WORkout of the week # 002
Our New Strength Cycle!
Monday 04 October 2021
Part 1
Strict Press- 4 X 8r + Strict Chin Up (Weighted)- 8r
Intent: This section of the workout is where we will hit our main compound movement involving a heavy press accompanied with some bent arm pulling strength. For the next 8 weeks we will be alternating between Strict Press + Bench Press in which we work towards a 1RM. In terms of our pulling strength, we will stick to a chin up (underhand grip) for the first 4 weeks, then switch to a pull up (overhand grip) for the final 4 weeks.
Approach: Be sure to use the 20 min clock as your friend, after getting some weight on the bar leading up to your working sets ensure at least 2 mins rest between sets.
Beginners, don’t worry too much about going super heavy. Start with empty bar and gradually creep on the weight each set so that you can move the bar without making any major technical errors, such as an excessive arch in the back or not locking out. In terms of Pulling strength, pick an option from the scaling section below which is challenging but repeatable.
Intermediate and advanced athletes, use this time to accumulate some heavy pressing volume over the 4 working sets, not all sets have to be the same weight, but all want to be challenging, still with no major technical errors. In terms of pulling strength, advanced can attempt weighted by using a belt, wall ball or even DB between the legs. Intermediate can stick to body weight as that is often enough for most people!
Scaling: Due to the relatively low skill of the Barbell Strict Press everyone will most likely be capable of this, however if needs be this can easily be substituted to a DB strict press, if we want to work around injury or just get some unilateral work in. For the Chin Ups plenty of scaling options are available, this may be as simple as just reducing the rep scheme. Other options would be to work on slow negatives (3-5r) or a Fixed Low Bar option (5-8r). The coach will be on hand for individuals who would benefit from a customised option.
Demo Video: Eccentric (Negative) Chin Up
Part 2
15 Min EMOM
FLR Hold- 20/30s
Incline Row- 10-15r
Rest
Intent: The intent of this section is to work on some accessory pressing strength combined with some straight arm/bent arm pulling strength that is going to compliment part 1 of the session. The complimentary movements will always stay the same, i.e each session will be done twice in the first 4 weeks then it will be refreshed and again repeated so that you do each session twice in the second 4 weeks- which equals the 8 week cycle. This EMOM format is super simple to follow and is a good way to control your rest periods and keep it really consistent across the board.
Approach:
Beginners, don’t stress too much about hitting the hardest progression, we would rather see you hit an easier progression showing great control and understanding of the movement using the desired rep scheme.
Intermediate & Advanced, aim to push for the higher end range rep scheme/duration but of course still show an excellent level of control. This first 4 weeks has a little more emphasis on support positions and foundational strength whereas the latter 4 weeks has more emphasis on putting that strength into skill work such as legless rope climbs and pegboards.
Scaling: As coaches we can make this super simple for this type of session, working on rings requires a lot more control and stability, therefore to scale we can switch it up by using a fixed object, ie. fixed bar, parallettes. This allows the same movement pattern and we can gradually work top from there to use rings etc. We can also just slightly adjust the rep scheme, as previously stated we want something challenging but repeatable.
Demo Video: Incline Row
Part 3
Push Press- In addition to the weekly sessions explained above, each week there will be a heavy Barbell Push Press integrated into a Met-Con, i.e this week it is an Interval session which works out as 2 Mins On/ 2 Mins Off for a total of 8 rounds.
Intent: The Intent of this style session is to push you out of your comfort zone and choose a load that is challenging enough to just be able to complete unbroken. Over the next 8 weeks use this as an opportunity to go heavier than you usually would and there will be no designated RX standard to go by, therefore it is custom to your strength.
Demo Video: Barbell Push Press
