Just A Thought
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Great shot of Mallory, looking like she has all of her attention on her movement. Very important part of performance, attention.
Quick thought. One of the major overruling ideas in Crossit is the power output equation. The question the equation asks is how heavy was it (F), how far did it move (d) and how long did it take (t)? Movements that move large loads far distances quickly create a high power output. Intensity is proportional to power, increasing power increases intensity. Intensity is one of the main reasons Crossfit is where it is today, people love it. Take a chunk of work, 21-15-9 of thrusters and pull ups for example, the person who does it faster has a higher power output and also generates more intensity. The reason I bring that up is for this question. Take 35# dumbbells and do 15 lunges in three different ways. One way have them hanging by your side, the next try doing the lunges with a front rack position (as Mallory shows in the photo), and thirdly try the lunges with the dumbbells over your head. Each movement moved the same load the same distance at the same pace, but each one had a different position of the external object, creating a different biomechanical system where leverages are changed. Did one feel harder or could we say more intense? By the power output equation understood in crossfit, you would not be able to differentiate the power producing value in either of those movements (meaning you could not say one was more or less "intense"), but I'm sure you could tell me one was more challenging, maybe lending itself to a more favorable adaption? Compare the front rack lunge to the lunge where the weights are at your side. Probably more midline stability demand for the front rack lunge, and exponentially more for the overhead? Kinda see the idea here? If that made sense apply the same idea and compare a regular pull up to the L pull up. Just a thought.
Side note - this is purely for sake of discussion, it is in no way an attempt to discredit the legitimacy of the formula used in Crossfit to determine intensity, we use it every day and love it.
Workout:
