Friday 130329

Three rounds for time: 

Post time to comments and BTWB.

The above video is a blast from the past: The 2010 Rocky Mountain CrossFit Sectionals. Recognize any faces? Also, todays WOD is from that event.

Methods of Strength Training ~ Luke Palmisano

So, there is more than one way to bring your swoleness to new levels. Allz I’m saying is, buy some new t-shirts after you read this post. Cos’ your old ones are gonna get ripped. To shreds. You won’t even be able to deal with your swoleness. For reals. Would I lie? Don’t answer that. Point is, there are different ways to develop your strength. So let’s cover those. 

• The first way is the maximal effort method. Quite simply, a maximal effort day is lifting a maximum load, or exercising against maximal resistance. This method builds the greatest amount of strength. So, if you goal is to get stronger, you would want lift a max effort every day, right? Wrong. Maximum effort lifts take a huge toll on the central nervous system. Meaning, both physically and emotionally (due to the amount of mental preparedness it takes to perform a heavy lift) you get worn down. Also, the risk of injury rises when you lift a max effort load. This is one reason we ask that newer athletes avoid Hot Dogs and Cupcakes for a few months before coming in. We want you to be familiar with the movements before getting after it with chains and bands. 
• The next way is described as a submaximal effort method, or repeated effort method. The difference between the two terms is only the amount of reps. The submaximal effort requires an intermediate amount of reps, and repeated effort requires going to failure, whatever that rep count may be. These two methods are best for muscle hypertrophy. Meaning, if you want to gain size, this is your avenue. It’s ironic to me that so many people shy away from heavy lifting because they don’t want to get bulky, when truly, it’s working with higher reps at submaximal weights that reaps a bulkier body.
• The final way is called the dynamic effort method. This is used to develop explosive strength. A general rule is that the contractile part of the movement should, if employing the dynamic effort method, take less than one second. For instance: In a bench press, from the moment you begin pressing the bar off your chest to the moment your elbows lock out, less than a second should have elapsed. Same with squatting. The moment your hips begin to rise to the moment your hips and knees are fully extended should take less than a second. This is speed strength, and is critical to developing an athlete.