Wednesday, June 12th
1. This will lead us into strength work on the barbell, where we'll build to a 3-Rep Thruster, taken from the ground. 2. Conditioning comes next, in the form of a mid-range sprint. A five-station chipper.
A.
STRENGTH:
On the 2:00 x 6 Sets: 3 Thrusters (from the ground) Set 1 - 60% of 1RM Clean and Jerk Set 2 - 64% Set 3 - 68% Sets 4-6 - Build to a Heavy Set of 3.
B.
METCON:
“Chest Hair”
For Time: 25 Thrusters (95/65) 400m Run 25 Chest to Bar Pull-Ups 400m Run 25 Thrusters (95/65)
If unable to run, complete:
500m Row
20 Calorie Bike
In "Chest Hair" we have a down-and-back chipper with 25 chest-to-bar pull-ups in the center.
Although this looks a bit lengthy written out, this is a mid-range sprint effort. We are looking at the 7-9 minute workout here for those who are proficient at these movements. With 25 reps on the thrusters and pull-ups, we are facing a repetition count that is within reach, but one we also need to be smart with. If it were 21 or less, it's virtually a hard-paced sprint perhaps. If it were 30+ reps, we are looking at purposeful breaks and pacing our stamina. At 25 per, we're right in the middle, on purpose.
This rep range gives us the chance to think about our pacing and how hard we can push on the work inside the gym. The runs are naturally important, but let's place the focus on the thrusters and pull-ups to start. Naturally, an extra break on the thruster barbell can add 10 seconds, quite easily. Whereas on the run, moving 10 seconds slower is a significant difference in energy/effort. Let's design a strong game plan inside the gym, and then we look towards pushing our runs.
On the thrusters, we are looking for a loading that we are very confident we could complete 21 reps unbroken. To the tune of, we feel highly confident we could complete that first set of 25 unbroken. Strategy wise, we may choose for a quick, single break (such as 16-9), but it's a loading that we can cycle on call.
On the next movement inside the gym, we have our CTB pull-ups. Pacing is a little more individualized here, entirely dependent on where we currently are in the movement. Sharing a similar theme to the barbell, we are looking for strong sized sets here. This is the only time we are on the pull-up bar in the workout, so we can safely push our sets here with aggression. By no means do we want to hit a wall if this is a movement we struggle with, but let's get outside the comfort zone here and push our sets, and our time between. As we move through this set, we can remind ourselves that we can recover on the next run. We'll have well over a full minute to recover our shoulders for the final set of thrusters.
On that last set of 25 thrusters, based on how we feel when get to rep 5, we are looking to complete with at most two quick breaks. But the key takeaway here is that it's after 5 reps. As we come into the gym, this is where we may spend a deceivingly long amount of time looking at the barbell. Wondering if "we are ready". We'll want to bite into a large set, so in turn, we may find ourselves tempted to rest just a bit more. But this is where the 15 seconds can sneak by ever so fast. When our heart rate is high, it's very hard to have a solid grasp on how many seconds are actually ticking by. To counter this - just start.
Let's get the barbell to our shoulders and just get to 5. As we finish that 5th rep, let's re-assess how we are doing. If we feel we need a single break, let's dig our way to at least 10. This can allow us to finish the 25 off with an 8-7 approach, or a 9-6. If we are feeling better, but still need a break, maybe me fight to 16. So that it's a 16-9. If we feel even better on this final set, let's simply try. See how far we can go. As a reminder, in training, we welcome "failures". We welcome mistakes and mishaps, as we learn most from them. If there ever is a time to "go for it" and see how far and how long we can hang onto the barbell, it's in this last 25.
