Welcome to another exciting training cycle at PUSH. The upcoming cycle is set to kick off next week on November 11th. You might be wondering what is the significance of Big Tree? Allow me to explain. Several years back, while I was coaching at a different gym, I had Coach Josh (known simply as Athlete Josh back then) in one of my classes. It was just like any other day. However, this one workout was a particularly challenging workout. As I was coaching Josh, without a doubt, started off too aggressively, resulting in a less-than-ideal outcome. I jokingly remarked, "Big Tree fall hard" as he laid exhausted on the ground after the session. That moment marked the birth of Big Tree. Therefore, your cherished Coach Josh is synonymous with Big Tree - they are one and the same.
At PUSH, we take various factors into account when programming, including the CrossFit season, our clientele, the length of training cycles, their training history, injury patterns, progressions, and the timing of strength development. We hold staff meetings to review past, current and future cycles, paying close attention to trends, attendance, performance metrics, enjoyment, processes, and results.
I then map out our training cycles, which typically last between six to twelve weeks. To give you more insight, we work with macro, meso, and micro cycles—think yearly, seasonal, and weekly. I write the programming, and multiple times throughout the process, Josh and I meet for several hours to discuss it. We evaluate what may have been overlooked, whether certain movements are overrepresented, if there are consecutive days with redundant movement patterns, and if the program seems enjoyable. We also assess whether the progressions flow logically.
In this cycle, we switched our roles. Big Tree has taken the lead as the author, while I’m stepping in as the editor. Before Josh wrote this cycle, we discussed our goals to maintain a consistent training flow and progressions that will bring us through the end of the year and into the Open. So, while I usually write the programming and Josh reviews it, this time he is the author and I am the editor.
The way I view programming, especially regarding cycles and specific time periods, is that it’s essential to understand our priorities. We need to distinguish between primary, secondary, and tertiary elements in our training. Too often, programmers try to fit too much into a program because they want to cover everything. This approach can lead to overtraining, injury, and a lack of progress due to inconsistency and insufficient exposure to specific modalities or energy systems.
A metaphor that often comes to mind when thinking about programming is the example of filling a jar with rocks, pebbles, sand, and water. This illustrates how we should prioritize our training. If you truly want to improve in a particular area, you must dedicate time to focus on it. You can't effectively include five 1-rep max lifts, three different advanced gymnastics progressions, and two contrasting energy system training efforts all within six weeks.
Consider the time constraints: Are you training five days a week? Is your central nervous system recovering adequately from heavy lifts and sprint intervals? Are your joints managing the demands of frequent ring work for muscle-ups?
That said, we will always engage with every movement stimulus and pattern. Even if we don't perform a 1-rep max deadlift, it doesn’t mean we won't incorporate hinging movements; you might simply see them with lighter loads or as part of a metabolic conditioning workout.
With that background on programming perspectives and processes, let's discuss what you can expect!
Rocks: Power, power, power! The focus of this cycle is power. So, what is power? In simple terms, it is the rate at which work is done. The formula for power is: Power = Work ÷ Time.
In this program, you will encounter three primary modalities and tests that will demonstrate power: the one-rep power clean, maximum height box jump, and short-distance sprints on the echo bike. These days will usually be a combination of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
It's important to understand that power reflects a true application of force, which requires time to recharge. Therefore, there will be days each week where the workload seems light and rest periods are longer. This design is intentional; we need you to truly push yourself during your workout. If the program calls for a sprint, give it your all. If it indicates "only" three box jumps, go all out and push yourself. We have soft boxes and can customize heights using plates and other surfaces.
Remember, if you don’t fully commit to expressing your power, you may miss out on the benefits of this cycle.
Pebbles: We will be focusing on strict pulling gymnastics, specifically strict pull-ups, which will be performed every Monday and Friday throughout this cycle. There will be an initial testing phase, followed by an increasing number of sets and specific percentage-based work relative to that test.
As we often emphasize, if you cannot perform strict movements, you should reconsider attempting advanced kipping gymnastics. It is essential to develop a certain level of strength not only in your muscles but also in your joints and stabilizers. This training will help enhance that strength.
You will still encounter traditional pulling movements in our metabolic conditioning (metcon) workouts, such as toes-to-bar, muscle-ups, and kipping or butterfly pull-ups. Our primary goal during this cycle is to dedicate time to improving our relative bodyweight strength.
Sand: We still love to squat big because big squats make the world go round. In the last training cycle, we focused on the Texas Method, specifically for the back squat. This cycle will include one day per week dedicated to a heavy squat session. We will alternate between front squats and back squats each week, depending on whether it's an odd or even week. The goal is to lift heavy, but not at our maximum capacity. You can expect a progression in weight, working within the ranges of 3-rep and 1-rep sets. The mindset is to lift "heavy for the day," rather than aiming for a lifetime personal record.
Water: We will be incorporating longer workouts focused on cardiovascular stimulus in our training. In CrossFit, we strive to be generalists rather than specialists. This means that while we emphasize shorter, high-power output exercises, it’s important to maintain balance across different modalities and time domains.
You can expect to see workouts such as 20-minute AMRAPs, 40-minute time caps, 5 rounds for time, and intervals with a 4:1 work-to-rest ratio lasting 30 to 40 minutes. It’s important to note that you can't solely focus on lifting heavy every day or pushing for explosive power. Each energy system and muscle group has its own recovery rate, which we need to consider in our training approach.
So there you have it—the next exciting cycle is coming your way. Prepare for intense expressions of power, strict pulling gymnastics, some challenging Quadzilla squats, and a mix of classic workouts that can only be described as an abundance of fitness. And remember, if Josh asks you which cycle has been the best so far, he already has an answer: it is this one. Any response other than that, and you would be mistaken.
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