Hi all,

Happy fifth and final Monday in September. We are going to continue to focus on laying a strong “Foundation” in Week 2 of this cycle. You’ll continue to see core bracing, stabilization, and Range of Motion building.

Let’s get into it.

Day 1 

Week 2 of 6 of the “Foundation” strength cycle!

• Mobility

  • Deep Squat + Arm Rotation

  • Samson Stretch

• Warm-up - 6 minutes, continue to cycle through…

  • 6 Light Single DB Strict Press (6 per side)

  • 6 Air Squats

  • 6 Single KB Pull-Throughs

  • 6 Unweighted Good Mornings

• Strength:

  • E2MOM12 (Every Two Minutes on the Minute, for 12 Minutes)

    • 7-7-6-6-5-5 Double DB Front Rack Reverse Lunges (per side)

  • Intended Stimulus - Ascend in weight throughout. The rep scheme is per side and is written as prescribed reps for each of the 6 rounds. For example, Round 1 and Round 2, you will do 7 Double DB Front Rack Reverse Lunges PER SIDE. Round 3 and Round 4, you will do 6 Double DB Front Rack Reverse Lunges PER SIDE, etc. Athlete should pick a weight that allows for full range of motion, with knee slightly grazing the floor at the back, and front shin nearly fully vertical. Flexing to lower abs helps keep the ribcage from flaring during movements that require high elbows such as these Front Rack Lunges.

  • Log DB weights used for the heaviest set of 5 unbroken lunges (per side), noting any imbalances between one leg and the other in the notes.

• MetCon

  • 3 Rounds of AMRAP4, Rest1:

    • (As Many Rounds and Reps as Possible in 4 Minutes, Rest 1:00)

      • 8 Burpees (Half Burpees / Full Burpees / Strict Burpees)

      • 8 Squats (Air Squats / Single DB Goblet Squats <25 / Single DB Goblet Squats 25+)

      • 8 Double DB Push Press (<20s / 35s / 50s+)

  • Intended Stimulus - Pick up where you left off. All movements are meant to be completed unbroken throughout. Throughout the 4 Minutes, the slowest movement will be the squats. Screw feet into the ground and breathe intentionally as you squat. Shoot for 9+ rounds.

  • Log total rounds and reps completed across the three rounds.

• Recovery

  • Massage Gun Quads - 2 min. per side

  • Figure Four Stretch - 2 min. per side

Day 2

• Mobility

  • Good Mornings

  • Inchworm Press Ups

• Warm-up - 5 minutes, continue to cycle through…

  • 4 Up Dog / Down Dog + Push Up

  • 6 Bootstrappers

  • 8 Alternating Plank-ups (4 per direction)

• Capacity:

  • In 20 minutes, for quality (shoot for 5 rounds)

    • 5 Double DB Suitcase 1 ¾ Deadlifts

    • 15 Leg Lifts (hands under tailbone / no hands / weight overhead)

    • Plank (:20 Hand Plank / :30 Forearm Plank / :40 Forearm Plank)

  • Intended Stimulus - The 1 ¾ Deadlifts are the focus - which are meant to increase our “Time Under Tension” - or TUT. Ascend in weight each round on the 1 ¾ Deadlifts as long as form stays intact (lats engaged, heel and toe BOTH contact the ground through whole rep, healthy-sized bend in the knees at the bottom). While under tension, it is helpful to think about filling your belly (diaphragm) full of air and using that air to press out into your ribcage. Take the Leg Lifts as slow as you can (think about at least a 3-second descent on the legs as they travel back toward the ground) and hover the heels for all 15 reps for extra challenge.

  • Log DB weights used for the heaviest set of 5 unbroken 1 ¾ Deadlifts. Add variations for other movements in the notes.

• MetCon

  • Double DB Thrusters for time (75 Thrusters with <25s / 100 Thrusters with 35s / 100 Thrusters with 50s)

    • Time cap is 10 minutes.

  • Intended Stimulus - Break up the reps early and often. Make the breaks short and thoughtful (do not take a full minute of rest between picking up the DBs - limit yourself to 10 or 15 seconds, for example). Pick a weight that you could start out with a set of 15 off the bat. If you can’t achieve that, you went too heavy and you should go down in weight for the remainder of the workout!

  • Log time it took to complete all Thrusters. Denote the count of reps completed, and the weights used, in the notes.

• Recovery

  • T-spine smash with lax ball - 2 min. per side

  • Legs Up the Wall (Wide Legged Variation) - 5 min.

Day 3

Rest Day

• Try and fit in two to three walks of 1.0-1.5 miles apiece.

• Another good option is a light jog / Stand-up paddle board / hike / slow bike / etc.

• Mobility and/or restorative yoga are other great options on rest days.

• Some is better than none.

• Getting outside in any capacity is encouraged!

Day 4

• Mobility

  • Single Leg Glutes Bridges

  • Scorpions

  • Up Dog / Down Dog

• Warm-up - complete 3 rounds of…

  • 16 Forward Lunges (8 per leg)

  • 8 Single DB Push + Pulls (4 per arm)

  • :40 Jump Rope

• Strength:

  • In 15 Minutes, complete 5 rounds of…

    • 7 Single DB Goblet Split Squats (per leg)

  • Off-time - 20 Scissor Kicks (Hand Under Tailbone / No Hands / Weight Overhead)

  • Intended Stimulus - ascend in weight throughout. Athlete should pick a weight that allows for full range of motion, with knee slightly grazing the floor at the back, and front shin nearly fully vertical. Use the Off-time to slow down the Scissor kicks. Also on the Scissor Kicks, hover the heels and make sure to reach a full 90-degree angle at the hip joint.

  • Log the heaviest set of 7 unbroken split squats (per leg), noting any imbalances between one leg and the other in the notes.

• MetCon:

  • AMRAP8 (As Many Rounds and Reps as Possible in 8 Minutes):

    • 1 Renegade Rows + Push-up (<20s / 35s / 50s+)

    • 2 Lateral Jumps Over DBs (Left + Right = 1)

    • 2 Renegade Rows + Push-up

    • 4 Lateral Jumps Over DBs

    • 3 Renegade Rows + Push-up

    • 6 Lateral Jumps Over DBs

    • etc

  • Intended Stimulus - 8 Minutes is just long enough to require thoughtful pacing. If you come out of the gate too hot and you will likely crash and burn. Keep the foot width wide on the Renegade Rows to help keep the hips square to the ground. Squeeze the glutes, abs, and quads to further assist in keeping the hips square. Rep scheme ascends by 1s for the Renegade Row + Push-up, and multiples of 2 for the Lateral Jumps. Shoot for getting through 8 rounds.

  • Log total rounds and reps completed, adding weights used in the notes.

• Accessory:

  • In 12 Minutes, complete 4 rounds of…

    • :20 Single DB Farmer’s Carry (Side One)

    • :20 Single DB Farmer’s Carry (Side Two)

    • 10 Single DB Single Leg Romanian Deadlifts (5 per leg)

• Recovery

  • Pigeon Stretch (unassisted or assisted) - 3 min. per side

  • Prayer Stretch (on Elbows) - 2 min.

Day 5

• Mobility

  • Thread the Needle

  • Wrist Circles

  • Arm Swings

• Warm-up - 5 minutes, continue to cycle through…

  • 10 Light Single DB On-end Strict Press (5 per arm)

  • 10 Cossack Squats (5 per leg)

  • 10 Sit-ups

  • 10 Lateral Jumps Over DB (Left + Right = 1) (5 per direction)

• Capacity

  • In 15 minutes, complete the following 5 rounds…

    • 18 Single DB Strict Press (9 per arm)

    • 16 Single DB Strict Press (8 per arm)

    • 14 Single DB Strict Press (7 per arm)

    • 12 Single DB Strict Press (6 per arm)

    • 10 Single DB Strict Press (5 per arm)

  • Off-time - 8 DB Weighted Good Mornings

  • Intended Stimulus - ascend in weight throughout. All rounds should be completed unbroken. On the Strict press, work toward full range of motion with the DB reaching fully above the crown of your head, your bicep next to your ear. Keep the glutes and abs braced as you press, and exhale on the ascent.

  • Log the heaviest set of 5 unbroken strict press (per arm), noting any imbalances between one arm and the other in the notes.

• MetCon

  • 3 Rounds of AMRAP3, Rest2:

    • (As Many Rounds and Reps as Possible in 3 Minutes, Rest 2:00)

      • 10 Jumping Squats (Air Squats or Jumping Squats are both OK)

      • 10 Jumping Lunges (Unweighted Reverse Lunges or Jumping Lunges are both OK) (Left + Right = 1)

      • 10 V-ups (Tuck-ups or V-ups are both OK)

  • Intended Stimulus - Go fast, then rest. Structure of the workout is 3 minutes working, 2 minutes rest, 3 minutes working, 2 minutes rest, 3 final minutes working, for 13 total minutes. Pick variations of the movements that will keep your heart rate UP for the full three minutes, with minimal breaks. Pick up where you left off after each rest. Aim for 6+ rounds.

  • Log total rounds and reps completed, adding movement variations in the notes.

• Recovery

  • Child’s Pose with Thread the Needle - 2 min. per side

  • Trap Smash with lax ball - 2 min. per side

Day 6

• Mobility

  • Reverse Jackknives

  • World’s Greatest Stretch

  • Runner’s Lunge (high variation) 

  • Side-to-Side Lunges

• Warm-up - complete 3 rounds of…

  • 10 Light Double DB Suitcase Deadlifts

  • 10 Light Single DB Windmills (5 per arm)

  • 10 Light Single DB Goblet Squats

  • 10 Mountain Climbers (Left + Right = 1)

• Additional Warm-up

  • Warm-up heavier Double DB Push Press, tempo (3-second descent) Push-ups, and heavier Double DB Suitcase Deadlifts

• Long Workout Day!

  • 5RFT (Five Rounds For Time), capped at 32 Minutes

    • 25 Burpees (18 Half Burpees or 25 Full Burpees are both OK)

    • 20 Double DB Suitcase Deadlifts (<30s / 40s / 50s+)

    • 15 Off-set Push-ups (from knees / from toes / hand release)

    • 10 Double DB “Heavy For You” Push Press (<30s / 40s / 50s+)

    • 5 Single DB “Heavy For You” Goblet Squats (<30 / 40 / 50+)

  • Intended Stimulus - All weighted movements should be using DBs that are heavier than what we usually use for MetCons. Use the extra warm-up time allotted to really warm-up your FULL range of motion with those lighter weights, get the core body temperature up, and then try a couple small working sets at your working weights before going for it. For the deadlifts, it is imperative that you engage the lats every time you pick up the DBs (even BEFORE you start your first rep and you’re just picking them up off the ground). Try to only allocate two minutes per round to the Burpees - the longer the burpees take, the less time you will have to bring it home under 32 minutes. CALLOUT: if you plan to scale back the burpees, you can perform 18 per round instead of the fully prescribed 25. That is OK and even encouraged for folks who want more time for the other movements!

  • Log time it took to complete all 5 rounds. Denote the count of total reps completed and the weights / variations in the notes.

• Recovery

  • Hamstring Stretch - 2 min. per side

  • Chest Opener (on a foam roller or yoga blocks if available) - 4 min.

Day 7

Rest Day

• Try and fit in two to three walks of 1.0-1.5 miles apiece.

• Another good option is a light jog / Stand-up paddle board / hike / slow bike / etc.

• Mobility and/or restorative yoga are other great options on rest days.

• Some is better than none.

• Getting outside in any capacity is encouraged!