Testing Week!

Monday, July 14, 2014 (Bastille Day)

Weekly Programming Links:  Group Class, Venice Barbell Club, Paradiso Gymnastics

Prehab

Keg Drill, 1 min
Banded Hip Extension, 1 min each side
Fire Hydrants, 10 reps each side and direction
Monster Walks, 10 reps each direction

Warmup

2 min Jump Rope
1 min/20 reps Air Squats
2 min Foam Roll Legs
2 min Jump Rope
1 min/20 reps Walking Lunges
2 min Foam Roll Legs

Cool Down

Cobra, 2x 20 seconds
Calf Stretch, 1 min each
Couch Stretch,  1 min each

Fitness

Strength

Four sets of:
Weighted Lunges x 8-12 reps, each leg, perform all on one leg before switching
Rest 30 seconds
60 second Handstand Hold
OR
5 Wall Climbs
OR
ME Strict Handstand Push-Ups
Rest 90 seconds

Notes: Use Dumbbells or Kettlebells for lunges. Focus on quality for your handstand strength work.

Conditioning

“Annie”
50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
Double-Unders
Anchored Sit-Ups
-10 min cap-

At 10:00, everyone performs 2×400 meter run, resting 1 minute between runs

Notes: If you need to scale the double unders, you may perform as many as possible for 45 seconds each round or 3x as many singles (150-120-90-60-30). Remember to prioritize good positioning and high intensity!

Advanced

Strength

Spend 20 minutes and establish a new 1RM Back Squat.

Notes: The suggested protocol is as follows: Warm up with some Squat sets of 2-3 reps. Once you reach the 80-90% range, take 2 minutes rest then perform a “Walkout” (simply set up like you’re going to squat, walk out of the rack, and hold the weight on your back for 5 seconds – DO NOT attempt to squat – belts are recommended for this movement) with 5-10% more than your projected maximal Squat. If you are projecting 400#, walk out with approximately 425#. After your “Walkout”, rest 2 minutes then begin your near maximal and maximal attempts. If you have not missed an attempt you may go slightly over the time limitation.

Conditioning

Every 3 minutes, for 9 minutes (3 sets):
20 Walking Lunges with KBs (24/16 kg KBs in each hand)
15 GHD Sit-Ups

-Rest 1 minute-

Then perform 3×400 meter run with 1 min rest between runs

Notes: Your scores for this workout will be your slowest round of the 3min amrap and run.

This week is testing week!  That means we will be attempting single reps for maximum weight (1RM) for each of the power lifts: the Squat on Monday, the Press on Tuesday, the Bench Press on Wednesday, and the Deadlift on Friday. You should feel rested from last week’s “deload” and ready to put some weight on the bar.  If you are a newer member or did not follow the cycle for whatever reason, it is very important to set a baseline 1 Rep Max for future percentage work and to be able to measure long term progress!

This marks the end of our Wendler cycle.  If you have been following the percentages each week, you should be excited to see some gains and set a new PR from 3 months ago!

  We chose the Wendler cycle because it is easy to follow, works on a linear progression (each month the weight increases by the same amount), hits all four major power lifts, and builds foundational strength that will carry on to future olympic lifting cycles, everyday WODs, and ultimately to next year’s Crossfit Open.  Our programming, though constantly varied, follows a one year “macro” cycle ending with the athlete peaking, hopefully, right before the Crossfit Open in February.  The Wendler cycle is one of many “micro” cycles all designed to work together to build efficient, fit athletes.

  There have been a lot of comments lately that we haven’t included many Olympic lifts.  That will change in the future, but the discussion reminds me of a great blog post from Jeremy Kinnick about his training last year:  he went “back to basics” by focusing on the powerlifts, reduced total volume to focus more on quality and weaknesses, and added way more endurance training to maximize cardio.  The result: he became a lean, mean crossfitting machine with 20lbs of weight loss and a 40th place finish worldwide.

Even though we will be moving on to a new cycle, if you liked the Wendler cycle and see progress this week you are welcome to continue with it on your own.  As I already stated, it is designed to be easy to follow, low in volume, and works on a linear progression, meaning you could theoretically follow the cycle forever!  If you enjoyed the structure and consistency of the program, talk to your coach about how you can continue with it in regular class.

Good luck!  Be safe, and have fun.