The new year is here and the 2017 CrossFit Games Open (2/23 - 3/27) is upon us!

As such, beginning 1/2, we will be going into a 7-8 week cycle focused on

• Conditioning pieces focused on aerobic power and maximum work capacity,
• Strategizing and understanding workouts,
• Skill development and fine tuning core movements seen most commonly in the Open,
• Learning how to get "uncomfortable" in workouts

Here are some changes to look forward to in January and February:

1. Barbell and Gymnastics conditioning couplets. Instead of the usual skill or barbell work done as an isolated piece, it will be done under a more intense but controlled environment to focus on moving well with targeted movements under moderate fatigue. (Ex. Snatch work combined with burpees, rowing with Chest to bar, etc.)
2. Basic Squatting 1x a week to maintain strength. Many of us have had great strength increases from last cycles squatting work, so we will look to maintain that strength over the next 2 months by implementing a basic Wendler cycle. Our focus is positioning and maintaining a strong foundation without overloading that movement pattern.
3. Barbell cycling work. Each week will have a small portion dedicated to cycling a barbell in short intervals. This will allow you to develop different types of cycling depending on how you feel and allow you to not only find different methods, but also what works best for your body.
4. Solo skill development Performance Targeting: I will be providing basic progressions and skill work that can be done on your own time to help hone in on skills that may not be perfect, such as double-unders or muscle-ups. They will be very short pieces that can be done in a 10-15 minute max time frame. It will be posted under our Performance Targeting login. If done consistently, it will lead to major improvements.
5. ROMWOD Thursdays. Based on what I have seen from our athletes, Thursdays for the next 3 months will be dedicated to recovery. As we are all short on time, we will have 2 parts on Thursdays: the first will be a heavy lift or skill work (athletes choice), and the second will be ROMWOD or making up a missed workout from earlier in the week. Coaches will help athletes figure out what works best for their goals and longevity.
6. Repetitive movements. As the open often only contains around 12-15 movements, you will likely see movements repeated during a week to make sure we are acclimated and are comfortable facing certain things should they come out of the hopper.

A basic structure of the days Part A will look like this:

• MONDAY: Basic squatting maintainence
• TUESDAY: Short Weightlifting + conditioning piece
• WEDNESDAY: Short Gymnastics + conditioning piece OR Long WOD
• THURSDAY: Heavy lift or skill work
• FRIDAY: Barbell cycling
• SATURDAY: Short Gymnastics + conditioning piece or Long WOD
• SUNDAY: Skill work

Even more so this cycle, please utilize all of our available tools at the gym to make sure you are properly warmed up before we begin each day! We will be focusing on running everything to a tight time constraint, so please get any extra prep done prior to class starting.

If you have any questions, or would like to meet with me about your goals, please feel free to contact me at frank@crossfitderive.com! Lets hit it!