Yo! Sup? You Rule! As you went through the fall block of training, you brought out your canine-like endurance and fatigue resistance. Through December and January, you restored your cat-like agility. Now, as we enter the Feb-Mar-April block, we build bruin-like strength. Dogs jog, cats jump, and bears lift the hell outta stuff. But before that happens, we have a final week in the agility block with some deloading and fun.
This week features a couple of blended workouts, and some free-choice arrangements of the training split. Since we are deloading, and before we “bear” down and focus on basic strength work next month, I’m going to encourage you to select any of the three workouts offered, and do all three, or only one as much or little as you like. The goal with this week is just to feel limber and tuned up, without seeking or finding fatigue or exhaustion. You can also add some filler with easy walks or even strategic naps as you celebrate what you have done and get ready for what will come next.
Ye Ole MasterClass sparks up on Wednesday, Jan 27 @ 9a MST. This is a midweek Mensa-fest and we’re going to consider some of the basics of strength (a deep topic to be revisited on multiple occasions) as well as characteristics of Lifetime Athletes. I know I won’t miss this one! As I always mention, I’m happy to move the times around if you have a golden schedule opp. New peeps just click the join link and make sure you have Zoom installed on your device. Phones work but laptops are better.
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One more week to get more weights! My experience over 40 years has been that even if I harp/nag (sorry) on getting equipped properly for big loading time for months, most people blow that off and then look like deer in the headlights when it’s time to go heavy. Certainly that isn’t you but anything you can do to motivate yourself and acquire a bit more plates, bells, sand, gravitational pull, etc. will really help you. Strength training can always be modified to use bodyweight, more reps, lighter weights, etc., but honestly none of that works quite as well as doing the real thing (that’s what HE said). As a Lifetime Athlete, you are making an investment in your life (I salute this) so get thee some gear. “I can’t” (do that because all I have is an old bunny stuffed with Kleenex and it’s not heavy enough) is not a phrase that’s gonna work well in the next block.
WEEK OF: 01-25-2021 (4th week of month 2, Agility block, realization/deload)
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| A X_ | One light set of 6 reps of each of the primary exercises to lock in technique | Mini XFit Games AMRAP clusters 2’ on/3’ off Medium resistance Any style of ex (choice) Bench Press Assisted Pullup Squat Overhead Press Old School Situp Curl Jump Rope Dead Hang | Stretch as preferred | Explore your versatility |
| B X_ | Breath Work 20 x Box Breathing in/hold/out/pause 6 seconds each phase | Mini Spartan Games Ruck Hucks (20-40#) 60’ trek/lift every 10’ 20 reps rest/pause tech Backpack Pushup x 20 Backpack Squat x 20 Do both exercises at every 10 ‘ stop | Heat exposure x 20’ Sauna Steam HotTub Shower Bath etc. | Examine your durability |
| C X_ | L1 Cardio x 10’ Any mode | Mini Hyrox Comp All against the clock 8 rounds of 2’ L2/100 ft. ex. Farmer Walk Suitcase Carry Single Rack Carry Double Rack Carry Walking Lunge Single Overhead Carry Double Overhead Carry Double Front Carry | Slow walk x 20’ outdoors | Consider your ability to sustain power |
Quick Note: All of the workouts this week are watered-down versions of real gutbusters. Our goal is just to explore different ways of putting exercises together, more than taking it to the max. We’ll certainly have some “hard” stuff in the summer, but for now it’s just an introduction. Also, you don’t have to do all of them unless you want to compare the sensations. If going a little heavier is your jam, stick with CrossFit. If you love going long, use Spartan. And if you just prefer a ferocious blast with max sweat, Hyrox is your baby. Let me know what you think in the T2 Forum!
Workout A Breakdown: CrossFit is all about the expression of work capacity in multifaceted applications.While sometimes they use more complicated movements and combos, we are going to stick with basic exercises…but we sass this up a bit. We are doing AMRAP clusters with a 2’on/3’off cycle. What this means is that you will select the first exercise in the list, and do As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) in two minutes. Cluster is basically just doing a group of reps to fatigue, then briefly setting the weight down or changing position to shake it out, and resuming until your two minutes are up. Take a full three minutes rest to mill about, towel off, and sip water because the focus of this workout is to really compress output in your “on” phase, not to create an ugly slopfest. Use whatever you think is moderate or medium resistance in your exercises and any style of the movement you prefer. An example would be choosing front squat, back squat, Zercher squat, or goblet squat. Your call. Invisible jump rope is fine if you have none yet. As a certified T2 movementsmith (which you have become) you’ll express mastery in all of the patterns. Stretch a little as you like in your cooldown.
Workout B Breakdown: Spartan places a large emphasis on the ability to keep grinding. This is best represented by steady output that features obstacles or challenges thrown in on an intermittent basis. Thus the ruck huck. Load your pack with 20-40 pounds of weight, sand, books, etc. and head out for an hour walkabout (can go anywhere, even around the block 27 times). Every 10 minutes, stop and rep out 20 pushups (while wearing your backpack) and then 20 ass-to-grass (ATG) squats. Now we are using rest-pause technique. This is different than cluster sets because you can’t get out of the exercise position on your breaks. Lock out at the top of the pushup for a few breaths and keep repping. Can’t get up til it’s done. On the squat, “rest” in a flexed position so your legs don’t get ripped off from a workout. When you finish, get some heat shock proteins circulating by hitting the sauna, steam room, shower, hot tub, or bathtub. Hydrate up.
Workout C Breakdown: Hyrox challenges the ability to peg redline and hold it. This is all about the burn. Since we are in a deload week, let’s go for a “burn lite” experience. This workout is a spin on the wildly popular Carrypalooza we did a while back. Remember we use the evidence-based polarized model of training which rates intensity in three Levels (1=easy, 2=moderate, 3=hard). Your choice of aerobic training or cardio equipment can be anything. Outside power walking/running, indoor treadmill/bike/rower, or even straight up jumping jacks is all fair game. The challenge with this workout is you never really let up. Those L2 cardio bouts don’t really let you recover, and if you make the carries heavy enough, well, you get the picture. Here’s how you do it. Have your cardio method picked out, and do it for 2 minutes. Then do the first exercise in the list by going out 50 feet and back. If it’s a unilateral exercise, simply switch hands at the halfway point. Farmer walk is two hands. Suitcase is one. Rack position is at shoulders. On the walking lunges, hold two dumbbells either at sides or shoulders. Overhead is locked out. Front is at belly level but weight no touchie your body. Since this is a gymfest, head outside and cool down gently with a peaceful stwoll (spelling intentional).
That’s about it for this week. Let me know how you like these games and which style suits you best. Also, report on how you feel about the very loosey-goosey free choice structure of this week. My thought is to occasionally give you a break from all the regimented work, which definitely shows up next month where we will be very specific about everything (weights, days, etc.). If there was ever a time to not miss many sessions, it’s the next few months because the stimulus-adaptation relationship is optimized for strength when we are fairly consistent. The nutritional cleanup work we have been doing will help your body to be most efficient at muscle protein synthesis. See you in the MasterClass and on the Forum! Let’s get it!