Warm-up:
10 Anchored squat/ hinge transition 10 Halo + extension 10 Squat (with implement) 50 Jumping jacks (touch hips/ legs at bottom, touch hands over head at top) 5 Push-up 5 Straight jump :30 sec. unweighted hinge hold
Warm-up should leave us warm, not tired; Scale accordingly, especially if just beginning training or adjusting to this style training for the first time. Range of motion, details of each movement, and bracing are all to be practiced and applied in warm-up just as they are in the training day; Attention in one leads directly to improvement in the other.
Movements linked to demonstrations in our Movement Library; Watch and refresh- Don’t guess.
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3 rounds of:
3 Press + 3/1000 hold @ top 7 Push press (1/1000 in the rack + 1/1000 arm straight overhead- each rep)
(Left side) 3 Press + 3/1000 hold @ top 7 Push press (1/1000 in the rack + 1/1000 arm straight overhead- each rep) (Right side) 3 “Panic” squat :30 sec. rest
Each press features a full, stopped, hard 3/1000 overhead. The implement starts 100% stationary each rep- no bounce, no “push”. Drive thumb to the back (do not rotate hand in) and insist on a straight wrist and straight arm in every rep. Add longer-than-designated pauses to rack and overhead to make the weight you have at your disposal as heavy as it needs to be.
Push press: Also begins from a stopped, organized rack position, but features a violent, straight-up-and-down dip-and-drive to launch the weight overhead. Legs are the main mover- arm is just the finisher.
With a lighter- yet positionally versatile- tool, the attentiveness, bracing, and violence-of-action can make or break the usefulness of any given drill.
The “Panic” squat features a hard 3/1000, down-not-up, fat-not-tall bracing prior to beginning the level-change, staying braced, pausing for another hard, minimum 3/1000 in the organized bottom position, and then driving with force and intent back to standing. Once back to standing, hold firm for enough time to secure your position, and then compose yourself for a 5/1000 before beginning the next rep.
This provides “Time under tension”, reinforces the value of “hard” vs. “soft” movement, and begins to evoke the *extremely* important “panic response” that occurs in heavy lifting, hard training, and any sort of self-defense and/ or non-gimmick martial arts training.
All standard squat mechanics apply; This strategy should insulate and improve them, not the other way around.
Then:
Squat (with implement held at chest level):
7 x 10 @ scaled to full ability
Add a braced, organized pause at the top, at the bottom, both… Add a jump at the top, straighten your arms more/ harder, adjust your stance a bit; Assess your weak and strong points, and work to improve them. If this is “easy”, you’re not looking hard enough.
Immediately following each set of squat, perform 5 also-scaled-to-full-ability push-up, and then take short, reasonable rest.
Reminder: “Scaled to ability” is not a statement that should elicit a sense of relief; Quite the opposite. It should prompt attention and effort that walks the border of safety and self-destruction. Anything less will not lead to progress.
And then:
5 x :30 sec. full-effort hollow hold
Building a bulletproof “power source” will improve all elements of your physicality- and simple, hard, non-gimmick sit-ups and holds are a sure-fire way to do so. Do not make this easy- make it the opposite; It’s the insulation for your hardest efforts.
Each day will end with varied durations of hollow hold, and the cool-down is a minimum of 25 cat/ cow stretch and 100 yd. brisk walk/ exercise bike ride/ etc.
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