Ugh, straight sets. Same weight for multiple sets in a row, so boring! Oh wait, maybe it’s not boring, we got a wrinkle that will make you think whoa this is not boring! It's called Post Fatigue, and just when you thought you knew what feeling uncomfortable felt like - you are going to realize that you are going to feel a whole new way around being uncomfortable!
Read MoreFrom a high level Back Off Sets are a way of saying ‘not so fast’. You are cruising through this workout, feeling good the first 4 sets with a lowered rep scheme. You are thinking you got it all figured out. But then, BAM, fuck, the reps double and that feeling you once had is gone. You instantly feel absolute misery.
Read MoreWhat is a descending pyramid and why are we going to use this protocol with Strength? Before we go into that, let’s recap some principles of training.
Read MoreWell, here we go again. You did not ask for this, but you are still going to get it!
This is the ultimate protocol for complete muscle fiber destruction. This brings on an important question, why would we want to destroy muscles?
Because we can. Since we can destroy muscles, we therefore have to destroy muscles. The meaning behind training, and probably life, is that when we have the opportunity to do something like this, it means we have to do it. This is the burden of ambition. We are aware of what we could be when we understand what we have to do. We may have a goal of looking better or feeling better, but that's not the meaning of training. We train because we seek shared experiences and that is forged in the eternal flames of complete muscle destruction.
Read MoreRemember this block because this will be our first foray into a set and rep protocol that is not based on 5s or 10s with our Strength program.
First, I want to break down why we focus on the exercise selection over the set and reps for our Strength Class. There is a reason behind someone being in Strength. That reason is because of some biomechanical issues such as pain, asymmetry, or limited experience with resistance training. Since the premise of why someone is in Strength is biomechanic in nature, we focus on the biomechanical input which is exercise selection.
Read MoreWe got a classic set and rep scheme this month, the Pyramid protocol. Based on the concept that reps and intensity are inversely proportional, we will ramp up in weight and ramp down the weight for that exercise. So as the reps go down, the weight increases. As the reps increase, the weight decreases.
Read MoreThe Chinese Calendar Says that 2024 is the Year of the Dragon. We have been waiting for this for a long time.
2024’s Strength Periodization (the annual plan) can be best characterized as “aggressive”.
We got in the lab and we cooked up something that will destroy every muscle in your body every four weeks for the next fifty-two weeks. A big question is why? Let's talk about it.
We have some really strong Strength members, that is a paradox of training. There is an adage in S&C “it is not easier, you are just stronger”.
Read MoreNew year, same ol brutally hard work and dedication. 2024 is not special, it will still come down working your ass off as violently towards a goal. Ok Let's talk about Block 1.
If I were to characterize this month as something, it would be setting a baseline.
What is our level of strength, body composition, and overall fitness? We have so many things we want to dive into: current body composition (fat mass, lean muscle mass), relative strength (KPI neutral grip pullup, KPI bench), overall strength (3RM front squat, 3RM neutral grip pullup, and 3RM trap bar deadlift), and as always our jump, eccentric hamstring strength, and grip strength.
Read MoreInstead of talking about sets & reps, I want to talk about exercise selection for this last block of 2023.
The big focal point of Strength is can incredible results come from exercises with a larger governor?
What produces an outcome? Load is not the primary driver. Work, tension, training density, and training frequency are more responsible than load for adding muscle and burning fat.
Read MoreThere are a couple of ways we can do this protocol. One being a superet working from heavy to light of a muscle group or motor pattern. The other is a reverse pyramid. Both are brutally hard, but for this block we are working 6, 12, 24 as a reverse pyramid and here's why.
Read MoreGet ready this is going to be a bumpy ride! We got 10s!
This block is about higher volume work. We added another twist by incorporating at least one single leg exercise (Reverse Lunge, Split Stance Single Arm Row, Split Stance Single Arm Deadlift) within each series. What this does is increase the metabolic demand.
Read MoreWhat is El Diablo? What does El Diablo mean? How will El Diablo change me for the better?
The answer to all these questions is YES.
In the weight room, El Diablo is 6 sets of 6 reps with a 6-second eccentric. But that’s not actually what it is. El Diablo is an Allegiate right of passage.
We have a couple of flagship programs we run every 18-24 months. You can imagine the feeling of excitement and joy when people when they saw 6-sec eccentric for 6 reps for the first time. That almost doubled in excitement and joy when they re
Read MoreBack on that 5x5 program. If you have been with us, you are probably familiar with that set & rep protocol. Why are we circling back to a similar set and rep scheme? Familiarity builds confidence and competence, unlocking better results.
Motor learning is not an easy subject to unpack but I’ll try. One of the most important aspects of motor learning is the presence of pain. Pain during movement will take precedence no matter how much we try to avoid letting it. This is a huge part of our screen “do you have any injuries or pain?” is the first question we ask everyone. The reason why is that you will always compensate during movement to avoid pain if you are in pain.
Read MoreThis October is going to be absolutely terrifying with volume - it's time for GVT. Kind of thinking we go Rob Zombie for a month, or GWAR, it's been a long time since we hit a month of a one band! Feel like if we are going to go all in on terrifying set and rep schemes in the same month as Halloween, we should go for the music as well.
Read MoreWe are hitting 4x8 with a 2/4/1/0 tempo. So do some quick math, we got 8 reps with a 7 seconds per rep - that's 56 seconds. That is a long time to be under tension. But there is more to this story. We are going to add a pause in a contracted position during each rep. That one small detail is going to make a world of difference in how challenging this will feel.
Read MoreDynamic effort is a strategy to teach ‘intent’ with lifting. Intent is our focus during the movement. In our tempo scheme, we rarely talk about the third number: concentric. Concentric is overcoming a portion of a lift such as standing out of the hole during a squat. Whenever you see the letter X, that denotes explosive. The idea is to push as hard as you can during the concentric portion of the lift. But there is a problem with explosive concentric, we eventually have to slow it down.
Read MoreFor those of you who do not know the history of 5x5, it comes from a legend in Strength & Conditioning named Bill Starr. Why 5x5 was so impactful was because it touched on a really important aspect of having enough volume to stimulate muscle growth while at the same time having enough intensity to develop strength.
Read MoreWe have used Wave Loading a ton before just not with an Accumulation Block. Which should be both scary and exciting. It is scary based on us being able to recruit more motor units and stress more muscle fibers leading to more fatigue and soreness. It is exciting based on being able to recruit more motor units and stress more muscle fibers leading to more muscular development from our time spent.
Read MoreWe’re launching a new class called Practice 4 for all members and trials. Practice 4 combines elements of our Allegiate Hypertrophy and Allegiate Conditioning classes into one class. If your goal is to gain muscle, lose weight, improve body composition, improve performance, or add variability to your Team and Strength classes – Practice 4 is for you.
Read MoreFor the Allegiate Strength Program this month, we got a doozy on our hands: 4x10 with a 3/0/1/0 tempo. Coming off 5x5 with a 4/0/4/0 tempo, anything will feel easier. But that will be short-lived with the pure volume of a block like this.
Exercise-wise we got back to our base rotation of movements:
P1 Front Foot Elevated Split Squat
P2 DB Neutral Grip Bench
P3 KB Deadlift