[Joshua is an Exercise Science student at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and is an Athletic Development Intern for Athletic Lab]

The slow lifts, the squat, the press, the deadlift, and the bench press, form the basis for any effective program that attempts to improve strength. And strength is very important. It is the difference between a very effective varsity athlete and a benchwarmer, an independent older person and a nursing home resident, a correctly utilized gym membership and a waste of money. (1) Strength is the ability to produce force, and it is possibly the most important component in athletics. It is dependent on muscle mass, on the nerves that make the muscles fire, and on the will that fires the nerves. Power depends on it, as does balance, coordination, speed, quickness, and endurance. Athletes will risk censure and suspension to get it; there are no steroids for improving technique. And once they have it, they are much harder to beat: all other things being equal, the stronger athlete will win. This will form the basis for our discussion today on strength and its influence on an individual’s performance as a CrossFit athlete.

“The ability to effectively design, organize, and implement training programs is an absolute requirement for success in all areas of exercise: performance, coaching, physical education, and rehabilitation. (2) As a certified personal trainer and nationally competitive powerlifter, I know a few things about strength, how to train for it, and its impact on performance. I’ve worked with a number of clients, athletes, and friends in the strength sports world who compete in bodybuilding and powerlifting over the years. The majority of individuals who begin a training program have very low levels of strength development. Some are average at best. This is partly due to the technological advances in our society but a large factor is the role of inactivity and laziness on the trainee. When discussing strength’s relationship to CrossFit, the same is true. Many people who join a CrossFit “Box” or affiliate have no barbell training experience. This is a serious issue and must be addressed before beginning a training program. Time should be spent learning the basic barbell lifts such as the back squat, the press, the deadlift, the bench press, and the power clean. Proper technique, form, mechanics and breathing (the use of the valsalva maneuver when appropriate) for these lifts should be emphasized prior to loading the individual with heavy resistances. If you can’t perform a proper deep squat with an empty bar on your back, there is no reason to load the individual at that time. These are foundational movement patterns that have transfer to many other activities and are used regularly in CrossFit programming. Properly performed, full range-of-motion barbell exercises are essentially the functional expression of human skeletal and muscular anatomy under a load. The exercise is controlled by and the result of each trainee’s particular movement patterns, minutely fine-tuned by each individual limb length, muscular attachment position, strength level, flexibility, and neuromuscular efficiency. (3)

So what does all of this talk about strength and CrossFit have to do with the average person? Before jumping head first into a CrossFit WOD (workout of the day), time should be spent learning basic lifts and movement patterns as stated above. After that has been accomplished, emphasis should be placed on strength development and getting strong. Why is this? There will come a certain point in a CrossFit athlete’s training history that strength will be the limiting factor to their improvement. For some individuals, this will be apparent very early on and for others not as quickly. Here is a quick example. If you are competing in a CrossFit competition that calls for a workout that includes a test of 1RM strength or even submaximal loading based on bodyweight on the back squat (i.e. the workout “Liza”), your strength will be the limiting factor. If my 1RM in the back squat is 300lbs and I weigh 200lbs, that is not very strong in absolute terms or in relative terms. This individual would be hindered in their performance of this workout. On the other side of the spectrum, if my 1RM in the back squat is 500lbs and I weigh 200lbs, this is a more favorable scenario. I have a much greater reserve and engine to draw from in training. For most CrossFit workouts, if not all, you are using submaximal loads for high repetitions (10 to 50). A certain level of conditioning is involved but absolute strength is the difference maker. If the workout calls for 33% of my 1RM in a specific lift, this will be very light. If this load is 85% of my 1RM in a specific lift, this will be very heavy and I will more than likely not perform well in this workout, fail, or get hurt at the very worst. Planning a program of weight training requires a clearly defined set of goals for the athlete. Once the goals are established, training must be relatively specific, meaning that the exercises and programming should pertain specifically to the sport. Training without planning is not much of a program, and if progress occurs, it will be in spite of the program rather than because of it. (2)

The benefits of improving strength for athletes in anaerobic sports are obvious, since force production is such an important aspect of these activities. Less obvious are the benefits of increasing strength in aerobic athletes, but it has been well documented that strength improves endurance performance by prolonging the time it takes before muscles fatigue. Strength improvement should be a goal for all trainees because it always contributes to performance. The squat, press, the deadlift, and the bench press have been used for decades by the strongest athletes on the planet. There is good reason for that. Any program that doesn’t use them is inferior to one that does, and an athlete that leaves them out of the program is doing less than possible for performance, and less than absolutely necessary to have the best strength possible. (1)

Please consider signing up for our new strength program that begins on Monday, February 10th at Athletic Lab. This program will be eight (8) weeks long. The focus will be on learning and training the basic barbell movements discussed in this article. If you don’t think strength has an effect on your CrossFit success, just take a brief look at the top placers in the CrossFit Games over the past five (5) years. They are getting stronger each and every year. The workouts are getting heavier each and every year. Get strong. Perform at a higher level. Become a more competitive CrossFit athlete. You won’t regret it. Physical strength is the most important thing in life. This is true whether we want it to be or not. As humanity has developed throughout history, physical strength has become less critical to our daily existence, but no less important to our lives. Our strength, more than any other thing we possess, still determines the quality and quantity of our time here in these bodies. A weak man is not as happy as that same man would be if he were strong. (3)

References:

  1. Rippetoe, M. (2007). Strong Enough Thoughts from Thirty Years of Barbell Training. Wichita Falls, TX: The Aasgaard Company.
  2. Rippetoe, M., & Kilgore, L. (2009). Practical Programming for Strength Training. (2nd ed.). Wichita Falls, TX: The Aasgaard Company.
  3. Rippetoe, M., & Kilgore, L. (2007). Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training. (2nd ed.). Wichita Falls, TX: The Aasgaard Company.