If you’ve been thinking about starting CrossFit — or returning after some time away — March is a genuinely great time to walk through our doors. Not because of a sale or a gimmick, but because of where our programming is right now and where it’s headed over the next nine weeks.
Here’s what’s happening, what it means, and how it benefits you whether you’re brand new or a seasoned athlete.
We’re Starting a New Strength Cycle Called BUILD
On March 2nd, we kick off BUILD — a structured, 9-week strength cycle designed to add muscle and raw strength. BUILD is the second of six planned strength cycles in 2026, and it’s built around three foundational barbell movements: the Bench Press, the Deadlift, and the Back Squat.
The format is straightforward and intentional. Each strength session involves three sets of five reps at a prescribed percentage of your max, followed by one drop set at 50% for as many quality reps as possible. This combination serves two distinct purposes: the heavy sets build raw strength, and the drop sets signal your body to add muscle. It’s a time-tested approach that works — and the 9-week structure is what makes it work consistently.
For someone starting in March, this means you’re getting in at the beginning. You’ll establish baselines in Week 1, log your numbers, and have a clear benchmark to measure progress against as intensity climbs week over week.
How the Cycle Progresses
The BUILD cycle unfolds in two waves across nine weeks, with intensity building progressively before arriving at a Heavy 5-Rep Max Test in Week 8:
Weeks 1–3 (March 2–22): Intensity builds from 78% to 83%. This is where baselines are established and the drop sets begin building volume.
Week 4 (March 23–29): A planned back-off week. The primary lifts take a rest, replaced by Push Press, Power Cleans, and Front Squats. This isn’t a break — it’s a deliberate recovery week before the second wave.
Weeks 5–7 (March 30 – April): The second wave climbs from 80% up to 85%.
Week 8: Heavy 5-Rep Max Tests. This is where you see what nine weeks of intentional work produced.
Week 9: A final back-off week before the next cycle begins.
For new athletes, the drop set deserves a specific mention: the weight stays at 50% of your max for the entire cycle. You are not increasing the load week over week. Instead, the goal is to perform more quality reps each week at that same weight. “Max reps” does not mean grinding through bad reps until you collapse — it means performing quality reps until the movement slows down, pauses, or loses form. The moment a rep doesn’t look like your first one, the set is done. Quality volume is what builds muscle. This distinction matters, and our coaches will reinforce it every session.
Every Day Has a Name Because Every Day Has a Purpose
One of the things that sets our programming apart is that nothing is arbitrary. Each day of the week follows a specific theme, and those themes connect to a larger plan:
Muscular Monday centers on the primary strength lift paired with conditioning that builds muscle. This is where your Bench Press, Deadlift, or Back Squat lives.
Target Tuesday focuses on interval conditioning designed to build lower body muscular endurance. Every Tuesday in March is specifically preparing athletes for a benchmark workout called Infinity War — more on that below.
Well-Rounded Wednesday includes the second strength session of the week paired with balanced conditioning.
Threshold Thursday involves longer efforts that challenge your aerobic system and push your lactate threshold — the point at which your body shifts from comfortable to hard.
Forever Athlete Friday combines plyometrics, strength, and a short conditioning burst. It’s designed to keep you training like an athlete across all physical qualities.
Sweat Session Saturday features a longer workout available in individual and team formats. This is our community day — a great entry point for people who want to experience the CrossFit Lincoln environment for the first time.
Sunday Runday is intentional low-intensity aerobic work. It builds your aerobic base without ego or intensity, and it’s exactly as it sounds.
What Tuesdays Are Building Toward
Every Target Tuesday in March is doing specific work with a specific target in mind: a benchmark workout called Infinity War.
Infinity War is 18 minutes of continuous effort — no rest — that includes power cleans, push-ups, and six straight minutes of air squats in the middle. Total reps across all 18 minutes is your score. The six-minute squat window is what makes it hard, and it’s what March Tuesdays are systematically preparing your legs for.
The Tuesday progression across the month moves from shorter, high-intensity intervals in Week 1, to longer sustained windows with squatting under fatigue in Weeks 2 and 3, to a back-off with repeated leg loading in Week 4, before putting it all together in Week 5. By the time Infinity War arrives, the work will have already been done — the benchmark is just the moment you get to prove it.
This is what intentional programming looks like in practice: every session connects to something larger than the workout of the day.
For New Athletes: What to Expect When You Walk In
If you’re new to CrossFit or new to CrossFit Lincoln specifically, here’s what the experience actually looks like.
You won’t be thrown into a class without context. Our coaches spend time with new athletes to understand your background, your movement history, and where you are physically. Every movement in every workout can be scaled — adjusted in load, range of motion, or substituted entirely — so that the stimulus of the workout is appropriate for your body right now, not for someone else’s.
The BUILD cycle’s structure actually makes this an ideal time to start. Week 1 is explicitly about establishing baselines. There’s no assumption of prior history. You log where you are, and the cycle builds from there.
One More Thing: Corn Fed Lift-Off, April 25th
For athletes who want to see where this cycle leads in a competitive setting, our annual strength competition — Corn Fed Lift Off — takes place on April 25th. The BUILD cycle peaks with a Heavy 5-Rep Max Test in Week 8, right before the competition. Athletes who compete will have spent nine weeks doing exactly the work the competition tests.
If you’ve ever thought about competing, or if you’re curious what that environment feels like, this is the cycle that will have you ready. Registration is OPEN! https://crossfitlincoln.wodify.com/OnlineSalesPage/Main?q=ReviewPurchase%7COnlineMembershipId%3D261576%26LocationId%3D7005%26OnlineMembershipPaymentOptionId%3D1544613
The Bottom Line
March 2nd is the start of something structured, progressive, and purposeful. If you’ve been waiting for a good time to begin, you’ve found it.
Ready to get started? Visit our website or reach out directly — we’d love to show you what CrossFit Lincoln is about.