When you consider your “goal” for a CrossFit workout, what comes to mind? Is it to lift the most weight every time? Not necessarily. Is it to go as fast as you possibly can the entire time? Not always. Is it to RX every workout at the expense of form and time? It shouldn’t be. When we look at our goal for a workout, we have to talk about the stimulus in CrossFit.
Let’s consider the stimulus as the intended output and response your body will experience throughout the course of a workout. Every CrossFit WOD has a designated stimulus in order to mold us into an all around athlete. To give you an example: running 5 miles every day will expose your body to a stimulus. But running 10 100-meter sprints every day will effect your body in a different way. Mix each of those running days in consistently and you will challenge your body in a way you never have before.
So as we walk into a gym, we want to change our mindset from “I need to lift the heaviest” or “I need to do this as fast as I can,” and instead ask ourselves, “What is the intended stimulus of this workout, and do I need to scale/modify the movements in order to achieve the stimulus?”
To make things easier, during class pay attention to the intended stimulus. We will try and break it into four 1-word categories. These labels will let you know exactly what is intended for the workout when you get ready for the workout.
The four CrossFit stimulus categories are: Sprint, Threshold, Pacer, and Grinder.
Sprint
In a Sprint stimulus workout, think of the CrossFit benchmark WOD “Fran”: 21-15-9 Thrusters and Pull-ups. These workouts are typically done in 2-8 minutes and we are working at roughly a 90% intensity the entire time. We are quite literally “out running the workout,” so there is very minimal (if any) rest time throughout the workout. This is FULL SEND.
Threshold
In a Threshold stimulus workout, think of the benchmark WOD “Helen”: 3 Rounds of 400m Run, 21 Kettlebell Swings, and 12 Pull-ups. We will typically be working out for 7-14 minutes, and the goal is to find the zone where we can move as fast as we can without slowing down. A Threshold workout is just long enough that we cannot sprint; if we do we will “red line” too early, and fizzle out towards the end. Instead, we will move consistently at our highest intensity.
Pacer
In the Pacer stimulus workout, consider the benchmark WOD “Kelly”: 5 Rounds of 400m Run, 30 Box Jumps, and 30 Wall Balls. A Pacer stimulus involves a longer workout, typically 15-25 minutes, and requires a specific strategy to approach the workout. We have to ask ourselves, “How can I can best spread my efforts across these movements?” “How can I pace myself?” “Where can I afford to increase intensity, and where do I have to pull back?” If we go full send, we will burn out. The goal for a Pacer workout is to just keep moving at whatever pace we need to… but keep moving!
Grinder
In a Grinder stimulus workout, check out the benchmark WOD “Linda”: 10-1 Reps of Deadlift, Bench Press, and Cleans. It’s all in the name, baby. This is a grind! Our emphasis is much more on feel, rather than time. Another example is “12 days of CrossFit”. We work at a much slower, methodical pace… more or less pounding our way through the workout. Most workouts we focus on pacing our conditioning; in a Grinder, we are pacing our conditioning. We will be tested physically in our ability to keep moving, but more so mentally in our ability to not stop until the job is done. These are usually 25+ min long.
We encourage you to check out which stimulus is intended for the WOD, and set your intention with your effort and goal. Remember: CrossFit is not about RX’ing every workout… it is about staying within the intended stimulus of the workout. Over time, you find yourself starting to hit that “RX button” more and more. But more importantly, you will notice a difference in your strength, conditioning, and your body and mind!