Table of Contents
Introduction
Understanding Aerobic Sports
and the Unique Nature of CrossFit
Building an Aerobic Base
with Single-Modal Activities
Seasonal Programming of
Energy Systems Training
BONUS : EST Blueprint
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About the Author
Antonio has 15 years of experience as a
CrossFit coach and over 20 years in training.
He has earned the prestigious 10-year affiliate
plaque and played a pivotal role in shaping the
fitness movement in China and Asia.
His coaching has resulted in hundreds of
transformations, guided athletes to the esteemed
IFBB PRO Card and CrossFit Regionals and Games.
With a decade of CrossFit competition, including
twice at CrossFit Regionals, Antonio is dedicated
to helping aspiring CrossFit athletes excel in
competition.
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Introduction
Unleashing Your
Potential in CrossFit
through Energy Systems
Training
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Welcome...
Welcome to the first step in revolutionizing
your CrossFit training and performance.
As a CrossFit athlete, whether novice or seasoned,
understanding the foundational concepts of how
your body powers through various workouts can
significantly enhance your strategy and
outcomes.
CrossFit is uniquely demanding...
It challenges athletes to excel across a variety
of physical tasks, from lifting heavy weights to
performing high-intensity intervals.
This requires more than just brute strength or
speed; it demands a profound energy reserve
and the efficient use of this energy.
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What CrossFit is not
Contrary to common belief...
CrossFit is not predominantly an aerobic sport.
Instead, it blends strength endurance with a
considerable aerobic base, creating a hybrid
challenge that pushes the limits of human
performance.
Here’s What You’ll Learn:
Different energy systems in CrossFit.
Understand the importance of a large
aerobic base, even in anaerobic conditions.
Learn effective training methods to
dominate CrossFit.
Improve personal records and compete at
local competitions.
Let's transform knowledge into
Power.
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Chapter 1
Understanding Aerobic
Sports and the Unique
Nature of CrossFit
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What Defines an Aerobic Sport?
Aerobic sports are activities where the
primary energy fueling the body’s
effort is sourced from oxygen and
aerobic metabolism.
In simple terms...
These are endurance-oriented activities
where the intensity is relatively low but can
be sustained over long periods, such as
running marathons, cycling, or swimming
long distances.
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Key Characteristic
The key characteristic of aerobic exercise is
its steady state, where the cardiovascular
system supplies the muscles with oxygen
efficiently enough to meet the energy
demands without a significant debt.
Credit : Byjus.com
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CrossFit: A Hybrid Challenge
Despite incorporating elements that appear
to rely heavily on the aerobic system,
CrossFit stands apart as a work capacity
sport, which necessitates high levels of
power output over varied intervals and
modalities.
This classification comes
From the sport’s requirement for athletes to
perform diverse tasks that range in duration
from a few seconds to several minutes,
often combining elements of strength,
speed, and endurance.
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The Role and Demand of the
Aerobic System in CrossFit
While CrossFit involves bursts of high-
intensity work, these are interspersed with
periods of lower intensity that rely on the
aerobic system for recovery and sustained
energy supply.
Aerobic system acts as a backbone,
Supporting the athlete’s recovery and
enabling sustained effort across a training
session or competition. It's this interplay
between high-intensity efforts and aerobic
endurance that allows CrossFit athletes to
perform at high levels without succumbing
to fatigue too early.
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Why CrossFit Is Not Merely an
Aerobic Sport
The reason CrossFit cannot be classified
purely as an aerobic sport lies in its core
objective: to increase work capacity across
broad time and modal domains.
This involves...
Not only aerobic endurance but also
significant anaerobic capacity, which is
crucial for the short, intense bursts of
activity that are frequently called upon in
workouts and competitions. The versatility
and unpredictability of CrossFit workouts
require athletes to be not just endurance-
capable but also explosively powerful and
quick to recover.
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Integrating Aerobic Capacity in
CrossFit Training
Understanding that aerobic capacity is
crucial for overall performance and
sustained activity, integrating targeted
aerobic training can vastly improve an
athlete’s recovery, endurance, and even
power output during anaerobic efforts.
However,
Training this system does not negate the
necessity for developing other energy
systems that are equally important for a
CrossFit athlete.
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Chapter 2
Building an Aerobic Base
with Single-Modal
Activities
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The Importance of Single Modal
Activities in Aerobic Training
In the pursuit of a solid aerobic base, single
modal activities such as rowing, running,
and cycling on an assault bike play a
crucial role. These activities allow for
consistent, controlled, and prolonged effort
that challenges the aerobic system,
improving both the efficiency of oxygen
utilization and endurance capacity.
Unlike complex movements
That require coordination across multiple
muscle groups and joints, single modal
activities can be sustained longer, making
them ideal for building aerobic endurance.
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Programming Aerobic Training
Throughout the Season
Effective programming of aerobic training
is essential for maximizing performance
and ensuring continuous improvement
throughout the CrossFit season. The
timing and intensity of workouts should
reflect the seasonal goals and
physiological needs of the athletes.
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Early Season
Developing the Aerobic Foundation
In the early stages of the season, the focus
should be on longer duration activities that
demand aerobic endurance. These
sessions might include longer rows,
sustained runs, or extended periods on the
assault bike, performed at a moderate
intensity.
Importance:
This Phase is critical for building an
extensive aerobic base, which will support
more intense work later in the season. The
aim here is not only to increase the duration
an athlete can perform but also to enhance
recovery efficiency between high-intensity
efforts.
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Mid to Late Season
Integrating Power and Intensity
As the season progresses, the training
emphasis should shift towards shorter, more
powerful intervals that engage the lactate
and alactate energy systems. This transition
is crucial for developing the ability to handle
higher power outputs and recover quickly
from intense bursts of activity—key
components in CrossFit competitions.
Examples :
Examples of workouts in this phase might
include shorter and more intense intervals on
the rower, high-intensity sprints, or timed
bouts on the assault bike with specific rest
periods. These workouts help in sharpening
the athlete's capacity for explosive power and
quick recovery.
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Balancing Aerobic Base and
Power Development
The art of programming in CrossFit involves
a delicate balance between maintaining an
aerobic base and pushing the limits of
power output. As the competitive season
approaches, workouts should increasingly
reflect the demands of competition—high-
intensity, varied, and requiring rapid
recovery.
However...
It's crucial not to abandon aerobic training
altogether, as it provides the stamina and
endurance needed to sustain through
competitions.
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Continuing Aerobic Development
with High-Intensity Sprints
While the early season is dedicated to
building a substantial aerobic foundation
through longer, moderate-intensity efforts,
the incorporation of high-intensity sprints
as the season progresses is not just about
boosting power and speed.
Importance:
These shorter, more powerful sprints are
intricately designed to not only exploit the
power and capacity of the anaerobic
systems but also to further refine and
enhance the aerobic base previously
established.
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Enhancing Aerobic Efficiency through
Anaerobic Work
Short, intense sprints improve aerobic
efficiency in several ways:
Increased Cardiac Output: High-intensity efforts
require the heart to pump blood more forcefully and
rapidly. Over time, this increases cardiac strength and
volume, which also benefits longer, aerobic efforts by
enabling the heart to deliver oxygen more effectively
throughout the body.
Improved Oxygen Utilization: Intense anaerobic
work increases the body’s ability to process oxygen
even during lower intensities, thanks to adaptations in
the muscle cells, such as increases in mitochondrial
density and efficiency.
Faster Clearance of Metabolic Byproducts:
Training with high-intensity intervals helps the body
become more efficient at clearing lactate and other
byproducts. This enhanced clearance capacity
supports longer aerobic sessions by allowing the
athlete to recover more quickly during brief periods of
reduced intensity.
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The Role of High-Intensity
Intervals in Aerobic Maintenance
Incorporating sprints and other high-
intensity intervals helps maintain the
aerobic base in several ways:
Stimulating Aerobic Metabolism: Even during
short bursts of activity, the body uses oxygen to
help replenish energy stores after the workout
during recovery periods. Thus, intervals continue
to challenge the aerobic system, albeit indirectly.
Preventing Plateaus: By introducing variety and
higher intensity, sprints prevent the training
plateau often associated with steady-state,
moderate-intensity workouts. This ensures
continuous improvement and adaptation across
all energy systems, including the aerobic system.
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Practical Applications in Seasonal
Programming
To effectively integrate these principles
into seasonal training, programming
should include a mix of:
Varied Sprint Intervals: Including different
lengths and intensities of sprints ensures that
athletes are not only developing speed and
power but are also enhancing their aerobic
capacity indirectly. For example, varying
intervals between 20 seconds to 2 minutes can
be effective.
Structured Recovery Periods: The design of
recovery intervals between sprints is crucial.
Active recovery, performed at a low intensity, can
further engage the aerobic system, helping to
maintain and enhance endurance while
preparing the body for the next burst of activity.
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Chapter 3
Seasonal Programming
of Energy Systems
Training
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Early Season:
Developing the Aerobic Foundation
In this chapter, we'll outline a structured
approach to programming your energy
systems training throughout a five-block
season, guiding you from foundational
aerobic workouts to peak competitive
performance. Each block is designed to
progressively build upon the last,
optimizing your preparation and peaking at
the right time.
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Block 1:
Foundation and Aerobic Base Building
Focus:
Aerobic intervals.
Frequency:
2 sessions per week.
Objective:
Establish a strong aerobic base through
extended, moderate-intensity efforts. Focus
on exercises like long runs, rowing, or
cycling sessions lasting 30-60 minutes at a
controlled, conversational pace
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Block 2:
Increasing Aerobic Capacity
Focus:
Aerobic intervals.
Frequency
2 sessions per week.
Objective
Continue building aerobic capacity but
begin incorporating more varied durations
and slightly increased intensities. Include
sessions such as 5 x 5 minutes at a higher
intensity with equal recovery times, aiming
to improve endurance and recovery rates.
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Block 3:
Introduction of Anaerobic Training
Focus:
Transition to anaerobic sprints
Frequency:
2 sessions per week.
Objective:
Shift focus towards enhancing anaerobic
capacity. Start integrating short, high-
intensity sprint intervals such as 10 x 30
seconds max effort with 2-3 minutes of
recovery. These workouts will start to
challenge and improve your power output
and recovery.
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Block 4:
Mixed anaerobic and aerobic training
Focus:
Specific energy systems training.
Frequency:
1 sessions per week.
Objective:
Maintain energy system efficiency with a
reduced volume to avoid fatigue. The focus
should be on maintaining the sharpness of
the anaerobic system with tailored sessions
that reflect the specific demands of upcoming
competitions, such as shorter, competition-
like intervals with full recovery.
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Block 5:
Competition Phase
Focus:
Alternate weekly between 1 and 2 sessions
Frequency:
2 sessions per week.
Objective:
Fine-tune energy system efficiency.
Alternate between weeks of one session and
two sessions to manage recovery and
intensity. Focus on high-intensity interval
training that mimics the competitive scenarios
you expect to face, balancing efforts between
anaerobic sprints and aerobic maintenance.
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Implementing the Plan
Each training block is designed to gradually
shift from general, foundational
conditioning to specific, high-intensity,
competition-focused efforts.
This structured approach ensures you build
a robust aerobic base early on, which
supports the more intense anaerobic
training required as competitions near. By
adjusting the frequency and focus of your
workouts throughout the season, you
optimize your readiness for peak
performance when it matters most.
Let me know if you’d like to expand on any
particular area or adjust the frequency and
types of workouts!
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BONUS
Complete Energy and
System Training
Blueprint.
Click here to Get access to
Complete EST Blueprint.
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Congratulations
You now have knowledge that only
the very best coaches have. Use it
to improve yourself and your
athletes and achieve new levels of
excellence
Good Luck!
