Oh Mighty Tribal Beast…Happy New Year! We shall cruise more than blast into 2021 with a deload week in which we continue to develop full athleticism with another month’s emphasis on agility. Our connective tissues, including tendons, fascia, and bones are adapting to all this multidirectional movement and load management. The workouts are relatively brief this week so you can find it easy to fit them in. Treat yourself to a bonus long walk or two if you have the time and the weather is conducive.
This week our MasterClass will be on Tuesday, December 29 at 7:00am MST. It’s a coffee klatch collaboration on a variety of training tips that can help your 2021 workouts be highly effective. This adds to our theme of creative gym setup and builds on proven success strategies.
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Big Ask: Find one friend or family member who needs the Tribe, and get them signed up. A great way to help someone create a win and share the love.
WEEK OF: 12-28-2020 (5th week of 5 in Agility block, month 1, deload)
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| A X 2-3 | Med ball magic 8 each Diag chop/lift Back step lunge/OHP Giant swing Lateral lunge | Jump/lift circuit 2 x 5’ Pushup x 5 Approach jump Depth drop/stick Goblet squat x 5 | Focus move Slo-mo row 15-10-5 reps 4444 tempo | Keep the element of play alive |
| B X 2-3 | Supine mobilfow 30 seconds each Toe bridge Striders Strap straighteners Knee rockers | HIRT sesh (any mode) 3’ L1 3’ 20” L2/40” L1 3’ 10” L3/50” L1 3’ L1 | 45 degree PSJ’s X 20 total | Apply force with purpose, then rest |
Workout A Breakdown: You’ll be amazed that what looks like nothing on paper tends to be a backside bunter. Or at least I always do!
- Start out with 4 delightful moves on your med ball. If you don’t have yours yet you can always use a kettlebell, light dumbbell, sack of dogcrap (not mesh), or bag of lentils.
- Diagonal Chop and Lift Pattern: Draw one side of an X for 8 reps, then do the other side. Use an athletic stance, good foot pivoting, and accelerate the ball in mid-motion but arrest that velocity at the ends.
- Alternating Backward Step Lunge and Overhead Press: Reach back with one foot and drop into a lunge as you press overhead. Lower ball as you return to standing. Switch legs. 8 total.
- Giant Swing: Overhead to between ankles. Imagine you are swinging the mallet at the state fair to ring the bell and win the floppy bunny.
- Lateral Lunge: Use the ball to load into a side lunge, then push back up to midline and go the other way. 8 total.
- The Jump/Lift Circuit: Set up a low box/block/board with a mat on one side and a kettlebell (or alternative) on the other side. Move the objects 3-4 feet away to give yourself a safe spot to jump and land. The key here is to pace yourself, set a timer for 5 minutes, and then steadily do the lifts/jumps continuously until break time. Rest as long as you need, then do another round of 5 minutes
- Pushup: Hit 5 reps with a good tight trunk, and experiment with hand positions and elbow path.
- Approach Jump: This is the jump onto the box in which you take a small broad jump before launching.
- Depth Drop and Stick: Step off the box and land flexed.
- Goblet Squat: Use a light weight for this variation, and push it out forward as you descend so that you use it as a counterbalance, allowing for ATG rock bottom position.
- Slow Motion Bodyweight Row: Use a foot support on your pullup bar or rig a pipe across two chairs. Can also use broomstick, etc…you’ll figure it out. Do 15 reps using a slow 4444 tempo (4 seconds down, 4 pause, 4 up, 4 hold). Shake it out and rest, then do 10…rest again, then do 5. This is extremely challenging not to speed up and blow through the reps. The time under tension is a great way to develop strength that is proven by research.
Workout B Breakdown: This sesh is also schvetty but brief.
- Supine Mobiflow: Just an easy way to get ready while lying on the old back. Per video. Do 30 seconds each move for a total of 2 minutes. That’s all it takes.
- High Intensity Repetition Training: This is a great progression of metered effort. You can use any mode you like, although it reality works well on a bike, rower, or other machine. Power walking or running also works if you don’t have icy terrain. Just use your judgement. Let’s do a quick review. We use HIRT because our emphasis is on the work rep more than the rest interval, because that’s where the quality is. Make movement art. We also use the 3-level intensity rating system (easy, medium, hard) because it’s simple and evidence-based. If any of this needs more explaining, hit me up in the Forum or the MasterClass. TLA has tons of resources available and I can both answer your questions and provide you with hours of reading, watching, and listening material. We also have info in our system about the workout shorthand in the table above. ‘ = minutes, “ = seconds, L=level, /= on and off. The trick with this workout is to make your efforts definitive. Moto very easily on the 1’s, cruise strongly on the 2’s, and hammer like hell on the 3’s. Distinct steps and cliffs regarding effort and power output. You can monitor heart rate if you want, but it won’t be meaningful because short reps don’t allow enough time for heart rate to stabilize. This is a point that I find many of my athletes perpetually fail to understand. In this workout you want to be a victorious Viking, not a vanquished victim. Kick this session’s ass and don’t let it kick yours. You are either kicking ass or getting your ass kicked. The choice is yours.
- OK, now, after a full rest, do 20 Plyo Step Jumps on 45 degree vectors, alternating directions and taking your time. The goal here is to work on load/explode and to become more proficient at moving in natural, beastly directions as opposed to the chronic straight lines of society. In fact, in our MasterClass, I want to talk briefly about the recent Spartan Games in which the trail ultra runner got dead last and looked weak, slow, stiff, and fragile. He didn’t even win the trail run event. Doing chronic straight line bullshit will drive you to extinction. That’s why you are so awesome and part of the Tribe. I can’t salute you enough!
Enjoy these brief, but intense workouts. We are deloading by cutting total volume but not necessarily intensity. This is actually a very well substantiated method known as the drastic taper. It will bump your fitness up a notch. As always…YOU. ARE. AWESOME!!