Month: May 2023

Skill
6 sets of 4 deadlifts
Immediately after each set, complete one large set of push ups
Target deadlift percentages: 75% for 3 sets, 80% for 3 sets

Shoot for at least ten push ups on each set. We’re bumping the rep count up by 1 on each deadlift set this week, but see if you can maintain the same loads that you used last week.

Workout of the Day
3 rounds for time:
400 m run
21 kettlebell swings
12 pull ups (strict or kipping)

15 minute time cap

This one’s a classic benchmark whose format sneaks its way into countless workouts. The lighter swing weight and smaller pull up volume reflect the old load standards. If you’re able to hit both the swings and the pull ups unbroken, you’ll have to push the pace on the run to find your speed. Ring rows and banded pull ups are both excellent scaling options.

standard: 16/12 kg
rx: 24/16 kg
sport: 24/16 kg, unbroken swings & pull ups, fast transitions
metcon:

Skill
EMOM for 10 minutes:
Squat clean and split jerk

Work up to a heavy single on the clean and jerk. On both the clean and the split jerk, focus on a quick drop underneath the barbell into the catch. All else being equal, more speed under the barbell translates directly into a stronger lift.

Workout of the Day
4 rounds, 3 minutes on, 1 minute off:
7 burpee box jumps
7 hang power cleans
7 push jerks

Use a barbell heavy enough that doing 7 hang power cleans plus 7 push jerks unbroken for the whole workout is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Most people will probably end up doing 6 hang power cleans, dropping the bar and resting for a few seconds, and then picking it up for their 7th hang power clean and their 7 push jerks. Be sure that you’re deadlifting your bar up to the hang before starting your hang power clean; coming straight up off the floor without stopping at the hang would just be a power clean.

standard: 75/55 lb, 20/12 inches
rx: 115/85 lb, 24/20 inches
sport: 135/95 lb, 24/20 inches
metcon: 4×3:00 on, 1:00 off

Skill
EMOM for 5 minutes:
Hang power snatch plus power snatch plus overhead squat.

Then 8 minutes of snatching (power or squat)

Once you’re off the interval and into the 8 minutes of free lifting, practice blurring the lines between a power snatch and a squat snatch. It’s often the case that lifters will have different footwork and hip movement in the catch position of the snatch or clean based off whether they’re intending to land in a power or a squat position. Ideally there should be no difference, with the power position just being a shallower version of the snatch position. When you’re working on the snatch today, tell yourself to squat snatch, but just don’t necessarily go all the way down. If this results in a lift that looks different from when you tell yourself to power snatch, then you fall into that category of lifters whose footwork and positioning are different in the power lifts compared to the squat lifts. Focus on keeping everything but the depth identical between the two lifts.

If you’re still struggling to control your footwork in the power snatch, it is almost certainly because your weight is too heavy.

Workout of the Day
AMRAP in 16 minutes:
20 medicine ball sit ups
16 alternating dumbbell power snatches
12 single arm overhead lunges

Use a dumbbell that lets you hit the power snatches unbroken when you’re fresh. You definitely don’t need to go unbroken, but if you’re forced to break it up on round 1 then you’ll likely grind down to a pretty slow pace by the midpoint of the workout. Feel free to do all the overhead lunges on one arm in one round, and then use the other arm in the next round.

standard: 35/20 lb, 12/8 lb
rx: 50/35 lb, 20/14 lb
sport: 50/35 lb, 20/14 lb
metcon: 4×2:20 on, 0:40 off

Skill
EMOM for 10 minutes:
Squat clean and split jerk

Work up to a heavy single on the clean and jerk. On both the clean and the split jerk, focus on a quick drop underneath the barbell into the catch. All else being equal, more speed under the barbell translates directly into a stronger lift.

Workout of the Day
4 rounds, 3 minutes on, 1 minute off:
7 burpee box jumps
7 hang power cleans
7 push jerks

Use a barbell heavy enough that doing 7 hang power cleans plus 7 push jerks unbroken for the whole workout is extremely difficult, if not impossible. Most people will probably end up doing 6 hang power cleans, dropping the bar and resting for a few seconds, and then picking it up for their 7th hang power clean and their 7 push jerks. Be sure that you’re deadlifting your bar up to the hang before starting your hang power clean; coming straight up off the floor without stopping at the hang would just be a power clean.

standard: 75/55 lb, 20/12 inches
rx: 115/85 lb, 24/20 inches
sport: 135/95 lb, 24/20 inches
metcon: 4×3:00 on, 1:00 off

Skill
EMOM for 5 minutes:
Hang power snatch plus power snatch plus overhead squat.

Then 8 minutes of snatching (power or squat)

Once you’re off the interval and into the 8 minutes of free lifting, practice blurring the lines between a power snatch and a squat snatch. It’s often the case that lifters will have different footwork and hip movement in the catch position of the snatch or clean based off whether they’re intending to land in a power or a squat position. Ideally there should be no difference, with the power position just being a shallower version of the snatch position. When you’re working on the snatch today, tell yourself to squat snatch, but just don’t necessarily go all the way down. If this results in a lift that looks different from when you tell yourself to power snatch, then you fall into that category of lifters whose footwork and positioning are different in the power lifts compared to the squat lifts. Focus on keeping everything but the depth identical between the two lifts.

If you’re still struggling to control your footwork in the power snatch, it is almost certainly because your weight is too heavy.

Workout of the Day
AMRAP in 16 minutes:
20 medicine ball sit ups
16 alternating dumbbell power snatches
12 single arm overhead lunges

Use a dumbbell that lets you hit the power snatches unbroken when you’re fresh. You definitely don’t need to go unbroken, but if you’re forced to break it up on round 1 then you’ll likely grind down to a pretty slow pace by the midpoint of the workout. Feel free to do all the overhead lunges on one arm in one round, and then use the other arm in the next round.

standard: 35/20 lb, 12/8 lb
rx: 50/35 lb, 20/14 lb
sport: 50/35 lb, 20/14 lb
metcon: 4×2:20 on, 0:40 off

Memorial Day Workout
Just one workout today at 10 am, with open gym from 11 until noon.

For time, in teams of 1 to 4:
1 mile run
100 pull ups (strict or kipping)
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

Run as a team, and then break up the pull ups, push ups, and squats however you want. For example, you could complete (as a team) 10 total sets of 10 pull ups, 20 push ups, and 30 squats. Finish out the workout with the second run as a team, calling time when the last team member makes it back to the gym.

This workout is extremely high volume on all of the movements, so be sure that you and your team are all comfortable with what you’re tackling. Total rep counts and run distances can and should be scaled if you think it’s appropriate.

standard: Teams of 3 or 4
rx: Teams of 2
sport: Solo
metcon: 10x 3:00 on, 1:00 off

Workout of the Day
4 rounds:
3 minutes to complete 35/25 calories
3 minutes of:
15 box jumps
15 kettlebell swings

Your calories shouldn’t take more than about 2 minutes to finish; scale accordingly so that you have some rest toward the end of that 3 minutes interval. For the other 3 minute interval, work through the AMRAP of box jumps and kettlebell swings, picking up where you left off after you get back from your calories.

standard: 16/12 kg, 20/12 inches
rx: 28/20 kg, 24/20 inches
sport: 32/24 kg, 30/20 inches
metcon: 8×2:15 on, 0:45 off

Workout of the Day
For time:
20 push presses
20 overhead lunges
200 m run
20 push presses
20 overhead lunges
400 m run
20 push presses
20 overhead lunges
800 m run

20 minute time cap

Your barbell should be light enough that neither movement is dropping below sets of 5 at any point in the workout, but heavy enough that doing any given 20 unbroken is extremely unlikely. Use the run to shake out your shoulders and arms, but try not to slow down to the point that it becomes full cardio recovery.

standard: 75/55
rx: 95/65
sport: 115/85
metcon: 4×4:00 on, 1:00 off

Skill
6 sets of 3 deadlifts
Immediately after each set, complete one large set of push ups
Target deadlift percentages: 75% for 3 sets, 80% for 3 sets

Pick a push up difficulty that lets you get at least 10 reps on each set. Don’t max out on the push ups in the first 4 or 5 sets; save some energy for the last couple.

Workout of the Day
AMRAP in 12 minutes:
10-20-30-40-50-60… etc
Wall balls
15 toes to bar after every round

If you scale this workout correctly, it should start off feeling like it’s all toes to bar, and finish feeling like it’s all wall balls. Pick a toes to bar difficulty that will take you an average of 2-3 sets throughout the workout. A similar target for the wall balls is appropriate, though it can be harder to predict how those will unfold in the later (larger) rounds.

standard: 12/8 lb ball, V ups instead of toes to bar
rx: 20/14 lb ball
sport: 30/20 lb ball, 20 toes to bar instead of 15
metcon: 4×2:00 on, 1:00 off

Skill
Overhead squat:
3-3-2-2-1-1
2 second pause at the bottom of each rep
Suggested weight progression (in %): 75-75-80-85-90-heavy single

Work up to a heavy single, but be sure to maintain the pause at the bottom of your range of motion. If your bottom position is significantly above or below parallel that’s totally fine, as long as your positioning and stability is solid. Record your max as a reference for future overhead squat work.

Workout of the Day
Every 5 minutes for 3 rounds:
15 devil presses
400 m run

Make an effort to push the pace on the 400 m run today; devil press is an easy movement to slow down on but a hard one to speed up on, so if you’re looking for a faster time you’ll likely have to find it on the 400.

Scale the devil press count and/or run distance so that you have about 1 minute of rest each round (check the standards below for benchmarks).

Record the slowest of your 3 times. Use a running count-up clock to make the times easier to read.

standard: 35/20, 10 devil presses
rx: 50/35
sport: 50/35, 20 devil presses
metcon: