Power-Endurance

I was really unmotivated to workout today. The last two days I have not slept as well as I would have liked, I took the day off yesterday but I know that I need to hit it today.

Today was an IWT. Here is a description of an IWT and what it is, who it came from etc. from Gym Jones. "Developed by Pat O'Shea in 1969 and refined during the two following decades. A complete paper on the subject was published in the NSCA journal in 1987. Typically an IWT session involves a set of 8-12 reps of an "athletic lift" immediately chased with two minutes of free aerobic exercise @ 90-95% of capacity, followed by two minutes of rest. This is repeated for a total of three sets after which the athlete is rewarded with a 5-minute break. The first phase is repeated though the lift and the free exercise are changed. Recovery periods are the same. Phase three involves a circuit of complementary movements, often using bodyweight, with 4-12 reps and 3-10 rounds. IWT workouts may be scaled toward a particular fitness characteristic. For an endurance emphasis we increase the duration of the free exercise period to three minutes and reduce the rest period, all lifts are done with lighter loads and higher reps. To focus on power development we increase loads for the athletic lifts and reduce the reps, scale back the chasing aerobic exercise period (sometimes) and increase the rest periods to ensure "full" recovery."

I did the following:
12x Power Snatch @ 90#
2 min row at >550m pace
rest 2 min.
3x through
5 min rest
10x Front Squat @ 135#
2 min row @ >500m pace
rest 2 min.
3x through
rest 5 min.
8x pull ups (kipping)
8x ring dips
8x KTE
8x Ab Mat situps
60m Farmer Carry @ 2x 70#
rest 1 min.
3x through

The workout took me about 50 min total. I love/hate Pat O'Shea for creating these.

To make this a more mainstream CrossFit WOD, just take the rest periods out and done just 1 phase as fast as possible. Those might look more familiar to a CF guy. 12x power snatch, 550m row 3 rounds for time? The rest is important in my opinion because as Pat points out in his book Quantum Strength Fitness II, the rest allows for ATP to recover and 1. you can push harder the next round, you are starting a little more "fresh," and 2. I'm not sure you have to race the car every time you take it on the track if you know what I mean. The HR should return to below 110 before the next round and if it doesn't, Pat says the free exercise portion was too hard and pull back a touch. It seemed to work for him. He PR'd his all time lifts at 40 yrs old! Matching his performances from when he was in his 20s! That is someone I'd follow.