We're getting pumped for August and the start of our 10-week Wendler Strength cycle with a Heavy 1-Rep test for each of the three major lifts, Back Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press. We are going to utilize Wendler's "Training Max" approach to loading for this cycle, meaning that the percentages used each day are based on 90% of your established Heavy 1-Rep weight in week 1 testing. This approach is crucial to the athlete’s ability to work through all of the sets with perfect form, never miss a rep, and adequately recover during training without overloading their body. Here's a glimpse of how the cycle will work.
Week 1 of 10 (8/2) - Heavy 1-Rep Test
Week 2 of 10 (8/9) - 3x5 (@65%-75%-85%)
Week 3 of 10 (8/16) - 3x3 (@70%-80%-90%)
Week 4 of 10 (8/23) - 1x5/1x3/1x1+ (@75%-85%-95%)
Week 5 of 10 (8/30) - 3x5 (@40%-50%-60%)
Week 6 of 10 (9/6) - 3x5 (@65%-75%-85%) - increase the Training Max
Week 7 of 10 (9/13) - 3x3 (@70%-80%-90%)
Week 8 of 10 (9/20) - 1x5/1x3/1x1+ (@75%-85%-95%)
Week 9 of 10 (9/27) - 3x5 (@40%-50%-60%)
Week 10 of 10 (10/4) - Heavy 1-Rep Re-Test
Each of these days will include the familiar "grind" session with accessory work and we're throwing in a 10:00 Work Capacity finisher to help bring in a little bit of cardiovascular work. This is a long cycle that will be a major part of each week, and while it can feel somewhat repetitive for athletes week in and week out hitting the same three lifts, the benefit of improving these core movements will be felt and seen across every workout going forward..."Strength is never a weakness"- Mark Bell!
Sprinkled into the mix are a few re-tests of Benchmarks we saw earlier in the year including; Helen, Straight 100, and Jonescrawl. To round out the week, we're keeping our bigger cardio/work capacity workouts each week and will be adding some skill work for those still trying to improve their pull ups and learn the kip (yes more toes to bars and maybe even some bar muscle ups for others!) We will continue to bring the big Team Workouts on Saturdays and you'll be seeing a Buds-n-Suds every month as well as some awesome clinics.
Stay tuned to our social media and watch out for some videos from Coach Lee in SugarWOD giving you some pro tips, points of performance and program overviews to help you get more out of each week!
*Little bit of history here...our first Wendler cycle was performed in our original space on West 7th in 2011. It was a lot of fun then and we're excited for you all to experience it with all the lessons we've learned in the past 10 years!
-Coach Lee
