Hello SciCohs!
We may be over 4 years in to our journey together, but we are consistently evaluating and improving what we do. That includes our programming approach.
For years we have measured our members’ performance and over the last 6 months we have focused on incorporating individual goals. We have learned many things through those experiences, especially one major finding – many of you have goals to simply get fit but many of you also have goals to become better CrossFit athletes!
What’s cool about this finding is that what is needed varies only by degree, not kind. For example, we all need to perfect our olympic lifts so we can build strength, power, balance, and coordination. BUT, the person wanting to excel at CrossFit needs to increase their load and barbell conditioning.
Similarly, we should all be working to improve our ability to move our body throughout space (e.g. perform gymnatics), but it’s important for the CrossFit performance athlete to learn and master both kinds of muscle ups.
Given these different goals, we are now introducing our goal based programming – Performance vs. Fitness.
PURPOSE OF PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMING
Performance programming is designed for those that have substantially increased their fitness and reached the majority of their INITIAL fitness goals. Their goals have turned from losing 20 lbs and dropping dress sizes, to increasing their clean weight, hitting their first muscle up, and placing in the top 10 in a local competition.
These folks are focusing on the sport side of CrossFit and are willing to take on the extra risk and time demands dictated by taking any sport a little more serious.
PURPOSE OF FITNESS PROGRAMMING
We all started CrossFit for one reason – to improve our fitness. That’s exactly what this track is designed for. Yes this will help you get your first pull-up, increase your strength, help your heart, and lose the lbs. Will you eventually get your first muscle up? Sure, but that’s not the goal. This programming want to simply get and keep you fit with or without your setting snatch records.
WHICH ONE SHOULD I FOLLOW?
In general, choose it according to your goals. If you have been here for years and care about mastering high level skills and increasing to competitive weights, then follow our performance track. If instead you just want to keep to the basics, and keep focusing on general fitness then follow fitness!
DO I ALWAYS FOLLOW THE SAME TRACK?
Nope.
Let’s face it. We all have weaknesses and strengths. This means sometimes we can do performance and others we are still in fitness.
Also, we feel different each day. I’m 8 years in and have developed enough skill to do performance each day…BUT, some days I won’t. Some days it takes me everything I have to just show up. I don’t care how heavy I lift or how fast I move…I just want to get a little fitter. On that day, I choose fitness. And that’s ok!
DO I HAVE TO RX?
Nope. It’s still INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT to MAINTAIN THE STIMULUS!
So, if we program a workout with 10 hang power cleans in a row at 225 for performance, and you want to follow performance to improve your heavy power cleans but your power clean max is 225…225 is not right. Instead, follow the performance but scale to a weight you can hit 10 times in a row!
Don’t worry, we will help.
Let’s also say your are a fitness person, but there is a performance workout you can do and you are feeling the itch to challenge yourself…DO IT!
WHAT’S THE NOMENCLATURE?
Instead of simple Rx we will now use 4 different types of designations for scores.
- PRx – Performance Rx
- PSc – Performance Scaled
- FRx – Fitness Rx
- FSc – Fitness Scaled
BOTTOM LINE
Look, don’t get overly nuts about which to follow. We designed this to better cater to individual goals…not for you to overthink it.
When in doubt, default to fitness, and ask us your Coaches. Still enjoy your time with us and ask us for help!
