I get asked a lot about what new coaches should focus on in the beginning of their coaching journey. I love getting this question because I always try to answer it from my perspective - as in what I wish someone had told me.

However, what if I were to tell you that following Individualized CrossFit Programming could actually fast-track your goals? How might this happen you ask… Well, following an individualized CrossFit Program can indeed fast-track you, by taking the proper steps to layer the foundation needed for your success.

I often get asked what it takes to coach the fittest in the world. Over my coaching career, I have definitely gone down various stages of my coaching as I tried to examine what I thought was needed to coach the fittest CrossFit athletes.

Every year I learn so much from the Games. I usually leave with my head spinning and a notebook full of thoughts that range from training, programming, athletes, athlete management, plans for future athlete fields, where the game will take human potential, and coaching the game itself. On top of those notions, I mostly leave feeling fulfilled and excited. I am fulfilled with my time in this sport, fulfilled with my effort as a coach and the effort of my athletes, and fulfilled with what CrossFit has given me. I am also extremely excited for what is to come, not just from the sport, but from humans and what we can do! So, with all that down, let’s get into my top three thoughts/experiences from this year's 2021 NoBull CrossFit Games.

The Conquer Coaching Staff is holding the next Live Coaches Webinar on Thursday, August 12th, from 1:30-2:30 Eastern Standard Time. This webinar will be a three part deep-dive around the principles of creating sound programming around general physical preparedness.

This week is the start of the 2021 CrossFit Games, and I couldn’t be more excited. This past year, through the pandemic, definitely left a void in the Sport of Fitness. CrossFit did their best to keep the Games going, but it just wasn’t the same experiencing it in the bubble. I also love the new format of the CrossFit Games and I feel a resurgence amongst the community towards this yearly event. It is almost a breath of fresh air as the teams have been brought back to the affiliate, and the Sectionals are flying under the CrossFit banner once again.

The short answer to this is yes. Champions do follow online Crossfit Training. What we see as the sport grows is a need for expert coaches and programs that are written for the top 1% in order for those athletes to reach their fullest potential. For this blog, I will outline a few things that help athletes reach their fullest potential through online CrossFit Training.

There are many debates as to the effectiveness of online CrossFit training. As with anything out there, you can find both the pros and the cons. I am in the camp that sides with the effectiveness of online CrossFit training. So, the question is, why do I think this? Simply put, professionals. I believe that online CrossFit training is the future due to the constant growth of professional programmers/coaches.

If you’re looking for podcasts that discuss all things CrossFit, there are dozens to choose from making it difficult to find the best ones. We are sharing this list of our favorites so that you can jump right into learning from the greats. What makes a CrossFit podcast the best? These shows are hosted by experts that are experienced in the sport of functional fitness. Their special guests bring valuable insight to every episode. These top 10 CrossFit podcasts are equally informative & entertaining, and will inspire you to be a better athlete.

I am sure this is a question that every company out there can answer, or at least think they can answer. I will take this time to outline a few attributes that we deliver from EVERY coach in our program. These are the things that you cannot put a finger on, or explain in a discovery call. These are the things that go unnoticed or not be talked about, but are what truly drives the ship for Conquer as well as athlete development on the whole.

I recently read the below short on exactsports.com. The below piece is authored by Amanda Ferranti. I pasted it here to our blog because I felt she did an amazing job with it. The topic of Mindset, and how it affects performance, was the hot topic for this week…

I am someone who is constantly seeking growth. Enlightenment through the spirit and the mind has and continues to be one of my north stars. I easily have over twenty mentors, some of which I am in close contact with and others from afar that I lean on to learn and grow from. I am a big believer that if you are not growing, you are dying.

This is single handedly the most prevalent question within the Sport of Fitness. Everyday I have this conversation, whether by phone, Zoom, or in person with aspiring athletes who are looking to progress up the proverbial CrossFit ladder. So here I am going to build a framework around what I project (as of this day) are and will be the driving principles that will give you the tools to do well within CrossFit. This is not a manual that you can open and find a one, two, three step process. This is more of an outline around three guiding principles that will set you up for success to be a better CrossFit athlete…

To be successful with the sport of CrossFit, you need to have good endurance. This idea or formality of endurance spans across all modalities. You need to be able to have muscular endurance as it relates to gymnastics, barbell endurance as it relates to weightlifting, and aerobic capacity as it relates to the various monostructural movements/machines used within the sport. There is no way around it. You can be the strongest person in the sport, and the best gymnast out there, but if you cannot sustain reps over time, you will not make it. So, the question comes down to this: How does one build endurance within the sport of CrossFit?

With the ever-changing landscape of the fitness industry, we have noticed a big push in online CrossFit programming. One can definitely say that with the changing environment around COVID, the pursuit to develop an online CrossFit program exploded within the community. Whether this was caused by a greater need to deliver a means for people to maintain fitness, or another revenue stream for coaches in a broader market with a more diverse population, it is there, and it will stay there…

What is an elite mindset? As told to me by Brian Cain in his Mental Performance Mastery Certification: your mindset is how you see yourself, your situation, and the world - basically your perspective. So, if we break this down even more, a strong mindset comes down to the person having a strong/positive perspective around themselves, their situation, and the world around them…

This is Part 2 of our strength-building principles. If you recall from the first strength-building blog, I discussed the principles of specificity, overload, fatigue management, and individual differences. In this piece, I want to introduce you to three more principles that are needed to build strength within yourself or your athletes…

In this day and age, it is not hard to find various methods around gaining strength. However, a method applied without the proper principles behind it is liking putting heels on a bull; sure, it might look nice at first, but what good does it do for you in the long run? The biggest approach to coaching that I teach revolves around principles…

What is the purpose of competitive CrossFit? Competitive CrossFit is the sport of Crossfit. You may ask, what is the difference? Well the difference is like any other sport out there. Take running for example. You can look to run to improve your health and fitness by running a few miles per day (CrossFit) or, you can train to run a sub-2 hour marathon (sport of CrossFit). I hope that comparison can give you insight into the difference between the two…

This marks the end of stage two of the 2021 CrossFit Open, otherwise known as the Quarterfinals. I cannot begin to explain how proud I am of every Conquer Athlete that made it to this stage in the game. I want to give a special acknowledgement to each person that made it past the Open and onto the Quarterfinals…