monday, january 12
A.
back squat (32X1) 5-5-4-4-3
B.
12 min amrap:
12 front rack lunges (95/65, Rx+ 115/75)
6 thrusters
12 front rack lunges
12 TTB
Why we love tempo training
We know that in CrossFit there’s a focus on load, intensity, and volume. But one of the most effective, and often overlooked, tools for getting stronger, moving better, and staying healthy is tempo training.
Tempo training refers to controlling the speed of each phase of a lift: the lowering portion, any pauses, the lift itself, and the finish. Here’s why we program tempo work and why it matters for your progress.
1. Better Movement Comes First
Quality movement has to come before going too heavy or too fast. Tempo prescriptions slow things down just enough to help athletes understand how they’re moving, not just whether they completed the rep.
When an athlete controls the speed of a lift, they gain awareness of:
Which muscles are working
Where their body is in space
How to maintain proper positions under tension
This is especially important for newer athletes and younger lifters. Many people can drop quickly into the bottom of a squat relying on momentum or flexibility, but that often comes with compromised positions (knees collapsing inward, chest falling forward, or the pelvis tucking under).
By prescribing a controlled tempo (for example, a slow descent into the squat), we give athletes the time they need to maintain good posture, keep their knees tracking properly, and hold a strong, neutral spine. If someone can’t control the movement at that speed, it’s a clear sign the weight is too heavy, and that’s valuable feedback.
For more advanced athletes, tempo becomes a precision tool. If you struggle in a specific position, like the bottom of an overhead squat or the power position of a clean, tempo work allows you to spend intentional time there to reinforce good mechanics.
2. Lower Injury Risk Without Slowing Progress
Slowing down the tempo of a lift reduces excessive stress on the joints and transfers more of the workload to the muscles. Muscles adapt relatively quickly; tendons and connective tissue take longer. Tempo training helps bridge that gap.
Another benefit? Tempo naturally keeps intensity in check. When a lift requires a slow, controlled descent and a pause, it removes the temptation to rely on momentum, bouncing, or going too heavy. You simply can’t lift the same weight with strict tempo as you can when rushing through reps, and that’s a good thing! The result is smarter loading, better positions, and a lower chance of overuse or acute injury, all while continuing to build strength.
3. Stronger Gains Over the Long Term
Flat out - tempo training makes you stronger. Here’s how:
More variety, more adaptation
Different tempos create new training stimuli, which helps prevent plateaus and keeps progress moving forward.
Stronger through weak points
Many athletes feel better on their second or third rep of a lift than the first because they’re benefiting from rebound or momentum. Tempo work removes that advantage, forcing you to generate strength from a dead stop or uncomfortable position exactly where true strength is built.
More time under tension, less nervous system fatigue
Controlled reps increase the amount of time your muscles are working without the same level of stress on your central nervous system. This is especially important in CrossFit, where athletes often balance heavy lifting with high-intensity conditioning.
Increased muscle fiber recruitment
Pauses, whether at the bottom of a squat or at the top of a bent over row, demand more muscle involvement. When you hold a position under load, your body has no choice but to recruit additional muscle fibers to maintain control. More recruitment equals more strength over time.
The Takeaway
Tempo training is about:
Moving better
Training smarter
Building strength that actually carries over
When you see tempo prescriptions in our programming, know that they’re there to help you lift with intention, stay healthy, and get stronger for the long haul. Trust the process. Control the movement. The results will follow.
friday, january 9
A.
6 sets:
1 segmented snatch deadlift + 1 snatch
B.
5 rounds for time:
5 power snatches (135/95)
10 WBS (Rx+ 15 WBS)
5 double DB devil press (45/25 or 30, Rx+ 50/35)
10 WBS (Rx+ 15 WBS)
thursday, january 8
A.
split jerk 3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1
B.
2 sets:
2 min amrap:
200m run + max reps push jerks in the remaining time (135/95, Rx+ 155/105)
rest 2 mins
2 min amrap:
200m run + max reps thrusters in the remaining time (135/95)
rest 2 mins
wednesday, january 7
30 min amrap:
2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16… power clean (185/125, Rx+205/145) or deadlift (225/155)
2-4-6-8-10-12-14-16… burpee box jumps
4-8-12-16-20-24-28-32....TTB
400m run after each round
increase barbell and BBJs by 2 reps every round, TTB by 4 reps every round until 30 mins is up
tuesday, january 6
A.
5 sets: barbell seated press 7-6-5-4-4
4 sets: single arm DB row; 8-12/arm
B.
5 sets, one set every 4 mins, each set for time:
9 CTB pull-ups or 3 MUs of choice
6 burpees over the erg
15/12 cal row
monday, january 5
A.
back squat (32X1) 6-6-5-5-4
B.
12 min amrap:
36 DUs
12 lunge steps (135/95)
18 Russian KBS (70/53)
12 lunge steps (135/95)
friday, january 2
A.
6 sets:
1 segmented snatch deadlift + 1 hang snatch
B.
for time:
100-80-60-40-20 DUs
20-16-12-8-4 alternating single arm devils press (50/35)
thursday, january 1
For time:
26 push press (115/75)
26 CTB pull-ups
26 snatches
26 burpees over the bar
26 back squats
26 TTB
26 box jumps
26 deadlifts
26 push ups
26 front rack lunges
26 thrusters
26 power cleans
365 DU cash out
Why Short Intense Interval Training Matters (for everyone but especially for women)
If you want a workout that delivers maximum return without grinding your body down, interval training deserves serious attention. Short-burst formats like Litvinov sprints (heavy strength work paired with all out sprinting) create adaptations that long, steady workouts don’t provide.
At a physiological level, intense intervals recruit the fast-twitch muscle fibers responsible for power, speed, and resilience. These fibers are also the first to decline with age, so training them isn’t just about aesthetics, it’s about maintaining athleticism, reaction time, and injury resistance as the years pass. Intervals also drive improvements in mitochondrial efficiency, meaning your body becomes better at producing energy and switching between fuel sources. You get stronger metabolic health without spending hours exercising.
Cardiovascularly, intervals push heart rate high enough to improve oxygen utilization and stroke volume, but because they’re short, they avoid the chronic stress load that can come from long endurance sessions. This has very meaningful effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose control, supporting overall metabolic health.
The effects are especially crucial for female physiology. Women tend to be more sensitive to prolonged elevations in stress hormones. Long, moderate-intensity cardio push the body toward fatigue, hormonal disruption, and stalled progress. Short, intense efforts, followed by rest periods deliver a powerful and effective stimulus without keeping cortisol elevated for hours.
Women also naturally rely more on fat as a fuel source during exercise and often recover well from high-intensity work when properly fueled. Interval training works with that biology, not against it. As women age, preserving muscle, power, and bone density becomes increasingly important. Power based intervals provide the mechanical loading and nervous system stimulation that protect both muscle and bone far better than steady state cardio alone.
Litvinov style intervals stand out because they combine strength and speed in one session. You’re not just getting your heart rate up; you’re training your body to be strong, fast, and metabolically flexible. It’s efficient, purposeful, and sustainable.
The takeaway is this: interval training isn’t about doing more. It’s about applying intensity strategically, respecting recovery, and choosing effective training that supports long-term health, performance, and resilience.
wednesday, december 31
A.
find a 2RM deadlift
B.
3 sets:
In 60s, complete:
12 deadlifts (225/155) + 4 burpees over the bar + max cal echo bike
rest 2 mins
In 60s, complete:
25 Russian KBS (70/53) + max cal row
rest 2 mins
tuesday, december 30
A.
4 sets (superset):
barbell seated press 8-7-6-5
single arm DB row (2112) 8-12/arm
B.
15 min amrap:
5 CTB pull-ups (Rx+ 2-3 bar or ring MUs)
10 push ups
200m run
5 CTB pull-ups (Rx+ 2-3 bar or ring MUs)
10 push press (115/75, Rx+ 135/95 or 8 HSPUs)
monday, december 29
A.
1RM back squat
B.
4 sets:
2 min amrap:
15 WBS
12 TTB
max reps squat cleans in time remaining (155/105, not to exceed 70% of 1RM)
score = total reps squat cleans
rest 2 mins between sets
friday, december 26
A.
18 mins to build to a 1RM C&J for the day
B.
3 sets:
In 60s, complete:
5 C&J (135/95) + max shuttle runs
rest 2 mins
In 60s, complete:
5 C&J (135/95) + max cal echo bike
rest 2 mins
wednesday, december 24
CrossFit
for time:
400-600-1000-1200m run [Rx+ 600-800-1200-1600m]
20-15-10-5 bench press*
20-15-10-5 strict pull-ups
*
20 reps @ (105-155)/(65-95)
15 reps @ (135-185)/(75-115)
10 reps @ (145-205)/(95-135)
5 reps @ (155-225)/(105-155)
HYROX
for time:
400-600-1000-1200m run [Rx+ 600-800-1200-1600m]
40-30-20-10 DB lunge steps
20-15-10-5 cal row
20-15-10-5 wall balls
tuesday, december 23
A.
6 sets:
2 deadlifts
B.
4 rounds for time:
75 DUs
15 TTB
20 DB deadlifts (50/35)
25/18 cal row
it turns out that Strength Training Is A Super Effective Anti-Aging Tool
When people think about “anti-aging,” they usually think skincare, supplements, or cosmetic procedures. But it turns out that one of the most powerful, evidence backed anti-aging interventions comes from resistance and strength training, just like what we do in our CrossFit classes.
Not all lifting is equal
At CFGG, we love tempo, pauses, and slow eccentrics when we lift for the purpose of sound movement and strength development. However, this method of strength training also creates a stimulus in your body that supports longevity, skin integrity, and tissue resilience. In other words: we’re not just training muscles, we’re training your cells.
The Hormone effect: Why Slow, Heavy Work Matters
Strength training, particularly high-tension, slow eccentric loading (think tempo), triggers a powerful hormonal response:
Growth Hormone (GH)
IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor)
Testosterone (in all genders)
Myokines released from working muscle tissue
These hormones help you get stronger and they are also critical signals for repair, regeneration, and structural integrity throughout the entire body.
Fibroblasts: The Hidden Players in Aging
Fibroblasts are the cells responsible for producing collagen, elastin, and extracellular matrix (the scaffolding that gives skin, fascia, and connective tissue its firmness and resilience).
As we age, fibroblast activity naturally declines. That’s one reason we see thinning skin, loss of elasticity, slower healing throughout the whole body and joint and tendon fragility. Fibroblasts respond to mechanical tension and hormonal signaling. Slow, controlled resistance training provides both and improves longevity of tendons and ligaments, fascia, and skin support structures. The hormonal environment created by this training style stimulates fibroblasts to produce new collagen, improving tissue quality from the inside out.
This is why people who strength train well don’t just seem more resilient and look stronger they often look younger too!
CrossFit Is Uniquely Effective
Strength training, especially the slow, controlled, intentional lifting that you see in our workouts at CFGG, has so many benefits other than just building strength and muscle. It signals your body to repair, reinforce, and regenerate itself. That’s not just fitness, that’s anti-aging from the inside out!
monday, december 22
A.
6 sets:
1 tempo pause back squat (3211)
B.
for time:
21-15-9 thrusters (95/65)
18-15-12 box jump overs (24/20)
9-6-3 front squats (185/125)
Why Short, Intense CrossFit Workouts Are Powerful Dopamine Recalibrators that help reset your brain
Modern life delivers constant, effortless dopamine via scrolling, snacking, notifications, stimulation on demand. The result for many people is the opposite of happiness: restlessness, low motivation, anxiety, and compulsive habits. Short, intense CrossFit workouts are a great way to correct this.
Acute Discomfort, Real Reset
A hard CrossFit wod creates voluntary, short-term discomfort (heavy breathing, muscle fatigue, mental grit). In the moment, your body releases endorphins, which blunt pain and create that post-workout “high.” On a deeper level, that same discomfort also triggers a dopamine rebound, improving baseline mood, focus, and motivation for hours (and cumulatively, days). Instead of chasing stimulation, the nervous system resets.
Less Compulsion, More Calm
Sustained physical effort reduces the urge for quick dopamine hits afterward (mindless scrolling, snacking, impulsive behaviors). The brain has already done something difficult and meaningful. It doesn’t need instant relief.
The Value of Grueling Work
Not every CrossFit workout is fun, most of them are uncomfortable, repetitive, tedious, and simply hard. That’s what makes them effective but it’s also part of the neurochemical benefit. Choosing effort over ease restores the effort/reward relationship that modern life has eroded.
Endorphins & Dopamine
CrossFit triggers both:
Endorphins for immediate pain relief and post-workout euphoria
Dopamine recalibration for longer lasting emotional balance and reduced craving
One feels good right away, the other changes how you feel afterward. CrossFit isn’t just about improving physical fitness, it’s a perfect nervous system reset in a world that’s made things too easy.