Conquer CrossFit Blog

Functional Fitness Tips, CrossFit News, & More

Understanding the importance of Fatigue for Masters CrossFit Athletes

For Masters athletes in CrossFit, understanding fatigue is crucial for navigating the fine line between progress and potential setbacks. In strength and conditioning, fatigue isn't simply the feeling of being tired after a workout—it's a complex biological response that directly influences your performance, recovery, and overall adaptation. With age, understanding and managing fatigue becomes even more essential for optimizing results and ensuring longevity in the sport.

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How to Progress Mixed Modal Workouts

Mixed modal workouts combine various modalities like weightlifting, gymnastics, and monostructural movements in one workout. This style of training helps train different energy systems and muscle groups simultaneously. However, to continually improve and avoid plateaus, it's important to understand how to progress in mixed modal workouts strategically. 

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The Art and Science of Tapering for Masters Athletes in CrossFit

When it comes to preparing Masters athletes for peak performance in CrossFit, tapering is an essential yet often misunderstood component of the training process. As a strength and conditioning coach who has worked with athletes across various age groups, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative power of a well-executed taper. In this essay, I will outline the most important aspects of tapering for masters athletes, explain how to effectively implement a taper, and delve into why tapering is crucial for optimizing performance and recovery.

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How To Be Better in Next Year’s CrossFit Open

In the realm of sports, setbacks are not only inevitable but also integral to the journey of growth and success. I understand the disappointment that comes with an unsatisfactory end to a season. However, it's crucial to recognize that adversity presents an opportunity for evolution and transformation. In this blog, I'll delve into how athletes can strategically approach their off-season training following a less-than-ideal season conclusion.

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How to Become a Better CrossFit Masters Athlete

This is single handedly the most prevalent question within the Sport of Fitness. Everyday I have this conversation, whether by phone, Zoom, or in person with aspiring athletes who are looking to progress up the proverbial CrossFit ladder. So, here I am going to build a framework around what I project (as of this day) are and will be the driving principles that will give you the tools to do well within CrossFit. This is not a manual that you can open and find a one, two, three step process. This is more of an outline around three guiding principles that will set you up for success to be a better CrossFit Masters Athlete.

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Cultivating a Champion's Mindset for Master’s Athletes

Masters athletes, individuals who continue to compete in sports well into their adulthood, often face unique challenges as they strive to maintain peak physical performance while dealing with the demands of daily life. To excel in their chosen sport, especially such a complex and taxing sport like CrossFit, Masters athletes must not only focus on physical training but also develop a strong mindset. The saying, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks doesn’t hold true when you are talking about masters athletes. They are some of the most adaptable athletes out there, however, the mindset and mental approach to training and competing can be a new landscape if they haven’t come from a background of sport. So, below are a few ways masters athletes can work on cultivating a strong mindset.

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How To Use Concurrent Periodization in CrossFit

CrossFit, known for its dynamic and diverse training approach, demands a combination of strength, endurance, agility, and more. To excel in this multifaceted sport, athletes need a training strategy that optimizes various fitness attributes simultaneously. This is where concurrent periodization comes into play. By blending different training components within a single training cycle, concurrent periodization empowers CrossFit athletes to enhance multiple facets of their performance.

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CrossFit Games Update: CrossFit Milford Team Conquer

In the world of CrossFit, the ultimate test of fitness and athleticism is the CrossFit Games. Athletes from around the globe converge to push their physical and mental limits, striving for greatness and the title of "Fittest on Earth." Our journey to the CrossFit Games was one of perseverance, dedication, and teamwork, culminating in a remarkable achievement: our team's 13th place finish in the world.

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5 Fun and Effective Ideas for Long-Term Habit Change

Creating long-term habits can be a daunting task, but it doesn't have to be a boring one! Whether you're looking to ditch bad habits or adopt new, positive ones, the journey to lasting change can be enjoyable and rewarding. In this article, we'll explore five light-hearted and fun ideas that can help you make lasting changes to your habits.

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The first Person to run the 4:00 mile

Everything's impossible until it's not! And without these athletes who are willing to fail time after time, none of it would be possible. Failure is a part of the process for everyone, including the immortals. If you truly want to accomplish your goals, you just need to be willing to work for them.

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Main Training Considerations for Competitive CrossFit Masters Athletes

CrossFit Masters athletes have grown immensely over the past ten years.. Masters athletes, typically aged 35 and above, compete in CrossFit events alongside their younger counterparts, showcasing their strength, endurance, and determination. However, as the body ages, training considerations for masters athletes must be tailored to ensure optimal performance while minimizing the risk of injury. Too often masters athletes are jumping on programs that are tailored towards much younger athletes who require less rest time, have less going on in their lives, and have more ability to recover. In this blog, we will talk about a few things masters athletes need to keep in mind to stay competitive and not get injured or burn out.

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What it Takes to Compete at the CrossFit Games

The ultimate goal of every Crossfit competitor is to qualify for the “Crossfit Games”. The Crossfit Games is an annual event that showcases the fittest athletes competing against one another in various modalities of fitness. In order to compete at this level, an athlete must posses amazing work ethic, talent and some luck. Today, we will be addressing the sport requirements to compete at each stage of the Crossfit Games season. We’re hopeful that by the end of this, you will have a better understanding of what you need to address in order to compete!

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How to Get Back on Track After Age Group Qualifier Setbacks

Dealing with a setback after a CrossFit competition can be challenging, especially if you have been training for months or even years for the event. However, setbacks are a part of life, and how you handle them can have a significant impact on your ability to bounce back and move forward. In this blog post, we'll discuss some strategies for handling setbacks from the CrossFit Age Group Online Qualifiers (AGOQ) and/or Quarterfinals.

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Team & Age Group Quarterfinal RamblingS

This weekend marks the second/third stage for the age group quarterfinals. I say the second/third stage because I look at stage two as the teams and stage three as the age group, of which both are competing this weekend. With the release of the floorplans, I am very excited to see these workouts. Here are my thoughts on the floorplans and potential difference makers, as well as a few tips to mentally prepare for the Quarterfinal weekend.

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CrossFit Athletes, CrossFit Games Jason Leydon CrossFit Athletes, CrossFit Games Jason Leydon

Training a CrossFit Games Team

Over the past 15 years of being in the Sport of CrossFit, I have developed eight different teams that have all made the CrossFit Games. To me, the most exciting part is that not one of those teams was the same team as the year before. Each year, having a new team presented new challenges, new personalities, new strengths, new weaknesses, and new focus on bonding. Over the years and the teams, I can honestly say there is one attribute that separates the teams that do well and are resilient, versus those that fold. So, the million dollar question is what is that one thing?

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CrossFit Games Jason Leydon CrossFit Games Jason Leydon

3 Things I Learned at the 2021 CrossFit Games

Every year I learn so much from the Games. I usually leave with my head spinning and a notebook full of thoughts that range from training, programming, athletes, athlete management, plans for future athlete fields, where the game will take human potential, and coaching the game itself. On top of those notions, I mostly leave feeling fulfilled and excited. I am fulfilled with my time in this sport, fulfilled with my effort as a coach and the effort of my athletes, and fulfilled with what CrossFit has given me. I am also extremely excited for what is to come, not just from the sport, but from humans and what we can do! So, with all that down, let’s get into my top three thoughts/experiences from this year's 2021 NoBull CrossFit Games.

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