What’s the new training focus?
As The 2023 CrossFit Open draws to a close, I know you are all extremely disappointed! You may wonder what is next? Where are we going with our training over the coming months?
Commencing on Monday 6th March, we will be entering 8 weeks of a strength focus, based on The Conjugate Method. Each week will include a maximal effort squat variation and maximal effort press variation. This means that it is not an attempt to hit a new PB every session, it means that during every session you will achieve a maximal effort single rep for that day. The sessions will also include supplementary work that develops single limb (leg/arm strength) – working with dumbbells, kettlebells, single leg or arm movements.
Alongside these days, The Conjugate Method also calls for dynamic days. These days will be our Olympic lifting days, where we will place limits on the intensity so that the efforts remain on moving the weight as fast as possible with good form. Remember what Greg says – “Fast and sh!t is still sh!t…”. As well as our usual Met.Con.’s that are included on Thursdays, so do not worry, these will make sure that your conditioning does not drop, and you feel recovered enough to hit the maximal effort days hard.
Our additional programming will still be running as well. On Tuesdays our Competition track will include a 40-minute EMOM, which are fantastic at testing individual skills under a little bit of fatigue while learning how to manage your heart rate over a longer time domain.
Alongside this, our Engine Track will feature two progressive pieces on the Row Erg and the Echo Bike. If either of these machines are your nemesis then I would suggest carving out 30 minutes once a week to hit one of these, especially if you are someone who would cherry pick a day without ergs in the WOD. Not that any of our members would do that!
Alternatively, if you like the look of our 40-minute EMOM but don’t have the time, then the Engine track also has a 20-minute EMOM for you to get your teeth stuck into. These are awesome to tag onto a weightlifting session or strength day as they will improve your aerobic capacity without leaving your body feeling fried for your session the following day.
Why are we focussing on strength now?
As the next 8 weeks or so are a little quieter on the competition front it is an excellent time for us to focus on building our strength. Competitions are fantastic but can sometimes play a little bit of havoc with our training schedule. Between the emotional rollercoaster that both qualifiers and competition brings, as well as how physically demanding they can be on your body, very often you are not fully recovered to make the most of a strength cycle which requires you to progressively overload a movement pattern in order to increase strength.
This means that after 8 weeks we can start to pick back up with a little more conditioning as everybody’s favourite same sex pairs comp, Battle for the Midlands returns in August.
What you should focus on.
You might find that hitting this strength cycle your hunger may increase slightly. This is completely normal, so make sure you listen to your body and fuel it appropriately. Keep your protein intake nice and high (2g per kg bodyweight) as well as plenty of good quality carbohydrates, a high intake of fruits and vegetables and adequate hydration.
If you have any questions or want to know any more about training or recovery through this cycle, don’t hesitate to ask any questions.
Happy training!
Jamie