With the conclusion of Semifinals and the Atlantic Coast Classic, Team Soul Training’s focus will shift into what we call “Off-Season Training”. This means we’re gonna introduce different elements into the program to train specific segments of the “Sport of Fitness”. While competition, whether it’s in person on online, will always be the focus of our training, the off-season gives us the opportunity to work on several aspects of fitness that we cannot focus on when we have to prepare for events like WZA, The Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and other in-person events that happen within a short period of time. Having all of these different events with just a couple of weeks between them proves to be difficult to build in certain areas of the sport that require a more focused approach. This is why, now that we have the time, we prioritize building and improving individual segments rather than simulating event style pieces and patterning to prepare you for events like the ones we mentioned. Having the luxury of time allows us to take a more specific approach into each element that comprises our sport such as Running, Rowing, Biking, Gymnastics and Olympic Style Weightlifting. This will allow you to become better at each one of these elements on their own before blending them together into what we call “CrossFit style” pieces. We feel this is the best way to create a well rounded CrossFit or Sport of Fitness athlete.
This off-season cycle will run for the upcoming 10 weeks, it will start on Monday, June 13th, right after a week of deload or transition where training is not a priority, especially for those who competed the week prior, after that, you will go into off-season training which will have a different look and feel from the last few cycles we’ve done that have been event focused.
Lifting will focus on more volume and technical work rather than heavy singles, battery pieces and training at high intensity with high volume. This will allow us to improve technique in the Olympic Lifts while getting stronger in the process. You will also find the introduction of Contrast Pairing, this type of training will force your body to activate more muscle fibers in the muscle group you’re training in order to increase your overall strength and become more explosive. Back Squats and Front Squats will be programmed with high volume through this cycle, utilizing a higher number of sets at different percentages and different methods to stimulate strength increment. Secondary sessions will come with several elements that will work on your overhead strength and technique. While we’re not going to be having heavy singles in the olympic lifts yet, you will find a heavy focus on complexes and multi lift elements that will push you in different aspects of your lifting instead of going for a heavy attempt.
Gymnastics will focus on strict pulling and pushing to increase your overall strength throughout the cycle while still maintaining some sport specific segments in your week-to-week program. Since the focus is not in-person events yet, we can focus on building strength through strict movements rather than kipping and focusing on efficiency and patterning. This will help you create a solid foundation that will allow you to focus on intensity and sport specificity later down the line.
Conditioning will also see a shift in its focus, you will find workouts to lean more on aerobic capacity, using longer pieces and including a higher amount of mono-structural work. While we’re still going to be doing CrossFit, you will find that a high number of pieces in your weekly training will include running, biking, rowing and using sleds while having CrossFit movements mixed in. Saturdays will consist of classic CrossFit workouts paired with running and sufficient rest in between, this will force you to take on high intensity and volume while improving your aerobic capacity. We’re also going to have “Active Recovery” days on Thursdays, these days will be what we call Zone 1-2 focused, using light cardio elements, animal walks and flow work, the goal of these days is to have your body moving and recovering before the remainder of the week.
All of these elements will help you grow as an athlete, establishing new aerobic and strength markers, having more development in your gymnastics strength, skill and overall work capacity. It’s only after that when we’ll start to blend these elements together into mixed pieces and event style training. To us this is the foundation of a successful year in the sport.
If you have any comments, questions, feedback or concerns, utilize our WhatsApp group to bring them up or you can always send us an email at [email protected]. As always, your feedback is what helps us get better, keep posting your scores on SugarWOD and hit us up if you need any help!