How To Get Better At CrossFit – 3 Workouts to Fix Weaknesses

Do you know how to get better at CrossFit? Sure, you can do a lot of WODs and improve with time, but you can also try these workouts designed to improve your coordination, strength, gymnastics and endurance which will give you the boost you need.

To learn how to get better at CrossFit, nothing better than to turn to someone who was a CrossFit Games athlete and is now a fitness coach: Marcus Filly.

Marcus Filly is the founder of the popular training program Functional Bodybuilding, which mixes functional exercises with aesthetic training and focuses on longevity.

Two of the workouts below he developed himself and the last one was created by strength coach Pat O’Shea. The workouts can be classified as one of the two:

• Interval weight training
• Interval gymnastics training

Choose a workout and discover how to get better at CrossFit.

How To Get Better at CrossFit

Workout 1 – Interval Weight Training

3 sets of:

• 5 deadlifts – 80% of your 1RM
• 10 Russian kettlebell swings – moderate/heavy kettlebell
• 1,000/800 metres in the assault bike at 90-95% effort
• Rest 2 minutes

Followed by 3 sets of:

• 5 front squats – 80% of your 1RM
• 10 wall balls
• 1,000/800 metres in the assault bike at 90-95% effort
• Rest 2 minutes

The first three sets of this workout will push your limits on weight training movements appropriately utilising hinge pattern exercises. You should finish the deadlift with one rep in the tank – if you feel like you could do more, then you should add more weight.

The assault bike should take between 90-120 seconds to complete and your last final 30 seconds should be very uncomfortable.

The front squat and wall balls add a similar movement pattern to your primary strength movement that will help with speed, coordination and power.

Workout 2 – Interval Gymnastics Training

3 sets of:

• 7 strict pull-ups – weighted if possible
• 14 body row
• 400-metre run at 90-95% effort
• Rest 2 minutes

Followed by 3 sets of:

• 7 strict dips – weighted if possible
• 10 clapping push-ups – regular if too challenging
• 400-metre run at 90-95% effort
• Rest 2 minutes

This workout also builds up your aerobic power but utilising now bodyweight resistance training. As you progress these movements, you can do more reps or add an external load to your body.

The second part of the workout will hit the same areas as the primary movements from the first part of the workout. Body rows hit the back (like pull-ups) and the push-ups will hit your chest and triceps on top of the dips that you’ve already done.

When running, you need to push through and make the last 30 seconds on the assault runner very uncomfortable which makes the rest period sweeter.

Workout 3 – O’Shea’s Interval Weight Training

3 sets of:

• 10-12 cleans
• 2 minutes on cardio machine
• Rest 2 minutes

Followed by 3 sets of:

• 10-12 deadlifts
• 2 minutes on cardio machine
• 2 minutes rest

This last exercise is how Pat O’Shea designed his workout to improve his overall training capabilities and you can see that Marcus Filly took that pattern/idea and made it more demanding with some solid extra movements.

If you want to know more about the workouts on how to get better at CrossFit, check out Filly’s video below.

VIDEO – How To Get Better at CrossFit

Check out more content from BOXROX:

The 25 Most Important CrossFit Exercises (And How to RX Them All)

7 Unique and Challenging CrossFit Workouts from Brent Fikowski

10 Tough CrossFit Workouts to Build Strength and Muscle