This is a follow-up discussion to my CF Games Review article. One of the critiques of that article was that I was incorrect in my statement..."True power and speed are not rewarded in The Sport of Fitness, strength, muscular endurance and aerobic capacity are. Train accordingly". Therefore, this article will again be my (Michael FitzGerald) opinion and attempt to clarify what I meant. Once again, I will only CF competitors as examples to explain my position. This is not meant to be negative towards any athlete.
Showing posts with label Program Design. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Program Design. Show all posts
The Long Overdue 2013 Regional Review
Preliminary Thoughts:
- from a competitors stand-point the Regional weekend was run and organized really really really well. The best year yet.
- judging was well done at my regional. Consistent and correct.
- the competitiors continue to improve. Very motivating for myself to keep improving.
- I think the Canada West venue is the best of any regional. If not the best, it has to be top 3.
- I was at the NorCal Regional as a Coach...why don't they hold this indoors instead of outside in a dirt field with dust blowing around? As well, Khalipa owned that Region. Wow.
- IMO the program design of the 2013 Regionals was better than the 2012 and 2011 Regionals. Dave Castro said it too, kind of.
- IMO the program design was very different when compared to the 2012 Regional. So, not surprisingly, it led to different qualifying athletes for most Regions.
- I will do a seperate post on my thoughts relating to the current system of testing in fitness.
- I love competing and coaching in this sport/thing.
Event 1 - Jackie
Row 1000m
50 Thrusters @ 45lbs
30 Chin-ups
Energy System Tested: aerobic power for most
Traits/Characteristics: speed of movement, stamina
Thoughts:
- this is one of my favourite events of all-time. The first time I did this event in a competition was back in 2009. Back then it took me 6:20 ish to finish (the chin-up standard was chin over vertical plane, which is a BIG difference and was a first time experience for me at that time). It was the last event of the Canada West Regional. DJ was on my left, wearing a headband - ha! The second time I did this event in a competition was during this year's Regional. This time I finished in 5:27. My row time from 2009 to 2013 was the same. The improvement in time came from increased speed of thruster reps and chin-up ability (I did 27 + 3 this year, albeit with a different standard).
- the reason I like this event so much is that it is a true test of aerobic power. For the top competitors all movements are limited more by your willingness to suffer more as opposed to the fact that your legs or shoulders are too smoked to continue OR the weight is too heavy to be sustainable for you. However, with that said, the limiting factor in the event was different for the average male vs. the average female. Men needed to move FAST through the thrusters and chin-ups if they wanted to finish well. Females had to do well on the chin-ups if they wanted a good time. Not to say that the thrusters weren't important for females, just that the chin-ups were way more indiciative of their placing.
- one thing I think needs to be created for standards is "maximum feet width" for squatting movements in these competitions. It will at least make everyone have to a "classic" squat instead of a quasi wide stance/short range of motion squat (some good examples of this occured during the thruster porion in this event). If you are going to set hand width on HSPU's, why not set feet width for squatting? Same goes for chin-ups.
Event 2
OHS, 3 RM
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP
Traits/Characteristics: upper body strength, flexibility, accuracy of smashing the bar onto your cervical spine
Thoughts:
- i think the OHS is one of the worst possible tests to be included in fitness testing for "strength/high load" specific events. It is simply too biased to overhead strength in humeral abduction/external rotation. No one fails overhead squat maxes due to squatting inability (unless you are either very inflexible or your legs look like this). Individuals fail due to their upper body. One could argue the OHS has it's place in fitness testing, but it's places is not as a strength/power test. Speaking with a tenured Olympic Lifting competitor a while back about my disdane for this event I obtained a good quotes from him, "the OHS is a monkey lift. It takes little skill to be good at it". The snatch and clean and jerk movements would be much better predictors of a persons capability when compared to the OHS. Seeing how you only have a finite amount of testing to have the competitors enage in during the weekend, why not use the most predictive tests available too you? And, don't give me the constantly varied BS. What's constantly varied about having Chin-ups, HSPU's, Muscle-ups and Toes to Bar in high reps each and every year?
- before someone posts in the comments that I only dis-like this event because I sucked at it. That is simply not true, I have sucked at OHS since the mid 2000's due to shoulder dislocation/labrum tears. So, I have had plenty of time to get use to sucking at this movement and I still think it is a crappy test.
- lastly, why the hell did they not use racks? I know at least one person fractured one of their cervical vertebrae during the event. How many others got injured? I am sure space was an issue as they had a tonne of equipment on site.
Event 3
30 Burpee Muscle-ups
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Battery
Traits/Characteristics: upper body pulling/pressing strength and stamina
Thoughts:
- why the hell were the ring heights standardized for males and females? I imagine it is simply due to time constraints which I can respect, but taller individuals were not doing the same movement as shorter individuals. Doing a jumping muscle-up is not the same as doing a standard kip to initiate the muscle-up. I was at the NorCal Regionals to coach one of my athletes and was able to see first hand Annie Sakamoto struggle with the rings blowing around in the wind as they were well above her reach. I can only imagine this cost her 30-45 sec over the course of the event. She also finished 1-2 points out of qualifying for the Games. You do the math.
- adding a burpee to each rep magnifies the limiting factor in the muscle-up for the average competitor - locking out the dip portion.
- one thing I like about doing the burpee with each rep is that it slows everyone down as you can only complete 1 rep at a time. I think makes the event a touch more even for the various sizes of competitors involved and places more imporance on agility and transition.
Event 4
100 Wall Balls to 10ft - 20lb for men, 14lb for women
100 Chest to Bar Chin-ups
100 alternating Pistols
100 alternating DB Power Snatch - 70lb for males, 50lb for females
Energy System Tested: competitor dependent, but...after the chest to bar chin-ups it was all aerobic for most.
Traits/Characteristics: total body stamina/muscular endurance, glenoid labrum fitness and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion.
Thoughts:
- before I get going, this was probably my favourite event from the weekend because I performed as well during this event as I ever have in my exercising career. My brother, James, came through with a timely message for me the day before the event. In classic James fashion the e-mail was not long, sentences were short, no punctuation included but the message was spot on as usual...
- females should have had to do chin-ups, not chest to bar. Or, the chest to bar numbers for the females should have been 60-75 or so. Not 100. It is not reasonable to expect the average female to compete with the average male on high rep gymnastics. Not to say they can't do them, just that the volume of repetitions should be adjusted accordingly.
- this is the MOI for my glenoid bankart tear from 2005. Except I did it during hockey, not Rugby. Loss of eccentric control during a kipping chin-up is when damage is potentially going to occur to the individual. This is also why people who cannot perform strict chin-ups have no business doing kipping chin-ups. Glenoid labrum, bicep tendon, elbow...pick your injury. Most of the top males would not have reached this point due to their level of upper body pulling strength/stamina, but the lower placing male competitors and many females will reach this point. Dropping of the bar at the top of each rep may reduce the chance of injury when completely fatigued. Either way, after this event there had already been 30 chin-ups + 30 muscle-ups + 100 chest to bar chin-ups...seems like quite a bit o upper body pulling movements and the toes to bar and rope climbs were still to come.
- when I hurt my knee back in October 2012 (jumpers knee) I had nightmares that there would be pistols in the Regionals. I was unable to perform a pistol until mid-May 2013 (no joke) and my Regional was June 7-9th. The pain in my knee was simply too much to handle OR the pain was so much it would shut off my quads during decent of the movement and I would fall to floor. Luckily with the help of heating before hand, icing afterwards, diclofenac, Ian Goodwin and Brian Myles I was able to get them done. I actually had 2 celebrations during that event 4. First when I finished the pistols as I knew I had accomplished something very important to me. I had immediately quieted all my doubts. Second when I finished my 400th rep. This was the first "Saturday evening" Regional event I have finished under the time limit. I credit this performance to the amount of correct aerobic work I did during the accumulation phase of my training year (June, July, August and September 2012) and having a correct peak for the Regional weekend.
- anyway, pistols are a terrible exercise for testing...that's basically it.
- the db snatches were a great finish to the event. To me, these felt just like burpees in the idea that you know you aren't going to fail or miss a rep, it's just that each rep sucks and the faster you go the more it will hurt. These take a large toll on your back when done in high reps.
- overall the event was pretty well balanced as far as body size is concerned.
- from a competitors stand-point the Regional weekend was run and organized really really really well. The best year yet.
- judging was well done at my regional. Consistent and correct.
- the competitiors continue to improve. Very motivating for myself to keep improving.
- I think the Canada West venue is the best of any regional. If not the best, it has to be top 3.
- I was at the NorCal Regional as a Coach...why don't they hold this indoors instead of outside in a dirt field with dust blowing around? As well, Khalipa owned that Region. Wow.
- IMO the program design of the 2013 Regionals was better than the 2012 and 2011 Regionals. Dave Castro said it too, kind of.
- IMO the program design was very different when compared to the 2012 Regional. So, not surprisingly, it led to different qualifying athletes for most Regions.
- I will do a seperate post on my thoughts relating to the current system of testing in fitness.
- I love competing and coaching in this sport/thing.
Event 1 - Jackie
Row 1000m
50 Thrusters @ 45lbs
30 Chin-ups
Energy System Tested: aerobic power for most
Traits/Characteristics: speed of movement, stamina
Thoughts:
- this is one of my favourite events of all-time. The first time I did this event in a competition was back in 2009. Back then it took me 6:20 ish to finish (the chin-up standard was chin over vertical plane, which is a BIG difference and was a first time experience for me at that time). It was the last event of the Canada West Regional. DJ was on my left, wearing a headband - ha! The second time I did this event in a competition was during this year's Regional. This time I finished in 5:27. My row time from 2009 to 2013 was the same. The improvement in time came from increased speed of thruster reps and chin-up ability (I did 27 + 3 this year, albeit with a different standard).
- the reason I like this event so much is that it is a true test of aerobic power. For the top competitors all movements are limited more by your willingness to suffer more as opposed to the fact that your legs or shoulders are too smoked to continue OR the weight is too heavy to be sustainable for you. However, with that said, the limiting factor in the event was different for the average male vs. the average female. Men needed to move FAST through the thrusters and chin-ups if they wanted to finish well. Females had to do well on the chin-ups if they wanted a good time. Not to say that the thrusters weren't important for females, just that the chin-ups were way more indiciative of their placing.
- one thing I think needs to be created for standards is "maximum feet width" for squatting movements in these competitions. It will at least make everyone have to a "classic" squat instead of a quasi wide stance/short range of motion squat (some good examples of this occured during the thruster porion in this event). If you are going to set hand width on HSPU's, why not set feet width for squatting? Same goes for chin-ups.
Event 2
OHS, 3 RM
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP
Traits/Characteristics: upper body strength, flexibility, accuracy of smashing the bar onto your cervical spine
Thoughts:
- i think the OHS is one of the worst possible tests to be included in fitness testing for "strength/high load" specific events. It is simply too biased to overhead strength in humeral abduction/external rotation. No one fails overhead squat maxes due to squatting inability (unless you are either very inflexible or your legs look like this). Individuals fail due to their upper body. One could argue the OHS has it's place in fitness testing, but it's places is not as a strength/power test. Speaking with a tenured Olympic Lifting competitor a while back about my disdane for this event I obtained a good quotes from him, "the OHS is a monkey lift. It takes little skill to be good at it". The snatch and clean and jerk movements would be much better predictors of a persons capability when compared to the OHS. Seeing how you only have a finite amount of testing to have the competitors enage in during the weekend, why not use the most predictive tests available too you? And, don't give me the constantly varied BS. What's constantly varied about having Chin-ups, HSPU's, Muscle-ups and Toes to Bar in high reps each and every year?
- before someone posts in the comments that I only dis-like this event because I sucked at it. That is simply not true, I have sucked at OHS since the mid 2000's due to shoulder dislocation/labrum tears. So, I have had plenty of time to get use to sucking at this movement and I still think it is a crappy test.
- lastly, why the hell did they not use racks? I know at least one person fractured one of their cervical vertebrae during the event. How many others got injured? I am sure space was an issue as they had a tonne of equipment on site.
Event 3
30 Burpee Muscle-ups
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Battery
Traits/Characteristics: upper body pulling/pressing strength and stamina
Thoughts:
- why the hell were the ring heights standardized for males and females? I imagine it is simply due to time constraints which I can respect, but taller individuals were not doing the same movement as shorter individuals. Doing a jumping muscle-up is not the same as doing a standard kip to initiate the muscle-up. I was at the NorCal Regionals to coach one of my athletes and was able to see first hand Annie Sakamoto struggle with the rings blowing around in the wind as they were well above her reach. I can only imagine this cost her 30-45 sec over the course of the event. She also finished 1-2 points out of qualifying for the Games. You do the math.
- adding a burpee to each rep magnifies the limiting factor in the muscle-up for the average competitor - locking out the dip portion.
- one thing I like about doing the burpee with each rep is that it slows everyone down as you can only complete 1 rep at a time. I think makes the event a touch more even for the various sizes of competitors involved and places more imporance on agility and transition.
Event 4
100 Wall Balls to 10ft - 20lb for men, 14lb for women
100 Chest to Bar Chin-ups
100 alternating Pistols
100 alternating DB Power Snatch - 70lb for males, 50lb for females
Energy System Tested: competitor dependent, but...after the chest to bar chin-ups it was all aerobic for most.
Traits/Characteristics: total body stamina/muscular endurance, glenoid labrum fitness and ankle dorsiflexion range of motion.
Thoughts:
- before I get going, this was probably my favourite event from the weekend because I performed as well during this event as I ever have in my exercising career. My brother, James, came through with a timely message for me the day before the event. In classic James fashion the e-mail was not long, sentences were short, no punctuation included but the message was spot on as usual...
(I should probably not include profanity in my blog posts, but this one was important)
- I could dissect each portion of the message from James and how it relates to me a my abilities, which he is very familiar with. But, here is my interpretation (the short version) of his message, "With an OHS like yours you ain't gonna qualify for the Games, you know this, I know this. But there is no reason you can't do well in every other event if you say fuck it more than wonder what if...oh yeah, and be present enough to quickly forget about how badly you did on that OHS event".- females should have had to do chin-ups, not chest to bar. Or, the chest to bar numbers for the females should have been 60-75 or so. Not 100. It is not reasonable to expect the average female to compete with the average male on high rep gymnastics. Not to say they can't do them, just that the volume of repetitions should be adjusted accordingly.
- this is the MOI for my glenoid bankart tear from 2005. Except I did it during hockey, not Rugby. Loss of eccentric control during a kipping chin-up is when damage is potentially going to occur to the individual. This is also why people who cannot perform strict chin-ups have no business doing kipping chin-ups. Glenoid labrum, bicep tendon, elbow...pick your injury. Most of the top males would not have reached this point due to their level of upper body pulling strength/stamina, but the lower placing male competitors and many females will reach this point. Dropping of the bar at the top of each rep may reduce the chance of injury when completely fatigued. Either way, after this event there had already been 30 chin-ups + 30 muscle-ups + 100 chest to bar chin-ups...seems like quite a bit o upper body pulling movements and the toes to bar and rope climbs were still to come.
- when I hurt my knee back in October 2012 (jumpers knee) I had nightmares that there would be pistols in the Regionals. I was unable to perform a pistol until mid-May 2013 (no joke) and my Regional was June 7-9th. The pain in my knee was simply too much to handle OR the pain was so much it would shut off my quads during decent of the movement and I would fall to floor. Luckily with the help of heating before hand, icing afterwards, diclofenac, Ian Goodwin and Brian Myles I was able to get them done. I actually had 2 celebrations during that event 4. First when I finished the pistols as I knew I had accomplished something very important to me. I had immediately quieted all my doubts. Second when I finished my 400th rep. This was the first "Saturday evening" Regional event I have finished under the time limit. I credit this performance to the amount of correct aerobic work I did during the accumulation phase of my training year (June, July, August and September 2012) and having a correct peak for the Regional weekend.
- anyway, pistols are a terrible exercise for testing...that's basically it.
- the db snatches were a great finish to the event. To me, these felt just like burpees in the idea that you know you aren't going to fail or miss a rep, it's just that each rep sucks and the faster you go the more it will hurt. These take a large toll on your back when done in high reps.
- overall the event was pretty well balanced as far as body size is concerned.
Event 5
21,15,9
DL - 315lb for males, 205lbs for females
Box Jumps - 30"
Energy System Tested: competitor dependent, but...for me it was ATP-CP battery
Traits/Characteristics: bending strength/stamina, jumping proficiency and grip strength/stamina
Thoughts:
- if you were able to do everything unbroken then it may have been an aerobic power test for you. If you did not finish the event, then it was an ATP-CP battery event for you. Which presents 2 different future training strategies on how to improve your time on this type of event.
- I was in the last male heat all weekend long. This meant that my rest time between the end of event 4 and the beginning of event 5 was about 2.5 hours (a.k.a. not long enough).
- the box jump issue has been beaten to death by myself, Epic and others. But, it still needs to be said. Rebounding box jumps NEED to be removed from fitness competitions. There were a few people injure their achilles tendon on this event in other regionals. Yes, every sport is going to carry with it "risk". But, there is a point when risk becomes needless or avoidable by those in control (kind of why hockey goaltenders now wear masks when they didn't wear them in the past). Once again, there is NOTHING special about rebounding box jumps. Believe me, they will not be missed.
- I chose to step down on every rep. This was done 100% to save my knee as it would not have been able to handle rebounding box jumps. Plus, my legs were so smoked I probably could not have done the rebound anyway.
- check out DJ Wickham's no rep on the box jumps in the round of 9...absolute classic!
- at this point in the event my hands, forearms, lats, low back, quads and hamstrings were smoked. This made the deadlifts much harder than normal as all of the areas listed are very important to performance in high rep/high load deadlifts. For those competing, did you feel that the deadlifts were dangerous being placed at this point in the competition? Or, did you think it was fine?
Event 6
100 Double Unders
50 HSPU
40 Toes to Bar
30 Axel bar Shoulder to Overhead - 160lbs for males, 100lbs for women
90ft Front Rack Walking Lunges with Axel bar - 160lbs for males, 100lbs for females
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Battery for most
Thoughts/Characteristics: upper body strength/stamina and single leg strength/stamina
Thoughts:
- for me all the "hard" events were on Friday and Saturday. For me the Sunday events were not going to be "hard" as I knew I would be too limited by the movements/loads imposed so it was just a matter of keeping the breaks short, being smart and doing what I could.
- the HSPU's were by and large the determining part of this event. If you were slow on these (longer then 5-6 minutes to finish 50) then you did not place well. As a simple comparison, Josh Bridges finished the 50 HSPU's 3 minutes faster than I did and he finished 3:30 min faster than me on this event.
- the double unders were just there for show and too add a touch of shoulder fatigue.
- I am a tall guy and had to use a low chin-up bar for the toes to bar...not cool.
- the entire event was based on work:rest schedule. How many reps can you do per set? How short are your breaks between sets? This is exactly what ATP-CP Battery events/training look(s) like.
- the walking lunges were not too hard for me (I did them in 2 sets with 10-15 sec rest b/t sets). Typically in my off-season accumlulation phase I do a large amount of single leg work and in the past I have done this regularly in my training. But, this is a noticable weakness for many competitors - single leg strength/stamina. I was surprised by how many people had to break this portion into 3+ sets. This movement is a much different challenge than pistols. Here is a video of some serious single leg strength (side note - he competed team in NorCal and did the walking lunges unbroken during his portion..great guy as well). Here is another example - 15 year old female hockey client, 140lb bwt, 5'7".
- I really like testing lunges and the like for fitness assessment, but to me it is still a mystery as to how best fit them in to a competition.
Event 7
4 rounds:
2 Rope Climbs to 15ft
4 Squat Cleans - 225lb for males, 135lb for females
*with 100ft shuttle run between each movement
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Battery for some, Aerobic Power for some, a mix of both for some
Thoughts/Characteristics: movement efficiency, upper body pulling stamina, squatting strength/stamina and running (sort of).
Thoughts:
- how much do I have left in me? I am sure this is what competitors were asking of themselves before this event.
- if you were able to do the cleans and rope climbs quickly with short breaks then it was more of an aerobic event for you. If the rope climbs and/or cleans were slow then the event was likely an ATP-CP Battery event for you.
- the was a great event to compete in and a great event to watch live. Here is the event from my Regional. Myself, DJ Wickham and Lucas Parker were going head to head (to head) by the end. Lucas pulled away with the touch n go reps to finish. Here is a video of my client Chelsea Ryan from NorCal this year (I am not much of a camera man).
- I really like the combo of cleans and rope climbs. It was a good match. This was (IMO) the most skill demanding event of the weekend.
Here are some client pics/performances:
(11th - NorCal)
(29th - South Central)
(16th - Central East)
(left - DJ - 4th - Canada West)
(right - me - 5th - Canada West)
Not pictured above:
Dan Goldberg - DNF - North East - failed OHS on event 3
Fraser O'Neil - 11th - Canada West
Lauren Pryor - tied 10th - Canada West
Jessica Tillapaugh - DNF - Canada West (elbow injury on Event 3)
Jolaine Bloom - DNF - Canada West (flu)
1st Annual Competition, #OutsideTheBox, September 7th and 8th, 2013
#OutsideTheBox
The date for the competition will be September 7th and 8th, 2013. The event will include multiple events per day, but with an added feature. Throughout the day there will be mini-education sessions to allow competitors to understand what goes into the event design, why it was designed as such, what limitations existed, what they can take away from their performance and how to fuel/recover appropriately throughout the year and during competition. The fuelling/recovery portion will be done by Mike Kesthely of Dynamic Nutrition.
What should be noted is that this is NOT a beginners competition. Here are some basic strength qualifications to have:
- able to do strict chin-ups (female - 3 reps, male - 6 reps)
- able to perform the snatch and clean and jerk movements
- able to power snatch (female - 85lbs, male - 135lbs)
- able to power clean (female - 125lbs, male - 185lbs)
- able to front squat (female - 135lbs, male - 205lbs)
If you are interested in competing, please e-mail us. More details on the events and movements will be posted later, this is an announcement. Cost for participating will also be established shortly. The total number of participants will not be large. Initially I am thinking there will be a maximum of 30-40 competitors. There will not be any age categories or teams events. Although, if you are travelling from the U.S.A you may receive bonus points for your dedication!
(The picture has nothing to do the the competition. I just love it. My niece took the picture near my hometown in Wabush, NL, Canada. The tracks in the snow are from numerous snowmobiles travelling to and from. I am sure I traced this route multiple times in my teens. There is a certain beauty in this winter landscape.)
CrossFit Off The Grid - Competition Review - November 17th, 2012
I was asked by my client, Mark Saber, to design the annual competition for his facility. Of course, I obliged, as I love designing competitions to test fitness. For those that competed or those that may be interested, here is my review and thought process behind the design of events. If you have any critiques or questions, the comment section is below.
(CrossFit OTG, Williamstown)
Event 1
Snatch, 1RM
Modality: 1
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Potential
Characteristics: power, speed, strength, technical efficiency, flexibility
Thoughts:
- based on the large number of competitors in the event, we opted to go with a 7 minute time limit. Warm-up areas were provided prior to event to ensure no one went in to the event cold.
- true test of ATP-CP potential (i.e. maximum single effort). Individuals with the highest neuromuscular efficiency (i.e. geared towards maximal power output, not toward stamina) should perform best in this event.
- great indicator of the individual's true power output coupled with optimal movement mechanics.
- testing power/speed at moderate to high loading.
Event 2
Consecutive Broad Jump x 5
Modality: 1
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Potential
Characteristics: power, speed, strength, technical efficiency, optimal transfer of energy
Thoughts:
- at no point were competitors allowed to pause, or reset between jumps. Must be 5 consecutive jumps.
- 3 minute time limit. Only 3 judged attempts were allowed. If you have ever done this, you will know why only 3 attempts were allowed.
- a very simple and valid/reliable indicator of lower body speed and power relative to bodyweight.
- ability to optimally absorb eccentric loading and minimize amoratization time is paramount.
- if an individual does not possess true speed relative to their body weight, then this test will show it...and you need to train it.
- taller individuals will do better on this event, simply due to height and limb length (basically the opposite of Event 1).
Event 3
Clean and Jerk, 5RM
Modality: 1
Energy System Tested: ATP-CP Battery/Stamina
Characteristics: power, speed, technical efficiency, squatting stamina and strength, overhead stamina and strength
Thoughts:
- each rep must involve a full squat prior to the bar going overhead. Power clean then front squat, or squat clean, or split clean then front squat, whatever.
- high amount of eccentric loading in the legs in this event compared to event 1.
- there is a 60 second time limit in which you complete 5 legitimate repetitions. I can't remember how many judged attempts each athlete was given.
- ATP-CP Battery/Stamina is a VERY important part of most CrossFit competitions (i.e. high/moderate loading done for a LOT of reps) and some Fitness competitions. I am assuming that those who have the greatest ability to rephosphorylate ATP in minimal time will perform best at this event (assuming the individual also possess the necessary characteristics stated above).
Event 4
15,12,9 for time (5 min time limit):
Power Clean @ 115lb/80lb
Lateral Barbell Burpees
+
Rest 10 min
+
15,12,9 for time (5 min time limit):
Power Clean @ 115lb/80lb
Lateral Barbell Burpees
Modality: 2
Energy System Tested: Anaerobic Lactic Endurance
Characteristics: speed of repetition, efficiency of movement, pacing and recovery
Thoughts:
- meant to be an attempt to test lactate endurance fatigue repeatability.
- for some athletes that are at the elite level of aerobic fitness OR do not push to the right intensity they are capable of OR if the weight is too heavy for them to keep the power output up.
- those that do get the dose response will be in for a ride. If you do not train for fast, powerful, and anaerobic metabolism based events, you are screwed. If you do not have an adequate aerobic system relative to the power you are able to produce in this event such that you are able to recover in the 10 minutes, you are screwed.
- weight was not meant to become a limiting factor, the intensity of the event was meant to become the limiting factor (i.e. you are limited by your physiological potential to maintain the intensity for the duration, not limited by 1 single movement or excessive loading).
- if this event CRUSHED you, then you need to work on both lactate training as well as more aerobic training. However, this always needs the be based on your own individual traits.
- I use this in testing and assessing my new competitive CrossFit clientele. It is very revealing to me as a Coach.
Event 5
10 minute AMRAP:
5 Thrusters @ 95lb/65lb
5 Chin-ups (C2B for males)
5 Step Down Box Jumps (24" - males, 20" - females)
+
10 min rest
+
For time (10 minute time limit):
1k Run
1k Row
Modalities: 5
Energy System Tested: Aerobic Power
Characteristics: pacing, movement efficiency, speed of repetitions, sustainability
Thoughts:
- meant to be a fatigue repeatability type of event.
- this will be a very uncomfortable final event.
- should end up being a test of aerobic power for nearly all competitors, especially the 2nd half of the event. Only those that are unable to do the chin-up and thruster standards will not accomplish aerobic power, as it will likely be more a matter of strength than anything else.
- I am very happy that we used the step down box jump, as I am not aware of many events that make it mandatory. If you think that makes the event too easy, please go ahead and send me a video of you doing 20+ rounds.
- pacing correctly in both events is critical, as you will have to be just below "threshold" (lactate) the entire time in both events if you want to do your absolute best. Just as important (or maybe more for some) will be the recovery between events, such that you are able to do well in the least event.
- if this event CRUSHED you, you need to work on aerobic training more frequently based on your own individual traits (unless of course you were not strong enough to complete the movements, then you need to get stronger 1st).
- fatigue repeatability is critical to achieving maximal aerobic power and maximal performance in the CrossFit and Fitness competitions that are held year round.
(personal training client from June 2012 following a lactate power training session - loaded sled sprinting for 25-30 sec x 5, 6-8 minute rest...held that position for about 30 minutes...potent...works great for building power and capacity for these young hockey players)
Fitness Coach Mentoring - New Recruits
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There are a maximum of 5 spots available for the Fitness Coach Mentoring service. For more information, please go here. Here is the initial assignment that MUST be completed and e-mailed to info@optimumperformancecalgary.com before you will be officially enrolled into the program. Upon submission of your assignment, we will set-up our first meeting (Skype or in-person). Here it is, any questions regarding the assignment can be e-mailed to the above address. Registration deadline for this service will close on September 9th, 2012. The next openings will begin later in 2012.
Part 1 - Philosophy
The purpose of this part is for me to get an understanding of where you are coming from when you make decisions and choices in training design. In your own words, describe the following to the best of your ability:
- Describe what you believe Fitness is. Be specific. Minimum 500 words.
- Design what you believe would be a legitimate test of fitness, considering all important components involved in competition (i.e. judging, scoring, variety, etc.). Design an 8 event, 3 day competition, be prepared to justify your decisions and choices. Assume you would have access to anything you needed (i.e. equipment, area, volunteers, etc.)
Part 2 - Design
The purpose of this part is to get an understanding of your ability to design training programs based on the person's abilities and their goals, as well as managing all the variables related to training in order avoid over or under training and injury. Design a 4 week training program for each of the following individuals. Each training program must include the days of the training session (i.e. Monday) and the entire training session that goes along with it. You do no have to plan for a peak or anything, linear progression is fine (if you do not understand what I mean, just do your best). Before each design, please describe in point form what YOU believe the training priorities for these individuals should be and HOW you came to those conclusions. As well, assume they do not have a competition for 6-8 months so you are free to start training with any template/priority you like. At the end of each 4 week design, briefly describe what you would plan to change going into the next program, if anything.
Individual #1 - 25 year old Female that wants to compete in CrossFit based Competitions.
*Assume no flexibility issues and no previous injuries
*Able to only train on Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Saturday/Sunday
- Height = 5'8"
- Bodyweight = 125lbs
- Deadlift = 200lbs
- Back Squat = 135lbs
- Front Squat = 115lbs
- Power Clean = 95lbs
- Clean and Jerk = 95lbs
- Power Snatch = 70lbs
- Snatch = 75lbs
- OHS = 85lbs
- Close Grip Bench Press = 95lbs
- Press = 70lbs
- Weighted Supinated Chin-up = 10lbs
- Weighted Bar Dip = 15lbs
- AMRAP Chest to Bar Chin-ups = 3
- AMRAP Ring Dips = 2
- AMRAP HSPU = 0
- Muscle-ups = 0
- 500m Row = 2:15
- 1000m Row = 4:35
- 2000m Row = 9:20
- 400m Run = 1:30
- 800m Run = 3:25
- 1600m Run = 7:15 min
- Fran = 12 minutes
- Helen = 15 minutes
Individual #2 - 25 year old Male that wants to compete in CrossFit based Competitions.
*Assume no flexibility issues and no previous injuries
*Able to train any time, any day
- Height = 5'10"
- Bodyweight = 185lbs
- Deadlift = 500lbs
- Back Squat = 375lbs
- Front Squat = 330lbs
- Power Clean = 225lbs
- Squat Clean = 250lbs
- Clean and Jerk = 245lbs
- Power Snatch = 185lb
- Snatch = 205lbs
- Close Grip Bench Press = 275lb
- Press = 195lb
- Weighted Supinated Chin-up = 110lb
- Weighted Bar Dip = 125lb
- AMRAP Chest to Bar Chin-ups = 45
- AMRAP Ring Dips = 35
- AMRAP HSPU = 35
- 30 Muscle-ups for time = 3:30 min
- 500m Row = 1:25 min
- 1000m Row = 3:10 min
- 2000m Row = 7:30 min
- 400m Run = 1:00 min
- 800m Run = 2:25 min
- 1600m Run = 6:25 min
- 5000m Run = 24 min
CrossFit Open 12.1, AMRAP Burpees in 7 minutes = 115 reps
Fran = 2:20 min
Helen = 9 minutes
Nate = 20 rds
Individual # 3 - 40 year old Male that wants to qualify for the Boston Marathon
*Make no assumptions here
*Able to train any time, any day
*Describe what you believe would be necessary testing for this person to go through if they came to your facility (i.e. what would you do with them for an assessment that would give valid information and therefore be beneficial to designing a training program for this person).
- Height = 6'0"
- Bodyweight = 175 lbs (under 10% bodyfat)
- Maximum Heart Rate when Running = 182
- 10k = 40 min
- Half Marathon = 1 hour 29 min
- Marathon = 4 hours
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