
Conquer CrossFit Blog
Functional Fitness Tips, CrossFit News, & More
Remote CrossFit Coaching vs. In-Person Coaching
A common question that coaches are asked is whether or not they should seek out Remote Coaching or In-Person Coaching. In truth, there are very compelling reasons why either could be more serviceable so it’s not a matter of if one is better than the other, per say. What needs to be determined is which is the best option for the athlete at any given point in time.
Conquer’s Athletes Thrive At 2022 CrossFit Legends Championship
Dec 11th, 2022 marked the conclusion of the famous CrossFit Legends Championship. For those that do not follow the Competitive CrossFit space, this is a Master’s only competition held at CrossFit Mayhem in Tennessee. The Conquer Team had amazing athletes there that we want to highlight!
Balancing Variety and Structure in CrossFit
CrossFit, as a sport, is based around the idea that through “constantly varied training” we will be “prepared for the unknown.” This means that athletes in the sport must be able to perform movements from Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Endurance Training, Strongman, and more without any idea of how they will end up being tested. With so many different skills and exercises to learn and only so much time to train, the question then becomes how do we include the right amount of variety without sacrificing structure within our programming?
How To Lead AS A Coach
One of the most impactful things we can do as a coach is to understand that we are also leaders and guides. Oftentimes as leaders, egos can get in the way. When the leader presents himself as the end all be all, there will be a lack of those who will follow. As coaches, we need to be able to have conversations, and take in information from our athletes, our staff, and know that others may have expertise in areas that you don’t.
Being Prepared For The Legends Competition: Free Ebook
Program design is an art, there’s so many variables when it comes to building a program. Fatigue principles, intensity prescriptions, internal and external stress, time, athlete experience, injuries, the list goes on and on. If you’re serious about reaching your highest potential, which I’m sure you are if you’re reading this, I’m here to tell you that your piecemail program is killing that potential.
Is CrossFit for Athletes? Preparing For The Unknown & The Unknowable
It’s 2022 and people are still out here dogging CrossFit and its effectiveness as a training model. I think we’re at the point now where we can really look at CrossFit as a tool to develop all forms of athletes when the time is appropriate, and that's the big caveat here: timing.
The "Accessory" Trap: How Piecing Together Random Programs Is Killing Your Progress
Program design is an art, there’s so many variables when it comes to building a program. Fatigue principles, intensity prescriptions, internal and external stress, time, athlete experience, injuries, the list goes on and on. If you’re serious about reaching your highest potential, which I’m sure you are if you’re reading this, I’m here to tell you that your piecemail program is killing that potential.
How to Manage Plateaus in 5 steps
Everyone has, at some point in their training, experienced a plateau regardless of how fit they are. It can be very frustrating and leave you feeling disinterested and unmotivated with your training. This feed-forward cycle can wreak havoc on long-term success which is why I want to discuss some ways coaches and athletes can break through plateaus before they become problematic.
10 Step Approach To CrossFit Masters Athlete Programming
Master CrossFit Athlete Coach Jason Leydon lists a 10-step approach to programming for a CrossFit Masters Athlete. Read more.
What to Expect from A Good Online CrossFit Coach
Over the years, we have seen a total influx of on line coaches and fitness “experts” appear out of thin air. With this, comes each person's “expert” view on how to train, look good, move good etc. However, many people are missing the key ingredient to any coaching experience, and that is the part of BEING A COACH. Read more.
3 Steps to Have a Great CrossFit Open Season
The 2023 CrossFit Open is a short five months away! With the holidays approaching, by the time you come up for air, the open will be here. So, this is the perfect time to really dial in the necessary tools to ensure you have the best CrossFit Open season yet. For this to happen, I broke down the top three action items you need to put into place.
Why Your Skills Have Stopped Progressing
The longer people are involved in training, the harder and harder it takes to hit new PR’s. However, that doesn’t mean that their skills need to slow down too. Rather, what you should be seeing is an increase in your ability to perform them, or you’re able to add onto your skills in a way that will benefit you and your workouts. Yet, for some reason many people see a slow down in their ability to perform skills, add to skills, or progress in their skills. So, I have listed some main reasons for this.
Building a Foundation for Gymnastics
Compared to the early days of CrossFit, the average athlete in the sport is now expected to perform a wider array of gymnastic movements at ridiculously high volumes. It’s amazing to watch and it’s even cooler to sit back and think about how far these athletes have come in such a short period of time. But with expectations and demands still increasing, I have found myself wondering if we have forgotten the value that a strong foundation has on improving performance and preserving the athlete.
Are YOU AN ATHLETE OR A CROSSFITTER?
If you're a Masters athlete and your goal is succeeding at the SPORT of CrossFit, then listen up. It’s time to stop focusing on just “being good” at CrossFit. Yes, to be successful, obviously, you have to be good at the skills you’re going to see in the tests, but it’s time to start focusing on becoming athletic in a broader sense. Read more.
How To Prepare CrossFit Masters Athletes
Over the years, I have seen the CrossFit Masters world grow and grow, and with that I have seen more and more companies coming out looking to capitalize on this market. The biggest problem I have seen from this lies around snake oil sales to these athletes.
Training a CrossFit Games Team
Over the past 15 years of being in the Sport of CrossFit, I have developed eight different teams that have all made the CrossFit Games. To me, the most exciting part is that not one of those teams was the same team as the year before. Each year, having a new team presented new challenges, new personalities, new strengths, new weaknesses, and new focus on bonding. Over the years and the teams, I can honestly say there is one attribute that separates the teams that do well and are resilient, versus those that fold. So, the million dollar question is what is that one thing?
The Mindset of a Masters Champion
Over the years I have trained over thirty CrossFit Games Masters athletes, and of those thirty athletes, I have produced over nine podium finishers with four gold medal winners. All of the podium finishers have one thing in common, as it relates to mindset: they all have the ability to spot the forest through the trees.
What Is Balance?
Over the years, I have seen many athletes start off blazing hot and then at some point crash out due to not feeling fulfilled around other areas in their lives. What I have noticed through working with thousands of people is that humans have this urge to go “all in.” However, they often, in my opinion, misunderstand that terminology. Going “all in,” doesn’t mean drop everything in your life for this one thing. Going “all in” means doing everything you can to be successful in your endeavor. Now, I know those too sound the same, yet they are in fact different. Allow me to explain.
Choosing Between CrossFit Training Options: What's The Difference?
There’s so many options out there for you as an athlete. My goal here is to help you pick the right choice for your ability level and your wallet. Finding the best fit for you will keep you consistent, and consistency is more times than not the thing that’s stopping you from achieving your goals. First what I’ll do is summarize each and then we’ll get into more of the specifics of choosing what’s right for you…
How to Use Progressive Overload to Build Aerobic Capacity
In the sport of CrossFit, you may have heard the phrase “that athlete has an engine”. What that really means is the athlete is very aerobically fit. This athlete who is known to have an engine will look like they can just keep going for hours on end, without ever needing to stop. An athlete's aerobic capacity is the base of their performance. Aerobic capacity is the maximum amount of oxygen an athlete can utilize for a period of time.