“More is not always better”– by Nate Dunfee

With the Progression community continuing to grow and thrive we’ve seen the number and variety of class hours grow. This is obviously a good thing as the additional class times provide more flexibility for everyone to get a workout in around their busy schedules and the variety keeps things from getting boring and repetitive. The one potential downfall is that it also makes it easier to fall into the “more is better” trap.

I’ve noticed a growing number of people doing back to back classes on a regular basis. The problem with more volume is that it almost always results in decreased intensity. I think one of the biggest draws of CrossFit for many of us when we started was the fact that we could get better results doing a 10 minute WOD than we had previously gotten by working out for 45 minutes or even an hour straight. But that statement only holds true if we are truly giving 100% effort during those 10 minutes. CrossFit is constantly varied, functional movements, performed at high intensity. The Progression programming takes care of the constantly varied and functional movements part, it’s on you to bring the intensity.

There have been a lot of killer WOD’s in the last couple weeks, not to mention the heat and humidity making things extra nasty. I know for myself, in those minutes after I finish a brutal workout, if I’ve really given it my all, it’s hard to make myself think about coming back and working out the next day, let alone working out again 10 minutes later. So if your goal is to get stronger, or lose weight, or get ready for a big race or competition and you feel like you’re not quite seeing the results you want. First look at your nutrition. I know my fitness has taken a hit since Regionals and it’s almost entirely due to relaxing on my nutrition. Second look at your recovery. Are you getting enough sleep? Are you drinking enough water? Are you working on mobility and rolling out sore muscles? Then and only then would I consider adding more volume to your week. But make sure you ask yourself this question first, and answer it honestly, would I be better served with another hour of moderate intensity effort, or would it truly be better to choose 1 of those 2 classes and leave it all out on the floor.