Cycle Objectives

Fitness

• Increase bent arm strength with an emphasis on upper body pulling.
• Prep soft tissue for higher demand upper body pulling in future cycles (bent arm hang).
• Increase competency in basic tumbling and floor work.
• Increase aerobic power (mixed modal testing component).
• Increase the ability to move well, w/o pain and in a health promoting manner.
• Restore essential movement abilities.

Performance

• Increase overhead stability.
• Prep soft tissue for higher demand upper body pulling in future cycles (bent arm hang).
• Increase double under capability.
• Increase hinge capacity (deadlift).
• Increase the ability to move well, w/o pain and in a health promoting manner.
• Restore essential movement abilities.

New Cycle Objectives

Fitness
-Build capacity in loaded carries to increase structural strength and overall capacity in a risk appropriate way.
-Increase aerobic power-endurance capacity in the running and rowing.
-Increase strength-endurance in upper body pressing and pulling.
-Develop better hand-eye coordination.
-Increase the students' levels of "antifragility."

Performance
-Increase upper body strength-endurance (pressing and pulling).
-Increase unilateral squatting strength and balance.
-Increase aerobic power endurance with a bias towards either running or rowing (student's choice).
-Increase the students' levels of "antifragility."

Here is a link to a definition of antifragility: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragility

New Cycle Objectives

This is an intensification cycle.

Fitness

• Increase maximum lactic power as tested by the Assault Bike.
• Improve tumbling and low gait competency.
• Increase absolute squat, hinge, press and pull strength.
• Increase mixed modal aerobic power capacity.

Performance

• Improve competency and speed in running with abrupt directional changes.
• Increase speed and repeatability in lactic repeats (cyclic and mixed modal).
• Improve jumping ability.
• Increase upper body muscular endurance/speed endurance.

1507 Objectives

This cycle will last through the beginning of January.  It is an accumulation cycle for both groups.

Fitness

• Build aerobic endurance through cyclic and mixed modal pieces.  
• Develop structural strength through high volume and increased time under tension. 
• Use time block time management strategies while practicing run technique work, basic tumbling and ukemi (breakfalls).  The tumbling is used to increase kinesthetic awareness (ability to know where you are in space) while the breakfall practice facilitates the likelihood of better outcomes when you fall.

Performance

• Build aerobic endurance and deepen the aerobic base in cyclic and mixed modal pieces. We will sharpen in January/February.
• Increase upper body strength and resiliency with a focus on SASS (straight arm scapular strength) and BASS (bent arm scapular strength).  Pieces will focus on the development of the strict muscle-up,  front lever and planche. 
• Develop upper body gymnastics muscular endurance.
• Develop lower body positional strength and functional hypertrophy (incidentally, of course) to facilitate more lower body muscular "horsepower" in future cycles.  High volume/time under tension techniques will be used.
• Refine running technique. 

Both groups will explore some loaded progressive stretching techniques.

Cycle 1504 Training Objectives

Fitness

• Gradually build capacity in top end speed and lactic power-endurance.
• Increase aerobic power development through relatively frequent testers w/ low-to-moderate eccentric components to allow for recovery.
• Build structural strength with an emphasis on strength-speed on the hinge and relatively intense work for other basic strength pieces. 
• Continue with intra-training mobility pieces as a time management tool.

Performance

• Intensify aerobic power with shorter, more intense intervals and less volume (mixed modal and cyclic).
• To provide an incremental re-introduction of the kip for those interested in developing the kip as a tool.
• Improve lactate utilization through a progressive lactate endurance program (cyclic and mixed modal).
• Improve Weightlifting technique and subsequent rate of force production through high volume lifting that undulates in intensity throughout the cycle and each week.  There will be a subsequent decrease in hinge work during other training days.
• Allow for further energy system "sharpening" through more frequent testers.
• Continue with intra-training mobility pieces as a time management tool.

Cycle 1501

The first cycle of 2015 is an intensification cycle and it will take both groups up to the start of the CrossFit Open season.  Here are the objectives:

Fitness

• To transfer the structural/positional work from the previous accumulation cycle into maximum force production.
• To increase explosiveness with olympic pulls from floor and maximal jumping/landing work.
• To increase maximum anaerobic power production by lengthening the anaerobic power sets to 40-60s.
• To increase the student's ability to sustain high end aerobic power work (mixed modal and cyclic) through higher intensity/lower volume MAP sessions.
• To increase the student's competency and capacity in Open style testers. 
• To increase functional mobility through loaded progressive stretching and PNF.

Performance

• To peak the aerobic power capacity (emphasis on mixed modal).
• To transfer the anaerobic power developed in  he previous cycle into a peak of the anaerobic lactic capacity (emphasis on mixed modal).
• To transfer the olympic lifting structural strength developed in the accumulation phase into maximal, Oly-based force production and CP stamina using the Oly lifts.
• Increase the volume of muscle-up work (individually and under duress).
• Increase competency and the ability to develop a personal strategy relating to CrossFit Open style testers. 1-3 testers per week.
• Increase maximum force production in structural strength (squat, hinge, push, pull).
• Maintain gains in horizontal pulling and direct external rotation work to facilitate health of the shoulder girdle as more kipping is implemented.

Intensification Cycle 1406

Fitness

• Intensify absolute force production in basic patterns (squat, pull, press, hinge).
• Develop hip, spine and shoulder girdle "anti-fragility."
• Intensify mixed modal and cyclic aerobic power capacity.
• Integrate olympic pull work into hinge sessions to build a foundation for more complex barbell patterns.
• Continue the development of foundational energy system capability by transitioning from anaerobic power to lactic endurance intervals.

Performance

• Build capacity in high cycle rate mixed modal training and testers.
• Re-introduce anaerobic lactate endurance training and testing w/ a linear progression.
• Increase intensity in the olympic lifts using the technical foundation acquired in previous accumulation cycle.  Special emphasis will be placed on overhead position/3rd pull in snatch.
• Maintain locomotion, brachiation, hand balance practice.
• Re-introduce higher velocity gymnastics movements to students possessing the requirements to engage in such practices (i.e. 3 strict dips and pull-ups, pronated, at 3030).  Emphasis will be scapular strength and force production/control for students who do not meet the standards.

The cycle will last from September 15, 2014 through November 7, 2014.