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How to Get Better at Gymnastics for CrossFit: The 5-Step Framework By Anton Fero, CrossFit Level 3 Coach | Blue House Fitness Most CrossFit athletes want to improve their gymnastics—whether that means getting your first muscle-up, stringing together handstand push-ups, or simply surviving workouts like Fran and Diane. But too often, athletes jump into high-skill movements during workouts without a clear plan for how to actually build capacity. If you’re frustrated that your gymnastics skills haven’t improved, you’re probably skipping steps. There’s a better way. Let’s break down the five essential steps to getting better at gymnastics in CrossFit—built from years of coaching and athlete development at Blue House Fitness. Step 1: Strength First Before anything else, you need to ask yourself: Are you strong enough to do the movement? No amount of skill drills or technique work will get you a pull-up if you don’t have the raw pulling strength. You can’t finesse your way into a handstand push-up or bar muscle-up without the baseline strength to support your body. At Blue House, we use gymnastic strength training to build this foundation. That includes things like: Ring rows Push-ups Tempo work Controlled progressions "Don’t trip on 5x5 of ring rows. They’re gold." If you’re still in this phase, own it. This is where the real work starts. Step 2: Efficiency Over Technique Once you’re strong enough, the next step is to become more efficient. Efficiency means doing the same work with less energy—not necessarily prettier, just smarter. Let’s say you’ve got your first bar muscle-up, but it’s a messy “chicken wing.” That tells us you’ve got the strength, but not yet the control or rhythm. Now it’s time to refine. Coaches often use the word "technique," but what we really mean is movement economy. Can you do this movement repeatedly without wasting energy? Step 3: Build Your Volume Tolerance Every movement has a volume threshold that shows up in workouts: Bar muscle-ups: ~50 Strict HSPUs: ~50 Toes-to-bar or chest-to-bar: 100–120 Double-unders: ~500 Can you hit those numbers? If not, start with volume accumulation work using EMOMs or EOMOMs: “1 bar muscle-up every minute for 10 minutes. Then 2. Then 3. Work up to 50.” This phase is about getting your reps in—without interference—so you build stamina without form breakdown. Step 4: Increase Your Density Now that you can handle the volume, it’s time to compress it. Density refers to how many reps you can do per set or round. Example progressions: 5 sets of 10 unbroken reps 3 sets of 15 unbroken reps This phase eliminates rest between reps. It preps you for real workouts, where movements don’t come spaced out nicely every minute. You're building capacity under fatigue—without adding other variables yet. Step 5: Add Intensity (Interference) Now you’re strong. You’re efficient. You have volume and density. Time to layer in CrossFit intensity—that means interference from movements like: Thrusters GHD sit-ups Rowing or Assault bike Burpees or wall balls A sample workout: Minute 1: 15-cal bike Minute 2: 5 bar muscle-ups Repeat for 12 minutes This simulates the reality of Metcons—when your grip is fried, your heart rate is spiked, and you still need to perform. This is where most people want to start—but it's the final step for a reason. “Most athletes are doing Step 5, but skipping Steps 1 through 4—and that’s why they’re stuck.” What This Looks Like in Practice One of our athletes reflects on her own journey: “Before I joined Blue House, I wasn’t doing push-ups or ring rows. I couldn’t do a muscle-up. Now I can do multiple bar muscle-ups, and we’re working on ring muscle-ups next. All the EOMs and strength training really worked.” Once you’ve built the volume, then we can add complexity—like combinations that challenge your personal weaknesses (e.g., GHDs into bar muscle-ups, which might fatigue your core and ruin your kip). This isn’t just about gymnastics—it’s about becoming a better athlete overall. Final Thoughts: The Blueprint for Progress If you’re not improving your gymnastics, you’re likely skipping a phase (or three). Here’s the path: Strength — Can you move your body under control? Efficiency — Can you do it with less effort? Volume — Can you do enough reps to match a typical test? Density — Can you handle large unbroken sets? Intensity — Can you perform under fatigue and interference? “It’s not about trying harder. It’s about training smarter.” Once you build this foundation, you'll enter workouts and think, "Holy crap… this feels easy." And that’s exactly where we want you. Need Help With Your Gymnastics Training? Send us a message—we’d love to coach you through it. Blue House Fitness Train with purpose. Progress with intention.