It’s Tuesday! I better give you some tips cause it’s time for more free stuff!!!
Well it’s time for me to shower you with more gifts. This week I will be giving away TWO X Training Equipment speed ropes for practicing all your sweet moves. I will pick TWO names on Friday from all the people who COMMENT or SHARE the blog on Facebook/Tumblr.
I think that the winners should promise us they will use their new jump rope powers for good and practice the ever-elusive quadruple under until they have mastered it and can prove so via YouTube.
So many COLORS!!!!
Ok Tip-Heads, now what the hecka should we talk about?
So over my past few years as a Crossfit trainer, I’ve learned some ways to create long-term programs for individuals and groups. This was not an easy skill to develop and it was a trial-and-error process that taught me a lot along the way.
Knowing that people often have many questions about programming for Crossfit and that keeping things “constantly varied,” but not still structured can be a challenge, here are my…
5 tips for programming effective training:
-consider your goal: long term and short term, what are you trying to accomplish?
You cannot effectively program anything unless you know where you’re headed. Determine the farthest away goals and break down what smaller goals need to be reached to get there. After that you can organize weekly training that will coincide.
-look to the past:
Every week before I plan things out I flip back a couple weeks and revisit the workouts that I programmed for class. I’ll look at the movements, the loads, the times. I’ll start brainstorming ideas that would be fun or different or new. Mostly, I will decide how to best expand on the layout of strength movements coupled with accessory movements. I frame my classes around the work I want to accomplish that day. Strength, skill, conditioning, or some combination these.
-consider your athlete: yourself, your clients, who is being effected by this program?
Here I stick to programming for the “firebreather” athlete and then scaling down to the less-experienced athletes as necessary. Keeping in mind that scaling needs to be adjusted for different people and in varying ways from week to week. Example: for those learning the kipping pull-up, you can do jumping pull-ups one week to get a metabolic conditioning response, inverted ring rows for strength development, and kipping swings on the bar to train the skill.
With the more advanced athlete I always keep in mind what stimulus he/she needs from week to week and day to day, whether that be in duration of workout, practicing of skills, and overall exertion throughout the class.
-get creative:
This is where you will likely make many mistakes, but in doing so you will set yourself a part from other trainers. Keep in mind that athletes who are having fun and enjoying their time in the gym will keep coming back and keep working hard. Creativity is not a license for insane and out-of-control programming, but a guide to being more than just a cookie-cutter trainer. Find your voice, challenge yourself to teach and coach things that aren’t your specialty, ask for help when you can, bring in new drills – all of this will enhance your ability to improve athletic performance in others. Don’t be afraid to go outside your comfort zone because you might not be perfect. Invest yourself in the success of others and they will not only believe in what you do, they will follow you beyond any minor mistake along the way.
-Most of all, get excited about people’s results and they will too.
