STRENGTH BLOCK

We are starting our 4 week strength emphasis block. After having a shortened week in the gym, you should be chomping at the bit to get back into it and hit it hard.  This strength block will be comprised of 3 total body strength sessions a week filled in with maintenance of our work capacity and stamina.  The strength sessions will be exactly the same in order to track our progress and really hammer the lifts we perform. The format is similar to Military Athlete's Big 24, which we are performing on the other side of the house with those athletes.

Monday
Strength Session #1
Warm Up: 4 rounds of
**use 45lb bar for all warm up exercises
8x Snatch Grip RDL's
8x Snatch Grip High Pulls
3x Squat Snatch
3x Overhead Squats
8x Push Ups
Hip Swivel Stretch

8 Rounds of
3x Snatch Squat
2x Floor Angels 2/2

8 Rounds of
3x Front Squat
Instep Stretch

8 Rounds of
3x Bench Press
5x Barbell Bicep Curl
10x GHD Sit Ups


This first session is to gauge your starting weights for the rest of the sessions.  For each exercise, continue to slowly increase weight each round until you find a "hard but doable" weight for the exercise...this should come in the 7th to 8th round.  You are not finding your 3 Rep Max, but finding a weight that is tough but doable with good form.  Do not go up to fast, this will start you off on a bad foot for the next session.  At the end of the sessions, you should feel that maybe...just maybe you should have gone a little heavier. Record the finishing loads for each exercise.


Tuesday
Work Capacity

Warm Up: 4 Rounds of
200m Run
10 Air Squats
5 Push Ups
In Step Stretch

1) Max Rounds in 10 min of:
200m RUn
6x Box Jumps
6x Weighted Sit Up @ 25lbs

Rest 3 min

2) 6 Rounds of
8x Goblet Squats at 45lbs
4x Burpees
8x Inverted Rows

3) 6 Rounds of
10x Russian Twist and Lunge 5L/5R
5x Ankles to bar
3x Squat to Stand
3x Shoulder Sweep


Wednesday
Strength Session #2

Warm Up: 3 Rounds of
Barbell Complex @ 75lbs
3x Dips
Instep Stretch

6 Rounds of
4x Plyo Depth Push Ups
4x Pull Ups (weighted)
1/2 HUG Mobility

8 Rounds of
3x Squat Clean
Foam Roller or Hip Swivel Stretch

6 Rounds of
3x T Bar Rows
5x Dips (weighted)
Pigeon Stretch

Again for the first week of the strength block, we are gauging your starting weights for the rest of the sessions.  For each exercise, continue to slowly increase weight each round until you find a "hard but doable" weight for the exercise...this should come in the 7th to 8th round or 6th if you only have 6 rounds like the 1st and 3rd circuits today.  You are not finding your 3 Rep Max, but finding a weight that is tough but doable with good form.  Do not go up to fast, this will start you off on a bad foot for the next session.  At the end of the sessions, you should feel that maybe...just maybe you should have gone a little heavier. Record the finishing loads for each exercise. For this session you will not only do this for the first exercise in the circuit, but with the weighted dips and pull ups as well.

Thursday
Stamina
45 Minutes Run or 60 minutes ruck, stair climb or hike

Through this strength block, it is important to maintain our stamina, especially with our mode specific long slow efforts.  Our programming is designed for balanced athletes, so we do not overlook these important aspects of fitness.


Friday
Strength Session #3

Warm Up: 4 rounds of
**use 45lb bar for all warm up exercises
8x Snatch Grip RDL's
8x Snatch Grip High Pulls
3x Squat Snatch
3x Overhead Squats
8x Push Ups
Hip Swivel Stretch

8 Rounds of
3x Snatch Squat
2x Floor Angels 2/2

8 Rounds of
3x Front Squat
Instep Stretch

8 Rounds of
3x Bench Press
5x Barbell Bicep Curl 
10x GHD Sit Ups

The first session you should have found a good working weight for 3 reps that you were able to do for 1-2 rounds.   
Here's an example of the weights used in Strength Session #1 for Squat Snatch:
Squat Snatch 1. 65lbs 2. 95lbs 3. 115lbs 4. 115lbs 5. 125lbs 6. 130lbs 7. 135lbs 8. 135lbs

For the loading for Strength Session #2, take 10lbs of the last round ( from above example: 135lbs-10 =125lbs) and use that for round 4,5,6,7,8 for this session.  Each sessions will build on the next, so make sure you keep track.  Use the same principals for Front Squat and Bench Press.  We have had success with this progression using the Military Athlete's BIG 24 and now we are using different foundational exercises to elicit the same strength gains with less technical lifts.