The Pyramid Pt 4: Weightlifting

Those Instagram clips of massive snatches and wild barbell complexes skip the most important part: the years of foundation underneath them. In this episode of Fit Frequency, we climb to the fourth level of CrossFit’s theoretical hierarchy of development, weightlifting, and talk about why you need to build your pyramid from the bottom up before chasing heavy weights.We cover why the barbell doesn’t create weaknesses but exposes them, why learning proper mechanics from a coach should always come before intensity, and why lifting isn’t just for people who want to get bulky. You’ll hear what the research says about strength training and bone density as we age, and how a stronger body carries over into the sports you love, from golf and bowling to basketball and pickleball.Whether you’re brand new to the barbell or have been lifting off YouTube on your own, this one’s for you.

In part three of this five-part series breaking down the pyramid of health and fitness, we discuss gymnastics and how it is not just the elite-level things we see during the Olympics. Gymnastics includes any movement where we are using our body and moving it throughout space in control. As with all levels of the pyramid, if one level lacks, everything above it suffers. Without proper mechanics and consistency with your body control, weightlifting and sports performance will not reach their potential. Likewise, without focusing on our nutrition and our metabolic conditioning, our gymnastics will never be what it could be. Stick around to the end for some actionable items and homework to help you improve your gymnastics.

Moving up the pyramid from the foundation of nutrition, we see metabolic conditioning before we see the fun, sexy things like gymnastics, weightlifting, and sport. But what does metabolic conditioning mean? Today we dive into a lot of different scientific explanations and what a metabolic conditioning workout looks like at Delaware Fit Factory.

Let's address the writing on the wall. The literal writing on the wall at Delaware Fit Factory. The Health and Fitness Pyramid, otherwise know as CrossFit's theoretical hierarchy for the development of an athlete. The pyramid's foundation is Nutrition, and working up is followed by Metabolic Conditioning, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, and Sport, all of which will be explored in this 5 part series!In today's episode we talk about Nutrition. The base of the pyramid is often ignored because it's not only boring compared to the excitement of a new intense workout program, it' also incredibly difficult as most workouts take about an hour leaving 23 or so hours to either support your workout or sabotage it.

So you don't know your one-rep max. That's okay. Here are three ways that you can find out...Test it!Find an estimate using a 5RM and the NSCA Loading ChartDon't. Use percentages as RPE

One of the most common questions we get is, "How much protein should I eat?" The answer can vary drastically depending on your size and your goals, but the answer is almost always "EAT MORE!"In this episode, we break down how much the average person should typically eat each day, depending on their goals, as well as strategies to hit your protein targets and recommendations for protein sources for a variety of dietary lifestyles.Be sure to follow us on Instagram and send us questions and requests @thefitfrequencypodcast and @delawarefitfactory

Two people start at the gym the same week. Same classes. Same coaches. Same nutrition guidance. A year later, one of them is a completely different person, stronger, more confident, proud of what they've built. The other one's pretty much right where they started. Same prescription. Totally different results. So what's the difference? That's what we're getting into today

Jumping into the deep end more often than not will lead to failure, quitting, giving up. This is why a slow start and intentional development leads to sustainable change. In today's episode I give an analogy of learning to swim. You don't just get thrown into the deep end, you get familiar with water, you learn and become consistent through swimming lessons, then you dive in and go the distance. How does this relate to fitness and nutrition? Listen and find out!

Did you know that the average adult makes over 35,000 decisions every single day? Why put more decisions on your plate by trying to figure out everything you should be doing with your fitness and nutrition? Find a coach and lean into their expertise, then literally let them decide, and you just do what you're told. All too often, we will try to control everything, when in the end, all we're doing is just adding more and more decisions to our plate, leading to burnout or ineffectiveness. Stop googling, stop using ChatGPT. Just show up and listen to your coach.

Ever blamed the programming, the schedule, or your coach's style for not getting results? In this episode of Fit Frequency, we're getting real about the one variable most people never want to talk about: consistency.We break down why "the workouts aren't for me" is almost never the actual problem — and what's really standing between you and progress. From the math on why showing up 2-3 times a month won't move the needle, to why programming isn't designed to make every single day feel good, to the role your coach's personality plays (and why that's actually a feature, not a bug) — we're covering it all with zero sugarcoating.We also tackle the elephant in the room: nutrition. No class schedule fixes what happens in your kitchen.This one's tough love, but it comes from a place of wanting better for you. If you've been blaming everything except the mirror, this episode is for you.