This has been an exciting month for me. The March 2010 issue of MILO just came out and my article “CrossFit for Lifters” was in it. I’m unfortunately not able to reprint the article here, but here’s the magazine cover and a link to Ironmind’s MILO site.
In my article, I explain some of the basics of CrossFit and the theory behind it and explain how a weightliter or strength athlete can incorporate some CrossFit into his or her training to get an improvement in cardio and fitness.
Here’s an exerpt dealing with implementing CrossFit within an existing strength athlete’s program…
“There are a number of different ways you can incorporate CrossFit style work into your training. Since I assume you’re already training hard and heavy with a barbell, I’ll make the following suggestions:
- Do the CrossFit work on a rest day or substitute CrossFit for traditional cardio on your cardio days. CrossFit workouts are brief but very intense. Keep a close eye on your overall training volume and add in the new training carefully keeping aware of its effects on your recovery and progression.
- Try one of the CrossFit benchmark workouts that looks interesting and record your time. I’d suggest Linda, Helen, Angie or Grace because they use movements and equipment you’ll likely be familiar with. The deadlift burpee workout above is also a good one.
- At a minimum, try about six CrossFit workouts over the course of the month. Always do a different workout and try to vary the content of the workouts as much as possible. That is, don’t choose the same type of workout for all of them. Mix it up and choose workouts that are as diverse as possible. Record your time and other metrics for all of them.
- Also, push yourself to do things you’re not comfortable doing in the CrossFit sessions. If you hate running, emphasize workouts that require running. If you love doing barbell work emphasize CrossFit workouts that use bodyweight callisthenic movements. The point is to train outside of your comfort zone at a very high intensity.
Repeat the SAME benchmark workout you did at the beginning of the month and see what your time is. It should be faster – possibly a lot faster. At this point, you might also want to review your training log and see if there are any other improvements you can ascertain.
ttys
Adam
Originally posted on my site: [http://adamfarrah.net/blog/MILO-CrossFit-lifters]
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