Training for the CrossFit Games

CrossFit Champions are not made overnight. The difference between ranking in the Games, and gassing out before the Regionals, is not the quantity of training, but the quality. Good form and good programming are vital. This book is a slice of history. It is the actual regimen used to train Julie Foucher (The 2nd Fittest Woman on Earth, CrossFit Games 2012) and several other competitors, for the 2012 Games. This is the complete training season, starting immediately after the 2011 CrossFit Games, through the development phases and the 2012 Games competition season, to the two-week 2012 CrossFit Games. The programming sought to increase overall capacity in everything that could possibly be tested in Games competition. The methodology is geared to minimizing weaknesses, by consistent and frequent exposure to varied skill sets. It is an amalgam of nine years of programming experience at HyperFit USA (CrossFit Ann Arbor). It is the sum-total of training experience. It is a snapshot of what was done. The purposes of this book are several. Primarily, it is the training we used to prepare people for the highest expression of fitness there is, the CrossFit Games. It is also a record of how we operated our gym. We do not separate our aspiring Games athletes from our base program. We believe that at its core, CrossFit is a general physical preparedness program, broadening and deepening the human capability to do work in many testable areas. Having our best people work alongside our newest people underlies one of the key tenets of CrossFit: that it is infinitely scalable. The daily chapters contain different sections. The first section covers the classes we did in our box, and in other affiliates. These classes have some common components. The training usually includes a warm-up; some are general, and others are multifaceted and dynamic. The next component is either a WOD or Max Effort training. The sequence of these two items also changes at times, true to the ideal that CrossFit should be constantly varied. The classes often include extensive skills sets and movement progressions to help people move better. The programming is built around a highly organized, instructor-led training session. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE ACTUAL, UNALTERED PROGRAMMING. You will see it exactly the way it happened! For example, some days will include “Holiday Special”, “Instructor Play” or TBA. The training season between the 2011 and 2012 CrossFit Games was only 50 weeks; therefore, this “year” contains only 50 weeks.