With the increase in popularity the past few years, Crossfit gyms are opening everywhere. People watch the "Crossfit Games" on ESPN and are intrigued by the great looking, physically gifted athletes that are competing. I have received numerous emails, texts and questions on my views on Crossfit and their workout protocols. Here’s my answer:

So if you read the first six articles in this series, then you’ve learned so far how to get nice shoulders, a better butt, a flat stomach and an impressive chest. You’ve learned how to sculpt legs like Lance Armstrong and how to look very, very good in a t-shirt.

You may not realize it, but even though the triathlon season has mostly ended, you are in a critical period of your training – the time when you can actually look back and learn from your performance this year, and analyze the key factors that help you to generate new goals. Since most races offer detailed online results, and electronic training devices such as GPS, heart rate monitors and power meters are becoming more affordable and easy to use, you probably have access to detailed sources of information about your performance.

Making improvements to your training approach is a critical annual exercise if you are looking to improve. As coaches we perform the same review, although we have the benefit of looking at training and results from a detached perspective. And our top change for the 2012 season is a big one: we decided to eliminate brick workouts (aka running off the bike) as a "special" workout.

If you have ever trained or are in training for an Ironman, you will know that it is an experience like no other—especially if you are an ironguides athlete on a daily dose of The Method training program. This article offers advice on how to spot the patterns of overtraining and how to minimize the down days for a more balanced, manageable and effective training cycle.