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.
- Breathing – So as a rule: if you have issue on a movement (whether it is discomfort, trouble with the skill, lack of awareness & mobility) inhale through your nose on the phase that gives you trouble (eccentric or concentric). You can even inhale through the nose on both phases, making the entire movement one long nose inhale. Do not discard the importance of this, it has allowed our people to make huge improvement. The TAO wods are all action, all ET so inhale through your mouth and exhale short & forcefully.
- 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
AM vs. PM Training
Based on when you train, you may want to reorder the elements of each workout. Read on…
AM:
If you are training in the morning and you want to give your body a push for the day, finish with the last TAO portion (assistance work). This will trigger your sympathetic nervous system and give you more energy for the remainder of your day. I know it is hard to do more work after TYQ, but give it a shot and thank me later for winning the day and staying awake in your meetings.
So you will do e.g. Skill Work – TAO – TYQ – TAO.
PM:
If you are training in the afternoon/evening and you want to give your body a chance of having a good night’s sleep, finish with the TYQ portion. This will trigger your parasympathetic nervous system and mellow you out.
So you will do e.g. Skill Work – TAO – TYQ – TAO – TYQ.
As always – try it, test it, do it the other way around and see how your body reacts. Don’t blame me for falling asleep at work though if you finish with TYQ in the morning.
Maintaining tension in the arch concept
The concept of maintaining tension in movements is being able to switch between internal torque/IT, starting with the main arch being the core (external obliques, lower abs, etc.) and external torque/ET (starting with the main arch being the core internal obliques, six pack, etc.) as needed without form breaking. It requires changing to what is needed to successfully execute a movement. Your body just wants to make sure you survive, sometimes quite literally. So it won’t disengage one torque to work on the other. You will increase tension through both, with more focus on the most appropriate one, depending on the more dominating torque chain.
Take a look at the picture below. If you have ever tried to create an arch without using adhesive materials, you noticed that you have to apply equal pressure from both sides of the arch to hold the keystone in place. If pressure is applied unequally, the arch will collapse to one side or the other.
I recently witnessed this with a bunch of kids at the California Science Center using soft toy bricks and it was fascinating to see how they applied basic principles of engineering and physics to build the arch. By the way, in real life using real bricks/stones, you will need a supporting wood construction in the shape of an arch to hold the weight until the final stone (the keystone) is inserted, making the arch hold itself. Does that sound like a helping hand in order to build tension and torque? Welcome to coaching. We are the supporting wood construction that can, and at some point has to be, removed in order for the arch to hold itself.
Each session should not take more than 90mns, hopefully 75mns. Have all the equipment set up and the correct weights chosen already. Keep the rest times on target, and if you need more time, cut the number of sets down. Do not lengthen the workout. The point is to keep the intensity going, not to have marathon sessions. As you get used to the programming and fitter you will be able to do more sets but still keep the sessions short(ish).
More is not better, better is better!
DAY 1
Preparation
200 Meter Pinch Grip Carry
Grab two 10 kg plates and go for a walk. Try to focus on nasal breathing the entire way and move your arms to a position where you really feel the middle of your pecs engage. Squeeze the plates between your fingers and thumbs. Let the weights pull your arms down and focus on flexing your pec and teres majors, pushing the obliques out, and staying in control.
Openers
See explanations above. 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
Pec Flyes & Bicep Openers
2 sets of 3-5 reps each with maximal focus and intent. Focus on feeling your pec working throughout the entire range of motion. Focus on feeling the short head of the bicep, the pec major, the obliques all working in tandem. Try playing around with your breathing to create better awareness. Inhale as you bring the weight away from you (where you want stability) and exhale through the mouth as you bring the weight back towards your body (where you want a little more power or contraction).
TYQ
Sandbag Floor Presses & Supinated Wide Grip Pull Ups & Pendlay Rows & Incline Presses
100 SB Floor Press; every break, perform 3-7 wide grip PU; then 100 Pendlay Rows; every break, perform 3-7 heavy incline presses
SB floor press
Squeeze the bag between the inside edge of the palms and keep that pressure so that you really feel the pec major activate. Inhale as you lower the bag towards your sternum and exhale between pursed lips every time you press the bag up over your collarbone. Try not to let the bag pause at either the top or the bottom. Really focus on feeling the pump. Use a weight with which you can complete 15-20 reps.
Supinated Wide Grip Pull Ups
We are looking for ET here. Add weight if you’d like, but we are looking to get an aggressive and powerful contraction of the entire lat dorsi here. Exhale from the back of the throat on each rep and arch your chest up to the ceiling every time you pull. Think about pulling the bar to your hips as hard as you can with as wide of a grip as necessary to really feel the lats.
Then:
100 Pendlay Rows
Pronated grip, in a hinge. Focus on inhaling as you lower the weight and exhaling as you pull the weight towards your sternum. We are looking to really pump up the teres majors here, so that’s what I want you to focus your energy on. Feel a stretch as you lower the weight and a strong contraction as you raise the weight to your chest. Try to keep it cyclical. Use a weight you can do for 15-20 reps.
Incline Presses
You can use a set of dumbbells or a barbell here, but we are looking for a full contraction of the clavicular head of the pec on each rep with a forceful exhalation from the back of the throat. These will only be partial reps, as we are looking to really isolate ET. Perform 3-7 explosive reps. Use your ability to exhale forcefully as your guide to stop the set. If you feel the power of your exhalation or yell fade, stop.
TYQ
Sandbag Carry
2-4 sets as heavy as possible for 50m
TAO
Sandbag Tosses & Broad Jumps
3-5 sets of 3-7 reps of each. Focus on maximal power and aggression on each rep. Use throat exhalations to help you produce power.
TAO
Anderson Squats
1 rep every 30s until you feel incapable of adding weight or ‘winning’ another rep. Finish on a strong rep. One that makes you feel like you just dominated the fight with the yoke.
Disassociation
3min ET energy decompression
The more you feel the need to get rid of anxiety or unexpanded energy at this point the longer you can remain in this phase. 3 min is a very rough guideline and highly depending on your overall level of anxiety and your training sessions.
Pick an ET muscle of your choice. Inhale through your mouth and exhale thoroughly through your mouth. Pay attention to the muscle you are trying to decompress. Which means if my lats feel tight there is too much “energy” in there. Try to get that out by squeezing and contracting that muscle a bit while breathing as described.
Example:
Pigeon Stretch – rather than trying to get your nose closer to the ground and relaxing the muscle I want you to push your knee into the ground as hard as possible. Try to “burn out” your glute med.
3min IT Stretching
Pick an IT muscle of your choice. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Try to calm yourself down and pay attention to the muscle you are stretching.
DAY 2
Openers
See explanations above. 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
Jefferson Squat
2-3 reps of 30s on each side moving down inch by inch with a breath. Focus on creating more awareness and activation in the glute med on each side. Try assessing the difference between each side.
TYQ
Seated Vertical Rope Pulls & Sandbag Overhead Presses
2-3 sets of max effort on each.
Use a weight that proves challenging for the length of rope you use so that you feel a pump in the teres major and the pec when you go to press the sandbag. On the sandbag presses, focus on pressing within your range of motion. So inhale through the nose as you lower the weight and exhale through pursed lips as you press it away. Keep constant tension in the pecs and teres majors. Use a weight that allows for 15-20 presses.
TYQ
Sandbag Front Squats & Reverse Sled Drags
2-3 sets: ME SB FS + 50m reverse drag as heavy as effective.
TAO
ET Back Extension + Rows & Dumbbell Jumps
3-5 sets of 3-5 reps of each.
Grab two dumbbells or a barbell and perform a back extension straight into a row. Similar to a seated rope pull when it gets very heavy. Think about moving the entire hips and trunk as one powerful unit.
Then, grab two dumbbells and hold them at your sides while you attempt to jump as high as possible. When the juice goes, attempt to jump as high as possible without the weights for 1 or 2 additional reps.
TAO
Sumo Deadlift
1 Rep every 30s until you feel you can no longer win the fight with the bar. Finish on the last winning rep. Add weight each rep if you can.
Disassociation
3min ET energy decompression
Pick an ET muscle of your choice. Inhale through your mouth and exhale thoroughly through your mouth. Pay attention to the muscle you are trying to decompress. Which means if my lats feel tight there is too much “energy” in there. Try to get that out by squeezing and contracting that muscle while breathing as described.
Example: Pigeon Stretch – rather than trying to get your nose closer to the ground and relaxing the muscle I want you to push your knee into the ground as hard as possible. Try to “burn out” your glute med.
3min IT Stretching
Pick an IT muscle of your choice. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Try to calm yourself down and pay attention to the muscle you are stretching.