I want to play a game

     Good morning to all my loyal followers and readers. It seems more are frequenting this blog everyday, so I aim to bring you the best in CrossFitty rambles (yes, I'm making up words). Today I want to touch up on the game play that we experience during the WOD.

what to do...

      To be clear, I said game play... not pre-game (no drinking before a WOD). So how do you attack the WOD? Do you have an idea of what you want to do, specific to each workout you face? Or, do you turn everything to 11, and just hit it as hard as you can? Well, in the famous words of... somebody, "Just because you can, doesn't mean that you should." (If that's not a real quote, it should be).

     The elite CrossFitters can annihilate Fran without breaking anything up. However, us normal human beings man not be so inclined to do so. So if you went for the first round of thrusters and pullups unbroken, you may just happen to bonk on the 2nd and 3rd rounds. I am of this demographic, so I must break it up (thrusters being my #1 issue). This is a normal Fran for me:

1st Thrusters: 7,7,7
1st Pullups: 11,10
2nd Thrusters: 8,7
2nd Pullups: 15
3rd Thrusters: 9
3rd Pullups: 9

More like "For a bad time..."

     Above was my game plan for Fran. Even though I might be able to do the first round unbroken of both movements, I really doubt I could do the last 2 rounds as fast as normal. I know to have any gas left in the tank I'm going to have to be conservative in the beginning. One day, I hope to improve, and do more rounds unbroken. As I progress, my game plan will change.


The Fastest Show on Earth. The first sub 2 minute "Fran" from gregg arsenuk on Vimeo.

     A couplet, like Fran, is not the only thing we can game play (think AMRAP). Most AMRAPs that we do will be in the 20 minute range. Again, going "balls-to-the-wall" for 20 minutes can be very hard to sustain. So take a look at the workout, can you do a full round in a minute, or maybe 2 minutes? Find a good sustainable pace for most of the WOD. However, you're saving all of that energy for something. 5 minutes left? Let's take it up a bit. 2 minutes left? As Speal would say, "open the flood gates" and leave nothing left.

     Does the "Frosh Method" work for everyone? No, mostly it just works for me (or other Frosh folk out there). But, why don't you think about the next WOD you do. Go over it in your head, come up with a way you want to attack this... or maybe just how you want to finish. So, do you brainstorm before a WOD? Post time and thought to comments


Old Spice commercial - Flex from Victor Rivine on Vimeo.

3,2,1 GO!