Programming for Parable in 2020: Return of the Barbell Before Quarantining… Right before we quarantined, we were testing many of the ratios that can be found on our assessment boards. Recently, we tested our weighted pull up to strict press strength ratio. These are GREAT objective insights into which part of our structures (pulling muscles) or training adaptations (decelerating in a power clean) need some focus. These tests have been rolled out on thousands of athletes and have been shown to have ideal ratios when the athlete expresses optimal percentages. Optimal= Barbell Strict Press/(Bodyweight + Total Added Load in a weighted pull up) = 65%. In our last in-house programming cycle, we placed an emphasis on strict pulling with various methods: overhead, horizontal, grip changes, tempos, pauses, levers, and positional holds. power cleans, with many variations of complexes in order to pursue mastery. the previous cycle of Back Squat fed right into...Read more

The Rhyme, The Reason, The Results A Rationale for Parable Programming Focuses for Fall/Winter There are so many ways to progress in CrossFit because there are skills, strengths, energy systems, and movement patterns that are constantly adapting. Below is a rationale for what we’ve been working on in the gym, and what you can expect to see coming down the pike. We are currently on week 8 of our 16-week squat cycle, which rotates 7 weeks ON, 1 week OFF. There are many methods, and each person is either a low or high responder to each method. What we’ve been doing is training our relative strength with % based on bodyweights, and working to increase our absolute strength with various squat focuses (see below for description and programming skeleton). For reference, absolute strength is the maximum amount of force exerted, regardless of body size. Greater amounts of absolute strength favor...Read more

The Strong and Creaky Parable Philosophy We believe in a genuine and passionate community. We believe in fun. We believe in mastery. We believe that, to engage our community and empower their lives, programming and exercise must have a rhyme, a reason, and an evolving quality of relevance to the member at hand. We believe you must never be comfortable, and you can find joy and passion in the uncomfortable. A Word from One of Our Masters Coaches: Joe Genetin-Pilawa “Masters’ Programming differs from regular Crossfit programming in that we place a larger focus on balance, mobility and flexibility, and core strength. Masters class sessions are 75 minutes in length and devote more time and attention to warming the body up to work out and building up to working loads more slowly and deliberately.  Our method allows exposure to workouts at a challenging and tolerable intensity, designed to help older athletes improve...Read more

Warm Up For The Warm Up? Step away from the foam roller, people! Ever walk into a gym and are unsure how to warm up, but know you should probably not surprise your body too hard by just jumping in to your sweat fest? So maybe you jump on the closest cardio machine until your lungs are audibly working, crank out some foam roller moves, and then do some barbell thrusters or front squats. Great! However, you realize your last interval of your sweat fest of a workout felt much better than your first interval, and then it hits you: My first three rounds were basically my warm up! What you need is a warm-up before your coach-led warm-up. Something like a specialized warm up before the coach gets you moving with more workout-specific movements. What this will lead to is your very own “HOT-UP.” This is not a real...Read more

Seals, Bullets, and Proof If you’ve dropped in to Parable for a class, been coached 1 on 1, or have been a part of our fit family here for some time, then the use of the term “Bulletproofing” is no foreign term. It’s an integral part of our programming, for the purposes of (1) creating integrity about the joints, (2) working on muscle endurance in multiple planes of movement in a controlled setting, and (3) developing progressions of strength for higher difficulty skills. Here’s an example from this past week’s programming: Seal Walk x 100’-75’-50’-25’ Kipping Toes to Rings x 5- 15- 25- 35 This takes people about 8-12 minutes, with the Tier 3 option of doing a second cycle of the above. This Bulletproofing piece was done at the end of the workout, and suffice it to say that our meat corsets got a good beating. If you want...Read more