Love HYROX and ATHX style training? Here’s why you should do BlitzFit…
Overall Goal at Blitz
Our overall goal at Blitz is to get you fit for any challenges life may throw at you. CrossFit delivers that from training strength to endurance, improving skills to an increase in power and more. We have members who have done ultra marathons just using CrossFit for training!
Overview of BlitzFit
BlitzFit is a subsection of CrossFit and focuses on the following areas:
Longer WODs - typically 20-40mins
Muscular Endurance (Stamina) and Aerobic Capacity (Cardiovasular/ Respiratory Endurance)
Reducing complexity of movement.
If you just want to get a sweat on, this is the class for you. However we have noted that more and more of you are taking on different challenges such as running 5k to ultra marathons, or more gym based challenges like Hyrox, Athx and Turf Games. The great thing about CrossFit is that it will get you fit so you can accomplish any of these challenges. However we appreciate the law of specificity i.e. if you want to do one thing well, you need/want to focus on those specific skills.
Therefore we have given more structure to the BlitzFit Classes to enable this to happen (however if you just want to come once a week that’s fine you, will still get the variety that we have always offered.)
Current BlitzFit Structure
Below are the 6 sessions we currently have programmed.
Hyrox style - typically 30 minutes minimum in duration, incorporating running and the 8 exercises that make up the Hyrox Workout.
Athx Style - Athx has 3 WODs, Strength, Aerobic and Metcon. This session focuses mainly on the Metcon and will get you prepared for this section - using 5 classic metcon exercises of Rowing, DB Thrusters, Box Jumps, Burpees and Sand bags (and sometimes running and biking from the aerobic element). The 2 Aerobic sections listed below will also develop the 2nd Athx WOD with an aerobic focus.
Metcon Short Interval - these have a work to rest ratio 1:4 to 1:1. The rest will always be equal to or longer than the work element. Using a complete variety of movements from weights, to body-weight, to machines. If you want to improve your WOD times these workouts will have a positive impact on your speed endurance (the ability to hold a faster pace). To move fast we have to practise moving fast! These workouts typically range from 20 -30 mins in duration
Metcon Long Interval - these have a work to rest ratio of 1:1 to 3:1 The rest will always be equal to or shorter than the work element. Using a complete variety of movements from weights to body weight to machines - more for the anaerobic/stamina element but will also add to endurance. These workouts typically range from 20- 35mins in duration
Aerobic Steady - Continuous movement for 25-40 minutes, using aerobic based exercises like running, rowing, biking, ski erg and skipping. Goal here is a steady, easy pace (commonly known as Zone 2 training), at approximately 60-70% of max heart rate. In terms of intensity, think 5-6/10 effort (conversational pace).
Aerobic Long Intervals - these have a work to rest ratio of 1:1 to 3:1. This is building on the aerobic pace (commonly known as Zone 3 training), below the Anaerobic (Lactate threshold) - where the burn kicks in and you have to slow down to keep going, but faster than zone 2. Think race pace for a 10km race (30+ minutes). Typically 70-80% of max HR or 7/10 effort.
”Hang on a minute Tim, do I really need to know all this?” No, you don’t! To get complete fitness and stay healthy, keep it constantly varied (ideally 5 sessions a week - consistency is key). To do that just book into whatever class works on the day and have fun.
However, knowledge and understanding can help you identify the benefits and make the most out of the sessions you do. If you are interested, here’s a bit more on the difference between Aerobic WODs and Metcons
What are the benefits of Metcons
These WODs are mainly completed at a high intensity, typically hitting Zone 4- 5 (HR 80-100% or RPE of 8-10/10), a pace you can hold for no longer than 10 minutes.
Metcon WODs increase your metabolic rate, which makes your body more efficient at burning calories. They will combine all different forms of exercising weightlifting, gymnastics and monostructural (eg running/biking - think movements you can repeat for 100+ reps comfortably).
They're good for:
Burning Fat - as unlike aerobic WODs you continue to burn calories after the WOD (up to 38 hrs max). And as your metabolic rate increases the more you will naturally burn on a day to day basis.
They are tough - they require grit and determination, which has shown (anecdotally) that they build resilience and mental toughness in other aspects of life.
If your goal is overall fitness they are the quickest way to create positive adaptations in all your 3 energy systems - Aerobic, Anaerobic and Explosive Power. Therefore they can increase strength, muscular endurance as well as aerobic capacity. Giving you a broad range of fitness in one workout.
As a an aside - a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) WOD is a metcon, but not all Metcons are HIIT workouts. Metcons can range in length and duration, a Metcon may or may not be an interval based WOD.
What are the benefits of Aerobic training?
High intensity training may provide the best fitness return for your time, however it doesn't mean we won't see additional fitness gains at lower intensity.
Aerobic WODs are done at a steady state, at a pace you can maintain and can be from a few minutes in length up to a number of hours. However for maximum gain the intensity wants to be comfortable e.g. Zone 2 (HR 60-70% or RPE 4-5/10) - Zone 3 ( HR 70-80% or RPE 6-7/10) as opposed to Metcons which will feel like a 7+.
Aerobic Workouts are beneficial for a number of reasons.
They increase the number of Mitochondria. Mitochondria are important as they produce the majority of power in your cells. Think of these as your power plants. The more we have, builds a bigger fitness base. This increased base gives us a greater potential for a higher level of fitness.
Training at Zone 2 can also speed up recovery. The increased blood flow helps repair the muscles, whilst not eliciting further damage.
Positive adaptations for your higher intensity training by increasing the strength of the heart (specifically left ventricle), which can then pump out more blood per heart beat.
From experience, if you've had a tough week, taking the intensity down and moving through a WOD at Zone 2 helps blow off steam without leaving you feeling even more jaded.
And Finally…..
BlitzFit currently runs 6 times a week - Tuesday to Sunday at different times, depending on the day. We appreciate you can't always do all the days due to the varying times, personal commitments etc, therefore the different sessions rotate across days from week to week. However it is worth noting that typically Hyrox and/or Aerobic Steady will be on a Sunday. As Sunday is one of the more accessible times, but also a good day to get some recovery if you’ve gone hard during the rest of the week.
Always ensure you have at least one day (ideally 2) off training completely. If you train 6 days a week then have one of those days as an ‘active recovery’ day with a steady state Zone 2 aerobic workout. To find out more about how to incorporate this kind of training into your week chat to one of our coaches.
