On Monday, our GPP classes took on a benchmark workout, “Angie.” The workout, which calls for 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 squats to be completed for time, looks like a real cardio-heavy gasser. It is 400 reps, after all. The funny thing is, I had multiple students remark to me after completing Angie that they never really felt like their lungs or heart were a limiter -- it didn’t even feel like a major “cardio” workout after all.

Here’s the thing: two people can complete the same workout and experience two very different stimuli. The average time for the students completing “Angie” on Monday was a little under 30 minutes. With the exception of an athlete with relatively low cardiovascular fitness, for most of our students, it is a test of muscular endurance much more than cardiovascular endurance. Chris Spealler on the other hand, a high level CrossFit Games athlete known for his prowess in bodyweight workouts, has completed the workout in just over 10 minutes. For Chris, while this workout certainly does test his muscular endurance, it likely also taps into his cardiovascular system in a considerable way. Completing 400 reps in the span of 10 minutes is a much different stimulus than completing 400 reps in the span of 20, 30, or 40 minutes.

This is just one example of the fact that the “workout” that you see is just a medium, not the true substance. What we are really after is the stimulus, and this is where we call upon the artful manipulation of a prescribed set of exercises and number of reps or amount of time. For you and me and anyone else in the room, the same sets, reps, and exercises could yield very different responses, and this is why coaching, not workouts, is our business. The workout is free. It’s posted online every day for the world to read and do what they will with it. Our results come from how we engage with a workout, not 100 reps of this or that.

- PS

5/15/18

• 5 rounds

• In 2 mins, complete:

• 6 squat clean & jerks (185/125)

• Max cal row

• Rest 2 mins