True rest day today.  Focus on recovery with foam roller, and just general relaxation.  Have a happy day.

Deload lift again.  Remember these are important.  Taking an entire week off instead of a deload week, can result in pretty big drop offs in strength and in your overall training mentality.

Your daily workout is as follows:

Warmup:  5-10 minutes on an eliptical or treadmill.  Get your heart rate up some, break a light sweat.

Mobility Warmup
 
A = Bench Press =  1x5 @ 40% Working Max, 1x5 @ 50%, 1x5 @ 60% (Yes, it’s easy, it’s a deload week).

B = Incline Dumbbell Press = 3x15.  Moving up slightly in reps, don’t go to failure on these, you should have a few reps left in the tank.

C = Planks 3x60 sec.  Bodyweight.

D = Scott Curls = 4x12 (going heavier than last week here) Use a weight that you can definitely get 15 reps for on the first set, but by the last set you may only be getting 10.  Notice that you set up on a preacher curl bench in the reverse manner (you’re hands drape over towards the seat).

Cooldown - 15 mins walking on a treadmill, preferably an incline.  Focus on your breathing and bring your heart rate back down to a lower level.

Foam Roll if you have one. Hit Quads, Back, Hamstrings, IT bands, Psoas, Lats - 10 rolls per side/part.

Just because it’s a deload, doesn’t mean we fall off the face of the planet and stop training.

Work Capacity Session - these are truly important for your ability to do work, your ability to recover, and help minimize fat gain if adding size, and help strip fat if focusing on fat loss.

Get at it like a Viking.

A1 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters

A2 = Walking Lunges with DB held in front at chest level with both hands - 30 meters

A3 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters

A4 = Goblet Squats x 20

A5 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters

A6 = DB or kettlebell swing x 20

A7 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters (hate me yet?)

A8 = Bodyweight Squat x 20

Use an appropriate weight (I do this with 120’s for farmers and a 60 lb DB for the rest of the stuff - go as heavy as you can on farmers and then drop the weight by about 60% for your other stuff).  Try to make it through 3 complexes.  No rest until the bodyweight squats have been completed (1 complex).  Rest 2 mins between complexes.

Farmer Walk notes:  In the video they have specific farmer walk handles, you do not need these, just grab a pair of heavy dumbbells.  Ladies - don’t be afraid to push yourself, your grip is most likely going to be the limiting factor here. 

Well a new week and it’s an easy one.  This week we will be deloading.  Deloading is a lowering of weight, volume, and intensity so as to allow our body’s to fully recuperate after intense training.  We’ll be doing 3 weeks of intense training, followed by a week of lower volume, weight, and intensity.  Now, that doesn’t mean we’re taking the week off, it means we’re still getting in there and moving some weight.  The reason for this is to promote active recovery and really allow your body to recover.  Yes this is going to be somewhat boring, because you’re not really pushing it.  Do not add in extra stuff, do not add in more cardio, or more sets or reps.  Again this is an active recovery week.  You may not feel you “need” it even, but then 8-12 weeks from now when the weight stops moving up because you never bothered to fully recuperate in the first place is going to have you irritate at your lack of progress.  Take the deload week, enjoy the easyness of it, and get ready to attack the weights again hard next week!

Today’s training:

5-10 minutes walking on an incline treadmill.  Walk, not run.  Get to a slight sweat or as the ladies like to say “glisten”.

Mobility Warmup

A = Box Squat = 1x5 @ 40% of working max, 1x5 @ 50%, 1x1 @ 60%.  Focus on your technique, make it flawless.

C = 45 Degree Back Extension = 100 rep set - 100 reps in as few of sets as possible, rest kept to 30 seconds between sets.  Less sets then you did last week!

D = Shrugs = 3x15 - Shoot for more reps today.  Absolutely DO NOT roll your shoulders or bring them up then back then down.  Just up, Just down.  This will help prevent scapular retraction issues.  I mention this because I see so many people do these wrong in gyms.  Higher weight this week if you can.  

E = Side Bends = 3x10

F = Pulldown Abs = 5x15

Cooldown = 15-30 minutes walking - either outside, on a treadmill, or wherever.  Just bring your heart rate back down.

Previous training sessions this week:

W3D1

W3D2

W3D3

W3D4

Your daily workout is as follows:

Warmup:  5-10 minutes on an eliptical or treadmill.  Get your heart rate up some, break a light sweat. 

Mobility Warmup

A = Deadlift =  1x5 @ 50% Working Max, 1x3 @ 60%, 1x1 @ 70%, 1xAMAP (As Many As Possible) @ 75%.  Record this number, you’ll need it at a later time (in 2 weeks).

B = Deficit Romanian Deadlifts = 3x12 - Use a double overhand grip (no mixed grip).  Stack two 45 lb plates on top of each other and stand on it.  This should create about a 3 inch platform and will give you a great stretch at the bottom.  Try and use the same weight as last time.

C = Barbell Hip Thrust = 4x10 - Might want to get the pussypad (thing you see people put on squat bars because “their neck hurts without it” - side note get some muscle on your back and it won’t hurt) to put on the bar so as to protect your pelvis, especially if you’re bony.  Focus on squeezing your butt cheeks together as hard as possible and getting your hips high.  If you can’t get it to where your pelvis and stomach is parallel to the floor, you need to go down in weight.

D = Lat Pull Downs = 5x15 - Never behind your head - that’s a great way to give yourself some shoulder impingement. Focus on retracting your shoulder blades.  Imagine someone has a string that is attached to your elbows and is pulling you backwards.  You want to focus on pulling through your elbows instead of pulling with your forearms and biceps.  This will help place emphasis where it should be - on your back.

E = Barbell Shrugs = 3x12 - okay you can finally use some straps, go heavy as you can on these.  It really helps stability in your bench, as well as increases your ability to lock out your deadlift.  Shoot for more weight this week.

F = One Armed Farmer Walk = 3 x 25 meters (3 for each arm) - focus on staying upright as much as possible and resisting the weight (KB or DB) pulling you down.

Cool-down = 15 minutes walking on an incline treadmill or take a walk outside.  Focus on slowing your breathing and reducing your heart rate.

Off day today.  Focus on mobility, recovery, and resting up for a big day of deadlifts tomorrow!

Previous training sessions this week:
W3D1
W3D2
W3D3

Train hard, recover hard, live hard.

Test day for bench.  We’ll be going for as many as possible on your last set.  This number will determine how much we increase your working max for the next wave in the cycle.  You should be able to get 11 or more.  Get after it!

This Week’s Previous Training Sessions:

W3D1
W3D2

Your daily workout is as follows:

Warmup:  5-10 minutes on an eliptical or treadmill.  Get your heart rate up some, break a light sweat.

Mobility Warmup
 
A = Bench Press =  1x5 @ 50% Working Max, 1x3 @ 60%, 1x1 @ 70%, 1xAMAP (As Many As Possible) @ 75%.  Record this number, you’ll need it at a later time (in 2 weeks).

B = Incline Dumbbell Press = 4x12-15.  Moving up slightly in reps, don’t go to failure on these, you should have a few reps left in the tank.

C = Dicks Press = 5x10 Another set.  Focus on keeping the elbows in.

D = Shrugs = 3x12 - heavier weight then last week, try and go up 5-10 lbs.  Remember, no rolling your shoulders.

E = Planks 3x45 sec.  If bodyweight was easy, try having someone put a plate weight on your back.  Maybe a 10, 25, 45, 100 etc. Focus on staying tight in your core and bringing that belly button towards your spine.  Do not allow your body to sink in towards the ground.

F = Scott Curls = 4x12 (going heavier than last week here) Use a weight that you can definitely get 15 reps for on the first set, but by the last set you may only be getting 10.  Notice that you set up on a preacher curl bench in the reverse manner (you’re hands drape over towards the seat).

Cooldown - 15 mins walking on a treadmill, preferably an incline.  Focus on your breathing and bring your heart rate back down to a lower level.

Foam Roll if you have one. Hit Quads, Back, Hamstrings, IT bands, Psoas, Lats - 10 rolls per side/part.

Work Capacity Session - these are truly important for your ability to do work, your ability to recover, and help minimize fat gain if adding size, and help strip fat if focusing on fat loss.

Get at it like a Viking.

A1 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters

A2 = Walking Lunges with DB held in front at chest level with both hands - 30 meters

A3 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters

A4 = Goblet Squats x 20

A5 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters

A6 = DB or kettlebell swing x 20

A7 = Farmer Walk - 30 meters (hate me yet?)

A8 = Bodyweight Squat x 20

Use an appropriate weight (I do this with 120’s for farmers and a 60 lb DB for the rest of the stuff - go as heavy as you can on farmers and then drop the weight by about 60% for your other stuff).  Try to make it through 3 complexes.  No rest until the bodyweight squats have been completed (1 complex).  Rest 2 mins between complexes.

Farmer Walk notes:  In the video they have specific farmer walk handles, you do not need these, just grab a pair of heavy dumbbells.  Ladies - don’t be afraid to push yourself, your grip is most likely going to be the limiting factor here. 

Now on to the training for today:

5-10 minutes walking on an incline treadmill.  Walk, not run.  Get to a slight sweat or as the ladies like to say “glisten”.

Mobility Warmup

A = Box Squat = 1x5 @ 50% of working max, 1x3 @ 60%, 1x1 @ 70%, 1xAMAP (As Many As Possible) @ 75%

B = Box Squat = 10x2 ^ 60% of working max, rest = 45-60 seconds between sets, no more than this! - the focus here is perfect technique.  This is why it’s only 2 reps.  At 2 reps you can absolutely make them perfect reps.  Rest is kept short to help encourage neurological adaptations.

C = 45 Degree Back Extension = 100 rep set - 100 reps in as few of sets as possible, rest kept to 30 seconds between sets.  Less sets then you did last week!

D = Shrugs = 3x8 - heavy weight as your grip will allow.  Always pull your traps straight up towards your ears.  Absolutely DO NOT roll your shoulders or bring them up then back then down.  Just up, Just down.  This will help prevent scapular retraction issues.  I mention this because I see so many people do these wrong in gyms.  Higher weight this week if you can.  

E = Side Bends = 3x10

F = Pulldown Abs = 5x10-15

Cooldown = 15-30 minutes walking - either outside, on a treadmill, or wherever.  Just bring your heart rate back down.

Notes:  For box squats, find a box that when you sit results in your knee joint being higher than your hip joint.  For those who are taller, typical gym benches may work, those of us who are shorter (me - 5’8”) should use 25 lb plates stacked up to an appropriate height.  I use six 25 lb plates stacked for my depth.  When box squatting, focus on coming down under control and not crashing into the box.

Regarding the AMAP set….Go big!  Shoot for as many as you can possible do!  Do not make these resting sets though where you sit for 10 seconds with the bar on your back and take a break.  This is continuous reps.  Everyone should be able to get 11+ if you tested properly.  Remember this number as you’ll need it for the next bloc to calculate some numbers.