Build - Dedicated strength work. With all Build sets, the goal is to get to a weight that is hard but doable for you. Meaning that for the reps, tempo and rounds, the weight you are moving is allowing for a stimulus that challenges your muscles while maintaining good technique and the biggest range of motion as possible. This does not mean that every set needs to be too or at failure, it means that you are conscientiously trying to move the most amount of weight you can, while staying within the means that you have to offer that day. Not all days are going to feel great, or be days that make sense to try and set new records. In fact spending more time building and accruing volume at loads that place a good amount of stress on the working muscles, will set you up to be able to handle more and more stress in the future. Lift hard and heavy in the present, knowing that you are building reserves for the future. Some days the deposits may be smaller and some days bigger, but you do not want to be coming in and constantly trying to make withdrawals without spending time keeping the bigger picture in mind.
Build and Charge - Interval weight training. Strength and cardio, work capacity. Equality of opportunity, not equality of outcome. There is an opportunity to finish all the work within the time frame, but there is a constraint on the amount of time to completion. Each Round should be approached with the idea of being efficient, working hard and completing the work as fast as possible, taking the entire rest and getting ready for the next round. If you finish, great, if not, it does not matter in the big scheme of things. There is no entitlement to a completion award here, we are all in a race we will ultimately not win, so the goal should not be ticking off a box that creates an illusion of competency, but rather a focus on doing the best that you can for the time required.
Grind - Threshold work. Not all work is created equal. The standards are set by completing everything to the best of your ability, full range of motion, completing all the reps. Modify the difficulty by choosing weights that push the envelope. Heavier weight up to RX is the goal, but if going RX changes the integrity at which you can perform the movements, then spending more time becoming proficient at a lighter weight is a better option. If all rounds can be performed at the same relative time to completion, then trying to go up in weight is a viable option, but if you are using weights that force you to change form, go from fast too slow, or cut reps just to finish, then it is too heavy. There are many factors that can add up to a failure in execution, maybe it is breathing, maybe it is muscular breakdown, or even a combination of other factors. Whatever the case may be, the fact remains, the finish line should not move, and the composure held under pressure should not crumble.
Sustain - Hard but not threshold. Longer efforts requiring smart pacing. Many variables come into play, and intelligent breakdown of what and where to push are very helpful when coming up with a plan on how to approach these workouts. If the pie is comprised of many pieces and all the pieces are required to finish, then using your energy wisely during each complementary slice is a feature not a bug. Analyze weaknesses and buffer them by accepting where you are, but not where you could be. Focus on improving weekly, and the compounding result will be more than you could ever wish for. It will not happen in one hour or a single week. But it will happen eventually, if diligent practice is performed. If it is not, then likely the same results will forever be rolled out in the future. Embrace the little things that do not align with your self perceived perception and use them as stepping stones to building who you could become.
Cool Downs - Hips and shoulders.
Coach
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