I am a quarterfinal level athlete. The last 2 years I’ve been focusing on overall strength. I’m really confident in my numbers now comparative to other things . 230SN, 400BS 295cl 275C&J My weak links now are my gymnastics, endurance and overall capacity in both skills. At what point should I consider dabbling into semi final level wods for capacity? I am now considered the strong guy who “skips” endurance/wods. But I am promise I’m more than just a meat head . Little do they know before that I was weak and unfit!
This a little bit counterintuitive from what I’ve said in the past. “If you can’t commit to extra 30 minutes of recovery, don’t commit to 2 extra hours of training. I can always do open/quarterfinal programming faster/better”
For perspective
Last year open I got
23.1 - 6 RMU
23.3 - I barely finished all strict HSPU under the TC
I can use 23.3 as an example, I can easily snatch 185, but I’ll never see it unless I can crank out however many strict hspu.
@aindiachia No I knew this was coming. I guess strong relative to my gym. I just feel like I’ve left everything else on the back burner. I cut down on metcons and gymnastics to improve my weightlifting. I’m looking for reassurance I suppose. I can do just about every gymnastics movement, my capacity is just not there.
Last year open I got
23.1 - 6 RMU
23.3 - I barely finished all strict HSPU under the TC
I can use 23.3 as an example, I can easily snatch 185, but I’ll never see it unless I can crank out however many strict hspu.
@dukeofwa Your weak link is your strength. If you perceive that your gymnastics and cardio are weak compared to your strength, I hate to break it to you but you aren’t close to semis.
You need to get stronger and have that strength base, then add in gymnastics and cardio as the focus.
@dukeofwa Well there is nothing stopping anybody from doing semifinals level programming, no matter what capacity you have it its just a workout. Training to build capacity and skills is different than just doing an extra metcon or workout. Most elite or semi-finals level athletes are not good because they do more crossfit they work on specific skills and building capacity with specific movements. Think more so of doing intervals or EMOM's which push limits of building capacity through repetition and practice rather than doing a Metcon or racing. The purpose of a Metcon for time or reps is not necessarily to build capacity but to get a workout, Not saying you can't get better doing metcon's but it will only take you so far. A purposeful training or skill piece will help you much more than just doing a harder workout.
@dukeofwa Sounds like you are pretty good at a few things, pretty bad at a lot of other things. Take a sheet of paper and make two columns. Put all the things you are good at in the left column and all the things you suck at in the right column. Now try and get all the things from the right column into the left column. I'll bet you just need more practice and reps than you need some complicated "Semi's prep" program. If you are like most run of the mill "good" people at your gym, you probably just spend all time doing the stuff you are good at and ignoring the things you suck at, ie snatching 185 no problem but bombing strict handstand pushups. And yes, barely finishing the SHSPUs is bombing for Semi's athlete.
@dukeofwa Semis you need 275sn 335cj so get there first then look at increasing your capacity or whatever. You’ll be stronger so probably have more muscle endurance for gymnastics stuff which might help. Tbh 275cj isn’t even enough for quarters (workout 3 last year). Don’t want to be mean but just realistic. Most people who get to the top 15%ish percent in the open all of a sudden decide they need to do mayhem, prvn, hwpo, whatever it may be, but in reality you need to just get strong as fuck first.
The real question is: do you like doing CrossFit or do you want to be a competitive CrossFit athlete? If you want to be a competitive CrossFit athlete you need to stop doing CrossFit and lift for like 2-3 years. Get your back squat up to like 465-485 and keep your snatch at 63-65% of your 1rm back squat. It’s boring, slow moving, grueling work. If you like just doing CrossFit cause it’s fun, and you like doing metcons, keep doing class workouts. That’s the fun part. Being a competitor is fun when you’re semis level or upper level for big comps like WZA and TFX. But to get there you need big numbers, a lot of time to train, and you likely will make the journey alone. Decide which you want to do before just blindly following mayhem for 6 months and injuring yourself from overtraining.
@dukeofwa Your strength is still your weakness. I know the season goes quarters to semis but your typical quarters level athlete is still so far from being a semi’s level athlete it’s insane. Get that C&J up to about 350 and the snatch up to about 285 minimum and then your strength numbers will be good enough. That being said if you want to go get a coach then there’s no time like the present. Go get a coach and you’ll spend the next two years lifting like crazy. Before you start having actual elite numbers and start training for making a semifinal.
@dukeofwa I’d just focus on quarters for now. I know a handful of semifinal athletes and they mop the floor with me big time and my lifts are right at yours and my 24.1 time is within 7 seconds of yours. Thats what I’m doing at least, as it’s really not even close.
@chrishaun My point was that if I dabbled in a little semis programming, I’d have a larger capacity for quarter level workouts. Wasn’t really my intention to compete at semis.
. Little do they know before that I was weak and unfit!