Bike erg setup tips ( VIDEO )

B) (optional) Hip Recovery Flow, 30-minutes (VIDEO)
Follow along (pause the video where needed if you’re still learning the sequence) to give your hips some love.

SESSION #2 – FRONT SQUAT (3RM) / STRICT PULL UP (2RM) / GYMNASTICS

PRE-SESSION MOBILITY PREP
A. Squat Flow (5-minute VIDEO)
B. Hip – Flexion (VIDEO)
C. Shoulder – Front Rack (VIDEO)

#1 – STRENGTH

A) Front squat – Build up to a 3RM for the day

B) Strict pull up – Build up to a 2RM for the day

Note (pull up). This is palms facing away from you as you would do for kipping pull-ups (= NOT a chin up)

#2 – GYMNASTICS

A) Handstand hold – Max freestanding handstand hold
* You must stay within a 4 x 4’ (1.2×1.2m) area for the hold to count
** You can take as many attempts as you like

Option. If you don’t yet have a freestanding, try, even if your time would only be a few seconds

B) Ring muscle up
Max unbroken set
+
Continue straight into 30 reps for time*
* Your max set counts towards the 30 reps.

Time cap. 10-minutes

OPTION (B). If you don’t yet have ring muscle-ups, do the following instead
@ 0:00 – 1:00 – Ring support hold (top of dip), max hold
@ 1:00 – 2:00 – Ring support hold (bottom of dip), max hold
@ 2:00 – 3:00 – Strict Ring dip, max unbroken set

C) Push up, with a running clock
@ 0:00 – 1:00 – Push ups, max unbroken set
@ 1:00 – 3:00 – Push ups, max reps in 2-minutes

Rest as much as wanted between A, B and C.

Cool Down

A) Elbow/Shoulder flow (2-minute VIDEO)

SESSION NOTES #1 – STRENGTH

Today brings you an opportunity to test your 3RM front squat and 2RM strict pull-up. As we haven’t done any specific peaking for this test and just finished the Open, it is useful to think about it as testing for your “training max” that can be used for % based work in the upcoming programming.

Use your warm-up wisely to build up the best possible mechanics for your heavier lifts. The best way to prepare for the heavier lifts depends on how you are as an athlete. Some will benefit from more warm-up sets (lighter athletes in general) and some will burn out before the heavy lifts if doing too much volume (heavier athletes in general). Find the best way for yourself to prepare for your lifts and take note of it for future use.

FRONT SQUAT
As this is the first movement of the session, take your time to warm up and be ready.

Approach each warm-up lift like you would your 3RM attempts. Pay attention to your setup, trunk/front rack position and bar path. Brace your core/midline (through the whole repetition), control the way down and explode your way up. Take each repetition as a single with a short pause at the top before the next repetition. If you will use a belt, start wearing it in the warm-up by the latest @ 80%1RM.

Examples below assume that you have done your general warm-up with an empty barbell and then have built up to 50%1RM. Build up in a way that feels logical to you, the %s are reference points, don’t follow them blindly. You should approach your warm-up with a goal 3RM in mind and work backwards from there.

Example #1 (bigger jumps). (all % based on previous 1RM)
1 x 8 @ 50%, 1 x 5 @ 60-65%, 1 x 3 @ 75-80%, 1-2 x 1-2 @ 82-85%, 1-3 attempts at a new 3RM @ 88+%.

Example #2 (smaller jumps). (all % based on previous 1RM)
1 x 8 @ 50%, 1 x 6 @ 60-65%, 1 x 5 @ 67.5-72.5%, 1 x 3-4 @ 75-80%, 1-3 x 1-2 @ 80-86%, 1-3 attempts at a new 3RM @ 88+%.

STRICT PULL UP
Your nervous system should be pretty amped up from the squats at this point. The warm-up should be shorter than for the squats and mainly focused on general shoulder warm-up, followed by ramping up of the load. Make sure to sip on a carb mix (or your sports drink of choice) to keep the energy levels high.

In general, for pull-ups, it’s best to start with a short set or two (3 – 5 reps) at BW then take fairly big jumps, doing 2s and 1s as you build towards your 2RM weight. You should do more warm-up sets and slower progression if this works better for you.

We recommend you use a belt with KBs or plates hanging from it instead of squeezing a DB between your thighs (more secure and can focus more on the pull up itself).

Example #1 (aiming for 30kg/65lbs).
1 x 5 @ BW, 1 x 3 @ 10kg, 1 x 2 @ 15kg, 1 x 2 @ 20-22.5kg, 1 x 1 @ 25kg, 1-3 attempts at a new 2RM