The CrossFit Open is over, and with that we leave behind the CF-specific focus we’ve had for the past two months and move into an 8-week Strength Block.

The goal for this block is simple and easy to measure:
To make you stronger in the main lifts – Squats, Deadlifts, Presses, and Pulling movements.

That said, the foundation of Kriger Box Programming will always be health. While strength is a vital part of long-term health, so is conditioning. That’s why every training day still includes a conditioning piece where you can push the pace, raise your heart rate, and build capacity.

What You Can Expect

Squats

In the first part of the block, we’ll train back squats using tempo to improve strength and control in every part of the lift. For front squats, the focus is higher reps – an effective way to build upper back strength, often the limiting factor in both front squats and squat cleans.

For the last 4 weeks we will start to do fewer reps and gradually build up the weight to be ready for new PR:s in our test weeks (Week 22+23).

In a addition to the squats we do in the class the Pre Would will include a lot of important Single Leg Strength in the form of Bulgarian Split Squats, make sure to prioritize this aswell if you are serious in getting stronger in this block.

Deadlift / Power Cleans

We will vary high rep deadlift with more explosive Power Cleans and Clean Pulls every other week in the classes. This usually works really good for both 1 RM Deadlift but also to get better at creating Power in our Olympic Lifting. Try to be extra focused on keeping your back straight during the high rep deadlifts in order for the lift to carry over to other lifts aswell.

Press

For our Pressing Strength we will do a variation with everything from Dips, strict presses and Handstand Push Ups. The reason for this is that in CrossFit we get challenged in so many different angles for our pressing strength and since strength is specific we will make sure to cover all the angles you might get challenged in.

Pull

Our main goal for our pull will be to either get to our first Strict Pull Up or to improve our Weighted Pull Ups. In the classes we will mostly do Strict Pull Ups while in Pre Wod we will do different variations of Barbell and Dumbbell Rows. In Post-WOD work, we’ll target supporting muscles with accessories like bicep curls and lat pulldowns.

* Read more below about our Pull/Push Challenge that will also help improving your upper body strength 

Daily Push & Pull Challenge

Throughout April, we’re running the Cold Bar Pull Ups & Cold Floor Push Ups Challenge.

This challenge is simple, low-fatigue, and highly effective. The idea is to do small sets of pull-ups or push-ups multiple times a day, without warm-up – hence “cold bar” and “cold floor.” Over the years, this challenge has delivered surprisingly good results with very low fatigue.

Choose the right level for your body and perform 1–5 reps per set, several times throughout the day.

  • Pulling: Strict Pull Ups, Negatives, or Ring Rows 
  • Pushing: Push Ups, Knee Push Ups, or Elevated Push Ups 

It’s not about burnout – it’s about frequency, consistency, and clean movement patterns.
Track your reps with pen and paper, your phone, or use this spreadsheet template.

Pro tip: If you want results, invest in a home pull-up bar so you always have access.

How to Get the Most Out of This Strength Block

If you attend the classes, you will most likely get stronger in this block. However in order to increase your chances we recommend the following:

Sleep enough. Athletes are often surprised by how much just 30 extra minutes of sleep per night can help.
Eat to fuel performance. Consider a slight calorie surplus if strength is your goal.
Do the Pre-WODs. In the pre wods we have added more strength progressions so if this is an important goal for you, prioritize these aswell
Do the Post-WOD accessories. This is where we get to work on smaller muscles in a more isolated way than when we do the Main Lifts
Track your lifts. Logging your sessions helps you see progress and adjust when needed. The goal should be to gradually increase the weights we use in the linear progressions.

Fitness Level Benchmarks in This Block
April 7 – Klepto
April 14 – Diane
April 22 – Annie