Who is Pat Sherwood?
Pat Sherwood has been a longtime member of the CrossFit community; he is now the owner and programmer behind the brutally elegant workouts of CrossFit Linchpin. You’ll also find Pat co-hosting the Varied Not Random podcast.
I (EC) met Pat back c. 2008 teaching at a CrossFit Level 1 seminar. Pat and I worked together for some time on the seminar staff before he moved onto the media department at CrossFit, then eventually moving onto a position with Beyond the Whiteboard (in addition to running CrossFit Linchpin).
Not only does Pat know the CrossFit methodology backwards and forwards, he lives it and breathes it every single day. The workouts he programs, he is also doing (and scaling if necessary), just like he recommends for his members. I routinely recommend people looking for good CrossFit programming to check out CrossFit Linchpin.
Additionally, I have been part of the CrossFit Linchpin community and can tell you it is awesome! You will be in good hands with Pat and the extended family.
Sherwood: The “Classic CrossFit Programmer”
One of the things Pat Sherwood has become known for is his “Classic CrossFit” programming.
What is meant by that is that workouts are more-often short and intense than long and slow, but going heavy and longer cardio pieces are still weekly mainstays of the program.
But, there is “simply” one workout a day. That is often accomplished in less than 30 minutes, and doesn’t have 5 different elements to get through and plenty of days without a barbell. In my opinion, it’s the perfect dose of what the everyday person needs to get exceptionally fit.
Pat and I chuckle on this podcast episode asking ourselves: why do we need the additional modifier of “classic”? This is the CrossFit methodology that we knew and taught (and still follow decades later). Yet, there is a trend in the CrossFit community to program too much and too often – likely a ripple effect of individuals trying to emulate the CrossFit Games athletes.
How Fit Do You Really Need to Be?
There are many lively debates on the internet about what is the most optimal program. Often lost in this discussion is the end point. That is defining the most optimal for what. We have to define the end goal we are seeking to better select the appropriate method to get there.
Both Pat and I have similar clientele: the fitness-minded individual who is seeking a high quality of life. We are not working with professional athletes (very few are!). And as we discuss in this podcast: the level of fitness needed for a high quality of life is actually not much fitness wise.
And following something like CrossFit Linchpin (with a much more sensible approach to volume and intensity than many programs) will give you exceptional capacity above and beyond that.
Tune into the podcast episode linked above for more on our discussion. Topics include:
– What you may misunderstand about CrossFit programming
– Why doing less in the gym might be the secret to your improvement
– The movements you want to perform every week
– Why accessory work is optional
– What “classic CrossFit” programming looks like
(And if you use one of the links above to open the episode in another player: scroll back to Feb 2023 and look for the title: on How Fit You Really Need to Be (w/ Pat Sherwood).)
