Hi all,

We’re jumping into a new training cycle this week. This is going to be an 8-week endurance cycle, ending right before New Year’s Eve. This cycle will prioritize slightly longer workouts, with more than one “Long Workout Day” per week.

We will take the week of New Year’s Eve as a deload week (less intensity and more recovery in that week’s workouts) before kicking off the new year!

Let’s get into it.

Day 1 

• Mobility

  • World’s Greatest Stretch

  • Deep Squat with Arm Rotation

  • Runner’s Lunge (high variation) 

  • Cossack Squats (assisted or unassisted)

• Warm-up - complete 4-5 rounds of…

  • 12 Unweighted Reverse Lunges (Left + Right = 2)

  • 8 Air Squats

  • 4 Light Double DB Thrusters 

• Long Workout:

  • In 30 minutes, complete 10 rounds of 2:00 on / 1:00 rest.

    • AMRAP2 - Double DB Front Squats

    • Rest 1:00

  • Intended Stimulus - Slow and steady! This one may look easy on its face, however this is truly a tortoise versus the hare situation. Come out conservative, find a rep count that works for you (maybe that’s 20 squats per round, or 25, or whatever), and then hold that pace for all 10 rounds! Minute breaks throughout let you put the weight down and shake out the legs before getting back into it. Goal is to complete at least 200 reps.

  • Log total squats completed in the 30 minutes, adding weights used in the notes.

• Recovery

  • Foam Roll Glutes - 2 min. per side

  • Foam Roll Quads - 2 min. per side

Day 2

• Mobility

  • Adductor Rock Backs

  • Cat / Cow

  • Thread the Needle

  • Reverse Jackknives

  • Wrist Circles

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

  • 12 Reverse Jackknives (Left + Right = 2)

  • 8 Light Single DB Windmills (4 per side)

  • 4 Push-ups w. 5 second descent (from toes and from knees are both OK)

  • :30 Jump Rope

• EMOM25:

  • Every Minute on the Minute for 25 minutes (Five Rounds)

    • Minute One - :40 Plate or Double DB Overhead Carry

    • Minute Two - 12 Unweighted Cossack Squats (Left + Right = 2)

    • Minute Three - 12 Heavy Single DB Pull-thrus (Left + Right = 2)

    • Minute Four - :60 Jump Rope

    • Minute Five - Rest

  • Intended Stimulus - Move and shake the legs after yesterday’s big squat day. Take the upper body movements (Overhead Carry and Pull-thrus) seriously, challenging the weight the whole time. On the Overhead Carry, work to keep your core engaged and your elbows fully locked out. On the Pull-thrus, work to keep your hips square to the ground and your knees OFF the ground (bear hold).

  • Log a “checkmark” if you completed all 5 rounds, adding weights used and 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 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

  • Scorpions

  • Up Dog / Down Dog

  • Bird Dogs

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

  • 18 Plank Shoulder Taps (Left + Right = 2)

  • 12 Light Double DB Suitcase Forward Lunges (Left + Right = 2)

  • 6 Single DB Offset Push-ups (3 per side)

• Strength:

  • In 18 Minutes, complete 6 rounds of

    • 8 Double DB Suitcase Bulgarian Split Squats (4 per leg)

  • Off-time - :30 Forearm Plank Hold

  • Intended Stimulus - Slow and controlled through the full range of motion is the intent on the Bulgarian Split Squats. Let the burn happen. Make sure at the bottom of the rep, the knee of your planted leg is only an inch or two in front of your toes (not like 6+ inches). Also, aim to lightly graze your back knee on the ground at the bottom of the rep. Fully lock out the planted leg’s knee at the top of the rep.

  • Log the weight used for the heaviest set of 8 Unbroken Double DB Suitcase Bulgarian Split Squats (4 per leg) .

• MetCon:

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

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

    • 2 Single DB Hang Power Snatch (<20 / 35 / 50+) (incr by 2s)

  • IMPORTANT - Every round, increase the movement count by 1s on the Renegade Rows + Push-up and 2s on the Single DB Hang Power Snatch. So on the first round, you’ll do one Renegade Row Left + Right and one Push-up, then 2 Single DB Hang Power Snatches (one per arm). The next round, you’ll do a Renegade Row Left + Right and a Push-up and then another Renegade Row Left + Right and another Push-up (do the whole thing twice), then 4 Single DB Hang Power Snatches (two per arm), etc.. Keep ascending until the clock hits 8 minutes.

  • Intended Stimulus - Approach this one as a quick burner. Made to hurt, come out at a moderately fast pace to start and every subsequent round try and speed up your reps. Spread your feet past shoulder width apart in the plank position when doing the Renegade Rows, as it will help you keep square to the ground. Also, keep the DB close to your body on the Single DB Hang Snatches.

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

• Recovery

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

  • Chest Opener on Foam Roller - 5 min.

Day 5

• Mobility

  • Unweighted Windmills

  • Boot Strappers

  • Deep Squat + Arm Rotation

  • Child’s Pose w/ Thread the Needle

• Warm-up - complete 3-4 rounds…

  • 15 Light Double DB Conventional Deadlifts

  • 10 Scapular Push-ups

  • 5 Light Double DB Strict Press

• Strength:

  • In 16 minutes, complete 8 rounds of the following movements in the following rep schemes:

    • 10-8-6-4 Double DB Strict Press, and then…

    • 10-8-6-4 Double DB Push Press 

  • Intended Stimulus - Ascend in weight throughout if you feel safe and comfortable doing so. Control throughout with glutes and quads engaged, abs “on” helps keep the ribcage stacked (not flaring out). Top of each rep includes DBs above crown of your head, thumb pointing behind you, bicep next to ear. One round every two minutes, so use any remaining time in that two minute span to warm up your deadlift weights for the MetCon below.

  • Log the weights used for the heaviest set of 4 Unbroken Double DB Strict Press and the heaviest set of 4 Unbroken Double DB Push Press.

• MetCon

  • For time, capped at 16 minutes

    • 24 Heavy Double DB Conventional Deadlifts (<30 / 40 / 50+)

    • 24 Lateral Burpees over DBs (half burpees / full burpees / strict burpees)

    • 20 Heavy Double DB Conventional Deadlifts

    • 20 Lateral Burpees over DBs

    • 16 etc…

    • 16 …

    • 12 …

    • 12 …

    • 8 …

    • 8 …

  • Intended Stimulus - Go heavy enough on the Deadlifts where you need to split up the first two rounds. Lats engaged (neutral spine) and knees driving out on the deadlifts. You have 16 minutes to do 160 reps, which comes out to 10 reps per minute.

  • Log the time it took to complete the workout, adding weights in the notes.

• Recovery

  • T-spine Smash with LAX ball - 2 min. per side

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

Day 6

• Mobility

  • Samson Stretch

  • Up Dog / Down Dog

  • Runner’s Lunge (high variation)

  • World’s Greatest Stretch + Hamstring Stretch 

  • Scapular Push-ups

  • Cat / Cow

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

  • 8 Light Single DB Goblet Forward Lunges (8 per leg)

  • 8 Half Burpees

  • 8 Light Double DB Push Press

• Long Workout Day!

  • For Time, capped at 34 minutes

    • 400m Single DB Farmer’s Carry (<25 / 35 / 50+)

    • 150 Single DB Walking Lunges (<25 / 35 / 50+) (Left + Right = 2)

    • 100 Double DB Push Press (<20s / 30s / 40s+)

    • 50 Alternating Single DB Devil’s Press (<25 / 35 / 50+) (Left + Right = 2)

  • Intended Stimulus - For the Farmer’s Carry, switch arms throughout to even out the load, with the goal of holding the weight for 200m per arm. For the Walking Lunges, you can hold the DB in the Goblet, Suitcase, Front Rack, Bear Hug, however you want. For the Push Press, make sure you show control for a split second at the top of each rep, with elbows, hips, and knees fully extended.

  • Log the time it took to complete the workout, adding weights in the notes.

• Recovery

  • Pigeon Stretch (unassisted or assisted) - 2 min. per side

  • Leg up the Wall - 5 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!