Strength
Front Squat
5 x 2 @ 90% 1RM
Take 15:00 to get it done.
WOD
Complete as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
8 Front squats, 50% 1RM
3 Wall walks to Handstand Push-ups
Dollie getting down!
We've fielded some questions regarding the frequency of the oly lifts we've been doing, as well as having strength work four of five days of the week, for this programming cycle. There's lots of reasons for this, mainly that lifting heavy things is really fun. The other reason is that to get proficient at the snatch and clean and jerk, you simply have to spend time doing it. Nothing gets you better at these movements than simpy doing them and their variations.
But there's another reason that CF utilizes these movements. It was captured in an article titled You Cannot Be Good at CrossFit Without Being a Good Lifter and reposted on the Outlaw Way several days ago. The lead of the article is “You can be a good lifter and not be good at CrossFit. You cannot be good at CrossFit if you are not a good lifter.” If you think about it, what we hear as coaches and experience ourselves as athletes is after the initial introductory period to CF where all the movements are new, we rarely hear "I can't get down kettlebell swings" or "wall balls really confuse me because there's so much to think about." We hear these statements about muscle-ups, double-unders, and of course the oly lifts. When we go over these lifts, we talk about the violent opening of the hips to generate force. Think about those functional movements we use during the WODs. How many of them require similar use of the hips? Almost all of them in some way.
So take a look at the article. We realize that the vast majority of our folks, as it true in CF in general, are not trying to get to the games. They're trying to get fit, live a healthy lifestyle, and simply become stronger every day. However, those goals don't exclude working at these more difficult lifts, or avoiding working on the more challenging skills. They will help you get better. They will help you get stronger and faster. They will help you get fitter. And after all, who doesn't want that?
