Programming, Important Please Read...

I am well aware that some of you are unhappy with the current programming, specifically tempo lifting and shorter WODs. This is no surprise, I know there are various factors at work. However, I would like to address this directly and discuss some things with you guys regarding programming...

As is plainly obvious we are growing as a gym and evolving. Constantly basically. Let me tell you it is overwhelming. We always do the very best we can given our current experience level and knowledge base to bring you guys the best coaching and programming possible. When we started the programming was very "main site" - that is to say totally random with no bias. Often times the WOD's ran over 30 minutes and they were just a hodgepodge of CrossFit workouts. This was a lot of fun and carried us (developed us) to a certain point. The development of strength biased programming in CF competitions and programming by individual affiliates, along with a pronounced lack of development in lifting in our gym (of course in a certain sense, we were brand new) led us to work in the alternating power and olympic lifting weeks into the schedule coupling those days with shorter, heavier WODs. There were folks who didn't like this change to the programming - no real interest in developing the Oly lifts or moving big loads. Those folks generally preferred all MetCons all the time. On the other hand, I know a reasonable # of people have witnessed significant gains in their lifts following this type of linear strength progression and I am glad. I count myself as one of those people. This is very satisfying. I will say that the Oly lifts are the most elusive in terms of our collective progress as a gym. That is no surprise either since they are basically their own discipline. They are very high skill and require a ton of work by themselves, so most of the folks at the gym don't make huge progress on the clean and jerk or the snatch. Which is one reason we started the Oly class, so that folks who would like to focus on really making progress with those lifts have a format in which to do so.

Basically this brings us to where we are now...

Which in many ways is an awesome place. So many of you have made huge progress and changes in your lives using the CrossFit method and for that I am truly happy. I don't want to take anything away from you in that regard.

As trainers though, we always need to be looking at the group as a whole and assessing what we see and asking how we can do better as coaches. When we looked around the gym we saw people plateuing in intensity, technique and strength. For instance, the 8 week programming cycle we are rolling out on Monday (more on this later) addresses specific deficiencies that we saw in the group as a whole. Many people have a lot of trouble with the overhead position, many people can't O-squat any significant loads even after training here for a year or more. Many folks don't know how to run effectively, not a put down, I mean literally don't know how. To address some of the strength plateaus we have introduced tempo lifting as a new stimulus - for your experimentation. So.....in an attempt to better serve you guys we have made some focus areas for the next 8 weeks: running skills, the overhead position and scapular strength and finishing with the introduction to tempo lifting with different tempos and rep schemes. Our contention is that no amount of doing 30 minute, 10 rounds of X,Y and Z everyday is going to help you with your running or your overhead squat. We have tried it already and we feel it needs some specific attention. Then when we come back to 10 rounds of X, Y and Z on any given day you can run and O-squat much better! Faster times! Less plodding on the run so fewer knee and IT issues. Anyone have those!?

Let's talk about the length of the workouts. Anyone see Jason do Fran? That's intensity. Do I want you guys absolutely destroyed and have to have your spouse feed you gatorade and carry you out at the end of each day? (stupid, sick performance though Jason, love ya man). Absolutely not. Do most of us at the gym even approach knowing what that intensity is like and the associated level of performance that comes with it? Generally not. Would any of you like to reach new levels of intensity in your workouts, see new personal bests in this realm? I hope some of you would. I would. Anyhow, that workout was under 4 minutes for Big J. We know from experience that if we program 30 minutes of X,Y and Z everyday everyone will continue to do what they do, what we all do. Slog through it at our present level of intensity, if you can use that word for a 30 minute WOD, high five at the end and go home and come in the next day and give the same performance in the same scheme. How about if we give you (2) 4 minutes WODS for max reps or rounds and ask you to bring everything you've got to those 4 minutes? How about if we prescribe a fixed rest period between lifts/rounds that you absolutely cannot deviate from? Did anyone experience anything different in those couple WODs? I hope so. If you tell me those 4 minutes are not "hard enough", I will ask you to get 175 reps instead of your 115 reps. Would that be hard? I will ask you for 6 rounds instead of 4 rounds inside that 4 minute interval.

I just want to convey our intention in experimenting with programming. It's to help you guys improve! Period. If you've been training for a year and you still don't have 1 MU do you really need to do Murph again? Been training here for a year and still don't have 5 or 10 kipping pull-ups? Are we being the best trainers we can be by giving you another 25 minute haul of box jumps and sit-ups? We have to ask ourselves this and act on our answers if we have any kind of conscience regarding our professional service to the members as a whole. I understand that a lot us have a hard time working on our weaknesses on our own time, but, that begs of us to address specific skills and deficiencies to some extent directly in the programming. That is our intention in employing some of these things.

However I do realize that a lot of you will regard this as "work", so we have no intention of taking away all of your playtime. I have tried to continue to work in the "hard" workouts, heroes, benchmarks etc. into the programming as well (getting a MU, and squat snatching any load is hard too, right? ;) Jeremy and I spent hours and hours (no exaggeration) on the new programming for the next two months. We put a lot of effort into addressing the skills and specific deficiencies but also including the fun stuff, more team WODs, some benchmarks and some death march WODs you guys have never done before.

So here is what I ask of you guys. Give the next 8 weeks a go. I promise the trainers will work hard to give you progress in the areas of focus. We put a lot of energy into this! I promise there is also fun stuff each week. At the end of the 8 weeks I am happy to have an open town hall type meeting to discuss how everyone thinks it went, if people felt they had any significant improvement in the focus areas etc. I have no doubt we can have fun and do intelligent programming at the same time. We have also added more open gyms to give you extra time slots to come in and do whatever you want! We'll add more! I think this time would be great for you guys to come in and work on things you suck at sometimes, but you can come in and do whatever WOD's you guys want as groups etc. This was specifically created for you for these reasons. I know some of you don't care to utilize open gym, but nevertheless it was something we could provide for you guys so we did. Also, we are looking at running a Sunday Hero/Benchmark WOD class every Sunday in the immediate future so you guys can come and get your CrossFit on.

I know not everyone is here for the same reasons. That is fine. Even if some of you just want to come in and do longer, CF MetCon workouts everyday - nothing more or less, that's fine! I understand the value in knowing what you want. It's nothing if it's not fun for you guys. We will continue to provide the venue for you to be able to do this. Maybe we end up creating both skills development classes and "Classic CrossFit Metcon" classes, and powerlifting classes, and Oly classes. Then you could choose whatever you want and you would know what your getting for the hour you show up. Want to work on getting better at something specific? Great, show up to the skills class and work on your weaknesses. Want to just get through a workout, high five and go home? Great, Classic CrossFit Metcon class.

We are simply trying to make this place the best we can for you guys all around. I promise not to forget about your happiness and enjoyment. I am acutely aware that there is no CF Littleton without all of you.

So just give us the next 8 weeks and then let's see where we are at OK?

That is all. I bid you good day. Thank you for taking the time to read this!

P.S. I was going to post some of my own workouts on the whiteboard so you guys can see that I am using these methods too, not just feeding it to you. My workout for yesterday is on the board in the gallery, lifting, tempo lift and short strength WOD. Don't know if this matters but for what it's worth...