The Dark Place

Our Thoughts

Athletes that can complete all 20 OHS unbroken under any amount of fatigue/duress means simply that you’re going to the Dark Place here, embrace and enjoy.
For those who believe some nuanced gas/brake work is required for their best score, mentally break this up into two pieces on either side of the rest. Approach part A as RPE-9, just under threshold pace (smooth is fast). On the backhalf, consider a slightly fast first 20 burpees and a very small backoff for the final 10 to allow for smooth overhead squats. Move with control as no reps are expensive (stand tall..hips not locked out is common when the house is on fire). Once that bar drops, time to blackout and sprint your 10 shuttles.

For time, completed anyhow:

80 dumbbell hang squat cleans

40 bar muscle-ups

Time cap: 15 minutes

♀ 35-lb (15-kg) dumbbells

♂ 50-lb (22.5-kg) dumbbells

Our Thoughts

Easily the most challenging workout of the weekend for most.
Its physically demanding / damaging (you’ll feel this tomorrow) with nowhere to hide, so we really want to nail this one on the first go.
One-and-done is tough with near unlimited rep schemes, so let’s lock in and find our way here.
Strategy
- Walk in with a Plan A and fallback Plan B in case things go awry mid-workout
- You’re an athlete who plans to finish this one, so you will front load your BMUs to keep transition times tight
- Leave yourself 15-30 DBCs for the final reps of the workout
- Construct a rounds/reps scheme that allows you to complete each movement unbroken where your transition time serves as your only rest.
Plan A Examples
- 20 BMU into 5 Rounds of 10 DBC + 4 BMU finish w/30 DBC
- 12 BMU then 7 Rounds of 9 DBC + 4 BMU finish w/17 DBC
- 10 BMU then 10 Rounds of 6 DBC + 3BMU finish w/20 DBC
Plan B Examples
- If A = 20 BMU into 5 Rounds of 10 DBC + 4 BMU finish w/30 DBC
- Plan B is needed after 2 rounds when you notice you’re slowing on each transition and breathing hard.
- You’ve got 60 DBC and 12 BMU left, so example Plan B:
  - 4 New Rounds of 8 DBC + 3 BMU finish w/28 DBC
  - 6 New Rounds of 6 DBC + 2 BMU finish w/24 DBC
Target Time Construction
- Each movement takes 3.5sec/rep x 120 reps = 7 minutes
- The rest of our workout is transition/rest time
- Example
  - 10 Rounds of 8DBC + 4BMU = 19 transitions
  - If each transition = 10sec = 3:10 + 7:00 DBC/BMU = 10:10
  - If each = 8sec = 2:32 + 7:00 = 9:32

For time:

3 rounds of:

50 double-unders

10 deadlifts, weight 1 (lightest)

2 rounds of:

50 double-unders

10 deadlifts, weight 2

1 round of:

50 double-unders

10 deadlifts, weight 3 (heaviest)

Time cap: 12 minutes

♀ 155, 185, 225 lb (70, 83, 102 kg)

♂ 225, 275, 315 lb (102, 125, 143 kg)

Our Thoughts

Smooth is fast.
Your best score will come from clean, precise execution with no mistakes / trips of the rope.
The athlete who works at rep schemes and paces beyond their limits will do poorly here.
For most, performing quick sets on the deadlifts will lead to smooth, unbroken double unders which is the road to optimal scores.
We foresee some athletes getting to Semi’s who even take quick breaks on their double unders (30-20) if they stay calm and collected, moving with purpose under control.
Begin breaking deads after round 1 - many around you will be going out hot early when the weight is light, let them.
If you have the strength, let’s go unbroken on the final bar.

For time:

1,000-meter row

30 clean and jerks

1,000-meter row

30 strict handstand push-ups

Time cap: 20 minutes

♀ 95 lb (43 kg)

♂ 135 lb (61 kg)

Our Thoughts

Athletes who are challenged by the 30 SHSPU at the end will need to treat this as two separate workouts. Part A: RPE-10 for the two rows and 30CJ as you’re looking for two critical tie-break times after each row to get your very best score. When you get to the wall, each rep you grind out is like 100+ places. Know your rep scheme ahead of time - not taking enough rest will tax your shoulders at which point they may never recover.
Athletes with wheelhouse SHSPU should approach this workout as one that accelerates in speed over time. Spin up quickly to threshold pace on the first row (bit faster than 5k PR pace), perform methodical singles on the C&J, and begin picking up speed on the second row. Every 500m or so the pace should increase. The high heart rate will not matter when we’re upside down so go hard here (at/just under 2k PR pace). Exit the rower and immediately to the wall for an opening set. Steady reps on a clock is one way to approach, the other is by feel. You know yourself best but suggest leaving a little in the tank - you can always go for one big unbroken set last if it feels great (but if you burn early, everything may crumble). Coach Chris can do 30 UB fresh and performed 6-6-5-5-4-4 every 20 seconds while in Z4 in practice.
We’re not sure anyone (at least in the male division) should be doing touch-and-go C&J reps.

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

2026 CrossFit Season Cycle

Chris Boyd — Thu, 25 Sep 2025 18:10:06 GMT

Latest Update

OK! We’re two weeks into January with finalized Open, Quarters, Semifinals, and Games dates set.

This means, for those following the app, expect a laser focus on peaking for CrossFit Quarterfinals the week of March 23. The majority of our athletes will qualify for quarters and several competitors are on the bubble to make Semifinals, so we’ll spend most of our time working on this moment to kickoff 2026.

We’ll break the training into 4 parts:

4 Weeks (1/19 - 2/15) | Open-ish prep with lighter weights and higher intensities

4 Weeks (2/16 - 3/15) | Quarters prep with heavier weights, more complex movements and a 4-day mock competition to finalize prep

10 Days (3/16 - 3/25) | Taper

5 Days (3/26 - 3/30) | Quarterfinals

As a quick note, this means that training for quarterfinals will happen during the 3-week Open. We will program the Open test each Friday but with varying strength / skill work prior and some accessory to follow, ensuring we bank critical training pieces during Open season, which can be challenging if we don’t stay focused. Let’s use each Open test to practice the skill of competing and be a good community member at our local affiliate.

The final Friday of the Open will kick off our Quarterfinals mock which will include 26.3 plus 3-4 other tests to be performed between then and Sunday following. Afterward, we’ll taper our training until Quarters.

For any questions, reach out anytime.

-Chris

Congrats to WZA SoCal Competitors

For those who competed in Huntington Beach, we hope you had a blast. I had the opportunity to also compete and couldn’t have had a better time. The vibes were high and the workouts were tough, making for an excellent weekend.

We’ll carry a bit of this into future program planning (below).

-Chris

…

Looking Ahead

CrossFit did us a solid and released their 2026 season early which contains some fun bits including the final Open announcement taking place at WZA Miami and those on-site athletes performing it as part of the scored competition. Quarterfinals are also back plus a huge bonus for Age Groupers - finally a chance to perform in Semifinals at a live competition, bringing back the Regionals feel for this increasingly growing group. Given this plus the overall sense that athletes are still in qualifying season for 2026 competitions, we’re planning to do the following for our next cycle:

Now thru Oct.26 | General fitness geared toward keeping competitors primed to perform qualifiers in peak condition.
Oct.27 - Jan.11 | Off-Season-ish Cycle
- The modern CrossFit Athlete no longer goes into full off-season mode, but we can bring in elements that help us improve in focused ways across strength, skills, stamina, mobility, and technique while continuing to maintain overall conditioning
Jan.12 - Mar.26 | Full In-Season Mode
- This gives us 6 weeks to fire our engines up for the Open, 8 weeks for those of us planning to compete at WZA Miami, and 10 weeks for Quaterfinalists
- Programming will increase in volume and intensity with a peak for Quarterfinals as we want as many people as possible to experience the chance to compete live in Semifinals

Look for updates to our programming in the app starting as soon as next week that include days with specific priorities (strength, skills, classic CF, etc.) in mind and fewer mixed sessions as we try a few new things learned along the way. As always, keep updating the leaderboards so we can continue to learn and grow together.

-Chris

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

2025 Age Group CrossFit Games

Chris Boyd — Mon, 25 Aug 2025 19:53:19 GMT

Congrats to Sean Patrick

Starting from the end, shout out to Sean on his third year at the CrossFit Games, coming away with a third straight medal. Standing on top the podium is rare, but to do it three consecutive times is quite a special thing not many have or will ever know.

A couple notable things on Sean’s journey this year. This was easily his most challenging climb with lifestyle factors playing a role for the first time (exec taking company to IPO), limiting his ability to train, sleep, and manage stress the way he has in years past. He also faced his toughest set of opponents at the CrossFit Games - 29 beasts that have incredible talents that meant anyone at anytime was a threat which was a bit of a new situation to previous years where we knew the handful to watch for. Last, the programming was by far the most challenging of his career in competition, but he stood tall against it and shined bright.

Sean walked away easily the fittest and most complete an athlete he’s been to date, and if he chooses to continue, there’s no doubt he can continue to climb the ladder of mastery in our sport.

-Chris

…

The Athletes

If you need some inspiration - to see what humans of any age are capable of - come to the Age Group CrossFit Games. We saw 70+ folks complete legless rope climbs, pistols, and muscle-ups smoothly inside hard hitting workouts.

A 14 year old girl clean and jerked TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY POUNDS.

I watched a 14 year old boy win the 7k run (27min and change!) across every division, including the 35-39M which contained 5 Indy Games veterans and several professional runners from the other divs.

Sean had many major milestones, including a 15# PR on his clean and jerk to take the event win at 270#. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him power clean that before..

I definitely came away energized by the future ~ we aren’t destined to age and decline, we just have to choose to pursue growth and do what it takes to resist father time.

The Competition

Going into competition week, I’ll be honest ~ I was not looking forward to the event. Since the separation of Indy from Age Groupers, I had been staunchy opposed to the move and simply stayed in it for the love of helping athletes get to the top.

I have to admit, after experiencing this past weekend on-site, I’ve come full circle and couldn’t agree more with the approach.

The experience for athlete, coach, and family/spectators was head-and-shoulders better than the Madison days.

The event is more intimate and every person there is tuned into what’s going on with their particular athlete, his/her division, and the story that’s unfolding over the events and days. This makes for a super exciting live event experience with loud cheering and horse races where athletes can hear their coach on the field and look-up to see their loved ones cheering them on to get them thru a tough moment.

After seeing it all play out, shout-out to the programming. Things were layed out that definitely found the fittest and allowed for some extremely exciting leaderboard shifts happen live for all of us to see. There were back-and-forth gut punches, athletes trading leads, and huge fails no one saw coming, and even a few come-from-behind stories that all played out for us to appreciate as fans of the sport.

In short, if you have an athlete on the floor, come to the Games and support them live. You’ll have a blast, guaranteed.

Last Bit

OK, so gotta share my proudest coaching moment. It starts back at Sean’s first Games in 2022 in Madison.

Mid-weekend, there’s a 20 Ring Muscle-Up for time workout, 5 minute cap I believe. He’s a rookie but has worked these a bit (he was getting programming from another camp but I coached him live).

He was unable to complete the work while several of his peers performed this unbroken. I remember clearly how unhappy he was standing for the reset while they prepared to hit the next movement series. That one stuck with me as something I wanted to help him improve.

So, we work RMUs more than anyone I know or have seen at his age group. Weeks of progressions, thousands of reps. In fact, I had him do my progressions and hate to admit he’s now better than me (that’s why he’s a 3-time podium guy!) which is borderline unfair =)

Fast forward to Saturday night - 5 rounds of 6 RMU, 9 OHS, 12 BJO and wow did Sean put on a fucking show. Smoothest, tightest muscle-ups across the 45+, possibly entire age group floor. His competitors looked rickety and uncomfortable on the rings where as Sean thrived, moving 6s like they were 2s. The Sean from 2022 would’ve completed 3, maybe 4 rounds. This year’s Sean fought hard, going back and forth with the division leader, getting 2nd on the event, something a guy his size should not be doing with short guy movements.

Its a testament to the work he’s willing to put in, both in the gym doing the work, and outside the gym stretching, mobilizing, and preparing his body to move well when it counts.

I don’t like to take credit for many things an athlete does, but I think I’ll have to take a sliver here for the big turnaround and couldn’t be more proud of the dramatic shift we made. I’m grateful the games brought in more complex, challenging movements to give him a chance to show himself and the world what’s he’s capable of and how we turn weaknesses into strengths with hard work and hustle.

All right, that’s all I’ve got for now, will update as a living doc if more come to mind.

-Chris

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

2025 In-Affiliate Semifinals by The Dark Place

Chris Boyd — Mon, 28 Apr 2025 21:03:27 GMT

Welcome to Semifinals

Congrats to all our Dark Place Athletes who made it to semifinals. You possess fitness that is truly elite. Enjoy this week’s tests and remember how much of a gift it is to be able to move fast and lift heavy like no one else on earth.

This is a living document that will be updated as new information comes our way, so check back as often as you’d like for the latest. Past this paragraph, things will be organized from newest to oldest.

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

…

4.28.25 1:21PM

Prep

Please carefully read through the judging requirements, video process, and other key items to ensure your scores are captured properly without issue
https://games.crossfit.com/article/how-prepare-2025-crossfit-affiliate-semifinals#workouts
Timeline to Compete
- Individual In-Affiliate Semifinals Begin: May 1 at 12 p.m. PT
- Score Submission Deadline: May 4 at 5 p.m. PT
These tests are tough! Mentally, prepare for a really challenging weekend and one that’s a bit unique for online where you may not be capable of retesting due to accumulated fatigue - said another way, approach each test with a one-and-done mindset and execute against your plan like a live comp

Below is a generally recommended schedule. Of course, there are tough judging requirements and personal lives to consider plus your individual strengths, weaknesses, and goals for the week, etc. Use this as a guide but adjust as needed to perform your best and walk away proud when the dust has settled.

Thursday

12:00PM PT

For Time:

30 Snatches

Time cap: 10 minutes

Athletes who can move this load easily will want to capture a top score here. Know your capabilities, step on the gas from rep 1 and balance on the razor’s edge of just enough rest needed to hit the next rep. Any missed reps means an automatic repeat Sunday as every second saved is crucial on the leaderboard
Athletes who can move this load but are at risk of finishing can largely follow the same advice as above, sticking to the pace you know you’re capable of throughout. This will be a mental grind more than a physical one so stick to your work/rest plan and stay aggressive on each rep
Athletes who are challenged with this load should consider the bigger picture. If the testing load is more than 10#-15# above your latest heavy single, consider saving your energy for the other 4 events. If the load is near your heavy single, use the power of your affiliate community and see what you’re capable of during game time. Beautiful things can happen when urgency and community collide during competition.

6:00 PM PT

AMRAP 15

3 Ring Muscle-Ups

3 Back Squat 275/185

30ft Handstand Walk (2x15ft)

*Add 3 reps to RMU and Squat each round

Dark Place Athletes train these movements regularly and we would expect them to perform well here
Regardless of capability, this is a pacer, working just under our threshold - not of our breathing capacity - but our gymnastics and midline capacity which will be challenged throughout
We recommend breaks on all 3 movements after the first few rounds to reduce time under tension and maintain our midlines for the long 15 minute duration
Athletes proficient in one area (RMU/BS/HSW) or the other should still break early and often on their strength areas but spend a little less time between sets. On the movements they find more challenging, spend a little more time between sets recovering. If squats specifically are heavy, move the weight for as many reps as you can while staying fast and springy out of the hole. Avoiding grindy reps until the very end will be key to maintaining smooth pacing throughout.
If we paced this correctly, we’ll have something to push with in the final 2 minutes. This is the time when we can press our limits, finishing out a final set of reps on a movement to get to the next, etc.

Friday

3PM PT

2-2-2-2-2 AMRAP

2 Minutes of Work

1 Minute of Rest

10 Shuttle Runs (2x25ft = 1)

10 Clean & Jerks 135/85

AMRAP Lateral Burpees Over Bar

This test is a classic dark place style workout. Prepare your warmup accordingly with multiple heart rate raising events and a 3-5min cool down before tackling this challenge
There is not alot to game here - Athletes must move fast, recover hard between intervals, and repeat to succeeed
Athletes with a balanced approach to all three movements simply need to spin up to 90% threshold pace and stay there for the duration. In the final interval, empty the tank
Unbroken C&Js is not a must for all athlete types - know yourself and your capabilities and stay within those limits for the first four rounds. Tap-and-go for the bulk then a few singles before the burpees may be a route we see some take.
Sample pacing / round:
- 16-17 Burpees (:40 Run + :05 + :40 CJ + :02 + :02/Burpee)
- 21-22 Burpees (:35 Run + :05 + :35 CJ + :02 + :02/Burpee)
- 26-27 Burpees (:30 Run + :05 + :30 CJ + :02 + :02/Burpee)

Saturday

12PM PT

For Time:

20-18-16-14-12-10-8-6-4-2

Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunge 70/50

GHD Sit-Ups

Time Cap: 20 Minutes

All Athletes will need a pacing schedule regardless of capability as this test will compound fatigue across similar muscle groups as it progresses
Athletes proficient and confident in their overhead should take make moves in this particular test, using the GHD sit-ups as their recovery/pacing movement
Athletes who believe their overhead may breakdown should pace this movement early and rest the shoulders early to avoid a burnout situation mid-way into the test

Sunday

10AM PT

AMRAP 30

1000m Row

30 Toes to Bar

6 Rope Climb

This test is right up our alley, pointing toward our long EMOM 40 pieces with machines and skills
Athletes will balanced capability across all 3 movements simply need to work at threshold pace with a goal of stopping/breaking as little as possible. Small breaks on the gymnastics are good, big long rests are not.
Strong rowers should push the pace but not by more than +5% as rowing for meters does not put out like calories, so let’s save some of that energy for the other movements unless we’re on the rower for the final minute/seconds
All rowers should consider a lower damper to save the grip
Athletes at this stage should be able to handle the T2B in 2-3 sets with minimal breaks. On the rope climb, keep a hand on the rope to keep your body on the movement with limited rest. Slow and steady reps will win out against 2-3 fast followed by big rest intervals
Sample pacing / round:
- 5 Rounds = 6 Minutes Per
  - (1:40/500m Row + 16/14 T2B + 14sec/RC + transitions)
- 4 Rounds = 7.5 Minutes Per
  - (1:50/500m Row + 12/10/8 T2B + 22sec/RC + transitions)

Sunday PM

Retests

Athletes who feel they left something in the tank on a particular workout and have some gas left in their tank after a tough weekend of testing should absolutely re-test
Re-testing is a great tool to update plans and try to improve as an athlete
If you are Games bound or on the bubble (or aspire to be one day), you may need to retest regardless of fatigue level
For most athletes, retesting a wheelhouse likely provides the best return on effort if you missed a rep or feel you had more to give.
For others, it might be a damage-control test you feel you could improve on slightly as every rep counts
Middle-of-the-road tests should be avoided, leave it where it is

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

2025 Age Group Semifinals by The Dark Place

Chris Boyd — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 21:07:57 GMT

Closeout

Once again, congrats to all competing athletes! We saw some amazing feats of fitness, multiple PRs, and some grit that is rare in this world. Walking away proud knowing you gave your best effort is an unbeatable feeling, well done to all.

Special shout-out to 1:1 Athlete Sean Patrick who is going back to the CrossFit Games for his third tour where we hope to add some hardware to his collection (1st in 2022, 2nd in 2023).

Welcome to Semifinals

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

…

3.31.25 6:04PM

Schedule & Strategy

Below is the ideal schedule in a vacuum, but of course, there are tough judging requirements and personal lives to consider so defer to your affiliate and their outline as needed

Thursday PM

For Time:

30 Snatches

Time cap: 10 minutes

Athletes who can move this load easily will want to capture a top score here. Know your capabilities, step on the gas from rep 1 and balance on the razor’s edge of just enough rest needed to hit the next rep. Any missed reps means an automatic repeat Sunday as every second saved is crucial on the leaderboard
Athletes who can move this load but do not expect to finish under the cap can largely follow the same advice as above, sticking to the pace you know you’re capable of throughout. This will be a mental grind more than a physical one to stick to your work/rest plan for ten entire minutes
Athletes who are challenged with this load should consider the bigger picture. If you’re more than 10# above your 1RM, one snatch high pull and done is your best bet. Save your energy to crush the remaining 4 tests. If you’re on/around 10# of your 1RM, use the power of your affiliate community and see what you’re capable of during game time. Beautiful things can happen when urgency and community collide during competition.

150ft Dumbbell Overhead Walking Lunge

50 Alternating Dumbbell Snatches

50 Box Jump Overs

Time cap: 7 minutes

Dark Place trained athletes are positioned well to perform on this test at an all-out pace from 3-2-1 go
Athletes with exceptional overhead strength and stamina should switch every 4-5 lengths on the OHL
Athletes who need to manage their overhead should switch the OHL every 15ft section
Athletes with exceptional snatch/hinging stamina should expect to go unbroken on this effort, breathing at the top of every arm switch which we recommend doing overhead
Athletes who see 50 DBS and know they must break should look to do so once / no more than twice (30/20 or 20/15/15) with very limited rest between sets (2-3 breaths max)
On the BJO, regardless of capability, should think about the final 50 reps in 3 stages:
- 1-15 recovery pace
- 16-30 ramping up pace
- 31-50 burn it down
Athletes who are more proficient will use a faster recovery and ramping pace, of course, but the same 3-tier strategy remains

Friday AM

AMRAP 10

1 Clean

1 Bar Muscle-Up

*Add 1 rep to each movement after each round

This test is high power output for an extended period of time and is our sleeper pick for one of the more spicy tests
Overall, Athletes who are moving more than they are resting will score well over athletes taking big sets followed by big rest
Athletes proficient with both movements may face a big mental challenge more than physical. Spend time planning a work/rest schedule and have your coach/friend hold you to it to prevent blowing up early. A steady pace as volume collects is one that will produce your best results.
Athletes who struggle with 1 of the 2 movements will need to pace their strength a bit more than usual to provide a big fresher body and lungs to tackle their more difficult movement. Smaller sets with planned rest will win out here.
Some math for pacing
- 8Rds + 16 Reps
  - 6sec/rep avg with 4sec transitions
  - 3sec cleans and 9sec bar muscle-ups
- 7Rds + 15 Reps
  - 7.5sec/rep avg with 4sec transitions
  - 5sec cleans and 10sec bar muscle-ups
Look back at 25.2 for your BMU pacing & 25.3 for clean pacing, both of which should be close markers for what to expect in this test

Friday PM

60/75cal Row

21 Shoulder to Overhead (weight 1)

60/75cal Row

15 Shoulder to Overhead (weight 2)

60/75cal Row

9 Shoulder to Overhead (weight 3)

Time Cap: 20 Minutes

This test is based on your ability to move the final weight
Athletes who can move the final weight easily will need to push hard from 3-2-1 go, treating this like a classic threshold test, spinning up to just under redline and holding it for the duration. One quick break each on the 21/15 bars to catch your breath is fine. You are expected to go unbroken on the final 9. Empty the tank and make yourself proud
Athletes who can move the final weight but will need multiple sets to finish should be prepared for a two part test mentality. Part 1 is the first two rows and first two barbells - treat this like a classic threshold test, moving at just under redline throughout. 1 break on each barbell is OK. Part 2 is the final row and final barbell. The last row is a pyramid where you spin up and accelerate until you reach the top (20-25 cals remaining) at which point you will dial back your pace to recover and prepare yourself for the final bar. On the final bar, we’re looking for smooth sets that ride the edge of your capability. At this point, its likely 50-60% of what you’re capable of fresh (e.g. 6 reps fresh is probably 3, maybe 4 in your fatigued state at best). We want clean movement, avoiding costly no-reps to nail our best possible score.
Athletes who are unable/unlikely to move the final weight need to consider the scorecard and accelerate through this test with the goal of hitting the final tiebreak time as quickly as possible at the end of the last row.

Saturday PM

3 Rounds for Time:

30ft Handstand Walk (2x15)

30 Pull-Ups

30 Lateral Burpees over Dumbbell

30 Toes to Bar

Time Cap: 20 Minutes

All Athletes will need a pacing schedule regardless of capability as this test will compound fatigue across similar muscle groups as it progresses
Athletes proficient in all listed movements should consider the overall idea of pacing the first at RPE-7, grinding the second at RPE-8, and progressively emptying the tank on your final RPE-9 into 10
Most Athletes will fall into the category of having some movements they find proficient and others that are a bit challenging. Plan your reps/sets/rest schedule in ways that pushes the pace on wheelhouses while putting some additional rest time in prior to your weakness movement. e.g. HSWs are a challenge but excellent pulling - slow and steady on the HSW itself, push the pull-ups, standard target pace on burpees, and consider pushing the first 15 T2B, then backing off significantly on the final 15 to allow for a smoother HSW experience.
Athletes who will find the HSW standard a challenge should focus on getting as many reps as possible and plan a smooth/steady pace on the other movements (RPE-6 or 7).

Sunday PM

Retest

Athletes who feel they left something in the tank on a particular workout should absolutely re-test.
Re-testing is a great tool to update plans and try to improve as an athlete
If you are Games bound or on the bubble (or aspire to be one day), this is non-negotiable (for scoring and for your mental fortitude)
For most athletes, retesting a wheelhouse likely provides the best return on effort if you missed a rep or feel you had more to give.
For others, it might be a damage-control test you feel you could improve on slightly
Middle-of-the-road tests are the last for re-test consideration and should be considered done-and-done

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

New Training Cycle

Chris Boyd — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 21:41:56 GMT

003

The close of the Open signals the beginning of the next stage of our in-season training, cycle 003, where we’ll remain in competition shape while building our volume, complexity, and loading to get us ready for whatever is on your list for the spring/summer (ie live competition, etc.).

We have our Semifinalist and Games athletes on 1:1 tracks (if you’d like to be coached individually, please reach out), so we’ll proceed with programming for the online crew that allows us to continue gaining all around fitness and capabilities while still working on some of our weaknesses a few days a week.

For those who want to hit an off-season 90d program to focus on strength and skills improvement, check out ours here.

Highlights

Overall, we want our athletes prepared to take on any fitness challenge they desire so we’re going to be “on-and-ready” in our training.

Mondays - Look for Clean/C&J work, Front Squat strength and muscle-endurance efforts, followed by faster, lighter weight metcons and mixed accessory.

Tuesdays - Opportunities to advance our gymnastics skills in a variety of heart rate environments (isolated, full rest; zone2 easy; fatigued) with bodybuilding focused accessory.

Wednesdays - We’ll keep our hinging and pressing movements sharp, as well as power based oly with interval based metcons and core focused accessory.

Thursdays - Focused on active recovery thru zone 2 work plus an added emphasis on time spent stretching and mobilizing to prepare our bodies to hit the last two training days of the week with intensity while maintaining quality movement patterns.

Fridays - We will squat heavy, continue moving our snatch forward, and do a little work on our overhead squat. Metcons will be semi-finals-esque meaning complex, heavy, and difficult, meant to prepare us for whatever comes this season. Let’s treat them as mini-competition style tests to ensure we keep the axe sharp. Accessory will vary.

Saturdays - Another opportunity to work on our skills plus some long cardio work to round out our training. Accessory will vary here as well.

Sundays - We recommend getting outside the gym and recovering in full or taking light active recovery. Do what you need/want to walk into next week feeling refreshed and ready to tackle training.

See you on the hustle-up app,

-Chris

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

full details on main site

2025 CrossFit Open by The Dark Place

Chris Boyd — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 21:45:01 GMT

Closeout

This year’s Open is a wrap! Congrats to all the athletes who gave full effort, got into that dark place + came out the other side better and stronger, and learned something new about themselves and are excited for their fitness future as a result.

Also, a big congrats to all our folks moving onto the next stage.

For those that did not move on, remember why you started this season and remember your effort and planning is all you can control. Many variables were outside our control this year (drop in registration, unbalanced tests, etc.) but its important to remember we were in control of what we could control and performed to our full capability. If we did that, we won.

Please take this week to recover, reflect, and do something fun, inside but preferably, outside the gym.

We’ll start a fresh cycle next week that we’ll detail a bit later in the week.

Congrats and speak soon,
Chris

Start Here

This is my 13th year competing and while not the first coaching high level athletes, it is the first time I’ve put thoughts together for a wide audience to view, share, and hopefully + perform their best from.

This a living document that will be updated as new information comes our way (workout release, testing videos from pros on youtube, live athlete feedback, etc), so check back as often as you’d like for the latest. Past this paragraph, things will be organized from newest to oldest. To each of our athletes, I wish you the very best outcomes possible this Open season - you’ve put in the work, now its time to show it!

25.3

For time:

5 wall walks
50-calorie row
5 wall walks
25 deadlifts 225/155
5 wall walks
25 cleans 135/85
5 wall walks
25 snatches 95/65
5 wall walks
50-calorie row

Time cap: 20 minutes

3/16 4:32pm PT

For athletes retesting tomorrow who are on the bubble to make semi’s, I feel you and am with you (sitting ~150 places outside looking in).

The bad news is for many divisions, we’re not seeing as many scores posted early so its a bit difficult to nail down the time needed to punch your ticket.

The good news is that, for most, there is a ton of time to makeup here with transitions and logistics aside from fitness. We’re seeing athletes start with 08 transitions and end with up to 15 seconds transitioning between movements. Clean this up and give yourself 08 on the non-rower related and 10 on the rower and you’re already likely saving 20-40 seconds.

On the fitness side, we saw diligent barbell work at the deadlift, some dropoff of discipline on the clean, and folks losing it on the snatches. There is no way around increasing the pain as we go to get a better score and for many, its going to come down to performing snatches in sets great than 1-2. Dig deep and find ways to do 3-5s each time with two big breaths in between. Use your legs on the return so your back is not quite as lit up and remember how strong you are and how light this weight is to keep your spirits up as you crush these.

We don’t recommend anything but singles on cleans for the men. Women are finding the weights lighter and their bars bouncing around a bit more, so sets of 3-5 work here. In both cases, stay disciplined following the bar back down and bringing it right back up to the shoulder. Those who hesitate lose 30-90 seconds here as it adds up fast.

Finally, for those who have no issues with 25 wall walk level volume, you need to push these when fatigued. Many took breaks because of your lungs but your shoulders can not and will not fail, so get to work and finish these so you can get onto the other work ahead. Time on the floor here is time lost.

Everyone rowed intelligently, so keep at it, no changes here, just some clean-up between them.

Walk away making yourself proud of your effort.

See you one last time on the leaderboard,

Chris

3/13 1:44pm PT

For our semi-finals bubble athletes, we did not see movements or loads show up this week that will really help us create separation from the field. That means we’ll need to get into the dark place quickly and endure for 10+ minutes to punch our ticket to the next stage. Your training has set you up to do so, so we’ve got this.

On its face, given we move light to moderate weights quickly, row often, and are good on our hands against the wall, there should be nothing in our way from constantly moving in 25.3.

Spin up quickly to just under threshold pace and hold RPE-8. Once you’re past the 25 cleans, let’s begin to speed up a bit if we can. Grind those snatches into sets for as long as possible, dropping to singles as needed so long as we’re diligent following the bar down to the floor. Again, grind those final 5 wall walks then get to the row ready to empty the tank.

Small sets on the barbell with quick rest is likely the best bet for most, but if you’re an athlete who wants to take big bites (e.g. 15/10 DL), go for it so long as you can maintain your target pace and not be blown up.

Keep your wall walks fast and efficient, taking as few steps to and from the wall as possible. Slide down the wall as your hands race to the front tape to reduce time under tension as well.

On the final row, think about phases:

0-10 cals: Gaining your composure, spinning up to RPE-8

11-30 cals: These is your most important work and where you really need to focus. Everyone will be pulling hard in the last phase, but many will ease up here. Focus in here and hit this at RPE-9 to gain an advantage.

31-50 cals: Drop the hammer and give it everything you’ve got.

Finally, mind your transitions as there are 9 of them which can add up if we’re not diligent with our equipment placement (reco the wall at center, and your bar on one side with rower on other) and hustle between movements.

More notes as more data and feedback come in.

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

25.2

For Time:

21 Pull-Ups

42 Double Unders

21 Thrusters 95/65

18 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups

36 Double Unders

18 Thrusters 115/75

15 Bar Muscle-Ups

30 Double Unders

15 Thrusters 135/95

Time Cap: 12 Minutes

full details on main site

3/12 10:39am PT

A few days after the dust as has settled, a quick one. Many of you mentioned retesting Monday and not improving on Friday’s score. This is not out of the ordinary. Its a tough test to re-do after only a few days off due to its high power output requirements so don’t get down on yourself.

Also, many of you reported crushing your 2022 score (despite the bad Monday retest)! This is a huge accomplishment and should be the headline you’re replaying in your mind about wins and takeaways from last week.

Ok, that’s it - focus up on the final test of the Open.

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

3/10 10:34am PT

We’re seeing some of the same themes from 2022 but also some new themes as well.

The same themes are for the intermediate athlete with BMU being the separator, requiring a race to that point to grab the tie-break time as well as for the elites pushing the pedal to the absolute metal where placement of equipment, clean dubs, and fast barbell cycling take center stage.

The new theme are mostly for top athletes leaned toward masters who have experience in the sport, move well, and are coming into this 3 years older with a previous all-time best level of fitness and score. We’re seeing some drop-off in times from years past which shouldn’t be a downer if this is you, but just the realization that age is a factor and you’re hopefully now in a higher age group (or about to go into one) and still ahead of the overall curve.

For all athletes retesting today, we salute you. May your times be better, your body more adapted and prepared, and your mind more capable and willing to step into the dark place with a test that gets worse the more fit and able you are.

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

3/6 4:40pm PT

25.2 is a repeat and for most of our athletes, one that they remember well. We are trained for fran-ish Open workouts and this one is no different.

For everyone, we recommend a really thorough warm-up that really gets the heart rate pumping before 3-2-1 go. Aside, we’ve broken down 3 types of athletes and some words of advice on how to crush.

For the firebreathers who have it all, this one comes down to pushing hard from the first rep, getting into the dark place and staying there until the final thruster. All gas, no brakes.

For athlete’s with the Fran engine but have a limitation (either the BMU or the heavy Thruster), we advise coming out of the gates at RPE-8 so you have something in the tank for the late-stage movement. For that tough movement, try to keep your sets small and more than singles for as long as possible. Of course, if singles is all you have at that point, stay disciplined on your work/rest.

For athlete’s who aren’t limited by complexity or weight but have trouble with the lungs Fran-ish work requires, really don’t skip that long warm-up with appropriate high heart rate work prior to keep from spiking during the test. Then, we recommend working out a really disciplined work/rest schedule focused on small sets across to ensure you’re moving right at your maximum sustainable pace without redlining.

You’re trained for this one, now show ‘em!

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

25.1

AMRAP 15

3 Lateral Burpees over DB

3 DB Hang Clean & Jerk 50/35

30ft (2x15) Bodyweight Lunge

*add 3 reps to the burpees and hcj after each round

full details on main site

3/5 1:35pm PT

25.1 is a wrap! We hope your second go-round brought you more reps. I believe every athlete of ours did it a second time and improved their score. For some (me included), cleaning up the lunges from 5 steps to 4 was a huge time savings (:04 per round) that added up to more burpees in the round of 27. Last interesting thing, Friday was lungy where as Monday was muscle fatigue as the limiting factor. We saw the dumbbell being tougher to move (more effort a quick break vs. unbroken Friday) and burpees that, when they were fatigued, broke down quickly and stayed a bit slower than Friday. If this was you, consider that for the rest of the Open and plan your attempts accordingly. OK, onto week 2!

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

3/2 1:11pm PT

OK we now have quite a bit of data, observed live testing, and I’ve done the workout myself once so far. All said, this is a burpee density test. We’re seeing athletes slow down a bit on their burpees starting on the 15s and those who don’t have a pacing plan, coach, or way to check-in throughout the workout on this pace, fall into the trap of increasingly slow burpees which is dragging their scores down.

For re-testers, we recommend setting a pace and getting some help from someone to help you hold that pace. Your body will have adapted to the work and with a little help, we’re confident you can definitely improve.

For the dumbbell, the more you can do on the same arm, the faster. Knowing this, switch when you have to to keep from putting it down. We saw athletes switched every 3 toward the end while starting with 5-9s early.

On the lunge, if you’re performing 1/2 lunges to get to the end lines each time, play with taking longer steps from the start. If you can get 5 steps down to 4 or 6 to 5, you’ll save some extra work and bank some time you can use in your final moments for additional reps.

Finally, some pacing numbers to consider:

Finish 27s:

Rd 2: 1:15
Rd 4: 3:30 - 3:45
Rd 6: 7:15 - 7:25
Rd 8: 12:10 - 12:30

Finish Burpees on 27s:

Rd 2: 1:30
Rd 4: 4:10 - 4:20
Rd 6: 8:00 - 8:20
Rd 8: 13:45 - 13:55

Finish Round of 24s:

Rd 2: 1:40
Rd 4: 4:10 - 4:20
Rd 6: 8:20 - 8:40
Rd 8: 15:00

See you on the leaderboard,

Chris

2/27, 1:26pm PT

We are well trained and should be prepared to crush this classic threshold style test.

Most Athletes will perform best by spinning up quickly to their 90% pace, just under redline, and hold it for the duration, emptying the tank with 2-3 minute remaining. Delaying the suck until minute 9-10 likely means you paced this correctly.

The workout stops when you stop, so the key is to keep moving at all costs.

Lateral Burpees - we’ve trained multiple weeks on maintaining a target pace on our burpees. Use this training as a guide and think about the burpee in this test being your gas or brake, used to determine how fast you go based on how you feel. Its the only movement you can really push the pace on and the only movement I advise backing off on if you get into some trouble. Unless you’re challenging pro scores, you’ll want to minimally step-up (with the foot farthest away from the DB) on each rep, staying low on the hop over. Play with the step back as well in the early rounds to establish pace.

DB Hang Clean & Jerk - we’ve played with these (as recently as yesterday!) on long EMOM days in case it came up. The main difference over the more common DBS is a bit more time under tension/grippy and for more, a little longer cycle time so keep this in mind as you pace this out. We saw alternating vs. several reps on one arm. Ultimately, this is up to you and your comfort level. My recommendation to generally strong and fit athletes is to perform as many on a single arm as possible until you’re about 3 reps from burnout, then switch to the other arm. I would expect all my athletes to perform these unbroken, switching as many times as it takes. IMPORTANT - you can get the first rep off the floor straight into a clean and jerk, no pause at the hang needed, so take advantage of that.

Lunge - this is as simple as it gets. Move methodically without urgency, the work will get done in 14-16 seconds regardless so let’s use this to catch our breath before going back into the fire. Remember to stand tall at the top of each lunge to avoid a costly no-rep which requires repeating the entire 15ft length.

Example Pace / Score

295-300 Reps | 9 Rounds + some Burpees

2.5 Second Burpees
2.5 Second HCJs
15 Seconds to complete 30ft Lunges
3 Second Breaks between Movements

260-265 Reps | 8 Rounds + Burpees + some HCJ

3 Second Burpees
3 Second HCJs
15 Seconds to complete 30ft Lunges
3 Second Breaks between Movements

I’ll have more to share after more folks post online and our local crew gives it a go Friday 3pm PT.

Look for your app to refresh with Friday warm-up,primer, cooldown, and weekend work soon.

-Chris

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

The CrossFit Open is Here

Chris Boyd — Sun, 23 Feb 2025 19:09:41 GMT

Competition Season Kickoff

Here we go, Athletes! Our competition season is officially about to kickoff with the start of the CrossFit Open this coming week. Regardless of where you are and what your goals for this first stage look like, we’re excited to see you express your fitness after months of hard work in the gym. You’re fit, you’re trained and you’re ready - now its time to show the world.

What to Expect

The Open lasts 3 weeks, starting with initial release of 25.1 this Thursday Feb.27 thru the Monday deadlines for 25.3 on Mar.17.

Here’s what to expect:

We’ll perform each Open test twice
First go - Friday
Last one - Monday
Every Thursday night, we’ll update your app with a brief on the test that contains everything you need to be successful for your Friday effort including, strategy, warm-up, primer, and cooldown.
Expect some light programming over the weekend we advise doing by feel with the expectation that we want you recovered and hungry to tackle Monday’s retest and avoiding overtraining on Sat/Sun.
By Sunday night, we’ll populate the week ahead, including any updated tips/tricks for your Monday retest to set you up for maximum success.
During the week, expect programming that gives athletes choice, all focused around keeping the axe sharp. Remember, the work is done and you’re as fit as you’re going to get for the Open tests. While we test, the best we can do is keep your strength maintained, your skills sharp, and your ability to perform at high intensity given a brief reminder here and there.

Need help?

If you need a little more hands-on coaching or assistance, give us a shout at enter@thedarkplace.co and we’ll be happy to jump in.

Ready to Train?

Our results based competitor program rooted in what propelled multiple CrossFit Games athletes onto the podium is ready for you. 14-day free trial via the link below.

New!

For those not quite ready to take the full plunge, we have a bare-bones free program to checkout.

Try the Free Version

See you on the app,

Chris

In-Season Kickoff

Chris Boyd — Sun, 22 Dec 2024 20:11:39 GMT

Off-Season Recap

Congrats to the athletes who just finished up our abbreviated (due to HQ’s latest schedule update here) off-season program! We hope you performed well in this past week’s tests and are resting up before we head into our next training phase. As a quick recap, programming was structured to build foundational strength, baseline skills key to CrossFit competition, and aerobic capacity. We also provided a few opportunities a week to stay mentally and physically sharp with challenging metcons that we would consider dark place worthy.

In-Season Kickoff

December 23 marks the start of our in-season cycle, 12 weeks in length that takes us through the conclusion of the CrossFit Open. Our collective goal is to equip you as best we can in order to advance to the later rounds of the Games season. Athletes can anticipate a general upswing in volume, intensity, and classic CrossFit metcons as a result.

Structure

The training structure will breakdown as follows:

6 Weeks to Build
3 Weeks to Prime
3 Weeks to Compete

Our building phase will continue to level-up athlete strength, core skills, and aerobic capacity with some added metcon volume and intensity as we transition into competition mode.

Three weeks out from the Open, we’ll focus moreso on high intensity metcons and revisit past Open, Quarter, and Semi’s tests to get reacquainted with classic online competing. We’ll also practice the skill of preparing fields of play, cameras, recordings, etc.

For the three weeks of the CrossFit Open, you’ll be handed a playbook and programming to do your very best in each week’s test. More details to come as we approach.

Next Six Weeks

Mondays will focus on the Clean and Jerk. We’ll work the movements separately from a strength and technique building perspective before bringing them together as one lift. Metcons will have some barbell involved as well, typically skewing on the heavier side. Sessions will end with mono-structural conditioning.

Tuesdays will keep moving core skills forward including Muscle-Ups, Handstand Push-Ups, and related movements in order to prepare them for competition metcons later in the cycle. Aerobic capacity building (Zone 2) in combination with functional accessory closes out this day that we want athletes leaving feeling fresh and ready for a challenging Wednesday.

The middle of our week has something for everyone. Athletes have barbell cycling, deadlift positional strength building, and multiple opportunites to build muscle stamina on this day. Metcons will also be offered plus accessory that builds pulling and core strength.

Thursdays will continue to be an active recovery day with the ultimate goal is walking into Friday feeling strong, pain free, and ready to work.

Fridays will continue with our foundational strength building backsquat program. Snatching will pivot into speed ladders and practicing heavy lifts under increasingly small amounts of rest. Additionally, we’ll introduce some stamina building on chest to bar pull-ups or toes to bar to prepare ourselves for these inevitable Open movements come game time. Metcons will be on the lighter weighted side that forces athletes to move fast. Accessory will be core focused.

Saturday is our last working day of the week that will continue our handstand push-up progression, introduce some power snatch cycling work, and a longer, grindy metcon aligned to common time domains and movements seen in the Open. We’ll also perform some VO2 max work on machines that vary over the cycle.

On Sundays we ask athletes to stay out of the gym and take a full day of rest and recovery so that we feel ready for the upcoming week’s work.

Need help?

If you’re unsure about some of these pivots or need something the general online program isn’t offfering, please reach out and we’ll try to help.

Ready to Train?

Our results based competitor program rooted in what propelled multiple CrossFit Games athletes onto the podium is ready for you. 14-day free trial via the link below.

New!

For those not quite ready to take the full plunge, we have a bare-bones free program to checkout.

Try the Free Version

See you on the app,

Chris

Update to Online Programming

Chris Boyd — Sun, 24 Nov 2024 22:37:26 GMT

2025 CrossFit Season

HQ just released their updates to the 2025 season (here) and this does change our journey for nearly everyone at The Dark Place. We’ll quickly provide some updates on how this affects various competitors. (for more about us, go here).

Impact

Our kickoff cycle was initially planned for 12 weeks of off-season style training. Now that the Open is a much bigger jumping off point for the majority of athletes, we will cut the off-season in half to just six weeks in length. Further, look for some some minor updates to off-season training here and there that have the Open in mind while we continue to build strength and foundational skills.

Starting December 23, we’ll kickoff a fresh in-season cycle, 12 weeks in length, that prepares us for the Open with the goal of advancement to later rounds. This pivot is essential for Semi-finals hopefuls and all around athletes who want to do their very best during the CrossFit Open. Look for more details just before this cycle drops.

What about Games Athletes?

For our Games Athletes, we don’t see a ton of immediate impacts to your season. We’ll prepare a mini-peak for the Open in a way that doesn’t intefere with core training.

For Games Athletes who will need to do their best at Semi’s, we’ll prepare a more aggressive scheduled post-Open that prepares you for that moment so your ticket to the big show is punched.

For Games Athletes that are a ‘shoe-in,’ we’ll have you ready but keep your long-haul plans in mind so your one and only peak of the year hits during competition time in August.

Unsure where you fit?

If you’re uncertain what these changes mean for you and your season or need some help navigating next steps, we’re here to help.

Ready to Train?

Our results based competitor program rooted in what propelled multiple CrossFit Games athletes onto the podium is ready for you. 14-day free trial via the link below.

See you on the app,

Chris

Online Programming is Live!

Chris Boyd — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 21:55:23 GMT

Overview

Welcome to The Dark Place and the launch of our first online program geared toward dedicated competitors. For more about us, go here.

Our first cycle is 12 weeks long containing two 6 week blocks with an off-season theme.

Free for 14-Days

When we say ‘off-season,’ we mean a shift in focus away from CrossFit metcons as the core of our program and spending the bulk of our energy on foundational strength, skills, muscle endurance, and aerobic capacity building. These areas are key to your long-term success and the sooner we can start here, the better your performance will be down the road.

Oh and not to worry, high intensity metcons with opportunities to visit The Dark Place will present themselves weekly. =)

Breakdown

Now that we have the broad strokes, let’s deep dive into block 1 and the next six weeks of programming.

Mondays will focus on upper and lower foundational strength building (lifts and accessory) plus a high intensity metcon designed to give athletes an opportunity to step inside The Dark Place. Regular exposure to a rewarding-yet-painful place is the cornerstone of our philosophy and find that it keeps both mind and body grounded and attentive on the goals we’ve set for ourselves. You’ll hear more about The Dark Place in the coming weeks and months ahead.

Tuesdays are all about gymnastics pushing and pulling. We'll sharpen our skills here while building strength and muscular endurance followed by pace and quality pieces designed to provide some aerobic capacity building at target heart rates while continuing to work on our gymnastics and accessory work elements.

On Wednesdays, we develop power, speed, and coordination in a variety of explosive ways. We'll additionally hit some foundational lower body strength followed by a high intensity metcon, finishing with core accessory work.

Thursdays are an active recovery day. We'll offer multiple options to choose from. The objective is to walk into Friday feeling fresh and ready for the remainder of the week's training.

Fridays are for refining and advancing our Muscle-Ups and Snatch technique. Metcons will be on the longer side at moderate levels of intensity that may or may not involve a trip to The Dark Place. Accessory will support our Muscle-Up and Snatch focuses throughout.

Our Saturdays, we close out the training week with a day heavily geared toward working on our needed areas of improvement. Metcons will be moderately intense and longer, using Mikko's Triangle as inspiration as we build interval capacity on machines throughout the block.

Pro-tip: We recognize this a general program and we do not know your individual strengths and weaknesses. But you do. Please prioritize working your weaknesses, even if they are not specifically covered on a particular Saturday. Your time is best spent on those rough spots to achieve your best results down the line. If you’re still not sure what to do, give us a shout.

And finally, Sundays are all about our recovery and reset. Go by feel and determine if a full rest day or an active recovery day is best in order to be at our very best for next week's training. We'll provide a variety of options should you choose an active approach.

Ready to Train?

Our results based competitor program rooted in what propelled multiple CrossFit Games athletes onto the podium is ready for you. 14-day free trial via the link below.

See you on the app,

Chris

We Seek The Dedicated.

Chris Boyd — Thu, 24 Oct 2024 18:56:23 GMT

We seek the Dedicated.

The Fighters.

The Battlers.

The Fire Breathers.

We want the Relentless.

The real ones who go against the grain.

The gritty types who just won’t quit.

The no excuses crowd.

We train Competitors.

Those willing to do what it takes to get what they want.

The brave who willingly do hard things.

The bold with big, audacious dreams.

This is your sign.

Your beacon.

Your guidepost.

Your new home for growth, guidance, and support.

For the dedicated looking to level-up, we invite you into The Dark Place.

We exist to help competitors achieve their wildest dreams in the sport of fitness and in life.