Strength Day
Front Squat: 5 x 5
Then…
3-4 ROUNDS
10 Push Ups (Toughest variation)
10 Bent Over Rows
20 Pistols (10 Per Leg)
1:00 of Your Most Challenging Plank
General Warm Up
Start with 3-5min of easy cardio, get nice and warm, then…
3 ROUNDS
5 Single Leg RDLs - Right Leg
5 Single Leg RDLs - Left Leg
5 Deadlifts (PVC or Empty bar)
10 Reverse Lunges
5-10 Burpees
Specific Warm Up
Strength Day! The general warm up focuses on the legs but it’s mainly hammy-centric, so start with a slow and controlled set of 10 Air Squats and then move on to a LIGHT set of 10 with your chosen equipment of the day. For example, if you plan to use a loaded bar, start with an empty bar. If you plan to do dumbbell squats, start with a pair of light dumbbells or just one dumbbell if you plan to use two. After that, work your way heavier and heavier, doing sets of 3 at a time, until you find a weight that will be challenging for your working sets of 5.
Once you have completed the whole 5 x 5 of Front Squats, move on to the movements in the circuit. You should be very warm by now, so just test the movements, find the modification that works best for you and away we go!
Workout of the Day
Strength Day
Front Squats: 5 x 5
Then…
3-4 ROUNDS
10 Push Ups (Toughest variation)
20 Pistol Squats (10 Per Leg)
1:00 of Your Most Challenging Plank
Workout Notes
I love Strength Day! Today’s goal is not speed or time, but to give all of your energy to each set of strength work, making each set as challenging as possible without losing any technique or form.
Part 1 is 5 sets of 5 Front Squats. That is to be done in full before moving on to the circuit. That means you’ll do a set of 5 with your working weight and then rest 2-3min before attempting another set. If you need to go up in weight or down in weight from set to set, do it! Each set is its own individual experience and needs to be treated as such. Don’t let your ego drag you into bad decisions!
Once you’ve completed the Squats, move on to the circuit. Each movement here has plenty of substitutions below, but once you find your moves, the idea is to put the movements together in relatively quick succession and at the end of each round, rest as long as you’d like. If you’re feeling spicy, take no rest at all. If you are looking to luxuriate in a non-timed workout, take 1-3min!
Front Squat Modifications
This can be any loaded squat that works well for you. I prefer to use double kettlebells and do the Dumbbell Squat Variations but you may prefer Back Squats over Front Squats! Whatever works for your body would be great today. If you want to stick with a simple variation (like the ones I just listed above) but you don’t have enough weight to challenge yourself (or you just don’t want to go heavy today) you can add a slow descent to some or all of your reps. Take 3-4 seconds (REAL SECONDS) to descend to the bottom of your squat, squeeeeezing all of you muscles the whole time, and then stand up aggressively and squeeze that butt! If you are looking for something a little more interesting than a 5 x 5, go for either of our at-home squatting circuits below:
5 ROUNDS
5 Squats with :03 down
6 Reverse Lunges (3 Each Leg)
5 Squats (Regular Tempo)
*Rest 2-3min between rounds
5 Jump Squats (no weight)
1 Tempo Dumbbell Squat* + 1 Dumbbell Squat x 5
5 Jump Squats (no weight)
Rest 2:00 between sets
*:03 down on the tempo squat. See video for demo!
Push Up Modifications
The Push Up is a horizontal press so it would be best to modify it to another horizontal press like a bench press or floor press, but if you want to press up or down, that’s cool too! Here’s the pressing menu: Push Ups, Dips, Bench Press, Dumbbell Bench Press, Strict Press, or Floor Press.
Bent Over Row Modifications
Just like the Push Up, the Bent Over Row is a horizontal pull, so a substitution that has you pulling in the same plane would be best, like a Bodyweight Row or a Seated Cable/Machine Row at your gym or bands at home, but if you want to pull more vertically, I’m always down with that! You could do Strict Pull Ups or some kind of Cable/Machine Pull Down and hit the same muscle groups.
Pistol Squat Modifications
The Pistol Squat is just a single leg squat! So that means any single leg stuff will work, but the preference would be Split Squats, Lunges, or Box Step Ups.
Plank Ideas
Whatever keeps your hips tucked, glutes squeezed, and abs tight! Front Plank, Side Planks, Around the World Plank, Single Arm Plank, Plank Shoulder Taps, or, depending on your specific back situation, even Hollow Holds or Hollow Rocks.
Cool Down
1-2min of Couch Stretch on Each Side
1-2min of Chest Stretches on Each Side
1-2min of Saddle Pose
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