C.J. S., A.J. G., P.J. R., Kami P., and Chris K. all hitting 15.3 on Saturday on their way to some great scores! Oh, and Po from Kung-Fu Panda holding the Dragon Scroll! Ha!
NOTE: This is part three in this series. If you missed the first two, you can find them here:
Virtuosity (Part-1)
Virtuosity (Part-2)
Virtuosity (Part-3)
The subject of Virtuosity and it’s importance for competitive CrossFitters is an important one and worthy of a full blogpost. However, I’m going to hit on perhaps a more “controversial” subject in terms of the Virtuosity piece. Programming.
There’s a lot of debate amongst CrossFitters, clients and coaches alike, about whether or not CrossFit affiliates should be programming Strength/Skill work on the same days as WOD’s. A few of our members who recently attained their L-1’s posed reasonable questions while at their L-1’s and witnessed quite a heated debate on the subject between coaches and attendees. There are many out there, even long time CrossFit coaches and athletes, who feel that affiliates are “doing it wrong” if they program both on the same day. Their argument, it seems, is partly that “it isn’t how it’s done on the main site.” Beyond that, I’m not sure their logic behind it.
Glassman has said himself, “The workout of the day on CrossFit.com is not CrossFit. It is simply one expression of CrossFit that we are able to make available to a greater audience.” CrossFit is more than just what appears on the main site WOD.
In programming, there are many factors to be mindful of and to consider: How many people do you expect? Who are you programming for? What equipment do you have? Is it overlapping movement patters done earlier in the week? If so, how much? What important events are ahead for the client/member? Are we two days out from testing a 1-RM? What do we program for the day before The Open WOD when we don’t know what The Open WOD will be? How much training time can they invest in a week? What sports are they training for? Does the WOD fit well into the rest of the weeks programming?—Or is it just “a good WOD” that you want to run? Is it logistically plausible to run considering all variables? What’s the weather going to be like? Etc.
If programming for a competition you are hosting, or something that is an incredible undertaking, such as The CrossFit Games; Will it be a fun event to watch for the spectators? Will it be a fun event for the athletes? Will it test the athletes abilities well? Are we doing what we can to keep the athletes safe as we test their capacities? Will this event be difficult to judge fairly? Can the audience relate to the event in any way? How will it be to run? Does this event work well with the space we have available for the event? Will we be able to keep this event consistent at all Regionals venues? What equipment do we need? How many different events can this piece of equipment be used for? How does this event set up for the next event?—Is it similar equipment requirements? Or completely different? Would it be better to change the order of Events? Can we make adjustments to make it flow better while still maintaining the integrity of the desired stimulus? What is the time between Heats/Events? How much help will we have available? Etcetera, etc. Every year I am impressed with the programming Dave Castro and CFHQ do for The Open, Regionals and The CrossFit Games. I would love to partake in that process and help them with the Games someday.
There are many factors that go into good programming, whether it be for a professional athlete, group classes in a CrossFit Affiliate, or for the CrossFit Games and the Regionals and Open that lead you there.
As for the aforementioned debate; We generally program both at CrossFit Almaden; some kind of Strength/Skill work every day, as well as a WOD. I feel strongly that we are doing you a better service if we give you consistent exposure to Strength and Skill work on a frequent basis every week, as well as WODs. We want you to get stronger. As Glassman says, “It is not a lack of cardio that will rob you of your functional independence and put you in a rest home.” And we want to teach you as much as we can to help you move as well as possible and help you master new skills. We want to share as much of our knowledge with you as possible, so you have a stronger foundation to build upon. No matter where you go.
Some days there is no Strength/Skill work because the WOD is a very long one. Some days there is no WOD because the focus is on the Strength/Skill work, or there might just be a very quick short dirty little finisher WOD that doesn’t require a lot of warming up for, (21-15-9 KettleBell-Swing/Burpee, or 30-20-10 Wall-Ball with a 200 meter run each round). If we are nearing the end of a 5×5 Back-Squat progression, we don’t want you to feel rushed on the Back-Squats. We want the intensity to be focused on the Back-Squats. If you are rushed through it because you are worrying about the WOD, we would be losing intensity on the Strength/Skill work. That is counter productive. Conversely, if the Strength/Skill work before a WOD requires a lot of time and the WOD is a challenging one with difficult movements like Squat-Snatches and Ring Muscle-Ups, even if it is generally relatively short for elite athletes, like the beautiful tribute WOD, Amada, then again, we are losing intensity. This time on the WOD. Either way, if you are rushed on either element and it is robbing you of your intensity for the other, then we are doing you a disservice.
I program the way Greg “Coach” Glassman taught me, and the way he used to program back at the old CrossFit HeadQuarters, (“CFHQ”): Strength/Skill work on most days, whether it be Weightlifting, Gymnastics, Rowing Technique, etc, and a short to medium length couplet or triplet WOD. Some days a much longer WOD and no Strength/Skill work. Some days just focused Strength/Skill work and no WOD, or only a quick finisher WOD. As well as some days incorporating Interval work. Glassman mentions this himself in his iconic Virtuosity piece;
“There is plenty of time within an hour session to warm up, practice a basic movement or skill or pursue a new PR or max lift, discuss and critique the athletes’ efforts, and then pound out a tight little couplet or triplet utilizing these skills or just play. Play is important. Tire flipping, basketball, relay races, tag, Hooverball, and the like are essential to good programming, but they are seasoning—like salt, pepper, and oregano. They are not main courses.”
In writing this, I am not saying that Affiliates who don’t program this way or who only do Strength or Skill work once or twice a week are doing it wrong. I’m sure they have a plan, a reason, and logic behind what they do. I just want to share with you the logic behind what we do.
Like Glassman, we have logic behind everything we program and everything we do. A driving force behind how we program is asking ourselves, “How can we BEST help our members each week within the one hour we have with them each day?”
We will never lose sight of this. 
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