August 20, 2021 – Invictus Athlete Program

Primary Training Session
Movement Primer
Two sets of:
Depth Jump with Vertical Take-Off x 10 reps
Rest 30 seconds between jumps; rest as needed between sets.

A.
Front Squat
*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 60% of 1-RM
*Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80%
*Set 3 – 1 rep @ 90%
*Set 4 – 6-8 reps @ 75%
Rest 2 minutes between sets

*Alternative for athletes who feel they’ve reached sufficient squatting strength or who believe they need to prioritize skills and conditioning over strength:

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
20/15 Calories of Assault Bike
20 Alternating Pistols
100-Foot Handstand Walk

B.
Six sets of:
Hang Snatch + Snatch + 2 Overhead Squats
Rest as needed

Build to today’s heaviest set.

C.
Back Squat
*Set 1: 5 reps @ 70% of 1-RM
*Set 2: 3 reps @ 80%
*Set 3: 1 rep @ 90%
*Set 4: 10 reps @ 72%
Rest 2 minutes between sets

D.
“CrossFit Games Open Workout 13.5”
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 4 minutes of:
15 Thrusters (100/65 lbs)
15 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

If 90 reps (3 rounds) are completed in under 4 minutes, time extends to 8 minutes.
If 180 reps (6 rounds) are completed in under 8 minutes, time extends to 12 minutes.
If 270 reps (9 rounds) are completed in under 12 minutes, time extends to 16 minutes.
Etc…

Athlete Notes:
Today we’ve got a fun re-test of a workout some of you OG’s may have completed back in 2013! This workout is going to test a few things, number one being your grit, number two being your grip, and number three being your efficiency on the pull-up bar. The workout is basically asking you to do chest-to-bar Fran every 4 minutes until failure – 45 thrusters and 45 chest-to-bar pull-ups, we know Fran is 21-15-9. Off the bat, if you’re someone who struggles to complete normal Fran in under 3-3.5 minutes, we’d recommend hitting the first round as prescribed, and then if you want to workout for more than 4 minutes, maybe drop the reps to 10/10 and hit 1-2 more rounds (8-12 minutes total). Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s talk a little bit about strategy. Does it make sense to go out and PR your Fran time in the first round? Probably not…you might get a decent amount of rest, but then comes pump city in your forearms and legs. We’d recommend hitting this at a pace that allows you to breathe comfortably, but still gives you around a minute of rest for the first couple sets. We shouldn’t be trying to redline in the first 4 minutes. If you’ve ever been to an Invictus Athlete camp, you will have heard us talk about different methods for movements. Regarding thrusters, we’ve got “Fran” thrusters (pulling the bar back down at Mach10) and we’ve got rhythmic thrusters (slowing the movement down and almost thinking of it as a breath to rep at the top of each press). This workout is a perfect time to implement the rhythmic thrusters for as long as possible. Obviously if the time starts to tick away you’re going to have to speed up (which will more than likely not happen, but your perceived effort will be what increases), but for as long as you can, try to stay calm and collected on the thrusters and breathe through them as much as you can. The chest-to-bar pull-ups come down to knowing yourself as an athlete. For most athletes we’d recommend hitting the 15 reps in 1-3 quick sets with minimal rest between breaks. That quick rest, as long as it isn’t cutting too deep into the allotted time, can be just what your hands, forearms, and lats need in order to keep moving at a consistent pace. If you come out of the gates unbroken, just be prepared for the forearm fatigue to set in, and have a back up plan in mind! Best part about a workout like this? We get to retest against our previous selves with no added pressure of trying to qualify for anything, so why not try a different strategy to see if something else works for you?

Optional Additional Work Sessions
*Please choose to perform only those sessions that are most focused on your weaknesses, and only perform as much of the additional work as you can recover from successfully before your next training session.

Engine Accessory Option
For time:
Five rounds of:
15/10 Calories of Assault Bike
100-Foot Dumbbell Farmer’s Carry (80/60 lb DBs)

Immediately followed by. . .

Five rounds of:
15/10 Calories of Rowing
15 Dumbbell Bench Presses (50/35 lb DBs)

Immediately followed by. . .

Five rounds of:
15/10 Calorie Run or 200 Meter Run
100-Foot D-Ball or Sandbag Carry (150/100 lbs)

Gymnastics Skills Accessory Option
A.
Handstand Play Time
Spend time getting comfortable being upside down. Get confident with a handstand. Then continue to challenge yourself with new obstacles and goals.

B.
Two sets, for max reps, of:
Strict Muscle-Up
Rest 90 seconds

Followed by…

Two sets, for max reps:
Strict Ring to Sternum Pull-Up (false grip)
Rest 90 seconds

Followed by…

Two sets of:
Ring to Sternum Hold x 15-30 seconds
(false grip)
Rest 60-90 seconds

Engine Accessory Option
“AB-30”
For max calories:
30 minutes of Assault Bike

Compare to July 9, 2021

*Do not sprint/rest to accumulate the calories. We are looking for a continuous effort with most likely a slight decline across the thirty minutes. Be aggressive when choosing a goal pace to be able to hold.