CrossFit Athletic Group

“Be impressed by intensity, not volume.”

I initially heard this famous Coach Glassman quote delivered by Pat Sherwood at my first Level-1 Seminar in 2010. Last February, I heard it again as Joe DeGain relayed the message to our group during the programming lecture and it served as a great reminder for me on how we treat the CrossFit workouts.

As a whole, the workouts that came up during this Summer seemed to suck a lot more than usual - which is odd considering they were just normal daily WODs save for two occasions (Murph and Elizabeth). The difference was since I thought the gym's overall form was close to where I wanted, I figured it would be a good opportunity to try and introduce intensity.

Like, actual intensity.

In CrossFit, intensity is defined as "exactly equal to" power - meaning that you are as intense as you are powerful. 18 rounds of Cindy is more intense than 17 rounds of Cindy, a 5-minute mile is more intense than a 6-minute mile, and (for the sake of the argument) a 135-lb. clean is more intense than a 130-lb. clean.

When I think about "intensity" as it relates to you guys, I am just about always referring to speed. I talked about intensity in the Case Study post from the Summer, but I want to give a few visuals of what exactly I am looking at.

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Let's use an 800-meter run as an example. If you want to run a fast time you have two options: 1) all-out sprint for 30 seconds, walk for 30 seconds, and repeat until you finish or 2) you could run at a moderately fast pace without resting. Both strategies have a purpose, but most times you would go with option number 2. Most CrossFit workouts can be seen the same way.

If you want to get a good WOD time, you can either 1) move faster or 2) rest less.

As with running, moving faster is not always an option due to the nature of the movement or your lack of technique. So when the workout calls for intensity, my coaching emphasis is to rest less. Let's look at Collin Skorupski for example. The following video is from this Summer's 1:30 session hitting the classic benchmark workout Elizabeth. On this one, we are less concerned about form and more about time. Collin, on the other hand, didn't seem to share our concern. This is his set of 85-lb. cleans on the round of 15.

It took Collin 3 minutes and 26 seconds to complete 15 reps. During that time, he rested for a minute-and a half. Due to his lack of intensity, we cut him after that round in the same way we cut people in weight on max effort days; the purpose of the workout was no longer being fulfilled.

Sometimes you have to earn the volume.

For another example, here is JZ from the rope climb/front squat workout a week later. It was that death-by ladder where the front squats increased by two reps every time. In the video below, JZ needed to finish 14 front squats in the remaining time. I caught him mid-way through.

When he stopped there were seven seconds left in that minute. He had two reps left to finish and yet he settled for a one rep pr instead of finishing the last two reps and going on to the next round. 

What's the verdict?

That's right, they're just a bunch of pansies. Both of them. This was not physical fatigue. This was mental fatigue.

This is what physical fatigue looks like:

Once Emma's arms give out, that's it. She physically could not do more reps. In fact, she may have been better off resting a little more.

Neither Collin's nor JZ's last cleans looked like Emma's push-ups. Their mind got tired before their body did.

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"The greatest adaptation in CrossFit happens between the ears"

Another Coach Glassman quote that I often think about. Unfortunately, it's harder to measure than your Back squat or Fran time. But in my opinion, adding intensity - actual intensity - to workouts is the fastest way to build mental toughness. It's also important to understand that intensity is relative for everyone. While I do try to scale for time on intensity-emphasized workouts, I know that Mrs. Carey's burpees are going to look different than her son Ricky's. So I look for pace. Mrs. Carey might not be able to physically go as fast as Ricky, but I would push her to move at a rhythm that is a little faster than she would normally be comfortable with. Getting used to that discomfort will help you get past the mental roadblocks that repeatedly come up during these workouts. It's a difficult mindset to get into.

Out of everyone in the Champions Club, Erika Banet is the only person* I have seen with the ability to go to that place at will; that place in the darkest corner of you mind; that place you know is gonna hurt like hell. And I can tell by her body language. Before the wallball/burpee couplet to open the Summer, she was laughing with Alyssa and Jennifer and the other people at the crowded 7 pm session. Then before the WOD started, I told her my score and asked if she could get it. Her smile was wiped off, eyebrows dropped, and then simply gave a cold nod. Ten minutes later, she completed 6 rounds on the dot with no time to spare to tie my score. She rested once during the entire ten minutes. Her body language showed it, as she was sprawled out in uncontrolled agony and pain. This is a different kind of death face; the kind that can't be faked or exaggerated. That, my friends, is intensity.

*I would probably include Matt on this list, but I have to see him train a little longer. Something tells me he has another gear we have to find when the time is right. Also, Ryan Richard had this at one point. Probably still does, but haven't seen him in a minute.

I believe this is what Coach was talking about. In reality, if Erika would have settled for 5 burpees her last round instead of all ten, she would have been in much less hurt - which seems to rapidly multiply with every rep the closer we get to physical failure. And it's not like 5 burpees makes that much of a difference in her overall fitness. But mentally, it made all the difference. It shows an unbelievable tolerance for discomfort and a willingness to go there - something that will prove to be very useful to Erika in many other areas of her life.

Remember, this does not hold true for every workout. Some days, we are going for intensity, some days we are going for quality, and some days we are just going for fun. On these intensity days, it is perfectly okay to check out and tone it down. When I was training consistently, I routinely burned myself out until until I learned how to pick-and-choose which workouts to kill myself on. But when we do ask for this extra gear, you will be surprised how much you are actually capable of if you allow it.

Remember, CrossFit is the world's best diagnostic tool. It will expose you. If mental toughness is what you are lacking, the workouts give you a great opportunity to practice.

Not from the aforementioned workout, by the way. This was a few days earlier.