CrossFit is a strength and conditioning program.  Both are essential to health and athletic performance.  In the off season however, skill and strength are my primary training focus.  Conditioning is something I only work on close to competition because conditioning is the most perishable of the skills, one week laid up in bed with a flu can be enough to lose a significant degree of conditioning – luckily it only takes a little training to win it back.  Strength and skill however are far less perishable and develop much more slowly!  So for me, most of the year, my focus is on strength and skill development.

Today Dr. Bonnie Henry updated the health regulations.  Predictably she did not endorse high intensity group fitness classes but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that she had no intention at this time of closing gyms.  What does this mean for us?  It means its time for a pivot.  For the rest of the year our Open Gym times will be used for coaching individual strength and skill development and Zoom WODs can be used for conditioning.  Essentially there will be no heavy breathing allowed in the gym until further notice.

It will mean reinterpreting the programming a bit but I already approach many WODs this way anyhow.  So steady state cardio is acceptable but sprint repeats are not.  Weightlifting is permissible but burpees not so much.  Kipping pull ups are out, strict pull ups are in.  AMRAPs and timed WODs are off the menu, we’ll be working out but not scoring workouts.  Double Unders are out of the question but SLIPS, Original Strength, planks and holds are acceptable.  All things your coach would like you to be working on anyhow!

It could be easy to be upset by this but there is a very real opportunity in here, an opportunity to rehab from injuries, an opportunity to develop your skills, an opportunity to build strength.  It’s not unlike 2019 when Coach Glassman put us on a diet of strict and slow everything.  And given that the holiday season isn’t always that conducive to high intensity training anyhow, it may be the perfect time to shore up weaknesses and give your body a bit of a break in preparation for the 2021 CrossFit Open in March.

You could look at it like they are taking something away from you or you could see it as being forced to spend the next 8 weeks or so working on foundational stuff that you should have been working on anyhow.  If I were writing you a personalized training prescription, this is what I’d prescribe to you:  3 days per week come to the Open Gym to work on skill and strength development, 2 days per week join us via Zoom to get a high intensity WOD.  You may not get exactly the program you want but you may just get the program that you need!

I’m thrilled that today’s restrictions did not include the closure of all gyms but if circumstances continue on their current trajectory, closures may still loom in our future, this weekend’s Zoom Townhall discussion about equipment sharing needs your input, hope you will join us!

Friday Strength and Skill Development

Warm Up
1 min Cross Touch Dead Bugs
1 min Windshield Wipers
1 min Table Pose
1 min Scap Rock
1 min Judo Push Up Rock
1 min Scap Rotations
1 min Scap Retractions
1 min Cross Touch Bird Dog
1 min Full Body Rock
1 min Bar Hang
1 min Ring Support
1 min Squat Hold
1 min Handstand Hold

Tech
Ring Dip or Push Up
V-Up or GHD Sit Up
HSPU or Pike Push Up

Zoom WOD
10 min AMRAP
20 Dips or Push Ups
15 V-Ups
20 HSPU or Pike Push Ups
15 V-Ups

In-Gym Option
3 Rounds:
Focusing on strict, slow movements for strength development, no score
1 min of strict, slow dips or push ups with perfect form
1 min of strict, slow V-Ups with perfect form
1 min of strict, slow HSPU or HSPU negatives with perfect form
1 min of strict, slow V-Ups with perfect form

There is no score to enter, you are not counting reps, you are only counting quality!

Cool Down
Shoulder Series
Cobra Pose