Libsyn Directory

#160 - How does Coaching Competitors Benefit Coaching Gen Pop

Release Date: 10/27/2025

#168 - 2026 Open Programming

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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,...

#167 - Using and Deciding on Fitness Standards

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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...

#166 - Right Amount of Legibility in Training

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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...

#165 - How to Write Programming Faster

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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...

#164 - Templates for Group Programs

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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...

#163 - Staying Power of Fitness Racing

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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...

#162 - Learning How to Program

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

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,...

#161 - Coaching Catnip

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

Enthusiastic coaches can be susceptible to focusing on the details or the shiny new coaching idea they come across rather than the basic, simple things that matter the most. This coaching catnip might come from a good place of curiosity and a desire to share information, but it neglects the big rocks. This week we talk about some examples of the coaching catnip you might see in a CrossFit gym or in remote coaching, and reflect on what is actually important and what truly moves the needle forward in coaching. Check out the episode to hear more about breathing drills, secret weightlifting drills...

#160 - How does Coaching Competitors Benefit Coaching Gen Pop

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

While the goals, training, and purpose of training between a competitor and the general population may differ greatly, there are many skills a coach can develop by working more with the other group. Most would assume that the focus and attention to detail shown by a competitor are what would be transferable, but in fact, the opposite is often true. Competitors showcase what is important, what is possible, and in some cases simplify how a coach views training. Some of these athletes do everything “wrong” according to certain strength and conditioning textbooks, yet they still improve. Check...

#159 - Getting Better for Stagnant Class Members

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

There are always a few class members who, after a while, begin to progress at a very slow rate or become stagnant in their performance. This is often met with frustration and sometimes inaction, which raises the question of whether some people actually want to improve or if they are content simply turning up. This week, we discuss how class members might be able to improve and progress without necessarily doing additional work. Sometimes, having better intention and pulling the right levers can go a long way. If you're not already subscribed to our newsletter, head over to to get a weekly...

More Episodes

Competitors showcase what is important, what is possible, and in some cases simplify how a coach views training. Some of these athletes do everything “wrong” according to certain strength and conditioning textbooks, yet they still improve.

Check out this week’s episodes, where we talk about how good competitors help coaches see the bigger picture in training and highlight what really matters for long-term development in general population groups.

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] Keeping the goals of the athlete in mind
[4:00] With competitors the coach dictates the goals more
[5:30] Many things don’t matter as much as we are made to believe
[7:00] More is better for beginners
[9:00] Pushing gen pop clients more
[10:30] Smaller details can matter more for gen pop than competitors
[13:00] Coaches should coach and programme for athletes better than themselves
[15:30] Good competitors show you how simple it can be
[20:00] Why some gyms don’t push gen pop as much
[24:30] Just getting people to pay attention goes a long way

Show Notes:

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