Send us a Text Message. I share a recounting of the Lake Day event from various sources. I argue that these accounts indicate that there was unquestionable negligence on the part of CrossFit, Inc. and its leaders. I share my emotional reaction to Lazar's death and what I experience as the oppressive, unfair leadership of CrossFit, Inc. I suggest a …

Send us a Text Message. A recent study anonymously surveyed professional CrossFit athletes. 1/3 of the athletes surveyed used steroids. Elite athletes report using steroids to increase sport performance, to make more money, and often believe that others are using them. Most athletes acknowledge that steroids are effective. Which is correct – steroi…

Send us a Text Message. I was recently asked what my thoughts are on rucking for CrossFit. The main differences between CrossFit and Tactical training are: 1. Careerspan 2. Skills In short, Tactical and CrossFit are different disciplines with unique demands.Kirjoittanut Paul Weber

Send us a Text Message. A study published last month looked at the characteristics of 19 elite CrossFitters. Here are some of their characteristics: Body Bodyweight M: 195lbs F: 150lbs Body Composition M: 12% BF (9.4-14.2%) F: 15-16% BF (13.2-17.8%) Lean Body Mass M: 165lbs lean mass (150-181lbs) F: 120lbs lean mass (114-128lbs) Strength Back Squat…

Send us a Text Message. Join the interest list for the next training camp: https://paul-b-weber.ck.page/13e7cf61c4 2024 Training Camp Recap Friday "Combine" 1RM Snatch 1RM Back Squat 2k Row --- Saturday "Duathlon" 500m Swim 5k Run "Strongman" Station 1: 60 Seconds: Max Reps of 2 Axle Clean and Jerk + 2 Log Clean and Press Men Axle - 205# Log - 160#…

Send us a Text Message. In this episode: I have to miss a workout – can I switch days of my week around? Can I do Zone 2 on my rest day? How do I eat if I have to train right when I wake up? How do I know I’m improving my skill? My shoulder, knee hurts – what should I do? Should I get massage, cupping, scraping, chiro? What is a reasonable goal for…

Send us a Text Message. Should you Do Explosive Training? Explosive Training - training with the intent to move as fast as possible, with speed characteristics faster than sport tasks In CrossFit, we are primarily concerned with performance in the Olympic lifts. The Olympic lifts fall in the strength-speed category. From here, we will define “explo…

Send us a Text Message. Squat 1RM “Nearly Perfectly Correlated” with Weightlifting Performance The relationship between squat 1RM (both front and back squat) and weightlifting total had already been established in competitive weightlifters. A recent study confirmed this relationship across 13 weightlifters who had qualified for the 2023 World Champ…

Send us a Text Message. We care about hypertrophy as CrossFitters because lean body mass is highly correlated with strength in the advanced and within individuals over time. There are two mechanisms of hypertrophy that appear to be primary: 1. Mechanical Tension 2. Metabolic Stress CrossFitters, generally, should emphasize strategies that optimize …

Send us a Text Message. Why We Stop: Hypotheses about Fatigue Mechanisms in CrossFit Option A: Neural Drive + Disruption of Muscle Metabolic Homeostasis + Breathing Frequency + Heat + Heart Rate + Muscle Deoxygenation = Perception of Effort = Decision to Slow Down or Stop Option B: Muscle force cannot meet the demand Some combination of these two f…

Send us a Text Message. 1. The Strength-Muscle Endurance Relationship The higher the % of 1RM, the less you can repeat it. Maximal strength appears to have significant predictive power over muscle endurance above 40% of 1RM. The researchers concluded that the goal of a muscle endurance training program should be first to increase maximum strength u…

Send us a Text Message. Games Training Camp: https://www.paulbweber.com/training-camp Changes since Boz took over: 1. Odd objects are now more common than barbells (by almost double). Since 2021, the number of events including an odd object has gone from 20% to 40%. Since 2021, the number of events including a barbell has gone from 47% to 24%. Comp…

Send us a Text Message. Three separate studies conducted since 2020 have found significant correlations between lean body mass and performance in weightlifting and powerlifting. Importantly, the subjects in all of these studies were well-trained. This diminishes the contribution of neural effects and magnifies the contribution of muscle mass as you…

Send us a Text Message. 1. Pick your test. 10 Minute Assault Bike 2k Row 10 Rounds for Time Quarterfinal Workout 2 If it’s a mixed test, make sure the limiter is in fact conditioning and not something else. Make sure the limiter was not pacing. If you need to change your strategy and retest, do that first. 2. Choose your training frequency. 1x, 2x,…

Send us a Text Message. In this episode, we answer the questions: How do you define Zone 2? When in an ideal training day should you do Zone 2? How do I know if I could be doing more conditioning? How do I know if I’m attenuating my strength gains? Is this the right RPE? Should I push through the pain or modify? How do I know I’m getting better at …

Send us a Text Message. Identify the separation. 1. Estimate time for each movement. Separation becomes greater and more likely the more time you spend on each movement. 2. Identify premium movements. Premium movements create more separation. They give an outsized reward for those able to move past them, and an outsized punishment for those who can…

Send us a Text Message. Strength 1. Lean Body Mass M - 200 lbs @8-10% body fat. 185 lbs of lean mass. F - 150 lbs @14-20% body fat. 125 lbs of lean mass. 2. Squat Strength 2-2.5x bodyweight back squat 3. Olympic Lifting Skill Snatch 65% of back squat Gymnastics 1. Straddle L Rope Climb 2. Hollow Back Press Conditioning 1. 6:40/7:40 2k Row (1:40/500…

Send us a Text Message. First Principles of Nutrition for Athletes 1. Sufficient Sufficient calories Sufficient carbohydrates to replenish muscle glycogen and blood glucose Sufficient fat to replenish intramuscular triglycerides, support hormones Sufficient protein for muscle protein synthesis Sufficient fiber to support long term gut health, which…

Send us a Text Message. In the last 5 years, the average bodyweight of a male Games Athlete has increased 5 lbs. The median bodyweight has increased by 7 lbs. In 2018, the median Games Athlete weighed 195 lbs. In 2024, the median Games Athlete weighs 202 lbs. On the women’s side, since 2018, the average bodyweight of a Games Athlete has increased b…

Send us a Text Message. What is Zone 2? Zone 2 is a proxy for moderate intensity exercise, and one of the most important characteristics of it is that it is physiologically sustainable. Why is Zone 2 valuable? Intensity prevents you from training enough. Zone 2 allows you to accumulate a bigger training dose over the periods of time that really mat…

Send us a Text Message. Bottom line – SPECIFICITY Less specificity than simple barbell training When you have multiple training priorities (when you’re trying to improve in multiple disciplines simultaneously) then specificity becomes even more important. For a CrossFitter, the training effort you can give to any one discipline is less than it woul…

Send us a Text Message. Mobility, Speed, Metabolite Tolerance, Recovery and Preparedness Peak biological ages by sport: Middle Distance Runners – 24 Sprinters – 25 Weightlifters – 26 *GAP* IronMan Triathletes – 33 Powerlifters – 35 Bodybuilders – 36 Mobility Shoulders and hips need more regular maintenance Positions required in CrossFit are not req…

Send us a Text Message. Join the free training: https://www.paulbweber.com/base-training-blueprint What an offseason is not: Competing Simulated competing Training with no consideration for longevity Taking fatigue to the limit of your tolerance That is in season training, when all of those things are necessary So what is the offseason then? During…

Send us a Text Message. If Snatch > 65% Back Squat, just get stronger. No full Olympic lifts until absolute strength improves. If Snatch < 55% Back Squat, you need to practice Olympic lifting at low loads and high volumes often. If Snatch is 55-65% Back Squat. Look at your strength:weight ratio. If Back Squat is <2.25x Bodyweight, get stronger. If …

Send us a Text Message. These Events are a lot more “game-y” and entertaining than Quarterfinals. The tradeoff is that they are more exciting to watch but there will also be less separation, making it partly a test of fitness and partly a spectator sport. Event 1 5 Rounds for Time 800m Run 10 Clean and Jerks @185/125 Time Cap: 30 Minutes 4k Run = 1…

Send us a Text Message. For those who Quarterfinal Workout 3 was significantly lower than their other scores. 1. You need to get stronger in your strict press, close grip bench, weighted pullup and rope grip pulling. The gymnastics reps in CrossFit are very high percentage contractions. Even for a strong person, a rope grip pullup is tough. This me…

Send us a Text Message. Start with the lowest hanging fruit Look at your results from the Open and/or Quarterfinals. This Quarterfinals was great because the programming prioritized distinct attributes in each test. And there was good separation in each test. So it wasn’t about execution, there were real limiters in every test. Look at your scores.…

Send us a Text Message. 1. Lifters 2. Training Shoes 3. Versalifts 4. Straps 5. Runners 6. Grips 7. Tape 8. Synthetic Belt 9. Knee Sleeves 10. Clothing My picks: Lifter TYR L-1 https://www.amazon.com/TYR-L189-Lifter-BLK-Gold/dp/B0CFPL1T1G/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1W6H4TRUHC3XS&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.9JnoXy-UtB6BzqRUrTCmim9TkmGYYOifoMbi9SaeEbbj8sqEiZvIdawO8pecqyO-…

Send us a Text Message. Love these tests. Love the movement selection. Love the length. More separation and less execution-dependent than previous years. Order Prioritize 1 and 2. Earlier submission window. More room for error with pacing, longer, possibly more room to improve your score with a redo. Workout 1 Rest is gonna bait people. Imagine thi…

Send us a Text Message. Abusive Notion #1 If I stop training full tilt for a week, I’ll lose fitness. Truth #1 3-10 days is not enough time for detraining to occur. Abusive Notion #2 Tapering doesn’t do anything. Truth #2 Tapering helps you perform better. Evidence suggests 1-3% better in endurance sports. 1. Fresher – lower fatigue while maintaini…

Send us a Text Message. A common cause for lack of progress is prioritizing conditioning at the expense of strength and skill. This results in a few negative outcomes: 1. Not strong enough because of the Concurrent Training Effect 2. Mobility never gets addressed 3. Too much high intensity conditioning leads to central fatigue and burnout Instead, …

Send us a Text Message. Stimulus to Fatigue Ratio (SFR) in CrossFit Three Types of Stimulus 1. Strength Mechanisms: Recruit more motor units Inhibit GTO Hypertrophy Outcomes: Can handle larger loads without encountering the muscles inability to supply the necessary force All movements in that pattern require a lower % of 1RM Contractions become mor…

Send us a Text Message. Muscle endurance is the ability to repeatedly apply submaximal force, and it is directly tested in CrossFit in a variety of combinations and movement patterns. Maximal strength appears to have significant predictive power over muscle endurance above 40% of 1RM. This was demonstrated in a study that compared bench press 1RM t…

Send us a Text Message. The fatigue mechanisms that produce exhaustion depend on the exercise intensity. Exercise Intensity Domains Moderate – below lactate threshold Heavy – above lactate threshold, below critical power Severe – above critical power Almost everything you do in CrossFit occurs in the severe intensity domain. Below critical power, t…

Send us a Text Message. Previous studies that demonstrated the efficacy of low load resistance training were on less trained subjects, not elite athletes. Until recently, the proposed explanation for these findings was neuronal adaptation common among novices. This was a preliminary study that sought to test this training methodology with elite ath…

Send us a Text Message. KEY TAKEAWAYS Individualization = Quality The individual is a key variable in the dose-response equation, whether that dose is training, nutrition or recovery Control your Intensity Maintain your composure in training Trend #1: Increase in training volume Increase in training volume over a career, mainly through an increase …

Send us a Text Message. Minimum Effective Dose for Strength Why this is important for CrossFitters: CF athletes often have multiple training priorities and a concurrent training approach. Knowing minimum effective doses allows athletes and coaches to maximize the return (gains) on energy expenditure (effort). Effort is the input, gains are the outp…

Send us a Text Message. CONCURRENT TRAINING REVIEW Strength – adaptations to resistance training that include hypertrophy, maximal strength and power Endurance – adaptations to endurance training that include aerobic endurance and capacity; define CT High Intensity – Training Zone 3, above LT2 aka the anaerobic threshold Low Intensity – Training Zo…

Send us a Text Message. Modern, elite endurance athletes perform ~80% of their training at low intensity and ~20% at higher intensity. It has not always been this way. This training intensity distribution appears to have increased in popularity each decade. The % of training at low intensity has increased. Defining the terms LT1 is the lowest exerc…

Send us a Text Message. Metabolism in CrossFit 1. Energy Contribution 3 pathways To what extent are each of the three energy pathways active? Intensity and duration dictate energy contribution from the three pathways. CrossFit is often supramaximal in intensity: -the task is only sustainable for a brief period -the task requires anaerobic metabolis…

Send us a Text Message. DIETARY PATTERNS FOR CROSSFIT ATHLETES Carbs are king Primary fuel substrates in CrossFit – blood sugar and muscle glycogen Protein functions as the building block for muscle mass - between lean body mass and bodyweight in g/lb per day Fat functions mainly as hormonal support as opposed to upping intramuscular triglycerides …

Send us a Text Message. 2024 QUARTERFINALS PREP The Open does not matter. QUARTERFINALS 6 days instead of 4 Overall Higher tension requirement than Open – strength increases in value Higher density than Open - more bottlenecks, more grouping of scores Both of these have lead to lower work rates than Open Commonly tested movements (for most of these…

Send us a Text Message. Almost everything you do in CF is physiologically sustainable only for short durations 30 UB muscle ups = 90 seconds 150 UB WB = 5 minutes The movements have one pace – and that pace is above critical power – unlike endurance modalities where the pace can shift above and below critical power Critical Power - the physiologica…

Send us a Text Message. |INTENSITY DISTRIBUTION IN CROSSFIT TRAINING| Extensive-Intensive is a continuum to be managed in training. The further from competition, the more extensive the training. The closer to competition, the more intensive the training. Energy expenditure is the number one way to understand extensive to intensive The reduction in …

Send us a Text Message. Base Training for CrossFit I have met loads of CrossFitters who...do loads of CrossFit. Then they wonder why they've been at the same competitive level for years. The reason is, they're trying to expand their abilities beyond what their base will allow. Why Aerobic Endurance? Energy expenditure Why Maximal Strength? Maximal …

Send us a Text Message. There is no apparent reason why intervals would be more fatiguing than endurance work as long as energy expenditure is matched. The thing is, equating energy expenditure is tough to do, especially in the field. As an athlete who trains multiple disciplines, the bottom line is the more you do, the more you’ll attenuate streng…

Send us a Text Message. |STRENGTH FIRST| 1. Strength takes a long time to develop Peak biological age for powerlifters is 35 Retained for a very long time Especially for CFers 2. The concurrent training effect The more aerobic volume you’re doing, the more your strength and power gains will be attenuated. You need to do a lot of aerobic volume to c…

Send us a Text Message. |PLAY THE LONG GAME: MODELS FOR THE LONG TERM DEVELOPMENT OF CROSSFIT ATHLETES| CrossFit demands a range of physical attributes. These attributes each have a time horizon: a training time, retention time and a relationship to biological age. A long term athlete development model must consider these attributes and their time …

Send us a Text Message. How to Find Your Weaknesses in CrossFit Every piece of your program serves one of these 3 purposes. Get STRONG - Increase the cross sectional area of muscle (hypertrophy/muscular strength) and/or the extent to which motor units can activate muscle --> Increases capacity for producing tension --> Contractions make up a lower …

Send us a Text Message. The Demands of CrossFit Number of contractions x Tension of contractions (relative to individual’s 1RM) x Rest periods = Physiological Dose-Response 80% of CrossFit produces fast aerobic physiological dose-responses. How are we getting this output? Let’s look at the inputs. 1. Number of contractions The average CrossFit comp…