2024 Programming Outline
Hey friends! Here it is once again: our annual Programming Overview, where we give you a zoomed out look at our approach to helping you get as fit as possible in 2024. Over the last year, we’ve learned a ton of valuable lessons in the programming arena, and we’ve done our best to apply those lessons in the plan laid out below.
It’s absolutely true that one of the foundational concepts of CrossFit is that the future is ‘unknown and unknowable’, and so we train that way. But that doesn’t mean our programming is random; on the contrary, the entire year is outlined and strategized. There’s a solid game plan for how we’re going to help you improve your fitness in the coming year. If you’re interested in the details, keep reading!
TL;DR
– L1/L2 versions of the daily workouts have been a huge success and will continue.
– The year will be split up into four major Phases, with unique goals and focuses in each.
– Strength cycles will be 6-7 weeks long, as they have been in late 2023. There will be one in each Phase.
– We’ll be testing and retesting 12 core benchmark workouts. You’ll know which one is coming next, but you won’t know when!
Workout Scaling (L1/L2)
In 2023, we launched the L1 & L2 versions of our daily workouts. The L1 version is meant to provide a more widely accessible expression of the workout, while the L2 version allows athletes who want the opportunity for more technical skills and heavier loading to get after it. This new leveling system helped both our coaches and our athletes create the best possible experience every single day – whether that meant tackling one of the versions ‘as-is’ or creating a unique hybrid version based on the specific athlete and their needs on that specific day. It’s been a huge success, and we’ll keep it rolling in 2024.
Four Phases
In 2023, we broke the year down into four macro Phases that were focused on successfully tackling the Open, followed by a full year of training. As a result, we’re 100% confident that our athletes finished the year fitter and more well-rounded than they started. This year, we’ll again see four macro Phases, coinciding with the calendar quarters. Each will have a different focus, improved strength/skill cycles, and clearly defined benchmarks and tests.
Strength Cycles
In 2023, our strength cycles mostly lived in the 8-week territory throughout the year. While this is tried and true in Strength & Conditioning, it can get a little long in the CrossFit world. So in 2024, we’ll look to simplify and shorten our cycles, with a focus on building strength across a 6-7 week timeline. We actually started making this adjustment in the fall of 2023, and it’s been a great change. Between cycles, we’ll take a short break from the highly structured work to let our hair down and really have fun with more unpredictable patterns and movements.
Benchmarks & Retesting
In 2023, we set out to test & retest 12 core benchmark workouts throughout the year. While we delivered on most of those tests, a few needed to be moved around or adjusted, which was not the original intention. In 2024, we’ve refined our approach to testing by planning one core benchmark each month. Each of these core tests will be retested 3 months later. In addition to these monthly core tests, we’ll also include a handful of other classic workouts each month, plus our weekly Sunday Hero WOD. These classics and Heroes may or may not be retested as the year goes on… some will, some won’t. Always be ready!
If this stuff speaks to you, enjoy the nerd-out below. I hope it excites you for all the fun stuff coming this year. If it doesn’t interest you much and you’d rather just show up each day without thinking about the larger plan (which is perfectly fine!), then disregard. In either case, see you at the gym soon!
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