12-Week Holiday Cycle

What you’ll see:

• Testing Measures

  • 1RM snatch

  • 1RM clean

  • 1RM split jerk/jerk

  • 5RM & 3RM Back squat

  • 1RM Deadlift

  • 1RM Bench press

• 3, 4-week blocks for both Fitness & Performance Strength

  • 3 step linear progression with testing week every four weeks

  • Will build to 1RM attempts in Week 11 (Squatting) and Week 12 for Oly, deadlifts, and bench.

• Oly

  • Split jerks and cleans will be worked on in isolation, attempting to increase more dedicated practice for each.

  • OHS & Front squat pick’em | Allows for athletes to strengthen the catch position of the snatch if this is a goal for them.

    • If you struggle on the catch in the snatch, pick OHS

    • If you struggle getting out of the hole on the clean, pick front squats.

  • Block 1 | Lighter technical focus for snatch & jerks to work on rate of force development, consistent footwork & turnover. Leg drive with pause 1” power clean triples.

  • Block 2 | Integrating OHS into snatch complex and turnover on power cleans/cleans. Push press + spit jerk block aimed at increasing split jerk speed under fatigue.

  • Block 3 | Leg drive and turnover with heavier complexes. Moderately heavy split jerk doubles.

• Squatting

  • Back squats

    • Performance | 5RM at Week 4

      • Building to 3RM back squat over 12 weeks. This allows us to work on building maximal strength while peaking our Oly lifts prior to the Open.

    • Fitness | Box squats

      • Build volume for hypertrophy with range of motion and rate of force development tactile cue.

      • Really good technical lift for lifters of all experience-levels.

    • Fitness | 5RM in Week 8.

      • Good opportunity to combine Performance & Fitness tracks to work on building strength & size for eight (8) consecutive weeks if desired.

    • Fitness | Back squats

      • Progressive wave-loading in Blocks 2 & 3.

        • Research still seems to favor using straight sets but practical experience does show a potentiation effect for for this loading pattern.

• Deadlifts

  • Block 1 | Tempo deadlifts to build capacity and hypertrophy stimulus

  • Block 2 | Pause deadlifts for positional reinforcement and leg drive

  • Block 3 | Heavy and consistent doubles

• Bench press

  • Block 1 | Pause bench for technical capacity and arm drive.

  • Blocks 2 & 3 | Progressive wave-loading similar to squatting.

• Gymnastics

  • 3-Week handstand walk progression Weeks 5-7

  • 2, 3-week cycles focused on increasing kipping/bar work

    • Goal | Increase work capacity with descending EMOMs

      • TTB or pull-up cycling

        • Goal is to increase technical capacity, whether that means starting to string reps or long kips together.

      • Bar or ring muscle up

        • Goal is 30 or more in five minute EMOM format by the end of this cycle

Performance

Oly

Snatch

Weeks 1-3 | Muscle Snatch + dip snatch

Weeks 4 | Build to a heavy snatch triple

Weeks 5-7 | Power snatch + hang snatch + OHS

1+1+3, 1+1+2, 1+1+1

Weeks 8 | Build to a heavy snatch double

Weeks 9-11 | 1" Pause power snatch + hang snatch

Weeks 12 | Build to a heavy snatch single

Weeks 13-15 | Open preseason

Clean

Weeks 1-3 | Pause 1" power clean triples

Weeks 4 | Build to a heavy clean triples

Weeks 5-7 | 3-point power clean/clean, floor to mid-hang

Weeks 8 | Build to heavy clean doubles

Weeks 9-11 | Power clean + hang clean

Weeks 12 | 1RM clean

Weeks 13-15 | Open Preseason

Jerk

Technical over strength

Weeks 1-3 | Tall jerk 4 sets of 5, 4, 3

Weeks 4 | Build to a split jerk triple at 75-80%

Weeks 5-7 | Push press + split jerk | 3x (1+1)

Weeks 8 | Build to heavy split jerk double @ 80-85%

Weeks 9-11 | Split jerk singles | 5x1 at 75-85%

Weeks 12 | Build to a heavy split jerk single at 85-90%

Weeks 13-15 | off, Open Preseason

Squatting

Back squat

Weeks 1-4 | 3x5, 4x5, 5x5, Find 5RM

Weeks 5-7 | Pause back squat triples

Weeks 8-10 | 6-4-2-6-4-2 waves

Weeks 11 | Test 1RM

Weeks 12 | Peak Oly

Weeks 13-15 | Open Preseason

Front squat/OHS pick'em

Weeks 1-3 | 3-5x3 Pause front squats/OHS

Weeks 4-7 | Heavy doubles/triples FSQ/OHS

Weeks 8-10 | FSQ Clusters 3x1+1+1

Weeks 11 | Test 1RM

Weeks 12 | Peak Oly

Weeks 13-15 | Open Preseason

Fitness Strength

Back squat

Weeks 1-3 | Box squat (~12") | Volume

Weeks 4-7 | 3x5, 4x5, 5x5, Find 5RM

Weeks 8-10 | Pause back squat triples

Weeks 11 | Test 3RM

Weeks 12 | Off

Weeks 13-15 | Open Preseason

Deadlift

Weeks 1-3 | TNG Tempo deadlifts

Weeks 4 | Build to a heavy triple

Weeks 5-7 | Pause or deficit deadlifts

Weeks 8 | Build to a heavy double

Weeks 9-11 | 3-5x2 reps

Week 12 | 1RM

Weeks 13-15 | Accessory hinge

Bench press

Week 1-3 | Pause bench press

Week 4 | Build to a heavy triple

Week 5-7 | 6-4-2-6-4-2

Week 8 | Build to a heavy double

Week 9-11 | 5-3-1-5-3-1, 3-2-1-3-2-1, 5x1

Week 12 | 1RM

Weeks 13-15 | DB bench

SL Lower Push Accessory Strength

Weeks 1-4 | BB front foot elevated split squat descending tempo

Weeks 5-8 | BB split squat

Weeks 9-12 | 2-DB reverse lunge

Weeks 13-15 | 2-DB reverse lunge from elevated surface

Lower Pull Accessory Strength

Weeks 1-4 | Hip thrusts

Weeks 5-8 | BB RDL | Option for Deficit RDL

Weeks 9-12 | Supported SL DB RDL

12-Week Peak Strength & Work Capacity Cycle

Testing measures for this cycle:

• Performance 1-RMs

• Snatch

• Clean & Jerk

• Back squat

• Fitness 1 RMs

• Deadlift

• Back squat

• Bench press

• Work Capacity

• 1000m Ski

• 2500m-10,000m Bike

• 1000m-2500m Row

What you’ll see:

• Oly

• 4, 3-week blocks 

• 2-Step technical progression model followed by a heavy singles EMOM every three weeks for consistent heavy prep

• 3, 3-week block followed by a testing week for back squats in Week 10

• 3-Step technical progression with minor loading re

• Heavy split jerk and push press progressions

• Lots of technical loading for the split jerk

• Heavier strength and hypertrophy focus this cycle

• Moderate usage of pause reps and cluster sets

• Gymnastics shifts to maintenance mode

• Work capacity 

• Slight increase in longer, steady state conditioning 

• Slight Increase in 3-part WODs

Performance Strength

• Oly

• Snatch and clean

• Cycle 1 | Technical | Balance over mid foot through the 1st to 2nd pull transition, postural strength, OHS for shoulder stability

• Cycle 2 | Technical | First pull | Leg drive and postural strength, snatch balance for dynamic shoulder stability

• Cycle 3 | Leg drive & Turnover 

• Cycle 4 | Peaking | Clean + FSQ (+ Jerk) to reinforce leg strength and leg drive in the jerk 

• Technical work will mostly be in the 60-80% range

• Cycles 1-3 will end with an EMOM to test heavy singles 

• Split jerk 

• Cycle 1 | Split jerk balance + split jerk, Pause push press

• Cycle 2 | Split jerk triples & doubles, Push press 

• Cycle 3 | Front squat + split jerk, Peak push press 

• Cycle 4 | Integrate with front squats & cleans 

• Squatting

• Front squat 

• Cycle 1 | 4x6, 4x5, 4x4, 4x3 at 4.0.1

• Cycle 2 | 4x5, 4x4, 4x3 Pause front squats

• Cap Cycle 2 with heavy triple in Week 8 

• Cycle 3 | Integrated with cleans & split jerks 

• Back squat

• Cycle 1 | 4x6, 6-6-4-4, 6-4-4-2, 6-4-2-2

• Cycle 2 | Cluster progression | 3x3x3, 2x2x2, 1x1x1

• Cycle 3 | Build to a heavy triple, double, and single in Weeks 8, 9 & 10 

Fitness Strength

• Back squat

• Cycle 1 | 4x6 @ 4.0.1 | Progressing load

• Cycle 2 | 3-4 sets of 8, 9 & 10 reps | Progressing overload with reps, not load

• Cycle 3 | Build to heavy 5s, off Week 12

• Bulgarian split squat progression

• Cycle 1 | Volume block with 10 reps

• Cycle 2 | Pauses with moderate volume (4-6 reps at 2.3.1)

• Cycle 3 | 5RM cycle, off Week 12

• Deadlifts

• Cycle 1 | Moderate volume, load staggered-stance RDLs

• Cycle 2 | Deficit, moderate volume, moderate load

• Cycle 3 | Building to progressively heavier singles

• 80-85-90% weekly progression followed by a peak week

• Bench press

• Cycle 1 | Tempo volume block at 4.0.1

• Cycle 2 | Pause reps at 4x5, 4x4, 4x3 at 2.3.1

• Cycle 3 | Clusters at 3x3x3, 2x2x2, and 1x1x1

• Cycle 4 | Low volume, high-intensity block, peaking 1RM in Week 12

West Town Throwdown 2024 Cycle Notes

This 10-week cycle is designed with two outcomes in mind. We will be peaking and working on prepping our athletes for the skillsets needed to succeed in the upcoming West Town Throwdown.

What you’ll see:

• Loading and volume will be moderate. Coming off a cycle where we peaked all the major lifts, we are going to use this cycle to build strength through rate of force development (moving moderate loads fast) and improving squat mechanics and postural strength.

• Technical Oly with the end goal of improving touch-and-go mechanics with moderate loads.

• Gymnastics volume up | We’ll have dedicated skill and strength work designed to build handstand push-up/overhead press capacity and practice kipping for improved toes-to-bar and bar-muscle-ups output.

• Lots of pause, tempo and speed work on squats and deadlifts to re-groove movement quality after peaking for the Super Total.

• 1RM front squat

• Pistol & SL squat progressions

This is a bridge cycle that will help with skill and speed development, with an eye on managing neuromuscular fatigue and loading. The rep-maxes will be in the 3-5RM range, as opposed to 1RMs. This allows us to build strength that will provide a quality movement foundation for our heavier cycle coming up after the Throwdown.

Performance Strength

• Oly

  • Snatch

    • Cycle 1 | Technical & Postural @ 60-75%+

    • Cycle 2 | Moderate to heavy loading @ 65-85%

      • Increase time under tension with short to long complexes

    • Cycle 3 | Moderate to heavy loading @ 75-90%

    • Each cycle will end with a test 5-rep TNG test day

 Clean

• Cycle 1 | Technical & Repeatable at 65-75%+

• Cycle 2 | Moderate to heavy loading (75-85%+)

  • Heavier technical | Power cleans & hang cleans | Drive explosive power & finishing third pull & getting under the bar with speed & confidence

• Cycle 3 | Building technical capacity with complexes under moderate load @ 60-80%

Jerk

• Cycle 1 | Explosive leg drive (push press) with low-to-high moderate loads, 3s pause on all catches to reinforce shoulder stability and OH position

• Cycle 2 | Power jerk triples for technique @ 60-80%

• Cycle 3 | No jerk complexes to focus on event-specific tasks

Gymnastics

• HSPU

  • Cycle 1 | OH press progression to build base strength

  • Cycle 2 |HSPU-specific strength

    • Building strength options:

      • Deficit strict or strict HSPU

      • Eccentric overload through ground or on a deficit

      • Continued OH press progressin

  •  Cycle 3 | Max unbroken reps HSPU or press + back-down volume work

• TTB/Kipping/Muscle-up progression

  • Improve & streamline kip swing mechanics, building base for unbroken TTB/Bar muscle-ups

  • Cycle 1

    • TTB | Short to long kip swings

    • BMU | TTB + Pull-ups/C2B

  • Cycle 2

    • TTB | Short to long kips to TTB

    • BMU | Unbroken muscle-ups for 3-6 reps for technique

  • Cycle 3

    • TTB | Max unbroken TTB or closest effort

    • BMU | 1 set max effort BMU

Squatting

• Front squat

  • Cycle 1 | 1st rep pause + speed reps @ 2.5.X, 2.6.X, & 2.7.X

  • Cycle 2 | 5-3-1-3-5 | Building to progressively heavier single and lighter back-off work

  • Cycle 3 | Peaking 1RM

• Back squat | Performance

  • Cycle 1 | 5.3.1 tempo | Postural demand, re-groove squat mechanics post max out.

  • Cycle 2 | 5RM cycle

  • Cycle 3 | Pause and speed work at 50-70%

Fitness Strength

• Back squat

  • Cycle 1 | 5.3.1 tempo

  • Cycle 2 | 1st rep pause at 2.5.X + increasing reps over cycle

  • Cycle 3 | 3RM cycle

• SL Squat/Pistol Progression

  • Cycle 1 | Supported deep step-ups

  • Cycle 2 | Supported pistols

  • Cycle 3 | Pistols or SL squat capacity

• Deadlift

  • Week 1 | RDL variations

  • Even weeks | Tempo deadlifts & speed work

    • Paired with heavier RDLs these weeks

  • Odd weeks | Building to a heavy triple, double, or single

    • Light to moderate supported SL & SL varieties

Bench press

• Cycle 1 | Alternating DB bench press | Allow shoulders to work through more degrees of freedom after BB heavy last cycle

• Cycle 2 | Close-grip bench press @ 60-80% with decreasing tempo over cycle (6.0.1, 4.0.1, 2.0.1)

• Cycle 3 | Bench press 3RM

Upper Pulling

• Cycle 1 | Banded pulldowns for high volume

• Cycle 2 | Landmine bentover row

• Cycle 3 | 8RM 1-DB row

Comparison of Balance Performance in Masters Olympic Weightlifters & Runners

Comparison of Balance Performance in Masters Olympic Weightlifters & Runners

One sentence take-home point

Results from this study suggest that Olympic weightlifting may provide superior training stimulus for somatosensory and vestibular function (explanation below) compared to running in middle-aged (40-60 yo) adults.

WTF is somatosensory and vestibular function?

Main Bullet: Somatosensory function is how we feel our body move in space. When you can’t control your body during a snatch or toes-to-bar, you most likely lack in somatosensory function.

Science: The somatosensory system 1) informs us about our external environment through touch, 2) informs about the position and movement of our body parts, also known as propioception, and 3) is stimulated by movement of muscles and joints.

Main Bullet: Vestibular function helps us respond quickly to stimuli so we don’t fall.

Science: The vestibular system provides a sense of balance and information about body position that allows for rapid compensatory movements in response to both self-induced and externally generated forces.

What does this mean?

Olympic weightlifting requires high-level coordination, stability, and balance during an explosive power movement. These are functions that naturally decrease without proper stimuli, leading to higher incident rates over time. Maintaining and improving them can help enhance longevity and quality of life.

While running may not stimulate the brain in the same capacity, leisure time running has been linked with decreases in all-cause & cardiovascular mortality risks (PMID: 25082581), mental health (PMID: 33139666), and bone density, amongst many other benefits.

Both are obviously valuable towards overall health, function, and longevity. For Oly (or any skill) please don’t associate expertise with execution. Even if you are still developing your technical capacity (especially for Oly), you are reaping the above benefits as you learn and challenge your boundaries.

12-Week Super Total & 5K Macrocycle

12-week Macrocycle

• Cycle Goals

  • Re-establish base strength after heavy metabolic work during the Open Preseason and Open Season. Improve kinesthetic awareness on base lifts with pauses and tempo work.

  • Clean up movement mechanics on major lifts that tend to arise from heavy open prep.

  • Peak Oly and/or powerlifts in prep for SuperTotal on Saturday, June 8th.

  • Reintroduce running and re-establishing base running volume.

  • Peaking for Coalition 5k on Saturday, June 8th.

 Performance Strength

• Oly

  • Split jerk

    • Focus | Find your foot position | Most athletes struggle with finding the proper foot placement for the split jerk. You’ll have 8 weeks to work on it .

    • Macro 1 | Behind the neck jerk from split stance + split jerk

    • Macro 2 | Jerk balance + split jerk

    • Macro 3 | Pause split jerk + split jerk

  • Snatch

    • Focus | Bar path and OH strength     

      • Macro 1 | Bar path, second pull & verticality over mid-foot, and OHS to reinforce catch position

      • Macro 2 | Bar path, leg drive and turnover

      • Macro 3 | Progressively heavy singles with snatch balance reinforcement for OH position

  • Clean     

    • Focus | Bar-path, first pull, and turnover

      • Macro 1 | First pull strength & bar path

      • Macro 2 | Segment cleans for positional strength, leg drive and turnover.

      • Macro 1 & 2 will finish with EMOMs to find heavy singles for the day in Weeks 4 & 8

      • Macro 3 | Increasing intensity with decreasing volume. Mixing Clean + Front squat + jerk complexes with heavy singles.

Fitness Strength

• Deadlift & Bench Press

  • Macro 1

    • Pause work | Rate of force development

    • Deadlift | Mid-shin work increases focus on leg drive off the floor and finishing strength from a relatively disadvantaged position

    • Bench press | Pause within 1” of the chest, remain engaged during those pauses!

    • Speed out of the pause is more valuable than load.

    • Week 4 | Build to a heavy triple

  • Macro 2

    • Deficit Deadlifts

    • Leg drive from disadvantaged position

    • Positional overload for leg drive stimulus

    • Relatively moderate loading to keep rate of force development high

    • Bench press | Progressive volume build from 4x5 to 6x5 over three weeks with moderately heavy intensities (75-85%).

    • Week 8 | Build to a heavy double

  • Macro 3

    • Heavy triples, doubles and singles with decreasing volume and increasing intensity

Back squat

• Performance

  • Macro 1 | Moderately heavy (75-85%) with increasing weekly volume (4x5 to 6x5)

  • Macro 2 | Pause volume (70%+)

  • Macro 3 | Heavy intensity, low volume/peaking (mostly 80-90%+)

• Fitness

  • Macro 1 | Moderate volume-load with tempo at 4.2.1 @ 50-70%

  • Macro 2 | Moderately heavy volume load (75-85%)

  • Macro 3 | Speed squats @ 50-60%

  • For athletes looking to pump up back squat numbers, the program is set up for you to back squat 2x/week if desired. Volume and intensity are balanced over the week between the two tracks so you won’t get obliterated under too much volume-load.

  • For example, Macro 2 for Performance features pause work, which naturally keeps the intensity tempered as we work on rate of force development out of the hole.  Macro 2 for Fitness features a progressive build of volume and load that will challenge maximal motor unit recruitment.

  • This allows us to hit both ends of the spectrum for maximizing adaptations and increasing force output.

Conditioning

• Macro 1 | Balanced duration, intensity, and skill work. Being mindful of overall conditioning volume, especially with increased demands from building back base strength.

  • Introduce low levels of running, weather permitting.

  • Running becomes more consistent when the daily low temperatures are 40° or higher.

• Macros 2 & 3 | 8-week 5k running program released on Instagram

  • Aiming for 2x/week running in class in varying volumes with a progressive build in volume over the 8 weeks. Again, weather permitting.

  • With the increased demand of running, double under/box jump volume will be low to moderate during this period to balance the ballistic stress placed on the joints (feet/ankles/knees/hips/lower back) as well as tendon structures like the patellar/quad tendon and Achilles tendon.

  • Science nerd note | In dynamic and ballistic movements like running and jumping, tendons are designed to absorb force from the ground and transmit force from the muscles back to the ground to create movement – either vertical oscillation for jumping or a mix of horizontal/vertical oscillation for running.

  • This will be post-Quarterfinals so it should not impact any athlete participating in that event.

Neuromuscular Fatigue & Open Programming

As we finish maxing out the rest of our primary lifts this week, we look ahead to the upcoming four weeks of programming leading up to the Open. We tend to look at programming as having different “volume” controls on the variables we utilize, primarily:

• Intensity

• Volume

• Density

• Power

• Strength & Hypertrophy

• Skill & Technical Acquisition & Refinement

• Work capacity

If you don’t care about math & physics, skip this part and go to The Open section.

Intensity | How heavy or how hard something is compared to a maximal effort. Commonly given as a percentage of 1-rep maximum (1RM) or maximal heart rate and/or ratings of perceived exertion (RPE).

Volume | Sets x reps

Density | Sets x reps/time | More work, less time, more fatigue

Power | Work/Time | Work = Force x displacement (how far something moves, usually noted in meters) | Force = Mass x acceleration. In reality this is mass (kg) x displacement (how far something moves) x acceleration divided by time. Yay math!

Strength & Hypertrophy | Stimuli for muscle growth that is characterized by maximal motor unit recruitment that occurs at or near mechanical “failure”, usually in conjunction with slow muscle fiber shortening velocity.

Work capacity | In physics, work = force x displacement of an object. In our setting, this is how much weight you move (external or bodyweight), how far it is moved, and how often you move it. For conditioning purposes, this is often related to time and density. Another term could be power endurance.

The Open

The primary outcome measure of The Open is to challenge an individual’s capacity to do work, specifically within a given time frame. Ultimately, we are trying to improve work capacity in relation to density. Athletes aim to perform more work in the most efficient time based on their present abilities.

In consideration to the seven adaptations noted, these are awesome to develop, but like anything, there are caveats to consider for sustained long-term development. Specifically, we are looking at the role of central nervous fatigue and considerations for how it impacts our development.

Researcher and strength coach Chris Beardsley has an awesome article reviewing central nervous fatigue, which I will summarize here and relate to its impact on our programming.

Central Nervous Fatigue

Central fatigue can occur due to reduced efferent signal size from the brain and/or spinal cord to the muscles (Brain—> Body), or because of afferent feedback that reduces motor unit excitability (Body —> Brain). Afferent feedback are the signals sent from the receptors in our skin, muscles, connective tissue, blood stream, etc. that inform our brain of what is happening in the body. The brain and/or spinal cord formulates a response based on what feedback it receives.

As central fatigue accrues, this reduces the number of motor units recruited. Muscles are recruited based on size, with the highest-threshold motor units being the ones we want to train for long-term strength adaptations. Central fatigue prevents these higher-threshold motor units from being activated, which blunts the hypertrophy stimulus we are aiming to create.

Beardsley discusses three mechanisms that impact central fatigue:

1. Shorter rest periods prevent full nervous system recovery, potentially impacting our ability to recruit motor units maximally.

2. Aerobic exercise seems to produce central nervous fatigue more readily than traditional strength training. This study by Thomas et al. (2015) comparing a 6-min cycling time trial vs a 30-minute time trial suggests this phenomenon. This is why Zone 2 training has become so popular, despite how boring and slow it is. It manages central nervous fatigue, although I debate the value this has for the fitness athlete in our setting.

3. According to Cairns (2006), blood lactate accumulation could play a role because it appears to lead to central nervous fatigue.

Fun fact: Lactate is a metabolic buffer, not the cause of that burning sensation you feel when you workout at high thresholds. It is actually a metabolic by-product of energy breakdown that helps to reduce the buildup of hydrogen ions during this process.

This is one of the reasons we tend to keep our conditioning relatively shorter and heavier. We can maximize the stimulus that encourages adaptation while manipulating volume to account for central nervous fatigue.

Managing Central Nervous Fatigue

Research has generally shown that power, strength & hypertrophy develop best when given 2-3 minutes of recovery between sets. Since power is more explosive, more recovery is generally better. This is one of the reasons we often utilize couplets in our strength formats. If you have to wait to maximize motor recruitment for a given exercise, you might as well work on something else while you’re waiting. In case you were wondering, circuit training like this has not been found to blunt output, despite the obvious increase in systemic demand.

Bringing this back to programming for The Open, if we turn the dials up on volume, density, and work capacity demands, we have to turn the dials down in other places to balance the stress on the body to manage fatigue. In this case, pure strength and hypertrophy output cede to volume, density and more work under fatigue.

This is one of the primary reasons we only perform cycles like this for a short duration in preparation for a specific event. If we spend too much time training at these thresholds, we impede long-term power, strength and hypertrophy adaptations. This will blunt your overall capacity for growth, whether your focus is health & wellness, competition, or both.

Additionally, technical proficiency and skill acquisition are best trained when relatively fresh, so excess fatigue does us no justice here either. Otherwise, we risk ingraining substandard movement patterns and end up using compensatory mechanisms for performance. You might gain in the short run, but following this route for too long will compromise long-term development.

These next seven weeks are meant to test the expression of all the work we have put in over the previous year of training. It’s an opportunity to find your thresholds and challenge them intelligently. That being said, make sure you understand where you are at in your development and what your aspirations are. The upcoming programming can be very fun and very different, but should be adjusted to what you need from it. If you’re not sure what makes the most sense for you, ask and we’ll happily chat.

We use events like this to give a loose guide to our programming, but most importantly, to have fun celebrating our fitness with our FitFam. Enjoy the ride!

Reps-in-Reserve & Resistance Training

The “I Don’t Want To Read All This” Takeaways:

• There is variability in human performance due to bio-psycho-social factors.

• Using percentage-based work off 1-rep max (1RM) due to bio-psycho-social factors can be valuable, but may require secondary perspectives to maximize.

• Principles of the RIR model: Intensity Regulation, Volume Management, and Individualized Approach.

• 1-3 Reps-in-reserve is a good starting point for estimating proximity to failure and strain level.

Reps-in-Reserve (RIR) serve as a measure of perceived effort. Stemming from the concept of ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), it has gained popularity as a subjective yet objective gauge of the strain and effort necessary for muscular strength and hypertrophy. Although introduced to scientific literature by Zourdos et al. (2016), its origins trace back to the "The Reactive Training Systems Manual" from 2008, initially applied in powerlifting.

RPE and RIR emerged due to inherent variations in human performance influenced by bio-psycho-social factors such as sleep, nutrition, and life stress. Despite the benefits of resistance training and exercise, these activities also impose stress on the body. Coupled with the individualized rates of progress and recovery, this underscores the need for a system to assess exercise intensity and volume-load. While the most common approach involves percentages of 1RM (or 1-rep max), these values can significantly differ day-to-day due to these variable factors. Even determining a 1RM is highly variable owing to the same factors.

Frequently, lifters notice better performances leading up to a max-out compared to their actual max-out day. Which truly represents a 1RM? In a philosophical sense, both can be representative based on the parameters and factors influencing capacity on each of those days and experiences.

This variability necessitates that percentage-based work considers an athlete’s present state in the broader context of their consistent demonstrated ability over time during training. Additionally, having another reference point for perceiving effort on a given day becomes valuable for adjusting load and intensity within a workout and across training cycles to maximize gains.

The RIR model in resistance training revolves around three fundamental principles:

1. Intensity Regulation | RIR allow you to regulate training intensity by gauging how close you are to muscular failure within a set. For instance, if you aim for three reps-in-reserve, you stop the set three repetitions before reaching failure. This method allows you to control the intensity of your workout, ensuring that you're challenging your muscles without pushing them to complete exhaustion on every set.

2. Volume Management | It enables better management of training volume. By incorporating RIR, you can potentially increase the overall training volume without reaching the point of diminishing returns or excessive fatigue. This balance between volume and intensity is crucial for muscle growth and strength gains while minimizing the risk of overtraining and injuries.

3. Individualized Approach | RIR acknowledges individual variability. Different individuals respond differently to training stimuli. Some might benefit from training closer to failure, while others may see better progress with more reps-in-reserve to manage fatigue and recovery. This approach allows for customization based on factors such as fitness level, recovery capacity, and specific goals.

By incorporating reps-in-reserve into your resistance training perspective, you optimize the balance between stimulating muscle growth and ensuring adequate recovery. It's a flexible model that allows adjustments based on individual needs, serving as a valuable tool for long-term progress and preventing burnout or overtraining.

Regarding training to failure and determining the right number of reps-in-reserve, the current consensus is that while training to failure stimulates growth, it can hinder recovery over time. Muscle damage is necessary for adaptation, but too much can impede future sessions and long-term development.

1-3 reps in reserve suits most athletes, although this varies based on the person, exercise, and training experience. Research consistently, though not universally, suggests that experienced lifters are better at estimating proximity to failure, making them more adept at using this model effectively. For those newer to this model and perspective, it creates an opportunity to provide yourself with a framework for how to approach your effort on a given day. Be patient and diligent and your ability to adjust your effort will refine accordingly.

Happy lifting!

Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the Repetitions in Reserve-Based Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale for Resistance Training. Strength Cond J. 2016 Aug;38(4):42-49. doi: 10.1519/SSC.0000000000000218. Epub 2016 Aug 3. PMID: 27531969; PMCID: PMC4961270.

Zourdos MC, Klemp A, Dolan C, Quiles JM, Schau KA, Jo E, Helms E, Esgro B, Duncan S, Merino SG, Blanco R.Novel resistance training-specific RPE scale measuring repetitions in reserve. J Strength Cond Res 30: 267–275, 2016. 

Tuchscherer M. The Reactive Training Manual: Developing your own custom training program for powerlifting. Reactive Training Systems, 15, 2008.

11-Week Cycle Leading to the Open Preseason

Performance & Fitness Strength Cycle Notes (11/13/2023 through 1/27/2024)

• Performance Strength

  • 11-Week Cycle, followed by a 4-Week Open “Preseason” and a 3-Week Open “Season”

    • 1RM | Front squat, chin-ups, push press

    • Oly

      • Snatch & clean (power & full) will work towards heavy, repeatable singles. Lots of technical breakdown through the first 8 weeks of this cycle. Towards the tail end there will be more focus on barbell cycling heading into our 4-week Open “Preseason”.

      • Push press, jerks, and split jerks

        • Push press | Building to a 1RM push press. We’ll start changing the angles with the snatch push press. From there we will progress forward with a relatively linear progression towards maxing out.

        • Jerk | Focus on power/push jerk technique and building absolute power output and power endurance capacities.

        • Split jerks (SJ) will be less of a priority since The Open never uses them. If you would like to work on this, you can simply perform a SJ variation whenever jerks pop up in strength. Staff can guide you from there. Oly Class on Wednesday evenings with Coach Sadie is another opportunity to practice.

    • To consolidate stressors, back squatting will have a moderate volume-load (3-6 sets of 3-6 reps) with various pauses and tempos. Plus sets (when the last set is an AMRAP) will be included to elicit a strength/hypertrophy stimulus. This should allow athletes to increase strength efficiently without relying on high-intensity volume to be the primary driver of adaptation.

    • Skill EMOMs | More of these will pop-up throughout this cycle, but specifically towards the end leading into Open Preseason. If you are newer to these skillsets (gymnastics, barbell cycling, etc.), this is a great time to slow things down and build technique. If you’re refining and advancing these skills, these are great tools to build capacity and ingrain technique.

• Fitness Strength

  • 11-Week Cycle

    • 1RM | BB hip thrust

    • 3RM | Deadlift

    • 5RM | Back squat, bench press

    • Program will remain balanced between building the primary lifts and utilizing tempo and unilateral exercises to work on common postural and movement deficiencies.

    • First mesocycle

      • Lots of tempo/time under tension, allowing athletes to streamline and learn technique while providing a strong hypertrophy stimulus.

      • DBs over BBs | Both horizontal (bench) and vertical (overhead) pressing movements will feature DBs this mesocycle. DBs allow for greater range of motion and can help address muscular imbalances.

      • Front rack split squats | Good opportunity to work on the front rack for newbies! Can always sub to back rack if preferred. These will progress to 2-DB Bulgarian split squats with an ALAP (as long as possible) pause on the last rep of the last set in the second mesocycle.

    • Banded deadlifts will make their debut in the second mesocycle. Keep an eye peeled for a video demonstration in the next few weeks.

    • Hypertrophy EMOMs | To match the skill EMOMs, these will aim at keeping time under tension high with moderate loading. This utilizes density (work done in a shorter time frame) as a driver for muscle growth

• Metcons

  • Conditioning will slowly start to work up to 20 minute durations, challenging varying capacities. We will still be mindful of overall volume and loading parameters as we progress. Most of our conditioning will remain in the 10-15 minutes range.