July 2024 Programming Focus

We are OFFICIALLY in the second half of the training year, but before we talk about what is to come let’s reflect back on the month of June! Everyone got after our 3 Mid-Year Challenge workouts that highlighted some of the themes we will see in the second half of the year.

We also had plenty of named workouts, a test of Cali Bear, and a retest of Fran. The HSPU was our main gymnastics focus. We saw it once a week to help continue building confidence and capacity.

We also saw two GRIND workouts a week during the final month of our “Towing Capacity” cycle. This solidified our more anaerobic system, so we can now switch gears and build our aerobic system during our next phase. Lastly, we saw a barbell complex once a week to set us up for our next strength cycle that will be all about the Snatch + Clean & Jerk!

In July, our strength cycle is actually going to start in the second week of the month.

The first week of the month will see some nods for what’s to come, but the cycle won’t officially start until the following week, 8/7!

This Oly cycle will centre around the Snatch + Clean & Jerk, culminating in a 1RM test!

Week 1 will be an opportunity to build to something heavy that can be used to base percentages on for the remaining weeks…if you already have a heavy 1RM you can also use that.

From there, we will see triples, doubles, and singles leading into a deload and a 1RM test!  We will also see alternating weeks of Back Squats and Deadlifts but these are just supplemental lifts, the stars of the show are our two Oly lifts!

Our conditioning phase will switch to a focus on shorter, more explosive efforts, which means we’ll see more sprint workouts each week. The intent is to take the long-distance base we established in the last phase and now work on dialing up the intensity.

We can always stay in the “comfortable” long distance workouts, sometimes getting uncomfortable with speed is required and that's what this phase is all about! Our first benchmark, Jackie, highlights this concept perfectly! We will also see a retest of the Filthy Fifty and the classic Crossfit workout: Fight Gone Bad. The last big note for this month is a higher exposure to Pull-Ups, Chest to Bars, and Bar Muscle-Ups!

We have a busy month, so let’s get to work!      

Olympic Lifting Cycle 8/7-18/8 (Snatch + Clean & Jerk) 

• W1 - 3-3-3-2-2-1-1* (Sets of 3 in 60-70% range. Sets of 2 in 70-80% range. Sets of 1 in 80-90+% range) 
• W2 - 5x3 @ (60-70%)
• W3 - 5x2 @ (70-80%)
• W4 - 5x1 @ (80-90+%)  
• W5 - Deload 
• W6 - 1RM Snatch + Clean & Jerk 

Workout Weekly July Commitments 

• (2x/ Week) Oly Strength Cycle 
• (1x/ Week) Deadlift or Back Squat 
• (1-2x/ Week) Sprint Workouts 
• (1x/ Week) Workout of the Week or Benchmark/ Classic workout 
• (1x/ Week) Kipping PU, C2B, Bar Muscle-Up Capacity/ Focus 
• (1x/ Week) Partner Workout   
• (1-2x/ Week) FLEX-style Finishers 

THIS MONTH IN COMPETE:

June wraps up the first half of the year! Overall, we have been working on building up lower body strength with tons of Back Squatting over the previous months. We also saw quite a bit of running, biking, and rowing to build up our aerobic base.

Specifically, in June, we focused on Longer AMRAPs (20-40min) and building up to a heavy 1-Rep Back Squat. Conditioning-wise, we tested our 100 Cal Bike and finished off the month with our 1K Row test. Overall, a solid mix of strength and aerobic capacity. Here are some of the highlights from last month’s COMPETE programming… 

COMP June Highlights

• Tests → 1RM Back Squat, 100 Cal Bike, 1K Row 

• Focuses → Longer AMRAPs, Lower Body Strength, Mid-Year Challenge Prep

• Skill Development → Strict Ring Muscle-Up 

As we transition into July and our next phase, the focus will shift to building our engine in longer EMOMs, increasing power output on the cardio machines, and improving cycling capacity with the barbell. Specifically, athletes will see at least (1) EMOM in the 30-minute range each week.

Over the course of the month, these workouts will build and progress with the goal of increasing work capacity. We will also dedicate at least (1) session a week to building and testing our engine on the Row, Bike, and Ski machines. This will come in the form of more traditional cardio intervals. Lastly, we will see weekly workouts that focus on barbell cycling and test capacity in the Front Squat.

Here are our COMPETE goals for the month…

COMP Weekly July Commitments 

• (1x/week) Longer EMOMs (~30mins)

• (2-3x/week) Front Squats + Barbell Cycling

• (1x/week) Saturday Throwdowns

• (1x/week) Machine Work (Bike,Row,Ski)

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