#172 - ALEXIS RAPTIS: Semis Recap + Q&A

You've seen coach Brannen in our videos for years... but who the heck is this guy? Today we dive into his story. We touch on his random love for cruise ships, his past history in politics, the only album he ever owned, his time in CrossFit, how he joined TTT, and a football injury that had him seeing Jennifer Aniston. Enjoy.

In the sport of CrossFit, peaking for the main CrossFit Games season is relatively straight forward. But how should atheltes who plan to peak for that approach peaking for off-season competitions, or the occasional one-off local competition? In this episode we share some mistakes we've made along the way, and try to help you better understand the purpose of a peaking and tapering phase of training, and how to navigate that during the off-season.

Last weekend, we journeyed to Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 CrossFit Masters Games. The venue was setup with three competition floors, each running simultaneously to accommodate the various age groups. We had 19 athletes competing across all divisions, and by the end of the weekend, 3 of them were proudly standing atop the podium. In this episode, we'll share our experiences from this Masters Games, the first ever organized by The Legends in partnership with CrossFit. - Get our Masters Competitor Handbook here: http://www.trainingthinktank.com/mast... - Get our online programming for competitive CrossFit athletes (Intermediate, Rx, Masters, and Elite) at http://www.trainingthinktank.com/cros... Get our online courses for coaches (Coaching Strength & Coaching Movement) at http://www.trainingthinktank.com/educ... Get help with your nutrition for wellness and performance goals at http://www.trainingthinktank.com/nutr... Get our affiliate programming at your gym (Competitive & Fitness paths) at http://www.trianingthinktank.com/affi... 

00:05 - What would you consider too much volume of a movement?  05:30 - What books/courses can I read to learn more about programming? 10:19 - How would you structure an off-season for an athelte who is well rounded and prepping for semis? 14:15 - When to transition from intermediate to Rx? 16:13 - What is something athletes perceive as pushing the needle but doesn't? 20:55 - How to go from "competitive" to "training for life"? 25:09 - Can anyone make it to the CrossFit Games or do they have to have "it"? 28:53 - Whats the hardest thing for an athelte to build: strength, skills or endurance? 31:44 - Why are so many programs obsessed with "volume"? 34:17 - When is the Coaching Conditioning Course going to be released? 34:22 - What would you say makes TTT different than the others? 36:54 - How far out do you program for an individual? 39:19 - Best advice for young coaches?