? Or, do you want to get maximum horsepower with bad gas mileage? Well, I want both – good gas mileage and as much horsepower as I can generate! Efficiency is the key to linking that sustained horsepower over the long-haul. We want to get as much work done as possible with the least amount of “metabolic work” or “metabolic cost.” Taking a page from Stephen Seiler (http://home.hia.no/~stephens/), we can define efficiency as (mechanical work)/(metabolic work). Efficiency improves when mechanical work increases and/or metabolic work goes down.
What does this mean to you? It means that sometimes you need to back off the intensity and improve your efficiency (i.e., movement mechanics) to see an improvement in your performance. It’s easy to get blinded in the heat of a work out and let primal instinct dictate the way you move. But we coaches are there to guide you towards victory through virtuosity, whether it be to push you when you need to be pushed, to slow you down for your safety, or to stop you from getting hurt. So when a coach cues you or stops you in the middle of a workout, it is to ultimately benefit you in the long-run.
We want each and every one of our athletes to go home with a victory, no matter how small or large, every day they walk through our door. But we stay focused on the long-term to ensure that our athletes are strong and healthy for the long run.
Tags: CrossFit Invictus
Great post Mike…”Virtuosity” is my CF word of the year.
AUSH!!!!!!! I have to do some sharing about my recent victory. In the spirit of my quest to keep things “Constantly Varied” I hit up CF NYC last Friday despite a 6:30 am flight, having slept only 7 hours in the previous 48, with the smell of Patron still on my breath from the night before. I pounded a bottle of water and ate a Think Thin bar on the subway on the way to class. The WOD of the day -Nancy. I thought “why not”. CF NYC is on the 3rd floor of a building and for running WOD’s various substitues are used: double- unders, wall ball, jumping lunges, kettle bell swings, rowing, etc. or running down three flights of stairs, out of the building, down the street into an alley and back. Upon returning to the building you hit the buzzer and the trainer buzzes you in- back up the stairs, and repeat. It was pouring rain and while resident CF NYC members opted for the subs, a NYC student and I decided to keep Nancy legit and run. Subs are harder anyway, duh, and if I needed to puke I thought it better to do outside. Despite all of the above mentioned variables, I added 10 seconds to my time. What is the point of my story? You will never have any idea what you are made of unless you allow yourself the room to mix it up and keep it “Constantly Varied”. Does that mean drink four Patrons on the rocks and a Chicken Burger? Maybe not, but you won’t know until to try. Hollah.
Reason #478 to love eating Paleo:
Passover becomes just like every other time of the year. There is no need to get rid of the grains in the house – there are none to begin with!
Also, no need to sub Matzo in place of leavened breads in typical foods – think Matzo Pizza or Matzo Brei (French Toast w/Matzo) – Paleo folk don’t eat that nonsense.
Hurray for Paleo, and Happy Passover to all my Hebrews!
For reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matzo
CFI coaches are the BEST for knowing when to push you on and when to rein you in. Nick was the perfect cheerleader today to get me to keep moving.
Conversely, that day we did the 10 SDHP/150 m. sprint every 2 minutes WOD, CJ had me cut my SDHP to 5 reps after the first 6 rounds. He saw that my form was getting worse and worse, and that I was barely getting my work done by the 2 minute mark. His solution was perfect. I still got to play with the other kids, and I didn’t throw out my back. I appreciated that he scaled the workout for me, because I was too busy not dying to think of doing it on my own.
Thanks to all of you coaches for keeping an eye on us!!
p.s. DON’T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR CUPCAKES FROM CORYNA TODAY! JOIN ME IN ORDERING SOME YUMMY DELICIOUS FROSTING COVERED BITS OF HEAVEN. Yes, I’m excited about the cupcakes.
My boy Aush is in the mo’effin’ house
Hey Cynthia, are you excited about ordering cupcakes?
Props to Mgood who motivated my workout today by rapping along to Snoop Dogg and following me around. Word. Nice work today noon class!