Hi all,

Welcome to Week 7 of 8 of our “Longer Workouts” cycle. A quick reminder that I’m working on a new look and new content starting in the New Year for this newsletter, so heads up there, more details to come!!

Let’s get into it.

Day 1 

• Mobility

  • Low Runners Lunge

  • World’s Greatest Stretch + Hamstring Stretch

  • Samson Stretch 

  • Inchworms + Push-up

• Warm-up - complete 4 rounds of…

  • 10 Plank Shoulder Taps (Left + Right = 1)

  • 20 Unweighted Forward Lunges (10 per leg)

  • :20 Inverted Plank Hold

  • 10 Half Burpees 

• Conditioning:

  • In 24 Minutes, complete 6 rounds of…

    • 16 Double DB Front Rack Walking Lunges (8 per leg)

    • 14 Double DB Alternating Floor Press (7 per arm)

    • 12 Scissor Kicks (with weight overhead) (Left + Right = 1)

  • Intended Stimulus - On the Walking Lunges, aim to lightly graze your back knee on the ground as you walk. For the Floor Press, keep one hand elevated while the other works. Each rep starts and ends with your elbows locked out fully. Budget about 80 seconds per movement.

  • Log heaviest weight completed successfully (and unbroken) across all three movements as three separate scores.

• Strength:

  • In 8 Minutes, complete 4 rounds of…

    • 6 Double DB Suitcase Bulgarian Split Squats (3 per side)

    • Max Unbroken Push-ups (from knees or toes are both OK)

  • Intended Stimulus - Push it on the weight for the Bulgarian Split Squats. On the Push-ups, fight for as many total push-ups as possible across all four rounds, each round working to failure.

  • Log weights used for heaviest UNBROKEN set of Bulgarian Split Squats. As a separate score, log total push-ups accumulated across the four rounds as one total number.

• Recovery

  • Chest Opener on Foam Roller - 4 min.

  • Foam Roll Glutes - 2 min. per side

Day 2

• Mobility

  • Thread the Needle

  • Unweighted Windmills

  • Deep Squat + Arm Rotation

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

  • 15 Light Double DB Front Squats

  • 10 Single DB Windmills (5 per arm)

  • 5 Unweighted Tempo Strict Press

  • :30 Jump Rope

• MetCon:

  • AMRAP28 (As Many Rounds and Reps as Possible in 28 Minutes)

    • 100’ Double DB Farmer’s Carry (<30s / 40s / 50s+)

    • 10 Double DB Thrusters (<20s / 35s / 50s+)

    • :45 Jump Rope (or :45 Lateral Jumps over a Target)

    • 10 Alternating Single DB Seated Strict Press (Z-Press) (5 per side) (<15s / 25s / 40s+)

  • Intended Stimulus - Engage the lats on the Farmer’s Carry (don’t let shoulders seep forward). On the Thrusters and the Seated Strict Press, make sure the elbows FULLY lock out at the top and show control with a split second pause. A good intention for this workout is to pick weights and a pace that will allow you to work for the full 28 minutes with very minimal breaks (if you’re exerting extreme effort for 10 seconds then resting for another 50, you’re missing the intent of today). Make it steady and sustainable for the full time to build up that muscular endurance!

  • Log total rounds and reps completed, adding weights and variations chosen for all movements 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

  • Up Dog / Down Dog

  • World’s Greatest Stretch + Hamstring Stretch

  • Adductor Rock Backs

  • Wide Legged Good Mornings 

• Warm-up - complete 4 rounds…

  • 6 Double Leg Glute Bridges + 3 Single Leg Glute Bridges per side

  • 8 Single DB Pull-throughs (4 per direction)

  • 10 Light Double DB Bent Over Rows 

  • 12 Light Double DB Push Press

• Strength:

  • In 20 Minutes, complete 5 rounds of…

    • 12 Single Leg Glute Bridges (6 per leg) (optionally add weight on hips)

    • 10 Tempo DB Pull Throughs (5 per side) (3-seconds per direction)

    • 8 Double DB Eccentric Romanian Deadlifts (5-second descent)

  • Intended Stimulus - The slower you move on these three movements, the more you’ll get out of them. The Eccentric is the lengthening of the muscle, so in the RDL it’s when you descend down with slightly bent knees (mostly straight legs) and a big hip hinge. Feel your hamstrings lengthen and talk back to you (in a good way!) as they work.

• MetCon:

  • For Time - capped at 8 minutes:

    • Single DB Snatches (Left + Right = 2) (60 reps at <25 / 70 reps at 35 / 80 reps at 50+)

  • Intended Stimulus - GO! Everything up to now this week has been slow and steady or brute force work. In contrast, this MetCon is meant to push your speed and see how fast you can finish quality work.

  • Log time it took to complete all allotted work, adding weights and variations chosen in the notes. Most folks should finish under 5 minutes.

• Recovery

  • Foam Roll Hamstrings - 2 min. per side

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

Day 5

• Mobility

  • Alternating Thread the Needle

  • Unweighted Windmills

  • Banded Curl + Press

  • Hamstring Stretch

  • Reverse Snow Angels

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

  • 20 Mountain Climbers (Left + Right = 1)

  • 10 Plank-ups (forearm plank to hand plank and back down = 1)

  • 10 Tuck-ups

  • 10 Light Single DB Hang Snatch (5 per side)

• MetCon:

  • EMOM20 (4 Rounds) (Every Minute on the Minute for 20 Minutes)

    • Min 1 - 16 Single DB Russian Twists (8 per side)

    • Min 2 - :40 Double DB Front Rack Carry

    • Min 3 - 14 Heavy Lateral Wall Ball Tosses (7 per side) (Sub DB Chops if no Wall Ball)

    • Min 4 - :40 Wall Sit

    • Min 5 - 12 Single Leg V-ups (12 per side) (12 Tuck-ups are OK too)

  • Intended Stimulus - The Single Leg V-ups and Heavy Lateral Wall Ball Tosses are meant to jack the heart rate up. If these seem too easy, bump up the weight or intensity of the movement variation (Tuck-ups move up to Single Leg V-ups) to make them more difficult. On the more static movements, see how well you can control your body under high heart rate and heavy breathing to hold static positions.

  • Log weights used for the first three movements, and add variations chosen for the last movement in the notes.

• Accessory:

  • In 9 minutes, complete 3 rounds:

    • 8 Single DB “On-end” 90 + Press (4 per side)

    • :40 Plank Hold (Hand Plank for first round, Forearm Plank for second round, and Inverted Plank for third round)

  • Intended Stimulus - Slow on the 90 + Press. Go Unbroken on the plank hold!

  • Log a “checkmark” if you completed all three rounds.

• Recovery

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

  • Massage Gun Glutes - 2 min. per side

Day 6

• Mobility

  • Samson Stretch 

  • Adductor Rock Backs

  • Inchworms + Push-up

  • Child’s Pose + Lat Stretch

  • Scorpions

  • Bootstrappers

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

  • 6 Unweighted Good Mornings

  • 6 Up Dog / Down Dog + Push-up

  • 6 Reverse Jackknives (Left + Right = 1)

  • :40 Jump Rope

• Long Workout Day!

  • AMRAP28 (As Many Rounds and Reps as Possible in 28 Minutes)

    • 1, 2, 3…etc Burpees

    • 1, 2, 3…etc Jumping Squats

    • 1, 2, 3…etc Jumping Skaters (Left + Right = 1)

    • 1, 2, 3…etc Jumping Lunges (Left + Right = 1)

    • 1, 2, 3…etc Wall Walks

  • Intended Stimulus - Take your time. This one will be high heart rate, no doubt about it. It’s intentionally all bodyweight to demonstrate that even without DBs you can still get a heck of a workout in.

  • Log rounds and reps completed in the allotted time, adding variations and substitutions chosen in the notes.

• Recovery

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

  • Wide Legs 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!