Strong Season is Coming

Strong Season is Coming

Building Up for the Big Day: Competition Prep and Skill Development

With our in-house weightlifting competition on the horizon, it’s time to get laser-focused and bring all our hard work together for a solid month of training. Expect to see a fresh approach to your sessions that’s specifically designed to refine your Olympic lifts, dial in technique, and build confidence, whether you’re a seasoned lifter or trying these movements out for the first time.

A Clear Path to Progress

As we transition out of a high-volume strength phase, you’ll start noticing a shift towards honing explosive power and perfecting the mechanics of your snatch and clean & jerk. Gone are the days of heavy pre-fatigue! We’re stripping back the complex pairings to let you focus on each component lift in a standalone setting. This means fewer distractions and more opportunity to really understand where your sticking points are—and how to overcome them.

You’ll also see an emphasis on accumulating positional strength, using controlled tempo work to ensure every phase of your lift is rock solid. This is the perfect time to fine-tune your movement patterns, build confidence under the bar, and solidify your lifting foundations.

A New Challenge Each Week

To keep it engaging, each week will feature a different focus that ties directly into what you’ll need to perform your best on comp day. Expect technique-specific drills and mini-ladders to mimic the event format, giving you the chance to practise choosing weights, managing fatigue, and making tactical decisions on your attempts.

Competition Day Prep

On the day of the competition, we’ll be starting with a comprehensive check-in and briefing so that everyone is clear on how the event will run. You’ll also receive a guided warm-up tailored to your needs, with suggested opening weights, technique cues, and individual goals for each lifter to set you up for success. We want everyone to feel prepared, supported, and excited to get out there and give it their best shot!

Remember: We’re grouping participants into categories based on ability level, so when you sign up, be sure to submit your goal 1-rep max snatch and clean & jerk (in kgs). This helps us create balanced groups where everyone, regardless of experience or strength, has a fair shot to challenge themselves and have fun. It’s not just about lifting the heaviest—our focus is on progress, personal achievements, and celebrating every effort.

What’s Coming Up This Month

CrossFit Programming:

• Competition Prep Sessions: Expect a mix of power and skill-focused sessions that build confidence in Olympic lifts.
• Volume Building: We're still CrossFit, so expect some twists on the traditional methods to get those reps in.
• Classic CrossFit: I've picked out a couple of hero workouts to keep that fitness up, as well as an open repeat and a traditional benchmark to look forward to. We'll be keeping workouts on the longer side this month to keep our energy stores high for the demands of the increased weightlifting focus.

Olympic Weightlifting:

• Technique Emphasis: Week by week, we’ll be layering in technical complexity to sharpen your lifts.
• Max Effort Days: You’ll get the chance to hit new 2-rep maxes leading up to comp day, making sure you feel comfortable and strong under heavy loads.
• Mock Competition Rounds: Practise choosing attempts and making strategic jumps to get used to the format we’ll be using on the big day.

Build:

• 1-Rep Max Back Squat & Push Press: We’re shifting from high volume to max effort, so get ready to see some big strength gains!
• Positional Strength Work: Tempo deadlifts, holds and presses to build that crucial shoulder and hip strength needed to hit new personal bests.

Gymnastics:

• Strict High Volume: High-rep sets of strict movements to solidify your base before layering in more dynamic skills. All basic upper body patterns are being addressed this month so you can expect all-round gains.
• Handstand Holds: Stripping it back to basics to develop the handstand hold as much as we can. Who's got the longest hold in the gym?

Event Spotlight: The Saturday Comp

On Saturday, 26th October, the gym will be buzzing with energy as we host the big event, replacing all but the 8am class to create a dedicated competition environment. Whether you’re lifting or cheering, make sure to be there—this is going to be an epic celebration of the hard work you’ve put in all month long.

Our goal? To make this a day where everyone feels like a winner. With a community-driven atmosphere, we want every lifter to walk away proud of what they’ve achieved, regardless of numbers on the bar. So, let’s get after it, train hard, and show up ready to lift each other up—both on and off the platform!

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