Monday, December 10th

A.

STAMINA SQUATING: Alternating On the Minute x 12 (6 Rounds): Odd Minutes - 3 Front Squats Even Minutes - 6 Back Squats Both lifts are performed with the same load: 70% of our estimated 1RM Front squat.

This is the sixth and final iteration, increasing by 3% from last week

A recap from Week 1 on how to perform these sets…

With all squats being taken from the rack, the athlete will complete 3 front squats in the first minute. Resting the remainder until the turn of the next minute, next they'll complete 6 back squats. Repeating for a total of 6 full rounds, or 12:00.

Building stamina in the heart of our athletic capacity - our squat.

A tremendous 1RM is something we naturally will track towards. But we recognize, most especially in our sport, the ability to cycle loadings for repetitions is a far larger battle to fight for. One is not complete without the other. And if we had to choose, given the nature of our sport where repetition capacity is seen in 90% of our events (if not more), we recognize the importance of building the Workhorse.

B.

METCON:

For Time: 60 Double Unders, 30 Alt. Dumbbell Power Snatches 60 Double Unders, 30/21 Calorie Row 60 Double Unders, 30 Toes to Bar 60 Double Unders, 30/21 Calorie Row 60 Double Unders, 30 Alt. Dumbbell Power Snatches *Rx Dumbbell - 50/35

In this shorter-range chipper, we are moving "down and back". With a set of double-unders preceding each movement, we'll flow from dumbbell snatches, to row calories, to toes to bar. Then we'll turn and come back through in reverse order, returning to the rower and finally the dumbbell power snatch.

This is a quicker workout, where our intentions are to move through sets with larger chunks. Consistency will always be king, as we do not want to find ourselves hitting a wall on our return back through the movements, but as we enter this workout, let's visualize set counts and a flexible break-up strategy.

Double-Unders - With a total of 300 repetitions in the workout, this repetitions absolutely count. Sometimes by visualizing this total count, we can better direct ourselves to the proper break-up strategy. Ideally, naturally, we move through these repetitions with large if not unbroken sets. But of course, this is always dependent on the athlete and your double-under capacity. Knowing that there are 300 total reps, sets of 30, potentially 20 or 15 at a time may be the best approach with that larger picture in mind.

Dumbbell Power Snatches - In the front and back of the workout. At the front, it's our second movement. Although we are fresh here, a single break may be a wise move if we are challenged by double-unders… no need to push our sets here to the point where we reach failure on the rope because our shoulders are fatigued from an unbroken set. At the finish however, it's exactly that… the finish. Let's see if we can hang on.

Calorie Row - Surrounding the toes to bar in the workout. At a decent calorie total, this is not a throw-away… we absolutely want to move with a purpose here. A good visualization can be a pace we believe we could row for about 10 minutes with. Not as fast as our 2K perceived pace, but covering ground aggressively. Knowing we are on the jump rope immediately following these row sets, let's back off the pace just a touch while we recover our breathing and relax the forearms/shoulders.

Toes to Bar - A set of 30 repetitions is a place where it's easy to fall off. It's not 50 repetitions, nor is it 20. It's a middle ground where many athletes find themselves two-thirds of the way through, and slowing dramatically given an aggressive opening set. If we for example complete these 30 repetitions as 15-5-4-3-3, chances are we could clear it faster if we pushed for 10-10-6-4. or a combination of the like. A handful of suggestions to break up 30 repetitions: 10-10-10 9-8-7-6 6x5 10x3

During these repetitions, most especially in the front half, focus on our technique. A fast chipper, yet, we recognize this station will challenge us from repetitions 20-30. By holding diligent to our technique early, we can preserve our capacity for those final challenging repetitions, saving precious seconds which are far more challenging to make-up in other spots in the chipper.