Linchpin Conversations

Melanie is a single mom with 2 kids & a Linchpin member. She was born & raised in Guyana & moved to the US when she was 11 years old. She has an amazing career as a Thoracic Surgery PA & stays very busy raising her 2 kids & getting them to their sports practices/games. This is her story.

Sprinting over 40 years old. | Sleds & odd objects | Listening to your body. | 70% effort forever? | Zone 2 training | Progressive overload.

Terri G is a wife, a mother, a business owner & a Linchpin member. She & her husband get up at 5am every day to make sure they get in their workout. She talks about her fitness journey & what lead her to Linchpin.

Why don't I watch the CF Games? | Carb Backloading. | Linchpin in 5 years. | No-equipment option. | A Superpower I want. | "Nobody Cares. Train Harder." | Is "Murph" too much? | Upcoming physical challenges? | Single-arm training.

Jeff D is a husband, a father, & a Linchpin member. He & his wife decided to quit their jobs, sell all of their possessions & go on the adventure of a lifetime. The explored 25 countries in 15 months. Jeff talks about life, adventure, coffee & fitness.

Tall athletes vs Short athletes, pros & cons. | 3 Songs for the rest of my life. | Woking out during & after sickness. | Fitness for kids. | C2B pull-ups with a low ceiling. | How much intensity is needed at 40+ years old? | Dumbbells = fitness.

Scott is a husband, a father & has a job which has him sitting most of the day. He has been a member of Linchpin for over 2 years. Life got hectic, as it does for many of us & he let his health & fitness deteriorate to an unacceptable level around the time his second child was born. He made a decision to change his life & has not looked back. This is his story.

No bike or Rower...what can I do? | "Not For time" vs "For Quality" | Barbell Squats vs Dumbbell Squats. | Is a "Hilly" running course good or bad? | Controlling heart rate. | Are Double-unders important? | Stay fit when life is hectic. | Origins of the name "Linchpin". | Supplements.

Blake is a husband, a father & a member of the Linchpin community. He had a terrible accident in the Army when his parachute malfunctioned. This accident, along with other major life changes lead to him gaining nearly 100 pounds. In this conversation he talks about is journey back to a healthy weight & lifestyle.

A goal I'm working on. | Book recommendations. | You only have 30 minutes to train. | Swapping training days & rest days. | DIY rope climb set-ups. | Oly lifting in a wetsuit. | How to get fitter. | My dream vacation.

It is common for athletes to repeat workouts. It is also common to scale workouts & then slowly increase their difficulty over time as you progress. Should you compare times on the "same" workout if you increase the weight, for example?

Habit I would like to add or delete. | Improving high skill movements. | What movements are not worth the risk? | Advice for opening an affiliate? | Shoulder health. | Fit a long workout into a short time. | How long does it take to get strong? | Linchpin Monthly Fitness Tests. | "Open Prep" & "Murph Prep". | Lifting for 1RMs. | Mental fortitude. | How to NOT race the clock. | "For Quality" & "Not...

Small, daily amounts of fitness can lead to big changes in your life. You don't need a lot of time or fancy equipment to be fit & healthy. All you need is knowledge, discipline & support.

10 exercises for the rest of my life. | How to deal with "tennis elbow" | Not for time workouts + accessories. | Challenges with an online community. | btwb fitness level, which workouts count? | Improving Olympic lifts. | Linchpin vs competitive programming. | Recommended level of intensity. | Training 3 times per week. | The state of kid's sports. | How to lose body fat. | Skill work.

In this epsiode we discuss how to get better at pull-ups, as well as defining what "pull-ups, any style" means when you see that as part of the description of a Linchpin workout.

Pegboard training. | What if you miss a workout? | Dynamic range of motion warm-ups. | What does "taxing the Central Nervous System" mean? | C-kip vs Butterfly kip. | How to attack Quarter Final workouts.

This was a comment left on my instagram by someone I do not know. It sparked many thoughts, ideas, topics & concepts I felt would be worthy of discussion. I hope you find this conversation helpful in guiding your long term fitness journey.

Ivan K. is a coach & part owner of CrossFit Minic in Basel, Switzerland. He is a Level 3 Coach & has been a trainer at gyms all around the world. He has experienced the difference between good & bad programming. Ivan made the switch to Linchpin at his gym & he explains why.

Explain the "Levels" on btwb. | Working 13 hours a day & staying Fit. | Monday Monster Mash & the Buttery Bros. | Improving the Olympic Lifts in your garage. | Mon thru Fri workout, Weekends off schedule.

There are many people who love snatching, & just as many who hate it & avoid it at all costs. Why do we snatch? What are the benefits? If someone did not want to snatch what are some effective modifications or substitutions?

"Spur of the moment" workouts. Linchpin for Affiliates. | How to lose 20 lbs by summer. | VNR Pull-up program. | Working out twice a week. | Programming a Games workout. | Favorite hobby outside of fitness. | What do I think of Hyrox? | What does being a good coach mean? | High intensity vs "Dancing with the Devil". | How to know the difference between discomfort & injury. | Rx loads vs % loading.

Depending upon the phase of life you are, there may be value in considering "starting fresh" and "forgetting" your previous personal bests. Of course the topic is nuanced & has many layers worth considering that will vary from individual to individual, but the general topic should help athletes set expectations and is a useful thought experiment.

 Do the Linchpin monthly test not "Respect the Heavy Days". | Favorite Heavy Days at a High Heart Rate | How to increase grip strength. | Shipping Linchpin merch overseas. | Will CrossFit build muscle? | The "Tempus" feature on the btwb app. | Scaling to increase intensity.

In this episode we walk through the Monthly Linchpin Fitness Tests which will happen beginning in May 2024. Below are the monthly tests, which will be labeled as "Checkpoints".

What counts as "Rx'd"? | Improving Engine & Pain Tolerance. | Heavy Day Rep Schemes. | Fran. | Deadlift form on Open workout 24.2. | Improving Running Technique. | Setting Fitness Goals. | Training High School Athletes. | Improving Olympic Lifts When Training Alone. | Tall Athletes & Body Positioning.