Most CrossFit workouts are in the 10-15 min range. They don't need to be 30-120 min sweat-fests. And there are plenty of great reasons why.1) Intensity - This is one of the pinnacles of CrossFit. Workouts done with functional movements at a high intensity. It's easy to keep the intensity level high when the workout is 3-10 minutes. But can you keep that same level of intensity for an hour? Nope. That's why a 400m sprint is a faster pace than a 10k. If the intensity isn't high, you're wasting your time.2) Aerobic AND anaerobic - Dr. Tabata, and many other studies, have shown that high intensity intermittent training (HIIT) improves cardio, muscle-building, body composition, speed, strength, power and agility. Aerobic training alone only improves aerobic capacity while burning muscle. So why not get some bang for your buck and get all the benefits from the short duration, high intensity workouts?3) Anabolic - It basically means to "build up", while catabolic means to "break down". The longer the workout, the more catabolic it becomes. The shorter CrossFit workouts, balanced with nutrition and rest, put your body in an anabolic state, letting you repair and build strength.4) Goals - If you want better health and fitness, short duration, high intensity workouts are it. If you are looking at getting more specific with your training, maybe a marathon or a triathlon, then playing around with the longer workouts may help. I'm not saying you should never do a long workout. You should dabble in a longer workout a couple times per month. But the majority of them should be kept to within the 10-15 min time domain.Skill of the Week - Pistols2:00/1:45/1:30/1:15/1:00 min of Thrusters (95/65#)With same times for rest between rounds.[caption id="attachment_6316" align="alignnone" width="300" caption="What a transformation!"]
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