October - December Programming

This next cycle will be broken down into two parts. In the opening cycle, we will perform two Power Lifts (Back Squat & Shoulder Press) mixed with Olympic Lifting. The focus is on building the posterior chain while training athletes to embrace the monotonous journey of strength training, meaning we are going to grind through some big sets. At the conclusion, we will take a 1-week break to reset and prep for Part 2.

4-week Cycle Layout

Week 1 (Oct 9th)
Day 1: Hang Snatch: Establish a 3 RM for the day, Snatch Deadlift 3x3 @90%
Day 2: Back Squat: Establish a 10 RM for the day. Then, perform a drop set of 8-10 reps at 85-90% and 8-10 reps 80-85% of that 10RM.
Day 3: Shoulder Press: Establish a 10 RM for the day. Then, perform a drop set of 8-10 reps at 85-90% and 8-10 reps 80-85% of that 10RM.

Week 2 (Oct 16th)

Day 1: Hang Squat Clean: Establish a 3 RM for the day, Clean Deadlift 3x3 @90%
Day 2: Back Squat: Establish an 8 RM for the day. Then, perform a drop set of 6-8 reps at 85-90% and then 6-8 reps 80-85% of that 8RM.
Day 3: Shoulder Press: Establish an 8 RM for the day. Then, perform a drop set of 6-8 reps at 85-90% and then 6-8 reps 80-85% of that 8RM.

Week 3 (Oct 23rd)

Day 1: Every min (10 mins) 3 Squat Snatch (70-80%)
Day 2: Back Squat: Establish a 6 RM for the day. Then, perform a drop set of 4-6 reps at 90% and 4-6 reps 85% of that 6RM.
Day 3: Strict Press: Establish a 6 RM for the day. Then, perform a drop set of 4-6 reps at 90% and 4-6 reps 85% of that 6RM.

Week4 (Oct 30th)

Day 1: Every min (10 mins) 2 Clean and Jerks (70-80%)
Day 2: Back squat: Establish a 4 RM. Then, perform a drop set at 85-90% and 80-85% of that 4 RM.
Day 3: ShoulderPress: Establish a 4 RM. Then, perform a drop set at 85-90% and 80-85%of that 4 RM.

*Drop Set: This is an advanced resistance training technique in which the following sets, after an RM effort, are performed to fatigue the muscle groups and build capacity in a specific movement pattern, leading to overall strength gains.

**Drop Set example: If your 10 RM for the day is 100#, then your drop sets will be 8-10 reps @90# and 8-10 reps @85#. That would be all 3 sets. More examples with weights are provided in “Workout Prep notes.”

1-Week Break

Part 2.

This strength cycle focuses on the in-between lifts of Olympic lifting. We want to develop a proper setup during the descent and transition to overhead movements during these six weeks. Athletes will work up to heavy sets and hit singles within specific percentage ranges. The overhead lifts and squatting volume will be higher than usual, so please scale to Power or take the weight down for new athletes or anyone who may need a break. Remember, days labeled “Work up to a Heavy” mean we want to see athletes reach a top weight (within their limitations) in 5-6 working sets. Also, as a bonus, we will alternate between Bench and Deadlifts each week to maintain a steady balance on the power lifts. After the strength cycle, we will test out with “The Other Total” and other fun challenges to end the year.

6-Week Layout:

Week 1 (Nov 13th)

Day 1: Heavy Snatch Push Press + Overhead Squat (3+1)
Day 2: No Barbell Strength
Day 3: 3 Position Power Clean (1+1+1) x 2 reps x 4 sets
Day 4: 5x5 Deadlifts @70% (Every 2:00)
Day 5: No Barbell Strength
Day 6: Barbell in the workout

Week 2 (Nov 20th)

Day 1: 5x5 Bench Press @70% (Every 2:00)
Day 2: Heavy Front Squat + Push Press + Push Jerk (2+1+1)
Day 3: No Barbell Strength
Day 4: 3 Snatch Deadlift + 2 Power Snatch x 5 sets
Day 5: Barbell in the workout
Day 6: No Barbell Strength

Week 3 (Nov 27th)

Day 1: No Barbell Strength
Day 2: 5x3 Deadlift @80% (Every 2:00)
Day 3: Heavy Snatch Push Press + Overhead Squat (2+1)
Day 4: No Barbell Strength
Day 5: 5 Deadlifts + 3 Hang Power Cleans + 1 Push Jerk x 5 sets
Day 6: Barbell in the workout

Week 4 (Dec 4th)

Day 1: Heavy Front Squat + Push Press + Push Jerk (1+1+1)
Day 2: No Barbell Strength
Day 3: 3 Position Power Snatch (1+1+1) x 5 sets
Day 4: Barbell in the workout
Day 5: No Barbell Strength
Day 6: 2: 5x3 Bench Press @80% (Every 2:00)

Week 5 (Dec 11th)

Day 1: Heavy Snatch Push Press + Overhead Squat (1+1)
Day 2: Heavy 3 position Power Clean
Day 3: No Barbell Strength
Day 4: Barbell in the workout
Day 5: 5x1 Deadlift @90% (Every 2:00)
Day 6: No Barbell Strength

Week 6 (Dec 18th)

Day 1: The Other Total
Day 2: No Barbell
Day 3: Barbell in the workout
Day 4: No Barbell Strength
Day 5: Barbell in the workout
Day 6: No Barbell Strength