In 2011, I developed a very simple piece of programming for favorable body composition change. In a nutshell, it was my CF knowledge on diet and exercise, distilled to tactical action.

Again, the aim is body comp change, not Games-level performance. I used this specifically to see how rapidly I could induce change.



Don't take this as a panacea; like all simple programs, it will only work for a limited duration, and may not be sustainable in the long term. Still, it's pretty powerful.



Diet: Chicken and fish in Zone proportions. Cook in olive or coconut oil. Heavy intake of leafy greens and colorful vegetables. Fruit limited to berries, eat at will with meals. Post-workout shake, SFH Recovery and coconut water. Evening snack as needed of two date rolls and a few tablespoons of pecan butter, typically consumed every other day to keep energy levels high. No alcohol. None. If you pursue the program, and find that you're smoked, up your intake of carbohydrates from natural sources, and consume them immediately post WOD.

Mobility: Heavy foam rolling and stretching throughout the program. Warm up throughly for every session, and stretch during cool down as well. If possible, an a.m. mobility session and a post-workout mobility session help. I did both.



Monday: 20 rep-max back squat. Start around 50-60% of your 1RM, and add 10 pounds per week for the duration of the program. If you cannot add 10 pounds at any point, cycle down or use a smaller jump. Don't put the bar down.



Tuesday: Morning: Pick two bodyweight compound exercises, and do a tabata or double-alternating tabata. Evening: 4 x 100m Sprint. These are max effort sprints.



Wednesday: Rest



Thursday: Classic CrossFit WOD. Think named workouts. We're looking for hard, fast triplets and couplets.



Friday: 1RM. Pick movements that require heavy loads and focus on the hip. Deadlifts and Cleans are good here.



Saturday: Classic CrossFit WOD. Whatever is on the board. Hang out with your friends, have fun, and throw down.



Sunday: Rest



The synthesis of this program comes from my own academic knowledge and practical experience. I'm a believer in the Black Box phenomenon: if it works, it works, and there's little point in determining exactly why. Still, here's a feeble attempt at rationalization:



Monday's high rep compound movements stimulate hypertrophy, which raises energy requirements, burning fat. Tuesday's interval work raises anaerobic and aerobic capacity. Anecdotally, both days seem to elicit an outsize hormonal response: I was fired up and aggressive, especially post-20 RM. Monday and Tuesday also fry your CNS, so you need to rest thereafter.

Thursday leverages the extreme effectiveness of the classic CrossFit metcon, the combination of moderate weight and rapid task accomplishment.



Friday is about strength gain without hypertrophy, maximizing strength-to-bodyweight ratio. Although some people grow in the 1RM scenario, my personal experience has always been contractile potential without observable change on the scale.



Saturday is a wild card. Unknown and unknowable, and a reminder that working out is about community, not your body fat percentage. Again, we're leaning on CrossFit couplets and triplets. Do what's on the whiteboard.



Diet is based on everything I know about leaning out: lean protein, veggies, whole foods, natural oils. I find that nut and seed consumption interrupts the body comp change for me, and if I'm run down, it's carbs that need to increase rather than fat. This is personal experience only, not a prescription.



When I performed the protocol, I went from 168 and 14% bodyfat to 165 and 9% bodyfat. Measurements were taken in the morning, pre-hydration. This took 18 days.



Then I flew to the UK and drank a bunch of beer with Karl Steadman. I may have also eaten an ice cream sundae the size of my head.

Jon Gilson is the founder of Again Faster and former member of CrossFit’s Level I Seminar staff.