Monday Feb 26,2013 WOD:
"Daniel" For time: 50 Pull-ups 400 meter run 95/65 pound Thruster, 21 reps 800 meter run 95/65 pound Thruster, 21 reps 400 meter run 50 Pull-ups
Modified A: 20 minute time cap
25 pullups 400 m run 75/55 Thruster 21 reps 800 m run 75/55 Thruster 21 reps 400 m run 25 pullups
Modified B: 15 minute time cap
15 ring rows 200 m run PVC thruster 21 reps 400 m run PVC thruster 21 reps 200 m run 15 ring rows
Here is an interesting post from Crossfit Roseville.
By Joey W.
The question of whether or not to go RX on a workout is a question that many athletes ponder, especially those who do not hit RX on a regular basis.
Athletes sometimes feel that they have failed when they cant meet the RX standard, this is not the case. Lets look at the graphic below. The graphic WOD from 02/13/2013 minus the run. For the purposes of this demonstration the run doesn’t factor into the equation.
One of the goals we have for you as Athletes is to increase your power output. The first step in increasing power output is to understand how it works. This is where is gets a little nerdy so stay with me.
Power is a simple equation Load or Force multiplied by Distance divided by Time
The distance used below is an estimate of how far the bar travels during a Thruster from its lowest point to locked out over head.
So 15 reps @ 135 in 60 seconds produces 135 units of power. If you drop the weight to 115 but complete it 15 seconds faster your power output has increased to 153.3 units of power.
So as you can clearly see, you can increase your actual power output by lowering the weight and going faster. Does that answer the question about whether or not you should go RX or not? No, I am afraid it does not and Ill tell you why. We want you to increase your work capacity over broad time and modal domains. This means we want you to do short workouts, long workouts, light weight, heavy weight and everything in between. What it can give you is a piece of mind that just because you are not doing RX weight, does not mean you are not getting a good workout and producing power. So ask your coach what the goal of the workout is, they will tell you if they would prefer you to go RX and go a little slower, or to drop the weight and go for speed.
One last item I want to point out in the graphic is the 3rd section. This section demonstrates RX weight with increased speed. Look at how much your power increases by dropping only 15 seconds off of each round. If you can train yourself to hit bigger sets, not walk away from your bar when you set it down, or not take as long as a break before you move again, you can seriously increase your overall power output and thus raise your fitness level. All it takes is shaving a second or two here and there.
So now the question of the day is; Do you feel better about yourself and the work you did by hitting the workout RX and being a little slower, or dropping the weight and finishing it faster?