As last night’s specialty “endurance” session came to end, I told the athletes in attendance that Thursday’s WOD would contain all the elements to qualify it as a “CrossFit Endurance” session. Now keep in mind that our Workout Of the Day (WOD) programming has always contained this type of programming and it always will. The specialty class programming is simply more targeted in its intent… as are the specialty strength classes, oly lifting, gymnastics, etc.
Specialty programming takes one point of focus and deals with that focus for a specified period of time. Our WOD programming looks at the big picture, at general physical preparedness, and maintains a constantly varied approach. Knowing that over a given period of time, many time domains, movements, templates (AMRAPs, Rounds for time, EMOMs, reverse ladders, chippers…) will be covered. Athletes join specialty classes for a variety of reasons: to take a directed approach to improving a weakness, to learn more technique/mechanics in a specific set of movements, to have more repetition directed at a targeted domain, to prepare for an event or race within that specialty like 5km run, triathlon, weightlifting meet, obstacles course run or the CrossFit Games Open- to name a few.
What is your take on Thursday’s WOD when you read through it? Then DO IT and see what you think about it then. Then talk to me or others currently taking the endurance specialty sessions and get an idea if you’d like to join in for the next 6 weeks. In fact, ask some of the CrossFit Total Strength athletes what that specialty on Mondays is like. Maybe you could rearrange your schedule and fit one of these into your training.

Thursday’s WOD at 6, 7, 9am and again at 4 and 6pm
Open Training Hour at 5pm
On a running clock:
6 round partner work/rest row for total distance
One partner rows for 3 minutes -switch places- next partner rows for 3 minutes
Continue this for 5 additional rounds.
Post total distance partnership rows for the unbroken 36 minute duration
5 round partner work/rest Turkish get up for total reps
One partner does TGUs for 1 minute -switch places- next partner does TGUs for 1 minute
Continue this for 4 additional rounds
Post total number of reps and load partnerships “gets up and down” for the unbroken 10 minute duration