Whiteboard - Wisdom of the Warrior - The Fighter Pilot's View

Tips, tricks, and tactics for OPTIMAL LIVING!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Whiteboard



Fighter pilots love whiteboards - maybe thats why its such a natural fit in Crossfit! Also a pic from Randall and Anne's wedding in CA!

Here is an excerpt from the Verve Website:

The Whiteboard

The whiteboard is a CrossFit staple. It's a way of keeping score, a way of recording PR's, it's a way of teaching, but best of all - it's a motivator. Achieving an Rx next to your name is no easy feat and should not be taken lightly. These workouts are programmed for very high level athletes in mind, so if you are able to complete a WOD as Rx'd, it's something to be proud of... every time.

Most often, we scale workouts so that the athlete can complete the workout with the right blend of intensity and proper mechanics. When we scale a workout, we'll often record how it was scaled - sometimes the weight is scaled, sometimes the reps, sometime even a movement will be substituted. This is not something to be ashamed of, as this is what we expect 90% of our athletes to do - scale the workout to achieve high power output.

Another point of motivation on the whiteboard is when we write something like "ROM" or "MOD". Sometimes when an athlete is mid-WOD, they have a hard time understanding cues such as, "Touch your chest to the ground" or "Crease of the hip below the knee". In this case, athletes receive a ROM, because their range of motion sucks. Sure the time might have been the fastest recorded for the day, but less work was completed.

One thing's for sure, it's motivating to see what others are capable of. The whiteboard is a record keeper and a story teller of what the human body is able to do. Sometimes things on the whiteboard seem impossible at first glance. What do you like to see on the whiteboard?

1 comment:

Holly said...

We're using beyondthewhiteboard.com which keeps track of all our results online and we have access from any computer. When the WOD is posted by our box it automatically brings up previous results for the MetCon or benchmark. On strength/barbell work it will show 1RM so proper starting weight can be calculated when the trainer sets the goal at "85% your 1RM", etc.

Yesterday we did "Kelly". I couldn't remember if I'd done it before but on the whiteboard there it was, back in January. I had also made a note "did 4 rounds & used 18 inch box". Now I'm doing it Rx and this gave me a target time in my head that helped push me (didn't quite make the sub 30 min, too many hesitations on the 22" tire jumps).

Whiteboard also shares to Facebook (if you desire) and my results have inspired a couple other people to workout (and one person joined her local CF Affiliate because of my results and enthusiasm). Those of us who workout together often leave positive feedback comments. I love the support of the CF community - it's making me a better athlete and a better person.

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