Off season training for athletes that have the skills and are ready to go to the next level with them.

Muscle ups, pistols, rope climbs, HSPU in all varieties, HS walking, CTB chin-ups, TTB, barbell complexes, ring dips.  All of these things belong in the trick bag that the competitive CF athlete has to have in their arsenal to compete at the next level.  The reality of the situation is that not only do they need to have them but they also need to be able to a fuck ton of reps at each one.  Over the years we have seen workouts organized at the regional level that have a large number of repetitions.  For example this years 5 round deficit HSPU workout, the chipper workout with ONE HUNDRED GHD SITUPS, and the 15 MU ascending clean workout.

A very large group of athlete just need to refine the movement and gain exposure through repetition and density of the specific movement to become better at the skill.  What happens after the athlete does this? Just have them do more MU work? This just doesn’t always work.

It is time to assess the situation.  For example below is a female athlete that has a priority of upper pushing strength.  She is a very skilled and athletic athlete that has the movements down.  High rep strict deficit HSPU and MU’s in large numbers are good but not yet great.

Sometimes going to a cycle where the skills are touched but not hammered every day has a great affect.  If you have ever worked with metal you have to heat, move forward then go back and reheat to continue to make sure the piece you are working with can bend and you can mold the metal into the desired form/art.  Just because we have taken MU density, rope climbs, and long HS walks to a minimum for a bit doesn’t mean they won’t get better. In this cycle a priority has been placed for upper push and pull strength and as you can see there is a hypertrophic theme with the upper push and some pull.  The skills are still involved but not the priority at the moment.  The priority is to build muscle endurance and absolute strength while still touching the skills with the torch to they don’t get cold and require a lot of work once the cycle is over. So the shape can take form for the athlete just like the metal..

As the athlete stays patient and follows the design they start to see that they are capable of new strength numbers and ease of body weight movement with increased muscle endurance.  When the cycle makes the intricate shift to skill density they may feel a little rusty but as this shift in design takes its course we have an athlete with a new skin that is capable of the next level to their fitness journey for the density that is demanded of athletes in the sport.

The cycle is hard for some athletes to accept as its not the sexiest thing they have ever seen or done but this is truly a path that most athletes may or may not accept but can benefit from greatly!

Below is an example of two workouts in one week.  These are priority days and have a training day and and off day between them.

Priority day 1
AM
Row 6k easy pace
+
MobilityPM
A. push press from blocks or rack build to a max
B. 80% of A emom – 1-2 rep push press drop to blocks each rep – 12mins
C. 75% of A every 30sec 1rep push press 6mins
D1. close grip bench press @20X0; 12, 10, 8, 6. 4; rest 40sec
D2. DL 4-5 TnG build per set start heavy!; rest 3mins
E. emom – 12mins
odd – 2 rope climbs 15′
even – 1 MU + amrap ring dips
+
10, 8, 6, 4, 2 for time
pendlay row 135#
HSPU kipping
+
20mins Z1 easy

Priority day 2  

3 rounds not for time
2 legless rope climbs 15′
2 wall walks
2 bar MU
15 GHD situps
+
A. SJ from blocks build to 195#
B. start at 175# add 10# every 90sec until max
C1. DB arnold press 10-12×5; rest 30sec
C2. prone row 8-10×5; rest 30sec
C3. KBS heavy 10-12×5; rest 90sec
D. death by TTB
+
30 PC 155# for time
every min on the min complete 1 MU + 2 burpees

Coach Matt Bryant