Misfit Athletics: Practice Sessions

Compared to more traditional sports, one of the more unique elements of the Sport of CrossFit is how we “practice.” Much of the work you do daily in the gym resembles the tests you will encounter in a qualifier or on the competition floor. In traditional sports, a practice typically looks significantly different than the competitive form it takes. This season, in your programming, you will see a new category of training called Practice each day. We intend to borrow this concept from traditional sports to give you the time, space, and repetition needed to improve particular movements. We will outline the various instructions and definitions below, but the simplest, most direct ask we have of you is to back off intensity and embrace the idea of practice.

How to execute a Practice Session:

• Non-mandatory practice sessions will be programmed daily in Phases 1, 2, and 3. 
• We expect the majority of athletes to choose between 2 and 3 per week based on movements that need work outside of intensity or just a weekly dose of exposure to keep them fresh.
• You will notice patterns within each Phase that will allow you to choose very similar sessions weekly, which brings in the powerful elements of momentum, progression, and confidence. If the movement pattern is important enough to pick in Week 2, continue to do so weekly.
• All movements, including flushing stations, as well as the rare movement that will jack up your heart rate, are meant to be done at low intensity, but there are a few designations you’ll often see that might require further explanation:
  • Easy Sets: These sets are always a number you can repeat all day while maintaining excellent form. If you can’t do these sets on repeat under fatigue or EMOM them into infinity, it’s too many reps.
  • Smooth Sets: Smooth sets are a step up from easy, but maintain the idea of being 100% sure you can repeat them for the entire session without losing efficiency.
  • Hard Sets: You will see this instruction from time to time. While we want the set to be challenging, it is still under the umbrella of Practice. Do not let yourself do a max set or let your form degrade. 

We learn so much about ourselves and our sport through a particular brand of intensity. If you’re reading this, no explanation regarding the brand is needed. There is also a brand of intensity that resembles deep focus and intention, which many athletes need. Save the former for when the clock is running, or the barbell is loaded up, and learn how to use the latter to improve on the movements that hold you back.

As always, it’s an honor to meet you halfway in your pursuit of growth. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to slide into those DMs or join us on our free discord.

– Drew
@misfitcoach