CrossFit Programming

We hear it all the time… “The WODs aren’t long enough lately.” “There are too many team WODs.” “We haven’t back squatted in weeks.” “We back squat every week!” “Where did all the bench pressing come from lately?”

In reality, we do our best to cover the bases given equipment, weather and strata of movements that we need to work on. What happens more often than not, is that members and guests that do not come regularly, sometimes hit on “common themes”, or they miss others all together.

So what are we actually aiming for? That answer to that is really quite simple. “Constantly Varied, High Intensity, Functional Movement.” (Wow Todd, that was an original statement! Don’t they print that on the Level 1 certification shirts?)

The point is, the individual work is important, but also important are several things you might not consider

  • you are regularly coming in and working, and that alone puts you miles ahead of the general population
  • you are being coached on techniques that will help ensure your safety
  • you are supporting the sustainment of your muscle mass and not getting soft
  • you are increasing your cardio respiratory endurance
  • you are living a healthy lifestyle and receiving its many benefits
  • you are releasing endorphins that promote brain health
  • you are demonstrating self discipline in at least this area of your life
  • you are interacting with others on a relatively social level
  • need I go on?

Programming will vary over time (macro level), and on a micro level, it will vary rather dramatically day-to-day, but you don’t always see it as much with a 2x or 3x/week membership in the short term. Hang in there and hang around. Get a few of the girls under your belt (the named WOD girls), evaluate your performance and feel the satisfaction of your measurable progress.

What are we trying to hit for you with programming? Basically, there are 3 modal domains that we must cover:

  • Mono-structural
  • Gymnastic
  • Weightlifting or weighted movement

The three most basic examples of mono-structural movement include cycling, rowing and running.  Examples of gymnastics movements include Pull-ups, Push-ups, Sit-ups, Lunges, and so forth.  And of course Weightlifting includes anything that we do “under load”.

Each of these is important, and depending upon the day in the programming cycle, you may see one, two or all three of these present.

I’ve yet to see a person leave class and say, “that was way too easy”, even on a day when they came in saying, “today looks really easy”!

Work hard, play hard, enjoy life, and enjoy your CrossFit community and the physical benefits associated. Don’t get too hung up on the programming for any given day.