Hey everyone, quick preview of this weekend’s Stimulus Matters episode. Ryne and I hit record in the middle of a conversation that started with a personal “side quest” of mine (weightlifting, running, weight cuts) and quickly turned into a much bigger discussion on season prep. We dig into what happens when multiple coaches are involved, why oversight and constraints matter more than having the “perfect” program, and how coaching actually changes once the Open and Quarterfinals are on the calendar. We also talk chronic vs acute volume, borrowing concepts from strength training for conditioning progressions, using the Open as a bridge instead of something to coast through, and how programming decisions need to shift based on athlete level and resilience. To watch: CLICK HERE

This week @Ryne Sullivan and I dedicated the entire episode to deadlift inside of competitive CrossFit context. We covered everything from assessment --> programming for strength vs capacity --> technical issues --> and A TON more. In the episode I promised I'd provide a copy of my internal notes that I put together before the show, so I wanted to post those here for anyone who wanted them AND as a way to stimulate discussion. I'm really curious about how other coaches in the space approach "the deadlift problem" for competitors -- how frequently do you attack the movement? What are the principles or pillars you use for programming? Do you view the capacity vs absolute strength debate through a different framework? Episode link: CLICK HERE TO WATCH Notes below: ----------------------------------- 1. SEPARATE THE PROBLEM: STRENGTH VS CAPACITY ----------------------------------- Treat deadlift strength and deadlift capacity as two different adaptations. Strength - Neural output - Confidence in heavy positions Capacity - Repeatability of hinging under fatigue - Often shows up inside mixed-modal work Trying to solve both with the same tool is the mistake. Key takeaway: If you want to get someone stronger, you need to address the neural aspects of strength. If you want them to be able to repeat deadlift under fatigue, that's a 2nd order problem of metabolic demand + strength requirement. ----------------------------------- 2. DEADLIFT STRENGTH IS PRIMARILY A NEURAL PROBLEM ----------------------------------- Move away from high-volume deadlift strength work! What not to do: - High-rep tempo deadlifts (useless for building top-end strength in a healthy well trained athlete) - Large weekly deadlift volume “to get stronger” - Treating deadlift like a hypertrophy lift What to do: - Heavy singles, doubles, triples -80%+ of 1RM 5+ sets per week - Hand-release or full reset reps (no touch-and-go)

I filmed a quick video about how to access the live Q&A tomorrow @ 10am - join us for the hour and ask away!

To all the Stimulus Matters Podcast listeners - Ryne, Mia, and I will be hosting a live Q&A on this platform next Friday (Dec-19) at 11:00am EST. You can access it through the calendar or by following this link! Hope to see you there! https://www.skool.com/live/fVggBNFCkC9 @Ryne Sullivan @Mia Gianelli

Hey everyone, just wanted to drop a quick preview of this weekend’s Stimulus Matters episode. Ryne and I sat down with TTT coach and my go-to gymnastics specialist, Mia Giannelli to talk skill acquisition, handstand walking, rope climbs, and what it really takes to build durable gymnastics capacity in this sport. From her step-based progressions, to how she teaches athletes to feel positions instead of guessing, to the mindset needed to improve under fatigue, Mia breaks down things I wish more athletes and coaches understood. We also get into video review, stacking handstands, and our ongoing (and very real) rope-climb debate. I’ll post up the link to the full episode once it’s out! @Mia Gianelli @Ryne Sullivan