Back East CrossFit now offers workout options: CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, Endurance and Strength Training … but why?!

With the recent addition of multiple workout tracks I wanted to take some time to talk about why we have decided to add them, what they are and how to use them. Having many choices can be confusing and overwhelming if you don’t know how to use them but hopefully by the end of this read you will be able to see why having multiple workout options can keep you more motivated, can get you closer to your goals, keep you more consistent with your attendance and keep you moving for a long long time!

With 25+ years of fitness under my belt I can say I have tried many forms of fitness to keep myself moving over the years. Almost 11 years ago i found CrossFIt and it seemed that every style of fitness i tried was now combined into one glorious workout routine, and i love it! Out of all the workout routines i’ve tried, CrossFit has been the longest I’ve stuck with and I plan on keeping it going for another 25+ years. 

However, even throughout the nearly 11 years of CrossFit experience I have,  I’ve often had to find ways to keep myself motivated and moving forward towards my goals and I did that by balancing my training between a specific focus (like strength training) and CrossFit. 

Which brings us to why we have added multiple workout options to our daily classes. We want to keep you motivated, healthy, moving and progressing closer to your goals and you can do that by having options!

Let’s look at a brief description of each option we now offer:

CrossFit (Workout of the day in SugarWOD): This is classic Back East CrossFit programming. Some strength work and conditioning in just about every class. We hit most of the CrossFit movements weekly in various intensities, time domains and loads. If you are looking to lean out and improve your overall fitness this is your jam!

Olympic Weightlifting: This option will typically run in 8-12 week cycles, you can jump in at any time. It will have 5 days a week of Olympic Weightlifting and the associated lifts (squats, pulls and presses) all geared toward improving the snatch and clean and jerk. Weightlifting Wednesdays for our CrossFit class will always use one of these sessions or part of one of these sessions as class work. If you really want to improve your technique with the snatch and clean and jerk. If you plan on using this program all 5 days we recommend cutting back on other workouts as it can be pretty demanding. Or you can use it 2-3 days a week and mix in some accessory strength and CrossFit metcons.

Strength training: This is a classic 5 day routine with a 6th day for a metcon or cardio. Monday is chest and triceps, Tuesday back and biceps, Wednesday lower body, Thursday is cardio, Friday shoulders, midline and some accessory leg work, and Satrudays are for arms and midline. If you don’t like the daily focus then mix some of the exercises together from different days. This routine will change as the year progresses. Later in the year you may see an upper/ lower body split or 4-5 days of total body work. This program can be used as your accessory work as well. Do CrossFit class then use the secondary exercises for accessory (DB presses, pulls, lat pull downs, flys… think small muscle groups). If you want to add some strength and size then this program or some of it should be your go to.

Endurance: This option is straight up cardio! The routines will be programmed 3-4 days a week and will be a mix of single modality (running, biking, rowing…) or a mix of standard cardio, bodyweight and light object movements. This is a great supplement program for any of the workout options we have. The intensity of the workouts can vary so depending on how you feel you can really push or approach them more casually as an active recovery.

Just by reading those descriptions you can see that there are endless possibilities on how to approach your training. You can stick to one program, mix two programs, mix all 4 programs. Which is why it’s so important to talk to one of our coaches to find the best breakdown of your week based on your goals. Overtraining or under recovering can be detrimental to your progress so finding the right balance is necessary!

Here are some reasons why you might want to change your focus or mix in some other options:

Your body needs a break!

Although we try to balance the super intense workouts with less intense ones, CrossFit is still really demanding on the body. Day after day of intense workouts can put a toll on the body, especially if you’re over 30! So whether you are dealing with an injury or just need to rest your body, dialing back the high intensity and focusing on strength, endurance or something else for even just a week can really help reset the body.

You get bored!

Getting bored with a fitness routine is dangerous for falling off track. But the good thing about fitness is that there are endless possibilities to choose from and we are trying to create an atmosphere where you have choices! If you’re tired of the same routine, find a different focus for a while that excites you and when you are ready you can come back to your old routine and find a new love for it!

You have specific goals!

CrossFit is an amazing program for overall health and fitness but sometimes in order to achieve your goals (PRing your deadlift, getting a muscle up or HSPU, running a marathon or a spartan race) you might need to add a more focused approach.

You like variety!

Maybe your focus right now is to just stay active. It keeps you feeling good and you just enjoy working out. Guess what?! There is nothing wrong with that! You still get the same benefits as someone who might have a more focused approach and you get to have fun without putting too much pressure on yourself!  Having options is a great way to keep things fun. Choose the workout that appeals to you most on any given day and get it done!

At the end of the day we want to keep fitness as a staple in your life. It’s ok and sometimes necessary to change things up!

In an ideal world we would have 4 separate rooms with 4 classes going on at once, each one geared towards each of those focuses but that’s just not realistic for our setting. So for now the best we can do is offer separate programming for you for each of our new tracks (CrossFit, Endurance, Strength Training and Olympic lifting) that you can choose from each class you come to. 

So what’s next? To get the most out of your routine follow these three simple steps:

Step 1: Ask yourself what you want out of your fitness journey in the next month, 3 months, 6 months and year. If you have specific goals that you want to reach then most likely your program will change multiple times over the course of a year. If you don’t have specific goals then maybe you just need to pick an option that will keep you walking into the gym daily.

Step 2: Talk to a coach!!! Once you figure out what you want out of your fitness routine, plan a time to come chat with a coach. They can help you come up with a specific plan that works for you.

Step 3: Commit to your goal! If you and your coach came up with a specific goal to work on, whether it’s just showing up 3x per week for a month or spending the next 5 months trying to increase your 1RM deadlift, you need to be consistent with that goal! Stick to the plan!

Fitness should be a lifelong practice and if adding these options helps you keep moving into the later years of your life then mission accomplished.

Final Note: 

Each class that we have at Back East CrossFit will be led by a coach just like a normal CrossFit class but now you may see a handful of your classmates doing different workouts in that same class. The coach will still be watching everyone but the structure of the class will remain the same way we’ve always run our CrossFit classes. We review the (CrossFit) workout, warm up together, do our strength and metcon together then cool down together. If you choose to do the Oly lifting, Endurance or Strength work instead, you have the option to warm up with the class or get started on your workout as soon as you get to the gym. If your routine takes longer than class time that’s fine!

All we ask is that everyone in class, regardless of what workout you are doing, use only the space you absolutely need. When the coach is addressing the whole class, be mindful of the noise you make, share equipment and support each other even if someone is doing something completely different than you. We are on this fitness journey together and not everyone is on your same path but everyone needs the same support!

I can’t wait to see what this new programming style will bring to Back East. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments about our approach we love feedback! Just send us a message on social media or email!