Let’s talk programming…
January 20th, 2023
Hello, Kraken Athletes!
I want to take a moment to talk about our upcoming few weeks of programming as we hit the ground running.
For our general programming, our base will be CompTrain’s affiliate program. This program is a CrossFit centric program. You can expect to see tough metcons, which are heavy in classic CrossFit movements, chippers, couplets, and triplets. We plan to have a metcon, as well as some sort of strength or accessory work before or after the workout if time allows. We will let you know where the best place to spend your energy is and what the intended stimulus of the workout is whenever possible. Expect high intensity work, heavy in gymnastics. Remember this is CrossFit, and intensity is often better than volume.
That said, we will offer several tracks on our daily workouts. The trick here will be to pick the track which will be most beneficial to your athletic ability and which meets the target stimulus; that may not always be the “RX,” weights or movements.
These will be:
Sweat: Expect lighter weights and more accessible movements.
Train: This is where most experienced athletes should fall, you can expect classic CrossFit on this one.
Comp: Higher weights, and most highly technical movements.
We may also offer a “+” version of our tracks to help modulate the stimulus.
It should go without saying, but these are general guidelines. Weights and movements should always be tailored to the ability of the athlete. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is your fitness. We’re here to guide you to improve in a safe and effective manner.
Now the fun part, accessory work.
Here at Kraken we firmly believe that a daily class will be enough to provide amazing results for most athletes. We will make you fit. There is also a trap in too much volume. If you take on too much without your body being able to recover, you may see burnout or performance regression. What is listed below is optional training for those who want to push things to the next level. We do not recommend athletes tackle this kind of volume unless they are sure they can recover from it. This is intended as a “pick and choose,” not an “all the above,” list of options.
Now that that’s out of the way.
Strength
We will have a mix of Westside Conjugate Method programmed into our classes some days and alongside classes on others. We will run a few cycles of this and reassess its impacts in our programming. Westside will push your maxes, our WODs should cover the volume work for most other athletes.
Westside programming looks like this:
Dynamic Days: Work will be lighter - lots of 8x3’s, 10x2’s at 50-60%. The goal for these days is to be as explosive as possible on all reps. If you’re starting to slow down, drop weight. Movements will rotate often. By using specialty movements, we can break down major lifts into its components and eliminate weaknesses.
We are trying to recruit fast twitch fibers that will directly translate into our WODs and generate explosivity. Westside is known for large gains up front due to varied stimulus. Some of our dynamic days will be programmed into our daily WODs as a strength piece.
For example, a Back squat Dynamic workout may look something like this.
Week 1 8x3 @ 55% Dynamic BACK squat based on estimated or Max effort attempt
Week 2 8x3 @ 55% Dynamic BOX Squat based on estimated or Max effort attempt
Week 3 8x3 @ 55% Dynamic FRONT Squat based on estimated or Max effort attempt
This may repeat for 1-8 weeks before changing the main stimulus with mild % bumps.
Max Effort days:
Work will be Heavy – On a max effort day we want to see you hit 3-5 singles at or above 90%. This does not mean that you are trying for a new 1RM every session!
An example of a ME day:
Work up to 3-5 singles @ 90%+
The rep scheme may look something like this, this will largely be based on feel and is not set in stone.
Warm up/volume work - Resting 2-3 minutes between sets (or more if needed)
2x4 @ 60%
2x3 @ 70%
3x1 @ 75%- 80%- 85%
Then
3-5 Singles at 90+ %
These are the days to push the heavy weight. Movements will rotate often and be paired with the dynamic days.
It’s important to note this though. This kind of lifting is hard on your CNS especially when coupled with metcons or high volume. Westside typically programs additional accessory work with the main lift, we plan to cover that additional accessory work inside the metcons and during “afterparty,” work. CompTrain will be our primary source for metcons, and Westside will be our primary source for strength pieces.
Most athletes should start with only dynamic days until they are sure their body is responding well to the stimulus and recovering properly. If there are form issues or you’re overtrained, you can risk injury. Be humble, be smart, and put in work.
Now the dreaded word: Cardio.
Do you want additional training to improve your cardio, in and out of the gym? First give this a read:
https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/aerobic-zones/
Metabolic systems/Anaerobic capacity work:
Does your motor suck? There’s a way to fix this. Unfortunately, it will hurt.
This accessory work is simple. Expect to see things such as 4x400m run @85%, 6x200m Sprint with 30 seconds rest, or 2x2k row with rest 1 to 1.
Basically, this will be interval work and mostly monostructural. This additional programming is all about buckling down and putting in the work. It’s not flashy but I believe it will pay off in dividends down the road. Most of this work will be sprints or fast pacing work. This is meant to increase anaerobic work capacity as well as overall efficiency in those workouts that are at or near redline.
Aerobic Threshold work: The other end of the energy system.
First, this kind of work is shown to have statistical health benefits over the course of the human lifespan. Ask yourself this question. Do you struggle to run a mile at any real speed? Can you run a 5k or a 10K quickly or without stopping? Are you metabolically capable of putting in 30-40 minutes of rowing or swimming with real output? If you cannot, then your aerobic system needs work. The aerobic systems in our body are much more efficient than our anaerobic ones. If we can train ourselves to have more aerobic capacity, it will directly translate to how long we can hold on in those hard workouts and how much work you can get done before you’re anaerobic.
Expect this to take 30 minutes to 90 minutes several times a week. A heart rate monitor is highly recommended for this sort of training (chest strap is best, watches have a tendency to be very inaccurate). Your heart rate will be what determines your pace. Athletes should aim to do about 1-4 hours a week of this sort of training. Basically, pick a modality you can be consistent with, whether that’s Run, Swim, Bike, Row etc. If you're good at this sort of thing then less is more, if you struggle with it, then you may need 3-4 hours a week. It also may take 3-6 months of work to get you to where you need to be.
Here are some articles to get you started.
https://www.crossfitinvictus.com/blog/zone-2-training/
https://misfitathletics.com/articles/a-crossfitters-guide-to-zone-2-training/
Now that you’ve read those here is my suggestion.
Conduct a field test for your heart rate and use that for your numbers.
https://theathleteblog.com/calculate-maximum-heart-rate/
Zone 2 running has the benefit of injury reduction and positive nervous system response. Zone 2 runs will take longer to show metabolic results but are significantly easier to recover from than the training at higher heart rates. If you're a distance athlete or have a high training volume (this is relative to the athlete themselves and how well they recover) you want to do this work in Zone 2.
Some athletes will do better with Zone 3 work. You may get a greater aerobic response for your time spent. Looking at it in only that light is somewhat disingenuous though. These runs will be 2-4 times harder to recover from. Zone 3 seems to be best used to work on pace or stride and push those boundaries. It is a tool to supplement your aerobic base with harder efforts.
You will need to figure out what works best for you. Do not go into Zone 4 during this sort of training (you go from aerobic to anaerobic quickly above Zone 3). Again, I stress the point is to work on your aerobic system and not PR on your 5k every session. Consistency and adequate recovery is key here.
With this training, you need to make sure you warm up well and let your heart rate settle before getting into the bulk of the work. Cool downs and stretching are mandatory.
Note: start slow here, maybe only a few miles a week if you’re running. Build up the legs before putting in serious mileage or you can easily hurt yourself (trust me, I’ve fractured my shins twice). Also, if road running, make sure you invest in good shoes and replace them every 200-400 miles (maybe sooner). CF shoes are not recommended for this kind of work.
Understand that this is a very general outline of our expected programming over the first few months, subject to change as we get our feet under us and learn as we go. We can’t wait to help you achieve your fitness goals!