CrossFit South Bend

How Is What We Do Different than Other Training Methods Out There

Without a doubt, there’s plenty of options out there when it comes to group fitness. From bootcamps, to Barre, to heart-rate monitored high-intensity circuits – how do you know which form of exercise best suits you?

Understanding the intent, goals, beliefs, and practices behind the training may help – which is what we’ll be doing in this article about CrossFit South Bend. 

Group Classes

Here at CrossFit South Bend, we offer Group Class, Individual Design, and Nutrition Coaching. For the purpose of this article, we’ll mostly be diving into our intentions around our group class. 

What are the intended outcomes for someone who is doing our group classes? 

Group class here at CFSB is our take on a balanced program for living a well-functioning life. What that looks like in terms of outcomes is a program that supports good energy in and out of the gym, good libido, mental acuity, healthy body composition, and a great base of strength and conditioning. 

With this in mind, we generally stay away from the extremes inside of fitness. Meaning, we’re not going to give you an elite powerlifting progression for strength work, or a high-level cyclist aerobic progression, or intense mixed modal lactic repeats from the Sport of Crossfit. Why? This brings us to our next point. 

Sustainability. What we mean by this is, can you do this for the rest of your life? Or, in another way, does this support you in having great function for the rest of your life? If not, it’s likely not inside of the program. This does not mean that we don’t want you to have fun or experience different forms of exercise. What this does mean is that we stick to solid strength and conditioning principles that support living a well-functioning life. More on this next.

What are our beliefs in fitness and exercise and how we design our training in line with these

What goes in the design and what stays out is measured against our stated intentions (see above) for group design. 

Let’s start with what’s out. You won’t see much Olympic Weightlifting (in the traditional sense – with a barbell). You won’t see high-level gymnastics like muscle-ups. You won’t see too much intensity. Why? From our experience, 2 out of 20 in a class will likely get the intended effect from these lifts or movements. What would be a better way? An individualized approach to assess and progress range of motion, stability, pre-requisite strength, solid motor control in positions, skill, speed, etc. Which is why we leave these out in a group format. 

So, what’s in then? 

One pillar in our training is progressive resistance training in various movement patterns – think back/front squats, press variations, deadlifting, upper body pulling. Another big pillar is sustainable aerobic work in various time domains and in cyclical and mixed settings. This allows you to experience different “gears” or intensities and to learn, refine, and challenge your ability to pace in various modalities. 

We design our training in blocks – or specific time frames – usually lasting between 4-8 weeks. We do this to allow time for progression or to focus on specific attributes for a period of time. This could look like a linear progression in Squats, Rows, Bench, Deadlifting over the course of 4 weeks or a progression inside of a cyclical aerobic time frame. Or it could be a pacing piece that is intentionally varied week-to-week but still within the same aerobic “gear.” In other words, the training is progressed intentionally and principally, while still leaving room for fun, variety, and creativity. 

Communication in Group Class

Another important facet of our group class is communication between members and the coaching staff. We strive to create a transparent stream of opportunities for communication with our coaches to help facilitate the client having a great experience AND get the results they are looking for (or point them in the direction we think would get them there). We do this through Quarterly Goal Sessions, which are 30 min, 1-on-1 meetings with Robby that give each client who wishes to do so, the opportunity to discuss their goals, what they’ve been working on, any challenges they’ve been having, and possible solutions that they could action-on moving forward. 

In addition, you will see a weekly programming overview video that explains the intention of the training block, what the upcoming week will look like, and any other pertinent information. This allows for members to be “in the loop” with the programming if they wish to do so. 

Lastly, we always encourage open dialogue, so all clients can bring any questions, concerns, or comments to our coaching staff.

So, Who is Group at CFSB For, and Who is it Not For? 

If you’re looking to partake in generalized exercise program that supports health, you’re someone who wants the truth about what it may take to achieve their goals, and you’re someone who enjoys the social aspect of training, our program will be a great fit for you. 

If you are looking for something more specific – whether that’s a specific body composition goal, mixed modal or the Sport of CrossFit, Spartan, IronMan training, marathons, etc. Or even if you just want something that is personalized for your unique needs, wants, experiences – then our Group class may not be the right fit. However, all the examples above would be a great fit for our Individual Design service.

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