WORKOUT OF THE WEEK # 014

Skill + Conditioning

29th December 2021

10 Min EMOM

A. 5-10 Kipping HSPU

B. 15/12 Cal Row

Rest 2 Min

10 Min EMOM

A. 5-7 BMU

B. 10-12 Burpee to Bar

Rest 2 Min

10 Min EMOM

A. 8-12 T2B

B. 15/12 Cal Ski/Bike

• Intent: This session is a big mix of gymnastic skill work combined with conditioning in the form of machine cals. The idea behind this is to test some repeatability for the HSPU, BMU & T2B when a little out of breath. Depending on ability level, this would affect how much effort you put in on the machine work.

• Approach:

  Beginners:

  • Machines- For this workout, I would look at the machine as more of a chilled pace, you don’t want to go really hard and then not be able to perform the gymnastic movement to the best of your ability. I would recommend trying to stick at a smooth pace for about 40s of the min so you get a good 20s before having to go back to the skill movement. This should give adequate rest between minutes as the gymnastic skill is going to come back around relatively quickly.

    Gymnastic Skill- I want you to pick a progression that you can perform well and repeat for the duration, it doesn’t matter if this is highly scaled, as-long as it is challenging for your ability. We are going to breakdown the 3 gymnastic skill elements next which will include scaling options.

  • Kipping HSPU- this is a tough movement so don’t be afraid to scale, especially if you can’t meet the rep scheme. These should be relatively fast and smooth reps so go for a stimulus that is going to challenge shoulder endurance in some form of pressing. I would recommend going for a heavy double DB push press, you could combine this with some sort of frog hold/kick out progression but ensure the heavy press is in there to get the correct stimulus.

  • Bar Muscle Up- Again this is an advanced movement that has to be repeated in alternating minutes, so pick something you can repeat! At this level we can look at the jumping BMU, this can be slightly adjusted depending on ability. The jumping BMU allows us to use momentum generated from the legs to get over the bar, this will help with practice in the transition and getting used to performing the movement. This can be done using a fixed bar, we would set the bar up at a height that is comfortable enough but still challenging to ensure a correct turnover. To make this harder go for a box set up, this is where we can now involve a high bar which is more challenging for the turnover and more realistic to an actual BMU. This will also give you confidence being on top of a high bar.

  • T2B- For this, even though there is conditioning mixed in, it is a great time to practice the T2B in a good amount of volume. As usual with the T2B, it is a nice one to scale as we can easily replicate the movement pattern even when going further and further away from the full T2B. Start with the beat swing, then progress to a kipping leg raise to involve some more hip compression, at this stage that is all we are looking for. If grip becomes an issue, go for a v-up/ tuck up to replicate the movement as best as possible whilst working on some compression/core strength and endurance.

    Intermediate/Advanced:

  • Machines- At this level, if you are competent with the gymnastic movements then what I am looking for is too test them under a bit of fatigue and with some higher pace machine work. This can still be a 40/20s work/ rest ratio, it just means your 40s is a harder effort. Obviously aim for the 15/12 cal suggested target.

    Gymnastic Skill- For those that have the gymnastic movements in full, focus on picking a bigger number then usual and seeing at what point you begin to struggle. Once you have this baseline than it gives us something to work off of. Focus on moving nice and smooth and cycling through the reps with maximal efficiency and with good speed.

  • Kipping HSPU- For those of you that have the Kipping HSPU, again pick a number ideally in the rep range that you can maintain throughout. For example, don’t do 10r on the first round and then the second round only 4r, try and get some consistency in there. The RX standard on this is to do it on a level surface, i.e the blue mat or 1 AbMat with a 10kg plate either side. To scale this slightly go for just 1 AbMat, i’m not a huge fan of using more than 1, I would prefer you use some heavy DB’s and go for a push press instead.

  • Bar Muscle Up- For this, either go for the harder scale on the box which has previously been explained or go for the full BMU. If you have BMU but not 5r, you can scale this to 3r, I think there’s still enough volume and practice in there with this number, any less and I would go for a scaled option. There will not be a huge amount of focus with the BMU specifically in the session as there is a lot of skill work to warm up. Therefore for the more advanced athletes, use your experience to warm up the BMU during your set up period the coach gives you before the workout. Of course the coach is still there to assist also!

  • T2B- At this level we are looking at a full T2B, scale the number of reps if needs be. Gold standard for this if normal T2B are manageable is to work on the straight leg variation. This will be more challenging, but if you can nail these then you will reap the benefits in a Met-con style workout as you have different styles of T2B to fall back on. Focus on efficiency in the beat swing and look at the different styles of T2B and where you fatigue. I.e a long kip vs a scoop technique.

Demo Video: Kipping HSPU

Demo Video: Bar Muscle Up

Demo Video: Toes to Bar