Beyond Rehab: Integrating Performance and Physical Therapy in CrossFit w/ Kyle Habdo
What Happens When a PT Becomes a Performance Coach? Episode 8 of the Stimulus Matters Podcast features special guest Kyle Habdo, a physical therapist ...
In this episode of Stimulus Matters, Kyle Ruth reflects on his experience coaching at the 2025 Rogue Invitational—one of the most prestigious and physically demanding competitions in CrossFit. Known for its heavy loading, technical bottlenecks, and unique implements, Rogue is a coach’s dream and a programming challenge.
Kyle describes how every event at Rogue—aside from a single burpee/overhead squat piece—featured intentional bottlenecks. Events like the sandbag back-rack lunge and the log bar muscle-up were as much puzzles as they were physical tests, forcing coaches to experiment with movement solutions behind the scenes.
“You’re backstage figuring out how to get a sandbag to the back rack without giving away the strategy to other coaches.”
The lesson? Rogue isn’t just about testing brute strength. It’s about coaching adaptability, technical creativity, and preparing athletes to thrive under constraints.
Alexis Raptis had just four weeks to prepare for Rogue—and the programming was distinctly strength-biased under fatigue, not one-rep-max centric.
Kyle outlines the strategy used in her short peaking cycle:
Even though Rogue featured a 500/350 lb deadlift and 315/225 lb back squat cycling, there were no pure max lifts. Instead, athletes were tested on their ability to express strength mid-workout—a crucial nuance that many miss in training.
Strength on paper doesn’t always translate to performance under fatigue.
Ryne and Kyle unpack why some athletes can hit massive lifts fresh (e.g., a 300 lb high-hang clean), but crumble when heart rate hits 160 bpm. This becomes a major focus in CrossFit coaching: building the ability to express strength under stress.
“You need to program pre-fatigue intervals like 1K row into 10 hang power cleans—not to destroy the athlete, but to create the right adaptation.”
Too much fatigue and the athlete compensates. Too little and there’s no adaptation. The art lies in stimulus calibration, not just loading.
One of the central themes of the episode is specificity in strength adaptation. Kyle lays out three key types of specificity:
This is where many CrossFitters go wrong. They train heavy squats in a different range or tempo than they use in competition, limiting the transfer of those adaptations to the sport.
Ryne brings up lessons from elite powerlifters—where accessory work is targeted based on where lifts break down. If you get stuck off the floor? Pull from a deficit. Struggling above the knee? Strengthen hamstrings or upper back.
But in CrossFit, you don’t have the luxury of specializing year-round. So smart coaches must be strategic with when and how they use this approach.
“We don’t get to just train sticking points all year. We also have to prep for 40 DB box step-overs and handstand walks in the same season.”
The solution? Include targeted accessory work within the broader sport prep, especially for Games-level athletes or during strength-priority blocks.
The final segment of the episode discusses how weekly structure changes depending on the athlete’s level and phase of training.
Ryne and Kyle explain how time of year, athlete maturity, and training history all shape the plan.
“With Alexis, we only had one week for Metcon-specific strength. That’s all we could fit once we stacked squatting, hinging, and cycling progressions.”
The message? Context dictates the program—and knowing when to shift focus is what defines great coaching.
One of the deepest and most critical discussions in this episode centered on the midline—not just as a “core” training target, but as a central limiter in strength expression, posture control, and energy transfer.
Kyle explains that many CrossFitters think midline training means GHD sit-ups or toes-to-bar. But these are primarily dynamic trunk flexion exercises. They don’t teach abdominal pressure, oblique engagement, or the skill of breathing under load.
“If you can’t brace, you can’t lift. The nervous system won’t allow it.”
The conversation explores:
Kyle and Ryne lay out a full midline training system, starting with McGill’s Big 3 (curl-up, bird dog, side plank) and progressing to more advanced variations like:
They also emphasize tools like the breath belt—an elastic feedback device that creates constant pressure for athletes to brace against, reinforcing the sensation of midline tension even during simple movements like bird dogs.
Ryne explains that for many athletes, weak midline control limits their ability to transfer leg or upper body strength into real performance.
“Your core is the vessel through which you’re translating the strength of the peripheries.”
Once bracing mechanics improve, it’s common to see:
And importantly, midline training should be daily, intentional, and prioritized as much as any other accessory work—especially in athletes who struggle with extension bias, back fatigue, or positional breakdown under load.
Episode 22 is a masterclass in how to prepare for strength expression in real sport settings like Rogue Invitational. From periodization to specificity to stimulus matching, Kyle and Ryne walk listeners through the critical concepts that determine whether an athlete’s numbers show up when it counts.
If you’re a coach, competitor, or training nerd who wants to understand how strength truly transfers to sport—especially under fatigue—this one’s a must-listen.
