There’s been some rumblings around the gym. Some comments, concerns, complaints, discontented whispers regarding the programming, specifically the co-ordination of strength and WOD components. Why do they correspond? Why do we do squats in the WOD when we do squats for strength? Pull-ups when we do pull-ups?? No, we’re not trying to “kill your WOD time” or “ruin your gains.” Strength is an adaptation – the result of time under tension, allowing your muscles to respond to an outside stimuli. It’s best done in controlled circumstances and in limited amounts.
In order to develop a base level of work capacity (the ability of muscles/the body to move and do work), the body must be exposed to sufficient external stimuli. Simply put, you’ve got to do more stuff to get more ripped. Bodybuilders do tons of volume – a lot of reps with light weight. Powerlifters and Olympic weightlifters do a combination of low volume/high weight, medium volume/medium weight, and high volume/low weight in order to develop strength across all domains. CrossFitters are knowing for trying to do high volume/high weight, and that doesn’t work very well, partially because the body can’t handle that level of intensity, and partially because most people are not adapted to that level of work.
Our goal is to help you get stronger/better/faster/healthier, and in order to do that, we need to improve your ability to adapt. Pairing low volume/high weight strength work with high volume/low weight WODs using similiar muscle groups/movement patterns allows us to sneak in some of that blasphemous “accessory work’ (GASP!) that some CrossFitters shun as “bro-ish” or “globo gym crap.” Your body needs repeated exposure to similar stimuli to adapt and grow. It boils down to this: Do the work, get the gains. There’s a reason for the season, cuz, and it’s GAINZ.
