Hot Tips for Warm Weather Training

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(A Blast from the Past article originally posted on 06/09/19)

Summer has arrived, and it is certainly getting warm in the gym. With this in mind, here are a couple of tips for training when it’s hot:

  • Bring a towel. Not a washcloth. A towel. You’ll appreciate it.

  • Cotton t-shirts are always a lifter’s best friend, but in the summer, some of you may want to bring more than one. One shirt to squat, and then one for the rest of the training session. Some of you may need three shirts!

  • Tank tops are excellent when you want to show off your sculpted gunzz, but they are terrible for squatting, benching, and cleaning (the olympic version - you can vacuum and dust in a tank to your heart’s delight). Tank tops leave your shoulders bare, and you want fabric in contact with the bar or the bench, not sweaty, oily human skin. Gross. Just gross.

  • If you don’t typically train with a water bottle, now is a good time to start. Gatorade or a similar sports drink works well also.

  • Headbands are not only stylish - they keep sweat out of your eyes.

Also, as a bit of a housekeeping follow-up to the tips above, please remember to do the following:

  • Spray and wipe down your bench when you’re finished benching.

  • Grab a nylon brush (we have 4 of them at the gym) and brush down your bar before you take it back to the storage area.

Some people like training when it’s hot while some would choose a chilly day every time, but whether you love it or hate it, you can still train productively when it gets hot. A little preparation goes a long way, and you’ll find that you can adapt to the warmer weather just fine. After all, you’re an athlete.

Week 2021.06.07

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This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10-20 x 25 yds EMOM at a weight of your choice

Every minute, push the sled 25 yards, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.

Indoors:
10-20 x 100 ft EMOM at a weight of your choice

Every minute, push the sled 100 feet, i.e., if pushing the sled takes 20 seconds, then you have 40 seconds to rest. Perform 10-20 rounds.

Compare to 2021.04.05.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.

Compare to 2021.03.15.

Option 3
1. Work up to a heavy single on the axle clean-and-press (i.e., ground to overhead).
2. 5 x 100 ft Zercher carry (50 ft down-back). Add weight each round. Rest as needed.

Compare to 2021.02.15.

Option 4
Outdoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
50 yd sled push, 100#/50#

Indoors:
5 rounds:
15 cal row
100 ft sled push, 250#/125#

Push sled slow for recovery. Score is slowest row.

Compare to 2021.02.08.

The Clean: Landing Positions

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A couple of weeks ago, we covered the three landing positions for the snatch. There are also three landing positions for the clean, and as with the snatch landing positions, each has its own advantages. Let’s briefly cover them here:

Maddie performs a power clean.

Maddie performs a power clean.

Power Clean
Landing Position: Partial squat (i.e., partial-depth front squat)
Advantage: The power clean is the simplest to learn as your feet do not travel far from their original pulling position. It also doesn’t require learning how to perform a front squat as in the . . .

Maddie performs a clean.

Maddie performs a clean.

Clean (AKA full clean or squat clean)
Landing Position: Front squat (i.e., full-depth front squat)
Advantage: Of the three landing positions, the full clean allows lifters to lift the heaviest weights as this lower receiving position means the bar doesn’t have to be lifted as high before racking it on the shoulders.

Maddie performs a split clean.

Maddie performs a split clean.

Split Clean
Landing Position: Split stance - nearly identical to the split jerk stance, but the split is often even longer and deeper.
Advantage: The split clean allows the lifter to drop further under the bar than the power clean without requiring the ability to drop into an front squat position as in the full clean. For this reason, the split clean  - although potentially useful at all ages - is especially well-suited to older lifters.

You’ll notice that the word “hang” - as in hang clean or hang power clean or hang split clean - is conspicuously absent in this discussion. This is because “hang” refers to a starting position, not a landing position. If “hang” is added as a prefix, then the lift simply starts with the bar hanging in the hands (usually at about mid-thigh height) as opposed to starting with the bar resting on the floor.

Week 2021.05.31

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Reminder: In observance of Memorial Day (Monday, 05/31/21), we will be open for training during our usual morning hours (5:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.) that day, but we will be closed that afternoon and evening.

This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled
Outdoors:
10 rounds of:
Push sled 100 ft
Pull sled 100 ft (hand over hand)

Indoors:
20 rounds of:
Push sled 50 ft
Pull sled 50 ft (hand over hand)

Compare to 2021.03.29.

Option 2
Bike/row:
5 min on
4 min off
4 min on
3 min off
3 min on
2 min off
2 min on
1 min off
1 min on

Record distance for each interval and add for total distance.

Compare to 2021.03.08.

Option 3
Outdoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
50 yd sled push (25 yd down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Indoors:
8 rounds:
4 tire flips
100 ft sled push (50 ft down-back)
Rest 1 minute

Compare to 2021.02.08.

Option 4
5 rounds:
4 tire flips
8 sledgehammer strikes
6 pull-ups
10 push-ups

Pull-ups and push-ups can be modified – talk to the coaches for options.

Compare to 2021.02.01.

The Deadlift: Sock it to Me, Baby

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Want an easy way to improve your deadlift?

Wear long socks. Seriously. When you deadlift, wear socks that go over your calves and up to a point just below your knees. Of course, sweatpants or leggings will work as well, but for pure fashion - and I’m an expert on this topic - I recommend the classic, old-school tube sock with the horizontal stripes.

Why long socks? Two reasons:

First, you’ll keep the bar closer. Remember, step 5 in the deadlift setup is “drag” - i.e., drag the bar up your legs. This keeps the bar close to your body, over the middle of your foot, and it makes for the most efficient pull. Have you ever tried holding a jug of milk out at arm’s length? It’s a lot easier when you keep it close to your body, and the deadlift is no different. Lifters will automatically keep the bar closer to their legs when they’re not worried about scraping their shins, which brings us to . . .

Second, you’ll prevent yourself from having bloody shins when you actually succeed in keeping the bar close. You don’t want bloody shins - once they bleed, it’s amazingly easy to break those scabs back open again in successive workouts - and we don’t want your DNA on the bar.

Now, if you’ve never let a deadlift drift away from your shins, and if you’ve never had bloody shins when pulling, then feel free to ignore this advice, but your day will come too, my friend, and when it does, you’ll wish you had a pair of those sweet socks.

Week 2021.05.24

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Reminder: In observance of Memorial Day (Monday, 05/31/21), we will be open for training during our usual morning hours (5:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.) that day, but we will be closed that afternoon and evening.

This Week’s Conditioning

Option 1
Sled Pyramid – 4, 5, or 6 tiers
Go up and down a 4, 5, or 6 tier “sled pyramid” – rest as needed. The distance for each round is 80 m indoors (a down-back on the 40m course) or 200 ft outdoors (2 down-backs on the 50 ft course). Rest as needed.

For example, Bob does the following (4 tiers):
Round 1: Empty sled
Round 2: 25#
Round 3: 50#
Round 4: 75#
Round 5: 50#
Round 6: 25#
Round 7: Empty sled

Compare to 2021.03.22.

Option 2
Bike/row:
4 x 3 minutes

Rest 3 minutes between each round. Score = lowest distance.

Compare to 2021.03.01.

Option 3
5-10 rounds:
50 ft yoke carry
50 ft yoke push
100 ft sandbag carry and S.O.B. (sandbag-over-bar)

Perform 1 round every 2-3 minutes.

Compare to 2021.02.01.

Option 4
Row/Tire 10 min ladder:
2 cal row
2 tire flips
4 cal row
4 tire flips
6 cal row
6 tire flips
…
Climb the ladder as high as possible in 10 minutes.

Compare to 2021.01.25.