As much as I love the open, its knack for showing you that you can do things beyond your belief, and the immense amount of fun involved, I am glad it is over. I’m glad because I’m chomping at the bit to start the next chapter of our fitness journey together.
The open always gives me a sense of where our strengths and weaknesses exist as a community. What I learned this year is that we have amazing people with good motors that have an opportunity to develop overall strength especially when it comes to gymnastics. I’m not trying to send anyone to regionals (unless that is your goal of course). So why does it matter? Simple. Achievement and measurable progress = motivation. Motivation = attendance. Attendance = the healthiest, best you that you can be! At the end of the day, that is why we do what we do.
You just completed 1 week of varied benchmarks that tested strength, aerobic capacity, skill, and mental toughness. The PR boards were on fire! The next 10 weeks will focus on developing all of those skills so we can light up the PR board again.
10 Week Format
The format for the next 10 weeks is simple. Mondays we will Squat and Press. Tuesdays we will pull. Wednesdays we will Squat and Bench Press. Thursdays we will pull again. Fridays benchmark or hero. Saturdays will be long, nasty team workouts as always. Every time we do a core lift (Monday-Thursday) we will increase the load – this is called linear progression. Back squat we add 5lbs. Deadlift 10lbs. Press, Bench press, and clean 2.5lbs. Quick math will tell you that at the end of 10 weeks it is very possible that our working weights can increase by 100lbs on Deadlift and Back Squat and 25 lbs on the presses and cleans…not too shabby.
That being said, it is likely we will eventually fail…and that is ok! When that happens, we try the same weight again the next time we do that weight. If we succeed – great! If we fail again, no worries. We simply drop back three weeks (30 lbs on squat or deadlift, 7.5lbs on presses and cleans) and start working our way back up. By the time we make it back to our failing wait, we will succeed!
3 Secrets for Weekly PRs for 10 Weeks
The beauty of this program is that it is incredibly rewarding because it is possible to PR every week for 10 weeks! Freakin’ awesome baby. Here are the three secrets that will ensure that happens.
1. Make yourself and your fitness a priority – come to class daily.
I get it – there are a million priorities you have and it’s easy to let yourself slip way down the list. Your role as a parent, spouse, worker, etc. almost always seem to take precedence. I challenge you to make a commitment to spend one hour a day on YOU and most importantly your fitness. You will find that it will actually enable you to be BETTER at those other priorities that typically win out. You will also see amazing gains in your strength, energy, and PRs across these 10 weeks.
2. Follow the program.
The beauty of linear programming is it is amazingly simple. We typically complete about 3 sets of 5 reps with the same weight for a lift. The next time we execute that lift we complete the same rep scheme with a specified additional weight…no more no less. In the beginning you will feel like you have more in the tank and may be tempted to add more….don’t. Just follow the program. Towards the end you will doubt you will be able to lift the additional weight and may be tempted to not add weight. Don’t. Just follow the program. Here is how it will work.
Back Squat (Mondays and Wednesdays): 3 sets x 5 reps. Use the same weight for each set. Add 5 lbs the next day you lift. Example: Monday 3 sets x 5 reps at 100 lbs. Wednesday 3 sets x 5 reps at 105 lbs.
Strict Press (Mondays): 3 sets x 5 reps. Use the same weight for each set. Add 2.5 lbs the next Monday. Example: Monday 3 sets x 5 reps at 100 lbs. Next Monday 3 sets x 5 reps at 102.5 lbs. (You will need fractional plates).
Bench Press (Wednesdays): Same as strict press.
Deadlift (alternates Tuesdays and Thursdays): 5RM. That means 1 set of a heavy 5. Each week add 10 lbs. Example: Tuesday 1set x 5 reps at 300 lbs. Thursday of the next week 1 set x 5 reps at 310lbs.
Power Clean (alternates Tuesdays and Thursdays): 5 sets x 3 reps. Use the same weight for each set. Add 2.5 lbs total the next week. Example: Thursday 5 sets x 3 reps @ 200lbs. Tuesday of the following week 5 sets x 3 reps @ 202.5lbs.
3. Record everything. No really – do it!
Write it in a book. Put it in your phone. Tattoo it on your arm. Whatever you must do – do it. If you don’t know your weights you can’t follow the program. If you don’t follow the program, it won’t work. Personally, I spent $4 to download the MyWod app. It’s simple to use and on my phone, which I take with me everywhere. If you record it, you will get better!
So that’s it folks. If you come to class, follow the program, and record everything you will PR weekly for 10 weeks! If you need any help along the way, we are here for you.
Now let’s get ready to kick some butt!
Mike
