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There are five important considerations in a well-designed program: Training stress, Periodization model, Training cycles, Exercise selection, and Skill development. We’ve already discussed at length training stress and its constituents: Volume and intensity. Let’s look at some other elements of a well-designed training program.
There are many different types of periodization models. Some popular periodization models that you may have heard of are linear, block, undulating and conjugate. At CrossFit Vernon, we use a concurrent training model. Concurrent training simply means that we train all ten of the General Physical Skills at the same time, with an equal value placed on each.
Training cycles can be broken down into Microcycles; the Monday to Friday training week, Macrocycles; composed of a few or several smaller microcycles, typically lasting a few weeks to a few months; and Meso cycles, the yearly or multi-year training plans that focus on peaking the body for specific events.
Exercise selection is important at all three levels of planning, but for different reasons. We want to select the right exercises for the right individual on the right day at the right time. Thoughtful exercise selection balances frequency and exposure against overuse and overtraining.
Lastly, CrossFit plays host to a variety of skills. Skills are developed from the moment you walk through the door for On-Ramp. The first skill you learn likely doesn’t feel like much of a skill at all: the air squat. But as these skills develop and become more and more complex we see the foundation of progression, eventually leading to high-level skills like squat snatches and muscle-ups.
This forms the outline for everything we need to consider when designing a program from the ground up. In this next series within a series, I’ll discuss each detail at length and give you an insider’s look into exactly what goes on behind the scenes of CrossFit Vernon’s program design.