Send us a text In this episode, we discuss the differences, pros and cons of hybrid and mixed training. Hybrid Training Less interference than mixed workouts Bigger adaptations to each training stimulus More targeted to a specific modality Adaptable to injury history, equipment Higher training loads Mixed Training More specific to fitness competiti…

Send us a text Common Conditioning Mistake: Too frequent high intensity training Intensity limiting total training load Only practicing race pace at high RPEs All-out effort in hard sessions Excessive training variety Starting workouts too hot "Always ready" approach to training Best Practice: High-low model Large training loads with more low inten…

Send us a text In this episode, I discuss: The confusion among health and wellness leaders and coaches about the utility of Zone 2 Zone 2 for living long and healthy Zone 2 for performance Why your time is the most important factor in how much Zone 2 you should do The energy intake-training load relationship Comparing low intensity training to high…

Send us a text Join us for the live training: Conditioning for Fitness Athletes. Thursday, October 23rd, 3pm MT Tap the link to save your spot: https://www.paulbweber.com/conditioning-for-fitness-athletes If you can't make it live, all good, you'll get permanent access to the recording. --- When I start working with a new athlete, the first questio…

Send us a text In this episode, we cover: Evaluation of the Sport Movement Analysis - which parts of the race create the most separation? Physiological Analysis - what does Hyrox ask of the body? Assessment of the Athlete Physical Characteristics of Elite 15 Hyrox Athletes Height Weight Performance Characteristics of Elite 15 Hyrox Athletes 5k Run …

Send us a text Thank you for sending questions! In this week's podcast, I cover: How much can I condition and still get stronger/build muscle/maintain muscle? How much Zone 2 should I do? When should I do "classic CrossFit"?Paul Weber által

Send us a text In the early 2000s, perhaps similar to today, there was plenty of gatekeeping in an attempt to professionalize the fitness industry. The gym culture in many places lacked effort and was full of unnecessary complexity. Greg Glassman (founder of CrossFit®) came in and said, "get rid of all the equipment." Just keep the rower, box, barb…

Send us a text The goal for the conditioning-biased athlete is to chronically increase training load while maintaining the load-recovery balance. More simply, conditioning is about learning to do more work. Fitness athletes have no problem with more training. We are often eager to prove we can work the hardest. As a result, we increase training loa…

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss how metcons are characterized by severe and extreme intensity exercise that is often intermittent in the context of each task, but continuous in the context of the workout. We cover: the fatigue mechanisms of severe intensity exercise the fatigue mechanisms of extreme intensity exercise why severe vs. extr…

Send us a text For all that we have to learn from other sports, fitness competition is unique. Few other events last multiple days, or require both strength and conditioning. There's the decathlon, which emphasizes strength and power. Then there are military selections, which emphasize conditioning. Fitness competitions fall somewhere in between. F…

Send us a text Key Takeaways Frequency of higher intensity training - 2-3 days/week/modality, 3-5 quality sessions per week per modality Periodize - lower overall training volume and more competition-specific training as you get closer to the competition Control the "load-recovery balance" - watch for signs of overtraining/underrecovery: joint pain…

Send us a text In this episode, we discuss: The four intensity domains and their effect on physiology Intensity distributions of elite endurance athletes and fitness athletes Best practices from elite endurance sport frequency of quality sessions periodization The intensity-HPA Axis dysfunction-health degradation cascade A three-phase approach to t…

Send us a text Depending on the movements, gymnastics may demand: strength (as in legless rope climbs or strict deficit handstand pushups) movement efficiency (as in ring muscle ups and handstand walking) muscle endurance (as in high rep pullups or toes to bar) and/or cardiorespiratory conditioning (as in burpees and box jump overs) The burpee and …

Send us a text In this episode, we cover: examples of pure weightlifting workouts how the work rates in weightlifting modalities compare to traditional endurance modalities the physiology of weightlifting workouts the biomechanics of weightlifting workouts the 3 step process I use for improving weightlifting capacity: Strength + Raw Capacity Barbel…

Send us a text Conditioning intensity can be divided into four domains: moderate, heavy, severe, and extreme. Moderate Intensity Personal anecdote: walking to New York City In athlete language: "easy", "Zone 2" What it feels like: you can speak in complete sentences Typical duration: 2+ hours Moderate intensity is below the first Lactate Threshold …

Send us a text Thanks for being here! In this episode, I respond to the questions: If I don't train for a while am I going to lose all of my gains? Does psychological stress affect my performance? Do I need an intra workout? Is competitive fitness good for physique?Paul Weber által

Send us a text Key Takeaways For beginners, the primary limitation is motor control. Program design should facilitate skill acquisition by providing lots of reps. Intermediates with lots of muscle to gain should optimize for mechanical tension. Train in the 3-10RM range with approaches to failure. Advanced athletes who have already tapped most of t…

Send us a text In this episode, I reflect on some of the mistakes I made in my mindset as a competitor - and how I would coach that version of myself. I also share my experience toward the end of my competitive career, the health issues I ran into, and what I've learned so far in navigating them.Paul Weber által

Send us a text Tap the link to save your spot at the live training this week. https://www.paulbweber.com/mastering-gymnastics-for-fitness-athletes --- We only get one body. Those who have gone through serious injuries know this. Many athletes have injuries that change their bodies for the rest of their lives. On one hand, we accept this as part of …

Send us a text Join me live next week for: "Mastering Gymnastics for Fitness Athletes" Thursday, June 19th at 2pm MT **Everyone who signs up will get permanent access to the recording** Tap for more info: https://www.paulbweber.com/mastering-gymnastics-for-fitness-athletes Not training gymnastic strength It's common to have "just enough" strength t…

Send us a text Mastering Gymnastics for Fitness Athletes Live training on Thursday, June 19th at 2pm MT For more information, visit: https://www.paulbweber.com/mastering-gymnastics-for-fitness-athletes In this live training, you will learn: Gymnastic Strength Why gymnastic strength is specific for fitness athletes Movement patterns of gymnastic str…

Send us a text Accessories help develop muscles other than the prime movers in core movements, providing structural balance and resilience. They can also be used to address specific weak points in a core movement that would go undertrained if the athlete only trained the core movement. For example, if a lifter is limited in the front squat by their…

Send us a text In this episode I share the exercises I use most often for mobility. Handstand Walk I discuss the handstand walk and the exercises I use to improve thoracic extension and shoulder flexion: PVC Pass Through Cross Bench Dumbbell Pullover Pistol I discuss the progression I use to develop the pistol: ​Front Foot Elevated Poliquin Split S…

Send us a text In this episode, I go over the gymnastics events from World Fitness Project Indianapolis and the TFX Invitational. I cover how I prepare athletes for success in these workouts with a 5 Step Process: Gymnastic Strength Movement Economy Volume Density Intensity I use this process for my athletes’ seasons, often starting the offseason o…

Send us a text In this episode, I share my clinical experiences with manipulating body composition for fitness athletes. We discuss: Food Quality Food Quantity Meal Frequency Rate of Gain and Loss The Importance of Training Performance Weigh Ins and Body Scans Preserving Blood Sugar Balance and Insulin Sensitivity Gut Health Food Variety Fiber Guid…

Send us a text The first step in injury recovery is to rest so that the pain can dissipate. Once my clients are pain free with daily activities, then I start rehab exercises. Here are the key variables I keep in mind: Force Range of Motion Speed Keep in mind that what causes pain sensation for one person may not cause pain for another even if they …

Send us a text I use a five step process to guide my athletes to better scores in gymnastics-heavy workouts: Strength - are you strong enough to make this movement easy? Movement Economy - could you use less energy per rep? Volume - can you handle the number of reps? Density - can you handle the set sizes? Intensity - can you handle the set sizes w…

Send us a text Key Takeaways The mechanical loading of burpees and box jump overs limits the number of reps we can safely do - about 150 reps per session. Because we are limited in volume, we want to do all of our burpees and box jump overs at race relevant paces - 15 reps per minute or faster. Use as short of a working interval as you need to achi…

Send us a text In this episode, we cover every CrossFit gymnastics movement, to what degree each movement depends on strength or movement economy, and how to train each movement. Hey guys, letting you know that I have 1:1 coaching spots available. With the Open over, this is the start of the offseason for most athletes. This is the time for doing a…

Send us a text In this episode, we cover these concepts for CrossFit gymnastics: Volume – the common number of reps per workout for each gymnastics movement Intensity – the intensity of the workout in which the gymnastics reps occur Density – the direct muscle fatigue of the workout in which the gymnastics reps occur…

Send us a text In this episode, I cover: What is gymnastic strength? Why gymnastic strength is specific for CrossFit athletes My personal experience with training gymnastic strength My clinical experience training gymnastic strength with CrossFit athletes How to train gymnastic strength (frequency, sets, reps, exercise selection, cycle length and d…

Send us a text Live Training Thursday, February 27th, 1pm MT Save your spot: https://www.paulbweber.com/building-advanced-strength-for-fitness-athletes In this episode, I cover an overview of the demand of fitness sport, concurrent training and strength training.Paul Weber által

Send us a text This episode covers: why not all muscle growth is created equal which type of hypertrophy matters for strength and how to train for it the strength-endurance continuum blood flow restriction and "pump work" which training strategies make sense for CrossFit athletes and which ones don't Resources The Role of Fiber Types in Muscle Hype…

Send us a text Lack of week to week control Lack of fatigue management Too much variety Too frequent severe and extreme intensity conditioning Lack of offseason, lack of periodization leads to lack of peaking, lack of availabilityPaul Weber által

Send us a text In this episode, I cover: My personal experience in the sport and how important it was to me to figure out how to get stronger and build muscle as a fitness athlete How fitness sport values strength over gymnastics and conditioning My experience coaching athletes on strength-biased programs The problem with most competitor programs a…

Send us a text CrossFitters have to do anaerobic training You have to do every movement every week Do as little movement prep as you can Always progress aerobic work from long to short CrossFitters shouldn't train explosively Scientific evidence always trumps experience Supplements don't work Eating more will always result in more lean body mass ga…

Send us a text CrossFit, Inc. appears to be taking a major step away from being an events company. The product that CrossFit, Inc. is offering athletes in 2025 is poor. And leaves a big opportunity for other events companies to provide better experiences. Hyrox is just one of them. Here’s what I’m telling my clients who are competitive fitness athl…

Send us a text Effort isn't the only thing that matters. Release the outcome. Trust your coach.Paul Weber által

Send us a text In this episode, I talk about: the feelings that led me to start a business the very first thing I did exactly what I did every week to go from 5 clients to a successful businessPaul Weber által

Send us a text In this episode, I talk to gym owners about the concept of a Pro Gym and how this would benefit CrossFit competitors. Key features of a Pro Gym: Presence of a pro or semi-pro level competitor 24 hour access to all necessary equipment Individualized coaching offerings (individual design, personal training, small group training)…

Send us a text We know that CrossFit consists of Monostructural (M), Weightlifting (W) and Gymnastics (G) movements. For Monostructural Movements, the tension in the muscle is relatively low. Maybe 20% of 1RM. Because the % 1RM is so low, these tasks are more sustainable, and I can slow down or speed up as needed. Here it helps to see the relations…

Send us a text A question I got in the last webinar was, “If most competitor programs don’t follow these principles, how come there are athletes who follow them who are successful?” This question really is a bigger question of, “What can we learn from the training of elite athletes?” The short answer is: a lot. Of course. Here is a frame that I use…

Send us a text Strength gains occur through neural adaptations and through muscle growth. Neural adaptations seem to be stimulated by muscle activity and force production. We ensure these by training explosively or by training heavy. Muscle growth, on the other hand, is stimulated primarily by mechanical tension. We ensure this by training close to…

Send us a text Concurrent Training is defined as training strength and conditioning in the same week. When you do Concurrent Training, you introduce the Interference Effect (also known as the Concurrent Training Effect). Above a certain volume of conditioning, you will slow down your strength gains. You can even make yourself weaker if you do enoug…

Send us a text Many studies have induced mental fatigue to see if it affects physical performance. They have everybody perform the test under normal conditions. Then they wait a couple days. Then they take one group, and have them perform 30-60 minutes of mentally fatiguing tasks right before the retest. The other group watches a documentary. Here …

Send us a text https://www.paulbweber.com/complete-athlete-process I see a problem with how evidence is valued in the CrossFit community. It seems like personal experience and understanding of "the methodology" are all that matter in the eyes of many CrossFitters. This belief is difficult to defend. First, you must believe that personal experience …

Send us a text https://www.paulbweber.com/complete-athlete-process *Sunday last day to get early bird price Principle #1: The Strength-Muscle Endurance Relationship Principle #2: Muscle Growth is Highly Correlated with Long Term Strength Gains Principle #3: The Concurrent Training EffectPaul Weber által

Send us a text https://www.paulbweber.com/complete-athlete-processPaul Weber által

Send us a text We discuss: What is training intensity? Common mistakes CrossFitters make in their conditioning Insights from elite, Norwegian endurance coaches and athletes Sport-specific insights for each endurance modality We'll review the common mistakes: Training high intensity too frequently Finishing conditioning sessions at RPE 10 Training w…

Send us a text "The International Functional Fitness Federation (iF3) is a non-profit organization that serves as the international governing body for competitive functional fitness. Our goal is to increase safety and fairness in functional fitness competitions through implementation of a standardized rulebook, clear movement standards, written saf…