Dawg & Rabbit FitnessThe science the program is built on — in the open.
Dawg & Rabbit Fitness doesn't cite a champion; it cites the research a champion's coach uses. Each page below states the principle in plain language, gives the effect size, and links the peer-reviewed source. Every one governs a real decision the program makes.
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How to taper for the CrossFit Open
A 2-week taper that cuts volume ~41–60% while preserving intensity is the meta-analytically optimal protocol (Bosquet et al., 2007); tapers of this kind typically improve performance by about 3% (Mujika & Padilla, 2003). CrossFit-specific practice per Pritchard et al. (2020).
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Polarized 80/20 training: what the easy/hard split means for functional fitness
Elite endurance athletes spend ~80% of sessions easy (below LT1) and ~20% hard (above LT2). For threshold-heavy functional fitness the target is pyramidal-tolerant: protect the easy base, keep programmed metcon work intentional. Seiler (2010); Stöggl & Sperlich (2015).
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ACWR load management: train the rate of change, not just the volume
What matters is how fast load changes, not raw volume: past ~1.5× your chronic baseline you are ramping faster than you have adapted. An associative load-dynamics signal, not an injury forecast. Gabbett (2016); limits per Impellizzeri (2020).
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CrossFit pacing strategy: why redlining round 1 loses
Controlled-split pacing produced more total work and less neuromuscular decay than going all-out in multi-round WODs among regional-level athletes. Ribeiro et al. (2024).
The evidence, applied: four sample cycles
The rules on these pages, applied week by week. Each sample is the first six weeks of a 12-week program the engine generated for a documented fictional athlete, one per training bias, with the citations each week applies. Free download, no email.
Overall fitness · Strength bias · Endurance bias · VO2 max bias (PDF)
More claims are added from the research library over time. Each prescription in the app links to its source the same way.