Cycle #9: Your Next 4-Week Strength & Conditioning Cycle: What's New & Why

Our next 4-week cycle is here, beginning Monday, October 20 and running through Sunday, November 16.

Here's a breakdown of what you can expect and the specific goals behind each training element.

🎯 Why We're Doing This: The Outcome

This cycle is designed to pivot our focus from absolute strength to building our conditioning "engine."

With the 2026 CrossFit Open beginning on February 26 of next year, the next 3-4 cycles will be at the forefront of our preparation. Our programming is switching gears: you will see more Olympic weightlifting, higher-level gymnastics skills, and aggressive metcons to increase the training capacity that will be required.

The current Sumo Deadlift and Bench Press progressions will serve as a final check on our raw strength before we commit fully to building stamina, power, and cardio endurance. We have this cycle and one more before the end of the year—let’s be consistent with our training through the holidays!

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💪 Strength Progressions

• Sumo Deadlifts: We are continuing our progression from Cycle #8, focusing on decreasing the rep scheme from a heavy 5 to a 1-rep max test on the week of 11/17.
  
  • The Pause: The first two weeks will feature a 5-second pause on the liftoff portion of the first rep, which will decrease to a 3-second pause in the following weeks.
  • Goal: The pause is designed to reinforce hip and back position when pulling the barbell off the floor, which is the hardest and "stickiest" point of the lift. As the reps decrease, the weight will increase.
• Bench Press - Grip Variety: Over the four weeks, we will be testing different grips:
  
  • Week 1: Wide Grip
  • Week 2: Narrow Grip
  • Week 3: Reverse Grip
  • Week 4: Neutral Grip
  • Goal: To compare our absolute strength across grip styles to find our strongest grip for our body and as a fun little strength experiment.

🏋️ Weightlifting / Technique Focus

• Snatch Balance & Overhead Squat: Our fourth training day will alternate weekly between the Snatch Balance movement and the Overhead Squat (OHS).
  
  • Goal: Both movements will aid in getting stronger and more confident with your overhead position and prepare us for heavier Snatch technique work ahead.
  • Testing: On the same week we are testing the Sumo Deadlift, we will also check in and test our Snatch Balance 1-rep max. A great goal is for your Snatch Balance to always be heavier than your actual Snatch.

💥 Conditioning / Metcon Focus

• CrossFit Long Metcon Day: This day will always include higher-level skills and Olympic weightlifting.
  
  • Goal: To increase our exposure to heavier Olympic weightlifting while under duress in a workout.
  • Expect to see more workouts with barbell cycling, higher CrossFit skill training, and more aggressive metcons to build the work capacity required for the upcoming Open season.