May Programming Focus
We’re closing in on the halfway point of 2024 and that also means the weather is turning! Before we talk about May, let’s review April and everything we worked on!
First, we saw the beginning of our Volume/ Capacity cycle for the Overhead and Front Squat + Bench Press cycles that carried through the month. Each week the reps got a little lower with the intent of increasing the weight!
We saw some big benchmark workouts like Ava, The Filthy Fifty, and Holleyman…we also got the opportunity to retest Death Row and see the engine improvement!
The Strict Handstand Push-Up and Z-Presses showed up a few times during the month, both as a skill session and in workouts…the goal was to develop strength/ awareness while inverted, and even if this didn’t result in your first Strict HSPU, it still helped get some practice upside down!
We saw a change in the conditioning focus, too…we are working on rowing capacity for the next few months, which means 2-3 GRIND-style lower RPE longer workouts per week! Lastly, we saw the beginning of our 4 week extra credit Murph Prep, which will lead us up to Memorial Day and make sure everyone is ready to rock! Since we’re talking about Murph, let’s see what May has in store!
The first full week of May is going to start on a high note as we test our 3RM for the Overhead Squat, Front Squat & Bench Press!
Once the strength cycle is done, we go back to GPP (or General Physical Preparedness) lifting, which will consist of barbell complexes and strength days, but there will not be a linear progression behind them. We will continue to get stronger by varying our strength movements!
We are super excited to do Murph on Saturday May 27th!
Throughout this month, we will see the gymnastics focus shift from Strict handstand push-ups to building confidence/ capacity in the Toes to Bar. This will take the form of skill sessions and higher volume hanging ab workouts, so prep those lats and midlines! We also will be prepping everyone for looking shredded for summer!
We will see some “Open Style” workouts and will still be focusing on longer GRIND workouts 2-3 times a week, so let’s get ready to keep building those engines through the month of May, especially with one of the best examples of an engine workout, Murph, right around the corner!