January 6, 2021 – Invictus Athlete

Primary Training Session

Mobility & Activation
Distracted Ankle Mobility x 60 seconds per side
Hawaiian Squats x 30 seconds per side

followed by …

Upper Body Warm-Up Prep (8-10 reps per position)

Warm-Up Flow
Three sets of:
20/15 Calorie Assault Bike
300 Meter Ski Erg or Row
10 Ring Rows or 6 Strict Pull-Ups
Rest 60 seconds

Breathe exclusively through your nose throughout this entire portion including the rest period. If you find that your mouth drops open, you’re going too hard. Slow your pace and resume breathing only through your nose.

A.
Every minute, on the minute, for 15 minutes:
Split Jerk x 1 rep @ 70-80%

Goal of this session is fine-tuning technique. Your goal is to assess each of the 15 lifts on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being a perfect lift. Note how many of your lifts achieved a score of 9 or higher – e.g., “9/15 – it took me a few sets to lock in consistent mechanics, but I finished with 4 perfect lifts.”

B.
Back Squat
* Set 1 – 3 reps @ 70%
* Set 2 – 3 reps @ 80%
* Set 3 – 2 reps @ 85%
* Set 4 – 1 rep @ 90%
* Set 5 – 3 reps @ 85%
* Set 6 – 3 reps @ 85%
(be as explosive as possible on the ascent out of the bottom of the squat)
Rest 2-3 minutes between sets

C.
Complete as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of:
3 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
3 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
6 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
3 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
9 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
3 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
12 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
6 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
15 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
6 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
18 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
6 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
21 Strict Handstand Push-Ups
9 Power Cleans (185/125 lbs)
Etc., adding 3 reps to the Strict Handstand Push-Up each round, and 3 reps to the Power Clean every 3 rounds.

Athlete Note
How is your strict handstand push-up endurance? Well today you will get an opportunity to test that out! You’ll be doing an 8 minute amrap that incorporates strict handstand push-ups along with power cleans. If this workout is approached correctly you’ll be able to get lots and lots of lovely strict handstand push up volume. 🙂

Know thyself in this workout! We incorporate a lot of strict handstand push-up work so you should all be familiar with your rep range and when you start hitting fatigue with your strict handstand push-ups. Prior to starting the workout, chalk up your hands and then place your hands at the spot you’ll be kicking up for your handstand push-ups (this will give you a visual of where your hands go every set). Your barbell should be set up close to your handstand push-up station but your transition between each movement doesn’t need to be blazing fast. If anything, your transition is the time for you to reset your mind and give your arms a quick shake.

Athletes will all have different rep schemes for when to break your handstand push-ups depending on how strong the movement is for the athlete. A good rule of thumb for everyone is to avoid grinding out any rep. Immediately come down if you start to grind out a rep. It isn’t worth hitting fatigue in your triceps. If you struggle with strict handstand push-up volume then we suggest trying quick, fast singles or doubles (kick up, complete your rep, kick down and immediately kick back up). Many have found this approach to be successful if volume is an issue.

As always, please scale the strict handstand push-ups if needed and adjust the load if the prescribed weight is more than 60% of your 1-RM Power Clean.

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.

Aerobic/Gymnastics Accessory Option
Five sets of:
25/18 Calorie Row
25 GHD Sit Ups or Toes-to-Rings
25/18 Calorie Bike Erg or Assault Bike
100 – Foot Handstand Walk or Handstand Walk Obstacle
Rest 2 minutes

Running Endurance Option
Every 8 minutes, for 40 minutes (5 sets) for distances:
2:30 Minutes at 90+% of 1-Mile PR Pace
Rest 30 seconds
2:30 Minutes at 90+% of 1-Mile PR Pace

Note distances for each of the five sets. Try to maintain a consistent pace. You should feel like you could go faster after your first and maybe your second sets…set three should feel like work to maintain your paces.

Rowing Endurance Option
Nine sets for distances of:
90 seconds of Rowing @ pace established week of September 21
Rest 30 seconds
90 seconds of Rowing @ pace established week of September 21
Rest 90 seconds

If you missed the week of September 21, pace these by feel, but be aggressive. As was the goal that week, your goal is consistent pace across all sets. Your perceived rate of exertion throughout this session should increase every set, such that by the time you reach set 5 or 6 you should be over 90% effort to match your earlier efforts.