It’s November! This is the third and final month of our Endurance Block of training. I want to commend you on making it to this point in the training year and also to congratulate on your outstanding endurance gains. As the days get a bit shorter (at least in terms of available light) we will take a fairly casual approach to training this month. We’ll mix indoor and outdoor activities as the weather allows, and complement our fatigue resistance work with additional focus on strength and mobility.
This week we’ll be using blended workouts in a creative manner. The components for session A, B, and C will be the same, but their position as prep, primary, and accessory will rotate in each workout. I think you’ll find this approach both interesting and stimulating.
Week of 2021-11-01 (week 1 of month 3: Endurance Block)
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| A X2 | Aerobic 30’ Moderate Any mode | Resistance 1 x 20 each See below | Mobility KB swing Box Jump Pushup 5-10 x 2 | Build to a crescendo. |
| B X2 | Mobility KB swing Box Jump Pushup 5-10 x 2 | Aerobic 30’ Moderate Any mode | Resistance 1 x 20 each See below | Finish strong. |
| C X2 | Resistance 1 x 20 each See below | Mobility KB swing Box Jump Pushup 5-10 x 2 | Aerobic 30’ Moderate Any mode | Cruise to the end. |
Key Workout Tips: The main thing here is to focus on your versatility. You are using your skills as a movementsmith to execute perfection. Also, a special big shout out to longtime Lifetime Athlete and T2 member VIPER for his demo work. Let him be an inspiration to us all. I’ll actually say a few words about each of the three categories in our routine.
- Aerobic Exercise: This is the free choice cardio mojo of your liking done at what you consider to be a moderate or medium intensity, for just a half hour. You can start and finish on the easy side but just get a nice glow in the middle of your walk, ride, run, row, etc.
- Resistance: Here we are doing some classic moves in the 1 x 20 method popularized by Dr. Michael Yessis. Simply do 20 reps of each exercise with a relatively light resistance. Really work on posture and muscle tension as you go along.
- KB Step Up and Unilateral Overhead Press: Use any box, ottoman, stool, cinder block, etc. and any KB, DB or pipe wrench you have around. The weight goes in the hand opposite the foot that is doing the stepping. Try not to crash down or jump up using the down foot…apply smooth power through your stepping leg and drive it up through the hand to the heavens.
- Incline Elastic Row: Set your bench on an incline, or throw a pillow over a chair back. Use straps or tubing with handles, 1 or 2, and you can rig it to your rack, railing, bannister, post…whatever you’ve got. Really emphasize the squeezing back and reaching forward components.
- Loaded Lunge Walk: Load up your torso any way you can…with a backpack, sandbag, weight vest, or cool set of bandolero chains like Viper. You are looking for 20 good long, deep lunging steps. Feel the glory…achieve lunge-osis!
- Rack Pull Deadlift: Set your pins in position 1 (the bottom) and put your bar across them. If there is no rack, just use boxes or blocks to elevate your bar. If you have no barbell, just use dumbbells or kettlebells. If none of that is available, fill two 5-gallon buckets partway with water, sand, gravel, or weights and stand on a cinder block while you lift. Keep good tension in the posterior chain (hams, glutes, and back as you pull up and squeeze tight (crack a walnut) at the top of each lift.
- Pin Squat: Set pins so that you can’t squat past parallel. If there is no rack and barbell, just hold a sandbag or dumbbells on your shoulders and squat onto a box or bench (but don’t relax and fully sit). Breathe in on the way down, hold for a tiny pause at bottom, blow out hard on way up.
- Bench Press: Needs no explanation. Can be done with a barbell, dumbbells, kettlebells, sandbar, or small child. Control all aspects of the movement.
- Mobility: This is a flow sequence in which you do rounds of “2’s” that are reps of each of the 3 exercises: kettlebell swings, box jumps, and pushups. If you don’t have a KB you can swing a dumbbell or gym bag. If you don’t have boxes you can just do short broad jumps. Do your pushups anyway you can. See if you can seamlessly flow from one position/movement to another just like Viper. The goal is to do 5 to 10 rounds of this series, and you can and should take a few rests as you need.
Let me know if you have any questions. Post them in the Forum. You are great.