Monday
WOD:
For time:
1 Mile Run
50 Overhead Squats (45lbs)
50 Pull Ups
50 Push Ups
50 Sit Ups
Run 1 Mile
Post time to comments.
This Week: MetCon Mania
What is MetCon? I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the phrase “Where’s the cardio?” or “I think I’ll do legs today, followed by a little cardio.” My favorite is “I’ll get in the “target zone” for about 20-30 minutes” referring to heart beats per minute for a time of 20-30 minutes for a good enough fat burn and cardiovasular/cardiorespiratory workout.
The body uses three metabolic pathways to transport energy. Two are Anaerobic (without oxygen) and one is aerobic (with oxygen). I’m not going to sit here and give you a class on exercise physiology or the krebs citric acid cycle. That’s boring. The only thing you need to know is that you are recieving better cardio benefits from a CrossFit workout then you would stepping off on a 3-4 mile 25 minute run.
The heart rate average is the same as that 25 minute run however, you are primarily using your glycolitic or “lactic acid” pathway during most “MetCon” WODs. This means the body is using that stored glycogen in your muscles and liver for energy. The bi-product of this pathway, due to insufficient oxygen uptake, is lactic acid. This acid, regardless of what you may have heard, is to fuel your push for those extra reps. We’ll leave that class for another day. Just know that with the CrossFit WOD you’re getting the cardiovascular endurance needed plus gains in musular strength and muscular endurance.
The fact that most CrossFit WODs are rounds for time, or as many rounds in 20 give you that cardio benefit because you are continuously working until it’s done. Not only working, but working at high intensity. High intensity = high heart rate. A high heart rate sustained for a long period of time = a favorable cardiovasular/respiratory adaptation.
“Just as it is not good to eat too much honey, it is not good for people to think about all the honors they deserve.” ~Proverbs 25:27
