MovementLink Class Programming

MovementLink has come up with a novel solution to provide every athlete with world-class programming that fits the context of our real lives and our own personal goals and preferences. We are all here because we are passionate about functional fitness and overall health and wellness. A general CrossFit program provides general physical preparedness getting us ready for the unknown and the unknowable. It balances all aspects of fitness: Strength, Endurance, Flexibility, Speed, Power, Stamina, Balance, Coordination, Accuracy, and Agility and lays a foundation of fitness is perfect to build on. For most of us, this is an optimal solution. But, for those of us looking to specialize because we have weaknesses that need to be addressed, because we have an upcoming specialty event like a obstacle course race or a CrossFit competition, or if we just like to run or to throw a heavy barbell around more than the opposite, MovementLink provides an entire gym programming for CrossFit, strength-bias CrossFit, endurance-bias CrossFit, and Bootcamps all in one interlaced experience that can be provided within the context of a small local gym…here’s how it works:

The MovementLink workout programming is designed for gyms who run classes Monday through Saturday which is typical for local gyms. The gym will run members through the same class throughout the day. The athletes can choose their program which will determine which days they attend classes.

• CrossFit - Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. CrossFit athletes will rest on Thursdays and Sundays.

• CrossFit Strength-bias - Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays (2nd Class or Open Gym Option). CrossFit Strength-bias athletes will rest on Wednesdays and Sundays.

• CrossFit Endurance-bias - Mondays (2nd Class or Open Gym Option), Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. CrossFit Endurance-bias athletes will rest on Thursdays and Sundays.

In this design, every class throughout the day is the same, so, for example, on Tuesdays athletes of any program will attend the gym’s class that day. The difference is in which days’ classes are included in the athletes program. So, Wednesday’s class is designed only for athletes on the CrossFit or CrossFit Endurance-bias programs, so CrossFit Strength-bias athletes should take it as a rest day. On Thursdays, the class is designed only for the CrossFit strength-bias program and all other athletes should use Thursday as a rest day. On Friday, all athletes from any program will attend Friday’s class as it is included in all of the programs.

Within each class, there is also further breakdown and options: CrossFit and Bootcamp. Although many of us like to snatch heavy, learn ring muscle-ups, and max out every now and then on barbell lifts, not everyone does. The Bootcamp option allows participants in each class to have a lighter, simpler variation of the CrossFit option that day with the intent of 1) fitting in well with the stimulus intended for the day (as much as possible with potentially lighter weights) and 2) keeping the CrossFitters and the Bootcampers potentially together in the same group class. It’s important to note this option is not easier and is not a scaled version of the CrossFit option. A lot of the times actually, the Bootcamp option, because of it’s simplicity, is much harder metabolically. For example, a CrossFit Option may be “Isabel,” which is 30 Snatches for Time with a barbell loaded with about 50% of a snatch max. The Bootcamp option may be 75 Kettlebell Swings for Time with a heavy Kettlebell. “Heavy” for a KB denotes a weight in which the athlete could do a max set of around 20-30+ reps. First of all, we may scale Isabel for someone wanting to develop their snatch with lighter snatches, probably with a 3-second pause at the overhead catch position to allow the athlete to develop the snatch. Depending on the athlete, we may have them perform the workout from the hang position, to simplify the snatch. For someone brand new or someone who doesn’t care about developing the snatch, 75 kettlebell swings is likely a much better option.

Here’s an example of what a training workout for that scenario may look like in the MovementLink workout programming:

Both CrossFitters and Bootcampers would be in the same class. The coach would design the class with a warm-up, a lesson, and talk strategies and give advice for both options explaining why someone may choose one over the other. The coach would also provide scaling options for both. Just while we are looking at the design of how we write our programming, for testing workouts, it may look like this:

TESTING

Check this out for a deeper look into the difference of training and testing workouts and why our programming displays and prescribes them differently.

"Why don't we record scores and why do we do Friday night DUBS and AM vs PM if we don't care about scores?"

This was an incredibly common question from our Feedback form and I am excited to lay it out better for y'all. The short answer to all of it is WE DO. We do record scores and we we do care about your scores, but we only care about your scores 20% of the time. The other 80% of the time is reserved for training in a way that maximally improves those scores, your fitness, and therefore your lives. Let's dig deeper...

As you will notice, we do not do traditional CrossFit things in our programming simply for tradition sake. We do things if they maximize results. If they do not, we throw it out. So, here’s what’s behind the improvements we’ve made to some of CrossFit’s traditional methods.

First, let's start with what is an RX weight? In traditional CrossFit workouts, for weighted movements, a male and a female weight is provided to provide context into if the weight should be light, medium, or heavy. Here’s an example:

“Fran”

21-15-9 Reps for Time

Thrusters (95/65)

Pull-ups

The 95 denotes 95lbs for male “RX” and the 65 denotes 65lbs for the female “RX.” Here’s the real questions, why are we including Fran in our program? Is it to test our fitness or is it to train for a specific stimulus? It could be either, so let’s talk about these two different scenarios and why CFCL chooses to write the two workouts differently.

1. Fran as TESTING - CFCL uses Fran as a benchmark as part of our Benchmark Week Mesocycle at the end of each of our bigger Macrocycles. In this testing scenario, we write the workout as

“Fran” Testing

21-15-9 Reps for Time

Thrusters (95/65/40%)

Pull-ups

What we mean by this is, for this benchmark, you should use 40% of your Thruster max as the weight. If that max is at or above the “RX” numbers, you will simply use the weights listed (95/65). There are a lot of other descriptions, insights, and guidance that our coaches will provide in classes, but for this article, we’ll keep it at focusing on why we write (95/65/40%) and how to interpret it. Because this is a testing workout, we will record your score, in this case it would be your time with any notes on the weight and variation of pull-up you did, and you can use this as one measure, a benchmark, to test your fitness progress over time as you track the weight you use, your pull-up variation, and your time.

2) Fran as TRAINING - CFCL may also use the Fran workout for training. In this scenario, instead of testing your fitness, we are trying to elicit a specific training stimulus that fits in the bigger picture of our program to maximize your results. In this scenario, we may write Fran as:

“Fran”

21-15-9 Reps for Time

Thrusters (35%)

Pull-ups

What we mean by this, is that to elicit the training response that supports maximizing your results, your Thruster weight should be 35% of your Thruster max as the weight. There are a couple of things to notice here, first, 35% is lighter than 40%. With 35% will help you go at the speed desired to optimize the stimulus for the workout. The heavier 40% used in the testing version will help push you to the next level as you use the workout to test your fitness. Second, there are no “RX” weights, just the 35% reference. CFCL's program plans and controls very carefully the number of reps performed at different intensities to maximize results. From our experience, people get better when they focus on following the program, i.e. 35% of their max on the bar, instead of getting distracted by what “RX” weights are. If 35% ends up being lower, right at, or even higher than RX, 35% will provide the best stimulus for the workout.

If we get distracted with RX numbers, it is a detriment to our progress.

If you don’t know your maxes, that’s OK too, our coaches are great at helping you figure out appropriate weights and taking 35% off an estimate will gets you closer to the perfect weight than estimating off of 95/65.

What if we wrote our strength rep schemes in the classic CrossFit way just for tradition:

Back Squat

5-5-5-5-5

Or if we modified it to fit they way they add "RX" weights to workouts:

Back Squat

5(315/220)-5(335/235)-5(360/250)-5(360/250)-5(360/250)

Assuming you have a coach to help you in any scenario, which way helps you figure out what weights you should use to maximize your results? Either of the above ways or our way...

Back Squat

1 x 5 (70%)

1 x 5 (75%)

3 x 5 (80%)

What does RX mean anyway? It is the medical short-hand for “as prescribed.” So, when I build a program designed to maximize results, if I write (95/65) that is not actually what I am prescribing. That would be RX only to extremely specific individuals. If instead I write (35%) this is exactly what I am prescribing for everyone. In either scenario, coaches will help you figure out appropriate weights, but from our experience, members are getting optimal workouts more often going off of (35%) vs (95/65) and are getting more results.

Training - Completing workouts with the purpose of maximally improving fitness for your individual goals. We do not keep scores in training workouts because to maximally improve fitness, we need to build technique along side intensity. Technique is developed best when the priority is maintaining good technique under stress. Taking scores undermines that priority and is a detriment to training. Just because we are not taking scores on training workous, does not mean we are not going hard. We are simply not looking for short-cuts to finish faster or get more reps in. We want as many high quality reps as possible as we do things For Intensity and Technique (F.I.T.) instead of for reps or time. 80% of our program is Training. This allows working out in a way that maximizes progress.

Testing - Testing your fitness progress through tracking benchmarks. These will be maximal lifts (1 RM, 3 RM, 5 RM, etc.), max sets of bodyweight exercises, cardio time trials, benchmark MetCons, and mobility tests. 20% of our program will be testing. On these days we are maximizing intensity using the techniques we have learned. We will take scores to help you know what benchmarks are important to track and for CFCL to judge the effectiveness of our program design.

When we spend 80% of our workouts training, then when we go all-out (20% of the time, about once a week), our maximal intensity level is higher than if we are repeatedly testing all the time. The technique carry-over and slightly sub-maximal intensities from training allows for higher peak intensity levels for testing. It’s this 80/20 balance that maximizes your fitness results and efforts in the gym.

This 80/20 balance of Training/Testing is common-place among world-class workout programs of all disciplines (endurance, powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, CrossFit games athletes, track and field, sports, etc.). This is not commonplace in CrossFit affiliates...yet. We learn from the best and implement their best practices.

So, from the Fran example, you will typically see for (35%) for training workouts and (95/65/40%) for Testing to guide you towards what is really prescribed to maximize results. When we test, we take scores. When we train, we prioritize improving and scores take away from that focus and intent. Sometimes we test in the format of a friendly competition, i.e. First Friday DUBS, AM vs PM, and Friday Night Lights Open Workouts.

If there is a better way...believe me, we will find it!!!

Adding Accessory Work for a more Advanced and Aggressive Program