Intensity And Form: When To Draw The [Fine] Line While Continuing To PR

"My deads and push-ups were STUPID ugly but I KILLED my last PR!"

We all love the "for time" aspect of CrossFit: it gets us fit, it makes for a more challenging and fun workout, and the convenience factor is great. I mean, who wouldn't want to be in and out of the gym within as little as half an hour?

When your trainer belts out the word "Time!" the first thing you want to do is run over and see how you did; you want to know if you beat your previous time or added on to it - and you obviously hope for the former. But what we all need to know and understand is that time, aka your level of intensity, shouldn't outweigh technique and form. There needs to be a balance: technique and form get the first class ticket.

There was nothing more rewarding for me than seeing those extra few seconds shaved off of a workout, because that meant I was closer to getting that "sub" number that all of us CrossFitters strive for. But for some of my workouts, as well as for many other peoples', I'd sometimes forget to focus on the other two factors. The fact was I knew that my form sucked, and I knew that Eric and Mark knew: they wouldn't count my reps unless I was "chin over bar." Jerks! But it all makes sense to me now. I realize that that extra few inches on each rep meant a HELL of a lot more work for me, and those inches of work sure do add up.

Now that I had form covered, and my reps were looking a lot better, I began to lack intensity. On a workout like Grace, I was focusing way too much on making my reps look 'pretty' as opposed to just ripping the hell out of the reps while, of course, maintaining decent form. I would get yelled at - and sometimes still do - to go faster and to just throw the weight down after locking out. This is an area of weakness I am currently working on, especially because I want to qualify for the '09 games.

Finding a balance is the key. Focus enough on technique so that you are efficient in your workouts, and focus on form, but not so much to the point where your intensity goes down. It may be difficult to find that balance at first, much like how it is difficult at first to stick with your diet, but eventually you will find that sweet spot and there will be no stopping you. Time is definitely an important factor when it comes to CrossFit training, but not to the point where it is the only factor you are concerned with while training. Your focus must be on time, and technique, and form.

Here is a great article that Doug Chapman, HyperFit USA affiliate owner, wrote and so cleverly titled, "Clock Whores." I'm sure you will all enjoy this read!