Hello you outstanding, brilliant, and world-beating Tribe member! This week we are increasing core challenges in some of our movement patterns and dabbling in the ballistic concentration of energy. Lifting, jumping, and sprinting never looked so good! Also, we are rolling into week 2 of our metabolic reset, and pulling the trigger by eliminating autoimmune-provoking foods.
For additional information on The Metabolic Reset Program, check out these resources:
Article: Metabolic Reset Month
Podcast: Metabolic Reset Made Easy
This week in the MasterClass we’ll touch base on the metabolic reset, discuss this week’s unique exercises, and then focus our attention on training for and testing ultimate athleticism. We’ll look at popular offerings including the CrossFit Games, The Spartan Games, and the Hyrox World Series of Fitness. The meeting will be on Thursday, January 14 MST, from noon to 1:00pm.
ID: 84931907393
Password: 908856
As you know, I continue to move these meetings around so more folks have the opportunity to attend. However, if you have or need a custom time, hit me up in the Forum with your request and I’ll do my best to make it happen.
As we continue to work our way through the agility block, you have probably noticed that we have been using a lot of circuits and movement variety. My goal has been to stimulate your motor systems with large volumes of movement challenges and opportunities for enhanced competency and mastery. We’ll continue in this manner for a couple more weeks, but I wanted to give you a heads-up for when we start our strength block in February. We’ll be using less exercises and more basic moves, but the loading will be increasing significantly. If you need a few plates, kettlebells, or dumbbells, there still might be some sales around to help you outfit your gym to an optimal degree. As a second choice, there is no shortage of sandbags, cinder blocks, pvc pipes, ropes, and the like at any local building supply store. I can help you if you need ideas, and as always, bring those to the Forum or MasterClass. I have some coaching clients who are not Tribe members who occasionally say “I can’t do this because I don’t have…” and I really try to help them re-frame it by saying “let’s get this done and create the win.”
WEEK OF: 01-11-2021 (2nd week of month 2, Agility block)
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| A X2-3 | KB 2 x 30” each Swing Snatch Figure 8 | Landmine Labor 4 circuits 8 reps each Asym Squat Press Row Kneeling Uni Press | Hi Reppers 1 set 20+ each ex of primary | Keep your core toit, toit, toit! |
| B X2-3 | Tubing 2 x 30” each Lo/Hi Expand-Compress Lateral Lunge/chop | Mini-me Walk Lunges 2 x 20 KPI: Jump Series Approach/Box/Drop 5 x 1 with 1’ rests Sprints (any mode) 5 x 5” with 2’ active recovery | 10-20’ L1 Loco | Explore your safe max but be explosive |
Workout A Breakdown: Begin this session with some kettlebell activation work. Perform 2 sets of 30 seconds of each movement, with short breaks as preferred.
- Unilateral Swing Snatch: In this movement, use a light kettlebell and do a 1-arm swing that finishes in an overhead lockout. Keep your arm stiff and make the hips do the work. As the bell rotates into the overhead catch position, flex your knees to accept the load. Try to find a smooth rhythm. One set left and one set right.
- Figure 8: Use a heavier kettlebell and translate it in a Figure 8 pattern. Seek a flowing pattern that naturally rises up and down as you manage rotation. One set is clockwise, the other is counterclockwise.
Landmine Labor is a fun and effective way to work the entire body. As we’ve done previously, put some plates on the far end of your barbell and leave the other end open. Stick the open end into a corner with some padding to protect the baseboards and you have your setup. If you have not yet acquired your barbell, you can make this setup by using a broomstick, dowel, pipe etc. and then holding your kettlebell at the top, or attaching your tubing to the top of the rod and anchoring it down low and away (behind you). #noexcuses, #findaway but if you are struggling, hit me up in the Forum or MasterClass. I’m always here for ya. Perform 4 circuits of 8 reps of each exercise.
- Asymmetric Squat Press: Standing with 2 hands on the bar and natural athletic stance facing about 45 degrees to the side, squat into full depth and then when you rise up, press up/out to lockout. Do all reps on one side, and then in your next set, turn the other way.
- Row: Straddle your bar give or take a foot behind the plates and facing outwards. Wrap a strap (towel, belt, etc.) around your hands and under the bar. Keep a flat back and a semi-upright position. Row and squeeze. The strap keeps you from hitting yourself in the crotch with the bar.
- Unilateral Kneeling Press with Rotation: Very full-bodied with an aroma of excellence. Use a light load on your bar and a pad for kneeling. The bar goes in the hand opposite the front foot when you are in the half-kneeling position. Flex and twist slightly down and away and then drive the bar up and toward midline.
The accessory round is actually an opportunity to use light loads and take the three previous movements into the burn zone. The goal is to get as close to or over 20 reps as possible while using solid form. If your form falters at 17, quit there, but if you make 29, you are a beast. All the movements in this session require a strong engagement of the core and keeping it tight (toit like a tiger) is your assignment. You rock!
Workout B Breakdown: Start out by using your tubing to activate the bod. 2 x 30 seconds of each of the following movements.
- Low-High Expand-Compress: Using a low anchor, get into a full squat position with handles pulled to chest. Rise up and raise your arms up and out. You are basically attempting to take your body from its most compact form to its largest or most extended position.
- Lateral Lunge/Chop: Here we are using a hip-level anchor and taking the lateral lunge into a full chop pattern with rotation and a pause. Adjust your distance from the anchor to get the perfect amount of tension. One set left, one set right.
Once you are warmed up, the main set has a few goodies. We are loading the legs and lungs with some great functionality.
- Mini-me Lunge Walk: Throw your sandbag into an old backpack and wear it backwards (on the front of your bod like Dr. Evil’s little guy). Then walk lunge 20 steps with your front-loaded torso. Rest and do 20 more.
- KPI Introduction: We introducing our KPI movement a bit early this month to give you some time to practice and get familiar with the method. It’s the approach jump/box jump/depth drop and stick combo and it really trains and tests basic athletic agility. There are a couple of keys to think about. First is of course safety. Make sure you have enough room/space inside or outside to perform this movement. Next, scale the moves to be right for where you are at in terms of how high your box is and also how vigorously you move. You can use your bench if it is stable but a lower setup like a board is fine, or even a higher one if you have a good option. The key is to find a way to do the movement more so than worry about high or far you are jumping. The combo works like this:
- Take an approach jump to your box by using a small broad jump.
- As soon as you land on your approach, launch yourself up onto your box and absorb the landing in a flexed position.
- Take your time, turning to any side that is safe to step off, and drop to the ground, sticking the landing and holding the flexed position for a second.
- Walk away, have a sip of water, listen to a song, and then come back to do another rep. Do not try to rapidly do 5 rounds of repetitive jumping. Explosive work of this type should be done in singles with breaks.
- Sprints: After fully recovering from your defiance and management of gravity, now move onto some serious sprints. You can use any mode such as biking, running, rowing, etc. Our emphasis is only on a 5 second 90+% effort but in reality it will be a 15-second affair of build/blast/coast. Build up to near max for 5 seconds, hold it for 5, coast out of it for 5. Take about 2 minutes of active recovery in which you just move about casually before your next rep. 5 sprints is plenty.
Complete this workout with 10’ of easy free choice Level 1 Locomotion. Just a reminder that we use the evidence-based 3-level (easy/medium/hard) intensity rating of polarized training. Just go easy and flush out your bod. One of the challenges with this workout is we have to look at those 10 big moves (5 jump sequences and 5 sprints) as focused compressions of energy. Try to make each one as explosive as possible but keep it within your reasonable limits.
Whew! A bit wordy this week, but you deserve good explanations. Reading and writing are lost arts in our current world, but not among Tribesters. You are fantastic!