It’s fall y’all! How are those squats feeling so far?! Toward the end of the month we will be coming to the end of our beloved squat cycle. The month will consist of two weeks of high volume days, a deload week(ahhh), and a max out day(whooohoooo)! The max out day is planned with percentages ending at a whopping 103% single, BUT if you’re feeling good and there’s still time, see what happens.
REMEMBER: Your training max is NOT your 1RM(1 rep max). Your training max for high volume programs such as this is 90% of your 1RM. Lifting these weights with good form is always number one. If your form is breaking, it’s too heavy. Period.
You’ll notice that shoulder press is being introduced this month with a super set of weighted (or unweighted/assisted) dips depending on your current level. There’s a great balance on shoulder press day’s with some back accessory tossed into the mix to really build up that shoulder stability and overall health. We are sneaking in that strict gymnastics strength building! Building a foundation of strict movements such as pull ups/ring rows will help us perform better in our kipping movements and keep our shoulders happy. Accessories are successories!
At the end of this month we will retest our back squat and into the month of December we will retest our shoulder press to see if there has been a strength improvement! Let’s see those PR’s! If not, don’t fret, improved stability and overall shoulder health are also a huge benefit to these programs.
Side note: The CrossFit Open is approaching in the next few months and we want to make sure we are going into it with a new foundation of strength across all areas. In metcons you will see more of similar muscle groups being worked. This will help you build muscular endurance and also allow you perform larger sets in the future.
Keep in mind that you need not always go for heavy weights! That’s not the point of the levels OR the point of the metcons. For the next few months, let’s focus on form and technique to build our muscular endurance rather than trying to go 0 to 100 every day. Diminishing return is a thing and you should be performing metcons at 70% most days rather than an all out 100% sprint. Test days are sprints. Every other day is maintenance and slow building.
