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Ramp-up Sets, RPE, and Proper Loading Procedure Ramp-up sets constitute the increasing weights that you lift prior to completing the “work sets.” These sets are meant to PRIME and PREPARE the body for the work ahead WITHOUT causing additional fatigue. It is also...

The Mindset of Progress and Improvement You Don’t Always Have to Lift More Weight   When I write programs, I am a huge fan of Linear Progression. It’s probably the simplest form of progression to implement, which makes it extremely effective for the masses to...

The Evolved Training Daily Workout Program has reached a lot of people, and I am extremely honored to be able to provide this program to you. Since the release in early May, I have been fielding a number of emails from members that are curious about how to best modify...

OPEN WOD 18.5 We’ve made it to the last week in the Open! Today I am going to break down all the strategy and necessary considerations for Open WOD 18.5 / Open WOD 11.6 / Open WOD 12.5. I have completed this workout at least six times since it first came out in 2011,...

OPEN WOD 18.4  A new standard for measuring the HSPU line is in effect for Open WOD 18.4. Oh, and there’s a new movement making its first appearance; Handstand Walks are now in the open. Deadlifts make another appearance, and the weights will increase. For Time (9 min...

OPEN WOD 18.3 800 Double-unders. In CrossFit Games Open WOD 18.3, you need to be able to do both types of muscle ups, you have to snatch a pretty light DB for a few reps, and do a few reps of a light Overhead Squat. But mostly, you just need to be really efficient at...

OPEN WOD 18.2 and 18.2a Interesting workout here. This first portion of the workout, “18.2,” is a SPRINT for the top athletes, and it’s actually more of a paced out workout for the average crossfitter. Your success on this workout will depend on your ability to know...

The first workout of the 2018 season is literally the CrossFit equivalent of running a 5K with the added element of increasing grip fatigue. I am constantly preaching pacing, and often use the term “negative split.” This means that the second half of your workout...

Strong – Strong Enough – From Humble Beginnings to Achieving Goals Part 1 It was January of 1998; I was 15 years old and a Freshman in High School. Basketball was my sport, and I had all the skills to play Varsity, but I was too small. I was late to the puberty train...

2015 marks the beginning of my 18th year in a weight room. The amount of knowledge one can accrue in 18 years is astounding. I have had the privilege of interacting with a ridiculously large number extremely educated and informed minds in the iron game. I...

Summertime is almost here! If you live in Wisconsin, you might need to wait for June, but if you live in San Diego, summer is already here. When it comes time to kick it on the beach all day and drink a cold beverage at a beachside bar, we want to have the abs to...

In early July, I spent 5 days hanging out with one of my best friends from early childhood. We were inseparable from 5-12 years old, playing basketball together for hours every day. This consumed us, and then he moved to Switzerland. We continued our...

Full disclosure, I have always used percentages in programming for athletes. It makes sense because it keeps a progressive structure, it ensures small loading is added to the bar, and it allows for programming deload weeks or to oscillate intensities. But...

To Fail or not to fail… Training to failure is a topic of prime importance these days. Failure can be defined in a couple different ways: In the Olympic lifting world, failure is defined by missing a rep. In Bodybuilding, failure is the result of training...

With a small tweak, the same program can work for either goal I love Mondays. I wasn’t always able to say this. In the past, Mondays were the most dreaded day, because it meant another 5-day work week in corporate America. Mondays now represent the...

Soreness When we train, we get sore. This seems to be a trend. Train hard, put in the effort, and you are rewarded with muscle soreness, or DOMS, as it is called (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). Today, I want to delve a little deeper into the phenomenon of...

Perfect Practice: Creating Good Habits 100 Power Cleans On Saturday afternoon, it was pouring rain. That same morning, at 6:15am, I was shaken out of deep sleep by the skies splitting open; the loudest strike of thunder I had heard in my eight years in San...

In part 1 of the article, I discussed the Anaerobic system. I mentioned that anaerobic training is easily identified by the rest period being longer than the working period. In contrast, Aerobic work is defined by the rest period being shorter than the...

This will be a running blog where we’ll delve into something that is near and dear to my heart – PROGRAMMING! Just a brief “manual” of sorts defining the types of workouts we are doing, and some of the dorky science behind it. I will also briefly cover how...