1,1,1,1,1 WODs in Crossfit: your thoughts?

[b33k4y]

Not sure if I am missing something, but Crossfit definitely does NOT incorporate enough barbell squats into their program. Then, out of the blue they call for heavy days where you do 5 singles, 7 singles, or what have you.

I am not sure if much is accomplished on these days unless the person doing the workout has an extensive lifting background. I also remember you saying that people have no business testing for singles unless they have a good idea of what a heavy triple should be. Wouldn't people benefit from doing multiple sets of fives instead? Or maybe triples?

[Mark Rippetoe]

Yes, people would benefit from more preparation and less testing as a general rule.

[flyinlow]

Crossfit main page WOD's are for the "elite" athletes. You should scale, and on these 1,1,1,1,1 type days it is perfectly ok to work technique (maybe 5x5 upping the weight each time and focusing on form).

Everyone wants to be spoon fed. Sometimes it's alright to take responsibility for what you do and how you do it.

[Mark Rippetoe]

As I have said here many times. But in his defense, most people will not interpret 7 singles as a workout that can be scaled to 5 x 5.

[Brad Davis]

...it is perfectly ok to work technique (maybe 5x5 upping the weight each time and focusing on form).
...
Toward what purpose? Being better at back squats for when they come up again in 3 weeks? What then? Scale again?

I'm not hostile to CF--they've done such a huge amount toward gettiing people do do REAL training instead of globo-gym junk--but I don't understand quite a few issues like this. Yeah, I've spent a lot of time reading what they say about it.

[b33k4y]

It has nothing to do with working technique and everything to do about volume. Why would a program that specializes in not specializing ask for single rep testing when speed or volume work could be done? How many people will actually benefit from a workout consisting of 5 singles in one lift? I enjoy Crossfit and am not trying to stir the pot. I just find that their strength end of the spectrum feels thrown in and neglected, although I suppose that's why CFFB and CFSB exist.

[Dave M]

It has nothing to do with working technique and everything to do about volume. Why would a program that specializes in not specializing ask for single rep testing when speed or volume work could be done? How many people will actually benefit from a workout consisting of 5 singles in one lift? I enjoy Crossfit and am not trying to stir the pot. I just find that their strength end of the spectrum feels thrown in and neglected, although I suppose that's why CFFB and CFSB exist.

I do supplementary barbell lifts (thanks Rip for all of the great material there. Don't know where my squats would be without you) on top of typical CrossFit workouts to get stronger and agree that the main page strength programming will not make most people very strong very quickly but when the program is designed to prepare people for unknowable physical tasks I can think of at least two reason, apart from potential strength gain, for the somewhat random strength days:

1) To learn what it feels like to push as hard as you can. I can think of many situations where this knowledge will come in handy.
2) As a diagnostic tool to see if you DO need to do more strength work.