CrossFit Strength Plus Metcon: Count Both Parts

The workout does not begin only when the timer starts

Some CrossFit classes include a dedicated lifting segment followed by a timed mixed workout. The second part may feel like the main event, especially when it produces the score posted on the board. However, the earlier sets remain part of the day's training. A short metcon is not automatically evidence that the class lacked work.

The practical issue is overlap. Squatting in the strength portion and performing repeated squatting movements later are different tasks, but both deserve a place in the session record. Keep their purposes separate while looking at the entire appointment before adding an accessory circuit or another class.

Read the class plan in two directions

Start by asking the coach what the lifting block is meant to do. It may emphasize technical practice, a particular repetition target or a heavier effort appropriate to the day. Do not assume every barbell segment is permission to test a maximum. CrossFit's class materials distinguish instruction and skill work from the subsequent workout.

Then read the metcon for repeated demands rather than exercise names alone. A squat, a thruster and a wall-ball shot are not interchangeable exercises, yet a session containing all three should prompt a question about the intended volume and options. Include the warm-up when it contains substantial extra practice rather than only brief preparation.

Keep the record in separate rows: lifting work, timed workout and anything added afterward. Use the appropriate units for each. Do not convert a barbell set, machine distance and wall-ball repetitions into one impressive but meaningless total. The point is to make the coach's review easier, not to invent a single workload score.

Before adding more work, ask what is missing from the plan. “I wanted to practise the receiving position” is a defined question. “The metcon was only short” is merely a description of elapsed time. If the coach identifies a useful additional drill, agree on its limits and whether it belongs today or at a separate practice session.

Example: a familiar movement appears twice

Suppose the class begins with coached front-squat sets and ends with a mixed workout containing thrusters. You record the front-squat loads and completed reps, then the thruster version and workout result on a new line. The coach can see both without mistaking them for one continuous lifting exercise.

You had planned extra lunges afterward because the scored workout looked brief. With the complete session visible, you ask whether those lunges serve the current training goal. The coach may remove them, move them, or explain a limited purpose. That decision is based on the actual class rather than on a rule that every visit must end with another leg exercise.

Make the end of class a clear boundary

After the planned class work, KIOKOP PRO compression boots can provide a separate seated leg-care slot at home. Their full-leg air chambers operate through a controller and connected hoses; after fitting, selecting settings and starting the session, you can keep your hands free for a brief log review.

This gives the evening a defined transition from doing repetitions to sitting down. Finish the two-part training note, then sit comfortably for full-leg care without repeatedly holding and moving a tool.

Frequently asked questions

Related reading

• Your Trainer and Class Instructor Need the Same Weekly Picture
• What to Record in a Strength Training Log Beyond Weight

Sources and product information

• CrossFit: What to expect from a class
• KIOKOP PRO: Global product specifications and instructions