Tuesday’s program called for a double dose of double explosive elements, one with a bar, one without. The ultimate goal of the workout was to remain consistently explosive not just for one rep at at a time, but two, meaning both form and power were being pushed that much harder.
A lot of similarities between Tuesday’s strength programming and the program from two months ago (“LEARN TO LET GO“), with the slight change being that instead of jumping out, now we were jumping up (and from an unloaded position). Everyone was instructed to get in a few warm-up sets of cleans before getting started on the strength portion of the nights workout. To complete a single set, perform two back-to-back cleans, followed immediately by two seated box jumps. The workout wasn’t for time, but the transition between the two should be as direct as possible. Weight for the cleans and height for the box jumps were to be increased across the working sets as comfortable (meaning once you found a weight/height you couldn’t progress beyond, stay there for the remainder of your sets).
The “back-to-back” on the cleans means with as little rest as possible in between – preferably no rest at all (in May, during the workout referenced above, we described this as “touch-and-go,” which is essentially the same concept, except any re-gripping must be done in the pocket of the waist, rather than on the ground). After the first clean, lower the bar, re-grip if needed, and then perform the next clean. If you drop the bar following the first clean, reset your feet and hands as fast as possible, and then perform the next clean. Resetting should take no more than 5 to 10 seconds. Anything more than that, and you’re performing two singles in close proximity to each other, rather than an actual double.
Doubles can really help teach you how to lift a weight without thinking about it, relying on muscle memory, good technique and explosive power to make the lift, rather than brute force and sloppy technique. They can be frustrating – you just made one lift at that weight, so you know you can do it, but without all the rest and prep time, you might miss it, etc. etc. – but they can deliver great results, and are well worth it.
To complete, perform 12 dynamic side bridges on one side, then 12 on the other side, and then roll immediately into the plank position and hold for as long as possible. Once your core gives out, rest for roughly 30 seconds, and then begin the next round. For the dynamic side bridge, start off on your side, upper-body supported on your forearm & elbow, hips off the ground, and feet stacked one on top of the other. Lower your hips to the ground, touch, and the raise them as high as you can = 1rep. To scale up, raise your feet off the ground, either by using a bumper plate or box, or try a slam ball for added instability.
If you didn’t get the chance last night, be sure to wish Trae a happy (belated) birthday!
Also, don’t forget that this Sunday’s Elements class will focus on squat mobility and warm-up (rather than our usual skill focused class) in preparation for the 1RM squat work during the 10AM class. Come ready to go heavy!
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Felt better last night.
Worked up to 2 at 110 on the cleans but couldn’t get one at 115.
Cleans are still a movement that I struggle with.
I always enjoy a core focused metcon.
Great class last night! I managed to get 2 at 110 and 1 at 115, unfortunately I couldn’t get 2 at 115. Love working on power cleans!
Loved the core work last night. Half way through the metcon Steph got the slam balls for us to use for the last 2 sets and it was a nice switch up and added challenge!
The cleans started out well, but deteriorated as I got tired and psyched myself out by going up in weight. I worked with Jen and Melissa and went from 50# to 60#. I was so close to getting 65#, but I doubted myself, and my form broke down. (I was trying to yank the bar off the floor, and also let it get in front of me.) I seem to get a mental block at some point when doing cleans, so I need to get past that. Still, 60# is up from 55# previously — 5# is a decent percentage increase at this weight.
I did mange to overcome my irrational fear of seated box jumps and made it on to the 18″ box for a few sets. Congrats to Jen and Bethany for also overcoming box jump fears.
The core work was great. I think my core strength has increased a lot, and it’s really helped me out with all movements.
I’ll be making Paleo Zucchini Muffins for Sunday — just in case anyone misses breakfast on the way to the 9:00 class. Looking forward to it!
I tried to focus on not doing my “pull, stop, pull,” routine on the cleans. I think I did okay with it last night. What I really need to do is break down and get knee pads.
I worked with Jessie and Emily who were both great. I worked up to 100lbs on the cleans. I’m going to push myself so I can get up to Andrea/Amelia territory soon.
Really looking forward to Sunday especially the mobility focused elements class. I’m gonna need it.
Took the day off today and have been watching the games all day. It’s pretty fun watching on a big screen tv.
Lovely shot of my stomach as my shirt was riding up on the clean. At least I know I kept the bar in close to my body.
I worked up to 148lbs but I forgot these were suppose to be doubles so they were more like 2 singles at that point. It also happens that I did one extra set cause I wanted to see how that weight would go.
Doing the side bridges on a med ball was so much more difficult. Than when I rested my feet on some bumpers.
Tom/Chris – thanks for the coaching points (keeping my shoulders back and torso more upright esp during the initial pull). I definitely started feeling better power transfer. Need to practice more….
Worked up to 225lbs on the cleans, but some of the reps were sloppier than ideal.
Oh, and Happy B-day Trae!
Hit 2 at 110 and 1 at 115 just like Andraea! That was a major accomplishment for me. Also loved watching Amelia and MC push themselves hard as well.
Have been watching games intensely and cannot wait to watch some more!!!!
Also, Mark, that is SO BADASS! Seriously impressive!
Worked up to 225 which was a PR, but form was not ideal. The box jumps were also a PR for me, but not sure how high it was. Looking forward to Sunday!
Fun stuff, and some great improvement. Remember, the key to olympic lifts is SPEED! Grinding through slow lifts won’t get you farther in the long run. Make sure the bar accelerates and the elbows turn over as fast as possible.