The Crossfit Open has become the event we train for as a strength and conditioning facility. It gives you and I something to train for other than every day life. It gives us the opportunity to be clear about where we are going, and it gives us a clearly defined “season.”
As such, if we have a clear “season,” which is the five weeks of the Crossfit Open, we must also have a clear and defined “off-season.” This next 6 weeks will be just that.
“Some days may feel short, or like something is missing, but don’t fret.... this recovery time is crucial, as it will set you up for increased performance down the road. ”
For the next six weeks we will explore new movements, practice elemental gymnastics skills, increase our aerobic capacity, and perform postural restoration exercises. Some days may feel short, or like something is missing, but don't fret. Just know that we are doing is part of a larger plan, and that this recovery time is crucial, as it will set you up for increased performance down the road. So, if you feel like what we are doing isn’t enough, let me assure you that the time will come when you will miss this next 6 weeks. Resist the urge to do more. Resist the urge to run your body into the ground. And, if you want more work over the next six weeks, don't ask me for it. You have more to gain spending that extra half-hour cooking and prepping meals than spending it on the rower.
Lana performs the turkish get-up
The sport of weightlifting will also continue to be a main focus, and we will look forward to priority events to prepare for in the coming months. Since meets have become more common, finding a meet near a time when we are peaking for a specific cycle will not be difficult, and we will structure training so that slipping into a meet at any point will be seamless. However, for the next six weeks we will see a marked drop in volume, frequency, and intensity of the classic lifts (Snatch and Clean and Jerk).
Below is a rough overview of our annual plan. This overview is subject to change, and each 12-week block may be broken down into even smaller cycles. But as a general overview, our year will look like this:
Annual Training Overview for S&C Classes:
Weeks 1-6: Post competition phase: Postural Restoration, Aerobic Capacity, movement exploration, elemental gymnastics
Weeks 7-18: Hypertrophy, mass and strength building, aerobic capacity, General Preparedness Training (GPT) and non-specific skill acquisition
Weeks 19-31: Transition phase, gradual increase in specific preparedness training (SPT)
Weeks 32-44: Pre-competition phase; CF Open prep cycle, SPT
Weeks 45-52: Competition phase; capacity, skill, and strength maintenance phase
Give your body and mind a chance to recover. This next six weeks will be a much needed mental break for many of you who have become burnt out over the last 20 weeks of Open preparation and the Open itself. This is the time to let yourself heal before we transition into our first off-season hypertrophy, power, and strength cycle.
Although the efficacy of the general plan for the next six weeks is certain, the mundane logistical details may require us to tweak the program from one week to the next. Expect the unexpected... I hope you enjoy the next year as much as I enjoy planning it for you. See you all at the hall!