Programming...................

 I know there is a lot of questions that come along about programming so I thought I'd talk a little bit about how I go about programming the weekly WODs. Programming to some people can be like a religion but I take a much more flexible view to programming then I do to religion. For me, remaining flexible allows me freedom to be creative; if something better comes along, I'll switch things up and try it! I believe (and what I try to coach you guys) is that the more you fix yourself to one idea and one idea only, the more likely you are to reduce your ability to adapt and to get better. My programming has changed a lot in my 10 years of CrossFit and so it should. With that mindset, I keep my ear to the ground and am always looking at the changes and cool new things that other programs are doing, like from CrossFit HQ, Power Speed Endurance, Comp Training, SEALFit, Icon Athlete, CrossFit Linchpin, Catalyst Athletic's, Outlaw Way and bunch of other sites, that I can incorporate into what we do.


My goal is and always has been to make you as fit as possible in our 60 minute sessions. Along with that, I strive to build and awaken your mental toughness through exercise.

Think about it. Most people are super busy in their everyday lives and an hour is all they get to work out. How do I try to work with this timeframe to accomplish my goals as your coach and your goals as an athlete? By filling out my weekly programming with short, fast workouts (sprints of 10min and under), mid-length workouts (duration of 10-15min), longer workouts (20+ min chippers) and heavy days, we have a great prescription to cover most, if not all, of your bases.

Along with the type of workout, I also like to think about structure when it comes to programming WODs. I'm a huge believer in the classic CrossFit couplets (2 exercise workouts) and triplets (3 exercise workouts), along with the occasional chipper.  And while we're talking about structure, let's focus on the heavy days. This is one of the areas that I have changed recently. I used to program a heavy lift day in the Strength/Skill section of class, followed with a medium length WOD.   Along with finding there was a huge time crunch in being able to fit a heavy day with a medium length WOD in one hour, I also found people started to say "I'm not going to go real heavy on the (insert any exercise) today because we have this WOD after that looks tough". Or people would take their time and pace the workout because they were tired from the heavy lift we just did.

This became super apparent at the Level 2 seminar I attended over the summer. They talked about this same issue and it finally hit me over the head when the seminar staff used the term "DO LESS BETTER". Instead of people only being able to do two things at half effort, why not program so that they can do one thing at full effort, giving it everything they have? That's why now when I program heavy days, we spend most of class focusing on the lifting, with a very short finisher at the end of class.

Ok, on to movement choice. People often ask me how I choose what exercise or movement I incorporate into the programming on any given week. Since we have been on the subject of heavy days, let's talk about those. On heavy days, I choose the exercise based upon a variety of factors. If one week we did a heavy day that was an upper body pull (i.e. weighted pull-ups), the next week I might choose a lower body push (i.e. back squats). Another example may be if we do a straight, slow strength exercise one week, the next week we might do a power exercise. I like to keep in mind where we've been and where we're going week after week and continually build upon those movements.

When it comes to variety in movements, I now intentionally try to move all of the types of workouts around during the course of the week. For example, I used to be a big believer in doing certain lifts on certain days (remember Monday back squats?). My rational behind that was that I wanted to put the most beneficial exercises on the days when we had most people in the gym to work on them. If you've noticed, I don't do that anymore.  You could say that I've adapted and changed a bit (see how I tied that in there?). I decided to change this around because it's the nature of the beast that every athlete at our gym has a different schedule and certain people can only attend class on certain days. I didn't like the fact that if someone couldn't come to the gym on a Monday, for example, they were rarely getting a chance to focus in and work on their back squats. I want everyone to have the same chance to learn and grow at all the movements so now I really try to mix it up each week so that everyone can get a chance to work on various exercises.


I like to quote a line from a CrossFit Journal article from years ago that said, "There is no 'God of Programming'". This means that there is no perfect program and no perfect programmer (least of all me!). Programming is important but, in my opinion, will never be the most important. To me, coaching is king!

Do you ever wonder why coaches give away their programming for free or really cheap? Misfit, Comp training, Outlaw Way etc. all publish their programs for anyone to see. It's because the magic isn't in the programming. The programming is only responsible for a small piece of the success. Success comes from coaching. You can give anyone programming and they can do that programming but if you coach them to get better and to move efficiently, you can get more out of them and they can achieve more.  Only when you coach an athlete on improving their movement can their true potential be reached. For example, take a master chef and a new culinary student. Give these two people the same recipe, ingredients and cooking utensils and ask them both to cook a meal. I bet nine out of ten times the master chef's meal is better.  Why? Because he has more years of training and learning under more experienced chefs and it has allowed him to perfect his skills.

Now use exercise as the example. Give two different athletes of the same ability a workout to do. Give one athlete a good coach to do the workout with them and give the other athlete the workout on a piece of paper to do on their own.  Who do you think will get the most out of the workout? Who will move better? Notice I didn't say who would do the workout faster - I said who would do the workout better (i.e. get the full stimulus of the workout and have proper form).

Which brings me to the interplay of coaching and programming. Lately, I have been programming more progressions (more practice) because I want to give you more time as athletes to be coached. I know sometimes this might seem boring but, as with everything, practicing the basics is how you get better. In any sport you don't get better in the games - you get better from practice and you get better from drills. We all need help in movement - I'm no exception. Even when I don't have someone to give me feedback, I take a video of myself lifting or doing a workout that I can analyze to work on my bad movement patterns.

Falling into the "more is better" trap.

I have been thinking a lot about CrossFit and how CrossFit Endurance changed how people train for triathlons, marathons and other endurance events. Before CrossFit Endurance came along, most people thought that by running, riding and swimming more miles they could get better. Those same people thought that having constant injuries was just what happens to endurance athletes. They also thought that lifting heavy weight would slow their times. Not true!
What CrossFit Endurance did was show that you could decrease the number of miles, add a strength and conditioning program and work on the skill of running, swimming and biking and you could get better results with less injuries.  Guess what happened when people started following this philosophy of training? It worked! People who did this got better and were less injured!

Unfortunately, I'm starting to see CrossFitters go back to thinking like old school endurance athletes - taking on that "more is better" philosophy.    Because, more is better, right?  Wrong! More is not always better. Trust me, I've been that guy. I've done it all. I've done multiple workouts in a day, I've done programs that took 3 hours a day to complete, I've pushed myself to the volume limit day after day. And guess what? It's not effective and it's certainly not efficient. For most of us, one hour a day is all we need or all our bodies can really do safely without risking injury. My suggestion to all of you who want to get better is to spend the extra time you have focusing on your movement, not increasing volume. Take the time you have to work on a weakness. Again, DO LESS BETTER.

There's been a Greg Glassman quote going around a lot lately that says "be impressed by intensity not volume". I have to say I agree. Before you get offended, this doesn't mean that I'm saying if you're doing a program that takes 2+ hours a day or doing extra work after the daily WOD, that you're wrong. Again, to reiterate, when it comes to exercise I don't believe in right and wrong. I believe in more efficient and less efficient.  What I want you to stop and think about is this: Is doing another workout after the WOD the most efficient use of your time? Is adding volume for volume sake the best way to reach your particular goals? What are your specific goals? Instead, would it be more productive to spend some time on mobility, work on your kip swing to better string your T2B together, or spend time on your air squat to make sure your squatting foundation is solid for heavy days?  Goals, goals, goals. It all goes back to YOUR goals and what YOU are looking to achieve in the gym. If your goal is to lose weight, maybe rowing a nice and easy 5K after the WOD is not a bad idea to get an extra calorie burn in. I don't mean after every class, but once in awhile.  But what if your goal is to PR your back squat? Instead of adding a second workout to your day, maybe you should spend some time after class working on your form with a light bar, doing box squats to make sure your squat depth is correct, focusing on keeping your chest up, your knees out, your back solid. All of these things will build a a strong foundation that will help you increase your weight the next time we have a heavy day, ultimately helping you achieve your goal of a PR.

My goal with these newsletters is not to come off as snarky or preachy. My goal is to be the best coach I can be and help you guys be the best athletes you can be. I've made every mistake in the book over the years and I want to be able to pass that on to you so that you learn from my mistakes and don't repeat them. I want nothing but the best for every one of you. I hope you know that when I'm coaching you in a workout and I'm yelling at you to get lower, push your knees out, get your chest up or stand tall, I do it from a place of wanting you to be safe, to stay strong and to be the best you can be. I don't care if you beat my time in a WOD or if you can lift more weight than me because it's not about me when I coach you.  It's about each and every one of YOU and you getting the most out of you!

So, if you're still reading this, thanks for sticking with me. I hope that you guys get something out of these informational posts that I put out for you now and then. As always, if you have any questions about the concepts in this article or about anything in the gym,  or if you want to talk about your programming or discuss how I can help you reach your individual goals, ask me! That's what I'm here for!