The emphasis of this week is to push as hard as we can for shorter amounts of time instead of pacing through a workout. I was visiting other CrossFit sites and came across CrossFit A&M when something caught my eye. Matt of CrossFit A&M wrote of energy pathways that we humans use during workouts and their contribution to how hard we can exert. Here is the post from their website:

Courtesy of CrossFit A&M-

Work-Rest Interval

By Matt

"Of the three energy pathways our bodies use to fuel us, the first two function "without oxygen" or anaerobically. While training, it's easy to tell what pathway you are utilizing by taking note of your breathing rate. If you stop to rest during your workout and all of sudden you are breathing heavier, you are in an anaerobic pathway. You are in an aerobic pathway if your breathing rate decreases at the end of training. Pretty simple, right?
Well, it is easier said than done. Some sessions prescribe daunting workloads that wear on the mind and encourage a steady, one-after-the-other pace to get through it. That is NOT what I want from you. I want you to work harder and rest more. By that, I mean break up the task into "chunks"...visualizing the chunks before you get to 'em (like a plan) and performing at an intensity that keeps you anaerobic. In-between these work "chunks", take a couple DEEP breaths to replenish your oxygen deficit, then get back to it. Keeping yourself anaerobic will promote radical systemic adaptation that will transfer to all components of fitness. That's what we're doin' all this work for-- to be fit!"
_____________________________________________________

So as you can see, this is where we want you to work towards. Take the workout we did on Saturday for example (Helen), instead of pacing the 400 meters and being able to go right into the swings when you get done try sprinting all out as if though the 400 meters is the only thing you have to do then rest momentarily before you hit the swings. When swinging try and get as many perfect reps completed as possible in the shortest amount of time and then rest, take a couple of deep breaths and finish the reps. The same goes for pullups.

So to help you out and to encourage you to get out of your comfort zone in terms of how hard you push we are going to install rest times between rounds of the WOD's all this week. Your responsibility lies in giving me everything you got as though it is the only exercise you are going to do.

WOD
For time:
145 pound Thruster, 10 reps
rest 30 seconds
40 Pull-ups
rest rest 1 minute
400 meter run
rest 30 seconds
95 pound Thruster, 30 reps
rest 45 seconds
30 Pull-ups
rest 45 seconds
600 meter run
rest 45 seconds
45 pound Thruster, 50 reps
rest 1 minute
20 Pull-ups
rest 1 minute
800 meter run