12 Week Program

1/1/2023 - 3/26/2023

2023 is HERE! And Phase 1 begins January 1st. This will be the first phase of our annual cycle and will consist of a return to the basics. For the beginning of our annual program, I always like to start with some very important key elements to make sure we start on the right foot.

HYPERTROPHY & BASIC STRENGTH:

Muscle strength and size takes a long time to develop. The initial gains from strength are from neurological improvements. Put simply, you get better at performing the movements we ask our body to do and we get better at using the muscles we have. The next phase is a longer process by which our muscles start getting bigger and longer. This can take usually about 8 weeks to really see measurable improvements. While muscle growth for its own sake is not our primary focus, it is true that bigger muscles tend to be stronger, and we want to be stronger.

ECCENTRIC TRAINING FOR TENDON HEALTH & ISOMETRIC TRAINING FOR STABILITY:

Muscles can do three types of contractions: concentric, isometric, and eccentric. CONCENTRIC contractions are when a muscle shortens. ISOMETRIC contractions are when a muscle resists movement. ECCENTRIC contractions are when a muscle actively lengthens. While most movements consist of all three elements, we can emphasize different parts and we can get different outcomes.

Eccentric muscle contractions, when emphasized, will cause greater adaptation to the ends of muscles. These adaptations, among other things, consist of strengthening of tendons and even lengthening of muscles. The strengthening of tendons is awesome because they generally take longer to get stronger than the rest of the muscle. We primarily are going to focus on eccentric muscle contractions with tempo work and single leg squat drills. We hope this will “bulletproof” our knees and even improve the depth of our squats.

Isometric contractions are wonderful for stability work. When you hold a position, you get stronger in that position. Our midlines (abs, sides, back, etc) work best when train them to be stable. Our shoulders are a crazy joint can benefit greatly from learning to be stable in various positions. This cycle will work hard on various holds that will work both our shoulder stability and midline with isometric contractions.

ADDRESSING ASYMMETRIES:

Despite our love for symmetry, nothing is ever symmetrical, and it is not supposed to be. However, when we don’t train our limbs separately for a long period of time imbalances can get significantly out of whack. This may lead to injuries or issues with shoulders, hips, and even backs. This cycle we will make sure to address these asymmetries in the way we train.

Our training for the next 12 weeks will consist of a gradual building of training volume, barbell work that is focused on basic strength and hypertrophy, plenty of tempo work and static holds, and lots of single limb work. Our tentative schedule is as follows:

MONDAY:

Primary: Tempo Back Squat
Secondary: DB Piked Shoulder Press

TUESDAY:

Primary: Pull Ups
Secondary: KB Snatch

WEDNESDAY:

Primary: Bench Press
Secondary: Pistols

THURSDAY:

Primary: Power Clean/Deadlift
Secondary: Turkish Get Ups

FRIDAY:

Primary: Depth Drops
Secondary: DB Push Press

SATURDAY:

Primary: Handstand Holds
Secondary: Backwards Sled Drag