03.18.2019

Today we begin our Back Squat Cycle. It will last 8 weeks, and will run twice a week; Monday and Thursday. The program is designed with one progressive overload day where the weight and difficulty increases (Monday, and one maintenance day where the load and difficulty is consistent (Thursday).

Stick to the percentages in the program, and focus on how you lift, even more than how much you lift. The focus of a program like this is to make you stronger, improve your squat as a whole (strength, mechanics, and confidence in the lift), and ultimately lead to a positive outcome on re-test day. It’s a fine line between having a load that’s challenging enough and will yield a good squat session, and a load that’s too heavy, and force you to resort back to old habits.

Good training sessions lead to good patterns internalized, which leads to real, undeniable progress. If anything, scale loads back on a given day if they are too much for that day; your goal is to complete the whole program, and along the way slight modifications sometimes make all the difference.

Make sure you mobilize and stretch, especially your posterior chain and hips. Squatting above 80% twice a week for 8 weeks can be alot, but your body can handle it if you take care of yourself along the way. Stick around that extra 10 minutes after class and take care of your body; it will all show in the end.

Lastly, be sure to re fuel yourself correctly. Eating correctly is essential to making sure you recover, and are ready for the next training session. If you are not sure how to do this, ask one of your coaches; they can point you in the right direction.

Your level of success depends on the effort you put into the entire process. The squats are the stimulus, and the recovery is what will allow you to adapt, grow, and ultimately get stronger. Good luck, and happy lifting.

Warm up:

4 Rounds:

1:00 Row

Hip Flow Complex

(building progressions each minute)

then,

3 Rounds:

20 Banded X-walk (10 Left/Right)

20 Banded pull aparts

Strength:

Back Squat

Week 1, Day 1

6×3 @ 80%

Conditioning:

For Time

3 Rounds:

400m run

30 Hand release push up

20 Wall ball (20/14)

Recovery:

4:00 (2:00 L/R)

1. Couch Stretch

2. Lateral opener