In my early CrossFit group class days we were working on a front squat 5 rep max.  Due to some cartilage damage in my rib cage sustained during judo training, heavy front squats were very difficult and painful for me as they tended to strain the torn tissue.  On this day, I hit a new 5 rep personal best of 205lbs without injuring myself.  I could feel the strain on the rib in the last couple reps but finished the set feeling good about myself.

“How are you doing over here?” the group class coach asked me.

“Great!” I answered, “I just got a personal best.”

“Good, put some more weight on the bar then,” he suggested.

I touched the achy spot beneath my rib cage and frowned, “No, I think that’s probably enough for me today,” I answered.

“If you’re not failing, you’re not trying,” he barked.

Really?  Was that true?  I felt like I was trying.  I did achieve a personal best.  I did feel like I was pushing my body close to its limit.  I decided not to take the coaching that day.

I’m not sure where this CrossFit ethos of self destruction in the WOD came from.  Coach Glassman prescribed high intensity, not max intensity.  There is a difference.  Max intensity will break you.  High intensity is sustainable and repeatable.  Ask most experienced CrossFit coaches including Glassman himself and you will hear something like 70% effort as a good target for high intensity.  Pushing beyond this too frequently is like playing Russian Roulette with your body. 

Benchmark workout Lynne challenges you to do sets of max bench press and max pull ups.  I would like to refine our shared understanding of the terminology.  In CrossFit, when the workout calls for max anything we will often see athletes struggling to squeeze out just one rep more even if it means contorting their body into strange, unnatural and frightening positions.  This is not what I, as a coach, think of when I read the word max.  To me, your max is not how many reps you can squeeze out while just barely adhering to competition movement standards.  It is how many reps you can complete with good form.  Yes, you can always squeeze out one or two more struggle reps but they will be ugly and they will put you at a much higher risk of injury and that is not the point of training.  We are training to get stronger and fitter not to use sketchy technique to squeeze out a few more “technically they count” reps of something that barely resemble a bench press or pull up anymore.

Starting today, train smarter.  Complete as many consecutive good reps of floor press as you can and quit your set before your form deteriorates into struggle reps.  Yes, I know this is not your “true” max.  But it is the max you can do with correct effective and safe movement mechanics.  Then do the same thing with your strict pull ups.  You will get less reps.  You will also get less injuries.  And you will improve your strength and technique in both movements.

Remember: practice doesn’t make perfect.  Only perfect practice makes perfect.  And practice is permanent.  When you train you are programming your body how to move, so do it right the first time around.

Monday
We will be floor pressing today.  Dumbbells or barbells are acceptable.  There is no time domain on Lynne, your score is simply how many reps you accumulate across 5 rounds in consecutive sets.  You can rest between movements.  For the purpose of group classes finishing on time, we will alot up to 5 minutes per round.

You may need to scale the loads to your fitness level.  I recommend using options for both movements that allow you to get 5 good reps in a row.  This may grow more challenging as the workout progresses.  Stick with the same scaling throughout.

Warm Up
8 mins AMRAP
10 Judo Push Up Rocks
10 Ring Rows
5 Judo Push Ups
10/10 sec DB Bent Over Row R/L
10 DB Pullovers

Tech
Floor Press
Strict Pull Up

WOD
Lynne
5 Rounds:
Max Bench Press @bodyweight
Max Strict Pull Ups