Gant's Hybrid programs

[Chuck Kechter]

Very good stuff Gant! Add my voice to those that would like an article!

[Gant Grimes]

Originally Posted by Tom Rawls

back to the bike--how often do you ride? how long?

I'm wondering how much the riding figures into into your fitness. The WOD-centric crowd doesn't have much time for longer duration activities--lots of frightening talk of catabolic horrors.

Not as often as I'd like. It's not as much a part of my fitness routine as it is my happiness routine. I like to be in the woods and part of nature, but I'm usually limited to less than a half hour a week on the concrete. But it's a lifestyle thing; I walk to a lot of places, I squat down more than normal people, I climb playground equipment and swim with my kids. I just try to move around (only doing the WOD is not part of a functional, active lifestyle).

Regardless, it was part of my routine before, during, and after my current program, so it shouldn't affect data.

Steven's right re: catabolic horrors. Ask Dean Karnazes or Joe Decker about their catabolic activities.

PS The 3/1 WOD-centric crowd is already on the catabolic path.

[James Evans]

Originally Posted by Gant Grimes

Not as often as I'd like. It's not as much a part of my fitness routine as it is my happiness routine. I like to be in the woods and part of nature, but I'm usually limited to less than a half hour a week on the concrete. But it's a lifestyle thing; I walk to a lot of places, I squat down more than normal people, I climb playground equipment and swim with my kids. I just try to move around (only doing the WOD is not part of a functional, active lifestyle).

Regardless, it was part of my routine before, during, and after my current program, so it shouldn't affect data.

Steven's right re: catabolic horrors. Ask Dean Karnazes or Joe Decker about their catabolic activities.

PS The 3/1 WOD-centric crowd is already on the catabolic path.

Gant,

Absolutely spot on. I was just thinking this earlier to today as I watched some guy, who probably has an expensive corporate gym membership, ride the escalator at the tube station.

Get out and walk. Take the stairs. Ditch the car. Mow the lawn. Play with your kids. Get some air. Hell, even if you smoke, at least walk to the shop to buy the smokes.

Don't just obsess about Fran coming around every 6 weeks.

[Gant Grimes]

James, there was a thread on the CF forums awhile back asking whether CFers "play enough." I believe the original poster was a pretty decent CFer but got gassed playing flag football with his friends. That should never happen.

[Leo Soubbotine]

Gant - I actually want to play with my brother - he's now in Virginia and coming to Fla in 2-6 weeks. He's 6'8 or 6'9 and played basketball in Russia for the last couple of years (he's 21). I wonder if all my Cf'ing will make sure I have enough gas and muscle in the tank to outrun him 1-on-1.

[Kevin Perry]

thats odd. When I was crossfitting 3 on 1 off last year I was also doing 2-3 days a week of BJJ and never ran out of gas. But now being at a different weight and comming back onto CF im wondering the same thing.

[Troy Archie]

Originally Posted by Gant Grimes

•Squat low for training. If you’re a guy, try to tea-bag the platform. You’ll be amazed how much you’ll be able to lift in a CFT when you only squat to regulation depth.

Do you mean squat low butt-wise with a high-bar position or squat with a low-bar position?

From what I've seen in your journal you walked into this program after:
1) Obtaining a great strength base
2) Obtained a solid conditioning and lactic-threshold base via CF, in which you lost strength
3) Played around and arrived to where you're at now.
Correct?

So my question is; can you obtain that solid conditioning and lactic-threshold level that you already obtained via CF and held onto through this program? You're conditioning and WOD times have gone up so I assume it's safe to say yes but again you had a base. What about the lower/unconditioned?

[David Stout]

Originally Posted by Gant Grimes

PS The 3/1 WOD-centric crowd is already on the catabolic path.

That pretty sums up my experience after following (attempting to follow) that protocol for the past year and a half. It led to many plateaus, a stagnant CF Total, and few PRs. Not to mention recovery issues and little or no motivation to exert myself in sport (jiu-jitsu). It was pretty hard physically and (honestly) emotionally.

This is what I like about your thoughts Mr. Grimes and ESPECIALLY the recent ME Blackbox article in Performance Menu Issue 41 - June 2008.

Your postings and Coach Rutherford's work have helped to move me towards a more balanced training approach (IMO) and ulitmately a more balanced lifestyle.

Many thanks to you both and to Greg Everett for his efforts at PM.

Respectfully,

David Stout

[Gant Grimes]

Originally Posted by Troy Archie

Do you mean squat low butt-wise with a high-bar position or squat with a low-bar position?

From what I've seen in your journal you walked into this program after:
1) Obtaining a great strength base
2) Obtained a solid conditioning and lactic-threshold base via CF, in which you lost strength
3) Played around and arrived to where you're at now.
Correct?

So my question is; can you obtain that solid conditioning and lactic-threshold level that you already obtained via CF and held onto through this program? You're conditioning and WOD times have gone up so I assume it's safe to say yes but again you had a base. What about the lower/unconditioned?

Whatever blows your hair back. Rip and Greg each wrote a treatise on this in the last month. Pick the one that suits your needs. Please note that the ease of tea-bagging is directly proportional to bar position.

1. I'd say a good strength base.
2. Yes.
3. Pretty much.

Time will tell. The early returns indicate that yes, shorter, less frequent metcons, combined with and complementary to a program of gym/OLY/pwr can give you (me, at least) a nice conditioning/lactic-threshold.

In six months, we'll have a better idea of how much metcon is enough.

[Gant Grimes]

Originally Posted by David Stout

That pretty sums up my experience after following (attempting to follow) that protocol for the past year and a half. It led to many plateaus, a stagnant CF Total, and few PRs. Not to mention recovery issues and little or no motivation to exert myself in sport (jiu-jitsu). It was pretty hard physically and (honestly) emotionally.

This is what I like about your thoughts Mr. Grimes and ESPECIALLY the recent ME Blackbox article in Performance Menu Issue 41 - June 2008.

Your postings and Coach Rutherford's work have helped to move me towards a more balanced training approach (IMO) and ulitmately a more balanced lifestyle.

Many thanks to you both and to Greg Everett for his efforts at PM.

Respectfully,

David Stout

Thanks, David. There are many teachers here and much to be thankful for. I have borrowed heavily from several people in designing this. Building on SS and CF, Coach Rut's original MEBB article is what first set me down this path, followed by the CA WOD. And it's nice to have Rip around to bounce ideas off of (he's been very supportive of this and not surprised by the results).

The final push was reading the goals of the people on the PM forums. When I started reading MOD's and Dr. G's stuff, I realized that personal happiness was as much (for me, more) a part of personal fitness than beating other people, lifting more weight, and smashing old PRs. Once I focused on the former, I accomplished the latter.

Be happy.