Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

Legion Strength & Conditioning
  • 4.8(16개의 평가)
  • 피트니스
  • 매월 업데이트

Coaches Jon, Luke and Todd have decades of combined coaching experience, and they've each worked with multiple CrossFit Games athletes. They've seen every coaching method, programming trick, and mindset hack under the sun, and, in the Legion Strength & Conditioning podcast, they deconstruct what works best to get CrossFit athletes results -- better and faster.

  1. 5월 7일

    #169 - Optimal Amount of Noise in Training

    Training that is structured has its upsides, it is predictable and a safe bet, but progress can be slow and it can become boring. Chaotic training can produce quick results but tends to lead to plateaus and a lack of direction. Finding the right balance between the two is one of the more constant challenges in programming, particularly in a group class setting. How much variation is useful noise and how much is just randomness is not always easy to judge. Managing the expectations and psychology of different members is often harder than writing a smart progressive programme. You are never going to please everyone. But direction in training matters, and so does writing something people actually want to show up and do. In this episode we talk about finding the right level of noise in a group class programme. We get into why members will often accept strength progressions but resist the same approach applied to conditioning, and we discuss whether CrossFitters would actually enjoy other group fitness formats like F45 and Barry's Bootcamp. Check out the episode for a few useful takeaways for anyone planning cycle progressions for group classes. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [0:00] What is noise in CrossFit training [2:00] Why this is challenging in a group class setting [4:45] Managing structure and variety in class programming [7:15] Is Barry's Bootcamp random or structured [11:00] Making class programming varied but legible and progressive [13:30] Would CrossFitters enjoy things like F45 and Barry's [17:00] How to trick CrossFitters into doing conditioning progressions [22:30] More chaotic progressions for CrossFit benchmarks [27:30] Discussion on how linear progressions work

    33분

  2. 4월 14일

    #168 - 2026 Open Programming

    This year's CrossFit Games Open workouts ruffled some feathers. The constraints of having only three tests mean that overdoing certain movement patterns, time domains, or workout styles can significantly skew the testing. This can really impact the enjoyment of your average CrossFit box member, who is not overly invested in their results but genuinely enjoys taking part. Ultimately, these situations raise the question of who the Open is for, what the main goal of this competition is, and whether the programming is aligned with these factors. In this week's episode, we talk all about the Open, the tests, and what it could look like if there were some level of standardisation or predictability to make it more engaging for every CrossFit box member. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [1:30] Unbalanced testing with the CrossFit Open workouts [5:00] Making the Open more enjoyable [7:30] The purpose of the CrossFit Games Open [11:00] Who is tracking their scores seriously in the Open [15:00] How can CrossFit separate itself from other fitness competitions with the Open [18:30] Does standardising the Open workouts make it more engaging [22:30] Is the unknown and unknowable useful for CrossFit

    27분

  3. 3월 28일

    #167 - Using and Deciding on Fitness Standards

    Striking a balance between using metrics and standards to guide fitness, without overdoing it, is more important in CrossFit now than ever. Fewer people are participating in the sport, both seriously and recreationally. The demands of the sport keep getting higher, and the competitive scene is unclear and somewhat chaotic, so more people are taking part in events like Hyrox or simply training for the sake of training. Todd has recently put together some standards for South Loop Strength and Conditioning, and in this episode we continue our discussion about what fitness standards and metrics have to offer, using some of the examples in the standards that Todd has created. Listen to find out what some of these standards are, how to design good benchmarks, and how to use them. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [0:45] Standards in fitness and motivation for training [3:00] How to use standards and metrics in training [6:30] Using metrics to balance out fitness and having a reference on weak areas [12:00] Keeping tests contextual to CrossFit [17:30] Are old school CrossFit benchmarks still valid data points [20:00] Designing tests to avoid bottlenecks [22:00] When certain tests don't tell us much about someone's fitness

    30분

  4. 3월 3일

    #166 - Right Amount of Legibility in Training

    There is a fine balance between using metrics to guide your training and becoming overly fixated on daily results. Tracking data too closely can lead to counterproductive habits, such as "rep shaving" during classes or attempting to force progress, often undermining long-term consistency and general enjoyment. But failing to track performance at all can result in a lack of clarity regarding progress and this is something many people in CrossFit expereince. In the earlier years of CrossFit, single-modality testing and benchmarking were popular. Standarising tests like a 2km row, a max set of pull-ups, or a max back squat, provides more legibility into your fitness than a mixed CrossFit workout. This appreciation for simple tests has largely been replaced by online leaderboards and constant comparison against others. In many cases, athletes would benefit more from using single-modality tests to get a clearer idea on what they need to work on. Listen to find out more about the different types of standardisation, tests and benchmarking we've explored over the years. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [2:00] Finding a sweet spot with tracking and goals but not taking it too seriously [4:30] Recording training in training diaries, apps and on the whiteboard [7:00] Using numbers to get more out of training [10:30] Luke getting confused with American terminology [12:45] Having a records board at the gym [16:00] The Level Method and getting buy-in from members [19:50] Training metrics in CrossFit [24:00] Using metrics as a coach versus an athlete [25:00] Having different levels of basic fitness benchmarks

    30분

  5. 1월 29일

    #165 - How to Write Programming Faster

    Getting stuck writing programmes on a Sunday night, with creative energy at zero, is an all too common occurrence for coaches and is probably where a lot of copy and pasted programming comes from. Writing programmes needs some creative input, but having systems in place to make it easier, and understanding the many small tasks involved in programming and stacking them together, can be really helpful. In this episode we talk about our ways of managing dips in creativity, where we get inspiration from, and how we batch certain tasks and programmes together. Check it out if you want to learn a few helpful tricks and tips, and a bit of a system behind how you're writing your programmes out. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [2:30] When programming requires more creativity [4:00] Batching similar programmes together [6:30] Differences with programming for less and more experienced athletes [7:40] Getting past a creative block with writing metcons [11:00] Making yourself be more decisive [15:00] Using templates to create constraints on the programme [17:45] Getting inspiration from CrossFit and CrossFit Linchpin [20:20] A framework for creating the programme [25:00] Looking at progressions on old programming blogs

    28분

  6. 1월 13일

    #164 - Templates for Group Programs

    The programme for a CrossFit affiliate's group class programme versus a CrossFit competitor is obviously going to look different, but does this mean the process for writing the programme has to be any different? We have spoken a lot on this podcast about the importance of templates, how to structure them and why this is how you should start a programme for a CrossFit competitor, and we have all written programming for a CrossFit affiliate in a similar way. However, there is still a large portion of affiliate programming that uses a very zoomed out method. This might work for balancing things like modalities and time domains, but it does so without any inherent structure to the training week. In this episode we talk about where to start when writing a template for a CrossFit affiliate, and how to programme for those who attend every day versus those who attend randomly. Check out the episode to learn more. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [1:30] Writing a template for affiliate programming [3:00] What is traditionally taught versus templates [6:00] The programming needs of a CrossFit affiliate [8:00] How Jon writes his programming for a CrossFit affiliate [10:00] The benefits of an A/B week [13:30] Staggered programming rotation [17:00] Where someone should start with all of this [19:15] The importance of feedback from those doing it [25:00] Levelling the gym programming

    31분

  7. 2025. 12. 19.

    #163 - Staying Power of Fitness Racing

    Weird and wonderful fitness races and challenges have been around for a while. Over the years, CrossFit has created a sport that provides the variety and spectacle we see in other sports, but now we are seeing many more styles of fitness races becoming very popular. Hyrox has gained a significant amount of momentum over the last couple of years and still seems to be on the way up. Athx is trying to create an event that sits somewhere between Hyrox and CrossFit, providing a one hour fitness race like Hyrox, spread across three different workouts that test strength, endurance and mixed modal fitness like CrossFit. Over the years, we have also seen different organisations and coaching companies create their own type of fitness race, such as the OPTathlon from OPT, now OPEX, and The Crucible from Complete Human Performance. In this episode, we talk about some of the key differences between these events, where they might complement each other, and what one type of event or race could learn from another. Listen to hear more and find out what we would include in our three event hybrid test. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [2:00] Has Hyrox hit its peak? [3:45] Is CrossFit accessible for recreational level athletes [7:00] The positives of more accessible events [8:00] Why competitive CrossFit is psychologically hard [10:30] Not having to train for fitness race events [15:30] Other types of hybrid tests and events [18:00] What would we put into a hybrid event

    31분

  8. 2025. 12. 03.

    #162 - Learning How to Program

    We often hear programming referred to as an art grounded in science, and learning to write good programming can take time. You get those with some academic background who struggle to match it with real world application, often leading to programming that is not feasible or that misses the forest for the trees. On the other hand, some coaches may struggle with the theory behind programming, which can create challenges in long term development or in understanding how to go deeper when training certain qualities. A combination of learning the essential theory, like learning basic multiplication, and then using tested and proven programming usually creates a good balance. In this episode we talk about our own experiences in learning how to programme, teaching others how to programme, and learning from our mistakes while trialling programming on ourselves. Check it out to hear more about Jon's first (wild) experience of carb loading as a teenager, tales of early internet training information on T-Nation, and our recommendations for coaches looking to learn how to programme. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to www.legionsc.com to get a weekly selection of training tips and our favorite articles. We run online workshops for coaches as well. Find out when our next workshop is here: https://legionsc.com/program-design-workshops These podcasts are posted in video format on YouTube as well. Show Notes: [1:00] What's the best way to learn how to program [2:00] Learn the basics of sets and reps first [5:00] Using in digestible content and information first with programmes [7:00] When theory isn't quite practical [10:00] Learning through magazines and T-Nation [12:30] When making mistakes can be helpful [14:45] Programming for yourself [17:15] Applying energy system development to mixed work [20:15] Experimenting on yourself first

    30분
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4.8
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16개의 평가

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Coaches Jon, Luke and Todd have decades of combined coaching experience, and they've each worked with multiple CrossFit Games athletes. They've seen every coaching method, programming trick, and mindset hack under the sun, and, in the Legion Strength & Conditioning podcast, they deconstruct what works best to get CrossFit athletes results -- better and faster.

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