Some Thoughts on Work Capacity

Work Capacity versus movement.

At our movement camp in Israel Ido gave a short lecture on the differences between work capacity and movement. Work capacity is a popular CrossFit term and it is used to judge how "fit" you are. If you are capable of more work than the person beside you then you are 'fitter' than he or she is. In some moments, I really like the work capacity model but when it comes to movement and movement complexity it is misleading to conceive of fitness in such a narrow manner.

Let me give you an example, I know many folks that can kick my butt at Fran, but does that mean they are fitter than me? Suppleness of the spine is so important (hence all of our work on rotations into low bridges, bridge push-ups, wall bridges), as is wrist strength and general straight arm scapular strength. The number one priority should be to move with ease and not be encumbered by pain. The second priority should be movement complexity. A quick example would be the muscle up. Why do 30 muscle ups for time, with kips so big the athlete is practically in the next room, when that athlete could take the time to learn static muscle-ups or Bulgarian muscle-ups? Progressing to a more complex level has more neurological and strength benefits than simply increasing the volume of the same old movement.

Handbalancing or handstands, rotations and twisting of the spine, wrist mobility and strength, etc. This is really not a very remarkable list - any child can do the above movements and without the self-reflexivity! But, when adults take up movement complexity, that self-reflexivity becomes quite important, mostly because the adult quickly realizes how limited he or she is with their movement options.

By focusing on movement as well as work capacity, we have many, many more movement choices available to us. Fitness is so much more than breathing heavily and lifting big weights. Don't get me wrong, strength and cardiovascular respiratory health are extremely important, but mobility and stability are the building blocks of physical movement.