7.16.18 - 7.20.18

Monday 7.16.18 

Double Unders

Paint Brushes

It is common to see athletes who have some double unders, but not large sets, do a really good job of spinning the rope with their ropes. However, what direction athletes direct the hands is almost more important than the spin itself. What often happens is the flick of the wrist happens as the hands and the shoulders move back, bringing the rope closer to the middle of the foot. This increases the likelihood of tripping up quite a bit. Athletes can pretend that they have two wet paint brushes in their hands. Keeping the shoulders and hands forward and unmoving, they want to direct the water forward. If the hands and shoulders stay in one spot as they spin the rope, the lower body can better coordinate with where the rope is.

Movement Prep

:15 Seconds Single Under Wrists Rotations*
:15 Seconds Quick Single Unders
:15 Seconds Double Under Wrist Rotations* 
:15 Seconds Double Unders Practice

*Rope in front of body. Just moving hands and handle, not rope.

Movement Substitutions

Single Unders

Back Squat & Front Rack Reverse Lunges

Midline

Looking to create a rock solid foundation for both of these movement by dialing in the midline and feet. Having a strong and stable base is important when trying to move heavier weights. Rather than wearing a belt, athletes can look to create their own belt by learning how to properly stabilize their core. Where your ribs stop, your spine is only supported by the musculature around it. Athletes can complete what is called the “valsalva maneuver” to help increase the pressure within the abdominals, helping the musculature support the spine and discs. Before athletes squat down or step back, they will take a big breath in through the belly (not chest) and lock it down. The benefit comes through holding this breath through the most difficult portion of the lifts. When athletes feel like they have gotten through the “sticking point” of the lift, that is where they breathe out and repeat for the next lift. This maneuver is not recommend for athletes who are pregnant, elderly, or who have high blood pressure.

Feet

The feet are the base of the pyramid. The stronger we are here, the better balance and mechanics athletes will showcase. In the back squat and the lunge, especially the front rack, the weight always wants to shift athletes forward onto their toes and towards the inside of the foot. Athletes have the really fight to keep the whole foot in contact with the ground, keeping the big toes, pinky toes, and heels in contact with the ground throughout. When trying to balance on a single leg, athletes can really feel their feet, as they are fighting to maintain balance.

Back Squat Movement Prep

5 Pausing Air Squats
5 Valsalva Air Squats
5 Valsalva Back Squats

Front Rack Reverse Lunge Movement Prep 

:20 Seconds Single Leg Balance (Right Leg) 
:20 Seconds Single Leg Balance (Left Leg) 
5 Bodyweight Reverse Lunges (Each Leg) 
3 Valsalva Front Rack Reverse Lunges (Each Leg)

Tuesday 7.17.18

AbMat Sit-ups & Row

Head Up

In the finish position of the sit-up and catch position of the row, it is common to see the shoulders and upper back rounded forward. As athletes sit-up off the ground and travel back towards the catch, reaching their head up towards the ceiling will bring their shoulders down and back into a more neutral position.

AbMat Sit-up Movement Prep

Establish Finish Position
5 AbMat Sit-ups

Row Movement Prep

Establish Catch Position
:30 Seconds Rowing

Russian Kettlebell Swings

Chest Angle

The more aggressive athletes are with extending their hips, the more upright their chest can remain during the swing. Less folding over means a faster cycle time, getting the heavy kettlebell out of the hands sooner. It also helps minimize midline fatigue, making for better sit-ups and rowing.

Arms Parallel

The finish position for the Russian Kettlebell swing is arms parallel to the ground. If athletes are able to get a good hip pop, the bell will feel weightless as it reaches this position. This weightless moment is a great opportunity to relax the hands, as grip will likely become a factor with rowing and heavier swings back to back.

Movement Prep

With lighter weight:
5 Kettlebell Deadlifts
5 Hip Pops
5 Russian Kettlebell Swings

Wednesday 7.18.18

Thrusters & Overhead Squats

Balance

In both of these movements, we are looking the bar to stay positioned over the middle of the foot throughout the range of motion. The overhead squat likely provides more of a positional issue for athletes than the thruster. To really feel out this balance and where the bar should be, we’ll perform some overhead squat therapy with a PVC pipe within two uprights on the rig. Athletes will buddy up and share two posts. With both ends of the PVC pipe pressed against the rig, athletes will try and maintain contact as they descend into the squat. The more the feet are in line with the posts, the more it will resemble a true overhead squat. Athletes will complete three slow repetitions on the coach. 1 minute total before switching! 10 Seconds Down, 5 Second Pause, 5 Seconds Up.

Overhead Squat Movement Prep

PVC Squat Therapy – 3 Repetitions (10 Down, 5 Pause, 5 Up)

:30 Seconds PVC Overhead Squats

5 Pausing Overhead Squats

Thruster Movement Prep

3 Pausing Front Squats
3 Strict Press

3 Push Press
3 Thrusters

Thursday 7.19.18

Row

Relax the Arms

An early arm bend on the rower is a warning sign that the athlete will also bend their arms early on the power cleans. This arm bend across both movements will cause excess muscle fatigue and put a ceiling on how much work can get done. Relaxing the arms will allow athletes to drive as much as possible with the legs and accumulate calories quicker.

Chest Up

Relating the row to the power cleans again, looking for athletes to maintain an upright chest in the catch position. If they round forward on the rower, they are also likely to do so at the bottom of the power cleans, limiting breathing and putting extra demand on the lower back.

Burpee Box Jump Overs

Pop, not Push

Pushing the body up out of the burpee like in a push-up and then jumping the feet up will excessively fatigue the arms. Popping up out of the bottom instead of pushing-up out of the bottom will allow athletes to move more consistently through this movement.

Different Gears

There can be a few different gears of the burpee box jump overs based on how much time is left in the workout. The slower gear involves a step-up out of the burpees into a jump up and over the box. The faster gear entails a quick jump up and over the box. With a short amount of time left in each AMRAP, the second option will most likely be the best option. However, having both gears in the tank will be beneficial during the workout.

Movement Prep

3 Frog Hops
3 Burpees
10 Small Hops
10 Tall Hops
3 Step-ups (each side) 
3 Box Jumps
3 Burpee Box Jump Overs

Power Cleans

Bend

When cycling the barbell, it is common for athletes to reach towards the ground when making contact at the bottom of each repetition. In this position, the hips commonly stay high as the shoulders drop down. This movement pattern results in athletes pulling more with the back, rather than driving off the ground with the legs. At the bottom, athletes can bend the knees to get the bar to track over the loops of the laces with a vertical shin and upright chest.

Movement Prep

3 High Hang Power Cleans
3 Hang Power Cleans

6 Power Cleans

Touch all 3 weights, then put opening weight on the bar for a practice round.

Friday

 

Rope Climb

Toes

No matter what rope climb technique athletes choose to utilize, the foot lock with always remain the most important aspect of the movement. One way to ensure that the feet do not slide and set athletes back in their progress up the rope is to point the toes up when ascending. If the foot is flexed and the toes are up, the rope can remain securely pinned against the body. The time where it is appropriate to point the toes down (and spread the feet apart) is when descending the rope. The more aggressive the point or distance between the feet, the faster athletes will descend.

Clamp – Stand – Reach

It is common on the rope climb to see the right things happen, but in the wrong order. What often happens is athletes clamp their feet, but try to pull themselves up with the arms and stand with the legs at the same time. Rather than using the arms to pull the body weight up, athletes can think about clamping the the feet, standing all the way up with the legs, and finally reaching the arms to full extension overhead.

Movement Prep

3 Foot Locks
2 Foot Lock + Stand + Reach
1 Rope Climb

Movement Substitutions

Seated Rope Pulls (2:1 Ratio) 
1/2 Rope Climbs (2:1 Ratio) 
Pull-ups (5:1 Ratio) 
Ring Rows (5:1 Ratio)

Dumbbell Push Press

Dip

It is common to see a very deep dip in the push press. While a deeper dip may get more legs involved, it could cause the torso to lean forward or the heels to come off the ground. Thinking shallow and powerful today. To initiate the dip, athletes will slightly unlock the knees by driving them out, followed by an aggressive drive upward.

Finish

In the finish position, the elbows will track closely to the ears with the weight balanced right over the middle of the foot and the belly tight. Holding this position will get athletes familiar with the end range of the push press.

Movement Prep

With lighter weight

Establish Dip Position
15 Second Dip Position Hold

5 Dumbbell Strict Press

15 Second Finish Position Hold

5 Dumbbell Push Press

Wreck Bag Run

Lean

When a weight is on our back and we are moving forward, there is the tendency to want to lean forward at the hips. However, a break at the hips puts a great deal of strain in the lower back and compresses breathing. Rather than leaning at the hips, leaning at the ankle keeps the body in line and uses gravity to assist in the run.

Breathe

Even if we are in a perfect position here, breathing will still be more challenging due to the extra weight on our backs. This means that athletes really must focus on getting full breath in and a full breath out. For those who are used to taking shallow breaths in through the chest, this will be a good time to practice deep belly breathing. The weight almost forces athletes into learning to breathe the correct way.

Movement Prep

50 Meter Wreckbag Run