Josh and Jenna like to go on courses. Jenna falls in love with the colour-coded spreadsheets and Josh likes to talk the coach’s ear off with his interesting facts. (Usually nothing to do with training. Would you expect anything else?).
Their latest adventure took them to Tom Hibbert’s squat seminar. Tom was England’s strongest man for three years and the world’s second strongest man last year (both under 90kg weight class). He can do a 160kg log clean and press and a 250kg squat (here’s him doing 3x 245 kilos). He is also incredibly shredded (no strongman belly in sight) and a very likeable and humble guy.
The day long seminar provided interesting information on programming, although most was more appropriate to athletes, much to Jenna’s disappointment:
Jenna: Could we do this one?
Josh: No
Jenna: Why?
Josh: You’ve just had knee surgery. Perhaps in six months.
Jenna: Maybe this one?
Josh: No.
Jenna: How about…
Josh: No.
This exchange did raise an interesting point. Tom explained the experiences of some of his athletes and the outcomes they achieved, or not. Programmes are periodised for a reason and those who did not follow the advice to keep the weight light at specific times consequently missed the opportunity to achieve their full potential and often incurred injuries.
Tom also shared his knowledge of people who had been squatting heavy weight for years but who failed the three basic tests he uses to assess if new clients should be squatting with any weight at all. Taking time out from squatting to build strength in these weaknesses enhanced their performance in the long term. These tests would be beneficial for everyone at Momentum no matter what their level of experience. If you do not pass the first time, be humble, put in the work to fix yourself and you will far exceed your current goals in the near future.
A high level of importance was placed on ensuring that fascia glides freely, as it should. Everyone had to use a massage tool (like Ricardo’s) before training and between every set of squats. If the three layers of fascia are clumped together it inhibits the speed that can be generated and negatively impacts performance. Add to this the news that your psoas is more likely to be tight if you have a stressful lifestyle and you realise that Ricardo is not just a pretty face with some smooth chat. Our country’s strongest man is of the opinion that tissue release is integral to becoming your super strongest self.
If you’d like to find out more you can sign up for Barbell Club. Jenna plans to incorporate Tom’s one and a quarter rep, 8 second isometric holds into class at some point. If you take the time to fix your weaknesses you will be able to gain so much more from the deep dark hole that this will dig 🙂
Archives
Heavy Metcon 1/2/2017
Do your mobility then lets get involved:
To start:
On your own 5mins
10x KB swings
10x press ups
10x KB squats
10x ring rows
In the middle:
Working in teams 4
30/30 work / rest for 36mins
Back squats @ 80%
Power cleans @ 70%
KB STOH @ 50%
Bike @ RPM >
To end:
On your own 5mins
20x KB swings
10x press ups
20x KB squats
10x Pull ups
Barbell Club 2017 – Phase 2
The focus of this month’s programme is to prepare you for next month’s German Volume Training.
The Fastest Way to Get Better At CrossFit
It’s a new year, and many of us kicked-off the year with new goals and new motivations. Is this the year when your focus on building strength, improve your conditioning, or simply become a better version of last years model? Speaking with some members in the gym, some have set the goal to be better at CrossFit with the idea of competing in competitions and pushing themselves to achieve a higher level of conditioning. However, many don’t have a plan or know the best way to reach this goal? Where do you start? (The Blue Bear Performance Training program would be a good place to start, thought I’d sneak that one in here)
The general physical demands of CrossFit make it a tricky beast to tame. Should CrossFit Athletes focus more on:
– building strength
– improving body composition
– increasing training volume
– increase training intensity (weight)
– doing more energy system training (anaerobic & aerobic conditioning)
– doing more Olympic lifting
– doing more gymnastics
– improving Vo2MAX scores
– eat more carbs
– eat fewer carbs
– getting more rest
– train twice a day
– or take some magic supplements
These are all important factors that will impact our CrossFit performance, but what is the best bang-for-your-buck when it comes to improving our athletic potential?
CrossFit Hackney training program 30/01/17 – 05/02/17 (week 5)
Week 5 of our first 9-12 week program of 2017. BOOM.
It’s week 5 and it’s time to come alive. The sun has made a showing through the crack of the front door at the arch to help lift your souls and then shattered your souls with some cold cold winds. By now you should have settled yourselves into a good routine, have an idea of what’s coming your way in classes and look to move the reps and numbers in a northerly direction. There has been a lot of work thrown at you and you seem to be sucking it all in. There isn’t going to any backing off the gas this week.
This week’s focus
Focus this week is (as always) on working hard smashing some weights but with a special thought to your posture please. One of the, if not the central, tenet of good, beneficial, effective exercise and movement is posture. We all spend far too long at desks and various devices which shortens us into a flexed position and produces tight and weak facial and muscular crosses in the body which are often referred to as cross syndromes. A great deal of the exercise we do has an emphasis on extension movement and if you’re not getting yourselves into good positions because of a tightness or a weakness something will eventually give. As well as a muscular and skeletal breakdown there are also a number of bad health markers associated with poor posture. Some simple rules: 1. Do your stretching and mobility 2. Check your seating position and get up and move around 3. Strengthen and fire weak stretched muscles (glutes and rhomboids) 4. Stretch and fire shortened weak muscles (hip flexors, hamstrings and pecs).
Strength – lifts
We are back to our Deadlifts and OH pressing for strength, the reps have come down again so the weights should be moving up slowly. We are looking for a ME on your last sets this week – if you find yourself doubling your reps you need to look at the earlier sets, are you lifting enough earlier on?
Volume – lifts
Pulls up and squats – we are after some bigger numbers on these days with some ME attempts, when you’re doing these ME please think about the form, don’t force out 2-3 extra dirty reps because you can, good reps are worth double the dirty reps and you’re less likely to get injured and, importantly, you’ll look better doing them.
Breathing / clean days
So there are some longer breathing pieces coming your way and these need to be approached with a slightly different mindset to a good old 3min bash. You need to have an understanding of where your red line limit is. The story of the Hare and the Tortoise always comes to mind when I bang on about pacing and working at a sub maximal level and there is a lesson there for us all. Start as you mean to finish: be efficient and effective.
Breathing / snatch days
As above.
…………………………………………………………………………………
Monday
Lower body – pull / push (strength) |
|
Strong |
Fit |
Warm up / MobilityLunge flow |
Warm up / MobilityLunge flow |
12min E2MOM – 6 setsA. Deadlifts 6×6,6,4,4,4,ME @3010
|
12min E2MOM – 6 setsA. Deadlifts 6×7,7,7,5,5,ME @3010
|
10min working up the ladder, +1 and +51 thruster – 45/305x DU2x thrusters10x DU |
10min working up the ladder, +1 and +51 thruster – manageable10x singles2x thrusters15x singles |
Tuesday
Upper body – pull / push (volume) |
|
Strong |
Fit |
Warm up / MobilityLunge flow |
Warm up / MobilityLunge flow |
8min E2MOM -4 setsA. BW pull ups 4x40sec ME5min – 4 setsB. Negative HSPU 4×3-4 @ 8sec eccentric8min EMOM – 8setsOdd: Dips 4xME @ 3010Even: Horizontal ring rows 4xME @2020 |
8min E2MOM -4 setsA. Negative pull ups 4xME @60105 min practiceME headstand knee to vertical / wall walks / kick ups to HSW holds8min EMOM – 8setsOdd: Dips 4xME @ 3010Even: Horizontal ring rows 4xME @2020 |
For a total of 100 press ups10x Press upsRun 200 mtrs |
For a total of 100 press ups10x Press ups / scalesRun 200 mtrs |
Wednesday
Breathing (cleans) |
|
Strong |
Fit |
Warm up / MobilityLunge flow |
Warm up / MobilityLunge flow |
18min E90sec – 8sets
|
18min E90sec – 8sets
|
3x5mins workouts
|
3x5mins workouts
|
Thursday – gymnastics
Friday
Lower body – push / pull (volume) |
|
Strong |
Fit |
Warm up / Mobility
|
Warm up / Mobility
|
8min E2MOM – 4sets
|
8min E2MOM – 4sets
|
19 L 15 L 11 L 7 L 3 L
|
19 H 15 H 11 H 7 H 3 H
|
Saturday
Upper body – push / pull (strength) |
|
Strong |
Fit |
Warm up / Mobility
|
Warm up / Mobility
|
12min E2MOM – 6 sets
|
12min E2MOM – 6 sets
|
10min Partner YGIG
|
10min Partner YGIG
|
Sunday
Breathing (snatch) |
|
Strong |
Fit |
Warm up / Mobility
|
Warm up / Mobility
|
18min E90sec – 8sets
|
18min E90sec – 8sets
|
3x5mins workouts
|
3x5mins workouts
|