August 14, 2021 – Invictus Athlete Program

Primary Training Session

Mobility, Activation & Warm-Up
Banded Scarecrow

x 2-3 minutes depending on how tight you feel

Two sets of:
Rotational Med Ball Throws x 10 reps (right side)
Rotational Med Ball Throws x 10 reps (left side)
Rotational Kneeling Med Ball Throws x 10 reps (right side; 2:41 in video)
Rotational Kneeling Med Ball Throws x 10 reps (left side)
Max Overhead Med Ball Throws with heavy Med Ball x 5 reps (work to get as extended as possible)
Rest as needed

A.
Every 2 minutes, for 4 minutes (two sets):
Kneeling Jump x 3 reps

Followed by…

Every 2 minutes, for 6 minutes (three sets):
Single-Leg Box Jump x 3 reps each leg

Followed by…

Every 3 minutes, for 9 minutes (three sets):
Single-Leg Step-Up Jump x 4 reps each leg

B.
Build to 80-85% of your 1-RM Clean and Jerk, and then…

For time:
20 Clean & Jerks @ 75% of 1-RM

C.
“Jackie”
For time:
Row 1000 Meters
50 Thrusters (45/33 lbs)
30 Pull-Ups

Rest until the running clock reaches 12:00, and then…

For time:
Row 1000 Meters
30 Thrusters (95/65 lbs)
20 Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups

Rest until the running clock reaches 24:00, and then…

For time:
Row 1000 Meters
20 Thrusters (135/95 lbs)
10 Bar Muscle-Ups

*Compare to July 10, 2021

D.
For quality and muscle activation:
400 Meter Sandbag Bear-Hug Carry
followed by…
400 Meter Farmer’s Carry

Athlete Notes:
Oh yeah, we’re back with the over caffeinated Jackie! It’s time to test our abilities again and see how we’ve improved over the last 5 weeks! Take a look back to your notes from 7/10 to see how you approached this workout, and then come into it with a plan! Just remember, everyone has a plan A until they get smacked in the face (thanks Mike Tyson). We also want to remind you that this is a lot of volume, so please be smart! If you are unable to perform any of these in less than 8 minutes, we would advise dropping the reps slightly in order to be sure that you are getting at least 4 minutes of rest and are able to hit the next portion with some intensity. If you remember back to the workout strategy, here’s what we’d advise: For the row, we are looking for it to be somewhere around your 2k pace. Like we said before, you can row as fast as you want, but if you get off the rower and stare at the barbell for 30 seconds, did it make much sense? When you get to the thrusters, this is the “gut check” portion of this workout. The weight will get progressively heavier as the reps begin to decrease, but we want you to make sure you stay checked in here. It comes down to knowing yourself as an athlete. If going unbroken means the pull-ups turn into a mess, then it wasn’t worth it. Be smart about your sets but be diligent about keeping the bar moving and DO NOT WALK AWAY from the barbell. If you have to break, that’s fine, but force yourself to stand over the bar, because the hardest part – and the part that drains away the most time – is having to step back up to it! For the pull-up variations this is purely skill based, and under fatigue/with an elevated heart rate. After these you get to rest, so we want you to push here and see what you’re capable of as your body and grip starts to get more and more tired. Have fun, and learn something new about yourself!

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.

Strongman Option
A.
Two sets for max reps of:
60 seconds of Stiff Leg Deadlift @ 25% of 1-RM Deadlift
Rest 60 seconds

Followed by. . .

Three sets of:
Close Grip Dumbbell Bench Press x 5 reps*
Immediately followed by. . .
Dumbbell Bench Press x 5 reps*
Immediately followed by. . .
Wide Grip Dumbbell Bench Press x 5 reps*
Immediately followed by. . .
100-Foot Hand-Over-Hand Rope Pulls
(as heavy as possible)
Rest 2 minutes

*Find your max weight for 5 reps of dumbbell press with a close hand stance, followed immediately by 5 reps of normal dumbbell press, followed immediately by 5 reps of dumbbell bench with a wide hand stance . If you can still keep going switch back to regular grip and bang 5 more reps. Just keep going to muscle failure.

B.
Every minute on the minute for 10 minutes:
Anderson Squats & Sandbag Squats

Max weight for 5 reps.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:
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 video

Running Endurance Option
Twelve sets for max distances of:
45 Seconds of Running @ 85-90% of 400m PR pace
Rest 90 seconds

This session will take 27 minutes. Note the total distance achieved over the course of the 12 sets.

Rowing Endurance Option
Every 4 minutes, for 40 minutes (10 sets) for times of:
Row 500 Meters

Your goal should be to maintain consistent pacing across all sets – at the same or faster paces you held for last week’s 8 sets. If possible, wear a heart-rate monitor and note how your heart rate follows your perceived rate of exertion over the course of your workout.