Monday, July 1st

“Sled Dog”

July 1st - September 7

10 Weeks

A Sled Dog is depressed when it's not working. Yelping and howling outside, it lives for the grind. It can’t wait to run. The harder the job, the more they thrive. Welcoming adverse conditions, they expect the snowstorms, and they expect to overcome them. The Sled Dog knows no other way. The Sled Dog will outwork everyone.

In our previous training cycle, “Grunt Work,” we built a foundational base of strength for the coming CrossFit Games season. Now, we’ll bridge the gap between a higher percentage squat with the stamina of a Sled Dog. Barbell cycling, stamina squats, and higher volume capacity work will be our focus over the next 10 weeks.

Let’s squat heavy, but also be able to race through 10 rounds of “Macho Man.” Let’s snatch heavy, but be able to attack 50 Power Snatches with confidence. Let’s look at Open 19.5, and look forward to the thrusters. The Sled Dog knows no other way.

1. Today, we'll start our cycle with our first "Stamina Squat" session. Alternating "On the Minute" between front squats and back squats, we'll build upon today's percentages in the weeks to come.

2. “Fish out of Water” Conditioning comes next to round the day out.

A.

STRENGTH:

Alternating "On the Minute" x 12 (6 Rounds) Odd Minutes - 3 Front Squats Even Minutes - 6 Back Squats Barbell - 60%. This load is used for *both* lifts, for all sets. We will be increasing this percentage steadily over the weeks to come. Time remaining in the minute after squats is rest.

B.

METCON:

“Fish out of Water”

For Time: 2K Row Directly into 10 Rounds: 3 Power Cleans 6 Pushups 9 Air Squats

*Rx Barbell– (155/105)

In today's effort, we have two parts. A 2K row, which moves directly into 10 rounds of "The Chief", a complex involving 3 power cleans, 6 pushups, and 9 air squats. There is a single score - the time to completion of the full work load. For tracking, it may help to record our 2K time for future reference.

Pacing wise, it is clear that we need to pace the 2K row (different than a max effort). The real question is, how much do we pace.

Looking forward, the stimulus of the barbell loading is one that is on the moderately heavy side. One that we could cycle for 12+ repetitions unbroken, when completely fresh. Knowing that this, coupled with the pushups and air squats is more of a metabolic effort, we can dig into this row a fair amount. Let’s visualize a pace of 2K race pace plus about :10-15s. It is still a reserved pace (finishing a good 45+ seconds slower than our 2K race pace), but this will allow us to push our efforts on the 10 rounds that follow.

In these 10 rounds, as one can imagine, there are a good amount of transitions. This is where seconds can disappear very easily. Between the 10 rounds, there are a total of 30 transitions. We've all seen a "lazy" transition before, or a lengthy one where we take a trip to the chalk bucket. Only a handful of these transitions can compound to something very significant. And on the flip side, being disciplined with our transitions can save us 15-30s, without even noticing it.

Inside those transitions, we are looking for a smooth, methodical pace. Most especially, on the air squats. These tend to be the pacer, affording us a chance to regulate our breathing, which tend to be more difficult on the cleans and pushups. Aim is to find a breathing pace, where each rep, we are forcing in a deep breath.

Not to harp on the air squats excessively, but this is a combination that tends to butcher our movement. We start to allow our chest to fall forward, or "good morning" out of the bottom. Although we are going to dig in this workout, focusing on staying tall during these squats will save our back. This combination can lead to a "back pump", which can be debilitating. A tight, cramping feeling in the lower back, it commonly comes into play when we are rounding the lower back due to poor movement and fatigue. To continue the push on all three movements, fight to stay tall on our air squats.