The power program in its current form is coming to an end…or at least a transition. To better understand, here’s where we’ve been and where we’re going. The power program was born in 2013. We had just taken a team to the Southeast Regionals in 2012. There I saw first-hand what it would take to continue to be competitive in CrossFit at the regional level. So after some hiccups during the 2013 season, we had an actual shot at making regionals again for the 2014 season. But we needed a training plan to get us there, and “Team” training was born. The goal of the training plan was singularly focused: get a team to regionals.
We worked our asses off for most of a year, and we failed. I accept complete responsibility for this. To this day, that season remains the hardest I have ever worked at something yet still failed. Every time in my life I have worked that hard before, I have been successful. It was a good learning experience. The lesson: sometimes your best isn’t good enough, but that doesn’t define you.
At that time a large number of athletes were chasing the exact same goal, and the training plan was tailored to achieve that goal. So it made sense. 12+ people needed a competitive CrossFit program—so we (Nate Gray and I) wrote a competitive CrossFit program. Need fulfilled.
After that failed shot at regionals it became obvious that without huge changes in the direction of the gym, regionals wasn’t a realistic goal anymore. I’d rather focus on making 150 people happier in their daily lives than earning 6 people one really intense weekend in May. So I let go of that goal.
“Team” training became the “Power” program. We were no longer chasing regionals, but many of us wanted a higher volume program focused on strength. Plenty of competitive CrossFit programs existed. Plenty of specialty strength programs existed. But the program I was looking for didn’t quite exist. So I wrote the Power program to develop that program I had always wanted to see.
That worked great until two things happened. First, many of us became interested in specialty programs like weightlifting, powerlifting, or hypertrophy. Second, specialty programs to address those needs became widely available and easy to find. So while we had 12+ athletes doing team training in 2013-2014, now we have 2-3 athletes specializing in weightlifting, 2-3 athletes specializing in powerlifting, 2-3 athletes specializing in hypertrophy, and 1-2 specializing in competitive CrossFit. I absolutely love how the interests have broadened! This has led to me being able to coach at meets, learn new training styles, and just generally have a lot of fun. But who is left doing the Power program? Not many of us. And that makes sense, because we don’t all have the same goal anymore.
So after the final 10th week of the Summer Swolstice program, I will not be publishing a dedicated power program anymore. Here’s what I will be doing: helping you find a custom program that meets your needs. I promise, there’s plenty out there, no matter your goal. If you are looking for more than the regular CrossFit classes provide, then I’ll help you find whatever that is, and I’ll help you tweak it and execute it the best we can.
The time I save from writing a program that only me and three other people use will go towards improving the gym for all athletes. I want to improve our core CrossFit program, add new specialty classes, add new clinics—I won’t have to look hard to find places that can use my energy. I apologize to the people that this leaves hanging. I promise, I did not make this decision lightly. But I know the change is needed, and the sooner I make it, the more I can focus on helping everyone in the individual ways they need most.
How am I going to train? I’m going to do a lot of the regular CrossFit classes, some added strength work, and practice Strongman movements regularly. I still like training to be a power athlete, so you’ll find me sprinting, doing heavy/fast conditioning pieces, and playing around with new challenges. If you want to jump in, you’re always welcome. -Jeff