Libsyn Directory

#160 - How does Coaching Competitors Benefit Coaching Gen Pop

Release Date: 10/27/2025

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...

#158 - Minimum Effective Dose for Former Competitors

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

Moving into a phase of lower training volume as a competitor taking things less seriously can be a difficult transition. CrossFit demands a great deal, and when you’re accustomed to putting in the work to improve and progress, letting go of some of that progress, or even just slowing the rate of improvement, can feel like a big ask. Is it possible to improve at a lower volume than competitors typically maintain in such a high-volume sport? Keeping intensity and strength doesn’t require much, but the ability to tolerate the demanding nature of competition and qualifiers can fade quickly. It...

#157 - Overused Coaching Cues

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

Hang around a CrossFit gym for ten minutes and you’ll probably hear some coaching of hip extension going on. It might be “popping the hips” during a kipping movement, “finish the pull” in a snatch or clean, or the old “squeeze your butt” at the top of a squat or deadlift. All coaching cues have a degree of truth behind them, but some are overused to the point where they are unhelpful or even misleading. An overemphasis on hip extension in movement is definitely one of those cues that are overused. In this week’s episode we discuss the use of coaching cues, rant a little about...

#156 - Bootcamp to CrossFit Funnel

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

With hybrid training and events like Hyrox on the rise, more gyms are adapting—some diversifying their class offerings, others going as far as de-affiliating from CrossFit entirely. In this episode, we explore how the functional fitness landscape is shifting and what that means for gym owners. Todd draws a brilliant analogy between the spectrum of fitness offerings and doom metal. On one end, you've got the aggressive intensity of CrossFit, on the other, the more polished, accessible experience of a Barry's Bootcamp-style class. We discuss what makes a gym successful, how onboarding (or the...

#155 - Standardisation with Competition Divisions

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

As a competitor moves up the ranks, the experience they get from different competitions can vary drastically. At some competitions, the standard of the division matches really well with prior expectations and the qualification process. Whereas in a different competition, divisions are named the same as others, but it's a notch or two up or down when comparing. This difference can be very frustrating as an athlete and coach. It means that some competitions don't provide useful information to help with training and improving. It's going to be impossible to make everyone happy–for some it will...

#154 - Who's Cheating?

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

Cheating in CrossFit has been around since the early days of the Open and online qualifiers. From athletes looping videos to some competitors being exposed year after year at Regionals, it's a persistent undercurrent in the sport. But how widespread is cheating and does it always happen intentionally? At one end of the spectrum, you have blatant rule-breaking, like switching out a medicine ball for a lighter one. At the other, you see more subtle infractions, such as a judge giving a warning for a squat that is just shy of full depth. Both technically count as cheating, but they are worlds...

#153 - How to Train?

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

One of the classic clichés often repeated by coaches is that the best programme in the world, executed poorly, is far less effective than the worst programme executed well. While it’s true that a poorly designed programme can still be ineffective, there is merit in the idea that how you train matters more than what’s on paper. Teaching athletes how to train effectively and execute a programme to the best of their ability is one of the best leverage points for a coach. Much of this comes down to observing and interpreting training outcomes. These results often reveal whether the athlete is...

#152 - Are You Actually Getting Better?

Legion Strength & Conditioning Podcast

One of the challenges in a highly varied sport like CrossFit is determining whether we’re actually improving. Once an athlete has accumulated a significant amount of training volume, the classic test-retest approach on isolated elements of the sport becomes less effective. We can spend weeks or even months working on a particular movement, only to struggle with it again when the context shifts slightly. Coaches can use tools such as variation, psychological momentum, and developing complementary areas to support progress—but what happens when an athlete hits a ceiling with a...

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:

TOPICS