Help your clients understand your programming

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The common misconception in the fitness world is that more is more. If you’ve been training any length of time, you know this is not the case and that there’s actually empirical evidence to back up this claim.

If you haven’t read this article from Joel Jamieson who is widely considered the foremost expert on all things conditioning and recovery, I highly recommend you read it first so know that this is not bullshit.

Here’s what you need to know if you’re an athlete at a CrossFit box:

1. Intensity on top of intensity does not equal results. Intensity is a piece of the puzzle and is as vital as any other aspects of our training. Too much of anything is a bad thing, and intensity is no different. To make this as non-technical as possible, there are a few things we need to be mindful of. Our athletes with lower training ages may not be capable of really tapping into the adaptations that occur with high-intensity workouts, simply because they don’t know how to push themselves yet while others run the risk of overtraining if they only perform high-intensity work. The benefits of high-intensity work are what CrossFit has really brought to the forefront, but if this is your only means of training, be prepared to run the risk of burnout.

2. Performing higher skill movements when fatigued will increase your risk of injury. This one is pretty straightforward. I’m not saying that you should never program these types of pieces, but keep in mind that athletes with lower training ages would benefit from alternative options until they develop proper motor patterns.

3. Volume does not equal results. Similar to intensity, and contrary to what you may see on Instagram, the human body is not designed to incur 100s of chest-to-bar pull-ups and 100s of reps of global movements on a day-to-day basis. On the other hand, performing single-joint movements at higher volumes is much less dangerous and quite beneficial. If your goals are to look better, improve your fitness all-around, and maybe beat your buddy in a few workouts, then all high-volume, all of the time is a recipe for injury. Just because Games athletes do it doesn’t mean it’s going to get you closer to your goals. Subscribing to training that gets you closer to your goals and keeps you healthy is the best training in my book.

4. General Physical Preparedness (GPP) work goes a long way. Loaded carries and sled pushes have a long list of benefits. Overall, EVERYONE needs more GPP – even Games athletes. The most noteworthy benefits are allowing us to train the body systemically with low external loading and almost zero risks of injury. These movements are low-skill so everyone, regardless of your experience, can get a great training session. Most of this work can double as high-resistance aerobic work as well. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather push a sled and carry some weight than run on the treadmill.

5. Benchmarks, hero workouts, and testers. These pieces are exactly that; testers and should be tested on a 12-16 weeks basis. That’s not saying we can’t have testers on a monthly basis, as we certainly can, but their nature should vary. I also firmly believe that some of our testers should not be dependent on one’s skill level. If we are truly testing to see if our conditioning has improved with higher skill workout, then we could receive a false negative, meaning did we improve because our conditioning is actually better, or are we just better at cycling the barbell? Of course, as movement patterns improve, you’ll see a bump in your lifts and conditioning pieces, but if you’re a seasoned athlete and you’re still hitting PRs, then something must be working for you. Your testers should vary, just like your programming.

6. Non-sexy work will make you sexier. It’s true single joint work might not be on the top of your list and you may not be thrilled to see when it’s posted in your gym’s programming, but improving muscular imbalance not to mention improving your body composition is done with these movements. You won’t see any bodybuilders or physique athletes not using single-joint work because it gets them closer to their goals. I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t want to have better arms or legs! =) In addition, single-joint work will train your body to handle higher-skill movements when fatigued and decrease your risk of injury by improving muscular imbalance.

7. Routine will keep you healthy. Taxing the same movement patterns and energy systems at random will be fun at first. Over time, it will wear off, and other issues will arise. Overtraining is a serious phenomenon and this type of programming will take you there. The only way you can have a balanced and logical approach is by having a plan or template, so if your box does this already, then be thankful they aren’t throwing darts against the wall to choose your programming.

8. Rest days get you closer to your goals. Listening to your body is key. Having a plan on how to approach your training is also important, but there are always times when you may have to go off course. Personally, I encourage the two on/one-off, two on/two off approach for experienced athletes. For beginner to intermediate athletes, it may be training 3x a week, every other day. I also recommend that every 16 weeks, athletes take an entire week off from training. This is something you’ll have to experiment with to find out what works best for you. Don’t fall into the trap of worrying you’ll lose your gainz if you take a rest day or a rest week.

9. Trust your data. Developing trust takes time. Your coaches process may not work for you, but one thing we will always have is data. If your lifts, conditioning pieces, CF Open scores/place, and body composition have improved, and you feel better then what else is there to say?

10. Recovery, recovery, recovery: The real gains happen outside the box and without being able to manage the stress of training and life you won’t reap the benefits of any programming. Remember, that going harder or training more does NOT guarantee results, but proper nutrition, sleep, and balance of high-intensity work do!

As an athlete, you may not understand the logic of your box’s programming, and that is okay. Trusting your progress, how you feel, and whether or not it “feels” like your coaches have a plan are better markers of great programming.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking is more is better or that how dead you are after a workout determines the success of your training sessions.

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