At CrossFit Viroqua, we constantly emphasize progression. We don’t just throw people into the deep end and expect them to swim. Instead, we follow a structured approach—one that applies to both fitness and life: Walk, Jog, Sprint.
This analogy serves as a foundation for how we approach training. Just as a baby must first learn to stand before taking steps, we must first master the basics before advancing to more complex movements. Each level—walking, jogging, and sprinting—carries different levels of risk, intensity, and potential reward. Understanding and respecting each phase ensures sustainable growth, reducing the likelihood of injury while maximizing performance.
The Walking Phase: Building a Strong Foundation
Walking represents the foundational level of any skill, movement, or endeavor. It’s where we focus on mechanics, control, and understanding the “why” behind what we’re doing. While walking is considered safe, it still has risks—just like anything in life. You can trip, roll an ankle, or lose balance. However, these mistakes are manageable, and recovery is typically quick.
In the gym, walking is represented by strict movements:
- Strict Pull-ups before Kipping Pull-ups – Building upper body strength, control, and mobility before adding dynamic movement.
- Strict Press before Push Press or Jerk – Learning to create a stable foundation and develop raw pressing strength before utilizing momentum.
- Deadlift before Olympic Lifting – Mastering hinge mechanics before progressing to explosive movements like cleans and snatches.
Rushing this stage often leads to setbacks. When athletes ignore the foundational phase, they might develop poor movement patterns, leading to inefficiency or injury when intensity increases.
The Jogging Phase: Adding Complexity and Intensity
Once the foundational movement is solid, we introduce complexity and controlled intensity—this is the jogging phase. Here, we refine efficiency and explore more advanced techniques while still maintaining control. This stage introduces a higher potential for missteps, but it’s a necessary step to move toward peak performance.
Examples of jogging in fitness include:
- Kipping Pull-ups after Strict Pull-ups – Introducing momentum while maintaining shoulder and core control.
- Push Press after Strict Press – Learning to use the legs for power but still maintaining positional awareness.
- Power Clean after Deadlift – Developing explosive movement patterns while ensuring safe mechanics.
In this phase, mistakes are more frequent, but they are learning opportunities. The key is intentional practice—mindfully progressing rather than recklessly jumping ahead.
The Sprinting Phase: High Risk, High Reward
Sprinting is where we go full throttle. This is where intensity is highest, and the demand for precision, coordination, and efficiency is at its peak. The risk of failure and injury is also highest here, but this level of performance is necessary. In real life, you might not need a perfect deadlift every day, but if you ever need to run for your life, react quickly, or lift something heavy under fatigue, you’ll be grateful you trained for it.
Sprinting examples in fitness include:
- Butterfly Pull-ups after Kipping Pull-ups – Maximizing efficiency for high-rep gymnastics.
- Split Jerk after Push Press – Utilizing full-body mechanics to move the heaviest loads efficiently.
- Squat Snatch after Power Snatch – Refining mobility, speed, and timing under maximal loads.
Many athletes want to skip ahead to the sprinting phase because it looks impressive. But without the groundwork of walking and jogging, sprinting becomes reckless. If you haven’t built control, strength, and mechanics, you’ll increase your likelihood of injury.
Applying This to Life
The Walk, Jog, Sprint analogy isn’t just for the gym—it applies to all aspects of life. Whether it’s learning a new skill, starting a business, or improving your health, progression matters.
- Walk: Learn the basics, build consistency, and establish habits.
- Jog: Add complexity, challenge yourself, and refine your technique.
- Sprint: Go all in when you’re ready and prepared.
People who try to sprint without learning to walk often burn out, get injured, or quit when things get hard. Those who embrace the process are the ones who achieve long-term success.
Master Your Phase
Where are you right now in your fitness journey? Are you still building your foundation? Are you refining your skills and adding intensity? Or are you at the peak of performance, pushing your limits?
Be honest with yourself. If you need to slow down and reinforce the basics, do it. If you’re ready to level up, challenge yourself. If you’re prepared to sprint, make sure you’re fully equipped.
The goal isn’t to rush through these phases but to master each one. Doing so ensures a lifetime of strength, resilience, and the ability to respond when life demands it.
So today, ask yourself: Are you walking, jogging, or sprinting? And are you progressing the right way?
If you’re ready to take the next step in your training, book a No Sweat Intro and let’s map out your progression. The path is clear—let’s move forward together.
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