The close of the CrossFit Games 2016 Open is fast approaching! Though many of us achieved great things during the Open – PRs, first muscle ups, first handstand push-ups, etc – most of us are left still wanting to get better, thirsty for more!
And nothing is wrong with wanting to get better! But remember that more workouts, more volume, doesn’t necessarily mean better. James Hobart, 7 time CrossFit Games competitor, explains this in his most recent CrossFit Journal article, A Deft Dose of Volume.
I highly suggest taking a few minutes to read it when you have a chance. Here were a few of my takeaways…
We all want to be Rich Froning or somebody’s “dottir”, but the amount of hours the elite spend on training is no small feat! “Volume is alluring for many reasons. Some athletes who are trying to break into the upper echelons of Open and regional performance look to tack on extra volume in order to try and close the gap, and affiliates sometimes attempt to squeeze more and more into the relatively brief CrossFit class in order to follow suit. But don’t mistake volume for intensity and end up training for 90 minutes at 60 percent when 60 minutes at 90 percent might have been more valuable. Similarly, paying little attention to recovery is costly.”
According the article, athletes who may benefit from adding volume:
- have competent mechanics
- rarely need to scale
- post competitive times on all workouts
- can easily make mechanics and consistency corrections.
For the general population, a single session a day and focused skill work will prove effective time and time again. “You don’t need harder workouts, you need to go harder in your workouts.” -Tommy Hackenbruck
**Intensity and variance are the keys. Volume is secondary, but can still produce results when implemented correctly.**
So…should your goal be harder workouts or just to work harder!? As always, talk to your coaches about your goals! We’re here to help! Here’s to the 2017 Open 😉
