We will be using this week for testing our 1rms in the back squat, deadlift and press. The official 6 weeks of strength training will start next week, followed by a de-load week and then a retest week.
Getting strong isn’t only about lifting heavy shit.
I realize that it is summer and many of you have fallen off of your “eating for fitness routine”, or maybe you never have been methodical about what you put in your mouth, but now is a great time to try to eat with a purpose. There is no right way or wrong way. Many power-lifters eat 8 small meals/day, others practice intermittent fasting and only 1-2 times/day. For some lifters it’s all about size and calories…pop-tarts, 500 calorie protein bars, and a sack of potatoes to the face.
For most of you I am assuming that you don’t want your neck and head to become one. Strength doesn’t always mean size, and getting stronger at the expense of your arteries and body-weight movements is not what we are aiming for. We want to gain strength while remaining lean and functional. Protein at every meal is a must, and preferably lean protein. Eating 4-6 times/day is what will be appropriate for the majority of you. Incorporate fruits and green vegetables throughout the day with your meals- try to get in as many nutrient dense foods as possible. If you need extra calories try to focus on increasing your fat intake through monounsaturated fats such as avocado, olive oil, and nuts.
One piece of advice that you will find consistently across all weight-lifting and sports nutrition forums is that post workout replenishment is important. If you want to get stronger and recover faster you need to either take down a protein shake, or a dense source of protein with some carbohydrate within 1-30 minutes post exercise. This will help to restore muscle glycogen and repair muscle fibers. Protein shakes come in all different forms, many mixed in with a bunch of crap, so be picky about which one you choose. Unless you are looking to develop some sexy man boobs stay away from the soy protein. Ladies, soy protein isn’t good for you either; various studies have underlined adverse affects. Whey protein is the way to go. As long as it is whey protein and doesn’t have 100 ingredients on the label (half of them being artificial), then it will do the job without poisoning you. Remeber you want REAL sugars for muscle recovery, stay away from the chemicals.
Your mission over the next few days is to start thinking about your post workout nutrition. Either start looking into ordering some if you are not well stocked, or start planning some accessible post wod meals if you do not like protein shakes.
I will be posting more on nutrition later this week. Please post to comments if you have a protein powder that you recommend.
Warm-up
30 Medball squats (same as stone squats)
30 MB knee tucks (in plank position)
30 MB Burpee to Overhead
-spend 5 minutes stretching quads and hammys
Strength
Spend 25 minutes working up to a 1 RM Back Squat
WOD
30s work: 30s rest
-Stone Squats
-Strict Pull-ups
-GHD MedBall Sit-ups (20/14)
-Pistols (30s right leg, 30s left x2)
4x through at each station then rotate to the next station in this order
Games – weighted pull-ups (only add weight if you can do >10 strict pull-ups in 30s, weighted pistols (1.5/1)