It seems to me that “Individual Design” is actually becoming a buzz word lately. I say that because there are a lot of programs that specialize in templates now putting focus to Individual Design. Although this concept has been around forever, even before James Fitzgerald popularized it, with good reason, it’s still relatively newer in the CrossFit world. Even with that, there were always two parties to it. One group who was pro-Individual Design (ID) and against group, and the other side that was only for group and against ID. What’s funny to me is that many of the groups that are now offering ID were the ones that have been bashing it and/or bastardizing it over the years. So, with this post I want to clarify what people should be getting with a proper ID program.

First off, I believe in both. If you have specialized goals and/or looking to be in the top 1% of athletes in your class, then you need an ID program. Everyone is different, as I have outlined in previous posts, and the proper structure to elicit the right response to drive adaptation is largely dependent on who that person is. On the opposing side, there are many people who don’t do well training by themselves and those people need a group to keep them accountable and focused (the tribe affects the human spirit), and that outweighs desires for high level competition outcomes.

So, with all that being said, let’s get into what you should be getting with a proper ID program:

Individual.

This word may seem simplistic within this talk, yet there are many programs that claim to be ID but are really a copy and paste from another program. I would argue that over 50% of the ID programs out there are copy and pasted from another person or another program already created (or merely tweaking a few things here and there). If you are looking to do a true ID program, then that program should be tailored to you, your genetic makeup and what loading, movement selection, intensity, and volume will best elicit the right dose response for you to make change.

Communication.

I believe that when doing an ID program, you should be in contact with your coach at least four times a week - at a minimum. This can be in the form of feedback, video review, and check-ins. Many times a good coach and a well thought-out ID program will still need to be adjusted on days and/or weeks due to changes in the person. I often hear of some coaches communicating once a week or once every other week. There is no way success can be driven if the coach isn’t in constant communication with the athlete.

Poor progressions.

When following a sound ID program, the progressions need to be structured in a way that they lay the foundation for the next block. This is termed “phase potentiation”. Phase potentiation is done so that the athlete is constantly progressing with purpose and not by chance. Too often coaches don’t understand this and they solely program for their athletes around workout methods rather than focusing on building and laying it out with the strategy around what the athlete should be doing next.

Intensity and volume.

One of the most important reasons for doing ID centers around the proper application of intensity and volume for that specific person. You can always tell when the ID program isn’t done well due to either a lack of intensity or volume or over-abundance of it. Intensity and volume are a wonderful orchestra that is constantly flowing with one another depending on the athlete's needs. However, if done incorrectly, they are a perfect storm that will surely overtrain or de-train an athlete.

If any of these four things are off, chances are you are not truly following a well thought-out individual program.

If you want to get a feel for how ID should be done and if it’s the right fit for you, hit us up at help@conquerathlete.com for a free consultation.

-Coach Jay