Friday 123110

Jerk Work:

1. Behind neck push jerk

2. DB Split squat

Metcon:

Tabata Wall Balls

Rest

Tabata KB Snatches (alternating each set)

In the video of the DB split squat, he has the bar in the front rack rather than dumbbells, but otherwise, this is the movement. This exercise will get you used to supporting a load in the split leg position (which is what you'll need for the split jerk).

Thursday 123010

Clean Work:

1. Hang Clean High Pull

2. Front Squat

Metcon:

6 Rounds of

30 seconds of DB Burpees

30 seconds of rest

30 seconds of rope jumping, doubles or singles (try to go unbroken)

30 seconds of rest

Watch the video I linked to the hang clean high-pull. Pause the video and then step through it frame by frame and notice how his hips and knees fully extend before there is noticeable bending of the arms. We'll keep the weight light on this move so we can work speed and also proper upper body positioning (elbows high and back at the top).

Wednesday 122910

Rest Day

Sorry to have to leave you guys mid-way through, but from what I saw, it looked like you finished it as well as can be expected. It took just under 20 minutes to complete which is what I was expecting. Hopefully that was a fairly fun one for you guys. Rest up tomorrow (or come in work some weaknesses, mobility, etc.) and be ready for some clean work on Thursday.

Tuesday 122810

Strength/Skill

1. Kips

2 Pullup holds (chin above bar)

3. Contralateral single-leg Deadlift

Metcon (maybe a week late, but it'll still work)

"12 Days of Christmas"

1 Deadlift, 225/135

2 Broad Jumps

3 Inverted Rows

4 Lateral bar hops

5 Air Squats

6 Walking lunges

7 Situps

8 Box jumps

9 Double/Single unders

10 DB Hang Power cleans, 40/25lb

11 MB cleans (from floor to squat)

12 MB slams

If you think about the song, you'll figure out how this workout goes. Merry Christmas a little late!

Monday 122710

You'll get a feel for this next 5 week block as we go, but the readers digest version is that we are going to emphasize continued technique/strength development in the Olympic lifts (snatch, clean, jerk) with metcon work of various duration, intensity, and exercise selection. I have a template planned out, but as we go I may adjust things (sets, reps, weights, exercises, rest, basically anything) if I feel we need to.

Monday's will be devoted to snatching - improving technique and also using snatch development exercises to improve the specific types of strength needed to snatch well. Also, I won't be revealing all the details of the workouts on the blog but will give you an outline of the day. Don't worry though, there is a plan.

Monday's Workout:

Snatch training

1. Power Snatch from above knee

2. Overhead Squat

3. Snatch-grip Push Press

Metcon

KB Cross-chops

KB Topside halfmoons

Also, I'll be directing the warm-ups more than I have been recently. That'll ensure that you're warmed up and ready specifically for the movements to follow.

I'm excited to keep moving forward and build on the foundation that's been laid. Let the good times roll!

Friday 122410

Strength

Bench Press, 15 reps @ 62.5%

Agility Cone Drills

We'll use a 1:2 or 1:3 work to rest ratio for all reps

Box drill

Weave drill

T drill

Quality execution of change of direction drills like these requires coordination, balance, strength, quickness, and body control/awareness. Anybody think improving these qualities won't be of value?

Thursday 122310

Strength

Deadlift, 15 reps @ 62.5%

Metcon

For time:

15 Overhead Squats, 95/65lb

75 Double Unders

30 Pushups

12 OH Squats

50 DUs

20 Pushups

9 OH Squats

25 DUs

10 Pushups

Scaling options: less weight on the OH squats, 3:1 singles for doubles (225-150-75), bands on the pushups (very strict technique: neutral spine, chin, chest, hips touch floor).

Wednesday 122210

Rest Day

Tuesday 122110

Strength

Push Press, 15 reps @ 62.5%

Eccentric Pullups, 5-6 x 4 with 4 second eccentric phase (remember: eccentric means the lowering only; jump up above the bar, take 4 seconds to lower yourself to a dead hang)

Metcon

Tabata ladder climb

1 minute rest

Tabata stationary bike

Note: if necessary, we'll add weight to the eccentric pullups if you're able to demonstrate proficiency in the first couple of sets without weight. Developing raw pullup strength will make kipping pullups a no-brainer. This is one method to do that.

Monday 122010

Strength

Back Squat, 15 reps @ 62.5%

Clean practice

Today's goal is to start to get comfortable with performing full squat cleans. We'll use power and full cleans from the high hang, mid-thigh, above knee, below knee, and finally from the floor. Technique, technique, technique!

Friday 121710

Strength

Deadlift

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1

Metcon

4 rounds for time

6 Kipping Pullups (we can scale with bands if needed)

12 Push Jerk behind neck

18 Double Unders

Thursday 121610

Strength

Deadlift

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1

Metcon

10-8-6-4-2 reps (each arm) of KB Snatch, 16/12kg

5-4-3-2-1 reps of stair run

Here are a few videos going over the KB snatch. Their methods for teaching are a little different but the end result is the same. Study these and we'll practice a bit before tackling the metcon.

The Kettlebell Snatch, part 1

The Kettlebell Snatch, part 2

Tuesday 121410

Strength

Push Press

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1+

Technique work: Kipping Pullups

Basic kip

Lying Hip Extensions

Jumping kipping pullups

Kipping pullups

The kipping pullup with Robb Wolf part 1

The kipping pullup with Robb Wolf part 2

Monday 121310

Strength

Back Squat

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1+

Metcon

5 rounds for time

1 Shuttle run (5yd back, 10yd back, 15yd back)

6 Shoulder/forward rolls

12 DB Hang Squat Cleans, 35/20lb

Friday 121010

Strength

Bench Press, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Metcon

4 Rounds for time of

10 Handstand pushups

10 Deadlift+Hang power clean+front squat

We'll scale the handstand pushups either by performing them in a pike position or with your feet on a box.

Thursday 120910

Strength

Deadlift, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Metcon/skill practice

You'll have 15 minutes to do as many sets of unbroken (i.e. no misses) double unders as possible. I'll let you know what your number per set is during class.

Tuesday 120710

Strength

Push Press, 5x3 @ 87.5% (I adjusted your maxes a bit from last week based on how last week's workout went)

Metcon

As many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of

25KB Swings, 16/12kg

Run 3 laps around gym (stairs included)

20 second tuck sit (either on parallettes or boxes)

If he can do it...

Monday 120610

Strength

Back Squat, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Metcon

10 Rounds for time

5 Pushups

10 Double Unders

I'm going to be very strict with what qualifies as a pushup today. We'll use bands for assistance if necessary and if you can perform them to the standards, then you'll do increased range of motion pushups on paralettes.

Yes, they do some pretty neat pushup variations, but regardless of how they perform them, notice that their lumbar spine is totally stabilized. As soon as their shoulders come up, their hips start to come up. There is also no excessive lumbar curve, meaning they are contracting their abs hard so that the force generated by the shoulders transfers to the hips via the abs, not the spine. These are the things we'll be working on and I'll be watching for today.

Friday 120310

Strength

Bench Press, 3x5 @ 82.5%

Skill Practice - Snatch drills

Hang Power snatch+OH Squat

1 rep every 30 seconds, increasing load when possible

Joe DeFranco has created a very strong gym with some impressive athletes coming out of there.

Thursday 120210

Strength

Deadlift, 3x5 @ 82.5% (of 90% 1RM)

Team Metcon

15 minute as many rounds as possible

20 Jumping Pullups

50ft. Ladder Climb

10 Front Squats, 95/65lb

Each person starts at a different exercise and can not start the next one until EVERYONE is done with the work at their respective exercise.

Wednesday 120110

Rest Day

This is some great footage of side-by-side and overlapped videos of the Olympic lifts analyzed using software called Dartfish. I don't expect you to pick out the little nuances between various lifters; everybody's technique is unique to them because of their individual anthropometry (limb length, etc.). But when the video compares successful versus unsuccessful lifts, see if you can spot the minor faults that caused the miss. Hopefully you'll gain an appreciation for the detail and intricacy of these movements and not be discouraged, but rather encouraged to continue to learn, study, and be patient as we move forward. Learning the basics is relatively straight forward. But to master the basics takes lots of practice and time. If you improve one thing everyday, even if its minor, in a relatively short time you'll see dramatic improvements.

Tuesday 113010

Strength

Push Press, 3x5 @ 82.5% (this is an estimated max so there will be some wiggle room with the weight)

TRX Inverted Rows, 3x10 with as much of a body lean as possible to make it difficult but doable

Metcon

5 Rounds for time of

60 yard shuttle run (15 yards x4)

10 Muscle Snatches, 65/45lb

Great job with the burpees yesterday. See, I'm not crazy!

Monday 112910

This will start another 4 week long cycle. All of the strength work will be the same with the exception of the press; we will push press instead. All of the loads for this cycle are based off of what you previously maxed out as so they should be fairly accurate. We will also try and work more of the O-lifts (snatch, clean, jerk) into these next 4 weeks as well.

Strength

Back Squat, 3x5 @ 82.5% (of 90% 1RM)

Metcon

100 Burpees for time

Let's kick things off with a bang.

Wednesday 112410

A few more Workouts on the Road

4 Rounds for time:

400m run

50 air squats

10 Rounds

50m sprint

10 Pushups

Bottom-to-bottom Tabata Squats (during the rest interval you will be in the bottom of the squat position rather than standing...no hands on thighs, maintain flat back, full depth)

I don't know if I've shared this one or not, but even if I have, its a good one to revisit. You should have a little greater appreciation for some of these feats after having gone through the last 12 weeks. Enjoy.

Monday 112210

Workouts on the Road

I'll try and post a couple of workout options each day this week that you can do when you're traveling because they require no equipment (well, your body is a machine right?). Feel free to try them out and/or modify them to come up with your own. If you do one, post what you do and your time/results to comments. Have fun with it.

Option 1:

3 rounds of

1/2 mile run

50 air squats

Option 2:

10 rounds of

10 pushups

10 situps

10 air squats

Option 3:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of situps

Run 100m between each round

Friday 111910

Wrapping it up

This has been a great 12 weeks for you. You all exceeded my expectations going into this and I'm pretty sure you didn't expect to see these kind of results either.

Our strength tests included the back squat, press, deadlift, pullups, and bench press. We also did a combination Tabata squat test followed immediately by 4 minutes to do as many pushups as possible. The final test was an interval workout consisting of sumo-deadlift high pulls, push presses, hurdle jumps, and situps. You tried to perform as many reps as possible at a given movement in 30 seconds then had 30 seconds to switch exercises. This was repeated until you'd rotated through all of the exercises four times.

Keep in mind that we can't say you added x pounds to your lifts because you hadn't maxed out before. But this is where you started and where you finished for all of the tests. Pretty awesome stuff.

John:

Starting Ending

Back Squat 115x5 245x1

Press 75x5 125x1

Deadlift 245x5 375x1

Bench Press 125x5 180x1

Pullups w/blue band 4 10

Tabata Squats 14 15

4min pushup AMRAP 53 65

Interval (total reps) 223 271

Sue:

Starting Ending

Back Squat 85x5 165x1

Press 55x5 855x1

Deadlift 155x5 255x1

Bench Press 85x5 105x1

Pullups 10(blue&red) 10(blue&purple)

Tabata Squats 14 19

4min pushup AMRAP 71 78

Interval (total reps) 236(-hops) 303(-hops)

Mary:

Starting Ending

Back Squat 65x5 155x1

Press 50x5 65x1

Deadlift 155x5 220x1

Bench Press 65x5 85x1

Pullups(green&purple)5 26

Tabata Squats 13 18

4min pushup AMRAP 63 66

Interval (total reps) 302 431

Some highlights:

And none of this shows how your mobility has improved (bodyweight squats were difficult at the start) or the weight that you've lost. Great job to all of you. This was absolutely a blast for me.

Thursday 111810

Deadlift, work to 1RM

Bench Press, work to 1RM

Get rested up tonight and be ready to crank it up again tomorrow morning. You guys have done great, don't quit yet.

Wednesday 111710

Honestly, no reason for this video other than the fact that this looks absolutely exhilarating. Enjoy your rest day.

Tuesday 111610

Great job this morning! I'm totally excited to see all of your results. How fun is this! Let's keep it going tomorrow.

Press, work up to 1RM

John & Sue: Tabata Squat/4 min. pushup AMRAP

Mary: Interval, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off

"There is simply no other exercise, and certainly no machine, that produces the level of central nervous system activity, improved balance and coordination, skeletal loading and bone density enhancement, muscular stimulation and growth, connective tissue stress and strength, psychological demand and toughness, and overall systemic conditioning than the correctly performed full squat." - Mark Rippetoe

I think you guys can now vouch for this statement, yes?

Friday 111210

Strength

Bench Press, 15 @ 62.5%

Team Metcon

4 Rounds for time:

10 OH Squats, 65/45lb

8 Handstand Pushups

6 MB Squat throws, 12/8lb (think wall ball without the wall)

We'll be sure to scale the HSPUs so everyone can do them. No worries. The format for the metcon will be this: one at a time, each of you will complete a full round until you've each done 4 rounds. While the other two people are doing their rounds, you're resting. Lots of rest in this one. Long rest intervals means lots of effort during the work interval.

Thursday 111110

Strength

Deadlift, 15 @ 62.5%

Metcon

21-15-9

Box jumps

Situps

Double unders

Obviously, we'll scale the metcon where needed for each of you. Regardless, short and intense is how this one should go.

Wednesday 111010

Rest Day

Here's the tentative plan for next week's testing:

Monday: Back Squat and Pullups

Tuesday: Press and Tabata Squat/pushup metcon

Thursday: Deadlift and Bench Press

Friday: Interval Metcon

Post to comments if you learn anything from Coach Burgener here.

Tuesday 110910

Strength

Press, 62.5% x15

Pullups, 15 reps with a moderately easy band

Metcon

Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes:

2 Hang Power Snatch+OH Squat

The metcon shouldn't even feel like a "metcon." It's more of an opportunity to work technique on the snatch and overhead squat. The weights will be up to you (with my input of course) with the idea being to start fairly light and increase to something moderately challenging but not impossible.

Monday 110810

I think we know someone in this picture!

Strength (Deload Week!)

Back Squat, 62.5% x15

Metcon (this will be the hardest, longest one of the week)

Burpees, 30-20-10

Wall Balls, 12/8lb, 10-20-30

2 minute rest between rounds

Like I said last week, the 15 reps you have to do can be broken up however you want. There will still be our normal warm-up sets (obviously), then its up to you. If you feel good and the weight feels light and you want to knock them out in one set, go for it. If you need 3x5, go for it. This week is about listening to your body, recovering, and getting ready for next week. If at the end of these workouts you feel like you want to do more, too bad, but good. Save it for next week. It's gonna be fun.

Friday 110510

Strength

Bench Press

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95% x1+

Team Metcon

150ft. Ladder climb

10/6 TRX Pullups

20 Wall Ball, 18/12lb

20 Double Unders (singles not allowed)

20 KB Push Press, 16/12kg

20 Ball Slams, 10lb

50ft. DB Walking Lunges, 40/25lb

20 Pushups

20 Back Squat, 95/65lb

The metcon will be performed in a single-file fashion. One person starts at the top of the list and once they've completed that task they move on to the next task, and so on until you get spit out at the end. The next person can't start the first task until the person in front of them is done with the first task. No passing people. The clock starts when the first person starts climbing and ends when the last person finishes squatting. 20 minute cut-off.

After a few comments about inflammation this morning, please read the following post from Mark Sisson, Flame Thrower: Top 10 Natural Ways to Reduce Inflammation | Mark's Daily Apple. I've been eating like this the majority of the time for the past several months and you'd be surprised how much of a difference it can make. No ibuprofen, aspirin, or other drugs. Just lots of the right foods, minimal amounts of the bad ones (notice I didn't say none; I am human and a realist), and smart training. Get rid of all grains, dairy, and legumes, and eat all the meat and vegetables that you want with some fruit and good fat added here and there. All I can say is try it for a month and see what happens. You just might feel, look, and perform better than you ever have. Post your thoughts to comments.

Thursday 110410

Strength

Deadlift

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1+

Metcon

3 Rounds for time:

5 Push Presses

10 Front Squats

50 Situps

The weight used will be 90% of your press 1RM

I will be watching your backs closely especially on the last set. If you want to keep going, you've got to keep that back flat.

Wednesday 110310

Rest Day

The 3GP file format was a little goofy and when it uploaded to youtube, it sped up the playback speed. Couldn't figure it out. You'll just have to watch fast.

Tuesday 110210

Strength

1a) Press

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1+

1b) Pullups, 5-4-3-2-1, increasing load each set

Metcon

Ladder Breathing:

Thrusters

You can get an intro to breathing ladders from this article. I will explain it more in detail tomorrow and we'll select our loads and reps and that sort of stuff.

Monday 110110

Strength

Back Squat

65.0% x5

72.5% x4

80.0% x3

87.5% x2

95.0% x1+

Metcon

5 Rounds each person, to be completed as a team:

100 ft. ladder climb

15 KB Swings, 24/16kg

This week, the last set of strength work is the "money" set. This is where you sell out, go for broke, and grind out as many reps as possible at 95%. Don't save anything because this is the last week of hard and heavy lifting. Next week will act as a deload/recovery week before our big test week. You guys are going to blow stuff up then.

Briefly, here's how today's metcon will work. One person will start the ladder climb and as soon as they're done they'll start their swings while the next person hops on the ladder. You should get the swings done in time to have a little rest before your turn comes up again on the ladder. Remember, whenever there is rest in a workout, I want you to go hard and fast while you're working.

Greg Everett from Catalyst Athletics does a great job of explaining the double knee bend that occurs in the clean and snatch. On Friday you were starting to get it, and this reinforces what we went over. Keep learning.

Friday 102910

Strength

Bench Press, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Aerobic Capacity

AMRAP in 7 minutes:

5 Presses, 50% of 1RM

15 Sumo-deadlift high pulls, same weight

20 Double Unders/60 Single Unders

3 minutes rest

Repeat

Can you do just as much work in the second round as you did in the first? That's the challenge.

Thursday 102810

Skill

Burgener warm-up and progressions (below knee hang power snatch)

Strength

Deadlift, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Anaerobic Capacity

21-15-9

Overhead Squat, 75/55lb

Pushups

The pushups will be done with a hand release from the floor at the bottom. I want to nip the "hips down, chest still up" thing in the bud.

Tuesday 102610

Strength

Press, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Eccentric Pullups, 5x3

Aerobic Capacity

AMRAP in 15 minutes

200m run

10 Deadlifts, 50% of 1RM

20 abmat situps

Unless its raining really hard tomorrow morning, we will be running outside so plan/dress accordingly. But really, you shouldn't be outside that long. A 200m run will take you what, 30 seconds give or take? Something to shoot for anyway.

Some really strong dudes lifting some really impressive weights. Is this awesome to anyone else, or is it just me?

Monday 102510

Skill

Burgener Warm-up and other clean/snatch practice

Strength

Back Squat, 5x3 @ 87.5%

Anaerobic Capacity

5 Rounds for time of:

5 Hang Power Cleans (you choose weight)

20 Pushups

Your homework:

This is a great illustration of the bar being essentially weightless after you have explosively and completely extended your hips and knees during the snatch or the clean. Its during this brief period of weightlessness that you need to drop under the bar and receive it, either in an overhead squat for the snatch or front squat for the clean. We'll be working on this tomorrow. I'd encourage you to cruise around youtube and look for videos of really good weightlifters performing these movements and try and spot these little things that they are doing which allow them to lift huge loads from the ground to overhead.

Thursday 102110

Strength

Bench Press, 3x5 @ 82.5%

Aerobic Capacity

Team workout (you may want to read this)

Wednesday 102010

Strength

Deadlift, 3x5 @ 82.5%

Anaerobic Capacity

Without setting the bar down, complete 5 reps of each of the following exercises:

Deadlift

Bent over row

Hang power clean

Front squat

Push Press

Back Squat

Complete 4 rounds with 90 seconds rest between rounds, working up to the heaviest weight possible

Tuesday 101910

Strength

Press, 3x5 @ 82.5%

Eccentric Pullups, 3x4

Skill Practice

Burgener Warm-up (snatch drills)

Aerobic Capacity

10 minute AMRAP

10 Push Presses, 75/55lb

10 KB Swings, 24/16kg

10 Box Jumps

Expect to see this series of drills come up more frequently.

Monday 101810

Here's the plan for the next four weeks of training. There are various formulas out there for estimating your 1RM from doing a max set of multiple reps (like we did a 5RM). Here's the one that I used:

Weight x Reps x .0333 + Weight = 1RM

Its not perfect, but it gets us a fairly close number to work with. The best way to measure a 1RM is to actually work up to the heaviest weight you can do one time (I hope to do this at the end of the program).

Once I determined your estimated 1RM for all of your lifts, I multiplied that number by 90% and used that number to base all of our training weights off of. For example, if after getting your 5RM I calculate that your 1RM is 200 pounds, this 4-week training program calls for using 180 pounds (90% of 200) as your "1RM." Then, after you get through the 4 weeks, you could add 5 pounds to the 180, recalculate all of the training weights, and repeat the entire 4 weeks with slightly higher weights. By doing this, you allow for making smaller gains for a longer period of time and hopefully decrease your likelihood of plateauing.

Here are the working sets and percentages for the next 4 weeks then. Remember, the percents shown will be from your 90% multiplier. If you have questions we can discuss them when you come in.

Week 1

• Set 1: 82.5% x5
• Set 2: 82.5% x5
• Set 3: 82.5% x5

Week 2

• Set 1: 87.5% x3
• Set 2: 87.5% x3
• Set 3: 87.5% x3
• Set 4: 87.5% x3
• Set 5: 87.5% x3

Week 3

• Set 1: 65% x5
• Set 2: 72.5% x4
• Set 3: 80% x3
• Set 4: 87.5% x2
• Set 5: 95% x 1+

Week 4 (kind of a deload week)

• Set 1: 62.5% x15

All that being said here is tomorrow's workout:

Strength

Back Squat, 3x5 @ 82.5%

Anaerobic Capacity

Run (TBD)

21 Jumping Pullups

Run

15 Pullups

Run

9 Pullups

Friday 101510

Strength

Bench Press, find 5RM

Notice how his shoulder blades are retracted and he's getting so much leg drive that only his upper back and butt are touching the bench. I'm not looking for that much of an extreme arch in your back (he's a competitive powerlifter), but a little won't hurt and will actually help.

Aerobic Capacity

Tabata = 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off x8 rounds

Tabata KB Swings, 16/12kg

1 minute rest

Tabata DB Push Press, 25/15lb

1 minute rest

Tabata KB Goblet Squat, 16/12kg

1 minute rest

Tabata Situps, feet anchored

Gotta end the week with a bang. This should do it.

Thursday 101410

Strength

Deadlift, work up to 5RM

Anaerobic Capacity

5-10-5 shuttle drill

15 reps (alternating directions)

1 every 45 seconds (11:15 total)

Very quick. Period.

Wednesday 101310

Rest Day

Rest days are the perfect times to come in and work on eliminating some weaknesses that you have. It could be some soft tissue/flexibility work to improve your mobility, prehab/rehab if you've got an injury your dealing with, or extra practice on a skill like double unders, overhead squats, snatches, L-sits, etc.

The trick is to do enough but not so much that you're drained for tomorrow's workout. If that's the case, you're missing the point of the rest day.

Tuesday 101210

Strength

1a) Press, 3x5 (establish 5RM)

1b) Pullups, 6x2-3 reps (I'll let you know what band you're using)

Aerobic Capacity

For time:

21 KB Snatch, 16/12kg

42 Air Squats

63 Double Unders

15 KB Snatch, 16/12kg

30 Air Squats

45 Double Unders

9 KB Snatch, 16/12kg

18 Air Squats

27 Double Unders

The reps to accomplish for the KB snatch are a total number, not per arm. Switch arms at your own discretion. Single unders will be substituted for double unders where necessary in a 3:1 ratio.

You really need to practice these.

Monday 101110

This is our last week of 3x5 workouts. Its served us well but we've gotten about all we can out of it. Time to switch it up. That being the case, this week, I want to really push the weights and essentially establish a 5-rep max (5RM) for each of you on all of our lifts. That will give me an idea of where your 1-rep max (1RM) is and I'll use that number multiplied by various percentages to establish your training weights for the following 4 weeks. I'll explain more as we go.

Strength

1)Back squat, 3x5 (if first two sets are easy, increase weight and find 5RM on last set)

2a) Goodmornings, 3x8

2b) Weighted front bridges, 3x30 seconds

Anaerobic Capacity

Stair Sprints

1 sprint every 45 seconds for 13.5 minutes (18 reps)

Obviously, his technique falls apart on his last rep, but this is what a true 5RM squat should look and feel like.

Friday 100810

Strength

1a) Bench Press, 3x5 (5-10lb increase from last week)

1b) Heavy bent over rows, 3x10

Aerobic Capacity

5 rounds of 20 seconds on, 40 seconds off:

Box Jumps/Step ups

Air Squats

Push Press 65/45lb

Double/Single Unders

Thursday 100710

Strength

1) Deadlift, 3x5 (increase from last week)

2a) Overhead Squat, 3x5-10 reps (emphasis will be technique with low-moderate weights)

2b) Tuck Sits, 3xALongAP

Anaerobic Power/Capacity

Plate Pushes:

Push plate (45/25lb) 8 yards using a 1:4 work to rest ratio between reps

Do 5 reps of pushes then rest 2 minutes

Do 3 sets of that (15 total pushes)

I want you to push that plate as hard and fast as you can on every single rep for every set. We are trying to train not only your power output (has fast you can push it) but also your recovery ability between bouts of maximal effort work.

Remember the differences in the geometry of a back squat versus an overhead squat. In the back squat, you're really trying to reach your butt back, keep your shins much closer to vertical, and your back angle will be much closer to horizontal:

In the overhead squat, you want your butt to basically drop straight down between your heels, shins will be significantly inclined forward, and your back angle much closer to vertical:

Try and remember and work on these differences as we OH squat tomorrow.

Wednesday 100610

Strength

1a) Press, 3x5 (5-10lb more than last week)

1b) Pullups

Set 1: AMRepsAP

Set 2: AMRepsAP-20%

Set 3: AMRepsAP-30%

Aerobic Capacity

22 minutes AMRoundsAP:

15 Box Jumps

15 Situps

15 DB Thrusters, 25/15lb

15 Band Goodmornings, blue/red

15 Renegade Rows, 25/15lb

15 Air Squats

The pullups will be paired up with the press like we've been doing. I will tell you what band you'll be using for all three sets. The first set you'll do as many reps as possible. The key here is to get absolutely as many as you can. Don't save any reps in the tank. If you do, the next two sets will be too easy. The second set you'll do 20% fewer reps than the AMRAP, and the third set will be 30% fewer reps than that first set. And if the math says that you have to do fractions of reps, we'll just round up. Ha.

The aerobic capacity training will be done in the same format and with the same goal as what we did last Tuesday but with different exercises.

Renegade Rows

Tuesday 100510

Rest Day

Something for your rest day entertainment. A compilation of the lifters from the 2009 World Weightlifting Championships, 94kg weight class.

Monday 100410

Strength

1) Back Squat, 3x5 (5-10lb more than last week)

2a) Goodmornings, 3x10

2b) Weighted front bridge, 3x30 seconds

Anaerobic Capacity

Partner Band Resisted Sprints

1 rep every minute on the minute

14 reps

Last time we did these band sprints we did 12 reps. Two more this week; gradually increasing your capacity.

Jim Wendler: not politically correct, but practices what he preaches. Check him out at EliteFTS.

CrossFit & USAW

If you're interested, here's the link to the live feed for the CrossFit/USA Weightlifting competition going on this weekend in Colorado Springs that I mentioned earlier. The coverage begins at 10:30 this morning and continues most of the weekend. Check it out, let me know if you see or learn anything interesting. The athletes competing there are sure to have a pretty big capacity for work. Good stuff.

Friday 100110

Strength

1a) Bench Press, 3x5

1b) Bent over BB row, 3x10

Aerobic Capacity

Tempo Runs x10 (approximately 1:2 work to rest)

The tempo runs will be performed by running a full lap in the gym (including the stairs). You'll then rest for about twice as long as it took to complete the lap. You'll have to experiment with how fast you can go on the run. If you go too fast you won't be able to sustain that for all ten reps. If you run too slow, well, I'll let you know if you're running too slow.

Thursday 093010

Strength:

1) Deadlift, 3x5

2a) Walking DB Lunges, 3x5 each leg (heavy)

2b) Bench Hip Lifts, 3x10

Anaerobic Capacity:

10 seconds on, 50 seconds off of:

Push press, 65/45

Step-up jumps

KB jumps, 16/12kg

5 yard shuttle run

For the anaerobic capacity training, you'll start at one exercise, do as many reps as possible in 10 seconds, then get 50 seconds to rest before rotating to the next exercise. KB jumps will be performed by holding one KB between your legs, dropping into a quarter squat, exploding up as high as you can, and repeating as fast as possible for the time. For the shuttle run, two cones will be set 5 yards apart and you will simply run back and forth between them as many times as possible in 10 seconds.

A little deadlift wisdom from Rip.

092910 - Pressin' & Pullin'

Wednesday's Workout:

Strength

1a) Press, 3x5

1b) Pullups, 5x6

2) Partner MB Rotational Throws, 2x10 each side

Aerobic Capacity

22 minutes for rounds of:

30 Double Unders/90 Single Unders

30 Ball Slams, 10/8lb (non-bouncing)

30 Jumping Pullups

30 KB Swings, 16/12kg

30 KB Goblet Walking Lunges, 16/12kg

30 Wall Balls

Again, with the aerobic capacity circuit, the goal is to maintain a sustainable rate of work. If you're going so fast that you need to rest more than what is necessary to switch exercises, you're going too fast.

Also, if you're interested, this weekend there is a competition that combines Olympic style weightlifting (i.e. lifting as much weight as possible in the snatch and clean & jerk) with CrossFit. Here is a link to the details of the competition including a schedule and the scoring format. I also believe the event will be streamed live online for free but am not sure where that link is. I'll keep you posted.

0928010 - Squat Day

Tuesday's Workout:

Strength

1a) Back Squat, 3x5

2a) Goodmornings, 3x10

2b) Weighted Front Bridges, 3x30 seconds

Anaerobic Capacity

Every 45 seconds sprint up stairs

Remaining time is rest

12 minutes of work (16 reps)

092410 - Bench Press

Friday's Workout

Strength

1a) Bench Press, 3x5

1b) Bent over BB row, 3x10

2) DB Side Bends, 3x10 each side

Aerobic Capacity

20 seconds on, 40 seconds off for 4 rounds (16 minutes):

Box Jumps (step down)

Air Squats

Push Press, 45/30lb

Rope Jumping, doubles or singles

The why...

The how...

092310 - Deadlifts & Anaerobic Power

Thursday's Workout:

Movement prep - Foam rolling 1 minute each (7 min. total)

Glutes (R&L)

Hamstrings (R&L)

Adductors (R&L)

Erectors

Strength

Deadlift, 3x5

Walking DB Lunges, 3x5 each

Bench Hip Lifts, 3x10

Anaerobic Power

21-15-9 of:

KB Swings, 24/16kg

Burpees

The strength training should be pretty straight forward. As for the anaerobic power circuit, it should be hard, fast, but quick. It should take less than 4 minutes to complete this workout. You really shouldn't have to stop and rest at all. We will scale it by reducing the number of reps to 18-12-6 if necessary to make that happen. Start thinking about that.

Andy Bolton: to my knowledge, the only person to ever pull over 1000lb. Impressive.

092210 - Rest Day Education

First of all, even though there won't be a planned workout for tomorrow morning, I will be at the gym so if you want to come in and work on your weaknesses (e.g. double unders, flexibility issues, etc.) I'll be available to help you out with that. Or if you need to make up a workout (ahem, Matt), you can do that as well. On to the distribution of information...

Here's a video by a guy named Kelly Starrett who is extremely knowledgable in the area of mobility and improving movement quality. He has a blog and every day he posts a video demonstrating a mobility workout for the day. I highly recommend it. Here's one of his videos going over how to improve mobility in the ankle joint and how to maintain a healthy Achilles' tendon.

Secondly, to get the most out of your fitness program, you should have a basic understanding of the principles that make up the foundation of training. This article summarizes these principles accurately and also in a manner that is pretty understandable. I'd like for you to read it, try and understand it as well as possible, and then post any questions that you have to the comments section so everybody can see them. I'll do my best to answer the questions in a timely manner. Remember, I won't always be around to lead you on your quest for fitness. Start to take some ownership in that journey and I guarantee you'll see more lasting benefits than those who are content to just be spoon-fed workouts. Don't be average.

092110 - OH Strength & Aerobic Capacity

Tuesday's Workout:

Strength

Press, 3x5

Pullups, 4x10

Partner MB Rotational Throws, 3x10 each

Aerobic Capacity

20 minutes of:

15 Double Unders

15 Ball Slams

15 Jumping Pullups

15 KB Swings, 16/12kg

15 KB Goblet Walking Lunges, 16/12kg

15 Wall Balls, 12/8lb

The press and the pullups will be done in a superset, alternating between the two each set. On the aerobic capacity circuit, the idea is not to do absolutely as many rounds as possible in twenty minutes, but rather to establish a pace that allows you to sustain the effort for the entire time. For example, you may be able to do 15 ball slams in 15 seconds, but that type of speed wouldn't be maintainable for the entire time. Instead, maybe you do the 15 slams in 30 seconds and that way never need to take an excessively long rest period. That's the idea here.

Great job on the squats and sprints this morning. I loved everybody's effort.

092910 - Back Squat & Anaerobic Capacity

Monday's WOD:

Strength

Back Squat, 3x5

Barbell Good Mornings, 3x10

Weighted Front Bridges, 3x30 seconds

Anaerobic Capacity

Every minute on the minute for 12 minutes run a resisted band sprint

You'll have a band around your waist held by your partner who will provide resistance as you run the length of the court. You'll then switch with your partner and they'll run back. The remainder of the minute is your rest.