I remember righting this squat program and it be very effective with general population. It was basically build to a heavy single over the course of a 10 minute EMOM for 3-4 weeks straight. The only guidance weight was RPE, which increased by 1 each week finish at max week 4. 

The reason why it was so effective is it gave people a lot of exposure to high instensity squatting, during a short period of time. They were able to@practice it more frequently than in a normal program where your final week or two are the only ones above 90% when your going for a new 1RM.

Lifting maximally requires many thing s submaximal lifting does not.

- staying calm even though the bar is only .3-.4m/s during the ascent
- being comfortable descending at a speed that will allow some bounce out of the bottom
- bracing properly and maintaining positions

This post isn’t to say you should be squatting maximally every week year around, it is saying the squatting maximally is a skill and need time to be developed just like any other skill, if you want to figure out what your potential is.

The big thing I believe that is missing from many CrossFit athletes training programs is the development of upper body strength via either bench press/shoulder press (and their variations) and bodybuilding. 

The main reason why more should be used is to increase performance in overhead barbell lifts or gymnastics. If your weighted improves it means that will carry over to your kipping pull ups making them feel easier.

Also a stronger muscle is more resilient to injury and can withstand degrees of stress. Based on the nature of CrossFit and the amount of wear and tear there is on the shoulder especially during kipping, it makes sense to develop a robust shoulder girdle.

Lastly, do people really think elite CrossFit athletes are as jacked as they are from only doing CrossFit workout, not a chance!

I like the looks of this workout a lot, a classic triplet contain the main three components of CrossFit training:

• gymnastics: hand release push up
• weightlifting: hang power snatch
• monostructural/cyclical: wall ball

I often try to include these 3 movement categories in all triplets. The toughest one for many is the cyclical/monostructural because you don’t want to be overly repeat with running and rowing. A good way to work around this obstacle is teaching your athletes to treat grunt work movements (like wall ball, box jump, ball slam…etc) like they are doing cyclical work only move at a rate they can maintain and recover while performing, so when they complete that movement they are ready the gymnastic or weightlifting movement that is coming up next.

When programming for the slow strength lifts (squat, press, pull) I always provide some sort of prescription unlike the working sets above. I do this with slow strength compared to Olympic lifts because:

• the intensities from a load perspective are so much higher
• the length and duration of the eccentric contraction yields much more stress (Olympic lifts have zero)
• you can grind out a power lift rep or two, unlike Olympic where you get it or don’t 

The two main ways I do this with the example above are:

• 4x6@70-80
• 4x4-8@75%

You could also do a combination of rep range and percentage range, but I find that gives most athletes so many options they are rarely confident with their choices.

The major pieces of this workout mimic that of something you typically see in the open everywhere. 

​Part 1 perform movements with fast cycle speed that will elevate heart rate and force you move quicker than you want to. Then part 2, figure out how to complete a heavy lift while under fatigue.

Using Fran during part 1 of this was a good choice because you have no choice but to cycles pull ups and thrusters fast to get them done (it’s basically what they did in the open this year).

Using a snatch as a max lift tho was not the best idea, far to much risk for the reward. 

If we look at CrossFit class as “practice” and the CrossFit Open as the “game”. I think, unless your an elite athlete you should never go outside the constraints of what has been programmed in the past, to limit risk with your clients.

I really like this triplet because all movements have an effect on the other, but to the degree where an athlete will fail due to lack of muscular endurance, any well trained athlete will be limited by their cardiovascular system first. Below are the similarities I see:

- Each movement puts a large amount strain on the core: T2B = flexion, PS = extension, OHS = stabilize
- Each movement requires grip to be completed: OHS to the lowest degree here
- Each movement involves the athlete to have their hands in a overhead position: T2B = straight arm pulling, PS: high pull and catch, OHS: lock out/ isometric press overhead

As a triplet this workout could have been written in much better way. There is a few different you could approach it.

1. You could length the run, to say a 400m or 600’m, so the distribution of time being spent on each movement would be at a more even ration. Only drawback is the workout would be much longer.

2. Decrease the number of reps per round while increasing number of rounds, so you get the same volume of work in, but now it will just be at a higher quality.

3. Do the same as above as an amrap so you know that the elite athletes will betting certain number of reps in roughly and then from there everyone else fills in the gap from there based on ability, because the two movements outside or running at high volumes require so much muscular endurance.

This is the first one I’ve looked back at and wondered what was I thinking. 

Now if I were to program this the main purpose would be to lactate power in lower body during front squats. I’d also lower the percent to somewhere in 50s range so the athlete get more contraction.

As for the handstand hold it’s purpose would be to improve the system ability to pump the blood from lower to upper, which is a regular thing in a CrossFit workout. Lastly holding isometrics under duress is a great opportunity to focus controlling breathing.

Nothing to crazy here is simple couplet with a buy in and out.  The goal is to hit this fast, unbroken ideally.

The initial 100 DUs will pre-fatigue the shoulders and forearms a bit, making it more difficult to go unbroken. Then the final 100 DUs you will have to stay composed to complete in minimal sets.

I specifically remember writing this workout thinking it be like Fran on steroids and it was it was.  The combined out of a moderate deadlift and slightly heavier thruster, destroyed your breathing. 

I’m also a fan of using RDL as a major strength movement in CrossFit world because so many people are so reliant on their quadriceps (probably because they are such a slow twitch/enduring muscle group).