CFH 12 Week Mesocycle 05/01/2015 – 29/03/2015

Welcome to the first CrossFit Hackney mesocycle (12weeks) of 2015.   There are a number of focuses we will be working towards in the current phase.  At CrossFit Hackney we like to have a 12-week periodized programme to make sure all of our members are working towards solid improvements and results.  Periodization is an essential part of the training if continual adaptations are to take place ie we are going to get stronger, meaner and sexier.  Far too often we hit the gym with the intention of maxing out every single day.  Press day, max out day, squat day, max out day, deadlift day max out day….  If it were that simple to get stronger we would be out of a job!   The body does not adapt to training this way.  If you want to make serious improvements in your strength we need to be focusing on quality repetitions.  This is why the programme includes recommended percentages on all major lifts. Possibly the best way of explaining this concept is to break down the training programme for a single day over the next 12 weeks.  Monday is going to be vertical pressing day for the next 12 weeks. The focus for the first 8 weeks will be to improve both the technique and the speed of overhead press.  In weeks 9-10 we will challenge the movements with an increase in intensity (weight) before attempting to establish a new max effort overhead press in weeks 11-12.

Newtons second law of motion states “The relationship between an objects mass (m), its acceleration (a), and the applied force (F) is F=ma. 

The ultimate goal of a strength athlete is to improve force production (F).  Increase weight (mass) on the bar is one way to work on force production, increasing the acceleration (a) is another way to improve strength. We have the intention to improve both technique and speed by using a weight that encourages quality repetitions.  To be honest, when working with near maximal weights, is your lifting form perfect?  No! Stop and think about this for a moment, the aim is to improve our lifting form and the speed so that the movement is perfected for weeks 11-12 when we aim to go heavy. A clever way of forcing you to lift lighter and focus on the quality repetitions and speed is to make you perform a strict movement before allowing you to recruit larger muscle groups (e.g. strict press before push-press).   Monday Weeks 1-4: The percentages will be based on your strict press to allow for quality repetitions in all parts of the pressing complex.  The bar will feel light for the push-press and the jerks, and this is the intention.  MOVE FAST!

A. PE(24): 6 Rounds of:

1 Strict Press

+1 Push-Press

+1 Push-Jerk

+1 Split Jerk

wk1: 60% of strict press

wk2: 65% of strict press

wk3: 70% of strict press

wk4: 75% of strict press

Monday Weeks 5-8: The strict press is removed and the weight will now increase slightly, the percentages will be calculated on the push-press.  The technical focus and speed practiced in the first 1-4weeks will be challenged, and the shoulders will be pre-fatigued, by the push press, before the jerks.  Speed is still the focus in these 4 weeks.

A. PE(24): 6 Rounds of:

2 Push-Press

1 Push-Jerk

1 Split Jerk

wk1: 60% of Push-press

wk2: 65% of  Push-press

wk3: 70% of  Push-press

wk4: 75% of  Push-press

Monday Weeks 9-10: This is when sh&^ starts to get heavy and the quality repetitions and technique from weeks 1-8 start to pay dividends.  If you’ve correctly followed the programming and you’ve not let your ego get the better of you, there is a good chance that these percentages will feel relatively easy.  Your newfound speed and form will be put to good use in these weeks of higher intensity.

A. PE(21): 7 Rounds of:

2 Push-Jerk

1 Split Jerk

wk1: 70% of  Push-Jerk

wk2: 75% of  Push-Jerk

  Monday Weeks 11-12: Time to put your hard work to the test.  Weeks 11 and 12 will be the climax to all your hard pressing.  Lets aim for some new PB’s in these weeks.

A. PE(8-16): 8 Rounds of:

1-2 Split Jerk

wk3: 75-85%

wk4: 85%+

  You will notice over the 12 weeks the weight will slowly increase and the total number of repetitions will decrease.  As the intensity (weight) increases, the volume (number of repetitions) will decrease.  Slow, steady periodized programming is one of the key aspects to building strength by allowing the body to adapt over time.  So be patient and put in the groundwork in the first 1-10 weeks to maximize the results in weeks 11-12. Here is the overview of the programme for the next 12 weeks.

Goals of each day: Monday Vertical Press Day: Focus on acceleration and overhead pressing form.  Build to a max effort overhead press in week 12 (as above). Tuesday Snatch Day: Limiting the range of motion in the first 4 weeks with a hang snatch with the desire to improve both the second and third pulls.  Work on the rate of force production (RFP) in the second pull and a rapid change of direction to get under the bar and stable in the bottom of the overhead squat. Wednesday Power Clean: Just like Tuesday, we will start with a mid-hang version of the power clean.  RFP is key to receiving the bar in the power clean position.  As the weeks continue there are a couple of weeks that include the Push-Jerk.  This is simply added in the early weeks to increase overhead pressing volume in line with the end goals of Monday and Saturday. Thursday Front Squat Day – this is going to be a nasty day.  3-second pause squats are a great way to build strength in the bottom of the squat, the receiving position of the clean.  They are also a lot of hard work.  If that was not tough enough, weeks 5-8 will be 1 ¼ Front Squats…. OUCH!  These suckers are a great way to build explosive strength out of the bottom of the squat, perfect for those who struggle with this when cleaning heavy weights.  Its all bout leg strength and working towards some heavy front squats in weeks 9-10. The last 2 weeks will be a deload on the front squat as Monday and Saturday will have a heavy squat focus in weeks 11- and 12. The hard work done on this day will help with the result on Saturday. Friday Bench and Pull-up Day – Its all about getting your pump on before going out on a Friday night. Chest and biceps baby!  The first 4 weeks will be working on shoulder position and the lockout portion of the bench press, say hello to the floor press. Inline with Mondays goal to improve overhead strength we will be performing 65degree Incline bench repetitions in weeks 5-8.  The incline will then drop to 45degrees as the repetitions drop and the intensity of the bench increases.  An increase in overhead pressing strength will also transfer to the bench press as the angle of the incline decreases. The pull-ups on this day will start with high repetitions (6-8) before changing to mixed grip and then heavy chin-ups in the final 4 weeks of this phase.  As the repetitions decrease over the weeks the intensity (weight) lifted will increase.  The mechanical advantage of the movement selection will also assist in the amount of weight shifted. Saturday Clean and Jerk Day: Bringing it all together!  The front squat (Wednesday) and the overhead pressing (Monday) will be put to the test with the combination of the clean and jerk today.  The first 4 weeks will work clean and push-jerk quality repetitions.  In weeks 5-6 a complex of power cleans, squat clean and split jerk will be used to limit the weight and again work through quality repetitions.  Weeks 7-10 will then be used to add the sugar and spice (get heavy).  In weeks 11 and 12 there will be a chance to max out on the clean and jerk. Sunday Gymnastics Day: A day to focus on gymnastics body weight movements and give the body a rest from the heavy lifting in the week.  Straight-arm scapular strength is the focus for this initial 4 weeks. Let the fun and games begin.  Good luck with your training over the next 12 weeks.