PROGRAMMING OCT 20-NOV 22, 2014
Monday will see us beginning our next cycle of programming, as another deload week comes to a close. This cycle will last five weeks, and it will culminate in a CrossFit Total!
Wait a second, what's a CrossFit Total? It's pretty simple actually. You'll be maxing your back squat, your deadlift, and your strict press, all in one day. We'll post more info as the event nears, but the basic format will be several 1.5 hour heats on Saturday, 11/22. You'll come in and do some movement prep, like you normally do. Then you'll have some time to warm up your back squat, then you'll take 3 attempts at a max back squat. You will then head to the deadlift station where you will warm up your deadlift, then take 3 attempts at a max. Lastly, you'll head to the press station to (you guessed it) warm up your press and take 3 attempts at a max. You will take your best completed rep at each and add them all together to get your Total. So, let's say you squat 200, deadlift 300, and press 100. Add those all together to get a total of 600 pounds! It's going to be an all-day affair involving food and beverages as well, so mark your calendars now and plan on sticking around or coming early to cheer on the other heats. Again, more info about heat times and how to sign up will be communicated closer to the date.
All of that to say, this next cycle will be a bit strength-biased. There will of course be conditioning every day as well, but our focus is going to be on getting as strong as possible heading into the holidays. We will back squat, deadlift, and press every week, but the days will rotate so that you aren't forced to constantly miss a movement if, say, you can't come in on Mondays. You can expect more attention from coaches during strength work - we'll be watching each rep, with only one lifter working at a time. This will ensure that we can help you make educated weight jumps and also that you're getting adequate rest time between sets. If you don't normally write down your workouts, now is a great time to start doing so. Pay attention to your weight jumps and what you prefer. Some will like a few big jumps so that they get to their tougher attempts feeling fresh. Some will need lots of warm up sets with smaller jumps. Try to get a feel for where you sit on that spectrum in the coming weeks. When I first started CrossFit, I learned a ton from my coaches. I also learned just as much, if not more, by watching other people in my classes lift and eavesdropping on what coaches had to say to them. Be a student. Ask questions. Get strong.
The individual weeks will also have slightly different overall focuses (foci?). The first week will be an introduction to the movements, getting used to the new format and all that good stuff. In addition to the 3 big movements (squat, deadlift, press), there will be a few other things featured heavily this cycle, including handstand work, pull-up strength, and the occasional Olympic lift (snatch, clean, clean & jerk). Volume will be high, loading will be relatively low. Focus on quality reps this week and creating really good muscle memory. Week two will be less reps, but heavier weights for strength work. Conditioning volume will increase. This will allow you to add some intensity in strength, while still getting plenty of volume at moderate weights through conditioning. Week three will be higher strength volume, lower conditioning volume to allow you to focus on power. This means you won't just be lifting heavy stuff, you'll be lifting heavy stuff FAST. Week four will be a tough, high volume week all around, but it will quickly be followed by a deload in week 5, which will culminate in the Total, on that Saturday!
This is a lot of info, but please ask questions as you digest it! Over the next 5 weeks, we'll talk more about nutrition, game-day nutrition, the importance of sleep, and all kinds of good stuff. I think we're gonna hit some big numbers on the 22nd and I'm excited to see what you guys can do!