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.