Strength vs Fitness
From the beginning, we have always believed in and prioritized strength work. We still do, but our workout whiteboard used to only display one option.
You would only see “Strength” written across the top of our whiteboard. On squat day, everybody would focus on squats and on deadlift day, everybody would focus on heavier deadlifts.
Until one day, I noticed somebody YAWN in between sets as they were resting for their next set. I couldn’t believe it…. I couldn’t believe somebody was not as interested and totally excited to lift heavy weight as I was. It was a foreign concept for my meathead brain.
That was the day “Fitness” was born. The fitness section has the same strength element and is usually followed by cardio, serious core work, and nonstop moving. This may have been the best programming decision we ever made. Fitness is awesome and a lot of athletes value it. Some folks go back and forth between Strength and Fitness, while others commit long term to one of them. After the warmup wraps up, athletes choose which one they want to do. As our athletes know, the strength and fitness run at the same time.
One is not better than the other. You must do what is best for your individual situation and goals. I have to give a shoutout to Mel because she gained 3% bone density from religiously doing the fitness three times a week – OUTSTANDING. So the choice is yours and we can help you make that choice if needed.
(great place to drop a Goal Review link 🙂 – if you ever need to sit down and make a plan, set up your goal review)
ANYWAYS…
When you see the Fitness section written on the whiteboard, it is usually easy to understand. This is not the case for the Strength. The question of how to approach the strength always comes up. So I hope you find this helpful…
How to do the “Strength”
Let’s take the squat for example. Here is was the board may look like:
Strength: Back Squats
3×5 @ 80%
Whenever you see percentages, it is usually based off of your one rep max (1RM). A 1RM is the heaviest single rep that you can perform in any given lift. So if my 1RM squat is 100lbs, then I will perform 5 reps at 80lbs and I will do 3 total sets.
If you have been a CFB athlete for under 6 months, you most likely will have NOT done a 1RM before. We would never recommend a newer athlete even attempt a 1RM – it’s simply not smart.
Coming across percentages as a new athlete, doesn’t mean much. Percentages will mean a lot more once you have some data you can look back on. This is why we recommend logging your numbers!
So what do I do?
As a newer athlete to the Strength section, here is what you do:
Because you don’t yet know your percentages, you will establish a heavy set of 5. Follow this recipe to success:
- Complete 5 squats with the bar.
- Add weight to the bar – 5-10lbs at a time or ask the Coach.
- Rest 2 minutes.
- Repeat steps 1-3 until the set of 5 is challenging.
You will follow this process for the duration of the strength session – usually 12-16 minutes – or until you have established a heavy set of 5. If you follow the 2 minute rest rule, you will need every minute of the session.
As long as you maintain proper technique, you will be safe and have the green light to continue adding weight. Sometimes we will suggest that you pull weight off the bar or stay at a certain weight for practice. If you are unsure, please consult with the coach.
Example 2
Strength: Squats
1×5 @ 75%
1×3 @ 85%
1×1 @ 95%
In this example you have different percentages AND reps. I would suggest that you pick the middle set and build up to a heavy set of 3 – always using the same approach:
- Complete 3 squats with the bar.
- Add weight to the bar – 5-10lbs at a time or ask the Coach.
- Rest 2 minutes.
- Repeat steps 1-3 until the set of 3 is challenging.
Here, I would advise against picking the set of 1 because, in the beginning, more practice reps is always better. Going heavy is good, except when you don’t have your form dialed in.
Rules to remember
- Technique over intensity – if your technique is not 100%, we CAN’T recommend you increases in weight.
- Strength requires rest – to perform each set well, you must rest 90-120 seconds after each set.
- Log your results – we need to collect data so we can understand how hard to push.
- When in doubt, always ask the coach. We are here to help.
After utilizing those 3 steps above for a couple months, you will have a much better understanding of what you can actually lift. If you consistently build up to an honest, heavy set of 3 to 5 reps, over time we will be able to accurately estimate your 1RM. And BOOM, the percentages will start to make sense.
Hope this helps.
-Liam
