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
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
Wall Sit Madness
Put on “My name is” by Eminem and sit in a wall sit with your pec stick. Every time you hear “my name is”, press up into a windmill press. Alternate sides each time. Have fuuuun! If you still don’t have a pec stick–first of all, shame on you!–you can try using a wall ball between your forearms, two small plates squeezed between your hands, or a plate squeezing the sides with the heels of both hands.
Use Awareness breathing for this. Exhale through pursed lips as you lower the weight and inhale as you stand up. Focus on making your oblique as long as possible and then pressing across your body from that elongated position. .
TYQ
Chainsaw Rope Pulls + Heavy Sandbag Carries
2-3 sets: 1 length of chainsaw rope pulls as heavy as effective straight into a heavy sandbag carry. Rest as needed between sets.
Chainsaw Rope Pull
https://www.instagram.com/p/
We use both styles (2-hands and unilateral as shown in video n2) as assistance work for the Deadlift.
The unilateral version feels like the first pull of a 1-arm Snatch, love that one. As usual, we all felt the exercise in different parts based on people’s weaknesses. Some felt the tension in their hamstrings, for me it was all traps (weakness of mine) and erectors.
Sandbag Carry
Focus on staying mostly on the balls of the feet, squeezing your glutes, and pushing your obliques out. Find a breathing rhythm that works for you and carry your heaviest bag as far as possible.
TAO
Double Kettlebell Swings + Broad Jumps
3-5 sets: 5-8 reps of each with as much power and aggressive hip extension as possible. Aggressive ET action breathing.
This is all about triple extension and power. Don’t grind out any reps. Keep it powerful and explosive. Each rep should feel powerful and dominant. Stop before that feeling goes.
TAO
(Yoke) Anderson Squats
Perform 1 rep every 15 seconds for 6 minutes. Try to add weight each minute if possible. Quit while you’re ahead. End on a rep that mentally makes you feel like you can take on the world. Focus on walking away with a high.
Anderson Squats are named after the impossibly strong Paul Anderson, the godfather 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:
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This exercise will allow us to train the squat pattern (think jumping).
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For our purpose, the best way to set up is on a yoke.
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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
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This movement is all external torque so you are looking to engage your glute medius, internal obliques, outside hamstring & quads to the max.
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If you feel it in any way in your external obliques and/or erectors you are doing this wrong.
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Go heavy. 4 reps means you cannot do 5 at that weight.
TYQ
Harnessed Bear Crawl
2-3 sets: As heavy as effective for 40m in under :60s.
Don’t stop moving those feet! Burn those questions!
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 per side, taking 30 seconds per rep. Focus on finding the right tension in the right places. Scan for what’s missing and try to activate it, then lower a little. Keep going down this way for 30 seconds. Don’t worry about depth, focus on finding maximal tension in each position throughout the ET chain.
TAO
Rear Delt Raises + Side Delt Raises + Ab Wheel Rollouts
4-6 sets of 5-8 reps of each exercise. Go straight from one exercise into the other and try to keep moving to help you recover better from the sleds.
TYQ
Sandbag Front Squats
3-5 Max Effort Sets. Rest as needed between sets.
Go until you cannot stand up with that bag any longer. Inhale through the nose as you sit down and back, exhale through pursed lips as you stand back up. Focus on driving your big toe knuckle into the ground and driving the floor away hard. Aim to move with your breathing. Don’t worry about hitting a certain movement standard.
TYQ
(Yoke) Zercher Carry
2-3 Sets: 40m AHAP. Turn at 20m. Turn in opposite directions at each turn. Rest as needed between sets.
As heavy as possible for 40m. Still mind your form! Tightness is paramount. Use a pec stick if you can, creating pec and teres engagement (and internal torque). Use a barbell or a yoke, but position it so that the weight stays centered with your hips and not past them which otherwise would make it quite rough on the lower back. Take short, quick steps keeping your hips square and legs slightly bent.
This is one of the best structural exercise for the barbell squat and one of the best overall. It strengthens the T-Spine structure (think lats, pecs, etc…), the erectors (in an isometric way/in accordance with their primary function) and obliques.
It is a Load + Carry + Load, making it very balanced. The “carry” part means you have to use both legs equally (to a degree) while working on anti-rotation on both sides – winning! It also means you are in the internal torque chain.
TAO
Sled Drag & Row
2-3 sets of 20m as heavy as possible. Rest as needed between sets. Quit while you’re ahead.
Think of this movement as a Sumo deadlift and a Yates row combined. We want maximal ET chain engagement on each pull of the sled. Start with a powerful leg drive and hip extension and finish with a maximal contraction of the lats on each rep.
TYQ
400m Sandbag Carry
It will make you stronger, both mentally and physically. Remember that when you want to quit.