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At Shapesmiths, we warm you up, with general and specific prep work, using the R.A.M.P protocol. In order to maximise training time AND encourage the community hanging out Post-WOD, it’s over to you for the cool down.

We encourage you to grab a class-mate, hang-out and chat whilst you complete an appropriate cool-down.

SO, what to do…simply, a MOVEMENT based cool down, straight after your WOD at Shapesmiths, will begin your body’s recovery process and make your life in the proceeding 72 hours a LOT easier. “Hurrah!” we hear you cry.

Here’s a simple guide to cool-downs, post-WOD.

1. DON’T LAY DOWN.

CrossFit® should not only strengthen your body but also your mind. For sure, take a knee, or have a seat for a minute, but stay off your back. Sprawling out on the ground, as soon as the WOD is done, makes it look like we’ve been defeated rather than strengthened by the workout.  It’s best to keep moving and start the recovery process immediately. Go for a walk outside, put your kit away and then make your cooldown decision from the below.

2. Shorter, Intense WODs = A longer cooldown. 

Examples; Karen (150 wall balls), Fran (21-15-9 Thrusters & Pull-Ups), Isabel (30 power snatch for time)

If you have just done a short, intense WOD, try and sit on an EchoBike, Rowing Machine or walk for 2-3mins outside.  This will bring the heart rate back down and will help flush the blood around your body and remove any nasty metabolites we don’t want in there.

Then focus on movement.

Some of you cycle to and from the gym. This is an AMAZING way of flushing out and beginning the cool down process. Just be sure to include a little more movement such as couch stretch and pigeon pose, twinned with some lunges, when you get off your bike on the other end.

3. Longer, steady WODs = A shorter cooldown.

Examples; Chipper-style and most Mental Toughness WODs, Murph (1mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, 1-mile run).

These don’t require as much cooling down, as you will have been moving at a consistent pace, without an overly spiked heart rate.  Instead purely focus on movement (see below for more info).

4. Use Movement, Because Movement > ‘Mobility’/Stretching/Foam Rolling in your cooldown.

The advantage of performing a movement based cooldown is the promotion of oxygenated blood flow into the muscles. This clears out the waste products of training whilst also keeping the muscles understanding the motion that you are trying to restore.

If you can add in some multi-directional, tri-planar motion to your cool down via lunges + reaching. You can even work with a partner and combine a few sets of 10 lunge plus med ball pass to one another. This will help promote the muscles to glide over each other in different directions, thus providing enough friction to help remove some of the adhesions and trigger points caused by repetitive movements, that can occur in day to day life, and in the gym.

Adhesions can form in the areas and directions that the muscles are not being moved in, due to a lack of blood flow and fluid to the area. Trigger points can form in muscles that are repeatedly moving in the same direction due to overload and hypersensitivity. 

   5. Repeat what you know from the RAMP

If the above isn’t your jam, you can simply REPEAT the AM) section of our RAMP warm up. That’s the Activation and Mobility section. It should be fresh in your mind and easy to work through.  Head to the dedicated stretching area upstairs on the mezzanine with a class mate and catch up whilst cooling down.

A Note on Foam Rolling.

Foam rolling feels really nice. It really does. It can be a nice way of self massaging post workout too. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the following though:  If you have been foam rolling the same areas, time and time again, for weeks or months, it is indicative that your mechanics aren’t changing for the better. The same areas are likely becoming overworked and hypersensitive for some reason.  Essentially by foam rolling you are treating the symptom not the cause and the foam roller is the paracetamol.

The reasons for the overworked muscles and hypersensitivity can be specific to an individual’s movement mechanics. SO, seeking advice from The Livewell Clinic is recommended to get things checked over and ironed out. It’s very possible that we can address mechanical issues and optimize your cool down. This dual approach can be to the point and very successful.

Certainly, the foam roller can help with the removal of waste products in the body as described above. But we would urge you to limit your time on the roller to 3-5:00 maximum. Whilst laying on the floor you are not spending your time optimally.  When you consider that improving human function in motion is our priority as a CrossFit® gym a whole body movement-based approach to your cooldown is best.

SO, when it’s time to cool down, don’t lay down.  Much love, everyone!

I have ‘sat on’ this post for quite a while. I was trying to think of the best way to put it in my own words. However, the CrossFit Level Two Training Guide and Workbook is so well written, in parts, that it’s best I share big chunks of it with you and then elaborate slightly in my own words.  

Hopefully, the previous three instalments of ‘How it All Works’ have gone some way to ensuring you know we have your best fitness interests at heart and that there is at least a clear method to how we program. In the ‘THE LAST WORD ON PROGRAMMING’ I would like to go one-step further down the rabbit hole to answer some oft debated points. 

THE MAIN TAKE-AWAY ON PROGRAMMING.

What the Guide Says: ‘Programming, whether “good” or “bad,” is secondary to effective coaching, appropriate scaling, using sound mechanics, and a group dynamic conducive to pushing oneself (i.e., highest intensity brought to the work). Even with less-than-optimal programming, a trainer with a good eye for movement mechanics, and who develops a good rapport with his clients, will help clients improve their fitness for years. Functional movements performed at high intensity, regardless of how well they are combined and varied, are powerful enough to elicit dramatic changes in one’s health and performance, particularly for the unaccustomed.’ ‘For any level of athlete, a well-varied program should cover many different aspects of fitness. As an athlete becomes more advanced (e.g., CrossFit Games competitor [regionals and beyond too]), additional time may be needed improving weaknesses in addition to regular programming.’  

What Shapesmiths Say: In short, we really hope that you guys value the coaching quality and know that every day the growing team is striving to develop as coaches and improve our knowledge, to help you all. Weaknesses shouldn’t be shirked away from. If you know that you need to improve a basic skill like running, don’t avoid those types of workout when they pop up. Instead relish the opportunity to improve.  Check in with your coach if you don’t feel suitably challenged, it may be that we need to work a skill more to unlock a new intensity or you are indeed ready to modify up, to make things a little harder.   

WORKING WEAKNESSES    

What the Guide Says: ‘A weakness is a certain skill that is lacking relative to an athlete’s proficiency in other areas. By improving one’s capacity in these weak areas, the athlete’s overall fitness increases. Effective CrossFit programming by itself is weakness development. With well-varied, unbiased combinations of loads, time duration, movements, etc., clients inevitably see improvements in their fitness for years. Over the months and years, just performing the elements one struggles with will improve one’s proficiency in these movements. An athlete may choose to do additional weakness work to accelerate progress and will likely find this also improves strengths. It is also a good consideration for a client that has reached a plateau.’   ‘It is unlikely that the programming needs to change drastically to address weaknesses, particularly for an affiliate or large group setting. Further, trying to tailor the program to every individual weakness is impossible. The best the trainer can do is to observe and respond to the general trends in the gym and provide well-varied programming consistently.’  

What Shapesmiths Say: In our box, Shapesmiths coaches get a real kick out of seeing its members come in on their first day a little nervous and over a few months end up making huge progress. If you ever feel like you have ‘plateaued’ come and talk to your coach and we will talk it through and see whether that is actually the case. Personal bests come in many forms, not just in kilos or seconds.  If you have time, using open gym could be a great shout for you! We have an open gym guide that is housed in our Facebook Members Page. It has an excellent supplemental strength program, gymnastics program and engine program. All three of these are also covered off in regular class programming too in the form of the Weightlifting Class, Engine and Shapesmiths Gymnastics. 

Also, don’t underestimate NUTRITION to help you through plateaus. It is the BASE of the fitness pyramid, after all.   Get in touch if you are keen to address this.  

ADVANCED-LEVEL ATHLETES.  

What the Guide Says:   ‘These are those that can perform all workouts and movements as prescribed in the workout of the day (Rx). Typically, these athletes either came to CrossFit after years of performing some functional movements at high intensities (e.g., collegiate gymnast) or they have been doing CrossFit consistently for years. There are times a trainer needs to scale this athlete due to sickness, injury, personal problems, or a recent string of difficult/demanding workouts. Occasionally suggesting a variation with lower loading and/or repetitions benefits the advanced athlete both physically and/or mentally.’  

What Shapesmiths Say: Our aim, via appropriate scaling, is to get everyone to a point where they can Rx workouts. However, this is not at the expense of having fun and enforcing correct mechanics. As the gym’s ‘training age’, defined here as: ‘the gym’s members total time, exposed to the elements of CrossFit’, increases you will look around the gym and see more and more people Rx-ing WODs.   This Advanced level, should not be confused with Elite Level, which is those that would be going to Semi Finals, (formerly sanctionals and Regionals) and the CrossFit Games. That is less than one percent of the whole population of CrossFitters and although a nice thing to have in a gym is not Shapesmiths primary focus.  We hope that the more advanced athletes at Shapesmiths know that we will continue to apply the same principles of athlete development to them and that sometimes it is totally OK to scale a workout back, no matter who the athlete is. 

ONE OF THE 4 MAJOR PROGRAMMING PITFALLS.

What the Guide Says:  ‘CrossFit programmers may be tempted to use excessive volume. This occurs with more than one training session a day (i.e., double days). In some cases, athletes may even attempt more than two sessions. This pitfall affects those trying to emulate the volume sometimes used by CrossFit Games athletes. Games athletes’ training is not representative of what CrossFit programming should look like. Multiple sessions a day are not appropriate for 99 percent of CrossFit athletes (less than one percent of those who participate in the Open go to the Games). ‘   ‘Even multiple workouts in one extended “session” should generally be avoided. Extra sessions and/or extra workouts may help performance in the short term but often lead to overtraining, higher risk of injury, and burnout in the long term. Double days help Regional or Games athletes prepare for high-volume competition and can help them get in more volume so they can advance certain skills relative to their competitors. Generally, however, there is actually a decrease in intensity across sessions. ‘  

‘ “Be impressed by intensity, not volume.” If a client is looking to be competitive, very gradually and cautiously increase volume. For example, start with additional skill sessions (e.g., double-under practice) in areas in which the athlete is not as proficient, not multiple workouts. Look at CrossFit.com and assess what the athlete cannot complete, then add “volume” by way of working on these skills. The volume should gradually increase over the long term.’

What Shapesmiths Say: Nothing to add.   

END 

Goal Setting, Judging Potential & Modifying workouts.  

An important point to note. Here at CrossFit® Shapesmiths We Don’t Judge Potential.

Belief is the main tenet that all our coaches at Shapesmiths are here to re-enforce. We all understand it’s really important to focus on sensibly building self-belief within our members. In short, we care.

Any major goal, lose 30 kilos, get off diabetes medication, compete. We don’t judge a person’s potential. We are here to try and help by setting clear thought out goals. When talking about goals relative to CrossFit® specifically it’s important to utilise the three types of personal best numerical, technical and consistency. This could apply to any skill or lift and will help keep your progress in an upwards trend.               

Scaling/Modification is a huge part of what we do at CrossFit® Shapesmiths. Modification is, simply put, a way of preserving the stimulus or intent of the workout.   

A long term goal of modification is to create the ability to perform workouts ‘as prescribed’ or Rx. A properly scaled workout maximises relative intensity (load, speed, range of motion) to continue developing increased work capacity, despite limitations.   At Shapesmiths when modifying your workout the coach goes through a two-part process. Firstly, the coach addresses the intent of the workout, and secondly the individual needs of the client.   The intent of the workout can be broken down into three parts: 

1. Target Time Domain: How long should the workout take?
2. Target Intensity: At what pace should the athlete be moving through the exercises?
3. Target Movement Patterns: What general movement patterns (squat, hip hinge, vertical press, vertical pull, etc) should the athlete be developing?  

Individual athlete needs can be broken down into three parts:   

1. Limiting Factors: What particular facets of the workout limit the client?
2. Impact on Intent: In what way(s) would allow the client to attempt the workout as RX’d preclude them from achieving the desired intent?
3. Safety Precautions: Are any aspects of the workout a risk to the client?

As an example, take the following workout:  

21-15-9 for time: Deadlift, 85kg/65kg Bar Facing Burpees  

-Target Time Domain can be estimated at 5 minutes or less -Target Intensity is high, this is obviously designed to be a scorcher of a workout

-Target Movement Patterns are a hip hinge and a movement to get the client down to the floor and then up and over an object  

Here are some potential individual needs:  

A member has a 1RM deadlift of 100kg. 85kg will likely be too heavy to maintain the target intensity or time domain, so the simple answer is to reduce the load.  

A member who has poor position, when deadlifting from the floor, and the coach deems it unsafe to allow them to perform the movement at high intensity and for repetitions. In order to maintain the hip hinge movement pattern, a deadlift from an elevated surface, or a kettlebell swing, may be an effective substitute.  

A member has poor cardiovascular conditioning and will be unable to complete the workout as prescribed at a high intensity. Reducing the reps to 15-12-9 is a simple way to reduce the endurance requirements of the workout and help keep the intensity

An overweight client has a lot of trouble with burpees and will likely be very slow. Additionally, the coach deems that having them jump forward over the barbell will be unsafe. Scale the movement to a squat thrust (down to top of push-up position, stand back up) and stepping over the bar will both increase the intensity and keep the client safe. 

Hopefully the last three parts of this series give you a good insight into the how and why of what we do.  Coming NEXT will be a bonus feature called The last word on Programming and getting better at CrossFit®.  Stay tuned…

CrossFit is a LIFETIME PROGRAM.

If Shapesmiths are running athletes, or allowing athletes to run themselves into the ground, you won’t be here in 6 months time. This is meant to be a lifetime relationship that we are developing with you.

Fitness is typically described by this original  ‘What is Fitness article’ and by the Fitness Pyramid shown here

The one thing that it does not consider is mental and psychological fitness. This is why we add a final foundation, below nutrition, CONTEXT.

Context is provided by programming that recognises that as an athlete you have a load of movements to learn, let’s practice some days, let’s compete against the clock a few days and let’s test our resilience once in a while. Context allows you to take the pressure and stress off yourself when in the gym. Sometimes, it’s good just to move and nourish the body after a long stressful day! The programming itself is intended as a MIND over BODY plan. Come in a nourish your brain, socialise, have fun, let off steam, chat and discuss if you like. Shapesmiths is a place where we want you to feel at home!

Programming.

Programming works over multiple 10 day micro-cycles, Monday to Friday (5 days) x 2 weeks. This gives us 10 days, or our 100% in this case. We leave weekends open for organic fluctuation such as team workouts, fun challenges, fundraisers, box ‘throw-downs’, BBQs, track sessions, bike rides, swim days and more…

Prepare for some percentages to be thrown at you below…

How the programming is split up.

P = Practice Days and make up 60% of training days.

B = Benchmark Days and makes up 30% of training days.

R = Resilience Days and makes up 10%

50% of Benchmark days are movements that we are working on as a gym in a particular training cycle.

The other 50% are something we are not practicing. This preserves some of the unknown and unknowable philosophy that CrossFit® is famous for. 

The above equalises the training exposure and experience. A particular 12-week cycle is broken down further into a 6-week block. Every so often we repeat lifts and workouts to get a test/retest result, or else how do we know we have improved?

P days look like regular workouts, it’s just Practice and Training is prioritised going into the workout. 80% of these days will be interval based efforts to preserve technique. For example, EMOMs, 3-5mins of work with 2 mins rest x3 etc.

B days prioritise going hard and challenging yourself to beat a previous record.

Furthermore, in each two week block the three competition days feature one phosphogenic, one glycolytic and one oxidative test. In other words, one test that lasts 0-10 seconds (like lifting a 1-3rep max deadlift), one that lasts for up to several minutes (like the workout Fran or Helen) and one that lasts for longer than several minutes, like Barbara.

R days more than anything are opportunities to work on breath and mind control. The idea is simple yet challenging to master: Control your breath and thoughts. Generally, we turn off the clock for these workouts. If you walk away from the workout with a sense that you were able to calm your mind and negative thoughts through breath, then you’re headed in the right direction. 

Within our R days we would like you all to practice 4 tools to deal with the adversity of the WOD, in the hope, this crosses over to other areas of our lives.

1. Visualisation: Imagining success, with a lift, a set of thrusters, a set of/your first pull up/s. You can do this before class or simply take a moment to do this during class.
2. Setting small, achievable goals: This is easy to practice when you see a MT Chipper WOD. Don’t think about the big set of 100 DB squat snatches you have to do, instead break this down into manageable sets of 5-10reps. This success with the little things will add up.
3. Breathing: One of the most under trained elements of fitness training and in life. Use the MT sessions to practice controlling the way you breathe, deep slow breathing in through the nose (unless your previous rugby/boxing career has left you with a deviated septum) and out through the mouth to reduce tension. Breathing has a two-way relationship with biochemical, biomechanics and psychophysiological systems of the body. Don’t over look this element.
4. Positive self-talk: Assertive positive statements like: ‘I CAN do this’, reminding yourself to ‘stay calm and keep moving forward’ can be game changers. Turn up the positive chatter in your head when times get uncomfortable during a WOD.

What is the program set up to achieve? What are the main aims and goals?

1)    There are ten recognized general physical skills within CrossFit®’s definition of fitness. They are cardiovascular/respiratory endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, coordination, agility, balance, and accuracy. The first aim of the program is to make you competent in each of these ten skills.

2)    Measurable, Repeatable, Observable. The fact that we use WODify to track your fitness data allows us to quantify, to some extent, the 10 physical skills. Furthermore the CrossFit Open is the major test that we program for at CrossFit Shapesmiths. It brings the worldwide, and local community together. It is a great too to get valuable date and to compare your fitness/work capacity against previous tests and those in your country, Europe and worldwide.

3)    Becoming very good at everything and giving the CrossFit® Open a go!

In short by developing the above general physical skills you will become prepared for the unknown and unknowable tasks that may come up or that you may get yourself into.

A quick note on athletic development.

What if you desperately want that elusive muscle up or bodyweight snatch? This is where the context comes in from our coaches. You may hear us say ‘’You’re not there, yet. We have to work the foundational basics to get you there’’ and then we will insert an appropriate scale/modification. We may also reccomend that you get in to our Shapesmiths Gymnastics classes on a Friday night.

What if you want to go hard every session? Well that’s understandable. The high intensity workouts are what we all fell in love with, but at some point if we are not working the basics, something is going to give and we won’t have you as a member.

Getting that balance right is blending science and art. The ability to do so is what we look for in all our coaches here.

The neat thing about this is that it means that all our coaches can coach anyone from general populations to games athletes as no one is above doing the basics otherwise known as ‘doing the common, uncommonly well.’

In Part III we cover Goal Setting, Judging Potential & Modifying workouts. Once again, if you enjoy this or one of the other posts tag a friend from the gym and get the word out there.