Wednesday 110928

New EmerFitters Sashsa and Zak with little Beowulf.

Conditioning:
15 minutes max rounds:

• 15 Front Squats
• Run 400 Meters

For the squats use the load that uses only “full” plates (25, 35, 45) and is closest to 50% of last week’s 2 rep max.

Coach’s Corner Mailbag

Hey,
I am currently in a rut. Don’t get me wrong, the gym I have joined here is great, I just dont feel like I am progressing. I feel like I am in a constant “drop in” mode, like I work out with no real goal or program in place. Can you advise me on what to do? I want to get stronger. I have some goals; I want to be able to do a muscle up, and I want to be able to compete at Oly. Can you give me some advice?

Thanks,
EmerFit Alum

Two or three times a year we see a group of people move away due to job changes, marriages, or for school. The big months are August, January, and May. Most assume that every micro-gym (whether affiliated with CrossFit or not) runs about the same and offers the same services. Unfortunately that is not true.

We are not perfect at EmerFit and we have lots of ideas for further improvements but I think we do better than a lot of gyms. Broadly, we want to balance consistency with variety while allowing for specialization and individualization. If you are an EmerFit alum who has moved out of state understanding these pieces of the EmerFit philosophy can help you choose a new gym. But, before I elaborate on those here are some specific ideas for finding a new place:

1. Do it yourself. Consider how much you want to do on your own. Some find success with a home gym. They either get their programs via our remote coaching programs or they learn on their own. Beware, many people go down this road with good intentions but training solo takes a certain kind of person with a certain kind of motivation.




2. Look for a CrossFit affiliate who has done the CrossFit Football certification and/or some non-CrossFit strength or Olympic Lifting certifications like Starting Strength or USAW. Even if they do not currently offer these program they are more likely to be willing to work with you (see 4 below).




3. Look for an Olympic Lifting or Power Lifting gym that has some CrossFit certified trainers or some cross-training programs that look like CrossFit. These are rare but I have seen more of them popping up. You could also look for someone associated with Gym Jones or Mountain Athlete.




4. Offer to be a guinea pig. Tell your CrossFit trainer that you want to do CrossFit Football, Starting Strength, 5-3-1, the Grey Skull LP, or whatever program has caught your fancy. Maybe you ask them to design the conditioning to go with your program. If you have some other random goals (like a muscle up) then throw that into the mix too. Beware on this one because some CrossFit trainers seem to get irate or nasty if you purpose that their program is not the end-all-be-all. We have had a few EmerFit expats get in heated discussion or even in one instance kicked out of an affiliate merely for asking for some open gym time.

Now back to the more philosophical stuff:

Consistency versus Variation

CrossFit by definition is constantly varied. Variation can help keep things interesting and fun. However, there are lots of things we do in the gym which require consistent regular practice. Strength training is a great example. Constantly varied random strength work will only get you so far. It might get some people far enough but I have yet to meet one of them. For most people to meet even intermediate strength standards they are eventually going to need to spend some time with a structured strength program. What does that mean? It means a program where you squat, press, or deadlift three days a week for at least 12 weeks and you follow some sort of planned progression with a strategy for resetting when you start missing lifts. Starting Strength, 5-3-1 and the Grey Skull LP are some popular examples of structured strength programs.

The strength program in our regular cross-training classes is a step in that direction. It is not random but its a little more varied than a program like Starting Strength or even CrossFit Football. In short, you can get decent results by being consistent with your strength work while seeking variation in your conditioning.

Specialization

CrossFit tends to be implemented in a one size fits all fashion. Some would claim that by definition it is one size fits all. There are a few unique situations where a one size fits all program can work:

• You are a beginner.
• Your only goal is being “generally” fit and having fun. Plus, you do not care how long it takes to get fit.
• You have a sport and you are in the off-season.
• You have a very limited base of work capacity or conditioning (i.e. you are out of shape.)

If you have goals with deadlines, you have a sport, you are already in decent shape, and/or you are no longer a beginner then a one-size-fits-all program is not going to be the best use of your time. You may not need to specialize forever but most people find that once the start specializing they do not want to go back. Specializing means doing a special program that could be weakness specific (e.g. a strength program), sport specific (e.g. an Olympic Lifting or ski program), or individual specific.

Individualization

If you believe in progression as part of your training then eventually you are going to need some individualization. That does not have to mean doing a whole program by yourself or with a private coach (e.g personal training), though it might. For example, if you want to learn the muscle up or get your first strict pull-up you might need to spend some time practicing on your own whether that is at the end of a regular training session, on a “rest” day or at home. Likewise, if you cannot do some regular movement because of a past injury or just because you are “tight” then you might need to spend some extra time stretching or foam rolling. Ideally, your coach would give you a progressive individualized program or your gym would offer a special program or focus group if many of the members have the same goals or issues.

Conclusions

There appear to be a lot of people out there who enjoy doing random stuff to get random results. Random results are certainly better than the complete lack of results most people get at “globo” gyms. There is nothing wrong with that approach unless you want specific results and especially if you want them by a specific deadline.