Hey Team!
So we’ve just made it through our first Technique Week with the focus being on honing skill in a variety of movements while also allowing our bodies to recover a bit by dropping intensity. From what I saw in the classes early in the week, some good improvements were made in the cleans and presses, and I’m sure that continued through the squats, snatches, and miscellaneous exercises that we had on Friday.
Some members have given us feedback already about the Technique Week, but we’d like to hear more! So feel free to use the comments section to discuss the pro’s and con’s. You can also submit your thoughts using the comments box on the table by the sign-in computer.
Cam and Dee
Today’s Workout
Buy – in – Select teams of 3. Athletes should be of around same strength level. Then, generate team names!
*Coaches – get athletes to group by the weight they think they will use in the WOD, then select teams of three from those groupings.*
WOD – “Team Intensity”
Bar weights for teams (stay the same for parts 1 and 2):
Elite – 95/135
Zone 3 – 65/95
Zone 2 – 45/65
Zone 1 – scaled as needed
*If teams are of mixed Zones, 2 bars will be allowed as long as there are enough bars, otherwise teams must change weights in the rest interval*
Part 1 – AMRAP overhead squat in 30 sec
- Each team member will have 3 rounds of 30 sec for the AMRAP, with lowest reps achieved in any one interval of 30 sec being their contribution to the score
- Each attempt will be separated by 60 sec rest (i.e. as the other two team members go).
- Order will be: Team member 1 – 30 sec on, 60 sec break. Team member 2 – 30 sec on, 60 sec break. Team member 3 – 30 sec on, 60 sec break. Then repeat (3 total rounds).
Rest 5 min
Part 2 – AMRAP clean and jerk in 30 sec. (Must be 2 movements, but can be power clean – push press, etc.)
- Same sequence as above, same scoring.
Rest 5 min
Part 3 – AMRAP burpees in 30 sec
- Same sequence as above, same scoring. Hips must open fully at top of movement
Cash-Out: Team 800m jog, then enjoy the weekend!!
I really think that having technique week is a great idea. I liked having the opportunity to slow down a bit & work on the details of some lifts, which I think is really important. I know that when I coach, I do a lot of “back to basics” drills on a regular basis. We often get caught up in how much we’re lifting or just trying to get through a workout as fast as possible & don’t have the chance to work on the finer details that are going to help us actually lift more & become more efficient. One thing I would say is that I often found I didn’t have enough reps to really get a chance to either correct my movements or to really get comfortable with a skill or drill. Or sometimes when the coach is busy, you don’t get the chance until a bit later to get some feedback but then you are almost done & don’t have enough reps to make the corrections & get comfortable with it. For instance, 4×2 is only 8 reps to get feedback, make corrections, & get comfortable with those corrections.
I also think that technique week is a fabulous idea to ensure that we take a bit of recovery time; it can often be hard to take it easier when you are in a group where everyone is pushing themselves to the edge. And as Craig mentioned, I think from a psychological standpoint it’s good to get excited about pushing it again. And to have some good technical cues that you’ve worked on that you can bring into the heavy lifting & metcons.
So, absolutely I would say that it’s a fantastic idea & I’ve really enjoyed this week! Next time, you should incorporate a couple of gymnastics skills too!
I think it’s great. In talking to a various people about their crossfit experience, it’s apparent that during the WODs there is little time to be concerned with technique, which can often result in injury. So a full week to focus on the more difficult movements is a great opportunity to nail down your goats who may haunt, and often times hurt, you down the road.
That being said, not everyone is on the same schedule and some people who already have the movements down may just want to push it a bit. Listening to the feedback midweek and scaling the technique workouts for those who wanted to go a little harder in the WOD was an ideal way to find the middle ground for everyone. So kudos to the coaches for being open minded and flexible with their planning.
Well said Linds!
I’ll add that I like it better than burpee week… 😉
I enjoyed Technique week. And I’m very sore from it! Having the “pressure” off in each WOD made it easier for me to shift into focusing on doing a movement for technique purposes rather than mostly weight/speed purposes. It’s been great to do drills regarding the breakdown of the moves, and to focus more on the specific aspects of each lift and exercise and how all the parts come together to make a whole.
My only issue this week was that I wasn’t actually in need of a training break, since I had been away, and hadn’t been able to hit my WODs as frequently or as hard as I wanted for several weeks. However, the fact that my muscles are so sore from this Training week has reminded me that I’m not exactly slacking off! I appreciated the added option of the intensified mini-WOD at the beginning or the end of the class, to round things out and provide that cardio-style lung burn we all know and love.
Great week!
Depending on class sizes, for lifts it might have been more beneficial to line everyone up and each do a rep or two while a coach watches and corrects, might get more instruction and correction in that way, for classes with around 6, any more and there would be a lot of waiting.
Good points gang, thanks a lot for taking the time to share your thoughts! I agree that we definitely need to address the number of reps issue – I cut the reps down so that we wouldn’t be taxing the body too much but like Linds mentions, that only gives the coach a few reps to be able to judge technique by.
In future weeks we’ll probably do more reps to allow for coaches to have more opportunities to do corrections where needed.
Like you mentioned Bones, some people didn’t need a “rest” week this week and so went a bit harder in the WODs. I tried to ramp up the metcons as we went through the week too but I think keeping an “intensifier” option like you mentioned would be a good idea.
Keep them coming gang!
Turts
As a new guy, I liked it. It is tougher to slow down and concentrate on doing things correctly when you’re in a timed workout – the competitive edge creeps in and makes me want to speed it up. The moderated pace of this week really took that pressure off and let me watch some of the more experienced members and learn more from the coaches. Sore abs and triceps indicate that it was still great workouts.