I’ve been coaching functional fitness athletes for the better part of a decade. In all that time I can tell you that I’ve seen the 5 worst training mistakes for functional fitness time and again. I know, I’ve done most if not all of them myself. I can also tell you that they have a drastic impact on your fitness level. In this article we’ll cover these training mistakes and how to avoid them. Keep reading for more.
The 5 Worst Training Mistakes Overview
I want to be clear, I’m not saying that this is an exhaustive list of all the training mistakes you can make. This is a prioritized list of the most common mistakes, that have the biggest impact on functional fitness athletes. Many of these mistakes boil down to athletes failing to explore new training methods. While it’s fine to have a training routine, you can’t stick to that routine for years and expect to keep making solid progress with your fitness. Here’s an overview of the 5 worst training mistakes for functional fitness.
- Not Programming Rest Intervals in WODs
- Not Using Variable Resistance Strength Training
- Never Programming Long Duration Activities
- Ignoring the Transverse Plane for Core Work
- Not Programming Max Power Output During WODs
These are the type of mistakes that functional fitness athletes make, at all experience levels. I can’t tell you how many great athletes I’ve coached that still have a few serious deficits in their fitness because of them. They’re even present for athletes that go to the CrossFit Games. Let’s get into the details below.
Not Programming Rest Intervals in WODs
Most functional fitness athletes fall into the habit of doing WODs that are 8-12 minutes in length, with moderately high intensity. Experience has shown that these WODs are great bang for your training buck. However, failing to vary from this routine might be the biggest mistake impacting your WOD performance.
If you’ve ever done any running training plans you’ll know that interval training is a must for increasing your running pace. In interval training you train at a faster pace than what is normally sustainable. This training method works, and is well supported by research. So why don’t we do this for WODs?
In my experience, creating a WOD where you spend 1-2 minutes at a faster pace than you could maintain for 8 plus minutes is rarely done. Crucially, you need to program the right amount of recovery for the rest interval. Even if you program something like a WOD that’s every 3 minutes on the minute, most athletes are only resting 30-45 seconds before starting the next round. This isn’t enough recovery, to maintain a very high pace in further rounds. Here is an example WOD with the right amount of rest.
This WOD looks simple, but there are important considerations when you’re programming for a very high WOD pace. It’s best to keep functional exercises shorter, and lighter, so that you can continue to move without resting. If the thruster was moved up to 115/75lbs this would cause more breaks and a much slower pace.
The goal for this WOD is to work at a higher power output than you normally would. This means you need to pick specific exercises that allow you to move moderate loads through a full range of motion. You shouldn’t choose bicep curls and crunches. No matter how hard you work, you aren’t likely to tax your self sufficiently with isolation exercises.
When you spend time in this anaerobic zone, you’ll find that this gradually becomes your training pace. This is why this method works so well. As a final word of caution, you should not make all of your WODs like this. That will be too much work to recover from. Next, let’s talk about some strength training mistakes.
Not Using Variable Resistance Strength Training
Gaining strength is a key component of overall functional training. Many athletes first start lifting with programs like 5×5, or starting strength. This works well for a year or two, and then the easy strength gains stop. Realistically, any program that has athletes using good form while lifting heavy free weights will work for a while.
If we thought about this rationally, we would realize that we need to vary our training methods to continue to gain strength. Instead, most athletes will keep banging away with what worked before, gaining little if any further strength. This is the wrong way to continue gaining strength.
Research has shown that variable resistance training is one of the best methods of increasing strength for intermediate and advanced level athletes. In this training method you use elastic bands, or chains to add resistance throughout the duration of the rep. This means that the rep gets harder as the band is stretched further. This forces your muscle fibers to increase their power output.
This research study lasted 8 weeks, and used variable resistance training. The group that used variable resistance, gained 28% on their bench press in only 8 weeks. The control group, that trained without elastic bands or chains, gained only 19%. The VRT group also gained more muscular endurance in the back squat as well as strength.
Because this training method works so well, I’ve created an advanced strength program for functional fitness athletes. Check it out below.
Never Programming Long Duration Activities
As a coach, and functional fitness athlete, I can kind of understand this one. Most folks got into functional fitness style training because they like the short duration, high intensity nature of functional fitness. They don’t want to spend a super long time in the gym or weight room.
This is understandable, but if you truly want to increase your performance you need to work in the 30-120min time domain occasionally. This is very athlete dependent. If you do functional fitness for the military or tactical applications, I would recommend training long duration endurance training at least once per week. I would also recommend that you choose a long run, or ruck for your activity, as that will certainly be a job enhancement.
If you’re looking for more performance, or perhaps some weight loss, then I might recommend every two weeks. Long duration activities like jogging, hiking, swimming, or cycling, can help your body become more efficient at burning fat. It also burns a lot of calories which is useful if you’re trying to lose some fat mass.
I think the best way to include long duration activities is to stay out of the gym. You might be a psycho if you can do treadmill or assault bike work for an hour or more in the gym. Being outdoors is great for your health, and gives you a lot more options.
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Don’t worry about losing strength or muscle mass. This one of the most common myths. In my article about concurrent training, the research is clear that this frequency of low intensity cardiovascular work won’t negatively impact muscle growth or strength. It will be very beneficial for your aerobic energy system, which provides about 50-60% of your energy during high intensity WODs.
In order to make sure that you’re working your aerobic system correctly remember this rule of thumb. You should exercise at a level where you can easily carry on a conversation. If you use a smart watch like my favorite Garmin Epix 2, your heart rate would be in zone 2, around 130 BPM or less. Now let’s talk about how you can improve your core strength.
Ignoring the Transverse Plane for Core Work
I’m not trying to use crazy personal trainer speak here, but the transverse plane of motion is simply twisting while exerting force. You can think about ax chopping, sledge hammer work, or ab exercises like Russian twists.
Unfortunately, functional fitness athletes tend to fixate on core work that is tested in competition: GHDs, toes to bar, ab mat situps. These are all fine exercises, however, that myopic focus is similar to saying that you only do bench press because you never plan on pushing anything over your head. It’s just crazy talk.
If you’re a tactical athlete, or combat athlete, then you absolutely need to work on high power transverse movements like sledge hammer work, D-Ball throws, and cable chops. Your sport/profession absolutely requires it.
These movements are also very handy for field sports athletes too. Even if you fall into none of these categories, it’s still a good idea to incorporate some of these moves at least once week. Many everyday activities like twisting and carrying require transverse motion.
Not Programming Max Power Output During WODs
This is just as common as not programming long duration aerobic exercise. Be honest with yourself, when was the last time you did a true max effort 20 second interval using any piece of equipment? I bet the answer is probably months to maybe, never.
This type of training is very beneficial for many reasons. First, extremely high intensity interval work has been shown to burn fat in a very short amount of time. Secondly, it allows you to work at lower intensities more efficiently. I’ll give you an example.
Let’s say that you spend a few weeks doing assault bike interval work, focusing on 10-20 second intervals with 3-4 minutes of rest in between. You’ll find that you can maintain a higher pace at all lower output paces. If you can sprint your can jog faster. It’s very similar to building your 1RM strength so that you can do more reps at lower weights.
The key to this type of training is to do a thorough warm up, and then work at max intensity for 10-20 seconds. You should then rest for 6-8 times the total work interval. You need to feel fully recovered and ready to attack the next interval. If you’re out of breath before the next interval you didn’t rest enough. Max intensity is needed!
Final Thoughts
I’ve just touched the surface for these training mistakes. If you really want to learn how to put together a smart training program that will help you accomplish your fitness goals, you should read my book, “Programming Your Fitness.” I’ve got a lot more detail in that 125 page book than I can include here!
Finally, I wouldn’t recommend trying to implement every one of these training strategies immediately. Pick one or two and gradually add them in to see how you feel. You need to make a commitment to working on them for about a month before you’ll notice any solid effects on your fitness.
If you have an questions or comments put them in the comment section below. If you want to try one of my most popular muscle building programs, then check this program out. Now get training!
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