How I build a base phase for QF crossfit athlete

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g2perk

New member
To be specific with what I mean: QF crossfit athlete is someone which the major goal is to pass from open season to quarterfinals season.

AVATAR: 30 m 185lbs 5'10. 4 years of experience. percentile 75 in 2021 open.
  • fran: 3min10s // open19.5: 120 reps
  • AB (1min): 40 cals // AB (10 mints): 150cals
  • bs: 335lbs // sp:135lbs
  • shspu(50 reps): 7min 30s // spullups(50 reps): 5 min 30s
  • DL 100kg (60 reps): 3min //
  • skills: ring muscle up is not efficient
After a raw evaluation of the data and conversation with the athlete it seems clear the prioritization for the following season:
  1. Improve cardiac output for the typical open workout domains (10-15mints). discrepancy between assault bike time trials and between fran and open19.5 suggest the biggest limiter.
  2. musce endurance. gymanstics number suggest that this athlete is are a little bit off with the necessities of a open workout but they should be worked.
  3. stength number enough for open stage.



M
T
W
T
F

Cardio Out Dev 1
Skill
Cardio Out Dev 2
Volume hspu
Cardio Out Dev 3

Volume hspu
Back Squat
Volume pull ups
Back Squat
Stric Press

Aerobic Dev
Crossfit Aer Dev
Aerobic Dev
Crossfit Aer Dev
Aerobic Dev

Cardiac Ouput Development:
  1. Session 1: Working intervals with fixed average but with increasing speed. Progressing from lower intervals to bigger intervals and also to higher power output
  2. Session 2: Working in extending the capacity at higher power outputs. eg. 4 sets of (1min on7 1 min off followed by 4 mints @ 10 time trial pace). Progressing to higher time at 10 min time trial pace.
  3. Session 3: Working in polarized intervals. Varied intervals at high ouput followed by endurance pace with no rest.
Aerobic Development:
  1. Working in different cyclic modalities (run, AB, bike erg). 40min+ @ endurance pace. endurance pace is highly variable between athletes.
  2. Progressing by observing HR monitor
Crossfit Aerobic Development:
  1. Working at open crossfit typical movements (thrusters, box jumps, db snatch, muscle ups, burpees, ...) at race pace (I have a excel with 10 min normalized race pace for every open crossfit movements for every level of athlete)
  2. Example protocol: Work 3 min at race pace, wait until HR drops to zone 1. Repeat until HR takes more than 3 minutes to return to zone 1. If athlete comfortable with RPE: repeat until RPE exceeds .
Volume HSPU and pull ups:
  1. Work during fixed interval in a 10/15 minute time window. Progression through increasing difficulty (weight, range of motion, reps).
  2. Example protocol: start with EMOMx10: 6 reps. Increase reps until week to week progress is higher than 5%. Progress towards more dense sets until: eg EMOM x5: 9 reps.
Strength (Back Squat and Strict Pres):
  1. Maintenance volume.
 
@g2perk I'm 6ft 5 and the first stage of the open is very hard. Matching these lighter guys on burpees and gymnastics seems to be a giant burden. I wish they had more variations for the heavier weights.
I have tried programming in HSPU and high volume pull ups in for months. Little results of increasing my volume. My 5ft 1 friend wasn't in top notch shape and can hit 20 strict HSPU almost baseline. I worked for months just to hit 12 strict. Worked for months more and can barely add any. I think the QFs are very workout dependant for me. I'm also never going to be an elite athlete. I'll just wrestle between 80th-90th percentile forever I think.
I think that's just the reality for some.
 
@mickiel Honestly it's a hard sport for tall people. There is really no one at the elite level of your height. Unless they start to change the movements it's always going to favor a the 5'6 or so range for males.
 
@dawn16 6’5 might be tough, but at 6’3 I was able see my fair share of success. 5’-mid is a nice height for barbell cycling and gymnastics, but there have always been a few biggies. Cell net and Fikowski now. Tommy Hack, Chad McKay, EZ, Royce…they’re there if you’re looking.
 
@mickiel True being told if you make the same amount of repetitions as someone 5 inches shorter in most cases you'll do a lot more work: longer distances to travel with the bar, gymanstics movements the same.

Tall (and also heavy) individuals are not favored in a competition like the open. Tbh most likely tall athletes will do better in most QF workouts when compare with the open.

Tbh 12 strict hspu unbk are not far way from what you might need. I would say that 50 for time is a more reliable assessment of capacity because usually the shoulder volume required from open events is higher but with lower reps.
 
@g2perk Thanks for sharing. It is interesting to see how you programmed core inputs for this individual.

It would be cool to read more of these built out for different personas (I.e. different variations in body comp, base capabilities, etc).
 
@g2perk I'm a 22-year-old male, 5'9, 4 years experience, 85th percentile in 2021 Open.

20 Bar Muscle Ups unbroken

30 Cal AAB: 26 seconds

20 Minute Max Cal AAB: 320 Calories

1k Row: 3:05

Snatch: 235 lbs

Back Squat: 400 lbs

Efficient walking on hands

Not efficient at Ring Muscle Ups(Techincal errors)

25 Strict HSPU unbroken

Fran Time: 2:40

22.2 Score: 146 Reps

22.3 Score: 9:18

Sorry if this was too much, thanks in advance.
 
@s4ado Several points here:
  1. Young athlete. 4 years of experience in the sport (not sure if any experience in other sports) may not require a change in programming since you may been developing year-by-year. If progression is ocurring then I wouldnt mind change to a more structured programming until you reach some caps.
  2. Super impressive numbers and definitely more then enough for to move on from quarterfinals.
  3. Based on your description skills is not a limiter factor.
Points of review/hypothesis:
  1. From the numbers shown it seems an athlete geared towards more power events. 30 cals for time/20 min max cal ratio, back squat pr, ...
  2. 22.2 and 22.3 have an huge discrepancy in results. Further evaluation of wods required to understand the issue. Hypothesis: hinging movement muscle endurance?, burpee capacity?
(Just for the fun I'm assuming some stuff otherwise I'm unable to proceed with a suggestion. I'm also assuming you get stalled several years in this percentile and that your only goal is to pass open season which I doubt because you seem a guy with lots of potential and that is still not in need of individualized programming. I will also assume some points such as available time to train (1 time per day: 2 hours), equipment available, preferred days to train)

Profile:
  1. Power athlete with more than baseline numbers for an open season athlete.
  2. Skills, strength and muscle endurance numbers again more than baseline numbers for an open season athlete.
  3. Cyclical power output is not matching performance in crossfit events.
Working points:
  1. WP1- Cardiac output limiter: High power output events seem to be inconsistent with the rest of the events.
  2. WP2 - Acyclical power output: cyclical power output seem to be inconsistent with acyclical power expression
  3. WP3 - Hinging pattern efficiency: hinging movement is a pattern where the athlete is less efficient specifically the deadlift.
Considering the open in end of February:
  1. August to October: Base Season
  2. November to January: Bridge Season
  3. February: Specific Season
Having in consideration only the Base Season I would dosage the following considering your Working points:
  1. WP1: Cardiac output limiter: 2 sessions/week.
    1. 1st session: intervals with fixed rest. Average wattage fixed. Increasing watts during interval. Eg: 8sets: (2min on/1min off) (@ 10 time trial pace - 2cal/min) (start with 900calh and increase 200calh every 30 sec. 1200calh average.) week by week progression to work on extending periods of work and increase power output.
    2. 2nd session: fatigue extension. Burn power system and extend fatiguing point. Eg. 5 sets: (1min on/1min off) @ 10 min time trial pace + 5 cal/min followed by 4 mints @ 10 mint time trial pace. week by week progression to extend periods of work and increase power output.
  2. WP2: Acyclical power limiter: 2 sessions/week
    1. 2 sessions of polarized work. eg: X amount of sets of (3min on followed by polarized pace AB ride) . Alternating between: (15 BJO, 15 thruster @ 95lbs, 5 WW) and (15 DB Snatch, 15 burpees, 15 Overhead squats) on working interval. In polarized pace ride AB @ half power of endurance pace. Work stops when AB ride takes more than 3 minutes to return to endurance HR.
  3. WP3: Hinging Pattern Efficiency: 1 session week
    1. Build capacity in hinging patterns: Volume and density sets for deadlift. Eg: Initial assessment Max DL @ 225 in 10 mints: 60 reps. Progress volume up to EMOM 10': 10 DL @ 225. Progress density up: week by week decrease in time Every 55''*10: 10 DL @ 225.
Schedule for limiter training sessions (to be considered main piece of every day):

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
WP1 session1

WP1 session2

WP3


WP2

WP2


These are your key workouts to develop your limiters during your base season. The rest of the schedule would be filled with sessions to maintain your level of fitness and feel fresh to perform on your key workouts.

I would filled them like these:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
WP1 session1

WP1 session2
Gym Volume
WP 3

Back Squat
Gym Volume
Strict Press
Front Squat
skill

Zone 2 Cardio
WP 2
Zone 2 Cardio
WP2
Zone 2 cardio

Zone 2 Cardio: 40 to 60 minutes of work @ endurance pace. any cyclical modality preferred

Back Squat/ Front Squat/Strict Press: Increase loads 1 RM if does not interfere with key sessions. Otherwise maintenance volume.

Gymnactics Volume: Increase volume of common gymnastics movements (T2B, sHSPU, C2B) if does not interfere with key sessions. Otherwise maintenance volume.

Skill: work on movements in need.

One block left blank. Adjusted to needs of week to week athlete development.
 
In this case the Bridge Season and Specific Season would be the most critical in my opinion. I see a lot of potential not being matched by events performance.
 
@g2perk Holy cow thanks for all this. My goal is to be the greatest to ever compete in the sport. You can take that with a grain of salt if you want to. I know that I mean it. I will definitely be taking all these things into consideration. What I really need is a coach to help me along the way.
 
@g2perk I consistently make QF and my numbers are only slightly better than yours. Definitely will want to up that strict press and improve on muscle ups. But honestly I don't do anything other than an hour a day of CrossFit and some aux lifting to make QF. I'm probably just a bit more experienced (10 opens).

IMO, if your goal is just to make the QF, Engine and Quality/volume gymnastics are both more important than huge lift PRs.
 
@g2perk Honestly, QF is attainable through general programming. Assumptions being that the individual is mindful in the workouts, all the fitness needed to get to the QF can be found in an hour a day, five or six days a week.
 
@caleb_m That may be true but it is inconsistent with what I have been observing in my journey of 8 years in crossfit. I know a lot of consistent people who fall short on open season despite putting the work year long.
 
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