How to Incorporate Extra Weightlifting into Your CrossFit Training

How to Incorporate Extra Weightlifting into Your CrossFit Training
Written by Jared Enderton

In an ideal world, I’d love it if everyone did the full 3-Day/Week program and did all the lifting in their classes “lighter.” But, I also know it’s fun to lift/train with classes and with others so that’s why I talk about how to mesh them together. Whether you’re doing CrossFit classes at your box OR doing outside CrossFit programming, here are some things to help guide you.

How to Add Extra Weightlifting to Your Workout

Main guidelines: 

#1 – Don’t double up on squat/deadlift work. 
If we have squats on Monday on the Invictus Weightlifting program, I would not squat with the class on Monday or Tuesday if they have it programmed. OR, if you do squat with the class, go super light and use it as a warm-up. Doubling up on squat/deadlift work will be detrimental to you as the volume would be too high at that point. 

#2 – Some extra weightlifting work in your classes/other CrossFit training is fine, just use your best judgment and pick your battles wisely. 
Using the 3 Day/Week Invictus Weightlifting program as 80-90% of your strength work is a good guideline to this. If it’s a max week on Invictus Weightlifting, I would not do extra WL work. If it’s just a typical training week, you could definitely do an extra weightlifting movement here and there with your own CrossFit training. Say your own programming has a 10-minute EMOM of Power Snatch, Split Jerk, Squat Clean, etc. to start the class. You’re 100% fine to jump in on that as well as you’re not adding much extra volume at all. If you’re feeling beat up, keep it lighter in the class session and just use it as extra technique work!

#3 – Remember, it’s a supplemental program! 
If you only have 30 minutes on a day or two – doing parts A & B of the program is always better than doing nothing. SOME is ALWAYS better than NONE. 

#4 – Another important detail: YOU CAN MOVE THE INVICTUS WEIGHTLIFTING days around to make it mesh better!
They don’t need to be done in order. So if something doesn’t line up right between the Invictus Weightlifting 3-Day program & your own programming – you can do the three days in any order! If day 3 lines up better for Monday, do that first! The order of the sessions does not matter at all.

Invictus Weightlifting Program

Invictus Weightlifting also offers a 5-Day programming option. However, we don’t recommend doing CrossFit on top of that program so I did not discuss that program here.