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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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
