If you've been around CrossFit for any length of time, you're bound to hear someone talking about intensity. What do we really mean though? How much yelling you do during a WOD? How big of a sweat-angel you leave? Wicked amounts of stabbing pain?

Nope. What we're really talking about is your power output:

Power = work / time.

Question: Is the highest power output gained by you crushing yourself and doing the WOD rx'd or is scaling a better option? If so, when? How can you tell?

On another note -- this classic calculation is only good for when work is involved, which means we can only figure power for lifts, pull-ups and the like. When you kick your butt in a run -- this does not work.

So - how can you figure it without that vertical component required for "work" to be accomplished? Well...

• Velocity = Distance ÷ Time
• Acceleration = Velocity ÷ Time
• Force = Weight × Acceleration
• Power = Force × Velocity

OR

• Power = Weight × Distance² ÷ Time³
  

p is in watts. Weight is your weight or the weight of the runner / test subject.

It's not super precise -- but can give you a pretty good indication of things.

Geek Out with your sprint times from Sunday. Physics and math peeps -- feel free to go all XKCD.