crossfitlakeeffect

Day 1 WOD

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 14:39:58 GMT

3 Sets

10 DB Bent over Rows

10 DB RDLs

10 DB Shrugs

*complete movements w/out dropping weight

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3 Rounds

500m Row/400m Run

30 KBS

10 Alt SA Devil Press

Day 2 WOD

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 14:38:34 GMT

10 min EMOM (:20 On/:40 Off)

HSPU

*goal is to get same number of reps every round

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12 min AMRAP

50 DU

30 Alt Hang Power Cleans

20 OH Rev Lunges (10/side)

Day 3 WOD

Mon, 12 Aug 2024 14:34:18 GMT

4x 800m Run

*Rest 1:00 btwn rounds

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8 min AMRAP

20 Alt DB Snatch (50/35)

20 Alt SL V-ups

Day 4 Rest

Sun, 11 Aug 2024 14:33:12 GMT

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 5 Rest

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 14:29:39 GMT

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 6 WOD

Fri, 09 Aug 2024 14:28:43 GMT

12 min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: Close Grip Floor Press

Min 2: Bent Over Rows

Min 3: Db Pistol to Box

Min 4: Rest

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8 Rounds

4 Devil Press

6 HSPU

8 Alt Pistols

Day 7 WOD

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 14:27:41 GMT

12 min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: Weighted Hip Thrust Iso (R)

Min 2: V-ups

Min 3: Weighted Hip Thrust Iso (L)

Min 4: Hollow Rocks

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40-30-20-10 Sit Ups

20-15-10-5 DB DL

*Every 2:00 (starting @ 0:00) perform :30 HS Walk or Hold

Day 8 WOD

Wed, 07 Aug 2024 14:26:40 GMT

800m Run

1:00 Rest

400m Run

:30 Rest

200m Run

2:00 Rest then Repeat

-----------------

Every 5:00 x 3

25/20 Cal Bike

20 Reverse Lunges

15 Hang Power Clean

Day 9 WOD

Tue, 06 Aug 2024 14:25:28 GMT

3 Rounds

5/ea Lateral Box Step Up

10 Goblet Cossak Squats

15 RDLs

---------------

For time:

50 DB Box Step Ups

40 Box Jumps (Step down)

30 Goblet Squats

40 Box Jumps (Step down)

50 DB Box Step Ups

Day 10 Rest

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 14:24:32 GMT

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 11 Rest

Sun, 04 Aug 2024 14:22:47 GMT

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 12 WOD

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 14:21:58 GMT

4 Rounds

10 Z Press

10/ea Single Arm High Pulls

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3x 4:00 AMRAP (2:00 Rest between)

100 Du Buy in

12 Hang Cleans (RD 1) / 10 Hang C+J (RD 2) / 8 Hang Snatch (RD 3)

6 Bar Facing Burpees

Day 13 WOD

Fri, 02 Aug 2024 14:21:06 GMT

Every 1:30 x 8 - Snatch Complex

Snatch DL + Snatch Pull + Hang PS + Hang Sq Snatch + OHS

*Build in weight

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10-8-6-4-2

Bar Facing Burpees

Snatches (135/95)

* Every 2:00 (Starting at 0:00) perform 5 OHS

Day 14 Rest

Thu, 01 Aug 2024 16:44:35 GMT

Rest Day - Light Movement

Time Your Sets

quaalr@mail.gvsu.edu (Regan Quaal) — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:47:10 GMT

Introduction

We have all probably said to ourselves when performing a conditioning session, "I will do this for X amount of time or do these intervals for X amount of time." On the other hand, we have also said to ourselves when performing a weight room session, "I will do this exercise for X repetitions."

Why are we only prescribing duration for conditioning and not for exercises?

Both prepare an athlete to compete in sport, so why do we differentiate between the two?

They should not be considered separate entities because all qualities can be developed using both scenarios, especially when preparing an athlete from an energy system profile perspective.

Sport is timed by duration, not by the number of repetitions, so using timed sets for the weight room makes much more sense if we are trying to develop training programs specific to the demands of sport.

On top of that, utilizing time will control for the possible variance in training volumes amongst your athletes and is the best method to develop repeat sprint ability.

Energy System Basics

Before we continue with the practical application and reasoning for timing your sets, we want to touch back on what we wrote in the first paragraph, "Sport is timed by duration, not by the number of repetitions."

When training athletes on the field or in the weight room, we look to develop three energy systems: the oxidative system, the lactic system, and the alactic system. Each plays an important role in the complete development of every athlete.

In the following paragraphs, we will relate each energy system to a different sport for simplicity's sake.

Oxidative System

The oxidative system can be thought of as the energy system a cross country runner primarily relies upon in their sport. The duration of their events is typically 15 or more minutes, and the efforts performed during their events are of a consistent, sustained nature. The oxidative system takes over energy demands in any activity lasting more than three minutes in a sport with continuous work, gradually relying more on fat as a fuel than carbohydrates as the event goes on.

Lactic System

The lactic system is what a hockey player primarily relies on for energy demands because a shift in hockey lasts roughly 45 seconds and is performed at a moderate-high intensity.

The lactic system is primarily responsible for providing energy for moderate to high-intensity efforts lasting over ten seconds and up to three minutes. The aerobic system cannot provide enough energy fast enough for these bouts, so the lactic system relies more on carbs than fats.

Alactic System

The alactic system is what a sport like American Football primarily relies on because most plays last less than ten seconds and are always performed at maximal effort. The alactic system can only supply these maximal outputs because immediate, available energy from PCr is required to fuel them.

Energy System Pyramid

Figure 1 demonstrates how the energy systems are tied together. Like any pyramid, the first step is creating a wide base. The wider the base, the higher the peak.

The base is the oxidative system because it is what gives us the ability to train more frequently at higher volumes and helps us recover from training. It's an important first step to develop before going forward because having the ability to train and recover from more volume gives you the ability to make stronger adaptations.

The next pyramid level is the lactic energy system, which is the moderate-intensity/moderate-duration effort. We won't elaborate much on this topic, but generally speaking, sport covers this base with the way practices are performed. The stop-and-go nature of practice and learning of new strategies/skills results in moderate-intensity efforts with incomplete rest.

The peak of the pyramid is the alactic system. This may be the most important box to check in your training because it is difficult to accomplish in practice with any team sport. It has the largest carry-over to high performance in most sports. Due to how much skill and strategy are required in sport, most efforts aren't truly maximal because you have to be conscious of many other factors.

The beauty of sport performance within a weight room is that it allows the athletes to give maximal effort during low-skill movements (such as linear sprints, trap bar deadlifts, or bench press). In this way, the alactic system can be trained very effectively to raise the athletes' overall athletic ceiling. We perform training like this to raise our ceiling with this physical quality.

In sport, one of the largest factors that decide who will come out on top at the end of a competition is which team can perform high-effort sprints (bouts) over and over. This feat is especially important at the end of the game when fatigue becomes a larger factor. It's often referred to as repeated sprint ability—one of the main adaptations we all hope to develop with our athletes.

Maximizing Training Density

As we have mentioned, success in sport comes from producing max efforts repeatedly throughout an entire competition. For an athlete to be able to accomplish this, there are some primary prerequisites they must develop during their training in the off-season:

Develop their oxidative system and ability to perform/recover from large amounts of low-intensity work.
Improve the ability to shuttle blood around the body to induce metabolite removal and efficient recovery.
Improve their ability to display alactic max outputs by training high-intensity exercises with adequate rest to ensure the training was quality- and not quantity-based.

Once these prerequisites are developed, the outcome is an athlete who can train both very hard for short periods of time and also train for a very long time at low intensities. The goal then is to combine these two qualities into one by developing an athlete that can train very hard for short periods over and over again.

The easiest way to develop an athlete with this ability is to set up every training session, including the weight room, like something with an underlying conditioning goal. The underlying conditioning goal in the weight room is to improve the training density that the athlete can tolerate. Training density is the number of sets and repetitions performed within a certain time frame. If we improve this number with our athletes weekly and keep the quality of the training high, then we are destined to prepare the athletes for their sport.

Repeat Sprint Ability

In team sports, the deciding factor in competition is a team's ability to perform high-quality repeat sprints throughout a game, especially as it comes to an end. To clarify, when we talk about repeat sprint ability, we aren't only referring to sprinting but to any high-intensity effort that may take place, like swinging a bat, jumping to spike a volleyball, or driving into a defender you are intending to block.

Given the versatility of repeat sprint ability, one might think of it more as repeat max output ability. For the sake of this article, a max output is an effort of up to 10 seconds, which means we are referring to the alactic system (peak of the pyramid) that we discussed earlier.

This is essential for team sport because many crucial moments occur during a game that goes far beyond just sprinting in a straight line. That is why we have found it so important to develop a style of training that will prepare an athlete holistically for performing max outputs with their entire body. Also, performing sprints is probably the best way to improve this ability, but when athletes are already running so much in their sport, it may not be the smartest way to train it. In addition, it will likely not provide enough volume to fully develop this quality. We have resorted to using timed sets in the weight room to further develop this adaptation.

Why Use Timed Sets in the Weight Room

The most common prescription for volume in the weight room is repetitions. Repetitions were established to make it easier for everyone to understand and apply exercise volume to the masses. Instead of utilizing seconds, people argued that it was easier to describe with repetitions, which in reality is easier because nobody wants to have to stare at a clock or timer or count out loud to themselves or to their partner during every set they perform.

Using repetitions allows everyone to be on their own clock and work at their own pace. Allow each individual to allot as much time as they want between reps during the isometric or "resting" portion of the movement and make each rep last as long as they want. One of the many incidents we have seen in the weight room relating to this issue is an athlete going for a heavy five on a squat and resting five-10 seconds between reps to grind out another slow, choppy rep. Therefore, a set that should last roughly 20 seconds lasts up to a minute.

Using reps is perfectly fine for an individual training on their own or someone getting trained with no specific goals or needs. This is the case if the individual just wants to feel like they had a "good" workout, making it the practical thing for them to do. This is not the case for individual athletes with specific goals or athletes in a team setting with specific goals.

If we want the training programs we have created to be as effective as possible, we need execution as specific as possible for the individual/team goals or needs. If we are not exactly sure of what training our athletes have completed, we cannot understand the effect our training program had on our athlete's performance. This makes it challenging to decipher which part of the program played a role in the changes in post-test and retest with our athletes.

We have found using timed sets for most exercises in the weight room to be the most effective means of exercise prescription. It makes sure all athletes are given the same stimulus. Going back to what we mentioned above, five reps for one athlete may be taxing a completely different energy system than another athlete if their intent towards their exercises is much different.

Keeping set duration uniform for all athletes removes many common faults that take place in the weight room like:

Individuals of different sizes who have vastly different ranges of motion for movements.
Individuals who rush through sets to get done as fast as possible.
Weight room heroes who grind out and go as heavy as possible every set.
Athletes getting through workouts at different speeds.

Weight Room Timed Sets: Maximize Repeat Sprint Ability

When training repeat sprint ability, the goal is to keep intensity as high as possible for sets that last between five to 10 seconds to develop the alactic energy system. This is difficult to prescribe using repetitions as our metric for volume. For example, as mentioned before, prescribing three to four repetitions to the athletes can lead to many different outcomes. One athlete may complete the work in six to eight seconds, while it takes around 15 seconds for another athlete. This means that different athletes will train two different energy systems for the same set during the same workout, so the stimulus is not uniform amongst all of your athletes. To understand the program's effect on the athletes, we have to ensure that the intended quality is being trained.

In our experience, prescribing volume through time instead of repetitions increases the repeat sprint ability of a team. The focus of each set shifts from moving as much load as possible for the prescribed repetitions to moving the prescribed weight at the fastest rate possible for the prescribed time domain.

To control the rate of movement during the timed sets, we use different percentages based on our goal for the training. The idea behind using percentages in a timed set system is to control the rate of movement during the set by adjusting the weight in use for each set. However, this only works if the athlete consistently applies max intent to every set. Therefore, regardless of load, they try to move the weight as fast as possible. Naturally, it causes the athlete to move faster or slower, depending on the percentage.

The only issue with using the load to control the rate of movement is the exercises you choose to use to improve repeat sprint ability must be mastered from a technical standpoint by the athlete.

When we program exercises for the purpose of improving repeat sprint ability, we normally select ones that are simple to execute and can be performed by a wide variety of athletes. Therefore, athletes don't have to learn another complex skill in addition to their sport skills. This minimizes the need for making individual variations in the workout. Also, suppose it takes the athletes an extended time to learn how to perform the exercise. In that case, we are going to be wasting the majority of our off-season teaching movements that are difficult to execute, instead of using ones that can be performed by a wide variety of athletes that will lead to adaptations at a faster rate.

Another benefit of performing the majority of your repeat sprint training in the weight room using timed sets is you can apply it to more than just the lower body. It can be applied to all the major movement patterns or muscle groups if you can select the correct exercises that can be performed with max intent safely.

Lastly, we have found this type of training to be most important for more veteran athletes with higher training ages who are likely already strong enough and need to focus on other training qualities. The other qualities are power, speed, and repeat sprint capacity.

Timed Sets Practical Application

If we take a look at the duration of each energy system, they are primarily working over a specific period of time. For example, the alactic system is dominant from one to 10 seconds.

How do we determine the length of the set?

We like to categorize it into two categories: either quality or capacity focus. If the purpose of the exercise is to perform high-quality repetitions, perform the exercise at the bottom range of the time frame. If the purpose of the exercise is to build capacity, perform the exercise at the top range of the time frame. However, if you have a well-balanced athlete, you would probably have them go somewhere in the middle of the time frame or have them focus on each during different days each week.

How do we apply energy system training to a workout?

First, we decide what the main goal is for the workout of the day. Is it to improve speed or increase the tolerance to lactate (which energy system is primarily responsible)? Second, we identify if the athlete needs to improve high-quality repetitions (power) or if the athlete needs to improve capacity (conditioning) in that particular energy system. Third, we decide which exercise to which we will apply the specific energy system training, which is dependent on the goal of the exercise.

Understanding the purpose of each exercise is essential for designing a proper program.

What are some exercises where you can implement a timed set?

Below is a list of a few exercises where we successfully implemented timed sets. These are just some examples because we don't want to leave you hanging, and we want you to experiment on your own. We have also included two complexes that train the alactic system to demonstrate how you can combine timed sets with repetitions sets.

Exercises to implement timed sets:

Step Up
Hip Thrust
Trap Bar Deadlift
Bench Press
Lat Pulldown
Chest Supported Dumbbell Row

Combining timed sets with reps:

1A) Squat x10s

1B) Box Jumps x4

2A) Bench Press x10s

2B) MB Throw x4

Conclusion

A few of you might be skeptical of this approach because you have always used repetitions for keeping track of volume. Remember, sport is timed by duration, not by the number of repetitions. By timing your sets, athletes get different amounts of volume during a workout depending on how well trained they are. You could even argue that timed sets are a more individualized approach. Most importantly, timed sets will increase repeat sprint ability—crucial in sport due to the high-intensity bouts.

We hope that you have learned something new and when you have processed this new information, start to implement timed sets.

Co-authored by Jesper Mårtensson

Shift from Block to Vertical Integration for In-Season Program Design

quaalr@mail.gvsu.edu (Regan Quaal) — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:20:13 GMT

As any sports performance coach knows, training athletes in-season is no easy task. There are many variables at play and an ever-changing schedule that the sport coaches, athletes, and strength coaches have to work around.

These variables make it challenging to plan ahead. Without adequate preparation, you run the risk of your team training sessions evolving into a pseudo-yoga class, stretching out the athletes and leading banded walks twice a week for the duration of the competitive season. If you haven't had to fill that role in your career yet, congratulate yourself and consider yourself lucky because you have most likely worked with an awesome staff who is great at communicating.

Do your best to make sure it never reaches that point because it is no fun (at least in my opinion), and we didn't get into the field to lead stretches, warm-ups, and cooldowns. We did it to train athletes and maximize their athletic qualities to watch it transfer to success in their given sport.

I'm sure most of you reading this will relate to the following story. When I first started training athletes as a new coach, I designed an entire training program down to the number of reps and sets at a specific percentage for the upcoming in-season competition schedule. My program was based on what was discussed with the coaches before the season pertaining to our "planned" practice schedule and opponents throughout the year. After these conversations, I would design a training program for the athletes to develop specific qualities I believe they needed to be prepared for competition throughout the season.

In theory, this seemed like the right thing to do because I wanted to be as prepared as possible for the long road of in-season work that was ahead. After going through my first couple of years of in-season training, however, I realized that this was an overkill approach because we have very little control as sports performance coaches.

It was very frustrating that I always had to keep rewriting all the training programs that I was spending so much time putting together leading up to the in-season. I knew my approach was broken, and I had to develop a more efficient method of getting the job done.

Shifting from Block to Vertical Integration

The first step to fixing this problem was moving away from block periodization and shifting toward a vertical integration method. I love block periodization because it provides the strongest possible stimulus for whatever specific adaptation you are targeting. Also, it is a great fit for off-season training if you have a specific goal for certain periods of time based on the overall training plan.

I did come to realize, however, that it is not very effective for in-season training because the amount of stress you are placing on one adaptation will have too many drawbacks on all the other adaptations you want your athletes to maintain. There are too many negative effects because even though the one specific adaptation you are focusing on is getting an extreme training effect, there are many other adaptations that are either maintaining or falling off. As we all know, athletes typically need to be somewhat capable in most if not every training adaptation to succeed in sport.

This is when I began to consider an approach to address almost all training qualities each week rather than focusing on just one quality per week. In doing so, I picked the exercises that gave the athletes the best "bang for their buck" each training session to cover all of our bases. I then shifted my in-season training to a vertically integrated approach. The goal of this approach was to work on every major training quality year-round, so my athletes were prepared for whatever their sport may challenge them with.

To design this approach, I looked at each week and phase of training as an empty bucket. I would decide how much of each quality I wanted to add to the bucket until it was full. In doing this, I always err on the side of caution because I'd always rather have my athletes leaving the weight room wanting a little more than asking if they could cut back on a few sets because they were feeling run down. I also found the biggest benefit of vertical integration was that it made me not have to worry as much about the training residuals of the different qualities. This is because we would never detrain any adaptation if we were always touching on everything week to week. The last thing you want is for your athletes to feel like they are missing something at the end of the season when competition is most important.

Microdosing

Microdosing your training ties directly into the vertical integration approach I referenced above. It's the practice of performing small amounts of specific training to physiologically benefit while minimizing the undesirable side effects. This is the key to designing a successful vertically integrated program for in-season training. Going back to the bucket analogy, you decide what percentage of your total training volume to dedicate to each training quality and fill your bucket up from there.

At different times of the in-season, you can choose to focus on certain qualities over others. Factors include the strength of schedule, number of competitions, plans for future phases, and what was performed in previous training phases.

To utilize the microdosing method, you train the other qualities with very low volumes to hopefully make small improvements on those adaptations or, at the very least, maintain them. Therefore, when you can train them with higher volumes during a period of time, you are not just bringing them back to where they were. This approach allows you to improve those qualities from a baseline that you have maintained due to microdosing. Suppose you stray too far away from training a certain adaptation. In that case, it is a recipe for never making any real improvement in that quality and always maintaining or regressing to the baseline you established in the off-season.

The challenging part about implementing this programming style during the in-season is that the training stimulus must be strong enough and apply enough stress for an adaptation to be made. The key is designing a program that will provide options on when you can implement certain training sessions based on the competition schedule and what the athletes need. To have this ability of "flexible" programming, I started writing a four-day per week training program, even though we'd often only be training two to three days a week, so I'd always have options based on what I thought was the best fit.

Creating Training Day Options: High and Low Days

As I mentioned earlier, it's very difficult to lay out an entire in-season training plan before the year starts based on the possible changes that are likely to happen. However, you can create a training week template for your perfect scenario that provides you with options. I have found that having four planned training days each week, even though you will most likely only train two to three days, comes in handy because then you can plug in any two of those four days based on the situation you are dealing with. To create a spectrum for the high and low days, I utilized ideas from Charlie Francis, Louie Simmons, Cal Dietz and manipulated them for the population I was working with.

I categorize the four possible training days for each week as high, medium-high, medium-low, and low (or whatever you want to call them) stress days. Some variables that may affect what days you choose are competition the previous and next week, practice schedule, team dynamic/morale, exams/holidays, etc.

The training days are ranked from high to low based on how much stress they apply to the athletes. To be more specific since all training induces stress, the high and medium-high days apply stress that may initially lead to less optimal sport performance due to the nature of the movements chosen. On the other hand, the medium-low and low days are designed to make the athlete feel primed and fresh for the upcoming competition. The major reason for the breakdown between the four days is to make sure you never lose any specific adaptation. Everything is always building or being maintained, as outlined in the training residual chart.

Chart via https://zachdechant.com/the-residual-training-effect/

Training Design Template

Below I break down each training day even further to help anyone put together this four-day model that makes running in-season training much easier. As you'll see, I use the main lift selection as my guide for the rest of the session to organize things and create the high, medium-high, medium-low, and low days.

Training Split

Upper and Lower

For the training splits, I keep each day as either completely upper body or lower body. I do this for a few different reasons. The main reason is that upper body training will always be less stressful and fatiguing than lower body training because the loads are much lighter. After all, you don't have to factor in your body weight, and the musculature is smaller in mass, making it require much less recovery. This concept made it much easier to delineate high from low days. Also, in my opinion, athletes enjoy knowing what body parts/muscles they will be training leading up to a game. This doesn't mean you still can't perform a total body training day due to time constraints. All you have to do to set that up is mix and match pieces from different upper and lower body training sessions, which I have done in many instances.

Main Lift: Max Effort and Dynamic Effort

I decided to keep it simple and base it on Louie Simmons's Westside Method. For our main lift, we lift at very high intensities to get stronger and improve the force end of the force-velocity curve (FVC). We lift at lower intensities to produce more power and improve the velocity end of the FVC.

For the max effort lifts, I keep the reps between one to five, so we are recruiting high threshold motor units. I typically only use the full range of motion movements for this category, so we are developing strength in deep ranges of motion where individuals are often the weakest.

For the dynamic effort lifts, I keep the reps between one to three for six

-12 sets, so too much fatigue doesn't build up, and output/velocity stays high across all sets. I like to have my athletes perform these sets on a clock, usually every 60 or 90 seconds, to keep intent high and develop some alactic conditioning. As the competition season goes on, I tend to start using more partial range of motion movements to control ranges of motion and keep intensities high as fatigue gradually builds.

Speed, Plyometric, and Med Ball Training

During this piece of training, the goal is to develop general athleticism by performing a variety of jumps, sprints, and throws/slams. I have found it easiest to differentiate the days by having my lower body days only consist of speed and plyometric exercises and my upper body days consist of only med ball throw and slam exercises.

On max effort days for the speed training, I will perform my highest velocity and longest duration sprints, typically some sort of fly or extended accelerations.

For plyometrics, I will perform loaded jumps, jumps from deeper ranges of motion, or single-leg jumps to target a more intense strength adaptation.

For my med ball throws/slams on upper body max effort days, I will use heavier implements to slow down the speed of the movement to make them more force-oriented to build strength.

On dynamic effort lower body days for speed work, I perform shorter duration accelerations from a variety of start positions to make sure I am not overly fatiguing the athletes' central nervous system, plus keeping them primed for competition. For plyometrics on this day, I have my athletes perform unloaded or assisted jumps from shallow ranges of motion to keep movement velocity high. I often include more ankle dominant jumps than the knee dominant ones I would use on a max effort day. Then for the med ball throws/slams on dynamic effort upper body day, I keep the implement load light, so the velocity of the movement increases from the max effort day.

Accessory Lifts: Isometric and Eccentric

As for the accessory portion of the training, it is based on the repetition method made popular by Louie Simmons, but with a small twist because it utilizes eccentric and isometric-based movement, both popularized by Cal Dietz.

For max effort days, I use eccentric-based movement with higher reps. The target duration for these sets lasts between 20-30 seconds. I use eccentric for these because individuals are up to 50% stronger during the eccentric portion of a movement, so it will allow us to use heavier loads than if we were using straight rep sets. Also, it helps with tissue remodeling, making sure we are maintaining muscle length and range of motion. I prefer the sets to last longer because they are more stressful from a metabolic perspective than shorter sets. After all, it taps into the lactic system, so it matches well with the higher stress of a max effort day.

For the dynamic effort days, I use isometric-based movements with lower rep sets. The target duration for these sets is 10-12 seconds. I like to use isometrics on this day because we can touch on strength adaptation with lighter loads than you typically need by performing holds at the bottom range of motion where individuals are always weakest. Lastly, I keep the sets shorter to keep training strictly alactic to limit metabolite build-up and delayed onset muscle soreness.

Advanced Methods: Complex and French Contrast Training

With more advanced groups of athletes, I like to also utilize either complex training or french contrast training. Complex training, also known as post-activation potentiation, involves the integration of strength training and plyometrics in a training system designed to improve explosive power. An example of this is pairing a back squat with a box jump.

French contrast training is based on a combination of complex and contrast methods. The idea is to use four exercises to induce physiological responses of the athlete and train along the entire FVC. An example of this is performing the following series of exercises in one giant set: back squat, hurdle hop, weighted jump, and band accelerated jump.

On the max effort (higher stress days), I pair the main lift with a french contrast to present the athlete with the strongest stimulus possible in-season. I like to pair it with the max effort method because we are getting a large post-activation potentiation effect from the high-intensity lifts recruiting high threshold motor units. It also works better because there are fewer working sets on this day since the intensity of the lift is so high, and the volume of jumps within a french contrast is also high.

On dynamic effort days, I pair the main lift with a complex movement. I prefer it on this day because then we can get in a lot of high-quality sets of both movements since reps are kept so low for both, and the potentiation effect heightens and works both ways as the sets go on. Also, you can use plyometrics that have minimal negative side effects, like a box jump, paired with a lift that leaves the athlete feeling fresh.

Conditioning: Alactic and Lactic Energy Systems

Lastly, in regards to conditioning, I like to separate my days by the proportion of lactic and alactic work done. I build the conditioning directly into the weight room training sessions, so the athletes do not have to do extra volume on top of our weight training session, practices, and games during the in-season.

The conditioning during our high and medium-high days is both alactic and lactic. The alactic conditioning takes place during the French contrast method if you choose to use it. The goal is to improve repeat sprint ability by performing multiple low-rep high-output sets in a row, followed by an extended period of active recovery. Then during the eccentric accessory work that follows, it is lactic conditioning due to the higher volume working sets that have minimal rest between—very similar to common bodybuilding protocols.

The conditioning during our medium-low and low days is purely alactic. During the dynamic effort days, alactic capacity is developed regardless of whether the complex method is used because reps for both the lift and plyometric method stay in the one to three rep range. It is capacity training because the recovery is incomplete when the sets are performed on a clock like mentioned above. Then during the isometric accessory working sets that follow, alactic capacity is again targeted with the longer duration alactic sets by never going more than 12 seconds each set.

I chose to only use alactic energy system training on the medium-low and low days, hoping it would keep the athletes feeling as fresh as possible for competition with the low-volume, high-quality sets. Additionally, most sports are based on repeat sprint ability. Therefore, this system mimics the demands of a game—high effort sprint followed by short rest and repeat. The team that can successfully do that at a higher level for longer wins.

High Day: Lower Body

Top End Speed

Speed
Alactic Power

Deep, Weighted, Single-Leg Plyometrics

Power
Alactic Power

Max Effort Lower Body

Max Strength
French Contrast Method
Alactic Power

Eccentric Based Accessories

Tissue remodeling & Hypertrophy
Lacitc Capacity

Medium-High Day: Upper Body

Heavy Med Ball Throws/Slams

Power
Alactic Power

Max Effort Upper Body

Max Strength
French Contrast Method
Alactic Power

Eccentric Based Accessories

Tissue Remodeling & Hypertrophy
Lactic Capacity

Medium-Low Day: Lower Body

Accelerations

Power
Alactic Power

Small ROM/Light/Assisted Plyometrics

Speed
Alactic Power

Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Power
Alactic Capacity

Isometric Based Lower Body Accessories

Strength
Alactic Capacity

Low Day: Upper Body

Light Throws/Slams

Speed
Alactic Power

Dynamic Effort Upper Body

Power
Alactic Capacity

Isometric Based Upper Body Accessories

Strength
Alactic Capacity

Conclusion

I really hope this template assists you with writing in-season training in the future and provides you with useful guidelines. I purposely did not include any specifics (number of sets, reps, or percentages) because I feel everyone's situation with different groups of athletes is so different that it is not applicable. Designing training programs is always a work in progress and is never set in stone with all the changes we face every year. I hope this helps set up the general framework of your program for the year.

Training the Aerobic System to Maximize Adaptations

quaalr@mail.gvsu.edu (Regan Quaal) — Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:12:20 GMT

The Issue

I recently read an article about how even though we may be training at low intensities or heart rate ranges that correlate to "aerobic" work, it does not necessarily mean our muscles are using oxygen to produce ATP. This is especially true if we typically spend most of our time training for power or strength qualities.

First, when training for strength and power, the primary systems at play are the glycolytic and alactic systems, not the oxidative system. Secondly, during strength and power, the nervous system adapts to the muscle repeatedly contracting maximally throughout the workout. Each of these contractions produces large amounts of tension in the muscle. After training for strength and power on a regular basis, our muscles tend to start contracting maximally every time movement is performed. This is even the case if the movement is performed at low intensity.

For example, the intensity of jogging is very low, so during the stance phase, the quad only needs to contract submaximally for the runner to continue to move efficiently. The benefit of the muscle contracting submaximally is there is little tension created in the muscle. Small amounts of tension do not cause vasoconstriction, so deoxygenated blood can leave the muscle, and oxygenated blood can enter the muscle without resistance. The opposite is true for a muscle that has adapted to always contracting maximally in training. Maximal contractions cause vasoconstriction, which produces a lot of resistance, reducing the ability of deoxygenated blood to leave the muscle and oxygenated blood to enter the muscle.

The sum of these events typically results in muscles with lower levels of oxygen saturation than is expected when performing submaximal activity. So when you think you may be training in the aerobic zone because your heart rate falls into the correct "training zone," you are training the glycolytic system because your muscle oxygen saturation is so low. I believe this is a common occurrence with most power/strength athletes when they attempt to perform long slow distance (LSD) style training sessions.

I witnessed first-hand the vasoconstriction issue with most of my hockey players during pre-season training a few years back. After a summer of exclusively training the lifting portion of their program I had prescribed (in addition to any other "bro lifting" they added themselves), no one could sustain low-intensity exercise while maintaining an aerobic zone. This was most notable during the giant aerobic circuit prescribed during our general physical preparedness (GPP) phase. Their ability to perform the low-intensity exercises for extended periods of time was not at the level I expected it to be. However, what was most interesting was that the limiting factor was their vascular system rather than their cardiovascular system. I knew this was the case because their cadence slowed during the workout because of the pump/burn they felt in their muscles rather than being out of breath. This demonstrated their inability to pump oxygenated blood into their muscles and deoxygenated blood out of their muscles.

A primary explanation for this occurrence was that my athletes had only been training for strength and power leading up to this circuit, so their bodies were conditioned to produce high levels of tension with every contraction. This muscle tension puts so much resistance on the vascular system that low-intensity exercise becomes glycolytic rather than oxidative because there is always a metabolite build-up in the tissue.

The Question

After coming to this conclusion, how do we train power athletes (such as hockey players) to continuously display high outputs like their sport demands, while also being able to fall back on their aerobic system for efficient recovery?

I had to address the athletes' vascular system to answer this question.

The ultimate goal is to decrease the "resistance" within the vascular system of my strength/power athletes. In doing so, they will be able to perform submaximal exercise aerobically when necessary without spending too much time developing the aerobic system itself.

From a time resource standpoint, too much low-intensity work will take away from the time the athletes could have otherwise spent improving their strength/power qualities. Therefore, addressing their vascular system problem helps improve their ability to recover without detracting from their ability to improve other qualities.

After speaking to Cal Dietz, I decided to start solving this problem by utilizing overcoming isometrics. He told me in the past, when his athletes had gone through supra-maximal isometric phases, he'd seen heart rates drop to 30-35 after two weeks. His theory was this happened because he would ask his athletes to hold their breath during the duration of the isometric movement.

The combination of the athlete holding their breath while producing maximal force to hold position leads to drastic increases in blood pressure. The high amounts of pressure created would make the circulatory system more elastic. A more elastic circulatory system would then pump blood more efficiently because it is more pliable. This is why the heart rates dropped so low—more blood would be pumped each beat.

Additionally, suppose the vascular system is more elastic. In that case, there will be fewer blockages within the system, and it will be less likely to pool blood in a muscle due to vasoconstriction. This is because a more elastic circulatory system has lower resistance for the blood flow to overcome. This allows oxygenated blood to flow in easier and deoxygenated blood to flow out easier.

The Answer Hopefully

With all of this in mind, I decided to run a test program on myself. After performing an eight-week strength cycle that focused primarily on sets that lasted roughly 18-30 seconds (glycolytic emphasis), I ran myself through a deload/aerobic reboot week phase.

I felt the timing of the program worked well because whenever I was performing conditioning, it felt like it was always lactic, even when I attempted to keep my intensity low. This effect was very similar to what I saw with my hockey players during the aerobic circuit in our GPP phase.

Additionally, I would feel very fatigued the day after an "active recovery" day, which consists of nasal breathing only training of 40s ON/20s OFF for 30-40 minutes rotating between a few different cardio machines. The fact that I would feel very fatigued after my active recovery days instead of fresh shows that I was glycolytic instead of aerobic. Lastly, my resting heart rate was abnormally high, which I usually notice as an indicator that I am not recovering as fast as I'd like to be and that I need to do some aerobic training.

During my deload/aerobic reboot week, I decided I would first perform three sets of Overcoming Isometrics (with a breath hold) for all major multi-joint movement patterns every day (Monday-Saturday). I chose movements like these because I figured it would lead to a more global effect on the whole body, developing the vascular system as a whole.

The purpose of using the overcoming isometric was to improve the elasticity of my circulatory system. My heart would then be capable of pumping more blood every beat and limiting the amount of pooling, preventing vasoconstriction.

Below is how I performed this portion of my training at the beginning of all my sessions:

1A. Right Split Squat Deadlift Overcoming Iso: 3x10 seconds

1B. Left Split Squat Deadlift Overcoming Iso: 3x10 seconds

1C. Bench Press Overcoming Iso: 3x10 seconds

1D. Bent Over Row Overcoming Iso: 3x10 seconds

*For more examples of overcoming isometric training, click this link and scroll to Strength: Section 1

Next, I performed either 10 minutes of extensive plyometrics or med ball throws for general athleticism purposes (and to prevent myself from moving like a complete meathead). I believe this portion of my training had nothing to do with my results, but I wanted to include it for the sake of thoroughness.

Finally, I finished with 30-50 minutes of an aerobic circuit that was performed via nasal breathing only. The template I based my aerobic circuit on was the GPP Giant Circuit I created. I find this circuit to work really well because you are constantly switching the working portions of the body. This forces your vascular system to constantly pump blood back and forth across different sides of the body. Shuttling the blood in this way naturally elevates the heart rate without the athlete having to exert additional effort. The constant shuttling of blood also reduces blood pooling in the muscles and prevents the system from entering a glycolytic state by staying aerobic.

The typical prescription of this workout involved working one side of the body for 30 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, then switching to the other side of the body and doing the same. Instead of this approach, I changed the prescription to two intervals per exercise alternating back and forth between sides of the body for 15 seconds of work and five seconds of rest. Both protocols have the same work-to-rest ratio, no matter what protocol you follow. I believe, however, that performing 15/5 and switching sides would lead to a more aerobic adaptation by limiting local fatigue and preventing vasoconstriction. Also, the more the blood is shuttled, the more the heart rate gets elevated with lower levels of exertion, making it the more efficient option for aerobic training.

GPP-Giant-Circuit-Download

The Results

For the 14 days prior to starting this week-long test program on myself, my resting heart rate was, on average, 52 bpm. Over the course of the seven-day cycle, my heart rate dropped to 39. This is the lowest resting heart rate I have ever recorded on myself, so to say the least, I was very happy with the result. As a competitive CrossFit athlete, conditioning has been a very important component of my training for the last five years. In the past, I have committed to week-long cycles to improve my aerobic fitness, but have never had a resting heart rate lower than 47 by the end of the week.

This leads me to believe the difference was including the overcoming isometrics with breath holds which was something I had never utilized before. In the future, once I am done with my current program, I am excited to commit two weeks to this same deload/aerobic reboot cycle. It will be interesting to see if I can get into the mid/low 30s after doing it for a longer period of time.

Future Considerations

As I begin the next three-week block of my strength cycle, I am excited to see how long the effect of this week-long phase lasts. The training residuals for aerobic training are said to last roughly 30 days, but I will be keeping a close eye on my RHR to see for myself.

The next time I start a phase similar to the deload/aerobic reboot, I will track my blood pressure every morning to see what effect the breath hold isometrics may have on that factor. I would assume my blood pressure would decrease if my circulatory system is more elastic. However, at the same time, if I have a lower RHR, it leads me to believe my heart would have to pump more blood every beat, which might then actually increase my blood pressure. I believe the answer to this conflict is probably simple; I need to spend more time addressing it. It most likely involves pulse wave velocity, which is the rate at which blood travels away from your heart within the circulatory system. This metric may be a factor that ties into the increase or decrease in blood pressure.

Lastly, I am excited to run a two-week phase of this program to see how low I can get my resting heart rate. If it does drop into the low 30s, I am curious to see if it will drastically affect my ability to recover and handle higher work volumes in future phases.

There will be a positive effect, but I would like to look at how my heart rate variability might be affected on a daily basis and see the difference in changes based on the volumes I am performing. I will have to perform two of the exact same phases following two different aerobic phases for this to be accurate. Another effect of having a lower resting heart rate is a reduced heart rate when training at higher intensities as compared to previous heart rates.

I am looking forward to updating this next time. I have the opportunity to run a phase similar to this one which should be in roughly three weeks.

A Coach's Guide to General Physical Preparedness

quaalr@mail.gvsu.edu (Regan Quaal) — Sun, 09 May 2021 20:46:15 GMT

There are many terms in the fitness/strength and conditioning industry that are overused to the point where people can no longer actually define them. General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is an example of one of those terms that is often spoken about but hard to define.

In its simplest form, GPP training is any training that isn’t specific to what is required in your sport or occupation. Even though GPP training is not specific itself, the idea behind it is that improving your general physical qualities will transfer over to improving your sport-specific performance by making you a more robust individual.

Robustness is developed by minimizing your weaknesses in your general physical skill set and widening your physical capabilities scope to answer any performance-related problems you may encounter.

GPP: Widening the Base

As we have all heard many times, a pyramid can only be as tall as its base is wide. Essentially, this means having a wide base is very important if you want to reach peak performance. GPP is the base of the pyramid, so spending a dedicated period of time establishing this is essential for long-term success and development. For this to happen, certain components of training must be included in the program to lay a solid foundation.

The major components of GPP that should be focused on are motor pattern learning, work capacity, and movement variability. Obviously, there is a long list of other things one may choose to focus on, but these three components cannot be overlooked because of their pivotal role in athletic development, as I will discuss later on.

GPP: Major Components

Everyone loves advertising flashy training methods like max strength, speed work, and power development in the fitness industry. It is what people like to see and think that is most important. In reality, though, those methods are only a fraction of what goes into an individual’s training.

Today, many athletes are specializing early in a specific sport, so they are spending their time only developing the qualities they need for that sport. This does not make for a robust individual and limits possible future development. Leading them to reach their peak too early in their careers since a base (GPP) was never developed in the first place.

Time must be spent developing general physical skillsets for peak performance to be reached. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Below I explain the main components of GPP training:

Motor Pattern Learning

All individuals should master the four basic human movement patterns before moving onto more complex and higher intensity training methods. This is because they are the basis of everything we do. These movement patterns are the push (squat), hinge (RDL/deadlift), press (horizontal/vertical), and pull (horizontal/vertical). You can think of these four movements as the base of the movement “pyramid.”

Work Capacity

For an individual to train at high intensities in the future, they must first develop a capacity to handle training at lower intensities. During GPP, the focus of training is on volume, not intensity, because it builds up work capacity. If work capacity is improved, future training will be more effective. This is because they will train at higher volumes, both within a week or a single session, presenting more opportunities to improve. Also, the ability to recover between training sessions will amplify so that performance will be optimal more often.

Movement Variability

With training intensity typically being lower during GPP, it is a great time to introduce a wide variety of movements to the individuals you work with. Allow them to become proficient with them before they intensify in future phases. Also, you can drill in the finer details of all these movements, so no compensation patterns are developed, minimizing the risk of future injury.

GPP: When to Use It

A GPP phase is applicable many times throughout a training year for every individual. Below I will go over the particular times I have found it most effective.

Off-Season/Post-Break Training

After finishing a competitive season, most individuals take a break from training to recharge their batteries from the physical and mental stress they endured. A great way to gradually re-introduce training after a period of rest is with a GPP phase because it rebuilds the base of the pyramid. This ensures training does not advance too quickly and capacity is developed before intensity. The same applies above for an individual who has taken time off from training due to reasons other than competition.

Post-Injury

Returning from an injury is similar to taking a break from training, except the process is much more stressful due to the body working hard to recover. A GPP phase is a good option for them early in their return to play for building capacity back up, like mentioned above. Also, it will reintroduce a large variety of movements at a low intensity, so any compensation patterns that were wither develop while dealing with the injury or that caused the injury in the first place, can be corrected while intensity is low.

Deload

After a period of intense training, it is very common for trainers to implement a deload, so the individuals they are working with do not overtrain and have an opportunity to recover. A brief GPP phase is a good option for a deload because it shifts the focus of training from intensity to volume—giving the trainee's nervous system an opportunity to recover while the focus is on work capacity.

Active Recovery

A GPP type workout is a great choice for an active recovery workout because ample blood flow is generated, there is minimal eccentric loading, and the training intensity is low. All these factors contribute to individuals feeling better leaving the gym than they did when they entered. Active recovery workouts are typically applied when individuals are feeling run down as a second option from their normal training session or as a way to break a sweat and get some movement in on an off day.

GPP: How to Implement

Now that you have an understanding of what GPP training is, why it’s important, and when to use it, here's how to implement it.

Phase Length

The length of a GPP phase is dependent upon what your purpose for using the phase is. If you're using it at the beginning of an off-season after time off, it can last anywhere between one to four weeks depending on how much time was taken off. If it is being utilized for deload purposes, then it will normally only last one to two weeks. Lastly for active recovery, it should be used one to two days a week depending on the individual’s needs.

Major Training Variables

Due to the nature of GPP training being more volume-driven than intensity-driven, the focus will be on maximizing the individual’s work capacity. This will be done by adjusting two different variables, volume, and density. The first is gradually increasing the total volume of work that is performed on a session or weekly basis. The second is increasing training density by either minimizing rest between sets or speeding up the rate at which sets are performed. Leading to more work being performed in the same amount or less time.

Training Method

For GPP training, my preferred method is utilizing circuits because they are such an efficient use of time, especially when working with large groups. They allow for large amounts of volume to be accumulated in short periods of time. Many different movements can be used in one workout with the use of stations. Also, the entire session can be based on specific work to rest ratios, allowing more control over the total volume performed.

The bulk of the movements I prescribe during GPP are either bodyweight, dumbbell loaded, or band loaded to keep intensity lower. With these movements, I focus on improving movement proficiency in all three planes of motion, both unilaterally and bilaterally. Also, if I have access to sleds and the Prowler®, I utilize them as well because they cause minimum muscle damage as a concentric-based exercise and are effective at developing capacity. Another great option is including isometrics because of the minimal mechanical damage they cause since no movement takes place.

Here's why the GPP Giant Circuit is ideal:

- Works well in a large group setting because each exercise in the circuit can be used as a station

- Controlling volume is manageable by adjusting work to rest

- Develops basic movement patterns in multiple planes of motion

- Targets every muscle group (both locally and globally)

- Simple to progress by increasing load or volume of each exercise

- Improves coordination by performing movements that include upper and lower body actions

- Enhances work capacity (aerobic system), preparing individuals for future high-intensity training

- Can be performed individually as well with minimal equipment (a great at-home workout option)

I hope this article explained what GPP is and why it is important for long-term development! I hope you utilize the GPP Giant Circuit and find it as effective as I have.

GO TO THE LINK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE GIANT GPP CIRCUIT

h ttps://www.masqtraining.com/gpp-giant-circuit.html

Barbell Cycling Training

quaalr@mail.gvsu.edu (Regan Quaal) — Sun, 09 May 2021 20:37:08 GMT

BARBELL CYCLING TRAINING

Being able to cycle a barbell at a fast rate efficiently has become a very crucial part of the sport of CrossFit as the competitive field deepens every year. There are many factors that affect an athlete's ability to cycle a barbell, the two major ones being strength and fitness level. Outside of those are movement pattern, grip strength and endurance, and breathing. This program can be used to address any of those five factors. The factor you choose to address is dependent on how you approach each day of your training and what modifications you make to your strategy. Below I will touch on how each of these different factors can be the focal point of your session.

STRENGTH FOCUS: If your goal is to use this program to develop general strength pacing all the mono-structural work down to a conversational/comfortable pace (even if that means scaling down a few calories) is very important. Doing that will allow you to put all of your focus on performing the barbell reps at the highest level possible. Make it your goal to always be working at the upper end of the percentages provided and keep the barbell unbroken.

FITNESS FOCUS: If your goal is to use this program to develop general fitness the focus of each interval should be to complete it at a fast, but repeatable pace. This is done by pushing the tempo on the machine, then choosing a weight for the barbell that can be completed unbroken even under high amounts of fatigue. The goal is to finish each interval as fast as possible, with minimal difference from the first rep to the last rep of the day.

MOVEMENT PATTERN: The ideal movement pattern you use to perform a 1RM Clean & Jerk efficiently and effectively is very different from the on you would use to perform "Grace" (30 Clean & Jerks@135/95) as fast as possible. For a 1RM lift you are positioning yourself to have as good as leverage on the bar as possible to lift maximum load and for "Grace" you are positioning your body to move a light/medium load as fast as possible. As for the movement pattern itself everyones will look a little different. The point I am trying to make here though is how you move the barbell during these intervals will look different from your max attempts if your goal is to cycle at a fast rate.

GRIP STRENGTH/ENDURANCE: To maximize your grip training the first goal will always be completing each intervals with all reps unbroken on the barbell. As you are able to complete reps unbroken continue to increase the load of the bar to tax your grip strength to a higher degree. iIf you are still capable of completing all reps unbroken even at the highest intensities within the recommended percentages, then increase your speed on the mono-structural machines to put your body under more strain prior to starting the barbell reps.

BREATHING: I believe breathing is the most overlooked aspects of barbell cycling ability and also the lowest hanging fruits to increasing your barbell cycling performance the easiest. The biggest issue I see is athletes (including myself) holding their breath for the entire duration that they are cycling the barbell because they are so focused on being powerful and fast only, they forget to relax. This may work for the first round or two of a workout, but eventually it catches up to the individual and they can't continue to cycle the bar while holding their breath. To focus on this during training, I recommend slowing down your pace during the mono-structural portion of the interval, so when you get to the barbell you are under control. Then, when you pick up the barbell during each rep breathe out during the concentric portion of the movement and in during the eccentric portion of the movement. This will get you in the habit of breathing during every rep and be very helpful, especially in longer workouts.

FOR ACCESS TO DOWNLOADABLE BARBELL CYCLING PROGRAMMING GO TO THE LINK BELOW:

https://www.masqtraining.com/barbell-cycling-training.html

Lactate Retention Method: Train Smarter, Not Harder

quaalr@mail.gvsu.edu (Regan Quaal) — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 21:31:08 GMT

What Lactate Retention Method is & its Implementation

The Lactate Retention Method (LRM) is the utilization of lactate for cellular adaptive purposes. Lactate is utilized in this method by performing an isometric movement immediately following an exercise interval that produces lactate.

The isometric movement, when performed in a deep position (or at a long muscle length), limits blood flow to and from the muscle. Its purpose is to trap the metabolites that were produced during the interval in the muscle. Once the metabolites have been trapped it forces the muscle to utilize them as efficiently as possible. The adaptations the muscle will make from this method will significantly improve an athlete’s lactate clearance rates and tolerance when lactic demands are required in sport.

When implementing the Lactate Retention Method any mode of exercise can be used as long as the two different major components of the method are followed.

1. Lactate must be produced during the initial exercise interval (generally meaning exercise must occur for 20-30 seconds at a minimum and the exercise must be performed at a high intensity)

2. The isometric exercise performed immediately after the initial interval must utilize the same muscle groups and be held at a long muscle length for a duration of 20-40 seconds

As long as both of those components are followed you will be enjoying the following adaptations:

· Improved lactate utilization

· Improved lactate threshold/tolerance

· Increased ability to sustain high power outputs for longer durations

LRM & Conditioning

The reason why this method is so beneficial is because it focuses solely on developing the athlete’s capacity to tolerate extremely lactic states. This improved capacity will transfer to improved performance when lactate demands are required.

Utilizing LRM is more efficient than traditional lactic intervals for conditioning because it extends the period of time your muscles are in a lactate state without you having to perform additional work. Below is an example:

Traditional Lactic Intervals:

1:00 Bike@90% / 1:00 Rest x 8 = 8 min. work

LRM Lactic Intervals:

:40 sec Bike@90% + :20 sec squat isometric / 1:00 Rest x 8 = 5:20 min. work

LRM Benefits

· Same lactic state duration with less work (2:40 or 33% less work)

· Less mechanical damage from biking/interval action of choice

· Decreased amount of fatigue, more energy to put towards sport skillNew Paragraph

LRM & Resistance Training

The LRM can also be applied to resistance training. I regularly use it during phases that utilize higher volume too target increasing the athlete’s muscle cross sectional area. I personally do not find it ideal to prescribe higher rep ranges to the major multi-joint movements, like the squat, deadlift, bench press, and overhead press. I have found it often creates compensation patterns (over use of the low back/erectors) when the athlete becomes fatigued during the latter reps of the set and increases the risk of injury. To counter this negative I keep the volume on my main lifts lower and perform isometrics immediately following the completion of the main lift, to get the benefits of higher times under tension.

Another benefit I’ve discovered when implementing LRM is that utilizing an unloaded isometric after a heavy multi joint movement gives the athlete’s an improved sense of body awareness. It forces them to become more conscious of their body position and if the correct muscles are firing when performing, allowing them to make correction before completing their next heavy set. Below is an example of how I utilize LRM during hypertrophy training.

Traditional Hypertrophy Training

Squat 3x10@65% (2:0:1) = 30 sec. T.U.T. each set

LRM Hypertrophy Training

Squat: 3x5@75% (2:0:1) + 20 sec squat isometric = 35 sec. T.U.T each set

LRM Benefits

· Increased duration of time under tension with less reps being performed

· Heavier loads utilized

· Less mechanical damage from loaded squatting action

· Improved body awareness (body positioning/correct muscles firing)

· Decreased overall fatigue and sorenessNew Paragraph

JUNE 8 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 14:57:15 GMT

Every 1:30 x 8 - Snatch Complex

Snatch DL + Snatch Pull + Hang PS + Hang Sq Snatch + OHS

*Build in weight

-------------

10-8-6-4-2

Bar Facing Burpees

Snatches (135/95)

* Every 2:00 (Starting at 0:00) perform 5 OHS

JUNE 5 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 14:47:08 GMT

4 Rounds

10 Z Press

10/ea Single Arm High Pulls

-------------

3x 4:00 AMRAP (2:00 Rest between)

100 Du Buy in

12 Hang Cleans (RD 1) / 10 Hang C+J (RD 2) / 8 Hang Snatch (RD 3)

6 Bar Facing Burpees

JUNE 4 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 14:38:49 GMT

3 Rounds

5/ea Lateral Box Step Up

10 Goblet Cossak Squats

15 RDLs

---------------

For time:

50 DB Box Step Ups

40 Box Jumps (Step down)

30 Goblet Squats

40 Box Jumps (Step down)

50 DB Box Step Ups

JUNE 3 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 08 Jun 2020 14:30:03 GMT

800m Run

1:00 Rest

400m Run

:30 Rest

200m Run

2:00 Rest then Repeat

-----------------

Every 5:00 x 3

25/20 Cal Bike

20 Reverse Lunges

15 Hang Power Clean

JUNE 2 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 15:33:22 GMT

12 min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: Weighted Hip Thrust Iso (R)

Min 2: V-ups

Min 3: Weighted Hip Thrust Iso (L)

Min 4: Hollow Rocks

-----------------

40-30-20-10 Sit Ups

20-15-10-5 DB DL

*Every 2:00 (starting @ 0:00) perform :30 HS Walk or Hold

JUNE 1 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 15:21:44 GMT

12 min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: Close Grip Floor Press

Min 2: Bent Over Rows

Min 3: Db Pistol to Box

Min 4: Rest

---------------

8 Rounds

4 Devil Press

6 HSPU

8 Alt Pistols

MAY 28 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Thu, 28 May 2020 15:33:15 GMT

4x 800m Run

*Rest 1:00 btwn rounds

------------

8 min AMRAP

20 Alt DB Snatch (50/35)

20 Alt SL V-ups

MAY 27 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Wed, 27 May 2020 15:26:29 GMT

10 min EMOM (:20 On/:40 Off)

HSPU

*goal is to get same number of reps every round

---------------

12 min AMRAP

50 DU

30 Alt Hang Power Cleans

20 OH Rev Lunges (10/side)

MAY 26 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Tue, 26 May 2020 15:38:32 GMT

3 Sets

10 DB Bent over Rows

10 DB RDLs

10 DB Shrugs

*complete movements w/out dropping weight

-----------------

3 Rounds

500m Row/400m Run

30 KBS

10 Alt SA Devil Press

MAY 25 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 25 May 2020 04:45:11 GMT

"MURPH"

1 Mile Run

100 Pull Ups

200 Push Ups

300 Air Squats

1 Mile Run

*Use 20/14lb weight vest if available

MAY 22 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Fri, 22 May 2020 15:16:09 GMT

3 Sets

5/ea Shrimp Squats (3 sec down)

5/ea SL RDL (3 sec down)

*1-2 min rest btwn sets

--------------

For time:

10-1 DB Front Squats

1-10 DB Hang Power Clean

MAY 21 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Fri, 22 May 2020 15:06:24 GMT

9 min EMOM (:30 On/ :30 Off)

Min 1: Weighted Straight Arm OH Sit up

Min 2: SL Alt V ups

Min 3: Russian Twist

-----------------

Every 5:00 x 3

15 DB Burpee DL

21 DB Shoulder 2 OH

27/21 Cal Bike or 300m Run

MAY 20 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Wed, 20 May 2020 16:07:29 GMT

3 Sets

10 SA OH Press + 50ft OH Carry (R)

10 SA OH Press + 50ft OH Carry (L)

*1-2 min Rest

---------------

For time:

40 Alt DB Hang Snatch

30 Alt DB Box Step Up

50 HSPU

30 Alt DB Box Step Up

40 Alt DB Hang Snatch

MAY 19 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Tue, 19 May 2020 16:18:23 GMT

6 Rounds

400m Run

*45sec rest between rounds

--------------

3 Rounds

12 KBS

10 Burpees

12 Box Jumps

10 Burpees

12 KBS

*Rest 2:00 between rounds

MAY 18 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 18 May 2020 17:22:07 GMT

9 min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: HS/Plank Shoulder Taps

Min 2: Hollow Rocks

Min 3: Weighted Glute Bridges

-------------

12 min AMRAP

40 DU

20 DB DL

10 DB Thrusters

MAY 16 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 18 May 2020 17:03:31 GMT

Tabata 8x (:20 On/:10 Off)

Bottom of Push Up Iso

Goblet Wall Sit

------------

2 Rounds

800m Run

5 Rds of "Cindy"

*5 pull ups, 10 Push ups, 15 Air Squats

MAY 15 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Fri, 15 May 2020 18:58:54 GMT

12 min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: R Groin Plank Short Lever

Min 2: R Suitcase Carry

Min 3: L Groin Plank Short Lever

Min 4: L Suitcase Carry

---------------

27-21-15-9

DB Box Step Ups

DB DL

MAY 14 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Thu, 14 May 2020 15:05:31 GMT

4 Sets

5/ea DB Strict Press (3 sec pause at forehead up and down)

5/ea DB Push Press

5/ea DB High Pull (3 sec pause at top)

------------

For time

60 DB/KB Shoulder to OH (Alt every 5 reps)

50/40 Cal Row

40 SA OHS (Alt every 10 reps)

30 Box Jumps

20 SA Devil Press

MAY 13 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Wed, 13 May 2020 16:35:53 GMT

8 Rounds

200m Run/250m Row

*Rest :30 btwn rounds

-------------

For time

100 SA DB/KB Hang Squat Clean

*Every 3:00 (starting at the 0:00) perform 75 DU

MAY 12 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Wed, 13 May 2020 15:33:17 GMT

4 Sets

5/ea RFE Squat (3 sec hold at the bottom)

5 DB Jump Squats

5 RDLs (3 sec hold at bottom)

----------

4 Rounds

21 DB/KB Sumo DL

15 HSPU

9 DB/KB FR Squats

MAY 11 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Mon, 11 May 2020 19:01:59 GMT

10 min EMOM (:30 ON/:30 OFF)

Odd: V-ups

Even: HS Walk or Hold

-------------

For time

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 Hang Double DB Snatch (50/35)

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpee Box Jump

MAY 9 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Sun, 10 May 2020 18:07:55 GMT

10 min EMOM

Odd: 3-5 Push Ups w/ 5sec Eccentric

Even: 3-5 Pull Ups or Bent Over Rows w/ 5sec Eccentric

---------

10 min AMRAP

Air Squats

200m Run

* Air Squat reps increase by 10 every round

(5:00 Rest)

10 min AMRAP

Hand Release Push Ups

Pull ups or Bent Over Rows

*Reps for each increase by 5 every round

MAY 8 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Fri, 08 May 2020 23:40:56 GMT

12 min EMOM

Min 1: 20sec/ea leg RFE Squat Iso

Min 2: 30sec Right side Star Plank

Min 3: 20 sec/ea leg RFE Squat Iso

Min 4: 30sec Left side Star Plank

---------------

Every 4:00 x 5

20/15 Cal Row or 200m Run

15 SA Thrusters (50/35)

10 Alt DB Snatch

MAY 7 AT HOME WOD

jd@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Derek Martin) — Thu, 07 May 2020 01:27:01 GMT

4 Sets

5/ea Single Arm DB/KB OH Sit up

10/ea Single Arm High Pull

50ft/ea Suitcase Carry

---------------

12 min AMRAP

8 Alt SA DB/KB Hang Squat Clean

10 Cal Row/Bike or 100m Run

12 American KBS

MAY 6 AT HOME WOD

Wed, 06 May 2020 15:39:13 GMT

Every 5:00 x 3

800m Run

*Keep splits the same or better

--------------

15 min AMRAP

50 Double Unders

5 Devil Press (50/35)

10 FR Reverse Lunges

*1:00 Rest after each round

MAY 5 AT HOME WOD

Tue, 05 May 2020 15:59:03 GMT

3-4 Sets

5/ea Goblet Pistol Squats

5/ea Goblet Cossack Squats

10/ea Single Leg RDLs

-------------

15 min AMRAP

15 DB/KB DL

15 Box Jumps (Step Down)

15 Hang Power Clean

15 V ups

MAY 4 AT HOME WOD

Mon, 04 May 2020 15:18:38 GMT

4 Sets

5/ea Z Press

10 Bent Over Rows

50ft Single Arm OH Carry

-----------------

For time:

50 Alt SA Hang Clean and Jerks (50/53)

50 HSPU

50 Burpees

MAY 2 AT HOME WOD

Sun, 03 May 2020 14:56:32 GMT

10 Min EMOM

Odd: :30 HS Hold

Even: :30 Wall Sit

---------------

5 Rounds

400m Run

50 Double Unders

10 Devil Press

400m Run

25 Burpees

MAY 1 AT HOME WOD

Fri, 01 May 2020 16:42:07 GMT

3-4 Sets

10 Lateral Raises

10/ea Single Arm Bent Over Rows

10 Pullovers

----------------

Every 3:00 x 5

100m Run (10/7 Cal Bike)

10 Alt SA DB/KB Hang Squat Cleans

100m Run (10/7 Cal Bike)

10 Alt SA DB/KB Hang Squat Cleans

APRIL 30 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:37:35 GMT

3-4 Sets

5/ea Single Arm DB/KB OH Press

10/ea Single Arm Floor Press

15 Push Ups

-------------

For time:

30-20-10

Single Arm DB/KB Thrusters

Single Arm DB/KB Snatch

Burpees Over DB/KB

APRIL 29 AT HOME WOD

Wed, 29 Apr 2020 15:43:42 GMT

Every 3:00 x 5

400m Run (500m Row/.6 Assault Bike)

*Try to keep splits the same or better

-------------

8 min AMRAP

20 Russian KBS

15 Box Jumps (step down)

10 DB Box Step Ups

APRIL 28 AT HOME WOD

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 17:56:42 GMT

3-4 Sets

5/ea Single Leg Squat to Box

10/ea Bulgarian Split Squat

15 RDLs

-----------

2 Rds (6:00 On / 2:00 Off)

2 DL

2 Power Cleans

10 Front Rack Reverse Lunges

*DL and PC reps increase by 2 every round

*Amrap starts over at 2 on 2nd round

APRIL 27 AT HOME WOD

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:04:27 GMT

15 Min for Quality

2 Turkish Get Ups

20 Hollow Rocks

100ft SA OH Carry

20 V ups

------------------

12 min AMRAP

6 Strict HSPU

9 Goblet Squats

12 Single Arm Shoulder 2 OH

APRIL 25 AT HOME WOD

Sat, 25 Apr 2020 04:31:50 GMT

5 Sets

5/ea Z Press (3 sec hold at top)

5/ea Single Arm HIgh Pull (3 sec pause at top)

5 Strict HSPU (3 sec pause at top)

------------------

For time:

100 Hang Squat Clean Thrusters

*Every 1:00 perform 3 Burpees (starting at 0:00)

*Rx+: 5 Burpees

APRIL 24 AT HOME WOD

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 15:55:41 GMT

10 min EMOM

Odd: 3-5/ea Pistols

Even: 20-30sec Handstand Hold

-------------

5 Rounds (1:00 rest btwn rounds)

200m Run or 21Cal Bike/Row

18 Pistols

15 HSPU

APRIL 23 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 15:40:29 GMT

9 min EMOM

Min 1: 30sec Plank Shoulder Taps

Min 2: 30sec Hollow Rocks

Min 3: 30sec Object OH Straight Leg Sit up

----------------

15 min AMRAP

20 DB/KB/Object Sumo DL

15 Hang Clean and Jerks

10 OH Reverse Lunges

*Every 3:00 complete a :45 Wall Sit (Starting at the 0:00)

APRIL 22 AT HOME WOD

Wed, 22 Apr 2020 15:38:10 GMT

Every 2:00 x 6

200m Run

*Keep splits consistent

-------------

12 min AMRAP

Ascending reps by 3

KB swings

Hand Release Push Ups

Box Jumps (w/ step down)

APRIL 21 AT HOME

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 16:28:39 GMT

4 Sets

15 Bicep Curls

15 Front Raises

15 Bent Over Rows

-------------

4x 3min AMRAP / 1:00 Rest in between

5 Single Arm Devil Press

10 Jumping Lunges

15 Alternating Single Leg V Ups

APRIL 20 AT HOME WOD

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 03:50:43 GMT

12min EMOM

Min 1: 30-60sec Bottom Push Up Iso

Min 2: 30-60sec Split Squat Iso (R)

Min 3: 30-60sec Split Squat Iso (L)

Min 4: Rest

-----------------

10 min AMRAP

30 DB/Kb OH Squats

100 Double Unders

20 Object Thrusters

50 Lateral Jumps over Object

APRIL 18 AT HOME WOD

Sat, 18 Apr 2020 16:13:01 GMT

3 Sets

5/ea Shrimp Squats

5/ea Cossack Squats (3 sec down)

-------------

30 Rds

5 Goblet Squats

3 Hand Stand Push Ups

1 Devil Press

APRIL 17 AT HOME WOD

Fri, 17 Apr 2020 19:20:05 GMT

12 Min EMOM (:45sec On/ :15sec Off)

Min 1: Single Arm OH Sit Up (R)

Min 2: Single Arm OH Sit Up (L)

Min 3: Hollow Rocks

Min 4: Russian Twists

--------------

For time:

100 Single Arm DB/KB Hang Snatches (Alternate every 5 reps)

*Every 3:00 run/row/bike 200m

APRIL 16 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 16 Apr 2020 15:54:17 GMT

9 min EMOM

Min 1: 20sec Glute Bridge Short Lever (R and L)

Min 2: 40sec Single Arm OH Carry (R)

Min 3: 40sec Single Arm OH Carry (L)

-------------

6x 3min AMRAP (1:00 rest between)

14 DB/KB DL

12 Single Arm Hang Cleans

10 Single Arm Shoulder to OH

14 Object DL

12 Object Hip to Shoulder

10 Object Shoulder to OH

APRIL 15 AT HOME WOD

Wed, 15 Apr 2020 01:24:23 GMT

3 sets

10/ea Single Arm Bent Over Rows

10/ea Single Arm Floor Press

10 Pull Overs

--------------

"Running Annie"

50-40-30-20-10

Sit ups

*400m Run between sets

APRIL 14 AT HOME WOD

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 03:54:45 GMT

3 Sets

10/ea Single Leg RDL

10/ea Split Squat

20 Weighted Glute Bridges

---------------

12min AMRAP

21 Kettlebell Swings

15 Reverse Lunges

9 Shoulder to OH

21 Object Ground to OH

15 Reverse Lunges

9 Hand Release Push ups

APRIL 13 AT HOME WOD

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 02:27:11 GMT

8x (:20sec On / :10sec Off)

Max Push Ups

Max V-ups

*alternate movements

-----------

15min AMRAP

20 Alternating DB/KB/Object Power Cleans

10 Lateral Burpees Over DB/KB/Object

200m Run

APRIL 11 AT HOME WOD

Sat, 11 Apr 2020 16:13:57 GMT

3 Sets:

5/ea Split Stance RDLs (3 sec hold @ bottom)

5 Narrow Grip Push Up (3 sec hold @ bottom)

-----------

For time

21 Kettle bell swings (Bodyweight = 42 Jump Squats)

21 Burpees over KB (BW= 21 Reverse Burpees)

800m Run

15 KBS (BW= 30 Jump Squats)

15 Burpees over KB (BW= 15 Rev Burpees)

600m Run

9 KBS (BW = 18 Jump Squats)

9 Burpees over KB (BW= 9 Rev Burpees)

400m Run

APRIL 10 AT HOME WOD

Fri, 10 Apr 2020 14:55:45 GMT

12min EMOM (:30 On/:30 Off)

Min 1: L side Pistol

Min 2: L arm Row

Min 3: R side Pistol

Min 4: R arm Row

-----------

For time:

50 Double Unders

50 DB/KB DL (Body weight= Object DL)

50 Du

40 DB/KB Front Squats (BW= object squat)

50 Du

30 DB/KB Hang Power Cleans (BW= object hip to shoulder)

50 Du

20 DB/KB Front Squats (BW= object squat)

50 Du

10 DB/KB Hang Power Snatches (BW= object hip to OH)

50 Du

*100 single unders if modifying

APRIL 9 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 01:19:37 GMT

4 Sets

10-15 Front Raises

10-15 Bicep Curls

10-15 Skull Crushers

---------

6 min AMRAP

Ascending reps by 2 (2,4,6,8,etc.)

DB/KB Goblet Reverse Lunge

Sit ups

(2:00 Rest)

6 min AMRAP

Ascending by 2's

DB/KB Box Step Up

Sit ups

APRIL 8 AT HOME WOD

Wed, 08 Apr 2020 03:10:34 GMT

10 Min EMOM

1-2 Turkish Get ups

---------

18 Min AMRAP

20 Alt DB Snatches

10 HSPU (strict if possible)

20 KBS

10 Ground to OH w/ Object

APRIL 7 AT HOME WOD

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 01:44:07 GMT

9 min EMOM

MIn 1: :20sec/ea side Groin Plank Short Lever

Min 2: :40sec Suitcase Carry(R)

MIn 3: :40sec Suitcase Carry (L)

----------

5 RDS (3:00 ON/1:00 OFF)

6 Hand Release Push ups

8 Alt Single Arm Hang Squat Clean (DB/KB)

10 Alt Single Leg V Ups

6 Hand Release Push Ups

8 Object Goblet Squats

10 Alt Single Leg V ups

APRIL 6 AT HOME WOD

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 01:12:48 GMT

3 Sets

10/ea Single Arm High Pulls (3 sec down)

10/ea Single Arm Floor Press (3sec down)

-----

12 min AMRAP

200m Run/Row/Bike

6 Single Arm Devil Press (DB or KB)

10 Alternating Single Arm Hang Clean and Jerk

200m Run/Row/Bike

6 Burpees

10 Ground to Overheads (weighted object of your choosing)

APRIL 4 AT HOME WOD

Sat, 04 Apr 2020 03:04:10 GMT

5 Sets

5-10 Push ups (3 sec down and up)

-----

For time:

20-18-16-14-12-10-8-4-2 Burpees

*400m run after each set

APRIL 3 AT HOME WOD

Fri, 03 Apr 2020 03:01:46 GMT

3 Rounds

5/ea Shrimp Squats

5 Pull ups (3 sec ecc) OR 5 Bent Over Rows (3 sec ecc)

----

12min AMRAP

15 Plate Ground 2 OH

20 Plate Thrusters

*Perform :30 Wall Sit every 3 minutes starting on the 0:00

10 Plank Shoulder Taps

15/ea Forward Lunges

20 Leg Lifts

*Perform :30 Wall Sit every 3 minutes starting on the 0:00

APRIL 2 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 02 Apr 2020 21:09:42 GMT

5 Sets

5/ea Single Leg RDL (3 sec ecc)

:30 Glute Bridge ISO (add weight if possible)

------

15 Min AMRAP

Ascending by 3's

SDLHP

Hand-Release Push ups

Weighted OH Box Step ups

APRIL 1 AT HOME WOD

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 17:00:08 GMT

- - -

5 rounds

5 SA OHS (each)

:30sec weighted iso squat hold

:30sec max squats

:30sec iso squat hold

- -

Wod

3 rounds

30 DB/KB snatch

25 Goblet squats

20 Burpee box/object jump over

*bodyweight mod*

40-30-20-10

Jumping squats

No jump burpee

MARCH 31 AT HOME WOD

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 16:57:47 GMT

- - -

12min EMOM

1: plank Walk out

2: SA OH Carry

3: reverse Plank

4: SA OH carry (other arm)

- - -

Workout:

16min AMRAP

5 SA thrusters (each side)

7 HSPU or HRPU

9 weighted straight Leg Sit ups

16 min AMRAP

10 jumping lunge

10 HSPU or HRPU

20 sit-ups

- -

For each run 400m or (1:30 knee touches in place) at 0:00/4:00/8:00/12:00 min marks

MARCH 30 AT HOME WOD

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 16:53:11 GMT

Strength: 5 Sets

5 Z-Press (single arm)

10-12 Single arm row (3sec eccentric)

- -

Wod

6 rounds

5 KB DL

5 KB Hang Cleans

5 KB FS

5KB Push press

*Right

Then

25 double unders

Then

Left side

25 double unders

*Body Weight edition*

15min Amrap

10 Object DL

10 object hip to shoulder

10 object S2OH

50 lateral hops

MARCH 28 AT HOME WOD

Sat, 28 Mar 2020 16:36:27 GMT

Saturday: March 28

Strength: 5x5-10 Pull-ups or bent rows

Wod: “Chelsea”

30min EMOM

5 pull-ups or 5 bent rows

10 pushups

15 airsquats

*if you fail a round, rest a full minute and pick up again. Score is total rounds completed*

MARCH 27 AT HOME WOD

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 04:03:19 GMT

Strength: 4 rounds

10 single arm DL or RDL

10 Goblet Bulgarian Split squat

Wod

16min EMOM (:45on/:15 off)

1. DB/KB DL or medball slam

2. DB/KB /medball S2OH

3. Hang power clean or KBS

4. Goblet lunge

*Body weight*

16min EMOM: (:45on/:15off)

1. No jump burpee

2. Jumping squats

3. Reverse burpee

4. Jumping lunges

MARCH 26 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 04:06:31 GMT

Core circuit: 12 min EMOM (30:30sec)

1. V-ups

2. Leg lift

3. Straight leg sit-ups w/ weight

4. Russian Twist

- -

Workout

15min AMRAP

Ascending ladder by 3

3-6-9-12-15-18-21-24-27......

Ground to Overhead

V-up

Box jump or lateral jump or obstacle jump

MARCH 25 AT HOME WOD

Thu, 26 Mar 2020 00:21:29 GMT

400m rum

30 hang single arm squat cleans

400m run

20 hang single arm squat cleans

400m fun

10 hang single arm squat cleans

400m run

*body weight Modification*

4 rounds

400m fun

50 air squats

MARCH 24 AT HOME WOD

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 04:08:40 GMT

3x5min amrap (3min rest btwn)

AMRAP 1

15 KBS

15 T2B or V-ups

AMRAP 2

5 Burpee over DB/KB

10 Alternating DB/KB Snatch

AMRAP 3

50 Double unders (100singles)

16 OH Reverse lunges

- - -

*Body weight versions*

15 min AMRAP

10 Inch Worms

20 V-Up

30 OH Lunges (total)

50 lateral line hops

OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS: MYELINATION TO REACH MAXIMUM POTENTIAL

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 01:12:24 GMT

Coaching athletes to be stronger and more powerful can be a very simple, but demanding process. There are many routes a strength and conditioning coach can take when programming for athletes, and most of them will work pretty well as long as the athlete works hard and consistently. However, there are many factors that affect the rate at which improvements are seen in the weight room and on the field. This can be the difference between a good strength and conditioning program and a great one.

A coach may work with an athlete for 4-5 years, assuming he or she is at the same school for that amount of time. During that time, the athlete may have 5-10 off-seasons, depending on the sport, where real & deep adaptations can be made to his or her musculature, biomechanics, and central nervous system. This is not to say that pre-season and in-season training sessions are useless, but because they must be tailored more specifically to sport performance and readiness, fewer deep habits and adaptations can be engrained or changed.

Assuming the athlete doesn’t get injured and is able to train during this whole off-season, it is commonplace for the athlete to spend 3-5 days per week with the strength coach, depending on the sport and the athlete’s needs/goals, with each session ranging from 30-75min. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a lot of time, even in an optimal scenario, so the strength coach must be efficient in his programming. Unfortunately, the time spent outside the weight room can be filled with bad sleeping/eating habits, poor time and stress management, and a host of other variables that can prove difficult to control and can negatively affect training and adaptation, and the coach must do his or her best to educate and encourage the athlete to make the right choices in these situations. However, the coach has total control of what happens in his or her training sessions, so using that time efficiently and effectively is of the upmost importance, as it plays a major role in providing an optimal base for the athlete to train off of, as well as setting the athlete up to peak for their competitive season.

After working at the University of Minnesota this summer under Cal Dietz, I realized many coaches overlook General Physical Preparedness (GPP) and the many benefits it can provide for future development in strength and power. When GPP comes to mind for most, high volume “bodybuilding-esque” programming is the prescription. This does, for the most part, fit the mold for the time of year, because the objective is to improve local muscle endurance properties, increase muscle cross sectional area, and build connective tissue. However, there are several steps a coach needs to take before this phase that will make the subsequent cycles more effecting.

First, the coach needs to program a brief cycle that focuses on building an aerobic base for his or her athletes, and it can be accomplished using many different protocols that I will expand upon in the future. Once this has been accomplished, with whatever approach you think best suites your athletes, a brief 2 week phase dedicated to the myelination of the axon is essential for maximizing nervous system development and priming the body for future strength and power gains.

Regarding the myelination process: in our bodies electrical signals travel from one nerve cell in the body to another (for example from one nerve cell body to a muscle) on axons. The rate at which these electrical signals travel is dependent upon the level at which the axon is coated with myelin. Myelin speeds up the transmission of these electrical signals to the muscles by insulating the axon and reducing loss in electrical charge (higher the charge the larger the potential for the action). The objective of myelination is to increase the nervous systems efficiency by improving the speed at which signals are sent and limiting energy loss.

The purpose of implementing a phase dedicated strictly to myelination is to improve motor unit recruitment, which will improve activation of the muscle needed to perform the desired movement while, at the same time, deactivating the fibers that work against the desired outcome of the exercise. It is simply teaching the brain which motor units to fire to produce the desired movement. In the weight room, it will help develop gross motor skills which recruit large muscle groups for multi-joint movements. Developing these multi-joint movements or “big lifts” (squat, deadlift, bench press, etc.) in the offseason will transfer to stronger, faster, more powerful athletes on the field during competition.

OVERCOMING ISOMETRICS

One of the more effective ways to program a myelination phase is through using Overcoming Isometrics (OI) variations of the big lifts. An OI is different from your typical isometric, also known as yielding isometric, when the athlete performs a pause at some point during a movement (like performing a brief pause at the bottom of a squat). OI exercises involve pushing or pulling against an immoveable resistance or object. During the exercise there will be no external movement, however the intent will be to move the resistance. An example would be pressing or pulling a bar against pins on a rack. There are many reasons why OIs are preferred to yielding isometrics during a myelination phase.

During a study it was found that during maximal OI muscle actions there are higher levels of muscle activation (95.2%) than during maximal eccentric (88.3%) and maximal concentric (89.7%) muscle actions. These findings state that an individual can recruit nearly all motor units during a maximal isometric contraction only, which improves neural drive and greatly increases their peak potential for strength and power (1).

Another study found that after a phase of training using only OIs that when performing maximal knee extensions, the co-activation of the hamstring decreased by 20%. This reduction in hamstring coactivity is very important because it will provide less opposing force to the contracting quadriceps. Meaning the implementation of OIs will limit the opposing force of the antagonist muscle resulting in a more powerful contraction of the agonist muscle (2).

Lastly, a third study found that the average muscle cross-sectional increase was much greater for those performing OIs (12.4%) versus those performing yielding isometrics at 60% (5.3%). The author of the study attributed the gains in muscle size to the higher levels of metabolic demand (3).

EXERCISE PROTOCOL

Length of Phase:

· A two-week phase is optimal because it allows for the athlete to be shocked by the stress of the new stimuli during the first week and then during week two gives that athlete an opportunity to adapt to the stressful stimuli it was presented with the week prior.

· Due to the high level of stress of overcoming isometrics there isn’t any reason to run a three week cycle because, after all, the objective of it is to potentiate future strength and power gains not cause them necessarily.

· If competition season is near, a 1-week phase will be adequate for improving neural drive since time is an issue, but not to the same degree as a 2 week phase will.

Training Frequency:

· 2-3 days per week due to high level of neural demand and the stress placed on the body. It is smarter to start athletes with a lower training age at 2 days per week, since the intensity of the session is so high.

Exercise Selection:

· Choose one exercise for each major muscle group you are trying to potentiate for future strength and power gains, ideally choose exercises you plan on focusing on in future phases. Typically this will equate to a total of 6-9 exercises.

· Typically, the exercises done during this phase each week are very similar due to the minimal options OI’s offer and the benefits of performing major multi-joint exercises.

· The larger the variety of exercise chosen the higher the level of general physical preparedness the athlete will have.

Intensity

· All overcoming isometrics performed in a Myelination Phase will be performed with maximum intent, so intensity is 100%. The athlete should perform each exercise as if they are trying to “lift the rack”.

Volume

· Athletes will perform 3 sets of each exercise for a time of 10 seconds.

· This time domain was chosen because we want to focus solely on training within the alactic energy system (0-10 sec). When the athlete trains beyond 10 sec in a set they move into the lactic energy system, which causes more fatigue buildup, and drastically limits the amount of force the athlete can produce.

Rest

· Athletes will rest 30-50 seconds between different exercises during a tri-set, which will equate to roughly 2 minutes between doing the same exercise in the tri-set a second time.

· Rest intervals are based off Ultimate MMA Conditioning by: Joel Jameson, Prescription for Alactic Power and Capacity training. The minimal rest between the different exercises develops total body alactic capacity, while at the same time alactic power is being developed because a 2 minutes rest will take place before performing an exercise twice due to the tri-set method.

EXAMPLE TRAINING DAY

1a. BB Single Leg Deadlift Pin Pull: 3x10 sec each leg

1b. BB Shoulder Pin Press: 3x10 sec

1c. BB Calf Raise Pin Press: 3x10 sec

2a. BB Bench Pin Press: 3x10 sec

2b. BB RDL: 3x10 sec

2c. OH grip BB Bench Row: 3x10 sec

3a. BB Pin Hip Thrust: 3x10 sec

3b. Overloaded Band Dip: 3x10 sec

3c. Overloaded Band Neutral Grip Pullup: 3x10 sec

SOURCES

1. Activation Of Human Quadricep Femoris During Isometric, Concentric, and Eccentric Contractions

Nicolas Babault-Michel Pousson-Yves Ballay-Jacques Hoecke – Journal Of Applied Physiology – 2001

2. Adaptations in Coactivation After Isometric Resistance Training

B. Carolan-E. Cafarelli – Journal Of Applied Physiology – 1992

3. Effects Of Resistance and Stretching Training Programmes on the Viscoelastic Properties Of

Human Tendon Structures in Vivo

Keitaro Kubo-Hiroaki Kanehisa Fukunga – The Journal Of Physiology - 2002

Belt Squat Overcoming Isometric

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 00:14:18 GMT

As strength and conditioning coaches , our primary objective is twofold: to promote and program for injury prevention and sports performance readiness; and to develop strength, power, and speed qualities specific to the athletes’ sport. The problem we all face, however, is the fact that these two jobs can oftentimes interfere with one another.

It is common knowledge that when limits are pushed in the weight room, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness and fatigue are likely to appear, which may acutely affect performance in an athlete’s sports practice or competition. Furthermore, the best exercises for sports form development, generally speaking, can carry the greatest risk of soreness, long-term fatigue, and injury (bench, squat, and deadlift).

Therefore, in an effort to accomplish the goals of both athlete preparedness and strength/power/speed development, the Belt Squat Overcoming Isometric can be utilized effectively.

Belt Squat Overcoming Isometric

Below are the reasons why I have found this to be a very effective exercise in any training program:

Higher Motor Unit Recruitment/Peak Neural Drive : In a study, it was found that during maximal overcoming isometric muscle action, there are higher levels of muscle activation (95.2 percent) than during maximal eccentric (88.3 percent) and maximal concentric (89.7 percent) muscle actions.1
No Load On Back: Puts athletes in a safe position to produce maximal force without involving the spine.
Adjustable Range of Motion: Depth of squat can be adjusted based on time of year and goal of training cycle (I have my athletes perform a full depth squat in the offseason, then adjust the depth to a quarter squat during pre-season and competition seasons because it is more sport-specific).
Cueing Proper Hip Extension Patterns: Simplifies teaching athletes to drive through the glutes since there is no movement during the exercise.
Creates a Competitive Environment: Athletes are producing maximum force to lift the rack.
Decreased Co-Activation: In a study, it was found that an eight-week training program consisting of overcoming isometrics decreased co-activation of the antagonist muscles by 20 percent.2 Decreased antagonist co-activation provides less opposing force to the contracting agonist muscles.
Minimal Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness: Due to the absence of movement/eccentric muscle action in the exercise minimal soreness is experienced.
Zero Chance Of Failure: Quite often in the weight room injury is at the highest risk when failed lifts take place. In addition, when training to failure takes place cortisol levels elevates, which is not ideal for athletic performance.3
Fatigue Management: Managing fatigue is much easier with overcoming isometrics because they are performed for time, so you can set specific time limitations (seconds) per set limiting deviation amongst your athletes.
Excellent Option for Athletes with Back Issues: Allows athletes with injured backs to perform exercises maximally while the rest of the team is performing deadlifts or back squats.

Implementing the Belt Squat Overcoming Isometric

I implemented variations of the Belt Squat Overcoming Isometric multiple times throughout a typical training year for two to three weeks at a time:

Myelination Phase: The objective of this phase is to improve motor unit recruitment of the muscle by increasing the rate at which electrical signals (neurons) travel to the muscle via the nervous system. Overcoming Isometrics fit perfectly in this phase because they produce the highest level of motor unit recruitment.
Isometric (Triphasic) Phase: During an isometric phase, this can be implemented instead of the typical yielding isometric back/front squat for any of the reasons listed above.
Power Phase: Allows for maximum force production and increased rate of force development, which will translate to a more dominant athlete in his/her sport.
Any Phase (Post-Activation Potentiation): Increases neural drive and wakes up the nervous system when used at the beginning of any lift, resulting in increased explosiveness and dynamic strength following its use for the remainder of the lift.

When to Not Program the Belt Squat Overcoming Isometric

Although this exercise has many benefits to an athlete during a training year at many different points, there are times when its implementation is not ideal if the goals of a phase/session are:

Aerobic Phase: Due to overcoming isometric work to rest ratios, there will be little adaptation in regards to the oxidative system (mitochondria and capillary density).
Hypertrophy/Connective Tissue Adaptation Phase: Due to the short time spent under tension when performing overcoming isometric, minimal improvements in muscle cross-sectional area will be seen. Also since there is no eccentric phase in the exercise, there will be minimal adaptation in connective tissue strength (tendons and ligaments) taking place.
Athletes Under Extreme Fatigue: If athletes are under high levels of fatigue, overcoming isometrics is not a smart decision due to how neurologically taxing they are because they demand maximum levels of force production every set.
Athletes With Low Training Age: It serves very little purpose to have athletes with low training age to perform overcoming isometrics because most gains they have seen early on are neurological already. Also, they must build a foundation of proper movement patterns, increase muscle cross-sectional area, and improve connective tissue strength first to reap the benefits of overcoming isometrics.

References

Activation Of Human Quadriceps Femoris During Isometric, Concentric, and Eccentric Contractions. Nicolas Babault-Michel Pousson-Yves Ballay-Jacques Hoecke – Journal of Applied Physiology - 2001.
Adaptations in Coactivation After Isometric Resistance Training. B. Carolan-E. Cafarelli - Journal Of Applied Physiology – 1992.
Differential Effects Of Strength Training Leading To Failure Versus Not To Failure on Hormonal Responses, Strength, and Muscle Power Gains. I. Shrier – Yearbook Of Sports Medicine - 2007.

CONCENTRIC TRAINING

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 01:02:27 GMT

STRETCH SHORTENING CYCLE Pt. 3

CONCENTRIC MOVEMENT

The concentric phase is the final portion of the stretch shortening cycle, this is when the muscle length shortens. It is during this portion of dynamic movement that the muscle is producing enough force to overcome the load imposed upon it and contract. The concentric phase takes place immediately after the isometric phase, which is the brief transition after the eccentric phase.

IMPORTANCE OF THE CONCENTRIC PHASE

From an athletic performance standpoint, the concentric phase is by far the most important. It is how all performance is evaluated, for example: the weight snatched, the 40 yard sprint time, and the vertical jump height. It is the portion of dynamic movement we spectate in sport.

A term often used in to explain an athlete’s concentric ability is Rate of Force Development (RFD) or explosive strength. Rate of force development is how rapidly an athlete can generate force to overcome an imposed load. In order for RFD to be maximized the neuromuscular system should be looked at as a whole. All muscles working to produce one single dynamic movement need to be synchronized and coordinated.

RATE OF FORCE DEVELOPMENT ESSENTIALS

Coordination both within the fibers of the same muscle group and between different muscle group are essential for efficient dynamic movement.

Intramuscular coordination is the firing pattern of fibers within an individual muscle. The three factors that determine this are motor unit recruitment, rate coding, and rate coupling. Motor unit recruitment is the maximum number of motor units that can be recruited. The best form of exercise for improving this is overcoming isometrics. Rate coding is the frequency at which motor neurons are sent to the brain, which tell the muscle to fire. Lastly rate coupling is the number of cross bridges formed within the muscle, a higher number of cross bridges equals a higher amount of force produced.

Intermuscular Coordination is the coordination between different muscle groups in your body to produce one dynamic movement. The two factor that determine this are inhibition/disinhibition and synchronization.

In every dynamic action there is antagonist muscle and agonist muscle. The antagonist is the muscle that is eccentrically contracting to absorb force and the agonist is the muscle that is concentrically contracting to produce force. An example of this is when performing the concentric portion of a bicep curl, the bicep is the agonist muscle producing the force and the triceps is the antagonist muscle that is absorbing force. In order for RFD to be maximized the force exerted by the antagonist muscle must be inhibited, so more force can be produced by the agonist muscle. The human body only has so much energy it can provide to the muscles to produce force, make sure your supplying it to the right ones! This is where synchronization ties in, to be the most explosive athlete in competition you must have the ability to turn the correct muscles on and off at the right times. This gives you the edge in creating force faster than your opponents.

STRETCH SHORTENING CYCLE OVERVIEW

· Eccentric: the amount of force you can produce is only as much as you can store

· Isometric: must take place rapidly and be efficient, so no energy is lost during transition

· Concentric: neuromuscular system must be coordinated for RFD to be maximized

I hope the articles the past few weeks have been helpful in understanding why movements are programmed to emphasize particular portions of the stretch shortening cycle. They all tie in together and are very important for progress in force production. If one portion of the stretch shortening cycle is left untrained, it will be the weak link and what impedes progress, so make sure you train to ABSROB and PRODUCE force efficiently!

Source

- Triphasic Training

- By: Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson

ECCENTRIC TRAINING

Mon, 09 Sep 2019 01:29:52 GMT

STRETCH SHORTENING CYCLE Pt. 2

ECCENTRICS

The eccentric phase is the lengthening/yielding portion of the stretch shortening cycle. It is the first phase of all dynamic movement and is when the muscle is stretched due to the force of an imposed load that is placed upon it. The isometric phase takes place immediately after the eccentric phase, then the concentric phase takes place last.

IMPORTANCE OF ECCENTRICS

It is during the eccentric phase of all movement that energy is stored to later be produced. An athlete’s force production capabilities are directly dependent upon their ability to absorb force. This is known as an athlete’s stretch reflex ability. Performing eccentric based movement will improve an athlete’s ability to absorb higher levels of force, which in turn will increase the amount of force they are able to produce.

If the athlete is unable to absorb high levels of force then there are two possible outcomes that can take place, both having negative affects on performance. First, there will be an energy “leak” during the eccentric phase of movement causing less energy to be produced during the concentric phase. Secondly, if an athlete puts themselves in a position where they will be experiencing high levels of force and they have not trained thoroughly, it is likely injury will occur overtime due to the lack of preparedness.

HOW TO IMPROVE THE STRETCH-REFLEX

An athlete’s ability to utilize their stretch-reflex is based on two different sensory receptors in the body, the muscle spindles and the golgi tendon organ (GTO).

The muscle spindles are responsible for sensing a change in the length of the muscle. As the muscle experiences a stretch, the muscle spindles activate the appropriate number of muscle fibers to create the required amount of force for the situation. The GTO senses the change in muscle tension. If the tension experienced by the muscle is determined to be too high by the GTO it will downregulate the muscle tension forcing it to relax. The GTO does this to prevent injury from occurring. Overall, the muscle spindles activate the necessary muscle fibers for the force experienced and the GTO deactivates muscle fibers if it senses to much force is being produced.

The GTO is known as being overprotective and for not letting the muscle spindles produce the forces they are is truly capable of. The implementation of eccentric training inhibits the effects of the GTO by downregulating its ability to decrease muscle tension. It also increases the muscle spindle response allowing more muscles to be activated. Both of these aspect lead to improved neuromuscular synchronization of the stretch-reflex and CNS, allowing for more force to be produced.

ECCENTRIC TRAINING BENEFITS

· Recruits more Type 2 (Fast Twitch) muscle fibers

· Eccentrically can handle up to 50% heavier loads than concentrically

· Improves force absorption capabilities

· Improves force production capabilities

· Downregulates GTO

· Upregulates muscle spindles

· Allows for increased time under tension

· Decreased risk of injury

Source

- Triphasic Lacrosse

By: Cal Dietz & Matt Van Dyke

ISOMETRIC TRAINING

Mon, 02 Sep 2019 15:55:05 GMT

STRETCH SHORTENING CYCLE Pt. 1

Over the next few weeks I am going to go over the stretch shortening cycle, which is what takes place when every dynamic movement occurs. There are three phases to this that I will review that all play their own important role in our muscles ability to produce force. The first portion I am going to go over is the isometric phase, which is also known as the amortization phase. This phase takes place after an eccentric muscle action takes place and before a concentric muscle action occurs.

ISOMETRICS

The isometric phase is the portion of dynamic movement where no change in muscle length takes place. This means an isometric muscle contraction is when the tension developed within the muscle is equal to external load imposed on the muscle.

UTILIZING ISOMETRICS

Isometric contractions can be utilized in two different ways. The first and most common type takes place regularly by providing stability to all dynamic movement. An example of this is your erectors contracting as you walk to keep your torso upright.

Isometric muscle actions are also used during the stretch shortening cycle for the purpose of rapidly transferring energy from an eccentric to concentric muscular action. This portion of a dynamic movement is short, so it is very important that it is in sync and as efficient as possible. If this process is not efficient, energy will be lost and less power will be produced. Also, for any concentric movement to take place a ramp-up of isometric force must take place to overcome the external load prior to dynamic movement happening.

TYPES OF ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS

There are two different types of isometrics, they are yielding isometrics and overcoming isometrics.

A yielding isometric contraction occurs in an attempt to hold a position against an external load. These contractions are typically sub-maximal and take place when an athlete is fighting against an eccentric contraction for a period of time. An example of this would be performing a back squat with a pause at the bottom. The major goal of a yielding isometric is to maintain posture and resist external forces.

An overcoming isometric contraction occurs when force is developed by an individual to overcome an external force. These contractions take place at near maximal magnitude, much higher intensities than yielding isometrics. They result in no motion because the individual is pushing or pulling against an immoveable object, but the exercise must be completed with the intent of movement taking place. An example of this would be performing a bench press with an empty bar into power rack J-Cups. The major goal of overcoming isometrics is to rapidly build tension and to produce maximal levels of force.

ISOMETRICS PERFORMED AT DIFFERENT MUSCLE LENGTHS

A factor you can manipulate when utilizing isometric training is varying the point in the movement that you perform the isometric. There are two different ways you can approach this.

When performing isometrics, if your goal is to increase overall strength of the particular movement, it is best to perform the pause when the muscle is in a lengthened position. An example of this would be performing a pause at the bottom position of a squat or bench press (while still keeping tension on the muscle). This will transfer to strength at all other angles of the particular joints range of motion.

The other option is to perform the isometric at the weak/sticking point in the particular movement to strengthen that portion of the lift. An example of this would be performing a pause in the upper portion of the bench press if you struggle to lock the bar out, but have no trouble driving it off your chest. Another would be performing an isometric during the squat when you are at parallel if you struggle with finishing hip extension. This type of isometrics will only transfer to strength in the particular range of motion trained, so choose wisely.

SOURCE:

Isometrics for Performance

Matt VanDyke & Max Schmarzo

A NEW LOOK AT “CORE STRENGTH” & HOW TO EFFECTIVELEY TRAIN IT, PART 2

Sun, 25 Aug 2019 22:05:26 GMT

PART 1 SUMMARY

As I stated in the previous part of the article when training the core, it is important to look at the body globally, versus only focusing on specific muscles. Having a six pack doesn’t necessarily mean you have a strong, functional core that will carry over to performing the major power lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and Olympic Lifts (snatch and clean). Every action we perform starts at the hips and travels out through a kinetic chain. If there is a weak link/deficiency somewhere along the chain energy will be lost and maximum power will not be achieved.

FEET ELEVATED PLANK VARIATIONS/PROGRESSIONS

Not only do these variations develop “core strength” globally, but it also isolates specific muscle groups that are often overlooked in typical Strength and Conditioning programs. The key to avoiding injury in team sport is removing weak links in the body, and as the saying goes - the body is only as strong as its weakest link. These exercises will remove those weak links from your athletes.

I have had great success implementing these exercises and progressions with my athletes for both injury prevention and increased athletic performance. This article gives you the tools to keep your “core strength” training both challenging and exciting for your athletes. Enjoy

1. Glute Plank:

- Function: Hip Abduction/ Anti-Lateral Flexion

- Local: Gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae

- Global: Lateral Sling

a. Short Lever

b. Long Lever

c. Partner Push Advantageous ISO

d. Partner Push Eccentric

e. Partner Push Disadvantageous ISO

(video below)

2. Groin Plank:

- Function: Hip Adduction/ Anti-Lateral Flexion

- Local: adductors brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus gracilis, pectineus

- Global: Anterior Oblique Sling (works groin and contralateral oblique)

a. Short Lever

b. Long Lever

c. Partner Push Advantageous ISO

d. Partner Push Eccentric

e. Partner Push Disadvantageous ISO

(video below)

3. Prone Plank:

- Function: Hip Flexion/ Anti-Extension

- Local: iliacus, psoas, rectus femoris

- Global: Deep Longitudinal Sling

a. Short Lever

b. Long Lever

c. Partner Push Advantageous ISO

d. Partner Push Eccentric

e. Partner Push Disadvantageous ISO

(video below)

4. Supine Plank:

- Function: Hip Extension/ Anti-Flexion

- Local: gluteus maximus, adductor magnus, biceps femoris, semimembranosus, semitendinosis

- Global: Anterior Oblique Sling

a. Short Lever

b. Long Lever

c. Partner Push Advantageous ISO

d. Partner Push Eccentric

e. Partner Push Disadvantageous ISO

(video below)

SIDE NOTE

Once all the progressions of the supine and prone plank can be performed proficiently, to add variety they can be performed either single leg, single arm, or both of those variations can be done simultaneously. This will add an anti-rotation aspect to the movement, which is necessary for field sport athletes.

Also something I've noticed in gyms is often people take the time to properly warm up and strength the small musculature of the shoulder girdles. They do this with exercises like band pull aparts or band external rotations. Very rarely do you see people take the time to strengthen the small musculature of the hips outside of glute activation drills (hip abduction). If you struggle with knee, hip, or low back pain even though you regularly do glute activation drills (hip abduction) odds are that is not your issue. It may be time to isolate and test how strong your hip adduction/flexion/extension are, so you can figure out what your weal link actually is.

A NEW LOOK AT “CORE STRENGTH” & HOW TO EFFECTIVELEY TRAIN IT, PART 1

Mon, 19 Aug 2019 00:11:54 GMT

Training an athlete for the purpose of improving their “core strength” is a very touchy subject in Strength & Conditioning. On one end of the spectrum, coaches believe all you need to do is perform your major multifunctional movements correctly (squat & deadlift) to develop sufficient “core strength”. On the other end, coaches believe exercises used specifically to develop “core strength” are the foundation of their entire program. I find myself somewhere in the middle of this spectrum, taking from both sides because both have valid reasoning. My idea of developing “core strength” is by both locally and globally training all the musculature that is attached to the hips. The movements this musculature performs includes hip extension/flexion, hip abduction/adduction, lateral flexion, and anti-rotation.

In addition to the abdominals and hips, another muscle I find to be an integral part of well rounded “core strength” is the Latissimus Dorsi, or the “lats”. First off, one of the origin points of the lats is the iliac crest & sacrum (hips), so when your lats are tight it can easily pull you into extension and cause an anterior pelvic tilt. This will lead to poor transfer of energy throughout the body’s kinetic chain and cause potential compensation patterns. Secondly, the lats provide stabilization for all movements that are performed with the upper extremities; they are the glutes of the upper body. Lastly, the lats are tied to the musculature of the hip through a myofascial sling known as the Posterior Oblique Sling. Think about when you are running - when your right arm swings back, so does your left leg.

MYOFASCIAL SLINGS

In order for our body to perform dynamic movements, it is essential that our myofascial slings are working efficiently. There are four major myofascial slings in our body. They are the Anterior Oblique Sling, Posterior Oblique Sling, Deep Longitudinal Sling, and Lateral Sling. Each myofascial sling is responsible for certain movements patterns in each plane of motion (POM). That is why developing your athletes’ myofascial slings is so important; to be prepared for the unpredictable nature of sport, the ability to stabilize and transfer energy in all planes of motion is essential (1)!

Posterior Oblique Sling

- POM: sagittal, transverse

- Upper Origin: Latissimus Dorsi

- Lower Origin: Contralateral Gluteus Maximus

- Function: producing force during walking, running, and sprinting & transfer of force between upper and lower extremities during rotational movements

Anterior Oblique Sling

- POM: Transverse (primary), Frontal (secondary)

- Upper Origin: External and internal oblique

- Lower Origin: Contralateral Adductor

- Function: transfer of force between upper and lower extremities during rotational movements & hip stability

Deep Longitudinal Sling

- POM: Sagittal

- Upper Origin: erector spinae, multifidus

- Lower Origin: sacrotuberous ligament, biceps femoris, peroneus longus, and anterior tibilais

- Function: horizontal force production & controls ground reaction forces during gait

Lateral Sling

- POM: Frontal

- Upper Origin: Quadratus lumborum

- Lower Origin: Gluteus Medius, TFL, adductors

- Function: provides hip stability during frontal plane movement

When there is a weak link in a sling this leads to either an energy leakage within the kinetic chain or a possible compensation pattern that could lead to injury down the road. This is why when we are training our athletes to improve their core strength we shouldn’t only look at muscle individually, but at each sling as a whole. (2)

ADRESSING “CORE STRENGTH”

The most common prescription to address a lack of “core strength” from Strength and Conditioning Coaches is to have the athletes perform plank variations. This is a very effective option only for athletes with a low training age (middle school, high school, and unfortunately some college athletes). It teaches them how to fire the musculature of their abdominals and hips, so they can properly brace and maintain an isometric position.

Initially when planks are programmed the athletes can only maintain proper position and stabilize their trunk for minimal amounts of time. Once the athlete can hold proper position for short durations (10-20 seconds), progressive overload must take place for further adaptation to occur. Typically to provide an overloading stimulus for the plank, coaches either increase the duration of the movement or by adding load to the movement (by placing a plate on the back of the athlete).

Although both of these are logical options when progressively overloading the plank, there comes a point in when the musculature of the abdominals and hips are no longer the limiting factor. Something I often hear in the weight room from my athletes is, “this burns my shoulders more than anything else, and I don’t even feel it in my core.” At this point in our plank progression, if their ability to hold themselves in a proper position is limited by their shoulder girdle endurance, are we even achieving our goal of stressing the athletes “core strength”?

If this is an issue for athletes, you’ve got two possible solutions for progressively overloading the plank - use feet elevated variations or add manual resistance. Elevating your feet increases the intensity of the plank because it changes your body’s center of mass from being centered in your lower body to being centered in your upper body. It may sound like this variation will be more taxing for your upper body because that’s where your center of mass is now located. However, this change will cause your body to engage and increase motor unit recruitment from the musculature of the abdominals and hips to create balance within your body. This is due to the attempt to shift your center of mass towards your lower body and hips.

Intensity can also be increased by having a training partner apply manual resistance to provide progressive overload. Manual resistance is effective for all levels of athletes because the amount of force applied is dependent upon each individual athlete’s strength level. It also allows for strength to be trained both eccentrically and isometrically (both in advantageous and disadvantageous positions). Gaining strength in these portions of the movements will allow the athlete to take advantage of the stretch shortening cycle, making force absorption and production more efficient. The biggest benefit, however, is that it allows the core to actually be trained for strength rather than just endurance like most other plank variations. Due to the high levels of loading that can be applied (high intensity), minimal volume is needed for adequate stress to be applied. This allows for our “core strength” training to be focused more on “quality” rather than “quantity”, which is a rarity.

In my next blog post I will go over all the possible variations of the feet elevated planks. Also, I will explain the five possible progressions for each one as well, so there is an option to challenge any level of athlete.

IMPROVE ANAEROBIC-LACTIC PERFORMANCE

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 01:58:22 GMT

POSSIBLE LACTIC ADAPTATIONS

Training the anaerobic-lactic energy system is essential for high level performance in Cross Fit. There are two major components of the lactic energy system where adaptations can be made, they are power and capacity .

The lactic power component is based on how much muscle tissue an individual has that relies on anaerobic metabolism for ATP. Essentially the more muscle tissue you have and the more enzymes those muscles contain, the higher levels of anaerobic power your muscles can produce. The nervous system also plays a small role in this process because if all muscles are coordinated and activated in unison more power will be created.

The capacity component is based off how well the body can tolerate the buildup of metabolites (waste) that are responsible for the muscle fatiguing. There are multiple ways the body can counteract this buildup of metabolites. One way is improving your muscles ability to utilize the metabolites for ATP (energy) production. Another is improving your muscles ability to neutralize the acidity of the buildup by developing its pH buffering capabilities. Lastly, you can improve the rate of clearance of metabolites by transporting the metabolites out of the muscle elsewhere in the body.

Lactic Power

· Amount of anaerobic muscle tissue

· Number of anaerobic enzymes in muscle tissue

· Nervous system development

Lactic Capacity

· Ability to utilize metabolites

· Muscles pH buffering capabilities

· Rate of clearance of metabolites

LACTIC ADAPTATION METHODS

There are many different methods that can be used in training to improve the anaerobic-lactic energy system performance. Below I will go over my favorite method:

Lactate Trapping Method

· Guidelines for performance :

- Choose a compound exercise (squat, deadlift, press, pull up, row) and a bodyweight isometric position that mimics the bottom portion of the compound movement pattern (example: back squat and wall sit)

- Perform the compound exercise for a set that lasts a minimum of 20 seconds (example 3 reps with 7 sec eccentric), then once the set is complete go directly into the 20-30 second isometric position the mimics the compound exercise

- Repeat this process for 3-5 sets

· How it works:

- During the initial compound exercise when the muscle is trained at high intensity for a duration of twenty seconds or more, the muscle adapts to training under anaerobic conditions

- Once the compound exercise is completed there is a buildup of lactate and hydrogen (acidity) in the muscle, at this point you immediately drop into an isometric position where the muscle is stretched

- Due to the muscle being stretched in this position, there is a lack of blood flow traveling to and from the muscle causing all the metabolites to be trapped within the muscle

- When there is no new blood flow traveling to the muscle it is forced to utilize the available metabolites (lactate) for energy

- When there is a lack of blood flowing out of the muscle the body adapts by finding a way to buffer the acidity that is trapped

· Training adaptations:

- Increase in muscle size (more anaerobic tissue)

- Increase in anaerobic enzymes (muscle is trained anaerobically)

- Improved ability to utilize metabolites (isometric traps lactate)

- Improve muscle ability to buffer pH (tension prevents hydrogen from being cleared)

· Overall

- The adaptations this training method develops allows the muscle to perform anaerobically for longer durations and at higher intensities, by extending the amount of time it takes to reach muscular fatigue.

- One thing to keep in mind though is the adaptations only take place in the muscle being trained during the method. For example, if you want to improve your upper body pulling lactate tolerance, then I would recommend using strict pull ups and inverted row isometrics.

- Above I have attached a video that demonstrates it being used for the lower body.

LACTATE, NOT THE BAD GUY IT IS MADE OUT TO BE!

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 03:56:07 GMT

LACTATE, NOT THE BAD GUY IT IS MADE OUT TO BE!

ANAEROBIC ENERGY SYSTEM

When the body is called upon to perform exercise at high intensities/power outputs for short durations of time (roughly 30-90 seconds) it relies heavily on the anaerobic energy system. It prefers the anaerobic system over the aerobic system because it supplies ATP (energy) at a much faster rate since it does not rely on oxygen to produce ATP. The only drawback though is the anaerobic system cannot sustain energy as long, so it fatigues at a faster rate.

The two branches of the anaerobic energy system are the lactic and alactic energy systems. I will be reviewing the lactic energy system, which is the primary energy system used in CrossFit. Below are some simple differences between the two to differentiate them:

· Anaerobic-Lactic Energy System

- Produce energy for up to 60-90 seconds

- Utilizes glucose and glycogen (sugar) to produce ATP

- Supplies energy for short term moderate to high intensity efforts

· Anaerboic-Alactic Energy System

- Produce energy for up to 10-12 seconds

- Utilizes the creatine phosphate system to supply ATP

- Supplies energy for immediate max intensity efforts

HOW LACTIC ENERGY SYSTEM WORKS

In order for the lactic energy system to produce energy at a fast rate a chemical reaction takes place in the body that utilizes either glycogen or glucose (blood sugar). During this reaction ATP (energy) is produced rapidly, which gives us the ability to push through high intensity workouts. Unfortunately, ATP is not the only byproduct of this reaction, the other main byproducts are lactate and hydrogen ions.

THE TRUTH ABOUT LACTATE

For many years it has been believed that lactate is responsible for the burning you feel in your muscles during exercise and the soreness you feel days after an intense training session. People believed this because they thought if you trained longer and harder you would accumulate more lactic acid in your muscles. Eventually research showed though that all lactate accumulated during exercise was gone from the muscles within an hour of ending a training session, so it couldn’t have been the lactate causing the fatigue and soreness.

It was then found out that the lactate produced during high intensity training can be used as an energy source. The lactate that is accumulated in the muscles is converted into pyruvate and then into energy via the aerobic energy system. Meaning lactate is very beneficial to our ability to continuing performing during high intensity workouts, as long as you have a well trained aerobic system that can convert it into energy efficiently.

HYDROGEN, THE REAL CULPRIT

During this chemical reaction, hydrogen ions are also produced. It is these ions that lower the pH (increase the acidity) of your muscles during intense exercise that causes the deep burn you experience. When the pH is decreased it interferes with the muscles ability to contract, both forcefully and continuously. Leading to muscular fatigue and soreness following training sessions.

FUTURE ARTICLE

Now that you know the truth about lactate and that it is a very important source of energy during high intensity training. In an upcoming article, I will explain training methods that will improve your body’s ability to utilize lactate as energy, so you don’t gas out as early in workouts.

SOURCE

· Jamieson, Joel. Ultimate MMA Conditioning. Performance Sports Inc., 2009.

BUILD YOUR OWN REVERSE HYPER FOR A STRONG POSTERIOR CHAIN AND HEALTHY LOW BACK!

Wed, 31 Jul 2019 13:37:02 GMT

When discussing lower-body training, it's not uncommon to hear athletes say things like, "Ugh, Deadlift KILLS my back!" or "whenever I go heavy on Back Squats, my lower back starts to bug me." I even hear it from athletes who are fairly competent in the movements. They've tried RDLs and Hip Thrusts at the end of their sessions because they've been told to work on activating the posterior chain (mainly glutes and hamstrings), but they still come away with lower-back pain and tightness, along with a negative outlook on heavy lower-body training.

Addressing a lack of glute and hamstring development isn't easy, but it's absolutely critical to sports performance. Why? Because hip extension is the basis of virtually every movement performed in sport and life. Most trainers address these issues by prescribing glute activation exercises in the warm-up, like Clamshells. Though these type of exercises have a time and place, they don't cause enough stress for any real adaptations in the posterior chain to take place.

The Reverse Hyperextension is the perfect tool for individuals lacking posterior chain development, because it adequately stresses the hamstrings and glutes while minimally stressing the lower back.

In the 1970's, the great Louie Simmons invented the Reverse Hyper machine. He used it to develop his posterior chain as he was recovering from major back injuries. Below are many reasons why the Reverse Hyper should be regularly implemented in an athlete's training program:

Development of the posterior chain. It specifically targets glute and hamstring hypertrophy/strength (pending volume and load.)
An increase in flexibility and range of motion. It teaches athletes how to control load and produce force through a larger range of motion.
Potential improvements in speed via an increased contractile speed of posterior chain muscles
Provides accommodating resistance when using bands.
Teaches to drive through glute for hip extension, which is the main component of every athletic movement.
Utilizes a horizontal loading pattern, which may translate better to sport than the typical vertical loading patterns that dominate the weight room (as seen in Squats and Deadlifts.)
Works to address imbalances by developing lagging muscle groups (glutes and hamstrings) which are often under-developed compared to low back.
Develops strength without being overly taxing on body and central nervous system.
Decompresses the spine, making it a very proactive way to promote recovery after a heavy axial loaded training session.

Unfortunately, many gyms are not lucky enough to have their own Reverse Hyper machine. If you do have access to one, consider yourself lucky. But if not, there are workarounds. All you need is an adjustable bench, a piece of equipment which is usually found in even the most barren gyms. You can also utilize a glute-ham machine if you have access to one. The point is that a lack of a dedicated reverse hyper machine does not mean you cannot perform them.

There are a multitude of reverse hyper variations you can utilize depending on your goals and the equipment you do have at your disposal, as you'll see in the videos below. Performing them on a flat bench will reduce the range of motion, making them easier than performing them on a decline bench (which is not a bad thing if you're new to the movement). Likewise, using body weight will be easier than adding a band.

The major keys here are to control the movement with your hips, keep your core tight, avoid rounding the lower back, avoid any motion that causes pain in the lower back, move slowly and with control, and lift using your glutes and hamstrings as opposed to "jerking" the weight up via momentum from your upper torso.

Here are a variety of ways you can "build" your own reverse hyper machine with common gym equipment, as well as a number of reverse hyper variations, below is a link to how to build a sufficient one with a band and bench:

https://youtu.be/nNEAGZ75Kt4

DON’T BE A MOUTH BREATHER!

Mon, 22 Jul 2019 14:54:09 GMT

A major trend the past year with fitness enthusiasts (crossfitters) has been to include nasal breathing in their training to improve their fitness. Many people have bought into this craze without understanding the reasoning behind it. There are many reasons why it is beneficial, and I will go into further detail later on. First though, I will explain exactly how it directly improves the oxidative energy systems at a faster rate.

LOW CO2 TOLERANCE: WHY WE BREATHE HEAVY

When it comes to cardiorespiratory demanding activities (metcons), the ability to intake oxygen is not the limiting factor. The limiting factor is the ability to tolerate carbon dioxide in the body.

When the athlete inhales, oxygen is brought into the lungs, then the blood takes the oxygen to the working muscles that need it. When the athlete exhales, carbon dioxide is expelled out of the body. As the levels of carbon dioxide in the body increase, this trigger receptors in the brain to tell the athlete to breathe more rapidly. The major point here is athletes don’t breathe more rapidly at the end of a workout to inhale more oxygen, they breathe more rapidly to get rid of the “excessive” carbon dioxide in their system. As athletes consistently only train until they reach levels of rapid breathing, the amount of carbon dioxide the body views as “excessive” will continue to decrease. The lower the tolerance level for carbon dioxide within the body, the earlier in workouts athletes will begin to rapidly increase breathing.

Furthermore, the amount of oxygen that is released from the blood to be used by the working muscle is directly tied to the levels of carbon dioxide in the body. Carbon dioxide is the key variable driving the release of oxygen from the blood to working muscles. The lower the tolerance levels of carbon dioxide in the body, the less oxygen released from the blood to the working muscle. Meaning there is always plenty of oxygen available in our blood for exercise, but often it is not utilized and released due to poor carbon dioxide tolerance levels. Increasing carbon dioxide tolerance levels is very important for athletes who want to utilize oxygen efficiently and reach optimal performance.

NASAL BREATHING: UTILIZE OXYGEN MORE EFFICIENTLY

The first step to utilize oxygen more efficiently is increasing the athlete’s tolerance of carbon dioxide. The simplest way to do this is implementing nasal breathing in an athlete’s training. Breathing through the nose increases carbon dioxide capacity because the amount you can expel through your nose each breath is much smaller than what you can through your mouth. This in turn increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the body during exercise, resulting in more oxygen being released from the blood and the onset of rapid breathing being delayed.

Just with any other training methodology, progressive overload is required to see results. At first the athlete may only be able to exercise at very low intensities and for short durations while nasal breathing. Gradually as their carbon dioxide tolerance increases, they will be able to increase the intensity and lengthen the duration of the sessions.

A benefit of nasal breathing is that it is auto-regulated for each individual athlete, so exact prescription is not necessary. The pace of the training session will be based their ability to maintain nasal breathing while performing the prescribed work, if they push too hard they will know immediately as they are gasping for air through their mouth.

BIGGER PUMPS

Outside of increasing carbon dioxide tolerance, nasal breathing also increases the production and utilization of nitric oxide within the body. Meaning your blood vessels will be more dilated increasing the amount of blood that reaches the working muscles that need to be supplied with oxygen/nutrients. This will help your body meet the demands of high intensity exercise and make you feel better about yourself when during your next bodybuilding session.

OTHER BENEFITS

· Drives more oxygen into lower lobes of lungs having a more parasympathetic effect

· Decreases heart rate during exercise

· Decreases recovery time b/w high intensity intervals

· Increases calm and organized brain function

· Improved air filtration

· Warms and moistens air prior to entering lungs (decreases chance of dehydration)

HOW TO IMPLEMENT

Now that you know why including nasal breathing in your training is so important here are some of the many ways to implement it.

· Warm up/cool down: 5-10 minutes mono-structural work (bike, rower, ski erg, running)

· Oxidative Training: 20-60 minutes of steady-state activity

· Active Recovery Days: Low intensity functional/mobility-based movement

· Deload: Effective way for dropping intensity if feeling run down

· Strength Training: Decrease recovery time between sets

· Interval Training: Decrease recovery time between sets

Personally, 1-2 times a week I perform 30-60 minutes of training via nasal breathing. I typically do it while performing monostructural work. Also, during my deload weeks I tend to do all training via nasal breathing to control intensity and actually give myself a chance to recover.

I hope this was helpful, remember don’t be a MOTUH BREATHER!

Work Cited:

- http://vandykestrength.com/pages/utiliz_breath_train

COLLAGEN: ENHANCE RECOVERY AND JOINT INTEGRITY

Sun, 14 Jul 2019 17:56:58 GMT

Collagen is a major structural protein in the body, we are all made up of 25-35% collagen. Everyone naturally produces collagen at a rate that is necessary for general health and recovery from physical activity. Once the age of 25 is reached though the body’s natural production of collagen begins to decline, which means recovery time from injury and training is extended due to the inadequate levels of collagen available (2).

WHY ITS IMPORTANT

Collagen is essential for recovery because it is what makes up our skin, bones, tendons, connective tissue, and muscles. Meaning it is very important for our muscles and joints athletic performance and resiliency (the ability to withstand injury). It also speeds up recovery of strains/sprains and other minor soft tissue injuries.

Collagen contains the amino acids proline and glycine. Both of these amino acids are natural anti-inflammatories and immune system boosters, which aid in the speeding up of the recovery process (2).

STUDY

In a study performed on 147 Penn State University athletes over a 24-week training period it was found that the use of supplemental collagen hydroslate supported joint health and reduced the risk of joint deterioration in this high-risk athletic population. The parameters this study tested for were shoulder and knee joint pain while: running, carrying objects, lilting objects, change of direction, and walking. There was a significant difference between the subjects who used the collagen supplement and those who used the placebo, showing a large decrease in pain for those who used the supplement (1).

ADDING IT TO YOUR DIET

Collagen can either be consumed through whole foods or supplements. The best whole food sources for collagen are either beef or chicken bone broth and gelatin. The top supplements containing collagen are those that contain collagen peptides, specifically Type II Collagen Peptides. These Type II Peptides provide the building blocks of cartilage, ligaments, tendons, and bones.

SOURCES

1. Clark, K., Sebastianelli, W., Flechsenhar, K., Aukermann, D., Mezza, F., Millard, R., Detich, J., Sherbondy, P. and Albert, A. (2008): 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydroslate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Current Medical Research and Opinions, 24(5), pp.1485-1496

2. Top 8 Nutrient Need to Speed Up Injury Recovery

https://blog.kettleandfire.com/nutrient-for-injury-recovery /

Adaptogens: Adapt to Life's Stressors

Wed, 10 Jul 2019 13:31:34 GMT

WHAT THEY ARE

Adaptogens are natural herbal supplements that have the capacity to normalize body functions and strengthen biological systems that can be compromised by stress. Meaning it helps the body adapt to any environmental factors of our everyday life that may induce stress, by keeping us at homeostasis (or even-keeled).

HISTORY

Adaptogens were initially studied by the Russian during WWII who tested them on their soldiers. The adaptogens proved to have many beneficial effects including: increased work capacity, faster recovery, improved motor learning abilities, and enhanced ability to regulate bodies mechanisms, so homeostatic conditions were maintained in stressful environments of war.

After this initial trial period, it was stated that there are four major effects all adaptogens should induce:

1. Must reduce stress-induced damage, by presenting stress protective effects like anti-fatiguing, anti-depressant, and restorative qualities

2. Must have stimulating effects after both single and multiple uses, that improve/protect work capacity and mental health against regular fatigue and stress

3. The stimulating effect must be different from traditional stimulants and not deplete energy resources after usage (crash) and not have negative side affects (withdrawal)

4. They must not affect the bodies normal function and must only influence the body towards a homeostatic state

RESEARCHED BENEFITS

· Reduce muscle damage

· Increase usage of fat

· Increased work capacity until exhaustion

· Improved recovery

· Decreased cortisol production

· Decreased heart rate while training

· Increased muscle mitochondria content

· Decreased blood lactate levels

· Increased concentration and mental resiliency

· Decrease stress

· Anxiety/emotion control

TYPES OF ADAPTOGENS

There are many adaptogen supplements on the market today. Some of the more well-known ones are: Rhodiola Rosea, Panax Ginseng, Schizandra Chinesis, Ashwaghanda, Eleutherococcus Senticosus, Siberian Ginseng, plus many more.

When first supplementing with adaptogens I recommend trying one at a time to figure out what works best for you for multiple reasons. First off, even though they all must possess the four qualities listed above (HISTORY), some deliver certain qualities to a higher degree than other, so it’s important to find out what works for you. Secondly, all supplements effect everyone differently, so it takes a bit of trial and error to figure out the dosage of each supplement that best fits your lifestyle.

Personally, overtime I have found that the adaptogens below is most effective for my lifestyle and goals:

· Rohdiola Rosea: 300-500mg

· Ashwanghanda: 600-900mg

· Lion’s Mane Mushroom: 1000mg

CONCLUSION

The key to training at a high level every day, every week, is maximizing your recovery. In the gym we stress our bodies through training, with the hope that it will adapt and become stronger. The only issue is our body doesn’t differentiate the different types of stress. It all breaks down the body the same way, except stress from your work or home life don’t cause the same adaptation as training does.

In order to continuously improve in the gym stress must be minimized outside the gym, so the brunt of stress can be induced during training. This is where adaptogens are very beneficial, they allow us to handle higher level of stress, allowing the body to adapt more, and improve faster!

SOURCES

Effects of Adaptogens Supplementation on Sport Performance. A Recent Review of Published Studies.

Alvaro Domene- Journal of Human Sport and Exercise- 2013

IMPORTANCE OF THE OXIDATIVE ENRGY SYSTEM

Sun, 23 Jun 2019 22:07:35 GMT

BASE OF THE PYRAMID

Also known as the aerobic system, is the energy system that primarily fuels long duration, low intensity activity. It fuels this type of activity by increasing oxygen availability and improving our ability to metabolize fat for energy.

I find oxidative training to be very similar to performing 10s on back squat. Nobody enjoys doing it, but it is essential for long term progress. Oxidative training should be looked at as the foundation of high intensity conditioning just as sets of 10 are looked at as the foundation of a new 1RM. Expecting to improve your Open performance vastly year by year without doing any oxidative training is like building to a heavy single on snatch every week and performing no technique/general strength work, but expecting new personal records regularly.

The great thing about training the oxidative system is it can easily be added to any training program. This is because it does not cause a lot of muscular damage (concentric based) and it is of very low intensity. As long as it is progressed correctly volume wise, it will provide large benefits that I will explain below.

HOW TO TRAIN OXIDATIVE SYSTEM

· Perform continuous mono-structural (bike/swim/run/rucking/rowing) activity for 30-90 minutes at a heart rate between 130-150

· Perform low intensity circuits for 20-60 minutes with a work:rest ratio between 2:1/3:1

Example: http://www.xlathlete.com/download/aerobic-block-contralateral-circuit-station-training/

Example: 30-60 EMOM 40s ON/20s OFF (alternate bike/row/ski/run)

OXIDATIVE BENERGY SYSTEM BENEFITS

A well-developed oxidative system provides many benefits to an athletes training. First off, it is the most efficient way to perform physical activity. This is because it allows athletes to control their heart rate during exercise by keeping it lower. When two individuals are performing the same activity at the same intensity, the one with the superior oxidative system will have a lower heart rate, which will allow them to continue that effort for much longer durations due to it being less taxing. When competing the goal should be to stay in the oxidative zone as long as possible, so you expend less energy while doing more work

Secondly, our ability to utilize oxygen is also important because it is vital for our ability to recover between high intensity bursts of activity and between training sessions. The Alactic Energy System (10s or less burst of activity) requires oxygen to replenish its energy supplies to allow you to repeat another high intensity bout. An example of this would be performing multiple repetitions of squat cleans near your maximum during the previous 19.2 Open Workout. Your ability to lift the heavy load receptively under fatigue had a lot to do with how quickly you could recover between efforts. This also speeds up the rate of recovery during workouts that are either interval based or have programmed rest like 19.4 Open Workout. Lastly it allows you to train at higher levels during every training session by increasing your rate of recovery and ability to handle higher levels of volume.

Case in point people, train your oxidative system!

Work Cited:

- http://vandykestrength.com/pages/utiliz_breath_train (picture)

Nervous System: To Lift or to Rest?

Mon, 17 Jun 2019 00:58:08 GMT

Nervous System

The Nervous System consist of three major parts the central nervous system (CNS), peripheral nervous system (PNS), and autonomic nervous system (ANS). Each system is a complex collection of nerves and neurons that transmit signals between different parts of the body, it’s basically the bodies electrical wiring.

The part of the nervous system that is most important to us is the autonomic nervous system. This part of the nervous system supplies all our internal organs based on the information it receives about the body’s state and the external environment surrounding it. Some of the body’s functions the ANS controls are

· Blood pressure

· Heart and Breathing Rate

· Digestion/metabolism

· Body Temperature

· Balance of Water and electrolytes

Autonomic Nervous System

Autonomic Nervous System

The ANS has two main divisions the sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system. Sympathetic Nervous System responds by stimulating those functions to prepare the body for stressful or emergency situations, examples below:

· Increase HR

· Dilates Airways and Pupils

· Increase sweat

· Release Stored Energy

· Slows other processes: digestion and urination

The Parasympathetic Nervous System responds by down-regulating those functions to bring the body back to homeostasis to allow for rest and digest, examples below:

· Slows HR

· Decrease Blood Pressure

· Stimulates Digestion

· Relaxes Muscle and Increase Energy Storage

What does this mean to you?

To maximize training adaptations, you need to take advantage of the effects of both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

The parasympathetic nervous system is most beneficial to us because it is the state we want to be in all day, every day outside of the time we are training. This is the state our body recovers most efficiently in due to the relaxed state and increased absorption/digestion of nutrients.

Engaging the parasympathetic nervous system can also be very beneficial in your daily training routine during cool downs after training, to shift your body immediately into a recovery state. It would also be beneficial for individuals who tend burn out early in workouts to be in a parasympathetic state prior to training.

Inducing the effects of the sympathetic nervous system for its benefits also has its time and place. Specifically, before an important session in a strength cycle or one where you will be attempting a new personal record for a lift. Everyone knows the weight feels lighter when your surrounded by your yelling training partners while the music is blasting. This environment ignites our SNS, giving us tunnel vision and causing short/shallowing breathing as we brace for the big lift.

Although it feels great to hit those PR’s relying on the SNS for prolonged periods of time can lead to burnout/overtraining. This is due to the higher level of cortisol release and fatigue buildup it causes. A perfect example of this burnout is any young athlete (myself included) who just starts CrossFit. They think it is the best thing ever, they don’t take rest days and go 100% every workout. Pretty soon they find themselves either extremely run down or injured.

That’s why it is ideal to only rely on the SNS sparingly when you have a very important training session or competition. This approach will lead to steady improvement over long periods of time versus large improvements initially that plateau quickly. In one of the following articles I will go over different techniques to either stimulate the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous system.

Step in the Right Direction

aj@crossfitlakeeffect.com (Anthony Davis) — Fri, 04 May 2018 03:33:31 GMT

Perspective that keeps the drive alive

When is the last time you took a step back?

It is hard to believe that I am 4 months into what will be my 5th year of CrossFit. Some of you reading this have been doing this longer than me, maybe some of you are just starting. I think we can all agree though, things are a lot different than they used to be. You are all much different athletes and I am much different than the 20-year-old college kids telling you to stay on your heels (Now were on our toes, what the heck!)

Remember how exciting it was when we all first started. Everything was so new, everything was changing. We didn't really have a clue what was going on but PR's were flying in. We got our first pull-ups, muscle-ups, handstands all at the expense of bloody hands and calluses. Our Heart rates were through the roof (We thought passing out was possible) but the pounds began to shed off and we were looking leaner. We were getting fit. We were finding community. It was all great.

What if I told you now didn't have to be different?

Yes, you potential reader who has be Crossfitting (is that a word Susan?) longer than me.

Well, Here's the secret -- inserting cliche wisdom -- Its all in your PERSPECTIVE.
(Explanation on its way, don't worry)

When was the last time you took a step back and looked at your fitness journey and thought: I could definitely improve _________

Maybe some of you are reading this and have been stuck at the same Snatch PR for 3 years but haven't considered lowering your weights and dialing in your form. Maybe some of you want to get better at your gymnastics but every time the WOD comes you prefer to do small sets instead of going for big ones. Maybe some want their first Pull-up but don't take the extra 5 minutes before or after to use a band and build strength. Maybe some are returning from an injury and instead of lowering weight to get back into the groove they are getting frustrated that they aren't where they used to be. Maybe some of your lives are getting stressful/busy/taxing and your letting a positive hour of your day become detrimental because you aren't winning the leaderboard. I could go on. And if you are are content with where you are at in your journey I am beyond glad! Don't look at this as a reason not to be.

We change as time goes on. Its easy to feel stuck in something after you have been grinding at it for so long. You will find opportunity wherever you look for it. And your success isn't always going to come in the form of the fastest time on the board.

It will look like:

- I did all my T2B in sets of 5 today
-I kept my rowing pace under 2min the entire time
- I am just really thankful that I get to workout today
- I ran my first 800 without stopping once
- I lowered my weights and felt in control the entire time
- I knew I would go slower, but I did the RX weights (*appropriately)
- I am practicing my kip today after class
- I am going roll my forearms to help with my front rack mobility.
- I am starting to get back to where I was before _____
- I am going to say hi to everyone who walks into the gym today

In CrossFit there is always room for growth. I have truly realized that as I am taking my own step back right now as I watch a bunch of athletes practicing Handstand obstacles for regionals while I am practicing headstands on an abmat. It seems silly now but shifting my perspective, seeing where I need to improve, and building a strong foundation for later makes it exciting and something new that I can work on.

My Challenge for you this week is to look at every workout as an opportunity to improve.

Set a goal and Let it excite you.

Remember this is fun. Remember why you fell in love with it. Remember why you keep coming.

You guys are great. Keep working hard!

17.4 at CFLE Holland Recap

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 04:02:54 GMT

The CrossFit Open is wrapping up today! So make sure to get your scores in to be validated before 8 PM. We have had an awesome OPEN Season at CFLE. We can’t tell you how proud we are of our community. We gave it our all, supported each other, and did more than we thought we could.

For 17.4, we had the surprise of getting AJ back in Holland to workout at CFLE. With Danielle and AJ both gunning for Regionals, this was a perfect night with a repeat workout. Over and over we have heard of our community being 5, 10, 15, 57 reps fitter than last year. This is what is about – PROGRESS! Everyone crushed 17.4 and made it another awesome Friday night.

So check out our videos from 17.4 and get ready to relive 17.5 on our CFLE Facebook page this week!

June will be the Final Month for Yoga at CFLE

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:47:02 GMT

June will be the last month for yoga at CFLE. Come get swole and flexy for one final month.

Drop-in cost is $10 and class is held on Sunday’s at 10:30 AM for the rest of June.

Rest and Recovery

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:42:51 GMT

Easy to overlook, but rest and recovery and critical elements to getting the most out of your training. The time we spend at the gym is just a piece of a larger puzzle as we try to get the most our of our work. We want you to perform at your best when you are at CFLE and when you go about your day to day activities. What you do when you leave CFLE will help you come back stronger, more resistant to injuries, and will allow you to excel everywhere in your life.

3 Great Ways to Improve Rest and Recovery

1.) Sleep ! – Getting enough sleep is the most important thing you can do to recover well and see more gains. It’s recommended that adults get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night . This will not only give your muscles adequate time to recover but will also help your hormonal health. Even considering your daily energy balance, we all know we need sleep to function properly. Find what works for you, but get serious about your sleep . Removing your cell phone from your room, getting blinds to make it dark, and having cooler sleeping temps can all help improve the quality of your sleep. Increasing the quantity of your sleep requires evaluating your schedule and personal discipline. Commit to 2 weeks of keeping a consistent bedtime that allows you to get 7 hrs and see the difference.

2.) Nutrition – Recovery also hinges on proper nutrition. Eating a variety of whole foods, focusing on lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, nuts, and seeds will help you maximize your recovery and future performance. If this is a big shift in your eating habits, start by focusing on making small changes. Add more veggies to your dinners, pack lunches over eating out, or cut out soda and sugary drinks.

3.) Mobility Work – We include this in all our warm ups, but extra mobility work will help you recover and stay healthy. Cycle through our stretches at home as you relax at night. Set a timer on your phone and make yourself hit those tight areas. If you want a more programmed option, take a look at ROMWOD . That will give you a specific on-ramp program and then move you into their seemingly endless tailored programs for your personal needs.

So don’t overlook rest and recovery! Make it part of your routine and see what a difference it makes in your life and within the gym.

West Michigan Row Raiser

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:36:56 GMT

Saturday, 9/30, from 10 AM – 2 PM at Faith Church in Zeeland, MI – CrossFit Lake Effect will be hosting this year’s Row Raiser to raise money for the Special Olympics.

Formerly the Holland Row Raiser, we are excited to include more of the West Michigan area in the second annual Row Raiser!

Teams of 10 will work together to pull the distance of a marathon (26.2 miles) on a rower. Teams compete for the fastest time, the most spirited team, and best fundraisers.

New Year CrossFit Promo

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:33:36 GMT

Jump into your New Year’s Goals with CrossFit Lake Effect

Until the end of January, when you sign up for a normal membership you will receive:

Free foundations (coach led introduction to Crossfit) and your 4th month FREE!!

Stop in any day of the week for your first time to try out a class free of charge! All movements can be modified to meet you where you are at on your fitness journey!

Thanksgiving Hours

Wed, 10 Jan 2018 03:33:28 GMT

11/23 (Thanksgiving) – 9am class Only

11/24 (Black Friday) – 9am and 10:30am class Only

Hope to see you all there!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! We are a ll so thankful for our CFLE Family!

crossfitlakeeffect

Day 1 WOD

Day 2 WOD

Day 3 WOD

Day 4 Rest

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 5 Rest

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 6 WOD

Day 7 WOD

Day 8 WOD

Day 9 WOD

Day 10 Rest

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 11 Rest

Rest Day - Light Movement

Day 12 WOD

Day 13 WOD

Day 14 Rest

Rest Day - Light Movement

Time Your Sets

Introduction

﻿

Energy System Basics

Energy System Pyramid

Maximizing Training Density

Repeat Sprint Ability

Why Use Timed Sets in the Weight Room

Weight Room Timed Sets: Maximize Repeat Sprint Ability

Timed Sets Practical Application

Conclusion

Shift from Block to Vertical Integration for In-Season Program Design

Shifting from Block to Vertical Integration

Microdosing

Creating Training Day Options: High and Low Days

Training Design Template

Training Split

Conclusion

Training the Aerobic System to Maximize Adaptations

​The Issue

﻿

The Question

The Answer Hopefully

The Results

Future Considerations

A Coach's Guide to General Physical Preparedness

Barbell Cycling Training

Lactate Retention Method: Train Smarter, Not Harder

JUNE 8 AT HOME WOD

JUNE 5 AT HOME WOD

JUNE 4 AT HOME WOD

JUNE 3 AT HOME WOD

JUNE 2 AT HOME WOD

JUNE 1 AT HOME WOD

MAY 28 AT HOME WOD

MAY 27 AT HOME WOD

MAY 26 AT HOME WOD

MAY 25 AT HOME WOD

MAY 22 AT HOME WOD

MAY 21 AT HOME WOD

MAY 20 AT HOME WOD

MAY 19 AT HOME WOD

MAY 18 AT HOME WOD

MAY 16 AT HOME WOD

MAY 15 AT HOME WOD

MAY 14 AT HOME WOD

MAY 13 AT HOME WOD

MAY 12 AT HOME WOD

MAY 11 AT HOME WOD

MAY 9 AT HOME WOD

MAY 8 AT HOME WOD

MAY 7 AT HOME WOD

MAY 6 AT HOME WOD

MAY 5 AT HOME WOD

MAY 4 AT HOME WOD

MAY 2 AT HOME WOD

MAY 1 AT HOME WOD

APRIL 30 AT HOME WOD

APRIL 29 AT HOME WOD

APRIL 28 AT HOME WOD

The Issue