Strength Training For CrossFit
CrossFit is a sport revolving around multiple physical qualities. Not only do we have to focus on all energy systems so that we can be fit and strong but we also have to focus on different training disciplines which require tremendous skill. Take for example performing a snatch (one of the most complicated lifts you could ever do with a barbell) for repetitions and then having to go into a muscle up (again another complicated gymnastics exercise). All this while under fatigue, yikes!
How important is strength for CrossFit?
Strength is imperative for not only building a resilient body but also making movement a little more effortless. The guy who can deadlift 200kgs will be able to move 100kgs a lot easier than the guy who only deadlifts 140kgs. Having a strong body with excellent kinesthetic awareness also helps to bullet proof us against injury, something you see a LOT in CrossFit. Not to say that endurance and aerobic capacity don’t play a role but if you compare the CrossFit games athletes vs your regular Opens competitor, how much more weight can Matt Fraser clean and jerk? Making him move 60kgs thrusters much easier. Strength is also a must for performing movements such as ring muscle ups or kipping handstand push ups. To safely perform these movements, you require a specific amount of strength regardless of fitness. You could grab a marathon runner whos runs 20kms everyday but if they don’t have the strength to hold themselves upside down, their fitness fails them. Again get two guys performing kipping pull ups. Imagine one of them being able to do 50 strict dead hang pull ups vs the other who can only do 3. Imagine the amount of energy the first guy would need compared to the second (barely at all, duh). There is a reason why all the top level CrossFit athletes look like bodybuilders and it is plain simply because that they are strong.
Biggest mistakes
Not working on your actual muscles.
Muscle moves the body, not joints or bones but your muscles. Type I muscle fibers will revolve around longer lasting and having a good endurance base while Type II muscle fibers are your explosive fibers which are essential for your snatches, kb swings and box jumps. Do your accessory work to build muscles and your body will be potentially much stronger. You don’t see a guy with twig legs squatting 200kgs.
Neglecting movement pattern work
Skill is another aspect. After acquiring the strength to perform the movements effectively, you need to practice it often until they become habit. If you have to constantly think about your technique, you are actually wasting energy and training poor movement patterns which potentially could lead to injury. Leave your ego at the door and practice your shit properly. You’re not going to the CrossFit games so why bother potentially hurting yourself in a WOD just a time?
Doing too much
This one is a big one not just for CrossFit but athletes from every sport. Over Training is a serious condition which can burn you out and cause injury. There’s doing too little where we’re just lazy then there’s too much and that is what I found to be the general consensus within the CrossFit community. Training is a physical stress on the body and in a normal WOD you are grinding out and pushing your body to its limits for a long time. Placing it under stress in so many different positions makes it even worst to recover from because your body has no idea what the fuck its going through. If you find yourself hurting and considering pushing through, it’s probably better you go home and rest up, live to fight another day as I always say. My advice is to train and do just enough for you to gradually get better as its the long term progression that really counts. Where you are in 2-3 years compared to what you can do now is more important. Long term planning will always triumph short term intensity. One person who played a big role in my athletic coaching career, Ed Coan who was the greatest Powerlifter of all time, was so successful for so long as he did the bare minimum to get better. If he could deadlift 350kgs on a day for a new personal best but his program called for 340kgs, he stuck to his game plan. His reason was because he would eventually hit it anyway so there was no rush. All his top competitors resulted in hurting and setting themselves back while he continued to make small gradual progress which continued for decades.
How can we improve on our strength without missing out on anything?
Crossfit WODs are always varied and most gyms will program their training differently to each other. When I coached as a CrossFit and Olympic Weightlifting Coach, I found it challenging to try to work specific qualities as everyday was different. Different movement patterns performed everyday and undulating every week can make it difficult especially for a beginner who has no ingrained movement pattern related to CrossFit. What I did find that worked was focusing on a particular skill at a time and trying to improve that linearly, letting the WODs work as accessories. I had my athletes focus on 4-6 specific exercises for a dedicated block and master them before progressing onto something else. Once you learn it, it is hard to forget and you can always pick it up much quicker. The scheme of things depending on if my athletes were competing or not were based off one Olympic Weightlifting movement, one strength based movement and something to improve absolute Gymnastics strength.
An example was:
Monday - Snatch + Back Squats before WOD
Wednesday - Deadlift + Strict Pull Ups before WOD
Friday - Clean and Jerks before WOD
We would do as little as we could to get the individual better without thrashing them so that they could still perform for the WOD. This is a broad example and will work for some and not for others depending on your CrossFit box’s program or even yourself as an individual. With CrossFit, the volume and intensity will vary but generally they handle a lot of volume during WODs so we focused on the skill and intensity component depending on the time of year. This could mean doing 3 singles of back squats at 90-95% and leaving it at that. It could also mean doing 5 sets of 10 on deadlifts to build up someones muscular endurance with moderately heavy weight. Whichever it is, you need to be good at both within the sport of CrossFit.
Final notes
CrossFit is a hard sport. So many things to take into consideration and so many different skills to learn and master. It is however such a fun way of training and the community aspect it provides is unreal. Strength training is crucial for a competitive and healthy CrossFit athlete and should be one of the priorities for any CrossFitter looking to get better or even for those wanting to start.
I hope you guys enjoyed this weeks article and tune in for the next!
Peace out Movement Fam!
Coach Matty