Pin the Tail on the Donkey is hard enough with a static poster. CrossFit is the version where the donkey is moving, you’re blindfolded, and the donkey may be blindfolded too.
A 1500m runner knows the target. Same distance, same track. In CrossFit the combinations are novel (run + snatch today, snatch + muscle-up tomorrow), and the sport itself keeps evolving. The 2015 Games and the 2026 Games are different tests.
The answer is ownership of your process and outcomes within the chaos.
Sherpa or Guru?
A guru says there is one correct way. A sherpa says the best path depends on where you’re going and the weather along the way.
- Goals change. Priorities change. Injuries, moves, and life happen.
- A good coach adapts the plan. A sherpa also goes through the terrain with you.
- I prefer being a sherpa, especially in this sport.
What Is Productive Training Volume?
Every athlete is trying to get as close as possible to the line where volume stops being productive.
- Step over it and you run into injury.
- Never find it and you never reach your potential.
The weekly layout matters because weeks stack. Conflicting qualities (a 5k and a 1RM snatch in the same cycle) make this harder. Mixing them is harder still.
How Do I Design a Training Week?
- Physiology: recovery, readiness, and fatigue in specific areas (hips, back, shoulders).
- Psychology: head space and available time.
Example: 15 back squats above 75% one day, 70 dumbbell snatches the next, then moderate squat cleans and hinging. Fine in week one. By week four, with 25 reps above 85% accumulated and 30 ring muscle-ups the day before, the week no longer resembles what you wrote. Change it or accept the trade-off.
Higher-level athletes handle more back-to-back work. Ring muscle-ups and HSPU are less taxing for them, and they recover faster.
Psychology example: I programmed 10-15 minutes of open-ended ring skill work on a weekday. The athlete was physically ready but couldn’t get into the right head space in a fixed time window. We moved it to the weekend. The feedback made the program better.
I walk through the week as the athlete: how they feel moving from A to B, how much time they need, how much fatigue they carry. Video gym walkthroughs help. The longer I work with someone, the better I predict times and fatigue. I still get it wrong, and I adjust.
How Could the Athlete Screw This Up?
Writing a good program isn’t enough. If the athlete interprets it incorrectly, it’s not good programming.
I ask this of every prescription.
Example 1: 5×3 Back Squat
- Risks: 3 sets of 5? Max triples? Rest too short or too long? Where to start?
- Rewrite: Every 3:00 × 5 sets, 3 back squats at a set %. Each set challenging, leaving 1-2 reps in reserve.
Example 2: 10 sets of 4 burpee box jump-overs, 6 DB snatches, 8 cal row, rest 60s
- Risks: box height, DB weight, effort, pacing.
- Rewrite: Fastest repeatable pace. If any set is more than 15s slower than your fastest, end the piece.
Example 3: 4 sets of 7 strict pull-ups + 10 parallel bar dips
- Risks: rest, partitioning, failing the reps.
- Rewrite: Every 1:30 × 10 sets, alternating: AMRAP −2 strict pull-ups; AMRAP to velocity loss in dips.
Trade-off: beginners may need a prescribed load. Experienced athletes get a better stimulus from instructions that make them think. Educate over time so they can self-regulate, because you can’t write programs for them on the competition floor.
What Is the Athlete’s Ceiling?
You have a physiological ceiling. The goal is to reach it at the end of the workout, every time, in order to maximize placing across the weekend. That means training awareness (pacing, capacity, strategy) alongside strength and skill.
Two Mistakes in the Coach-Athlete Relationship
- Blaming the coach for a bad performance. Coaches make mistakes, but the athlete owns the plan on the floor. If your body feels different on the day, adapt.
- Following blindly. Know your strengths, weaknesses, and how they shift. If an athlete wants a strict pull-up progression before an event, or a back squat for confidence, that conversation matters.
What a Coach Can’t Do
- Do the work for you.
- Know exactly how you feel mid-test (53 vs. 55 RPM on the bike is your call).
- Predict readiness perfectly (sleep, work stress, previous-week overreach).
- Want it more than you do. Pressure the athlete doesn’t want leads to regret. Encouragement for an athlete who wants it is different.
Takeaways for Athletes
- You are in charge. Communicate. Give feedback. Submit videos and scores.
- You’re shooting a moving target. Use adaptability and flexibility as a competitive advantage. If week three isn’t working, rewrite weeks four to eight.
- Remember why you hired your coach. Coaches are people who make mistakes. Give grace and keep the relationship working.
Looking for a sherpa for your own process? Apply for individualized coaching at zoarfitness.com/coach.