Many athletes focus solely on increasing their one-rep max (1RM) strength, hoping that using lower percentages of their max will improve their performance in workouts. While getting stronger is crucial, strength endurance is a distinct physical quality that often becomes a bottleneck in CrossFit. This often leads to underperformance if not specifically addressed in training.

KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED

What is Strength Endurance? Strength endurance involves performing submaximal percentages of your maximal strength expression for a high number of reps or densely packed repetitions under fatigue. It’s more complex than simply combining strength and endurance adaptations. When you combine heavy, dense sets, your rate pressure product (a combination of heart rate and blood pressure) increases, causing your body to throttle down to conserve energy. Training strength endurance specifically helps your heart become stronger against high blood pressure and lowers the adrenaline response from heavy lifting, allowing you to perform better under fatigue.

Why is it Important? Strength endurance is constantly tested in CrossFit, requiring athletes to move weight repeatedly while tired. Workouts often involve increasing weights and reps, like the 2014 Open’s 14.3 test. While top athletes may not hit their strength endurance threshold in these workouts due to their immense pure strength, elite athletes, RX+ athletes, and class members will increasingly encounter this bottleneck as the weights become a higher percentage of their 1RM. This heavy lifting under fatigue at high percentages of your max is what makes these workouts so challenging and can leave you “crushed”.

Assessment and Training
To improve, you need to assess where your strength endurance stands. The Training Think Tank’s “Persist” cycle prioritizes strength endurance. They use a comprehensive set of tests, including:

• 20 cleans for time at 75% of 1RM 
• 20 snatches for time at 75% of 1RM 
• Linda (fixed loading test)
• Strength Gauntlet (legless rope climbs, handstand push-ups, deadlifts, front squats)

This data helps identify individual bottlenecks and prioritize training.

Progressive Training Models
Instead of constant variation, structured progressions are key. Three general progressive models can be used:

1. Intensity Progression: Gradually increase the percentage of your 1RM while performing reps.
2. Density Progression: Reduce rest time between sets while maintaining the same work volume, making the work more dense.
3. Volume Progression: Increase the total number of reps performed, focusing more on the endurance side.

By creating progressive training models that target specific adaptations within strength endurance, athletes can overcome their limitations and perform better when these challenging workouts appear.