STRENGTH – RPT Block

PUSH MOVEMENT – Standing SAKB OHP
– Warm-up weight x 6 (R/L)
– Warm-up weight x 6 (R/L)
– Heaviest set x 4-6 (R/L)
– Drop weight by ~10% from heaviest set x 6-8 (R/L)
– Drop weight by ~10% from second set x 8-10 (R/L)

PULL MOVEMENT – SAKB Kroc Row
– Heaviest set x 6-8 (R/L)
– Drop weight by one KB size (2-4kg) from heaviest set x 8-10 (R/L)
These should be powerful, yet controlled.

Rest 1 minutes between warm-up sets; 2 minutes between all others.

Aim for 1 rep more than you got the last time you did these movements – even if you have to grind it out! If you have the ability to make smaller jumps in weight with a plethora of KBs at your disposal, go up by 2kg if you made it to the end of the rep range. Otherwise, just aim for +1 reps on each set.

You can also swap out KBs for DBs and go up/down incrementally. You get the drift. Just lift heavier and/or for more reps!

METCON – 8 RNFT – “Lots Overhead”

10 SADB hang snatch
8 SADB thrusters
6 SADB OH walking lunge
4 DPU no-jump burpees
Rest 30 seconds

Rx: 50/25# DB

Alternate sides each round. For every drop of the DB, you must perform 6 KB goblet squats (24/16kg) at the end of the workout in one set – added up as a collective whole. If you’re doing this workout with a partner, go in sync for all movements. If you’re quicker than your partner slow down a bit, and if you’re slower than your partner, punch the gas a bit more – simplest way to do this is to choose the right weight.

Post round times & weight used in the comments.

STRENGTH – RPT Block

PUSH MOVEMENT – Barbell Push Press
– Warm-up weight x 6
– Warm-up weight x 6
– Heaviest set x 4-6
– Drop weight by ~10% from heaviest set x 6-8
– Drop weight by ~10% from second set x 8-10

PULL MOVEMENT – DxKB Row-Row Sumos
– Heaviest set x 6-8
– Drop weight by one KB size (2-4kg) x 8-10
For these you will perform one row with the right KB, one row with the left, then pick both up as a DxKB deadlift. Keep the KBs between your feet – you’ll have a slight sumo deadlift stance when doing these.

Rest 1 minutes between warm-up sets; 2 minutes between all others.

METCON – EMOM 12 Minutes

Minute 1: 40 seconds max SADB alt. clean & press*
Minute 2: 40 seconds max air squats**
Minute 3: 40 seconds max DxKB burpee deadlifts
Minute 4: 40 seconds max HRPU

Repeat 2 more times for the 12 minutes total.

Rx: 50/25# DB & 24/16kg KB

*Make sure to do STRICT presses – not push press/jerks.
**Once your feet are planted, they should not move until 40 seconds is over! No picking up toes or shuffling stances. Glue your heels and toes to the ground!

Post reps for each round in the comments like such:

M1: 14/11/12
M2: 32/26/26
M3: 14/12/12
M4: 18/14/14

STRENGTH – RPT Block

PUSH MOVEMENT – Incline DB Bench
– Warm-up weight x 6
– Warm-up weight x 6
– Heaviest set x 4-6
– Drop weight by ~10% from heaviest set x 6-8
– Drop weight by ~10% from second set x 8-10

PULL MOVEMENT – (Weighted) Strict Pull-Ups
– Heaviest set x 6-8
– Drop weight by ~10% from heaviest set x 8-10
If you cannot yet do 10 bodyweight pull-ups, focus on doing 2 sets of AMAP using bodyweight only.

Rest 1 minutes between warm-up sets; 2 minutes between all others.

METCON – 4 RNFT – “Grip’s Gone”

8 alt. SADB snatch
120 ft. DxKB farmer’s walk
8 DxDB push press
120 ft. DxKB farmer’s walk
8 American KB swings
Rest 90 seconds

Rx: 50/25# DBs and 32/24kg KBs

These rounds should be quick, but with a focus on good form. If done with a partner, do I Go, You Go format – you work while they rest and vice versa.

Post round times and weight used in the comments.

Primer: Today begins a new strength block with an emphasis on Reverse Pyramid Training (RPT) for strength. Traditionally, when a pyramid rep scheme is used for strength training you move from more reps at lighter weight to fewer reps at a lower weight with your top set being last; with RPT you do the…uh…reverse DUH!

Essentially you perform 2 warm-up sets, then go for your top set, reduce weight a little and go for a few more reps, reduce even further and go for even more.

For the next 6 weeks, we’ll be doing an RPT-focused strength progression and keep it real simple with one push and one pull movement per workout.

You will progress within the same movements by first adding more reps before you add more weight – i.e. if your top set for incline DB bench is 70 lbs. for 5 reps, you would should for 6 reps on the next workout where incline bench is involved.

Once you hit the end of a rep range for a given movement, then you may add weight, but you will need to reduce the reps – i.e. once you get to 70×6 for incline bench, the next workout you would aim for 75×4.

Each workout will tell you the rep range for the RPT sets. You just simply need to track how many reps you hit at a given weight for each set.

On a personal note: This method is what has helped me to gain the most strength (and size) consistently over the last 10 years that I’ve been lifting.

P.S. If you’re still confused about RPT, Google it.

STRENGTH – RPT Block

PUSH MOVEMENT – Standing SAKB OHP
– Warm-up weight x 6 (R/L)
– Warm-up weight x 6 (R/L)
– Heaviest set x 4-6 (R/L)
– Drop weight by ~10% from heaviest set x 6-8 (R/L)
– Drop weight by ~10% from second set x 8-10 (R/L)

PULL MOVEMENT – SAKB Kroc Row
– Heaviest set x 6-8 (R/L)
– Drop weight by one KB size (2-4kg) from heaviest set x 8-10 (R/L)
These should be powerful, yet controlled.

Rest 1 minutes between warm-up sets; 2 minutes between all others.

METCON – 5 RNFT – E3M

8 DxKB jerk
30 second DxKB rack hold
8 DxKB row-row sumos

Rx: 24-32/16-24kg KBs

These rounds should be complete by no later than the 2:00 mark of each round. Feel free to go a bit heavier if you’re getting done around 1:30 on each round. This isn’t an all out blitz. The goal is time under tension – hence the isometric KB holds.

Post round times and weight used in the comments.

METCON – 5 RNFT – AMRAP 3:REST 1

3 DxDB devils press
Run 40 yds/120 ft.
12 alt. SADB snatch
Run 40 yds/120 ft.
6 KB taters
Run 40 yds/120 ft.
(12 burpees)
(Sprint 120 yds/360 ft.)

Rx: 35/20# DBs for devils press; 50/25# DB for snatch; 24-32kg KB for taters

AMRAP 3:Rest 1 means you do as much work as you can in 3 minutes, then rest for a full minute; that’s one round – you’ll do 5 rounds in total. When beginning a new AMRAP, start where you left off at the end of the previous one.

An additional setup option would be to do this on a football field with the devils press DBs at one end, the snatch DB on the 30 yd mark, and the KB on the other 30; optional for Rx+ would be 12 burpees at the other end of the field plus a sprint back to the finish then 90 seconds of rest; if not doing Rx+ simply run to the end of the football field and then walk back to the start and begin the next round.

If doing the football field setup, the 3:1 work:rest ratio does not apply – use the distance of the football field for rest or the time length as given.

Your score is the total amount of rounds completed by the end of the 5th AMRAP.

Post round times and weight used in the comments.

STRENGTH – ANTAGONIST SUPERSETS

4 RNFT – E2M
– 8 DxDB incline bench
– 8R/8L SADB Kroc rows

METCON – 4 RNFT – E4M

16 Russian KB swings
8 SADB clean & jerk (R)
4 SADB OH walking lunge (R)
16 Russian KB swings
8 SADB clean & jerk (L)
4 SADB OH walking lunge (L)

Rx: 50+/25+# DBs and 32+/24+kg KBs

Walking rest between rounds – KEEP. MOVING. Some of you will be able to breeze through with the minimum Rx weight – so go heavier. You’re looking to have 60 seconds of rest between rounds at most.

Post round times and weight used in the comments.

METCON A – 8 RNFT

Burpee
SAKB dead snatch
SAKB thruster

All three movements performed in succession is one rep; one round is 5 reps on the right then 5 reps on the left. Rest 60 seconds between rounds.

METCON B – 4 RNFT

30 seconds max SAKB clean & jerk (R)
30 seconds max SAKB clean & jerk (L)
60 seconds rest

Rx: 24/16+kg KBs

Rest 3 minutes between METCONs

Post round times and weight used for METCON A, and max reps for each round (R/L) for METCON B, in the comments.

ENDURANCE – 8 RNFT

Run 400m @ 80% effort
Rest 60 seconds

These are not 400m sprints, but they’re also not pleasureful jogging. Build the engine.

Post 400m times in the comments.

Primer: Today is one of the select few days that barbells will be used. While I don’t program them in a lot, I do believe they are useful and I will occasionally do barbell work – most of the time I avoid it due to prior injuries. But sometimes you just gotta getcha some!

STRENGTH – TIMED LOWER/UPPER PUSH

EMOM 8
– Even: 4 barbell back squats @ 70% of 1RM
– Odd: 4 barbell push press @ 70% of 1RM

The goal here is quick and controlled movement with little prep time for the next. It’s not quite a METCON, but your lungs will definite be pumpin’ – just like dem quads and arms.

METCON B – EMOM 16

Minute 1: 30 seconds max DB bench
Minute 2: 30 seconds max alt. SADB snatch
Minute 3: 30 seconds max DPU burpees
Minute 4: 30 seconds max American KB swings

Rx: 50/25+# DBs and 24/16+kg KBs

Rest 4 minutes between Strength and METCON.

Post weight used for Strength, and reps complete and weight used for METCON in the comments.