The Burpee Cure: When Technique Becomes Excuse, When Form Becomes Crutch...

   Heather... 

"Diagnosis and justification are two very different realities."

I still get all goose pimply listening to Coach speak. Coach G gave us the beginning, we simply ran with it, and turned it into what it is today. In a word "momentous". He started the revolution preaching, mechanics, consistency, intensity. 

We humans love to jump right into something great. Hell paying our dues isn't as fun as receiving our just rewards anyway. CrossFit is no different. All over the world people are realizing the huge benefits. Onlookers witness how the community changes people for the better. They observe the drop in pant size, the clothing that seems to have a little less coverage, and most importantly an attitude change of dramatic proportions. CrossFitters are just happy and confident...sure we have shitty days, and we leave those shitty days on the floor in a puddle, or on the bar with blood. We don't take them home and crucify our husband or bad mouth our wives. We beat the shit out of a bar, we slam a ball, we cling to ropes.

Coach, end every trainer worth a damn, preaches mechanics, consistency, and intensity because its just right. Some things are just that simple yet elegant.

Taking these three out of order can lead down a dark road where all the benefits listed above we so yearn for, become distant dreams from the couch of injury. And th-ats a shitty ass couch. 

Its pretty clear what happens when our ambition rivals our good sense. The WOD calls for a heavy snatch. Snatches really ain't your thing. Yet you decide to go ahead and just tear through the WOD, after all its just weight on a bar. "Screw technique, Im elite". POP. Intensity before technique=POP. POP=SUCK.

I think this is actually pretty obvious today and most folks are grasping it, its the more subtle, almost backwards way of WODing that creeps in when no ones looking. That sorta of WODing folks get away with when they have been in CrossFit long enough to know a little lingo, buy some tall sock flare, and win the hearts of other CrossFitters. The behavior that finds out how to use technique as excuse.

Your Technique Isn't Your Issue, Its Your Safety Net...

After your honeymoon period with CrossFit ends your love affair with mastering technique should continue. But not in the expense of everything else. Mechanics comes before intensity simply to state that your intensity cannot override your current technical level. 

This means don't go 100mph deadlifting a bar today for reps, that was your PR yesterday. Conversely it also means choose the technique that amplifies your intensity, not selecting items that are your mid-WOD net. The net thats prevents the pain of change.

The Burpee Cure..

Recently I have witnessed folks in need of the "Burpee Cure". Those folks who are getting a little too wrapped around technique during WODs. Those folks who say things like "today I just wanted to get the technique down, I wasn't worried about speed". Well no shit Einstein so did I, and I didn't choose a red-lined WOD to do it in. Technique is developed before and after WODs for the most part. WODs develop conditioning, fat burring, muscle building, hormonal output, and the application of learned techniques under pressure. 

This week, when something comes up that can easily give you that in-WOD-excuse you have been applying so as not to have to go as hard as you are able. When something your really not that good at shows up, commit to showing up early to practice the skill, so in the future its all yours. But during the WOD, do burpees in it's place.

This isn't to replace learning the skills that will improve your game and help you achieve your goals. This is to make sure your really tapping into the level of performance you are capable. This is resetting the bar of intensity, while raising the bar of technique until one day they work in unison. 

Burpess are that perfect cure for what ails you. Almost everybody can do them, they can be as intense as shit, and they require almost no technique to be used as an excuse later. You can just blow the doors off and feel the beauty of the intensity return, instead of the pressure of the technical efficiency.

Its never ok to throw technique to the wind. Its never ok to use technique as an excuse. Its never ok to trade the intensity you have, for the comfort of trying to be perfect. This week, throw your ass on the floor and be cured by burpees, then practice the shit you suck at off the clock. Technique is meant to make you more intense, not intensely technical.

Strength:

Good Morning

3,3,3,3,3

For Time:

10-Toe 2 Bar

20-BW Deadlifts

30-Sit-ups

40-Lunges

2 Rounds

Post weight moved and time to comments.

 Weekly Endurance WODs:  

WOD 1  

Rx: *3 x 800, 2 min rest
75/90/100 

Scaled: *5 x 200, 2 min rest
75/90/100/90/75

WOD 2

Rx: Hill Run, 9 min @ 80%

Scaled: Hill Run, 6 min @ 80%

(record distance)

Comments

[Connie D]

I actually did few burpees at work the other day when the chiropractor and my co-worker asked "what is a burpee?" and I know I have no technique!! I did what jb likes to call shitty burpees...but I did them anyway.

[Renee]

6:57

[holly]

175/7:55

[EJ Winslow]

burpees are my go to workout when I need a quick butt kicking w/o the thinking.

[vicki]

115/9:17m

[PJ]

115/9:28(m)

[angela]

115/10:23(M)

[Double Deez]

95#/11:06 (M)

[Mo]

7:45

[jen w]

95/9:51

[Franchize]

205/ 6:33

[Min]

155/7:59

[Min]

Oops, wishful thinking...135 gm

[Katie K]

10:39

[runmelrun]

No sense in posting my time, the only thing I did on the board was lunges. Everything else subbed other moves.

Thanks to Renee, Mo, and Chas for taking care of me though :) and good job to all the 5am ladies who are really coming along on T2B and heavy DLs!

[chastity]

Mitchell's right.
5am is Rock'n!! This class is all ENERGY. Love you guys.
It's a big class and I'll forget somebody if I try again. But everyone makes it awesome. Big shout out though to Teri Gulker...
Teri used to have trouble, well not true she used to not be able to do sits. Then we went to the Med Ball for help then we went to anchors and the ball. I turned around this morning and Teri was doing all 60 sit ups unanchored and un-Med Ball!!!!! I said, "when did start doing that?" She just shook her head with eyes big and said, "I don't know, I can just do it!!!" We both grinned huge! What an awesome journey and goals getting knocked down one at a time!!
Props to Alicia who's toe-to-bar are now toe-to-bar!!!;
Renee who's time was stellar! You killed it, Renee! And Debbie Alexander who did an unbroken 185 for 10's on the deadlifts. We know your strong Debbie, but DAAMMNNN!!!!
If anyone gets a chance Steph tweaked her back this morning and could use a shout out! Love you, Steph.
Ladies keep it come'n to the AM! You guys only get better and better.

[k]

Ah good. Guess that means my DL speed at REgionals was right on. ;)

DAMNit! If I could sit-up just a bit better, I'da had you Coebster. Amen for the ocassional BW day when it's good to be sm-all...small. 6mins

Cindy...with lunge commitment like that, I see "shit hot!" in your very near future. Don't get attached to those "true boobs", though (laughed my arse off...that term is gonna live on at pcf).

[Nikki jones]

Have to comment with the 5:00am crew....Love it!!! Thx for all the motivation & encouragement to & from everyone! Such a positive group!!!!!!

Today:
Gm- 95
9:46 (m) bw DL- 115lbs

[Lori]

95-GMorning
8:54-WOD

[Dana]

125# Good morning
9:42

[Mindy]

75#
9:44m (75lb dl and some t2b, some k2e)

[kara MIKOLAJEWSKI]

125# 3x good mornings
9:22 wod

[Mindy]

...and I almost forgot...Lauryn got her handstand pushup tonight...with the Ab mat, but no kip!!! Thanks Ryan! She is soooooo excited!

[Dave]

115# Good Mornings 3x
8:22

Fun wod.

[Scott]

115#/ 6:38