What makes training difficult isn't the challenge of getting someone fitter and stronger. It's understanding how to keep athletes improving for a long time What happens when it feels like you stop improving? In a sport where you get punished more for your weaknesses than you do rewarded for your strengths, finding ways to progress long-term is essential. But maybe our framing of improvement needs to evolve with time spent in sport. We might need to look more granularly at our skills and develop them this way. In this episode, we look into some of the ways we can start feeling like we're not improving and ways to combat this and still make training challenging, engaging and ultimately get you closer to your training goals. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [3:00] When do athletes start to feel like they're not improving   [4:00] Athletes should reframe their expectations   [6:15] Ceilings on performance in CrossFit do exist   [9:00] Structuring training priorities for more advanced and experienced athletes   [10:50] Good responders to training are not the norm   [12:30] Finding a way of making yourself productive on things you're limited on   [14:30] Going down the specificity route too hard   [16:00] Repetition without repetition with skill acquisition   [19:30] Giving people more variation to keep motivation   [21:00] Keeping training different and interesting for those that train alone   [23:00] Do coaches know if what they programme is going to work?   [24:00] Working on your weaknesses and GOAT day!   [25:30] Making training progressions more narrowly defined  

What makes training difficult isn't the challenge of getting someone fitter and stronger. It's understanding how to keep athletes improving for a long time What happens when it feels like you stop improving? In a sport where you get punished more for your weaknesses than you do rewarded for your strengths, finding ways to progress long-term is essential. But maybe our framing of improvement needs to evolve with time spent in sport. We might need to look more granularly at our skills and develop them this way. In this episode, we look into some of the ways we can start feeling like we're not improving and ways to combat this and still make training challenging, engaging and ultimately get you closer to your training goals. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [3:00] When do athletes start to feel like they're not improving </li> <li> [4:00] Athletes should reframe their expectations </li> <li> [6:15] Ceilings on performance in CrossFit do exist </li> <li> [9:00] Structuring training priorities for more advanced and experienced athletes </li> <li> [10:50] Good responders to training are not the norm </li> <li> [12:30] Finding a way of making yourself productive on things you're limited on </li> <li> [14:30] Going down the specificity route too hard </li> <li> [16:00] Repetition without repetition with skill acquisition </li> <li> [19:30] Giving people more variation to keep motivation </li> <li> [21:00] Keeping training different and interesting for those that train alone </li> <li> [23:00] Do coaches know if what they programme is going to work? </li> <li> [24:00] Working on your weaknesses and GOAT day! </li> <li> [25:30] Making training progressions more narrowly defined </li> </ul>

#119 - What to Do When You Stop Improving

There are a lot of subtleties in coaching that you can't pick up in textbooks and from theory. We all probably know a coach that doesn't have all the qualifications, but they grasp the craft better than others who might have always had their head in a textbook. Tacit knowledge is what you pick up from doing the activity, and it's something that can be tremendously valuable in a dynamic field where you're working with people, like coaching. You'll often go to a course and start learning models and progressions (explicit and codified knowledge) that organise a lot of the tacit knowledge you already have. In this week's episode, we talk about the differences between tacit and explicit knowledge and share examples we've encountered in our coaching and helping other coaches. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [2:20] Seeing what other coaches notice in situations and stealing those ideas   [3:20] How Luke threads tacit knowledge into weightlifting courses   [5:00] Watching other coaches coach   [6:15] Internalising and mimicking other people's behaviours    [9:00] Behaviours of more experienced coaches   [11:30] Being less boring explaining the workout before classes   [13:15] When inexperienced coaches care about the details more and care about the wrong things   [16:00] Should warm-ups be fun, and should you play games?   [18:30] Does the explicit knowledge organise and structure a lot of the internal models we develop through tacit knowledge   [20:45] Getting further with just tacit knowledge   [21:15] Finding a balance between tacit and explicit knowledge and which one in what situation should be emphasised  

There are a lot of subtleties in coaching that you can't pick up in textbooks and from theory. We all probably know a coach that doesn't have all the qualifications, but they grasp the craft better than others who might have always had their head in a textbook. Tacit knowledge is what you pick up from doing the activity, and it's something that can be tremendously valuable in a dynamic field where you're working with people, like coaching. You'll often go to a course and start learning models and progressions (explicit and codified knowledge) that organise a lot of the tacit knowledge you already have. In this week's episode, we talk about the differences between tacit and explicit knowledge and share examples we've encountered in our coaching and helping other coaches. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [2:20] Seeing what other coaches notice in situations and stealing those ideas </li> <li> [3:20] How Luke threads tacit knowledge into weightlifting courses </li> <li> [5:00] Watching other coaches coach </li> <li> [6:15] Internalising and mimicking other people's behaviours  </li> <li> [9:00] Behaviours of more experienced coaches </li> <li> [11:30] Being less boring explaining the workout before classes </li> <li> [13:15] When inexperienced coaches care about the details more and care about the wrong things </li> <li> [16:00] Should warm-ups be fun, and should you play games? </li> <li> [18:30] Does the explicit knowledge organise and structure a lot of the internal models we develop through tacit knowledge </li> <li> [20:45] Getting further with just tacit knowledge </li> <li> [21:15] Finding a balance between tacit and explicit knowledge and which one in what situation should be emphasised </li> </ul>

Legion Podcast: #118 - Coach Education Part 3

Have you ever returned after doing a course with your brain frazzled and unsure of what to do on Monday? Well...that is part of the journey in upgrading your knowledge and coaching model, but how can you extract the helpful information to make it workable with the people you coach. If you're working with people in person, maybe you can experiment with things immediately. But if you coach athletes online, you don't have that luxury, and you need to make sure that the things you include in someone's program are the real deal. Experimenting in your training will be the best way of trying out new things and extracting valuable information to help solve the problem set you to tackle in your coaching. We continue this series on coach education and, in this episode, discuss coach education and specifically cover how to use new information in your coaching practice. Listen to find out why breathing drills are the hardest thing to get any online client to do, why the last course you did might have a 30-day challenge and more.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [2:00] How to include material from a course into your practice   [3:00] Practicing things in person versus online   [4:00] Trying things on yourself in your own training   [6:00] Why breathing work is really difficult to coach   [8:30] Translating your own personal experience into someone else's training   [10:00] Developing the skill of extracting the useful information and passing it on   [11:45] The curiosity amongst early adopter coaches in CrossFit   [15:45] Similarities between CrossFit and MMA   [20:00] What's the goal of taking the next course?   [22:30] Engaging in material fully to eventually upgrade your own model   [24:30] Getting repeated exposure from challenges after courses  

Have you ever returned after doing a course with your brain frazzled and unsure of what to do on Monday? Well...that is part of the journey in upgrading your knowledge and coaching model, but how can you extract the helpful information to make it workable with the people you coach. If you're working with people in person, maybe you can experiment with things immediately. But if you coach athletes online, you don't have that luxury, and you need to make sure that the things you include in someone's program are the real deal. Experimenting in your training will be the best way of trying out new things and extracting valuable information to help solve the problem set you to tackle in your coaching. We continue this series on coach education and, in this episode, discuss coach education and specifically cover how to use new information in your coaching practice. Listen to find out why breathing drills are the hardest thing to get any online client to do, why the last course you did might have a 30-day challenge and more.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [2:00] How to include material from a course into your practice </li> <li> [3:00] Practicing things in person versus online </li> <li> [4:00] Trying things on yourself in your own training </li> <li> [6:00] Why breathing work is really difficult to coach </li> <li> [8:30] Translating your own personal experience into someone else's training </li> <li> [10:00] Developing the skill of extracting the useful information and passing it on </li> <li> [11:45] The curiosity amongst early adopter coaches in CrossFit </li> <li> [15:45] Similarities between CrossFit and MMA </li> <li> [20:00] What's the goal of taking the next course? </li> <li> [22:30] Engaging in material fully to eventually upgrade your own model </li> <li> [24:30] Getting repeated exposure from challenges after courses </li> </ul>

#117 - Coach Education #2

Curiosity is what gets a lot of coaches into training and eventually becoming coaches, and usually, these people continue to digest a lot of information, content and education about training. But being able to apply this information in a practical setting can be challenging. Especially when much of the information out there isn't delivered in a way that makes this transition easy. In this episode, we share our background in continuing education, going into detail about the courses we've done, books we've read and how we came across and discovered a lot of that information. We also discuss the importance of making information workable and how some education is purposely watered down so it speaks to their respective audiences better. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [1:45] Luke's journey with continuing education   [5:40] Making a point to take in some educational content every day   [6:00] Making ideas from education workable for coaches   [9:00] Luke's new learning and education in biomechanics   [15:00] Learning for the fun of it versus learning to solve a problem   [18:00] Reviewing old learning material   [19:30] Luke's attempts of creating educational content   [23:00] Offering a different perspective to help change someones mental model   [26:00] Todd's experience doing a masters in computer science   [30:00] Learning through rapid trial and error  

Curiosity is what gets a lot of coaches into training and eventually becoming coaches, and usually, these people continue to digest a lot of information, content and education about training. But being able to apply this information in a practical setting can be challenging. Especially when much of the information out there isn't delivered in a way that makes this transition easy. In this episode, we share our background in continuing education, going into detail about the courses we've done, books we've read and how we came across and discovered a lot of that information. We also discuss the importance of making information workable and how some education is purposely watered down so it speaks to their respective audiences better. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [1:45] Luke's journey with continuing education </li> <li> [5:40] Making a point to take in some educational content every day </li> <li> [6:00] Making ideas from education workable for coaches </li> <li> [9:00] Luke's new learning and education in biomechanics </li> <li> [15:00] Learning for the fun of it versus learning to solve a problem </li> <li> [18:00] Reviewing old learning material </li> <li> [19:30] Luke's attempts of creating educational content </li> <li> [23:00] Offering a different perspective to help change someones mental model </li> <li> [26:00] Todd's experience doing a masters in computer science </li> <li> [30:00] Learning through rapid trial and error </li> </ul>

#116 - Coach Education #1

With the changes in the structure of the CrossFit Games in the past few seasons, the stakes of the open have changed, with many athletes not needing to take it as seriously. But what happens when CrossFitters see a leaderboard...well they approach it like any leaderboard. Misaligning expectations with the open like this is detrimental, especially if their training is not preparing them specifically for the open. Although qualification to quarter-finals might be a lot easier for some folk, we can still get some valuable things out of the open. In this episode, we talk about how to manage expectations during the open and where it can be a great tool in sharpening that competitive edge before quarter-finals. Check out this episode to learn more about how you should structure training around the open and quarter-finals if your goal is quarters, how to practice competing with open workouts, and we share our thoughts on programming new skills at the games. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [2:10] Less emphasis on the open for Jon and his athletes   [3:00] How training during the open looks different now   [4:30] Is the open a good gauge of your performance and how useful is the leaderboard   [5:30] Do you need to manage training volume during the open?   [9:10] Using the open to prepare and practice for quarter finals   [10:20] Using the open to practice high stakes workouts   [12:55] Getting athletes to practice filming workouts   [15:00] Learning how to navigate doing qualifiers in busy gyms   [16:45] Live competitions versus in-the-gym qualifiers   [21:00] High level athletes getting exposed on low skill open workouts and having a wake up call   [23:30] Still using the data points of the open even if that's not the goal   [26:30] Creating good and varied open tests without just pushing the volume on everything   [31:00] Is the programming better with Boz in charge?   [33:00] Luke has superior CrossFit Games knowledge than Jon   [35:00] Are games athletes athletic?   [36:30] Are new skills being introduced at the games good for spectators?   [39:30] Trade offs of including new skills at the games  

With the changes in the structure of the CrossFit Games in the past few seasons, the stakes of the open have changed, with many athletes not needing to take it as seriously. But what happens when CrossFitters see a leaderboard...well they approach it like any leaderboard. Misaligning expectations with the open like this is detrimental, especially if their training is not preparing them specifically for the open. Although qualification to quarter-finals might be a lot easier for some folk, we can still get some valuable things out of the open. In this episode, we talk about how to manage expectations during the open and where it can be a great tool in sharpening that competitive edge before quarter-finals. Check out this episode to learn more about how you should structure training around the open and quarter-finals if your goal is quarters, how to practice competing with open workouts, and we share our thoughts on programming new skills at the games. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [2:10] Less emphasis on the open for Jon and his athletes </li> <li> [3:00] How training during the open looks different now </li> <li> [4:30] Is the open a good gauge of your performance and how useful is the leaderboard </li> <li> [5:30] Do you need to manage training volume during the open? </li> <li> [9:10] Using the open to prepare and practice for quarter finals </li> <li> [10:20] Using the open to practice high stakes workouts </li> <li> [12:55] Getting athletes to practice filming workouts </li> <li> [15:00] Learning how to navigate doing qualifiers in busy gyms </li> <li> [16:45] Live competitions versus in-the-gym qualifiers </li> <li> [21:00] High level athletes getting exposed on low skill open workouts and having a wake up call </li> <li> [23:30] Still using the data points of the open even if that's not the goal </li> <li> [26:30] Creating good and varied open tests without just pushing the volume on everything </li> <li> [31:00] Is the programming better with Boz in charge? </li> <li> [33:00] Luke has superior CrossFit Games knowledge than Jon </li> <li> [35:00] Are games athletes athletic? </li> <li> [36:30] Are new skills being introduced at the games good for spectators? </li> <li> [39:30] Trade offs of including new skills at the games </li> </ul>

#115 - How to Think About the Open Leaderboard

Ever had a very structured training plan that you were almost certain would come together, but when you did the competition or the qualifier, it didn't go as well as you'd hoped? Relying on very structured approaches of preparation for CrossFit is a standard failure mode we find in the sport, coming from athletes and coaches that are pretty analytical. The problem with this approach is that it can mean you lose a connection to the real world and the sport and not be exposed sufficiently to the challenges you'll come across in the sport. In this week's episode of the Legion Strength and Conditioning podcast, Todd tells a story where he was reviewing the training of someone from his university who wanted to do parkour...but there was no parkour in his training. Todd has since helped out this parkour enthusiast, suggesting that you can't Stairmaster your way into doing back flips off of a wall and that he needed to do the actual thing. Listen to hear more of our examples of how people lose their connection to the sport and how we should approach our plans, being more adaptable and learning to fail fast.   If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [1:20] Todd's story   [4:45] Over analysing and over-planning failure mode   [5:30] Similar failure mode with training for CrossFit   [6:20] Rigid and structured approaches versus a managing the chaos approach   [8:30] Creating false barriers and prerequisites in the plan   [9:20] Building the skill of competing   [12:15] Losing connection to competition and the sport   [13:50] The importance of failing fast   [15:00] How to adjust plans quickly   [16:20] Everyone learns at different speeds   [19:30] Messy skill learning processes   [21:45] Learning through iterative trial and error   [23:30] Preparing someone for competition with lots of exposure to the sport   The book Luke mentioned: How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach &amp; Practice Sports Skills - Rob Gray

Ever had a very structured training plan that you were almost certain would come together, but when you did the competition or the qualifier, it didn't go as well as you'd hoped? Relying on very structured approaches of preparation for CrossFit is a standard failure mode we find in the sport, coming from athletes and coaches that are pretty analytical. The problem with this approach is that it can mean you lose a connection to the real world and the sport and not be exposed sufficiently to the challenges you'll come across in the sport. In this week's episode of the Legion Strength and Conditioning podcast, Todd tells a story where he was reviewing the training of someone from his university who wanted to do parkour...but there was no parkour in his training. Todd has since helped out this parkour enthusiast, suggesting that you can't Stairmaster your way into doing back flips off of a wall and that he needed to do the actual thing. Listen to hear more of our examples of how people lose their connection to the sport and how we should approach our plans, being more adaptable and learning to fail fast. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [1:20] Todd's story </li> <li> [4:45] Over analysing and over-planning failure mode </li> <li> [5:30] Similar failure mode with training for CrossFit </li> <li> [6:20] Rigid and structured approaches versus a managing the chaos approach </li> <li> [8:30] Creating false barriers and prerequisites in the plan </li> <li> [9:20] Building the skill of competing </li> <li> [12:15] Losing connection to competition and the sport </li> <li> [13:50] The importance of failing fast </li> <li> [15:00] How to adjust plans quickly </li> <li> [16:20] Everyone learns at different speeds </li> <li> [19:30] Messy skill learning processes </li> <li> [21:45] Learning through iterative trial and error </li> <li> [23:30] Preparing someone for competition with lots of exposure to the sport </li> </ul> The book Luke mentioned: <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-We-Learn-Move-Revolution-ebook/dp/B09K1T1TG4" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">How We Learn to Move: A Revolution in the Way We Coach &amp; Practice Sports Skills</a> - Rob Gray

#114 - Do the Actual Thing

We're a week away from Quarter Finals, and the qualified athletes have already had three workouts to sharpen the competing sword with the open. But as the workouts become more high stakes going into the next round, how do we support athletes? Some athletes need encouragement and a good luck message, and they are good! Others will require a warm-up, a detailed plan and potentially some video review. Although we might set boundaries on communication, and we tried to set our athletes up to be reasonably autonomous during competition, they will need help when they need help. And it's crucial that, as a coach, you're there to support them as best as you can. Check out the latest Legion Strength and Conditioning podcast episode and hear how we manage competition time with our athletes. What types of things are we sending them when workouts get released, and how are good strategies overrated but poor plans can end disastrously? If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [1:00] Managing a coaching relationship during online qualifiers, the open and quarter-finals   [2:30] Setting boundaries and coaching your athletes on how to communicate with you   [3:30] What do you need to send your athletes when workouts are released    [5:30] Chunking and batching tasks together   [7:35] How are quarter-finals different   [9:10] Being proactive and reaching out to athletes during competitions   [10:30] What to do when athletes want an individualised strategy for the workout?   [11:45] Setting your athletes up to push themselves   [13:15] Managing anxiety with clearly structured warm-ups   [15:30] Athletes having misguided expectations of strategies   [19:20] How to coach athletes to make better plans for workouts   [22:10] Getting logistics in order - assigning videographer and judge   [24:00] Getting others to help you in quarter-finals   [26:30] Having strategies can be overrated   {27:45] Repeating workouts is less commonplace  

We're a week away from Quarter Finals, and the qualified athletes have already had three workouts to sharpen the competing sword with the open. But as the workouts become more high stakes going into the next round, how do we support athletes? Some athletes need encouragement and a good luck message, and they are good! Others will require a warm-up, a detailed plan and potentially some video review. Although we might set boundaries on communication, and we tried to set our athletes up to be reasonably autonomous during competition, they will need help when they need help. And it's crucial that, as a coach, you're there to support them as best as you can. Check out the latest Legion Strength and Conditioning podcast episode and hear how we manage competition time with our athletes. What types of things are we sending them when workouts get released, and how are good strategies overrated but poor plans can end disastrously? If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [1:00] Managing a coaching relationship during online qualifiers, the open and quarter-finals </li> <li> [2:30] Setting boundaries and coaching your athletes on how to communicate with you </li> <li> [3:30] What do you need to send your athletes when workouts are released  </li> <li> [5:30] Chunking and batching tasks together </li> <li> [7:35] How are quarter-finals different </li> <li> [9:10] Being proactive and reaching out to athletes during competitions </li> <li> [10:30] What to do when athletes want an individualised strategy for the workout? </li> <li> [11:45] Setting your athletes up to push themselves </li> <li> [13:15] Managing anxiety with clearly structured warm-ups </li> <li> [15:30] Athletes having misguided expectations of strategies </li> <li> [19:20] How to coach athletes to make better plans for workouts </li> <li> [22:10] Getting logistics in order - assigning videographer and judge </li> <li> [24:00] Getting others to help you in quarter-finals </li> <li> [26:30] Having strategies can be overrated </li> <li> {27:45] Repeating workouts is less commonplace </li> </ul>

#113 - How to Coach Athletes Through Quarter Finals

Ever found yourself or one of your athletes having a block in increasing the cycle speed with specific movements? You do 100+ burpees in a long workout, and it's the same 'step down, step up' style you do in a shorter sprint-style workout. Is it that burpees are just hard, is there a particular technique you should use, or is it that you have a strong distaste for burpees regardless of the workout? It's probably going to be a combination of all three. It's not as clear-cut as following a certain linear progression with the movement. You will most likely have to simultaneously develop your fitness, develop the movement and intentionally practice the sport. One way you can get unstuck with a movement could be to polarise the scenarios in which you are training the movement. Just like long-distance runners practice sprinting now and then, and weightlifters have a broad range of percentages they practice their lifting, using burpees as an example, you could regress the movement to something easier, some sprints and then your usual range of metcons with burpees included. Check out episode #112 to find out how we work on getting athletes to move faster on things like burpees, box jumps and dumbbell snatches. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [0:30] Only developing one gear in CrossFit   [2:00] Having different movement strategies and different gears   [4:30] What stops people from moving as fast   [6:30] Why regressing a movement is important to increase cycle speed   [9:20] Learning movements correctly for competition   [10:45] Internal maps   [13:30] Using higher paces as a training tool for slower movement strategies   [15:45] Long-distance runners using sprinting to develop their slower-paced running   [17:30] Building more movement strategies to develop confidence   [19:30] Prescribing specific paces on machines in mixed training   [22:00] Being intentional when practising the sport  

Ever found yourself or one of your athletes having a block in increasing the cycle speed with specific movements? You do 100+ burpees in a long workout, and it's the same 'step down, step up' style you do in a shorter sprint-style workout. Is it that burpees are just hard, is there a particular technique you should use, or is it that you have a strong distaste for burpees regardless of the workout? It's probably going to be a combination of all three. It's not as clear-cut as following a certain linear progression with the movement. You will most likely have to simultaneously develop your fitness, develop the movement and intentionally practice the sport. One way you can get unstuck with a movement could be to polarise the scenarios in which you are training the movement. Just like long-distance runners practice sprinting now and then, and weightlifters have a broad range of percentages they practice their lifting, using burpees as an example, you could regress the movement to something easier, some sprints and then your usual range of metcons with burpees included. Check out episode #112 to find out how we work on getting athletes to move faster on things like burpees, box jumps and dumbbell snatches. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [0:30] Only developing one gear in CrossFit </li> <li> [2:00] Having different movement strategies and different gears </li> <li> [4:30] What stops people from moving as fast </li> <li> [6:30] Why regressing a movement is important to increase cycle speed </li> <li> [9:20] Learning movements correctly for competition </li> <li> [10:45] Internal maps </li> <li> [13:30] Using higher paces as a training tool for slower movement strategies </li> <li> [15:45] Long-distance runners using sprinting to develop their slower-paced running </li> <li> [17:30] Building more movement strategies to develop confidence </li> <li> [19:30] Prescribing specific paces on machines in mixed training </li> <li> [22:00] Being intentional when practising the sport </li> </ul>

#112: How to Train Faster Cycle Time

With a week to go until the open, there are probably a lot of athletes on the bubble of quarter-finals putting in those final touches to their training. But is it too late to work on those training progressions? Many of the athletes on the bubble likely have one thing that prevents them from being more certain about being in the top 10%. They are either not strong enough, don't have the skills or need to work on their engine. It might be heavy deadlifts in a workout or getting multiple muscle-ups at the end of a workout that stops them in their tracks. Or, even though they might have all the skills, they get a pretty average score on the more engine-focused workout. So what can these bubble athletes do to set themselves up for success in the next few weeks? First, having clear expectations is going to be essential. Then, knowing how much improvement is realistic and how you can maximise your current abilities in a competition scenario will put you on the front foot. After that, you've got to do more of the thing you struggle with in open-style workouts. Check out episode #111 and hear what we think might need some slight adjustments in the training before the competitive season starts. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [1:00] The three things that prevent people from qualifying   [4:00] What you should be focusing on in your training before the open   [6:00] Having realistic expectations with your skills during a peaking phase   [7:00] What to focus on during a peaking phase   [9:10] Practicing realistic scenarios in training   [12:00] Working on smaller details during workouts   [14:00] Practice being judged and film yourself in your workouts   [17:00] Being clear on what it is that will move you forward to quarter-finals   [19:00] challenge of quick wins not being the thing   [20:00] Challenging yourself in    [21:10] If you don't have it - set yourself up for that point   [24:30] Make sure you're working on the right thing   [27:00] Recreating the intensities and the stakes involved in a workout  

With a week to go until the open, there are probably a lot of athletes on the bubble of quarter-finals putting in those final touches to their training. But is it too late to work on those training progressions? Many of the athletes on the bubble likely have one thing that prevents them from being more certain about being in the top 10%. They are either not strong enough, don't have the skills or need to work on their engine. It might be heavy deadlifts in a workout or getting multiple muscle-ups at the end of a workout that stops them in their tracks. Or, even though they might have all the skills, they get a pretty average score on the more engine-focused workout. So what can these bubble athletes do to set themselves up for success in the next few weeks? First, having clear expectations is going to be essential. Then, knowing how much improvement is realistic and how you can maximise your current abilities in a competition scenario will put you on the front foot. After that, you've got to do more of the thing you struggle with in open-style workouts. Check out episode #111 and hear what we think might need some slight adjustments in the training before the competitive season starts. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [1:00] The three things that prevent people from qualifying </li> <li> [4:00] What you should be focusing on in your training before the open </li> <li> [6:00] Having realistic expectations with your skills during a peaking phase </li> <li> [7:00] What to focus on during a peaking phase </li> <li> [9:10] Practicing realistic scenarios in training </li> <li> [12:00] Working on smaller details during workouts </li> <li> [14:00] Practice being judged and film yourself in your workouts </li> <li> [17:00] Being clear on what it is that will move you forward to quarter-finals </li> <li> [19:00] challenge of quick wins not being the thing </li> <li> [20:00] Challenging yourself in  </li> <li> [21:10] If you don't have it - set yourself up for that point </li> <li> [24:30] Make sure you're working on the right thing </li> <li> [27:00] Recreating the intensities and the stakes involved in a workout </li> </ul>

#111: Quarter Finals Bubble Athletes

Do CrossFit athletes need to train more in the transverse plane? It definitely sounds nice to those interested in programming, but if we look at the demands of the sport, we don't see movements challenging the transverse or frontal plane much. It's not always clear what level of variability in movement we should include in a CrossFit athlete's training. Giving someone more options in their movement can offset repetitive training and help with longevity, but it often doesn't directly affect someone's performance, making it hard to get buy-in. Listen to this week's episode to hear how working in the transverse plane might help you look a bit more athletic on those shuttle runs in quarter-finals, how we sneak in movement work into our programming and how playing sport might be the easiest and best movement work for someone's training. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes:   [0:30] Getting CrossFit athletes bought into movement work   [3:00] Why we should train to have more movement options   [4:50] Benefits of being functionally adapted to your sport   [6:45] What are the movement requirements for the sport   [10:00] Addressing longevity in someone's training   [10:55] Low-hanging fruit in developing someone's movement   [11:45] Transverse plane and sports   [13:30] People who are athletic in CrossFit   [14:30] Going out and playing sports vs movement work   [16:15] Sneaking movement/skill work into training   [16:45] Importance of low-level skills and easy movements   [17:30] CrossFitters are always trying to make something difficult   [20:00] Getting optionality in movement   [22:15] Having one movement strategy can put you in a difficult position   [23:05] Encouraging athletes to try new activities and sports   [23:30] Threading in movement work with other elements of training   [26:00] CrossFitters going too hard in other sports   [28:00] The challenge of letting go of your ego going into a new sport   [30:20] Where does prehab fit into someone's training?   [32:45] Using prehab work to add volume to someone's training   [33:40] Why would you want to add more volume to someone's training?  

Do CrossFit athletes need to train more in the transverse plane? It definitely sounds nice to those interested in programming, but if we look at the demands of the sport, we don't see movements challenging the transverse or frontal plane much. It's not always clear what level of variability in movement we should include in a CrossFit athlete's training. Giving someone more options in their movement can offset repetitive training and help with longevity, but it often doesn't directly affect someone's performance, making it hard to get buy-in. Listen to this week's episode to hear how working in the transverse plane might help you look a bit more athletic on those shuttle runs in quarter-finals, how we sneak in movement work into our programming and how playing sport might be the easiest and best movement work for someone's training. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: <a href="https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops</a> These podcasts are posted in video format on <a href="http://youtube.com/legionstrength&amp;conditioning" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">YouTube</a> as well. Show Notes: <ul> <li> [0:30] Getting CrossFit athletes bought into movement work </li> <li> [3:00] Why we should train to have more movement options </li> <li> [4:50] Benefits of being functionally adapted to your sport </li> <li> [6:45] What are the movement requirements for the sport </li> <li> [10:00] Addressing longevity in someone's training </li> <li> [10:55] Low-hanging fruit in developing someone's movement </li> <li> [11:45] Transverse plane and sports </li> <li> [13:30] People who are athletic in CrossFit </li> <li> [14:30] Going out and playing sports vs movement work </li> <li> [16:15] Sneaking movement/skill work into training </li> <li> [16:45] Importance of low-level skills and easy movements </li> <li> [17:30] CrossFitters are always trying to make something difficult </li> <li> [20:00] Getting optionality in movement </li> <li> [22:15] Having one movement strategy can put you in a difficult position </li> <li> [23:05] Encouraging athletes to try new activities and sports </li> <li> [23:30] Threading in movement work with other elements of training </li> <li> [26:00] CrossFitters going too hard in other sports </li> <li> [28:00] The challenge of letting go of your ego going into a new sport </li> <li> [30:20] Where does prehab fit into someone's training? </li> <li> [32:45] Using prehab work to add volume to someone's training </li> <li> [33:40] Why would you want to add more volume to someone's training? </li> </ul>

#110: Movement Planes

Coaches Jon, Luke and Todd have decades of combined coaching experience, and they've each worked with multiple CrossFit Games athletes. They’ve seen every coaching method, programming trick, and mindset hack under the sun, and, in the Legion Strength &amp; Conditioning podcast, they deconstruct what works best to get CrossFit athletes results -- better and faster.

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

Pacing is important in just about any workout, but it’s particularly crucial when there’s a heavy barbell looming. If you don’t have a good understanding of how quickly you can move with different weights in conditioning workouts, and if you don’t understand how long you need to rest between heavier attempts, you can end up getting chewed up pretty badly on these kinds of workouts - even if you’re strong enough to move the weight. How can athletes best learn to pace themselves on “heavy metcons” - and how do they actually get better at lifting heavy under fatigue? If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes:  [00:15] How to pace for battery workouts or “heavy metcons” – and how to get better at them. [06:53] What do you need to think about to improve your battery? Hint: It’s not just about getting stronger. And, how should people who tend to be more explosive train their battery? [13:15] Why experience is one of the best teachers for pacing in “heavy” workouts – and how to train so that you can learn as much as possible. [20:39] Is there a difference between women and men in ability to do heavy weights in conditioning workouts? [25:16] How do tests of strength usually appear in CrossFit competitions? And – what should people do in their training sessions or in their next “heavy metcon” to get better? 

Pacing is important in just about any workout, but it’s particularly crucial when there’s a heavy barbell looming. If you don’t have a good understanding of how quickly you can move with different weights in conditioning workouts, and if you don’t understand how long you need to rest between heavier attempts, you can end up getting chewed up pretty badly on these kinds of workouts - even if you’re strong enough to move the weight. How can athletes best learn to pace themselves on “heavy metcons” - and how do they actually get better at lifting heavy under fatigue? If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li>[00:15] How to pace for battery workouts or “heavy metcons” – and how to get better at them.</li> <li>[06:53] What do you need to think about to improve your battery? Hint: It’s not just about getting stronger. And, how should people who tend to be more explosive train their battery?</li> <li>[13:15] Why experience is one of the best teachers for pacing in “heavy” workouts – and how to train so that you can learn as much as possible.</li> <li>[20:39] Is there a difference between women and men in ability to do heavy weights in conditioning workouts?</li> <li>[25:16] How do tests of strength usually appear in CrossFit competitions? And – what should people do in their training sessions or in their next “heavy metcon” to get better?</li> </ul>

#36: How to Pace Heavy Metcons

Athletes typically go through a few stages when learning how to pace in CrossFit. First, they go way too fast, fall apart halfway through a workout, then barely hang on in order to finish. Then, they learn that they should pay attention to their pacing and have a plan - but often become overly rigid and stuck on their plan, and they don’t adapt well when they’re unable to maintain their split times or their fractioning strategy. At the highest level, they are able to go into a session with a plan, but make intuitive adjustments throughout based upon how they’re feeling - and they know what feedback from their body they should ignore and “push through,” and what signals they need to actually pay attention to in order to adjust their pacing.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.scShow Notes:  [0:15] There’s a standard trajectory that many athletes follow while learning to pace: not having any strategy and going out too hot, then learning to plan and over-planning, then developing an intuition for how to react on the fly based upon how they’re feeling in a workout. [3:52] Workouts are not “just work” – athletes should be trying to learn about their pacing strategy and their reaction to different scenarios (ie splits for each interval of a rowing workout, fractioning strategies for gymnastics, etc) [8:31] Athletes tend to go through a phase of over-calculating pacing. At this stage, attempt to force adaption through strict structure; instead, there needs to be acceptance and understanding of the need to deviate from the ‘spreadsheet’ in certain situations. [12:02] Elite athletes cannot always be trusted when explaining pacing since they have an overdeveloped intuitive capacity to make pacing decisions – and they often don’t even realize that they are using certain strategies. [16:16] Athletes can often learn a lot about their ability to pace by working through very specific pacing scenarios (ie “Row 500m at 1:55 pace, then do 1 clean every 10s for 10 reps”) [20:00] As athletes improve, they will need to increase their paces. Many athletes will settle into a specific range of paces or reps for certain workouts – without realizing that they’ve increased their capacity and need to start to push themselves harder. [25:45] Pacing in a competitive scenario isn’t just about how you feel relative to the workout – it’s about how you feel relative to other competitors around you potentially going a lot faster than you. 

Athletes typically go through a few stages when learning how to pace in CrossFit. First, they go way too fast, fall apart halfway through a workout, then barely hang on in order to finish. Then, they learn that they should pay attention to their pacing and have a plan - but often become overly rigid and stuck on their plan, and they don’t adapt well when they’re unable to maintain their split times or their fractioning strategy. At the highest level, they are able to go into a session with a plan, but make intuitive adjustments throughout based upon how they’re feeling - and they know what feedback from their body they should ignore and “push through,” and what signals they need to actually pay attention to in order to adjust their pacing.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>Show Notes: <ul> <li>[0:15] There’s a standard trajectory that many athletes follow while learning to pace: not having any strategy and going out too hot, then learning to plan and over-planning, then developing an intuition for how to react on the fly based upon how they’re feeling in a workout.</li> <li>[3:52] Workouts are not “just work” – athletes should be trying to learn about their pacing strategy and their reaction to different scenarios (ie splits for each interval of a rowing workout, fractioning strategies for gymnastics, etc)</li> <li>[8:31] Athletes tend to go through a phase of over-calculating pacing. At this stage, attempt to force adaption through strict structure; instead, there needs to be acceptance and understanding of the need to deviate from the ‘spreadsheet’ in certain situations.</li> <li>[12:02] Elite athletes cannot always be trusted when explaining pacing since they have an overdeveloped intuitive capacity to make pacing decisions – and they often don’t even realize that they are using certain strategies.</li> <li>[16:16] Athletes can often learn a lot about their ability to pace by working through very specific pacing scenarios (ie “Row 500m at 1:55 pace, then do 1 clean every 10s for 10 reps”)</li> <li>[20:00] As athletes improve, they will need to increase their paces. Many athletes will settle into a specific range of paces or reps for certain workouts – without realizing that they’ve increased their capacity and need to start to push themselves harder.</li> <li>[25:45] Pacing in a competitive scenario isn’t just about how you feel relative to the workout – it’s about how you feel relative to other competitors around you potentially going a lot faster than you.</li> </ul>

#33: Learning How to Pace

What is the lifecycle of a CrossFit athlete? How does one progress from starting CrossFit as a fitness program, deciding to do a bit of additional work, then progressing into doing competitions. How do athletes balance training with a group vs working on an individualized program as they get more serious about their training? And, how should athletes think about structuring a season with the myriad of opportunities to compete now available?If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc

What is the lifecycle of a CrossFit athlete? How does one progress from starting CrossFit as a fitness program, deciding to do a bit of additional work, then progressing into doing competitions. How do athletes balance training with a group vs working on an individualized program as they get more serious about their training? And, how should athletes think about structuring a season with the myriad of opportunities to compete now available?If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>

#25: The Lifecyle of a CrossFit Athlete

Some athletes are able to get pretty good at CrossFit pretty fast. But, these athletes often find themselves hitting glass ceilings in their performance. Even though they are able to do most of the gymnastics movements, hit decent weights, and grit through conditioning workouts, they plateau earlier than they think they should. What’s going on here? Often, these athletes have skipped steps in their development and are able to compensate their way through training. To improve long-term, these folks need to be willing to go backwards in their training and rebuild. This can be a huge ego hit, and - to be frank - not everyone is mature enough to do it. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes:  [00:15] Some athletes are able to get pretty good at CrossFit pretty fast. But, what are some surprising ways that these athletes find glass ceilings on their performance? [7:41] People think of “compensation” as a bad thing, but better athletes are often better at compensating. Compensation isn’t just about lifting technique – how do some elite athletes compensate in their conditioning work? [17:41] Why taking a step back threatens athletes’ egos – and why the measurable aspect of CrossFit has a dark side that can have a negative impact on performance. 

Some athletes are able to get pretty good at CrossFit pretty fast. But, these athletes often find themselves hitting glass ceilings in their performance. Even though they are able to do most of the gymnastics movements, hit decent weights, and grit through conditioning workouts, they plateau earlier than they think they should. What’s going on here? Often, these athletes have skipped steps in their development and are able to compensate their way through training. To improve long-term, these folks need to be willing to go backwards in their training and rebuild. This can be a huge ego hit, and - to be frank - not everyone is mature enough to do it. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li>[00:15] Some athletes are able to get pretty good at CrossFit pretty fast. But, what are some surprising ways that these athletes find glass ceilings on their performance?</li> <li>[7:41] People think of “compensation” as a bad thing, but better athletes are often better at compensating. Compensation isn’t just about lifting technique – how do some elite athletes compensate in their conditioning work?</li> <li>[17:41] Why taking a step back threatens athletes’ egos – and why the measurable aspect of CrossFit has a dark side that can have a negative impact on performance.</li> </ul>

#37: Skipping Steps

As we’ve discussed many times on the show, the way that elite athletes train for the sport of CrossFit can be confusing and often negative for people who aren’t yet at an elite level. Many athletes want to improve their conditioning and be able to do better in longer workouts, but - in many cases - simply doing more longer workouts with a lot of different stuff in them is not sufficient or effective to create improvement. Instead, athletes need to balance building up an appropriate base of support (so they’re not just “compensating” their way through workouts with high power output strategies) while still keeping an appropriate dose of chaos and sport specific work in their training.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.scShow Notes:  [00:18] Beginners often get a lot better quickly just by doing “CrossFit.” Similarly, advanced athletes have a large base of support so they need to do less base-building and accumulation and are able to adapt quickly to sport specific training. However, people in the middle can often develop compensatory strategies in their conditioning workouts if they do too much sport specific training without having built the base of support to do high intensity mixed work appropriately. [09:07] There needs to be a balance between building up a base through appropriate principles of long-term development and having enough chaotic, sport-specific training so that individuals don’t get fit in ways that don’t translate over to their sport. There also needs to be an understanding of the psychology of athletes – while coaches can’t cater to athletes’ every whim, they do need to allow them autonomy and understand that long-term compliance is more important than the perfect program. [17:49] Intermediate athletes often need more specificity in terms of prescription: split times, weights, fractioning strategies, etc. Advanced athletes will self-organize and do things “correctly,” so they need less specific guidance. However, too much direction from a coach can prevent athletes from learning how to pace workouts and make decisions on the fly based upon how they’re feeling. [26:24] It’s much more interesting to see what someone has done to make steady improvements year-over-year rather than to see what someone has done who catapults quickly to the top of the sport. Steady progress likely shows an understanding of how to build sustainably and correct weaknesses over time, while extremely rapid progress likely shows more “talent” and gives less generalizable information. 

As we’ve discussed many times on the show, the way that elite athletes train for the sport of CrossFit can be confusing and often negative for people who aren’t yet at an elite level. Many athletes want to improve their conditioning and be able to do better in longer workouts, but - in many cases - simply doing more longer workouts with a lot of different stuff in them is not sufficient or effective to create improvement. Instead, athletes need to balance building up an appropriate base of support (so they’re not just “compensating” their way through workouts with high power output strategies) while still keeping an appropriate dose of chaos and sport specific work in their training.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>Show Notes: <ul> <li>[00:18] Beginners often get a lot better quickly just by doing “CrossFit.” Similarly, advanced athletes have a large base of support so they need to do less base-building and accumulation and are able to adapt quickly to sport specific training. However, people in the middle can often develop compensatory strategies in their conditioning workouts if they do too much sport specific training without having built the base of support to do high intensity mixed work appropriately.</li> <li>[09:07] There needs to be a balance between building up a base through appropriate principles of long-term development and having enough chaotic, sport-specific training so that individuals don’t get fit in ways that don’t translate over to their sport. There also needs to be an understanding of the psychology of athletes – while coaches can’t cater to athletes’ every whim, they do need to allow them autonomy and understand that long-term compliance is more important than the perfect program.</li> <li>[17:49] Intermediate athletes often need more specificity in terms of prescription: split times, weights, fractioning strategies, etc. Advanced athletes will self-organize and do things “correctly,” so they need less specific guidance. However, too much direction from a coach can prevent athletes from learning how to pace workouts and make decisions on the fly based upon how they’re feeling.</li> <li>[26:24] It’s much more interesting to see what someone has done to make steady improvements year-over-year rather than to see what someone has done who catapults quickly to the top of the sport. Steady progress likely shows an understanding of how to build sustainably and correct weaknesses over time, while extremely rapid progress likely shows more “talent” and gives less generalizable information.</li> </ul>

#27: Conditioning Progression for Advanced vs Intermediate Athletes

Many athletes are limited by their muscle endurance in conditioning workouts. Their shoulders blow up and their burpee cycle time turns into a crawl. Their grip is shot and they can’t hang onto the bar for another 75# power snatch. Their abs are gone so they can’t get their toes to the bar for another rep. It’s not just about doing more accessory work and dumbbell exercises at the end of your sessions to improve muscle endurance. Instead, we need to understand what work an athlete can do in a sustainable environment, then learn how to progress that to more chaotic scenarios with more movement interference, more repetitions and more intensity.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc

Many athletes are limited by their muscle endurance in conditioning workouts. Their shoulders blow up and their burpee cycle time turns into a crawl. Their grip is shot and they can’t hang onto the bar for another 75# power snatch. Their abs are gone so they can’t get their toes to the bar for another rep. It’s not just about doing more accessory work and dumbbell exercises at the end of your sessions to improve muscle endurance. Instead, we need to understand what work an athlete can do in a sustainable environment, then learn how to progress that to more chaotic scenarios with more movement interference, more repetitions and more intensity.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>

#24: Muscle Endurance in Conditioning Workouts

In this podcast, we’re going to break down how to effectively design conditioning workouts so that you can actually get better at doing the things that you struggle with under fatigue. Struggle with pull-ups? Do a bunch of metcons with pull-ups in them. Struggle with heavy squat cleans? Do some EMOMs! Unfortunately, it's not always that simple. Listen to the full episode to learn how to design conditioning workouts to actually get you better at the things that you struggle with under fatigue. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes:  [00:15] Conditioning workouts can have a different “feeling” and a different stimulus. Your conditioning workouts should have a goal, and shouldn’t be thrown together haphazardly. [04:56] The mistake that many athletes make when thinking about training for a competition vs training to get better at something. [12:03] Training isn’t linear – don’t expect to improve immediately from each training cycle. [18:31] They key to designing conditioning workouts that are appropriate for your skill level [25:25] Why some athletes can get better at CrossFit just by doing a strength cycle and focusing on “heavy metcons” – and why that’s a disaster for the wrong kind of athlete.

In this podcast, we’re going to break down how to effectively design conditioning workouts so that you can actually get better at doing the things that you struggle with under fatigue. Struggle with pull-ups? Do a bunch of metcons with pull-ups in them. Struggle with heavy squat cleans? Do some EMOMs! Unfortunately, it's not always that simple. Listen to the full episode to learn how to design conditioning workouts to actually get you better at the things that you struggle with under fatigue. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li>[00:15] Conditioning workouts can have a different “feeling” and a different stimulus. Your conditioning workouts should have a goal, and shouldn’t be thrown together haphazardly.</li> <li>[04:56] The mistake that many athletes make when thinking about training for a competition vs training to get better at something.</li> <li>[12:03] Training isn’t linear – don’t expect to improve immediately from each training cycle.</li> <li>[18:31] They key to designing conditioning workouts that are appropriate for your skill level</li> <li>[25:25] Why some athletes can get better at CrossFit just by doing a strength cycle and focusing on “heavy metcons” – and why that’s a disaster for the wrong kind of athlete.</li></ul>

#34: They're Not Just Metcons

Todd Nief

Evan Peikon

Anyone who has coached or competed in CrossFit for awhile sees things that kind of don’t make sense. Athletes with 15+ unbroken ring muscle-ups and a 6:30 2k row who are surprisingly bad at “metcons.” Athletes who can only do 5-10 unbroken strict handstand push-ups who are able to quickly chip away at a set of 50 and beat athletes who can do 20+ unbroken reps. Evan Peikon from Training Think Tank has done a lot of work with the Moxy unit on measuring muscle oxygen saturation and blood flow, and he’s developed a model that is able to explain a lot of these seemingly confusing contradictions in performance. While this conversation gets a bit into the weeds, a lot of these details are necessary to understand the complexity of fatigue in CrossFit as a sport. If you’ve ever seen something that doesn’t make any sense in CrossFit, Evan’s framework may give some insight into what’s actually going on with different “types” of athletes. Check out more from Evan and Training Think Tank here:  Instagram: @evan_peikon | @trainingthinktank Website: Evan’s Interviews and Articles | www.trainingthinktank.com YouTube: @trainingthinktank  If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes:  [01:10] Evan’s opinions on metalcore [10:55] The basic physiology of oxygen delivery and what different measures like VO2 max, muscle oxygen saturation and heart rate can tell us about performance [16:58] What are different types of fatigue that can occur at the muscle level? And – the 3 different types of limiters in CrossFit athletes. [23:35] What is the difference between Evan’s model of fatigue based upon his work with muscle oxygen saturation and more traditional models of fatigue based upon acidosis? [31:45] What is happening when athletes feel “burning” in the muscle vs when athletes feel a “pump” in the muscle? How do these sensations in the muscle create global feelings of fatigue? What role does the “mind” play in governing our effort? [41:44] Psychological gamesmanship in racing – particularly in track athletes [45:00] What role do occlusions play in creating fatigue for athletes in CrossFit? And – the 2 different types of occlusion and what those mean for your ability to “push through.” [01:03:40] Why do some people always have one specific muscle group “blow up” – like their grip, their shoulders, their low back, their calves, etc. [01:09:23] How can athletes who tend to get muscle pumps improve their ability in CrossFit? What would an ideal training session look like for this athlete – and why do some common training protocols potentially make this kind of athlete worse? [01:17:25] What does Evan think the most common limiting factor is for athletes who do not tend to occlude in their muscles? These athletes often struggle to build strength – how should they structure their strength training protocols so they can actually get stronger?  Links and Resources Mentioned  Norma Jean Josh Scogin Cory Brandan  Norma Jean – Redeemer The Chariot CTP Underoath Slipknot Pound Classes  What is muscle oxygen saturation? NIRS(Near-infrared spectroscopy) Moxy Monitor VO2 max  The Phosphocreatine System Anaerobic glycolysis Cellular respiration  Energy system utilization chart Bicarbonate buffer system  5-1-5 Step Test  Improvements in Cycling Time Trial Performance Are Not Sustained Following the Acute Provision of Challenging and Deceptive Feedback Max El Hag Travis Mayer James Jowsey 

Anyone who has coached or competed in CrossFit for awhile sees things that kind of don’t make sense. Athletes with 15+ unbroken ring muscle-ups and a 6:30 2k row who are surprisingly bad at “metcons.” Athletes who can only do 5-10 unbroken strict handstand push-ups who are able to quickly chip away at a set of 50 and beat athletes who can do 20+ unbroken reps. Evan Peikon from Training Think Tank has done a lot of work with the Moxy unit on measuring muscle oxygen saturation and blood flow, and he’s developed a model that is able to explain a lot of these seemingly confusing contradictions in performance. While this conversation gets a bit into the weeds, a lot of these details are necessary to understand the complexity of fatigue in CrossFit as a sport. If you’ve ever seen something that doesn’t make any sense in CrossFit, Evan’s framework may give some insight into what’s actually going on with different “types” of athletes. Check out more from Evan and Training Think Tank here: <ul> <li>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/evan_peikon/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">@evan_peikon</a> | <a href="https://www.instagram.com/trainingthinktank/?hl=en" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">@trainingthinktank</a></li> <li>Website: <a href="https://linktr.ee/evan_peikon" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Evan’s Interviews and Articles</a> | <a href="https://www.trainingthinktank.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">www.trainingthinktank.com</a></li> <li>YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/trainingthinktank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">@trainingthinktank</a></li> </ul> If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li>[01:10] Evan’s opinions on metalcore</li> <li>[10:55] The basic physiology of oxygen delivery and what different measures like VO2 max, muscle oxygen saturation and heart rate can tell us about performance</li> <li>[16:58] What are different types of fatigue that can occur at the muscle level? And – the 3 different types of limiters in CrossFit athletes.</li> <li>[23:35] What is the difference between Evan’s model of fatigue based upon his work with muscle oxygen saturation and more traditional models of fatigue based upon acidosis?</li> <li>[31:45] What is happening when athletes feel “burning” in the muscle vs when athletes feel a “pump” in the muscle? How do these sensations in the muscle create global feelings of fatigue? What role does the “mind” play in governing our effort?</li> <li>[41:44] Psychological gamesmanship in racing – particularly in track athletes</li> <li>[45:00] What role do occlusions play in creating fatigue for athletes in CrossFit? And – the 2 different types of occlusion and what those mean for your ability to “push through.”</li> <li>[01:03:40] Why do some people always have one specific muscle group “blow up” – like their grip, their shoulders, their low back, their calves, etc.</li> <li>[01:09:23] How can athletes who tend to get muscle pumps improve their ability in CrossFit? What would an ideal training session look like for this athlete – and why do some common training protocols potentially make this kind of athlete worse?</li> <li>[01:17:25] What does Evan think the most common limiting factor is for athletes who do not tend to occlude in their muscles? These athletes often struggle to build strength – how should they structure their strength training protocols so they can actually get stronger?</li> </ul> Links and Resources Mentioned <ul> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norma_Jean_(band)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Norma Jean</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Scogin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Josh Scogin</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Brandan" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cory Brandan</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGeQGSNV-5E&amp;list=PLKvqLln2Hf5dKgPpytLp_rjrMt_3t-1cv&amp;index=5" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Norma Jean – Redeemer</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chariot_(band)" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Chariot</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ctpcam/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CTP</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.underoath777.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Underoath</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.slipknot1.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Slipknot</a></li> <li><a href="https://poundfit.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Pound Classes</a></li> <li><a href="https://support.humon.io/hc/en-us/articles/115002907294-What-is-muscle-oxygen-saturation-" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> What is muscle oxygen saturation?</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near-infrared_spectroscopy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NIRS(Near-infrared spectroscopy)</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.moxymonitor.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Moxy Monitor</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VO2_max" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VO2 max</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ptdirect.com/training-design/anatomy-and-physiology/the-atp-pc-system" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Phosphocreatine System</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_glycolysis" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anaerobic glycolysis</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cellular_respiration" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cellular respiration</a></li> <li><a href="http://australianfootballstrengthcoach.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/htrhrth.png" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Energy system utilization chart</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicarbonate_buffer_system" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bicarbonate buffer system</a></li> <li><a href="http://my.moxymonitor.com/blog/how-to-complete-a-5-1-5-assessment" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> 5-1-5 Step Test</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2016.00399/full" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Improvements in Cycling Time Trial Performance Are Not Sustained Following the Acute Provision of Challenging and Deceptive Feedback</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/maxelhag/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Max El Hag</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/thetravismayer/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Travis Mayer</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/jamesjowseytraining/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">James Jowsey</a></li> </ul>

[Todd Nief's Show] Evan Peikon (Training Think Tank)

As coaches who generally love us some aerobic work, we’re generally onboard with athletes getting in a bunch of sustainable, well-paced training. We also often have folks asking if they can do “too much cardio” - between their high intensity conditioning, riding their bikes for commuting, and adding in supplemental aerobic training sessions. As you’ve come to expect, there’s no simple answer to this question, but there are some things to think about when considering adding additional aerobic training to your program. Check out the full conversation to learn more.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc

As coaches who generally love us some aerobic work, we’re generally onboard with athletes getting in a bunch of sustainable, well-paced training. We also often have folks asking if they can do “too much cardio” - between their high intensity conditioning, riding their bikes for commuting, and adding in supplemental aerobic training sessions. As you’ve come to expect, there’s no simple answer to this question, but there are some things to think about when considering adding additional aerobic training to your program. Check out the full conversation to learn more.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>

#21: Can I Do Too Much Cardio?

People often talk about wanting to improve their “engine,” but this can mean a lot of different things. Some people struggle with cyclical pieces based upon rowing, biking and running, but are great with mixed pieces of double-unders, thrusters and box jumps. Others can do well with long, grindy pieces, but fall apart when they have to do fast, high-turnover movements with quick transitions. How can we think about the different aspects of “having an engine” and what are some key concepts to keep in mind when working on training them?If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc

People often talk about wanting to improve their “engine,” but this can mean a lot of different things. Some people struggle with cyclical pieces based upon rowing, biking and running, but are great with mixed pieces of double-unders, thrusters and box jumps. Others can do well with long, grindy pieces, but fall apart when they have to do fast, high-turnover movements with quick transitions. How can we think about the different aspects of “having an engine” and what are some key concepts to keep in mind when working on training them?If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>

#22: What does it mean to have an engine?

Most masters athletes have some understanding that they may need to train a bit differently than their 24-year old peers. But, what exactly should they do differently? And what about masters athletes who haven’t really done serious training before? In this episode, we dive into how masters athletes should prioritize their training programs - and discuss the importance of having clear priorities and being willing to put some things on “maintenance.” We also explain why people underrate the ability of masters athletes to acquire new skills - and the mistake that most athletes make when trying to refine or develop their skills. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes:  [0:12] Understanding the difference between “biological age” and “training age” – and how the difference between those can dictate how much volume and intensity a masters athlete should have in their training. [4:40] Athletes with higher “training age” (more experience in the gym) as well as higher “biological age” will adapt more slowly to training. Athletes with high biological age but low training age can still experience “newbie gains” and get better quite quickly. [9:05] Masters athletes often have much more stress and responsibility outside of the gym – in addition to a slower rate of adaptation. Because of this, masters athletes need to be clearer in their training priorities, whereas younger athletes can often work on everything at once. [15:17] Don’t fast track introducing higher volume and higher intensity training programs for masters athletes. And – how to retrain faulty movement patterns that have been ingrained through potentially decades of compensatory movement. [23:20] Jon’s magical thinking detour into using visualization and PVC pipes to replace heavy squatting sessions. [27:42] Masters athletes can still acquire skills through deliberate practice and technique work – often at a similar rate to younger athletes. However, very few people have the “skill of acquiring skills,” and masters athletes often have less unstructured time in their schedules to engage in the practice and play necessary for skill development. 

Most masters athletes have some understanding that they may need to train a bit differently than their 24-year old peers. But, what exactly should they do differently? And what about masters athletes who haven’t really done serious training before? In this episode, we dive into how masters athletes should prioritize their training programs - and discuss the importance of having clear priorities and being willing to put some things on “maintenance.” We also explain why people underrate the ability of masters athletes to acquire new skills - and the mistake that most athletes make when trying to refine or develop their skills. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="a class=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="a class= " rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li>[0:12] Understanding the difference between “biological age” and “training age” – and how the difference between those can dictate how much volume and intensity a masters athlete should have in their training.</li> <li>[4:40] Athletes with higher “training age” (more experience in the gym) as well as higher “biological age” will adapt more slowly to training. Athletes with high biological age but low training age can still experience “newbie gains” and get better quite quickly.</li> <li>[9:05] Masters athletes often have much more stress and responsibility outside of the gym – in addition to a slower rate of adaptation. Because of this, masters athletes need to be clearer in their training priorities, whereas younger athletes can often work on everything at once.</li> <li>[15:17] Don’t fast track introducing higher volume and higher intensity training programs for masters athletes. And – how to retrain faulty movement patterns that have been ingrained through potentially decades of compensatory movement.</li> <li>[23:20] Jon’s magical thinking detour into using visualization and PVC pipes to replace heavy squatting sessions.</li> <li>[27:42] Masters athletes can still acquire skills through deliberate practice and technique work – often at a similar rate to younger athletes. However, very few people have the “skill of acquiring skills,” and masters athletes often have less unstructured time in their schedules to engage in the practice and play necessary for skill development.</li> </ul>

#32: Training Masters Athletes

Most people have some sort of plan going into a workout, but there are 3 key things that need to be considered when creating that plan. Getting a bigger max set of chest-to-bar pull-ups won't necessarily improve your ability to do large sets during workouts, so you need to have a plan that takes into account all of the variables of the workout - like interference between movement patterns, overall level of metabolic fatigue, and your own characteristics as an athlete. It's also crucial to develop an intuition about when to suck it up and stick to your plan and when to call an audible and adjust on the fly. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc Show Notes:  [00:17] Most people have some sort of plan going into a workout, but what are the 3 things you should be thinking about when coming up with a strategy? [07:33] The best time to learn what works best for you is during training. Here’s what you need to focus on. [17:10] How does overall metabolic fatigue impact fractioning strategies? And how do you know when you’re going to redline? [21:29] What is the balance between sticking to your plan – and being adaptable and adjusting on the fly? 

Most people have some sort of plan going into a workout, but there are 3 key things that need to be considered when creating that plan. Getting a bigger max set of chest-to-bar pull-ups won't necessarily improve your ability to do large sets during workouts, so you need to have a plan that takes into account all of the variables of the workout - like interference between movement patterns, overall level of metabolic fatigue, and your own characteristics as an athlete. It's also crucial to develop an intuition about when to suck it up and stick to your plan and when to call an audible and adjust on the fly. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program. You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a> Show Notes: <ul> <li>[00:17] Most people have some sort of plan going into a workout, but what are the 3 things you should be thinking about when coming up with a strategy?</li> <li>[07:33] The best time to learn what works best for you is during training. Here’s what you need to focus on.</li> <li>[17:10] How does overall metabolic fatigue impact fractioning strategies? And how do you know when you’re going to redline?</li> <li>[21:29] What is the balance between sticking to your plan – and being adaptable and adjusting on the fly?</li> </ul>

#35: How to Split up your Reps

Michael Fitzgerald

This week, we have a rebroadcast of the audio from a webinar that we did with Michael FitzGerald of Optimum Performance Training Calgary a few months back. Many athletes want to improve their endurance in the sport of CrossFit, but what should they be doing? More running? More biking? More thrusters and pull-ups? Going faster? Going slower? Michael breaks down how he thinks about improving the aerobic system for CrossFitters - including common misconceptions as well as some things that he's changed his mind about in the last few years.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: @legion.sc

This week, we have a rebroadcast of the audio from a webinar that we did with Michael FitzGerald of Optimum Performance Training Calgary a few months back. Many athletes want to improve their endurance in the sport of CrossFit, but what should they be doing? More running? More biking? More thrusters and pull-ups? Going faster? Going slower? Michael breaks down how he thinks about improving the aerobic system for CrossFitters - including common misconceptions as well as some things that he's changed his mind about in the last few years.If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to <a href="http://legionsc.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.legionsc.com</a> and get with the program.You can follow us on Instagram as well for regular training tips and crunchy tactics: <a href="http://instagram.com/legion.sc" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@legion.sc</a>

#26: Michael FitzGerald of OPT Calgary

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