Get Ready: HEAVY AF PROGRAM VOL 4 DROP!
Hello, all my strong friends!
September is here! We’re on to a new HEAVY AF cycle. We’ve got a handful of new movements to work on, probably the biggest event of the year coming up, and lots of things to discuss and refine. But, just like the cars flying down Chicago Ave, the gains aren’t stopping for anyone.
In this email, we’ll go over the plan, we’ll talk about our main movements, and then I’ll give you loads of helpful info and a little sass.
THE PLAN
FACE OFF GAMES
September 15th is the biggest event the Ukrainian Village has ever seen. FACE OFF. 25 teams. 125 Athletes. Some with names, some have no names.
Many of you who are competing in FACE OFF are looking for a new 3RM max in the deadlift or to put on a show in the bench press. FACE OFF lands 2 weeks into our new HAF program. The first two weeks should serve as a really nice deload or taper, as we lower the percentages and reset our climb back up to heavy. Stick to the HAF plan and you should be feeling good going into event day.
TOP SET TO DROP SETS
We are repeating the top set to drop set method. It is tried and tested by some of the best powerlifters in the world, I think it has worked really well from the feedback I’ve received. So again, we’re working up to a heavy set, finding a representation of how you feel, and then we'll use that top set to determine your drop sets for the day. PLEASE follow the percentages! It makes a difference. Taking off an arbitrary amount of weight for your drop sets will limit your weekly progress.
DYNAMIC EFFORT
The dynamic effort method is a technique used in strength training that involves lifting a submaximal weight at a high velocity. This method has been used by powerlifters and athletes to improve their explosiveness and speed, and has been found to be highly effective in increasing muscle power and overall strength. For the first four weeks of this program we will be applying dynamic effort into our drop sets. The goal is to move the lower percentages in the early stages of the program, as fast as possible. Weeks 5-8 will be performed with this same emphasis, recognising that the heavier things get, inevitably, the slower they’ll move.
Ok, let's talk about your training split:
MONDAY
A] BB FRONT SQUAT / BACK SQUAT / ALT FWD LUNGES
B] MEADOWS ROW
No more than two HAF programs on the same squat.
A new training stimulus is always incredibly beneficial and allows you to be well-rounded as an athlete. Also different exercises can bias different outcomes and may allow you to work on weaknesses more efficiently.
For example, I use front loaded squats as a tool to help my training clients practice squat form and to access more depth in their squat pattern.
Front squats require you to demonstrate a proper squat pattern. If you suck at front squats, it's likely because you suck at the squat pattern in general. Hate to break it to ya.
If you fail to stay balanced, or extended in your upper back, or maybe your hips go too far back while squatting - a front squat is less forgiving than a back squat. For example if you feel a ton of pressure on your wrists and shoulders while front squatting. You’ll complain to me that you need more shoulder or wrist mobility, when what you actually need is a more balanced squat.
If you’re someone who needs a little more depth, or thinks your form could do with some help, front squats will be for you. I would recommend elevating your heels if you struggle to hit depth.
Alternatively, back squats have the highest load potential of the options, if you’re someone that feels your squat form is in a good place but you want to throw around heavier weight, back squats will be your jam.
Finally, barbell forward lunges are on the menu! I’ve added this with my Hyrox’ers in mind. While unilateral exercises aren’t necessarily superior to bilateral exercises in improving overall stability or strength, this presents the opportunity to really load up lunges and get confidence in the movement. The best way for those sandbag lunges on station 7 to feel easy is for your legs to be as strong as possible in your single-leg lunge pattern. We will follow the same rep and set scheme as squats, so heavy heavy lunges!!! To align with Hyrox, these will be an alternating forward lunge.
Your secondary lift on Mondays will be a single-arm meadows row. These are performed with the landmines.
If you want to be jacked and strong like Ilona Maher, you need to lift (relative to you) HEAVY AF. Backless dress season - back muscles poppin’ through your t-shirt vibes.
You need to go heavy and you also need to load through an appropriate range of motion to get the most bang for your buck. We are again looking for you guys to wear wrist straps, load up the barbell and grow yo’ back.
When doing this exercise, force requires counterforce, so as you pull the landmine from the ground toward you, I want you actively pushing your opposite elbow into your knee. More force means more load, more load means more mechanical tension which means more gainzzz.
Finally, we will continue box jumps on Mondays, you’ll have some lower body accessory work and some sagittal core to wrap up the first training day of the week.
WEDNESDAY
A] BB PUSH PRESS OR PUSH JERK
B] BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUAT
Just like my sarcasm (for some of you) we’re going straight over ya head. BB Push Press or BB Push Jerks are up. Both movements should be performed from a front rack. Elbows just in front of the bar at the bottom position allows you to apply a more direct line of force into the bar from your legs. Both exercises are explosive vertical presses, generally a push jerk is a heavier loaded movement but requires a little more technical competency to perform.
Your secondary main lift on Wednesdays will be the most hated-on exercise in fitness: the bulgarian split squat. This should be a HEAVY movement, so let's use wrist straps, making the movement more loadable. Athletes can choose if they hold one big ol’ weight or two big weights either hand - whichever feels more stable.
We will continue with medicine ball work on Wednesdays. We’ll also be performing some upper body accessory work and some frontal core to wrap up a spicy Wednesday.
FRIDAY
A] BB SUMO / CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT
B] FLAT DUMBBELL PRESS
Just like squats, I encourage you to switch up your deadlift variation every one or two training cycles.
In my last email, I mentioned that I wanted everyone to lower the bar slowly to the ground because a slow eccentric in the deadlift with control will almost ALWAYS give you more bang for your training buck than dropping the bar. You guys have been doing a great job of that. (Some of you haven’t. Hence why I wrote this in again.)
Also, please reference my previous email for an impeccable breakdown of deadlift form, stating: A FLAT BACK IS HOLDING YOU BACK.
Anyway, your secondary lift on Fridays will be a Flat Dumbbell Press. This is the GOAT chest exercise. With a ton of support and allowance for ROM. We’ll be able to load these up heavy and will be a nice switch after two cycles on BB bench press.
Finally, we’ll be switching the sprints on Fridays for a broad jump, along with chin ups and some transverse core to wrap up your training before the weekend.
SATURDAY
A] BARBELL CLEAN COMPLEX
B] FRONT OR BACK PIN SQUATS
Saturday HAF will continue to be Olympic lifting-focussed and cleans will continue as the primary movement. If you didn’t know already - Coach Eric is on the schedule for this class. He has almost as big a biceps as me. He also REALLY knows his stuff.
During this cycle, again we’ll perform a clean complex: POWER CLEAN, HANG SQUAT CLEAN, 2x Front SQUATS to begin, then as the weeks go on this complex will shorten in elements and the load capacity of the sequence will increase.
For this we’ll use constrained max-outs. Meaning athletes will start at a very manageable weight and must complete their sets smoothly to move up in weight. If you miss reps or complete a sloppy rep you must drop back down to your last successful set before going up again.
What this does is allows us to perform multiple quality reps in the 60-80% range on our way up to the heaviest sets at the end, and the rules keep quality as a priority - instead of performing sloppy reps over and over again on our way up to the sloppiest heaviest set at the end.
The secondary lift on Saturdays will be Front or Back Squat from the pins. You’ll start your squat from the bottom position. The pin squat is a way to train the rate of force development because the bar is starting at a dead stop supported by the rack. It can also be used to train a specific weak point for you by starting the squat in that position.
In choosing which type of squat to perform, pick the squat you are not doing on Mondays. For set up, place the pins of a power rack to position yourself at the depth you want. Most commonly this will be around parallel or just above the bottom, but can also be higher to overload the legs and trunk beyond what you can squat, or as a way to work on explosive leg drive.
Make sense?
SOME KEY POINTS TO IMPROVE YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY:
OKKKKK…. These are some topics that I frequently discuss with many of you that I think should be shared with the group.
“WHAT CAN I DO TO IMPROVE MY RECOVERY?”
This is a big one (the biggest one, the other topics are a little shorter I promise). This is a question I get asked frequently. What I don’t like about this question is it implies that there is something extra you should be doing. That there’s something you’re missing.
My advice is, you’re not missing anything. A big meal, lots of hydration, and a nappy nap is all the extra you need. Also, maybe some not-so-active or low-intensity hobbies. Everything else for recovery is just meh.
We have a market that massively promotes "recovery protocols”. Whether it's CBD, cryotherapy, ice bath/sauna, cupping, tissue scraping, shockwave therapy, and much much more.
These practices or treatments can often provide a temporary reduction of pain or stiffness but usually are just people trying to sell you something.
As it pertains to soft tissue injuries, strains, sprains and overuse, maybe a temporary reduction of pain or stiffness is what you’re looking for. In which case: go crazy. But the temporary fixes are just a distraction until the body heals itself.
Most people don't need a recovery protocol, they need quality training, fuel, stress management, and good, consistent sleep. Let's say, you think you are doing all these things, and still feel like dirt all the time - what you need to do (maybe just a little bit, for a few weeks) is less.
Over-training occurs when the stress of exercise is greater than the body's ability to recover. It happens when you train too much, or too frequently without enough recovery time.
Overtraining can lead to decreased performance, muscle and joint pain, or unusual muscle soreness that persists long after a workout. It can lead to hormonal imbalances that can disrupt normal body functions, including metabolism and muscle growth. It can lead to fatigue, exhaustion, or low energy levels, poor sleep, decreased motivation, or moodiness.
T.I. said “I got a grind won’t stop, hustle won’t quit” - sometimes the grind has gotta slow down T.I.! or your body will make that decision for you.
I always interact with members who experience pain. They attend the gym 5-6 days a week engaging in intense activity. Then, rather than reducing their exposure to high intensity they just add a trip to physio for some sort of manual treatment and continue on, wondering why their pain hasn’t subsided.
(This doesn’t apply to everyone lol. I feel like you’ll know if I’m talking to you or not)
If you’re feeling rough but want to be active. Try finding lower-intensity activities. For example, our Z2 class, walking, dancing, concerts, biking, and yoga (TGC yoga studio en route) will occupy your time in replace of some of the higher-intensity stuff you're doing which could be damaging. (Note the keyword replace, not in addition to.) This will allow your body to work on healing itself while also staying active. This is called active recovery.
Also, this isn’t me saying physiotherapy is a waste of time. This is me saying that: Cupping doesn't suck out toxins - they're just love bites (hickeys), tissue scraping doesn't break up adhesions - they’re just friction burns, and acupuncture doesn't realign your chakras - they’re just a distraction.
Manual therapy treatments like these can have some benefit for some people, sometimes. But, all they really do is give a stimulus to distract you temporarily from pain or stiffness.
I don't really care what treatments therapists use to help reduce pain or stiffness in those they see... I just care if these treatments are being used without action or change in the things that matter and will make a real difference. TRAINING ROUTINE, FUEL, STRESS MANAGEMENT, SLEEP.
I’m happy to discuss this further with anyone, including your physio who sticks needles in you, or suction cups every inch of your back every month despite your pain never going away. (you know I had to put some sass in there).
“IS USING A BELT CHEATING?”
Typically when squatting or deadlifting we have a mix in the room. Some people belt up, some people don’t. Generally, if you have found success with either, stick to what you’re doing. But some of you might benefit from trying a belt.
There are misconceptions about using belts. For example, lifting with a belt all the time WON’T give you a weak core. If anything it's a proprioceptive tool to increase core activity.
You’ll have heard your coaches say to take a bracing breath before squatties and deads - a belt will help facilitate your brace. Having something touching your midsection just helps create more awareness of those muscles, helps your brace, and helps maintain core tension through your lifts.
Additionally, beltless work does not train the core muscles more than belted work or productively help challenge technique.
Moreover, the target muscle tissue during our deadlifts and squats aren’t primarily the core muscles, and therefore training your core shouldn’t be a deciding factor on whether you wear a belt or not. We program core exercises in all of our HAF classes, where the core muscles are isolated. So if a belt will help facilitate more loading of the target tissue while squatting and deadlifting, the quads, glutes, hamstrings etc… you should use one.
“WILL NASAL STRIPS HELP MY RUN TRAINING?”
It’s a wonder that none of the world's best marathon runners at the Paris Olympics wear nose strips. They must not know about them?! Or… they’re bullshit.
For the purpose of increasing airflow while running, nasal strips do nothing. Conceptually they make sense but no research supports increased airflow with that stupid tape on your nose.
I’ll leave it at that.
HYROX PLANNING
A lot of you have signed up for Hyrox Chicago. At this point we’re around 11-12 weeks out. One thing that is important when training for Hyrox is understanding that we are trying to make the body adapt to become better at the qualities you need for Hyrox: Strength and Endurance.
You need to be strong, so you can produce force at a greater, more efficient rate, then you’ll be fast and you need to be resilient with aerobic endurance so you can consistently use that force for an extended period. These qualities are most efficiently trained separately. Then you bring those qualities together to complete the race.
What you don't do, is practice Hyrox, to train for Hyrox.
What often happens is athletes start coming less to HAF, and start binging HYBRID and STRONG X. There’s certainly a degree of skill development you’ll get from Hyrox workouts but that will only take you so far.
YOU NEED TO CONTINUE WITH YOUR STRENGTH TRAINING. If you haven't done this already, I would suggest adding in two or three long runs a week, slowly increasing your mileage and then one or two Hybrid or Strong X’s classes to occasionally practice the very little skill that is required to do Hyrox.
At this point, you should have a routine that you can sustain until we race! For me, for example, I strength train 3 days a week, run slow twice a week and run fast once a week (track work, sprint intervals). Some of these things are on the same day, with one or two days off every week. My goal is to not miss a week of this until we race. That’s the sweet spot for me, where I feel I can lift heavy and I have the motivation and energy to run.
Find what feels sustainable for you, and stick to it.
Squad, let me know if this email was helpful and if in the future there is anything you would like me to include or talk about.
Let’s get it!
Coach Ashley Stephen
Director of Training
The Garage Chicago Gym