Linchpin Conversations

Buy-in's & cash-out's. C2 rower vs Assault Rower. Programming considerations. When is doing "extra" warranted? Monitoring data. Pre-workout stretching. Machines for bodybuilding. When to add a vest to Linchpin Test 13. Training for other sports. Strict Press vs strict hspu. Alternatives to squatting. When do you need to "suck it up"? Which movements to program? Sports massage.

Chris is a husband, a father, a physical therapist, & a former program hopper. He has been active his entire life & played multiple sport. He tried CrossFit, bodybuilding workouts, Wendler 5/3/1, other strength programs & even created workouts for himself. We discuss his fitness journey, lessons learned & what lead him to Linchpin.

Assigning loads vs letting athletes choose. Frequency of bike vs row workouts. How to approach accessory work. Wallballs vs Thrusters.

Artur lives in Portugal. Nikos lives in Greece. Both are married with kids & have busy jobs. Through Linchpin, they started commenting on each other's workout scores. Then they started to motivate one another & a freindly competition developed. As time went by they became true friends & talk almost every day. This is their story.

Box Jumps vs Step-ups Linchpin for Adaptive Athletes & kids. Choosing only 3 workouts a week. Improving Pull-ups. Improving Oly lifts. Do you need an Abmat for sit-ups? When you miss a day...skip it or make it up?

Josh R. is a husband, a father & a self-admitted program hopper. During a 2 year period he was a part of 12-16 different online programs. Josh walks us through his fitness journey, what lead him to try so many different programs & why he chose to return to Linchpin.

Do I ever get bored programming? What would I change about Linchpin? Body says YES, head says NO to working out. How to break through plateaus. Podcast recommendations. Thoughts on the "electrolyte craze" happening. How to workout with your kids. One arm stronger than the other. Do I look at the clock during "for time" workouts?

Chelsae is a wife, a mother to 6 children & a Linchpin member. She is also currently pregnant with another baby. This will be her 4th postpartum jounrey with Linchpin & her 3rd pregnancy with Linchpin since day one. She shares her journey & lessons learned for other moms who are pregnant & active.

Did Adrian Bozman quit?  | How to get more strict pull-ups.  | Echo bike & upper body fatigue. | Craziest thing I've seen in a gym. | Proper height for box step-ups. | Redefining CrossFit? | Linchpin & competition. | What is the ideal rest day. | Sustainable nutrition. | What's being tested in "Helen"?

Ruan is a husband, a new father to a little baby girl & a Linchpin member. He was born & raised in South Africa, but recently moved to Germany for a new job. He is adapting to a new country, a new culture & his new role as a dad. His free time is limited, & he only has a pair of dumbbells for working out. This is his story.

Choosing the right dumbbell loading. | How to use a sandbag. | What skill challenged me the most? | When to do the Monster Mash? | Selecting rest periods for intervals. | How deep should you squat? | Programming for a hypothetical athlete.

Scott F. is a husband, a father & a Linchpin member. For 15 years he worked as a National Park Ranger in Yosemite & the Grand Canyon. He did law enforcement, search & rescue, as well as emergency medical work. He first got into CrossFit in 2006 & has been hooked ever since. This is his story.

Does 1RM relate to as "Rx'd" loading? | 10k run program. | Programming mistakes. | Relative Intensity explained. | Is sitting all day bad? | How do you test your fitness in real life? | What is a total hip replacement? | Why is Strength + Metcon so popular? | Training for Hyrox & engine building. | How sore is too sore? | How important is handstand walking? | Training 3x per week.

Nick B. is a husband, a father, military officer & member of the Linchpin community. He spent many years as a dedicated runner doing everything from 5k runs to 100 miles races & everything in between. In 2018 he joined Linchpin & has been a member for over 6 years. This is his story.

Minimum fitness equipment. | Deload weeks. | Programming themes. | Fitness Test at the Olympics. | Taking time off from working out. | Strict before kipping for T2B? | 1st, 2nd, 3rd wave adaption in CrossFit | The kickstand squat.

Patrick S. is one of the many amazing people we have in the Linchpin community. He has a profoundly physically demanding job. Every day he moves heavy boxes for hours & hours. In a previous phase of life he was also a power lifter who experimented with performance enhancing drugs. Patrick is an open book & shares all aspects of his fitness jounrey during this interview.

My favorite movement/workout. | How to be ok scaling workouts. | Lazar & the 2024 CF Games. | Upcoming challenges - Linchpin Test 13 | Turkish Get-ups | My Paleo journey | Supplementation | Motivation | Fasting

Adrian is a gym owner & member of the Linchpin community. He grew up playing soccer & loves to dance. He first tried CrossFit while in college & has been hooked ever since. This is his story.

VO2 Max vs Lactate Threshold. | Using btwb data to improve Linchpin. | Are some weeks of Linchpin harder than others? | Pull-ups vs Chin-ups. | Olympic events I love.

Scott M started doing CrossFit in 2010. He was the heaviest he had ever been in his life at 250 pounds. He found a gym & got his diet under control. Over the last 14 years he has owned a gym, but now works out in his garage as a member of the Linchpin community. This is his story.

My favorite "on the go" snack & drink. | What did CF teach me that the SEALs did not? | Plank holds. | Does Rest = Strength? | The hardest workout I ever programmed. | How long will I keep programming? | How to lift without dying. | Fitness & kids. | How to rearrange workouts. | Proper grip for Deadlifts.

Anthony is a husband, a father, a civil enginner & a member of Linchpin. He was a 3 sport athlete in highschool who went on to attend West Point. He walks us through his time in the military as well as his fitness regimen now that he is a civilian.

Common run distances. | The love of Oly lifting. | Improving mobility & warming up. | Do workouts surprises me? | Are butterfly pull-ups worth the risk? | At what stage should we reset our PR's? | Heavy Days vs Sprint Days. | Echo Bike vs Assault Bike. | Dealing with DOMS. | When is it ok to struggle? | Real bike vs rower or Air Bikes.

Scott is a husband, a father, a clinical laboratory scientist & a Linchpin member. Originally a runner, he first tried CrossFit back in 2013 & got hooked. In 2016 he built a garage gym & started following Linchpin. He & his wife have two children & have fostered many kids over the years. This is his story.

Evan W. is a husband, a father, a fulltime farmer & a Linchpin member. He has an extremely physically demanding job which often forces his to work long days outside, regardless of the weather. Even though Evan's job is so tough, he chooses to workout. As a matter of fact, he says it helps him be a better farmer. This is his story.