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Your first heavy metcon will often expose you to a whole different set of joys compared to your usual CrossFit workout! You're out of breathe, your tired, the weights are moving slow, your grip blows up, and the task at hand seems impossible to complete. After that you're searching all over the internet for the latest strength cycle. You want the next experience with the heavy barbell to be different, and then you decide to take some time to focus on your strength. But is taking that time to do this worth it, do traditional strength programmes work as well as people say they do? In this podcast, I look at how people approach getting stronger and discuss some of the benefits and drawbacks. Check out the full episode to find out: How do strength programmes typically work Different methods and approaches to periodisation What are the strength requirements for CrossFit How can you develop strength specific to the sport of CrossFit Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage

Recovery and optimising performance is something that has become very popular over the last several years. With a great deal of focus on what to add as an extra to the training process, there is little attention to the areas that have the most considerable impact - managing training volume/intensity, sleep/rest and nutrition. In this podcast, I talk about the most significant factors at play in your recovery, look into the effectiveness of active recovery sessions and some of the tools you could use here. Check out the full episode to find out: Check out the full episode to find out: What are the most critical factors in your recovery Why your active recovery isn't there to make you fitter How to structure and design active recovery Where you can improve your recovery without adding in extra sessions Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage

The frustration of trying to perform high skilled movements at high intensity, often when very fatigued, is something that every CrossFitter has experienced. The process of acquiring the skill or capacity to do certain things is something that at first can seem quite overwhelming. Then trying to integrate these newly learnt skills into your workouts can make you feel like you’re back to square one. In this podcast, I look into the various components of skill development for weightlifting and gymnastics in CrossFit. I also explain how you can develop these skills from getting your first rep to being able to do them under fatigue.  Check out the full episode to find out: What are the challenges in developing skills for CrossFit How to work on weightlifting and gymnastics more traditionally What are the weightlifting and gymnastics requirements in CrossFit and how to develop them How to develop movement long term once you have most of them Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage

Ten years preparation for the CrossFit Games could look like doing Wednler 5/3/1, occasional skill work, jumping into classes and sprinkling in runs now and then. Training for competitive CrossFit has changed a lot over the last ten years, and we now see athletes and coaches pigeonholing themselves as intensity biased or volume biased. But training intensity and volume are tools that can and should be manipulated based on the individual, the time of year and the level at which they want to compete. In this podcast, I look at how you can use intensity and volume in training, covering some of the different situations where it may be beneficial to bias either one more than the other. Check out the full episode to find out: When to train in high volume and high intensity phases What these different phases of training should look like What are the intensity and volume requirements for competitive fitness How intensity and volume for general fitness and competitive fitness differ Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage

“If you try to constantly improve on everything and are not prioritising this can lead to a relative drop in performance, because the competition gets better, because they prioritised” One of the challenges in navigating competitive fitness is managing the highs and lows of your training and staying focused on your development over the long term. In this podcast I explore some of the reasons for this and what you can do to keep your focus on your journey. Check out the full episode to find out: How to be more objective in training Why self-comparison is for the large part not useful How social media has distorted the understanding of progress What small day to day actions can keep you on track Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage

"If I compartmentalise things enough and I do a bit of strength work here, a bit of endurance work there and sprinkle in enough couplets and triplets, that will get me to where I want to be. That may exist for the beginner but it doesn’t for the more intermediate and advanced” Building an engine has gained a lot of popularity in the past few years for competitive fitness athletes. For a lot of people, when they have the basic skills the limiter is that they're not fit enough. So how do you build the all allusive engine? In this episode, I go over some of the key elements in building an engine. How to accumulate enough training volume, how to create intensity off the back of that and then how to wrap it up and make it specific to the sport. Check out the full episode to find out: How to create control in your training Why pacing charts are usually not helpful How to use machines to develop your engine Engine building for a beginner vs intermediate/advanced Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage

“If you are involved in competitive fitness, you can look at things from a more health and longevity point, and then see that there are opportunities here to improve” Over the last three months, most of the competitive fitness world has had to put their usual training routines on hold and make some form of adjustment. Whether it’s low motivation, not having access to a barbell or finding it hard to have time to train, many have faced some challenges in getting in the usual routine they had before. In this episode, I explore three areas that you can focus on to get the most out of your training. Hint: it's not doing a ton of bodyweight AMRAPs. I also look at how you can transition back into the gym to set yourself up for success. Check out the full episode to find out: How you can reframe training during this time What areas you should focus on that you probably weren’t before How you can set yourself up for success when you are back in the gym Who are making improvements right now and why Website - https://www.ljholmescoach.com/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/lj.holmes/ BASE Programming - https://mailchi.mp/8ad3d4602792/odysylandingpage Useful links from the show: SRA CURVE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCMVZVFMw-Q