JOURNAL

November '23 Programme

by tom MCADAM
01/11/23

Programme Overview

The focus of November's programme is to prepare you for the testing week at the end of the month. We've been building towards this and we're excited to see what you can all do!

This testing week will be a little different in that we won't be putting you through tests every single day. We will only be testing on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The other days will be general workouts which you can take a little easier if you're doing all the tests.

Here are the tests:

Monday:

Deadlift 1RM / push jerk 1RM / weighted chin-up 1RM

Tuesday:

2,000m row time trial

Thursday:

Squat 1RM / bench press 1RM / power clean 1RM

Saturday:

"DT" - 5 rounds for time of: 12 deadlifts, 9 hang power cleans and 6 shoulder to overhead (70/45kg).

And here is the structure for the training weeks in November.

Monday Force

Full body strength: deadlift, push jerk, weighted chin-ups

Tuesday Energy

Final 2k row time trial prep: 500m and 1,000m intervals

Wednesday Work

Alternating between: gymnastics skills focus AND specific prep for "DT" with an emphasis on barbell cycling

Thursday Force

Full body strength: squat, power clean, bench press

Friday Energy

Varied workouts involving running, ergs and functional movements. A mixture of "for time", AMRAP and EMOM workouts.

Saturday Work

Alternating between: gymnastics focused WODs AND specific prep for "DT" with an emphasis on barbell cycling

Sunday Force

Full body strength: Squat, bench press, core and assistance work

Sunday RUN CLUB

7-8km long run, ~5:30/km pace

Force Programme:

This month's Force programme is all about getting you ready for 1 rep maxes in week 4. To that end, the focus will be on intensity over volume. Compared to October that will mean fewer sets and heavier weights. The goal here is to work on the skill and capacity to recruit maximal force production and grind through heavy reps.

Here is a basic overview of the month:

Week 1: build to a heavy set of 5 on slow lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and a heavy set of 3 on the fast lifts (power clean, push jerk).

Week 2: build to a heavy set of 3 on slow lifts (squat, bench, deadlift) and a heavy set of 2 on the fast lifts (power clean, push jerk).

Week 3: Heavy but controlled singles on all lifts (90-95% of current 1RM).

Week 4: 1 rep maxes on all lifts and chin up

Energy programme:

Tuesday's Energy programme will put the final touches on your preparation for the 2k row time trial. By now, we hope you've got a good idea of the kind of pace you'll be going for and we will continue to practice intervals at this target pace or a bit faster.

Here is the basic structure for the month:

Week 1: 3x 1,000m row @ 2k target pace

Week 2: 8x 500m row @ 2k target pace

Week 3: 10x 300m sprint

Week 4: 2,000m time trial

The 2k is a test of mental grit as much as it is a test of pure fitness. These intervals will mentally prepare you for that challenge!

WORK PROGRAMME:

The Work programme will be directed towards the CrossFit workout "DT" which will be the Saturday test during testing week. One of the Work sessions in each week (either Wednesday or Saturday) will incorporate a workout similar in structure to DT. The other Work session will emphasise gymnastics skills and keep the intensity somewhat lower.