We’re already past halfway of January. Life should be getting back to some sort of normalcy. We missed the blog last week so today’s is a little long, please bear with me though.
So what do we have coming up this week?
1- Clean and Jerk
There are two heavy clean and jerk sessions this week. One is a pure 7×1 strength session the other a really heavy metcon coupled with some burpees.
So what’s the goal with this?
- Move better. Virtuosity should be a target everytime we enter the gym… But how do we get there? Well everyone is at a different level. For some breaking the movement down into a deadlift (1st pull) and hang clean (2nd &3rd pull) and the jerk (overhead bit) builds a really strong understanding of the positions of each movement and is the fasted road to improvement even though you just want to do the whole thing. For the more experienced lifter it’s going to be different. The way a more experienced lifter improves is by getting a cue from the coach and deliberately drilling that cue into every lift you do. It’s called deliberate practice. The biggest key here is taking that advice from the coach. It may mean dropping the weight or slowing down and controlling a certain phase of the lift but if you take it on board and make a change then you are changing (improving). If you don’t make a change…. Well obviously you won’t change.
- Create a routine. We talk alot about consistency when we coach. Having a deliberate way you set your feet, brace your core, set your hands (hookgrip) means that every time you lift you will be setting yourself up to do the same thing. If we are learn how to lift better because of step one, step 2 helps us do it every time. This will be most helpful for the heavy clean and jerk metcon.
- Work hard. I’ve used the word deliberate a few times now. Hopefully that word is imprinting itself on your subconscious. Be the master of the lift. Choose to do what is hard but necessary. That may be like in step one making a change to learn to lift better. If we are being honest sometimes it’s harder emotionally to focus on moving better than to just grit your teeth and hope. But we know which one delivers results.
2- Running metcons
There are two this week, Both are 5 rounds and 400m. Both have a barbell lift. One is overhead squats, slightly on the heavier side, the other thrusters and burpees on the lighter side. All you need to know about these two is they will make your gas tank and engine bigger….
IF
You do them right. That is you don’t ever rest. Pick your weights wisely. Your goal every time you come back from the run is to pick up the bar up straight away, do all the reps and begin running again. If you are worried that you don’t have the gas tank and engine to do this don’t stress. You can easily scale by running slower and lifting less weight.
If you find that you pick the wrong weight and can’t move unbroken that is normal. We all do that sometimes. Just make a note on beyond the whiteboard so you know for next time a similar workout comes up.
3- Muscle up pracitce
We have a little EMOM coming up to build some volume in muscle ups. If you don’t have muscle ups it will be volume building in pull ups and dips. It goes for 10mins so make sure you start with an option you can finish with.
4- Filthy fifty
Saturday’s WOD will be this old fashioned benchmark. This one is just like the running workouts.. Pick movements that are light and easy to minimize rest breaks. Oh and take care of your hands this week too.
5- Extras
- We have cut the snatch deadlifts this week and exchanged it for some snatch high pulls. If you want to improve your snatch’s make sure you get stuck into this.
- Also with the open around the corner we have some toe to bar and chest to bar practice. Look after your shoulders and hands and focus on the skill of the movement this week over the volume.
6-Open gym
We have the usual suspects in there (without the sexual predator of course). However please note they are getting a bit bigger and tougher from now until the open. I’ve also slipped in a snatch ladder for the semper folks. Just make sure when you do this it’s out of the way of class, and keep in mind we will be doing a run through in class next week of it as well.
The sum up
Deliberately make a change and you’ll change – Don’t make a change and you won’t change
