What an exciting time this is! We are finishing up with the summer season and the Speed Block. We’re preparing to transition into the Endurance Block. This week gives you the opportunity to finish out fast, emphasize deloading and recovery, or get a head start on endurance training. I’ll explain the options below.
Let’s say you wanna work on speed just a little more. There’s a track-based session for you. Perhaps you love getting on the field and just going steady and smooth. That’s also a choice. Love the gym for strength training? We’ve got one of those. Craving some conditioning-style work? Yes to that. Or there is always the “free-choice filler session.” Pick and choose any or all, and flex your days. We’ll be getting more structured in September so now is the chance to just let it all hang out.
Week of 2023-08-28 (week 5 of month 2: SPEED Block)
| WOW | PREP | PRIMARY | ACCESSORY | TIPS |
| A Track | Warmup Free Choice | Personal Track Meet 100 meters 95% max Full recovery 200 meters 95% max Full Recovery | Walk Jog Stretch Hydrate | Quick |
| B Field | Ruck 20 minutes 25% bodyweight In shoes | Jog 20 minutes Z1-2 (easy) Barefoot | Stride 4 x 100 yards Walk back rests | Smooth |
| C Gym | Deadlift Warmup Tubing x 10 Medball x 10 Sandbag x 10 Jump Rope 1:00 | Deadlift Bodyweight 5 reps Deadlift Bodyweight AMRAP 1 minute | Sandbag 10 reps 2 circuits Thruster Clean/High Pull Walking Lunge | Strong |
| D Gym | Bike 30:00 Indoors or out Moderate | Kettlebell Swings 20-40-60-40-20 sec. Equal rests | Med Ball Slams 10-15-20-15-10 reps 30 second rests | Powerful |
There are 4 workouts available this week. You can do any number or combo of them that you prefer. Enjoy having some extra options. I’m planning on hitting each one and then probably just doing some easy walks and bikes on the other days, but it’s up to you. I’ll describe each one below.
Workout A Breakdown: This is your personal track meet. By now you probably have refined the warmup method and made it your own. That’s fantastic and you should really put your signature on this process. When you are sure you are ready, run the best 100 you can on the day. Let it reflect all the work you’ve done over the summer working on mechanics. Push out hard from the start and drive out. Gradually rise and then attack the ground with each footstrike. Hold on through the line. Then rest for 10-15 minutes, walking around, sitting or lying down, sipping and stretching in the shade, etc. Loosen up with a few jumps and a little trotting, then throw down a 95% 200 meters. Start steady and give the slightest lean into the turn. Rocket off the last few meters and make a big commitment to roar the homestretch. Finish and congratulate yourself on a job well done. A salute to speed.
Workout B Breakdown: Take your loaded pack to the field with about 25% bodyweight in it, give or take. Walk around in your shoes on the grass (the terrain works ya) for 20 minutes. Then take off your shoes and do a super-slow jog for another 20 minutes. Finish by striding out (long and strong but not a full sprint) for 100 yards then walking back slowly for rests. Work on smoothness in each component.
Workout C Breakdown: Here we have a brief high intensity session that lets you revisit that deadlift test from earlier in the year. Warm up using your tubing, med ball, and sandbag progressively in the deadlift pattern. Then hit a minute of rope jumping (or invisible jump rope if you don’t have one). If you have a trap bar with bodyweight…great. But you can also use DB’s, KB’s, buckets of sand or gravel, etc. as we have discussed before. Doing as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in a minute is a great challenge. Let yourself recover for a while and then work on those powerful sandbag circuits. Don’t push the rest intervals here either, take as long as you like or need.
Workout D Breakdown: This one looks brief on paper but it really tasks you with power output and limited rest in the resistance sections. We locomoted twice this week so I think you should give your legs a relative rest and just bike and hammer the functional compound exercises.
Man, this is going to be a fun week. I’ll have the endurance stuff ready to start on Labor Day, but if you are out traveling, don’t worry about that. We’ll also be getting back to regular weekly MasterClass sessions soon but if you are still wanting to do a personal one, just let me know. Thank you for all you do in this group. I really enjoy working with you. As always, I salute YOU!