At our coaching meeting this past Saturday, one of the fantastic Vegvisir coaches brought up that many athletes are asking “What is a cycle?”
I went through all of our blog posts we have ever written (Over 500 of them) and not one of them has ever covered what a cycle is specifically and why we choose to do them vs what CrossFit recommends or doing anything else.
So, let’s begin with what a cycle is. Then we will tackle the rest.
What is a Cycle?
A cycle is a period of time where we focus on specific movements in a specific way to yield a specific result as part of a longer and bigger vision.
When you hear someone on the internet say “periodization” this is all they are talking about.
You can pick any period of time you want really, but you are going to deal with limitations of human physiology at some point. This limitation being, that you are a creature of adaption and you will eventually adapt as far as you can to given stimuli.
So, when we reach our plateau of adaption we must begin to be strategic about what we choose to do with our energy each day we train in order to create the changes we desire.
Those choices are reflected in 9 week cycles at our gym. Consisting of a testing week designed to make sure we were actually achieving the results we were looking for.
The other 8 weeks are based around a tried and true method that yields the biggest strength gains possible, Progressive Overload.
(Progressive overload is the act over increasing overall output of work week on week in a cycle. This can be done by increasing reps at the same weight, more weight at less reps but over more sets, increased speed at same reps and weight, and many more combinations).
Since you need enough energy to create the environment for an adaption to occur, you can’t do the same movement with the same intensity back to back and expect on the 2nd day to see an outcome that was worth the effort.
This is why we choose other movements to do each day that give ourselves enough time to rest before hitting the same movement again and allows us to have 2-3 larger focuses each cycle the lead to the main goal.
You then have 4-7 movements you give focus to to help achieve those 2-3 focuses.
Then for a CrossFit cycle, you do the same thing BUT you have more variables to deal with that really boil down to the same measured variable, work done increasing over a given cycle.
(Work = Force X Distance)
This Can Get Overwhelming
As you can tell, the more variables you add, the more complex it all gets and the more overwhelming it is. So, I’m gonna cut my explanation there to teach you the way I teach our coaches to program and, I believe, it’ll make more sense.
What is the end goal you want?
“I want a 2x Body Weight Deadlift.”
Where are you now?
“I have a 1x Body Weight Deadlift for 3 Reps.”
What muscles give way when you go for that 4th rep?
”My upper back rounds, so my core and lats.”
What movements would increase strength in those areas?
”Core: Front Squats, L-Sits, SIt-Ups, Toes to Bar, etc…”
”Lats: Pull-Ups and Rows.”
Okay, now you have 3 days a week to train and 1 hour each, pick the movements you wish to prioritize. Keep in mind, you should still do the lift you wish to see results in. The first thing you choose to do each day with all your effort is what you’ll improve the fastest.
”Front Squats, Deadlifts, and Pendlay Rows each week.”
Then when you program for those lifts, you have 8 times you will hit each and your goal is to increase your strength in each of those.
We can go over reps and intentions at a later time, but that’s where the questions lead.
By the end of the 9 weeks, they should feel those weaknesses become strengths and their deadlift will improve and a new weakness will be found. Analyze the weaknesses you find in the same way and then attack those.
Rinse a repeat until the goal is achieved.
If a plateau is reached and there are ZERO weaknesses to be found and you are trying your hardest, you have reach the pinnacle of what you can achieve in that area and a new goal is to be found.
I Know That’s Not Everything!
You are missing what weights to start at, what reps to use, and what intensity to bring.
But, it’s a start to give you an idea of what a cycle is and a little of how it is made.
TLDR
I know, it’s a long email. I often find any time I write about how to program it just becomes the longest thing ever written. Which is why you come to a gym like ours. We take all that off your plate.
But, if you want to program on your own remember to be honest with yourself, be analytical of your efforts, test periodically, and adjust course to sure up those weaknesses. Put in more effort than last week if your body is giving you the green light and remember how it feels is more important that the weight. If overtime your overall work load is increasing, what you’re doing is working.
A cycle is just me doing this for our community and making it so that when you walk in, the work you’re doing make your life outside the gym easier.
To talk with a coach today, click the link found HERE to schedule your No Sweat Intro