This template will be split into:
- Task Oriented Workouts (TAO) – These will always be done with exercises where external torque (ET) is needed. They are designed to hit the sympathetic nervous system, so you should go at them hard and with the proper mindset. No pacing here: I want 100% explosion on each rep. Put on System Of A Down or something similar, get angry and go kill ’em reps! Do not cheat yourself. If you go too light, the workout will be ineffective.
- Til You Quit Workouts (TYQ) – These will always be with internal torque (IT) exercises. They are designed to hit the parasympathetic nervous system, so I want muscle failure with each and every one of them. Pacing is welcomed, as long as you push to that last rep. I would recommend a more mellow music, as the mindset is quite different. You will push just as hard and it will hurt just as much as the TAO workouts, they will just be a different kind of effort.
- Overtraining – I believe that if you respect the order of TAO followed by TYQ, you will create a strong arch of tension within your nervous system that will allow you to increase the intensity without crashing mentally, which is what overtraining is. This way to approach workouts will change the way we train. We will train based on the affect on the nervous system more than just on the affect on muscles. You will be exhausted physically, but mentally sharp.
- Intensity Training – Any who have worked with the StrongFit templates or methodology before understand that this is the foundation. Intensity is best done in a group setting to truly push mental and physical boundaries. Beyond routine conditioning, true intensity work moves beyond the usual domains and aims to “scare” the system into rising to the next notch. This portion of the templates is not necessarily targeting the muscles, but mental fortitude and truly anaerobic threshold so don’t be let down if you can’t complete it every time. In fact, it’s designed that way. If by the end of these sessions you aren’t cursing the name of Julien, you may need to reconsider your efforts.
- Structural Work – This would be considered your accessory work and will be specifically used to ensure the structure is strong and balanced to handle both training and sport. You will use both traditional and unique exercises of StrongFit to rebuild your foundations and further grow from there.
- Mobility Exercises – Mobility work will be done through the StrongFit Openers and some additional assistance exercises.
- Static Lifts – Performed with “awkward objects” such as the sandbag, you will be prompted into more natural movement patterns that minimize risk of injury or even learning time. Barbells do not always mimic the most functional patterns due to the weight being on the outside of the body. In comparison, most of our day to day “lifting” has been done between our hands for our entire human existence. For that reason, you will use objects that will more naturally follow basic patterns of movement that will prove incredible benefits to CrossFit athletes.
- ‘Gym’ Work – These will be classic accessory exercises performed with traditional gym equipment that can be performed as a stand-alone session or in addition to another, but must be performed once or twice per week. These will be movements focused on internal rotation torque and may be followed in any order:
- Lat Pulldowns – Get a pump and feel those lats. Engage your pecs as hard as possible as you perform the rep. 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps.
- Cable Crossover – The eccentric is external torque and concentric is internal torque here. Do not do this exercise mindlessly. The point is to teach you to create tension correctly through the range of motion, which is the very definition of mobility itself. Being able to do this correctly will tremendously lessen the stress on your shoulders. 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps.
- Openers – Mobility is range of motion while maintaining proper torque. The point here is to work on mobility, not flexibility therefore tension is paramount. This is not about performance, so do not focus on how many reps you can do, the weight or how far you can go. This is about quality and finding torque, nothing else. Be patient, you will get better over time. For reference, I worked the Shoulder Opener for two sets, three sessions per week for 12 weeks before I got good at it.
- Hinge: https://youtu.be/eL2RAFOa1CE
- Shoulder Opener: https://youtu.be/C6GcYZi7G7k
- Biceps Opener: https://youtu.be/MTmUnExmBXc
- Jeffersons: https://youtu.be/pJK7LGDCgK0
- External Obliques Opener: https://youtu.be/uihlk3ki78M
- External Obliques Opener Variation Leg Raises: https://youtu.be/7FqzZFzH-UU
- T-Spine Opener: https://youtu.be/lONjflzDsu8
DAY 1
Openers
You do not necessarily need all of the Openers each session. Work on your needs, choose 2 or 3 and go at them with maximum focus.
Skill Work
1-Arm Barbell Press & Overhead Squat
1-arm press followed by an 1-arm overhead squat. (This constitutes 1 rep)
2 sets of max weight for 10 reps per hand
This is about form, so don’t worry about the weight too much. This is one of my favorites to work on lat mobility. The point here is to keep tension throughout the body. Do NOT relax at the bottom of the squat, stay around parallel with as much tension in the glutes, quads and hamstrings as possible. As you lower the weight, engage your internal obliques and also feel it through your glute medius and latissimus dorsi. Pressing is internal torque, so on the way up you must engage your external obliques, the lats (teres major) and pecs as hard as possible and you can NOT shrug during this movement at any time. Shoulders should be down, lats and pecs engaged.
TAO
Anderson Yoke Squat TAO
EMOM 7 mns, 5 reps on the minute
You can use a barbell if you do not have a yoke. Set up as low as your capacity for external torque allows you, but never anything below parallel. Vary the height of the bar every week. Most likely the reps will go down to 2-3 by the end of the EMOM. That is totally normal, and expected. I would say that if you manage to keep the rep range at 5 through 7 sets, you did not go heavy enough.
Anderson Squats are named after the impossibly strong Paul Anderson, the god-father of Powerlifting. He brought squatting to Russia and was arguably the strongest squatter of all time and a gold medalist in Olympic weightlifting (within 18 months of picking up the sport!). He would perform various acts of strength for the camera and one of them was this one where he squatted two 55 gallons full of concrete: https://youtu.be/XRBst03LtnI
Focus points are:
This exercise will allow us to train the squat pattern (think jumping).
For our purpose, the best way to set is up is on a yoke.
The bar should be set up in a way that, at the beginning of the lift, your hips are above parallel.Here is the demo vid: https://youtu.be/55WKyyQ8auQ
This movement is all external torque so you are looking to engage your glute medius, internal obliques, outside hamstring & quads to the max.
If you feel it in any way in your external obliques and/or erectors you are doing this wrong.
Go heavy. 5 reps means you cannot do 6 at that weight
TYQ
Sandbag Squats & Harness Bear-crawl Sprints TYQ
2 sets to muscle failure
This will take you to a very different mindset and it is normal and expected. Zoning out on this is perfectly normal (just mind the form).
Sandbag squats
Go to failure (shoot for 20 reps but keep going if you can.)
You will notice that on the way down, you load your inside hamstring a lot which is exactly what I want, along with engaging the external obliques. Keep that loading to come out of the hole as well. Once you reach past parallel, engage in external torque (ET), through the internal obliques. This movement should actually not require you to think about it, those patterns come naturally (showing you the effectiveness of the sandbag). You will also notice that, after a few weeks, your ankles collapse less and less on those as you find proper torque.
Do not rest on top, load the VMOs and just keep going. If you take more than 3 breath, you’re done.
Straight into:
Harnessed Bear-Crawl Sprints
we are shooting for 40m
Think of this as strength training session, not conditioning. This will finish up your glutes and hips. Most of the weight should be on your hands as you bear-crawl your way forward with very short, fast, choppy steps. Put the absolute most weight you can on that sled, move your feet fast and get it moving. Focus on weight first – absolutely murder yourself!
Here is a short demo video: https://instagram.com/p/6-kgGfi83Z/
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TAO
Ab-wheel & Rear-Delt Raises TAO
EMOM 5mns of 5 reps for each exercise, both on the minute
Ab-Wheel
Create external torque for both upper and lower body. If you are able to perform a set of 5 reps, start adding weights onto your shoulders.
Ab-Wheel with weight on the back (Yaya) demo:
https://instagram.com/p/tgSIUVi8-K/
Up to 100# and down in 25# plates increments:
Rear Delt Raises
Use dumbbells, go heavy and create external torque through your whole body. That means using your lumbar spine, yes.
TYQ
200m Sled “Sprint”
DAY 2
Openers (see explanations) 2 sets
You do not necessarily need all of the Openers each session. Work on your needs, choose 2 or 3 and go at them with maximum focus.
Skill Work
Stiff-leg Deadlift
Max reps for 2 sets with minute break in between
You are shooting for a weight that allows you to go for at least 60 sec. This should be done with weights only AFTER you are efficient at hinging. If you are not, keep working on the Opener. Once you know how to hinge, work your way up to some weight for a max reps for 60 sec for 2 sets. Keep the weight light, around 25% of your max deadlift. I am currently doing those with 60kgs and am sore for the next 2 days.
TAO
Dips with weight & Sandbag Toss TAO
EMOM 8mns, 5 reps each exercise. Both on the minute.
Dips with weight
Max weight for 5 reps
This is a press, so normally internal torque, but I want you to use external torque to target the lateral head of the triceps. This will disengage your pec major to a degree, this is a trade-off to work on tricep strength.
Key points
Use bars not rings. The rings would require stabilization and thus the pec major. This is not what we are after here.
Use weight around your waist and put the weight behind you, not in front. This will target the triceps even more (I got that one from the Chinese Oly lifters)
External torque means strength. Go heavy.
External torque means internal obliques and rectus abdominis. Use both on the way up.
Sandbag Tosses 5 reps
Grab that sandbag and throw it as high as you can 5 times. It’s that simple.
Shoot for around 3 meters. https://instagram.com/p/BUcCRVEliN-/
Get that triple-extension going.This is not an over-the-shoulder thing, this is a TOSS so throw as high as possible on every rep
TAO & TYQ
Sandbag Cleans & Sandbag Carry
2 sets with rest in between
Sandbag Clean
This is ET work so go HEAVY.There is no way you are not dying by rep 5.Why 5 reps? Because you shouldn’t be able to do 6 at that weight
You do not need to fully control on top BUT i want to see that bag getting air time so put max power in it
This is not a curl btw, we want a power-clean
Here is a vid of the C&J w/ sandbag so you can see how i want the Clean part done
Straight into:
Sandbag Carry.Use the same sandbag and carry it for max distance
TYQ
Bench Press & Rope pulls TYQ
2 sets with rest in between sets
Bench (decline if you can)
Find your max weight for 5 reps of close-grip bench press, followed immediately by 5 reps of bench press, followed immediately by 5 reps of wide-grip bench.If you can still keep going switch back to regular grip and bang 5 more reps. Just keep going to muscle failure.
Straight into…
Rope Pull
The rope pull is for around 30m but keep going if you can.Stop the set when your form breaks down to the point that you have to stand up and switch to external torque. The idea is intensity through muscle failure, so still pull as fast as possible. If you are not cramping everywhere after the second set, you either went too light or too slow. This exercise is VERY difficult, even for me, and I am really good at rope pulls. We want MAXIMUM blood flow into the lats – this is far more important than you know.
Your main focus should be to move your hands as fast as possible.
Chest faces the ground. Do NOT stand up, this would cause you to use your biceps more and your lats less.
Try not to use your hips too much.
Here is a video demonstrating rope pulls:
https://instagram.com/p/BQOh0bQA2ZA/
That 2nd set will give you somewhat of a pump…
TAO
Ab-Wheel & Biceps Curls TAO
EMOM 5mns, 5 reps each exercise. Both on the minute.
Ab-wheel
Create external torque for both upper and lower body. If you are able to perform a set of 5 reps, start adding weights onto your shoulders.
Ab-Wheel with weight on the back (Yaya) demo:
https://instagram.com/p/tgSIUVi8-K/
Up to 100# and down in 25# plates increments:
Biceps Curls
You can use a barbell, in which case you want a wide grip, or dumbbells
I like kettlebells. Just make sure you crank in ET. If your wrists bend it is absolutely normal. Use your lumbar spine as well (within reason).
TYQ
400m Sandbag Carry