Having set weights in training has never really made any sense to me when we do every other movement in CrossFit, from the gymnastics to the mono structural movements on a level playing field.
The pull-up range is the same, the box height for box jumps is 24inch and the 400m is the same for each athlete. But what seems to vary greatly is the percentage of a 1rm athletes are lifting in workouts when the weight is set at, lets say 40kg. e.g For Athlete A who has a 1rm Thruster of 100kg the set weight is 40% of their 1rm. Athlete B has a 1rm thruster of 80kg so the percentage of their 1rm is 50%. Let's use a 21-15-9 of thrusters at 40kg & 400m Run workout as an example of who has a greater stress and why. Athlete A lifts 40% of their 1rm and B lifts 50%. Athlete B has a greater stress then A as his weight is a greater percentage of his 1rm. Now i know there are plenty of variables, bodyweight being one of them. But hear me out.
As a programmer, having set weights doesn't allow me to analyse the movements on or off the barbell accurately enough. In the example given, if i program the thruster at 45% of their 1rm then Athlete A works with 45kg and athlete B works with 36kg. I now have them on a level playing field and can analyse their workout more accurately.
As a programmer i can manage my athletes fatigued better programming percentages throughout the year also.
Another benefit of programming percentage work is there is no need to scale the workout from beginner to advanced.
So for 9 months of the year barbell lifts in workouts will be programmed as a percentage of your 1rm.
The last 3 months before & during the opens we will handle weights most likely to pop up in the opens workouts.
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