CrossFit or Muscle Development - You Choose
San Diego Athletics started as CrossFit PB. All of our training was geared towards excelling at the sport of CrossFit. Even in its initial stages, in 2010 and 2011, we were utilizing a dedicated strength training protocol well before most gyms jumped on the bandwagon. Eventually, more people started doing this CrossFit thing, and the population of CF athletes continued to grow.
Over the years, we have strived to create an all-inclusive strength and conditioning program. A couple years ago, we introduced the “levels” system. This allowed all athletes to find the proper scale for each movement so that they could get the most out of their training. As time progressed, we began to notice that the intense nature of workouts performed against a clock required athletes to oftentimes sacrifice perfect form for the ability to perform a couple extra reps before time expired. Knees caved in, backs rounded, shoulder girdles collapsed under load etc… and the end result was that minor nagging injuries accumulated. We foresaw the need for many athletes to go back to basics to re-establish proper movement that wasn’t impacted by an arbitrary time-specific workout.
The truth is, both Anders and I practiced a well-rounded strength program for 10+ years before we ever engaged in a CrossFit workout. This allowed us to ensure balance and symmetry in a manner that created a strong base to eventually transition safely and effectively into the CrossFit methodology. In fact, the real lesson here was that ALL ATHLETES need to develop a base of strength and proper movement patterns PRIOR to engaging in conditioning work “for time.” In October 2014, we introduced the bodybuilding program.
The positive response to the program has been astounding. Many athletes that had commenced their fitness adventure by doing nothing but CF, made the transition to the bodybuilding program. Proper movement patterns were prioritized, strength development and diligent focus on each rep was of paramount importance. Injuries subsided and weak-link areas were made stronger. While the main focus of the program is on strength development, it doesn’t ignore conditioning with specifically integrated conditioning days. This program, on its own, is a very solid means of approaching fitness for life.
Currently, San Diego Athletics operates with two distinct programs – CrossFit and Bodybuilding. However, many of the athletes that have been committed to the bodybuilding program have had the itch to return to some CF training, and many of the athletes in the CF program have expressed desire to do some of the bodybuilding training to bring up weak links. These athletes have approached us and asked about jumping back and forth between the programs. The problem with this is that the programs do not correlate. Arbitrarily alternating these programs would lead to overuse of certain muscles and movements while inevitably ignoring entire areas of the body.
For the past few months, Anders and I have been racking our brains trying to figure out how we can continue to stay ahead of the game. We have just recently put the final touches on an incredible program that will allow athletes to combine the two methodologies in an effective manner. You will now be able to jump back and forth between the two without worrying about overtraining or undertraining any specific areas of the body or the central nervous system. I will outline the basics below:
1. Each day, both programs will begin with the same strength work. The strength work for the day will focus on a specific unit of the body. When you see the program written, there will be sections designated as A, B, C and D. The parts A and B will be identical for both programs
Example – “Upper body push” – Bench Press and Dips
Example – “Lower body” – Squats and Lunges/Split Squats
Example – “Upper body pull” – Deadlifts and Pull-ups
Example – “Overhead and Explosive” – Strict Press, Push Press/Jerks/Snatches/Cleans
2. For parts C and D, the programs will focus specifically on their individual methodology. The bodybuilding classes will continue with muscular development work for those specific areas of the body. The CrossFit classes will perform metabolic conditioning work
3. There will also be strategically placed additional training days included that will be performed by both programs simultaneously.
Example – “Barbell Complexes”
Example – “Sprints”
Example – Bodyweight (gymnastics) movements for skill work and conditioning purposes
Example – “Specialty days” (Recovery/Mobility, Olympic Lifting, Gymnastics, Surfing/Movement)
Needless to say, we are very excited about this new approach. There are now so many options for our athletes to determine which program they would like to do, with the ability to maneuver between the two programs on a daily basis. But with options oftentimes comes confusion and sometimes even feelings of being overwhelmed. So we are here to provide a bit of guidance. Here are some guidelines:
1. If you are in your first few months of training with weights, you should attend only the bodybuilding program. Once you have developed a base of strength and a level of comfort with performance of all the movements, we can then discuss implementing some CrossFit training
2. If you have 6+ months of training experience and proficient in all the movements, then you can use the following criteria to determine your daily approach:
- If you are feeling fantastic (great energy, good focus, excited to workout, feeling strong), than you have freedom to choose, and should definitely do the CrossFit portion if you desire.
- Let’s say you are feeling a bit under the weather – In this case, you should definitely 100% stick to the bodybuilding program for the day. Oftentimes this is misconstrued in peoples’ minds, and they think that they should “sweat it out.” However, this will just dig you deeper into the hole of fatigue. There are a number of hormonal factors at play here, and if you go crush yourself with intense conditioning work, you will suffer from elevated Cortisol (stress hormone), adrenal fatigue, and CNS depletion. You may feel better immediately after, but you will inevitably feel worse over time as your body can’t recover to get back to homeostasis. Some of these factors are:
- Poor sleep
- Slightly hungover
- Poor nutrition
- Slightly overtrained and fatigued
- Lack of excitement to workout
I hope I have provided some guidance to help you maneuver through the nuances of the new programming structure. If you have any questions, please ask me or Anders, or post your question in the Members Only group. We are extremely excited about this new progression in the San Diego Athletics culture, and we hope that it will continue to provide you with the most optimal training environment to reach all of your goals.
