Every CrossFit gym is different and that is a beautiful thing. Unlike other professions there is no perfect method for what we do.  Everyone of us has a different body type that reacts differently to the various workouts.  At CFT, as well as other CrossFit gyms, our main goal is general fitness and we program accordingly. There are a lot of opinions as to what the best way to train is, and something to sets us a part from others is experience. One week we will spend more time on the athletic side of programming and the pros and cons of doing multiple WODs in a day like you may see your coaches do. Also, the biggest influence into my personal training and programming is Rich Froning.  Having him introduce me to CrossFit and allow me to learn and train beside him while I was at TNTech was very helpful and my programming is more biased towards what we did while I was there. I mean if it is good enough for the 3 Time Fittest Man on Earth soon to be 4 then it is definitely good enough for CFT.  With that being said there are 10 General Physical Fitness Skills that we try and focus on:

Cardiovascular/respiratory endurance - The ability of body systems to gather, process, and deliver oxygen.

Stamina - The ability of body systems to process, deliver, store, and utilize energy.

Strength - The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force.

Flexibility - the ability to maximize the range of motion at a given joint.

Power - The ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply maximum force in minimum time.

Speed - The ability to minimize the time cycle of a repeated movement.

Coordination - The ability to combine several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement.

Agility - The ability to minimize transition time from one movement pattern to another.

Balance - The ability to control the placement of the bodies center of gravity in relation to its support base.

Accuracy - The ability to control movement in a given direction or at a given intensity.

Our goal is to hit as many of these skills as we can daily.  When I go to write workouts for the day, week, or month there are a few things I look at:

1. What we have and have not done in the previous weeks.

2. Feedback from coaches and members on how their bodies feel (I listen when you complain about soreness and pay attention even when you think I am not)

3. Weather (No one wants to run in the rain)

4. Equipment

After reviewing these 4 things I just start having fun and being creative.  If it looks like it will suck then I figure it will be a great workout.  If it looks like fun then I will try and make it worse.  We also throw in some named workouts as well as max days so that we can see if we are progressing.  This was we know our programming is working.  This is why we stress writing down your scores, times, or weights and encourage you to keep track yourself. I will leave you with one last thought that my teach gave me in college.  Always ask yourself WHY.  If you do not have a reason for what you are doing in fitness or in everyday life then you are just wasting your time.  Hope this gives some insight into our methodology and feel free to comment with any thoughts or questions you may have. 

"you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.' -1 Corinthians 6:20

written by Jake Altom

5 Rounds

1 min Max Reps

Push-ups

Air squats

Sit-ups

Burpees

Rest

10 Min Handstand Practice

"Jackie"

1000m Row

50 Thrusters 45/35

30 Pull-ups